"Roar!!!"
With the Hulk's furious roar, the narrow door was instantly torn apart.
The metal walls and door, over half a meter thick, emitted a sound so deafening that the Hydra agents winced in pain!
Sitwell struggled to cover his ears, and as the Hulk hadn't fully emerged yet, he quickly found a safe place to hide.
As for the other Hydra agents, they formed a line, ready to lure the Hulk.
The Hulk finally squeezed his massive body out of the room, and immediately, a sonic bomb detonated above his head.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had simulated countless attacks on the Hulk; they knew exactly which weapons could affect him.
The Hulk was nearly immune to most damage, but he was still sensitive to sound.
Physical attacks and elemental attacks were largely ineffective.
But sonic weapons, even if they couldn't kill him, would still enrage and pain him!
Boom!
Buzz buzz buzz~~~
The chaotic sounds exploded around the Hulk's ears, and his already bloodshot eyes turned even redder!
"Roar! Hulk… very angry!!!"
Bang!
His massive body slammed into the corridor wall, shattering it instantly.
He didn't follow the route the Hydra agents had planned; instead, he smashed through walls, charging into who knows where.
This was awkward…
Watching the Hulk vent his destructive urges along the walls, the Hydra agents exchanged glances, relieved.
They looked at each other…
Finally, someone took charge.
"Emmmm, that's it, I guess. The monster's out anyway!"
"Right, no need for us to do anything. The Hulk will cause destruction for at least a dozen hours every time he appears!"
"So… we…"
"Let's send off our good colleagues. These years, they've had it tough being S.H.I.E.L.D. agents among us!"
"Right, haha, let's go!"
And so, the Hydra agents responsible for the Hulk were ecstatic—they had survived!
...
Meanwhile, in Tony Stark's lab.
He was developing his armor, aiming to make it both easy to wear and maintain its material and combat effectiveness.
The discovery of new elements had given him ample energy, so he could add some weight to the armor, which sparked new ideas.
He envisioned his armor automatically flying to him from a distance and equipping itself.
Auto-combat might take some time to perfect, but auto-flight…
He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Auto-flight is a bit tricky. I need some inspiration. If I don't require the armor to maintain a specific flight posture, can I shape it like a missile?"
The idea excited him, and he felt inspired.
He summoned the console and quickly reprogrammed the new armor's parameters.
As he worked, Tony felt a surge of creativity, as if every movement of his fingers generated new ideas.
How to fold the armor plates, set the infrared, calibrate the autonomous flight system, and extend the armor—his thoughts flowed like a comet across the sky. At that moment, Tony felt even better than when he was in the High Nest!
But his euphoria lasted less than three minutes…
The comet instantly turned into a shooting star, vanishing in a blink.
Believe me, it wasn't because he was too fast—he was genuinely interrupted!
He actually heard the sound of bombs exploding!
Boom!
Bang!
Ping pong~~~
The sounds were faint but distinct.
Tony immediately called Jarvis to locate the explosions.
In no time, Tony, hands still greasy, rushed into his armor.
In an instant, Iron Man arrived!
The crimson and gold armor streaked across the sky, and Tony clearly saw flames erupting from the Triskelion.
"What the hell is going on?!!!"
He was baffled. The Triskelion was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most important bases—how could it be under attack?
"Wasn't Cap supposed to take down the Purple Man tonight? So, is the Purple Man that powerful? Not only did he not lose, but he's counterattacking S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Tony speculated as he flew toward the Triskelion.
Mid-flight, he ordered Jarvis to decrypt S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal communications.
Moments later, Captain America's voice reached Tony's ears…
Admittedly, no matter how harsh he was with words, Tony respected Rogers the most.
This was evident from him connecting to Rogers' comms first.
Through the comms, Tony heard chaotic but continuous gunfire, the sound of fists hitting flesh, and muffled grunts from men and women…
This felt…
"Cough, Steve, what's going on? Why are there explosions at the Triskelion?"
"Fuck!"
Rogers was startled by the sudden voice in his ear, then quickly reacted.
"Is that Tony? Damn, Hydra's been hiding within S.H.I.E.L.D. We need backup!"
"Hmm? Did you just swear, Cap? Does Captain America swear too?"
"Now's not the time for that, Tony!"
Cap sounded exasperated. As he spoke, he slammed his shield into a Hydra agent, knocking them to the ground, then followed up with two punches to the face.
Taking a moment, Cap told Tony,
"You have the advantage of aerial vision. Go support wherever you think needs it most."
"Got it, but are you sure you don't need me to support you first, Cap?"
