The Captain's head was full of black lines. He had originally come with a grateful heart to thank these two people.
Why did their words instantly make him feel the urge to smash their faces with his shield?
Taking a deep breath, he filtered their words.
"Thank you! Thank you both for everything you've done for me!"
The Captain sat down beside them and said solemnly.
"For God's sake, Captain, you should put more heart into it. At the very least, come over and give us each a hug or something. Do you know how much effort it took to get these World War II decorations and costumes? I practically cleared out half a warehouse of props from a friend's film company," Blake said with a smile this time, not giving the Captain a hard time.
"I think you should take a break and travel the world with Peggy. Really take the time to see it. If you need, I can arrange a trip for you both to Asgard," Blake added.
"Wherever the two of us go, it doesn't matter, but let's wait a while. Right now, Peggy and Natasha are organizing some intelligence. Guess what they found? Traces of Hydra," the Captain said with an unusually serious expression as he faced his destined nemesis.
"Listen to me, Captain. You two should travel the world. Leave Hydra to me. We're the Avengers, remember? We've defeated alien invaders. Hydra? They're nothing more than flies to us now, certainly not a real threat!"
"Exactly, Captain. Our enemies are up there!" Tony pointed to the stars above.
Compared to the Captain, Tony had even greater respect for Peggy Carter, the woman who, alongside his father, co-founded S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stark Industries had recently purchased a massive cruise ship for luxurious world tours. Tony had reserved the most exclusive luxury suite package for the Captain and Peggy.
In the end, under the persuasion of both Blake and Tony, the Captain temporarily set aside his work and chose to travel the world with Peggy.
The truth was, the intelligence had only hinted at Hydra's presence and lacked concrete evidence. Otherwise, the Captain wouldn't have rested until Hydra was dismantled.
After seeing off the Captain and Peggy, Blake heaved a sigh of relief.
In his mind, everything else could change, but Hydra was something he had deliberately left untouched for a long time.
It was all for the eventual appearance of Scarlet Witch. He couldn't afford any unexpected changes at the last moment.
...
Wakanda, which had demonstrated its strength to the world during the Chitauri invasion, had recently become the focus of global attention.
This once-isolated nation, which previously had no foreign institutions within its borders, was now flooded with requests from almost every powerful country to establish embassies and send scientific delegations.
The number of tourists visiting Wakanda had multiplied exponentially, drawn by its growing reputation.
Lately, the Old King had been so busy that he hardly had time to rest.
Just dealing with the influx of tourists—managing their food, lodging, and other necessities—was a massive challenge, not to mention the expansion of transportation infrastructure, airport construction, and accommodating airlines from around the globe.
Wakanda has no fear of war, but the sudden increase in administrative tasks is a significant challenge for this ancient nation that has functioned as a tribal society for centuries. Even though their technology surpasses the rest of human civilization by many years, adapting to modern governance remains difficult.
"If I had known it would be like this, I should have been better prepared to face the whole world!"
The Old King, who hadn't shared breakfast with his son in a long time, finally found a rare moment to complain as they ate together.
Black Panther smiled slightly. For someone as young as him, opening Wakanda to the world was a dream come true.
"But isn't this a fleeting opportunity? While the world owes us a favor, we should solidify relationships with major powers and offer just enough technological benefits to balance the various global forces. Isn't that the right move?"
"T'Challa, you must remember, these are merely necessary political strategies. The real guarantee of our security lies in the Avengers—or rather, Blake. That man harbors terrifying power capable of challenging the entire world."
"That's why this ally is someone you need to pay special attention to. He will be both a support and a partner. In a few days, Blake and the others will visit. Prepare yourself; I want you to join the Avengers!"
T'Challa was overjoyed. Compared to being a dutiful king handling mundane affairs, he much preferred the freedom of a warrior's life.
But he dared not show his excitement, instead calmly asking, "What about domestic matters? Didn't you want me to gain experience managing them?"
"Things are different now, my child! Now that we're open to the world, we need various talents, especially in administration. While I'm still able, I will send some reliable young people abroad to learn management skills so that you'll have professional and loyal help in the future."
"As for you, there are only two things you need to focus on: maintain your role as an Avenger and safeguard our vibranium. With that, everything will be fine."
---
Wakanda began engaging with Blake, and to Blake's surprise, even though he had sent Captain America on vacation, destiny still led the Captain to cross paths with his nemesis.
Traveling aboard a massive luxury cruise ship, Captain America and Peggy Carter crossed the Atlantic Ocean. They stopped in Europe for a few days to revisit old battlefields and the places they once spent time together decades ago.
The cruise then sailed southward, offering them a taste of African culture before entering the Indian Ocean.
On a deck corner near a restaurant, two white men were hiding, smoking cigarettes.
"The target has been located—it's right in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This ship conveniently has emergency escape yachts for those wealthy folks staying in the luxury suites. We can use one to approach them and pose as stranded tourists!"
The two men were discussing an audacious but highly illicit plan, completely unaware that Captain America was quietly standing nearby, eavesdropping.
Their voices gradually lowered, but the Captain still caught snippets like "S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Lemurian Star," and "hijack."
That was enough for him to piece together their intentions.
In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a ship bearing the name *Lemurian Star* and the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia was cruising slowly.
This ship was a mobile satellite launch vessel, one of Hydra's assets meant to deploy their Insight Satellites as part of their nefarious "Insight Plan."
