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Chapter 45: Schemes
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony instinctively wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over, he felt he might be able to use this opportunity to heavily exploit S.H.I.E.L.D., if his guess was correct. He nonchalantly took the file and quickly flipped through it.
Nick Fury picked up a cup of tea, gently blew on it, and took a sip, his movements and expression highly professional.
Tony's eyelid twitched involuntarily: "You carry tea leaves with you?"
Nick Fury said he had found them right there in Tony's house, on the table.
"I'm warning you, don't you dare touch anything in my house, or I won't hold back! You just waltz through my front door, and then you rummage through my stuff? Next time, I swear I'll lose my temper with you!" Tony cursed under his breath. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to be angry right now; even small things could set him off, let alone Nick Fury acting on his own initiative. He subconsciously scratched his head... and got even angrier.
Nick Fury acknowledged him, deep in thought. This probing wasn't in vain; it seemed Tony wasn't as unconcerned as he appeared. At least this house was still something he cared about deeply.
Indeed, a Tony with attachments was more reassuring.
Tony continued to look through the documents, his brows furrowing tighter with each page. Sure enough, the target woman was exactly who he'd suspected, and it was no wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't dare to act rashly.
"To the extent of finding an outsider like me... Let me guess, you've suffered greatly at her hands, haven't you? Perhaps more than once." Tony tossed the documents onto the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s typical behavior, the more exceptional a person's combat ability, the more they piqued S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest. Conversely, if you had some special abilities but were very weak, they would only monitor you regularly and wouldn't easily disturb your private life unless you committed a crime.
Daring to cause trouble in front of that formidable woman was simply asking for death. Not to mention, she wasn't known for her good temper; it would be strange if she didn't beat S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to a pulp...
"No, we're merely observing. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power exceeds your imagination." Nick Fury said calmly, sitting confidently with a plan already in mind, as if this task was merely a pretext to draw Tony closer.
Tony scoffed, becoming increasingly disinclined to hide his emotions from Nick Fury. Observing? If they were just observing, why come to him? Would S.H.I.E.L.D. entrust classified matters to an outsider?
After much deliberation, Tony ultimately accepted the commission, because the reward Nick Fury offered was too tempting: a full three million dollars. This was an astonishing sum to him, and Tony was shocked by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s generosity.
"It looks like you guys really got beaten badly," Tony quipped.
Nick Fury's eye twitched. The past was too painful to recall; sending countless people only resulted in countless beatings – a true disaster. That woman was ridiculously strong.
After sitting for a while longer, Nick Fury finally stood up to leave. Tony was practically itching for him to go.
"Leaving already? Why not stay a bit longer? No need to rush off," Tony said with a fake smile, being polite while wishing Nick Fury would just scram.
So Nick Fury sat back down, an amused expression on his face, and continued to drink his tea.
Tony muttered, "The old shameless bastard," feeling a headache coming on from anger. He subconsciously rubbed his head, feeling its smooth, bald surface... which only made his headache worse. This time, he was practically fuming to death.
Nick Fury leisurely finished his tea, completely devoid of the decisive efficiency he had shown when handling documents earlier. The most infuriating part was that he carefully ate a few leftover tea leaves, shaking his head as if savoring the aroma, which made Tony absolutely furious and prompted him to urge Nick Fury to leave immediately.
Nick Fury finally decided to leave; this time, it was for real. If he stayed to cause any more trouble, he would truly provoke Tony beyond measure.
"Wait! Where's my payment? Hurry up and pay me!" Tony shamelessly demanded the money directly. He could totally take the money first and then drag his feet on the job. As for when he'd complete the mission? Tony wouldn't dare. After all, that formidable woman's lover had died over a hundred years ago, and her temper was simply... terrifying. When she got angry, even Superman had been beaten down by her. It was too scary.
"Your payment is all outside, delivered in physical form," Nick Fury said, pointing to the two cars outside. "The first car contains two boxes of Silver Bullets and one box of UV Grenades, which should be what you need most. The other car is loaded with a batch of Titanium Alloy, the latest alloy produced by Stark Industries, which should be very much to your liking."
Schemes, all schemes...
Tony watched as Nick Fury elegantly got into his car and left, followed by a host of black-suited agents who swiftly departed. The lively spot from moments ago instantly became deserted.
