Although in this world, Blake wasn't as wealthy as he was in the real world, he still had a few million dollars in his bank account. So when it came to choosing ingredients for the meal, he spared no expense, selecting the most expensive options regardless of their suitability.
With hotpot, the quality of ingredients matters more than cooking skills, and Blake's choices ensured a top-tier meal. For these fools, this meal was an entirely new experience. Even Tony Stark, who had seen and tasted it all, was sweating and praising the food.
As the spiciness overwhelmed them, they washed it down with cold beer, which was a delightful combination.
"Blake, you're really stingy. Even if Banner brought wine, you don't have to drink it the whole time. Hotpot pairs better with ice-cold beer!" Nick Fury, unusually relaxed, teased Blake as he enjoyed his meal.
Blake just smiled mysteriously and kept his thoughts to himself.
"A bunch of barbarians, daring to drink cold beer with spicy hotpot on their first try. I've had it too often to make that mistake. Let's see how your stomachs and rear ends handle it tonight for not bringing red envelopes!"
While secretly cursing them, Blake noticed Black Widow sweating from the spicy food. He pulled out a dark bottle of herbal tea and took her beer.
"Try this," he said.
"What is it? Looks like flat cola," she remarked, taking a small sip. "The taste is a bit odd."
Even though modern herbal teas are flavored, they can still be an acquired taste.
"This is good stuff, great for your skin. Trust me!" Blake winked at her playfully.
The meal lasted nearly two hours, leaving a group of people capable of dismantling a small country sprawled out on the sofas, completely worn out. Black Widow, mindful of her figure, ate less and naturally took on the task of cleaning up, as everyone else was too full to move.
Blake had opted for disposable dishes to make cleanup easier, except for the hotpot, which required some extra effort. Watching Black Widow clean up gave Blake a sense of domestic bliss, as if hosting friends at home while his wife tidied up the kitchen.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Blake sat up straighter.
"Blake, Banner should have mentioned the purpose of his visit. The Avengers initiative is officially underway. Once you've all gotten to know each other better, I'll assign you a mission for some hands-on training. Agent Romanoff has already secured a base for you all to use soon," Nick Fury said, slumped on the sofa, looking more like an old, weary man than a slick spy.
"My focus will likely shift to New York soon. As you know, Stark Industries no longer makes weapons. We're moving into new energy and finance, and New York is better suited for that than Los Angeles," Tony Stark added.
In reality, Tony had already purchased land in New York for the new Stark Tower. Although he hadn't yet handed over the CEO position to Pepper Potts, he was extremely busy, especially with the board's chaos following Obadiah Stane's death.
"Exactly, Stark. Your base is in New York!" Nick Fury snapped his fingers.
"Fuck!" Blake sat up straight. He knew that his future would be centered in New York, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
"I just bought this house. Do you know how much effort I put into renovating it? Do you know how hard it was to buy a big house in downtown Los Angeles? I've only slept here for one night. Damn it, I can't afford to buy another house in New York!"
"Technically, the money for your house was won by Agent Romanoff at the casino, using chips given to you by Stark. Stark also handled all the renovations and furniture. It's like you got the house for free," Nick Fury said, his one exposed eye conveying a strong sense of disdain.
"No way! I demand a raise. You're dragging me from the West Coast to the East Coast. The Pacific Ocean outside my door will become the Atlantic Ocean. I'll have serious climate adjustment issues," Blake said, playing the rascal.
"Don't worry. This time, the salary will definitely satisfy everyone," Nick Fury replied with a mysterious smile.
Even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, world-threatening crises didn't occur all the time. In these early stages, with hidden powers aside, figures like Odin and the Ancient One, both powerful beyond measure, maintained order.
Odin safeguarded Asgard, preventing other cosmic forces from coveting the Nine Realms. The Ancient One, relying on the mystical protection of the three sanctums in New York, London, and Hong Kong, shielded Earth from dimensional threats.
Blake had no idea what targets Nick Fury had in mind for them. But judging by Fury's secretive words and shifty eyes, it was unlikely to be anything good.
Despite these concerns, the dinner was quite enjoyable. After everyone left, Blake wanted to take Black Widow out for a walk to build some rapport, but Nick Fury whisked her away on a mission.
"That damn bald head. He must have never had a woman in his life. I bet the photo on his nightstand is of a burly man. That damned bastard!" Blake complained to the only remaining guest, Tony Stark.
"Exactly, my friend! Not everyone has a photo of themselves with a genius playboy on their nightstand," Tony shamelessly responded.
Blake thought about the giant photo on his bedroom wall, where he and Tony posed with peace signs, and was at a loss for words.
That night, Tony, who usually spent his time in his underground garage, ended up in his luxurious bathroom. On his flight to Washington, Hawkeye didn't leave the plane's bathroom once. The worst off were Coulson and Nick Fury. Although Black Widow had left for her mission, they and Banner, who was temporarily housed at the Los Angeles branch, faced the consequences.
At around 3 a.m., Coulson and Nick Fury stood in what was practically a ruined branch office. Nearby, Banner lay on the floor, struggling to control his transformations.
"Blake, you're a damn bastard! Motherfucker!"
The power of the spicy hotpot was terrifying! It fulfilled Blake's curse: their butts were indeed wreaked.
Blake lay in his bedroom, with the photo of him and Tony hanging above. He rolled over and, thinking of something in his dream, suddenly laughed out loud like a pig.