"I can handle the situation, but I'm not sure what's happening at the Triskelion. Maybe…"
"Wait, I know where I'm needed most. Damn it, the Hulk's here!!!"
Tony interrupted Cap, and the comms instantly cut off.
It wasn't that Tony couldn't maintain comms during combat—it was…
He knew the Hulk would beat him up badly.
He didn't want others to hear him scream!!!
...
Upon learning the Hulk had appeared, Cap's anxiety was palpable.
He abruptly threw his shield, which, after hitting an enemy, ricocheted and knocked down three more!
"Barton, Melinda, I'll handle this. You take care of things here.
And wrap it up quickly—the Triskelion needs support!"
"Got it, Cap!"
Barton nodded, simultaneously shooting an arrow through an enemy agent.
Seeing this, Cap, not entirely reassured, rushed to the window. He raised his shield, then leaped out.
Thud!
He landed effortlessly—four stories were child's play for him.
But when he saw the chaos outside the apartment building, he regretted bringing so many agents on this mission.
If there weren't over a hundred agents, they wouldn't have been fighting for so long!
More importantly, as a rookie who'd only been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for a week, he couldn't even tell which side was Hydra!
Fortunately, he soon spotted Coulson, someone he knew well.
Dodging bullets, he quickly reached Coulson's side.
When Coulson, constantly evading fire, saw Cap…
Cap felt like he saw love in Coulson's eyes…
Coulson grasped Cap's hand.
"Captain Rogers, I'm sorry S.H.I.E.L.D.'s in such a mess."
"Seventy years ago, I was fighting Hydra, and now, seventy years later, I'm still fighting them. What has S.H.I.E.L.D. been doing these seventy years? Where's Nick Fury?
Why haven't any orders been issued? Is he part of Hydra too? Doesn't he realize we must unite all non-Hydra forces to survive this disaster?"
Cap's words were profound, but they were also what Coulson found most puzzling.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked,
"Yeah, where's the Director? What's he doing that we're left to fight on our own?!!!"
...
On the Moon, in the Skrull refugee camp, Nick Fury glared at Talos.
Just five minutes ago, he'd been effectively detained by this damn old friend!
Now, Talos was still explaining to Nick.
"Nick, I'm sorry your agency's in such a mess. Who could've imagined Hydra was hiding among you?"
As he spoke, Talos refilled Nick's glass.
Nick downed it in one gulp, then coldly told Talos,
"True, I've failed as Director, but I still have a chance to make amends!
S.H.I.E.L.D. has countless agents loyal to their duties, and they'll be my greatest support—if I can get orders to them in time!"
Saying this, Nick slammed the table made of unknown metal.
"Talos, connect me to a satellite signal. You know I need it!"
"But I really can't, Nick. This is the Moon. No signal reaches here. I'm sorry."
"So how did you receive my earlier signals? And what about the videos we're watching from your people's perspective?!!!"
"That's a different method, only for fixed signal receivers. You know what 'fixed' means—pre-arranged, prepared in advance!"
Hearing Talos's excuses, Nick was furious.
But he couldn't shoot this bastard, because he still needed Talos's help!
He sighed, pondered for a moment, then poured drinks for himself and Talos.
They clinked glasses.
"We've been friends for over thirty years, Talos. I value this friendship!"
"I value it too, which is why I'm more concerned about your safety than you are.
Rest assured, Nick, no one can harm you on the Moon. Trust me!"
"But you know that's not what I want, damn it!!!"
Nick Fury finally lost control. His best friend—one of only two—had betrayed him!
"Talos, for our thirty years of friendship, send me back to Earth!"
Nick pleaded with his last effort.
"Think of Carol, of Goose the Flerken, of our days fighting together, Talos. Think hard!"
At this, Talos's expression darkened slightly.
Yes, Carol—Captain Marvel, the Supreme Nova!
That was a real problem…
So, faced with a choice between Marvel and the Skrulls, which would he choose?
Click…
The door opened, and the two turned toward it.
A Skrull entered, escorting a bound S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, looking grim.
"Leader, this human tried to steal our spaceship!"
Boom!!!
Talos made his decision. He'd figured it out.
He waved at his tribesman.
"Separate them and lock them in our warehouse!"
After giving the order, Talos ignored Nick Fury's terrified expression and said,
"Nick, we are friends, but they are my people. Earth won't let them return alive, and I won't let them die like this!"
"So you're abandoning Earth's friendship for two tribesmen, Talos?!!!"
Nick's roar nearly shook the ceiling, but Talos's expression remained unchanged.
He smiled as always and said,
"They are the best of my remaining 133 tribesmen!
Besides, you and your shattered S.H.I.E.L.D. can't truly represent Earth!"