Tony had been played; he could be sure of it. They provided him with a large batch of weapons to fight Vampires, clearing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "trash," then casually handed him a mission. This served to both deepen their relationship with him and use Tony as their scout to test the target's true strength and weaknesses. Talk about the wool coming from the sheep's back...
Capitalists were evil, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was even more detestable than capitalists.
Holding the documents, Tony was already planning how to seize the opportunity to heavily exploit S.H.I.E.L.D., intending to fully unleash the powerful target's wrath upon S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. As he mused, Tony felt delighted and was about to rush out to see his new weapons.
He wasn't too worried about himself; he had Quicksilver as his enforcer! With that astonishing speed, Quicksilver alone could torment those Vampires to death; there was no need for him to take it so seriously. He had a very reliable and formidable helper.
The only remaining phone rang at an inconvenient time; it was Nick Fury, who had just left, calling him. Nick Fury formally informed him that, according to satellite surveillance footage, Pietro seemed to have run all the way to the East Asian continent just to get a meal...
For some reason, Tony suddenly felt exhausted, lacking even the energy to be angry. The Old Bartender at the door had woken up by now, carrying his bottle and continuing to drink. Drunk and high-spirited, he burst into song, his off-key singing so exaggerated it was unbearable. The sleeping neighbors, roused by the singing, threw open their windows and started cursing loudly, which only made the Old Bartender sing even more enthusiastically.
Tony slumped onto the sofa, clutching his head in pain. Feeling the smooth, bald patch, he felt even more tired, utterly exhausted.
Not a single person around him was reliable; he had to roll up his sleeves and do everything himself. His heart felt so weary. He even suspected this was deliberate on Nick Fury's part, trying to subtly nudge him towards S.H.I.E.L.D. for convenience.
Tony silently committed the special team's plan to memory. The immediate priority was to deal with the Vampire threat. The Vampires wouldn't easily let him go, and Deacon, that ambitious schemer, was also plotting something; no matter what, Tony had to get involved. He was also constantly set on plundering a batch of valuables from the Vampires – gold, jewels, anything valuable he could get his hands on. He felt like he was going to die from poverty, as if he lacked money from head to toe.
Thanks to BON.HEAT and Gujiyu for their patronage!
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony instinctively wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over, he felt he might be able to use this opportunity to heavily exploit S.H.I.E.L.D., if his guess was correct. He nonchalantly took the file and quickly flipped through it.
Nick Fury picked up a cup of tea, gently blew on it, and took a sip, his movements and expression highly professional.
Tony's eyelid twitched involuntarily: "You carry tea leaves with you?"
Nick Fury said he had found them right there in Tony's house, on the table.
"I'm warning you, don't you dare touch anything in my house, or I won't hold back! You just waltz through my front door, and then you rummage through my stuff? Next time, I swear I'll lose my temper with you!" Tony cursed under his breath. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to be angry right now; even small things could set him off, let alone Nick Fury acting on his own initiative. He subconsciously scratched his head... and got even angrier.
Nick Fury acknowledged him, deep in thought. This probing wasn't in vain; it seemed Tony wasn't as unconcerned as he appeared. At least this house was still something he cared about deeply.
Indeed, a Tony with attachments was more reassuring.
Tony continued to look through the documents, his brows furrowing tighter with each page. Sure enough, the target woman was exactly who he'd suspected, and it was no wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't dare to act rashly.
"To the extent of finding an outsider like me... Let me guess, you've suffered greatly at her hands, haven't you? Perhaps more than once." Tony tossed the documents onto the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s typical behavior, the more exceptional a person's combat ability, the more they piqued S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest. Conversely, if you had some special abilities but were very weak, they would only monitor you regularly and wouldn't easily disturb your private life unless you committed a crime.
Daring to cause trouble in front of that formidable woman was simply asking for death. Not to mention, she wasn't known for her good temper; it would be strange if she didn't beat S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to a pulp...
"No, we're merely observing. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power exceeds your imagination." Nick Fury said calmly, sitting confidently with a plan already in mind, as if this task was merely a pretext to draw Tony closer.
Tony scoffed, becoming increasingly disinclined to hide his emotions from Nick Fury. Observing? If they were just observing, why come to him? Would S.H.I.E.L.D. entrust classified matters to an outsider?
After much deliberation, Tony ultimately accepted the commission, because the reward Nick Fury offered was too tempting: a full three million dollars. This was an astonishing sum to him, and Tony was shocked by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s generosity.