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170
Nicaragua, one of Mexico's largest ports.
One of the biggest trade hubs on the east coast of South America.
In this country, almost completely infiltrated by drug traffickers, it has naturally become one of the largest drug trade ports as well.
Every year, the drugs passing through here to Europe generate economic value that even a super-wealthy individual like Tony Stark would be astonished by.
The vast wealth generated by the drug trade has not only corrupted the government of this country but also spawned numerous drug lords who control their own armies.
To put it simply, the armies controlled by the major drug lords in Mexico are powerful enough to dominate a small country in Africa.
This time, the target of Blake and his team was one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.
The battle lineup: Blake, Tony, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.
Support: Dr. Banner.
Logistics and Command: The ever-reliable Coulson.
"Do you know who the most welcomed people by the drug lords here are?"
Coulson, the leader of the operation, stood on the bridge of the submarine, smiling as he spoke to the group.
"Corrupt anti-narcotics officers or their government officials!" Banner responded playfully.
"It's Tony Stark. Weapons from Stark Industries are their most coveted items. From the extensive criminal records of Obadiah, there is evidence of arms deals with Mexican drug lords. However, due to the CIA's crackdown on Mexican drug traffickers, Obadiah didn't dare to sell arms to them in large quantities."
Coulson pointed to Tony, who remained silent, with a smile.
"First of all, I had no idea what Obadiah was doing, and secondly, Stark Industries no longer manufactures any weapons."
Tony shrugged, expressing his innocence, but couldn't resist speaking up again.
"Honestly, even though I joined this Avengers initiative to step in when the world is in danger, if it's just about training and building team cohesion, there are plenty of terrorists out there, like in the Middle East. Why come to Mexico to catch drug dealers? That's the job of the anti-narcotics police, man!"
In fact, it wasn't just Tony; even Hawkeye, who was entirely within the system, looked equally unimpressed.
As a top agent, he had his own pride. Fighting drug traffickers felt beneath someone of his caliber.
After all, although often considered the weakest in the Avengers, Hawkeye caused havoc among the local gangs in Japan and Mexico after losing his family in the Snap.
"Fury's position means he can't put all his eggs in one basket. Your existence is top-secret. Only a handful of us internally know about it. You need specialized equipment, transportation, and funding, which can't be transparent. So we need to find a few rich people and make some money ourselves."
Coulson explained with a smile to everyone.
Despite his thinning hair, he was a superfan of superheroes, having known about Captain America since childhood. Now that he was in charge of a super-special operations team, his sense of accomplishment was immense, more satisfying than growing a full head of hair.
"Tch!" Blake also felt that fighting drug traffickers was a bit beneath them.
He scoffed disdainfully.
"It's just funding for a few people. The three of you plus me can all draw salaries. Dr. Banner can easily find a part-time job with Tony. Tony doesn't need any explanation; it's just about covering meals and accommodations for a few people. At worst, I'll donate my salary!" Blake showed rare generosity.
"I wish it were that simple. If your salary were enough, let's not even talk about the other expenses. Just one Quinjet costs over a hundred million dollars. If you donate a billion, we'll turn back right now!"
"That was rash! Sorry, forget I said anything. But you can ask Tony!"
Blake pointed to Tony. The money Tony spent on building a suit of armor could easily support everyone for a long time.
To be fair, the drug traffickers in Mexico had strong firepower and many personnel. It was indeed a good place for everyone to train. Moreover, given the enormous wealth they controlled and the significant threat they posed to society, it was clear that Nick had chosen a suitable target.
No wonder he was so sure they'd get a salary increase after the hotpot meal. He had this planned all along.
The drug traffickers had bribed most of the government officials, so arriving by boat or through normal means made no difference. Hence, they discreetly traveled in a small radar-evading submarine.
Under the cover of night, they approached a deserted beach near Nicaragua.
The target was the mansion of the largest drug lord in northern Mexico.
The primary objective this time was to burn their drugs and find the hidden bank account passwords in Zurich.
Coulson implemented Nick Fury's plan well.
With Black Widow and Hawkeye at the center, they would quietly infiltrate, capture the drug lord, burn the drug warehouse, and then quickly retreat.
The highly destructive Dr. Banner was kept in the submarine as a secret weapon. If things got tricky or there were any changes, they would release the beast to assist them.
The drug lord's mansion wasn't far from the coast. Wealthy estates near the sea always have ocean views. This was evident from Tony's preference.
The mansion had nearly ten-meter-high walls with dense electric grids on top, spanning almost a hundred acres. Every 20 to 30 meters, there were watchtowers standing two meters above the walls.
This wasn't just a mansion; it was comparable to the most fortified military bases and prisons Blake had ever seen.
A few hundred meters from the drug lord's mansion, Black Widow spread out a blueprint on the ground and explained to the team.
"The guards are too tight. Sneaking in silently from the front is almost impossible. Seresto's (the drug lord's) room is here. This is his usual area. We can..."
Before Black Widow could finish, Tony had already flown off towards the mansion.
"Damn it, Stark! They might have dug numerous tunnels underground. A frontal assault will let him escape!"
Black Widow shouted angrily.
But the speed of Iron Man's suit was incredible, and he was already nearing the heavily guarded mansion.
"Damn it, Blake, you go... Blake?"
Black Widow looked around in confusion, but Blake was nowhere to be seen.
Hawkeye pointed towards the mansion.
Blake was sprinting towards the mansion at a speed that rivaled Tony's suit.
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170
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