"It looks like you guys really got beaten badly," Tony quipped.
Nick Fury's eye twitched. The past was too painful to recall; sending countless people only resulted in countless beatings – a true disaster. That woman was ridiculously strong.
After sitting for a while longer, Nick Fury finally stood up to leave. Tony was practically itching for him to go.
"Leaving already? Why not stay a bit longer? No need to rush off," Tony said with a fake smile, being polite while wishing Nick Fury would just scram.
So Nick Fury sat back down, an amused expression on his face, and continued to drink his tea.
Tony muttered, "The old shameless bastard," feeling a headache coming on from anger. He subconsciously rubbed his head, feeling its smooth, bald surface... which only made his headache worse. This time, he was practically fuming to death.
Nick Fury leisurely finished his tea, completely devoid of the decisive efficiency he had shown when handling documents earlier. The most infuriating part was that he carefully ate a few leftover tea leaves, shaking his head as if savoring the aroma, which made Tony absolutely furious and prompted him to urge Nick Fury to leave immediately.
Nick Fury finally decided to leave; this time, it was for real. If he stayed to cause any more trouble, he would truly provoke Tony beyond measure.
"Wait! Where's my payment? Hurry up and pay me!" Tony shamelessly demanded the money directly. He could totally take the money first and then drag his feet on the job. As for when he'd complete the mission? Tony wouldn't dare. After all, that formidable woman's lover had died over a hundred years ago, and her temper was simply... terrifying. When she got angry, even Superman had been beaten down by her. It was too scary.
"Your payment is all outside, delivered in physical form," Nick Fury said, pointing to the two cars outside. "The first car contains two boxes of Silver Bullets and one box of UV Grenades, which should be what you need most. The other car is loaded with a batch of Titanium Alloy, the latest alloy produced by Stark Industries, which should be very much to your liking."
Schemes, all schemes...
Tony watched as Nick Fury elegantly got into his car and left, followed by a host of black-suited agents who swiftly departed. The lively spot from moments ago instantly became deserted.
Tony had been played; he could be sure of it. They provided him with a large batch of weapons to fight Vampires, clearing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "trash," then casually handed him a mission. This served to both deepen their relationship with him and use Tony as their scout to test the target's true strength and weaknesses. Talk about the wool coming from the sheep's back...
Capitalists were evil, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was even more detestable than capitalists.
Holding the documents, Tony was already planning how to seize the opportunity to heavily exploit S.H.I.E.L.D., intending to fully unleash the powerful target's wrath upon S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. As he mused, Tony felt delighted and was about to rush out to see his new weapons.
He wasn't too worried about himself; he had Quicksilver as his enforcer! With that astonishing speed, Quicksilver alone could torment those Vampires to death; there was no need for him to take it so seriously. He had a very reliable and formidable helper.
The only remaining phone rang at an inconvenient time; it was Nick Fury, who had just left, calling him. Nick Fury formally informed him that, according to satellite surveillance footage, Pietro seemed to have run all the way to the East Asian continent just to get a meal...
For some reason, Tony suddenly felt exhausted, lacking even the energy to be angry. The Old Bartender at the door had woken up by now, carrying his bottle and continuing to drink. Drunk and high-spirited, he burst into song, his off-key singing so exaggerated it was unbearable. The sleeping neighbors, roused by the singing, threw open their windows and started cursing loudly, which only made the Old Bartender sing even more enthusiastically.
Tony slumped onto the sofa, clutching his head in pain. Feeling the smooth, bald patch, he felt even more tired, utterly exhausted.
Not a single person around him was reliable; he had to roll up his sleeves and do everything himself. His heart felt so weary. He even suspected this was deliberate on Nick Fury's part, trying to subtly nudge him towards S.H.I.E.L.D. for convenience.
Tony silently committed the special team's plan to memory. The immediate priority was to deal with the Vampire threat. The Vampires wouldn't easily let him go, and Deacon, that ambitious schemer, was also plotting something; no matter what, Tony had to get involved. He was also constantly set on plundering a batch of valuables from the Vampires – gold, jewels, anything valuable he could get his hands on. He felt like he was going to die from poverty, as if he lacked money from head to toe.
Thanks to BON.HEAT and Gujiyu for their patronage!
(end of chapter)