*******************************************
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
It was past three in the morning. A luxurious cruise ship in the Indian Ocean was slowly moving from west to east.
The night life on this vacation cruise was vibrant, with bars, casinos, and karaoke lounges offering plenty of entertainment.
However, no matter how lively the nightlife, most of the tourists were already sound asleep by this hour.
In the bridge's duty room, a group of unidentified terrorists had taken control.
Several duty officers were tightly bound and placed on the floor, except for the ship's first mate.
One of the terrorists held a pistol to the first mate's head.
"Relax. We don't have much interest in this ship. As long as you don't do anything that might make us misunderstand, I guarantee you'll survive until we disembark. Got it?"
The terrorist threatened the first mate while opening a few maintenance hatches below deck. Beneath the ship, there were two mid-sized double-deck yachts, which served both as lifeboats and as rentals for guests who wanted to venture out on their own.
After confirming the hatches were opened, the armed terrorist knocked the first mate unconscious with a blow and led his men below deck.
Outside one of the windows of the bridge, a captain in disguise, equipped with a shield coated with light-absorbing material, blended into the darkness.
He sent a message to Peggy, instructing her to rescue the unfortunate first mate later. Meanwhile, the captain moved ahead of the terrorists and hid in the engine room of one of the lifeboats.
Since learning of Hydra's resurgence, the captain had been restless, determined to root out this threat.
The terrorists' target was a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship, and the captain was eager to uncover their true intentions. Were they Hydra agents? This was why he hadn't taken action yet.
The yacht sailed for over two hours before the captain noticed the engine speed slowing as dawn approached.
Though the engine's hum softened, the noise still made it hard for the captain to discern what was happening outside.
He didn't risk emerging immediately. After waiting over ten minutes with no sounds or movement from outside, he finally opened the door and stepped out.
The yacht was completely empty, and another yacht floated about ten meters away, equally deserted. Upon inspecting the cabins, he noticed the inflatable life rafts were missing.
About 100 meters ahead, a large cruise ship quietly rested on the sea's surface.
Faint bursts of gunfire could be heard from its direction.
Without hesitation, the captain dove into the water.
As he swam closer, he noticed the ship bore the name *Lemuria* and the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem.
So, this was their target. But who could be so bold as to hijack a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship?
With questions swirling in his mind, the captain stealthily climbed aboard from a deck.
Several terrorists patrolled back and forth with rifles in hand.
The gunfire had stopped, suggesting the ship had been taken over. It was unclear if the S.H.I.E.L.D. crew had been killed.
Fearing hostages might be involved, and given that he was alone, the captain refrained from acting recklessly. Instead, he cautiously avoided the patrolling terrorists and moved toward the interior of the ship.
The bridge was under terrorist control, but for some reason, they hadn't started the ship.
The priority now was to locate the hostages.
The captain took out a pair of glasses from a side pocket on his arm and put them on.
He tapped twice on the temple of the glasses.
The glasses' scanning system activated, projecting thermal imaging directly onto the lenses, allowing the captain to see through the cabin walls.
The number of people in each room was immediately clear.
In a room behind the dining area that appeared to be a kitchen, the captain could clearly see about twenty people huddled closely together on the floor, surrounded by four individuals pacing back and forth.
Without a doubt, this was where the hostages were being held.
Impressed by Stark's equipment, the captain pulled out a small button-like device and flicked it outside the room holding the hostages.
"I'm heading out to the bathroom!"
After eavesdropping on some meaningless chatter for a few minutes, one of the terrorists finally prepared to leave.
Unfortunately for him, just as he closed the door behind him, he was greeted with a shield strike to the face.
Inside, there were still three terrorists. The captain was confident he could deal with two of them without endangering the hostages if just one more came out.
After waiting silently for a few minutes, it happened. Noticing the other terrorist hadn't returned, the ones inside grew restless.
"You, go check on why Virginia hasn't come back yet. That idiot always takes forever when he's supposed to be working!"
Another terrorist stepped out, only to be promptly taken down by the captain.
Now there were just two left inside. Without hesitation, the captain pushed the door open and stormed in.
"What are y—"
The terrorist near the door started to speak but immediately sensed something was wrong. He tried to raise his gun but was shoved headfirst into the wall by the captain.
Behind the long kitchen counter, the second terrorist hadn't reacted yet before the captain's shield struck him with a loud *thud*.
"Captain Rogers! How are you here?"
The speaker was a bald hostage the captain recognized as Agent Sitwell, a senior operative of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"So this *is* a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship. These guys were planning their hijacking on a cruise ship, and I overheard their plan, so I followed them here."
After briefly explaining, the captain untied the ropes binding the hostages one by one and went outside to retrieve weapons from the two unconscious terrorists.
"Whoever is capable, grab a weapon and follow me. We'll take down a few more patrolling terrorists and collect more weapons. The rest of you stay safe and find a secure hiding place. I'll handle the rest on the ship."
Sitwell, clearly in charge, organized the group. Two individuals armed themselves with rifles and followed the captain, while the others sought a safe spot to stay hidden.
Once everyone was assigned a role, Sitwell and another agent remained behind.
"The Insight Project must not fail. We'll take weapons and head to the satellite launch bay first," Sitwell said, inspecting his weapon.
The other agent nodded and then grinned.
"These guys are seriously unlucky—hijacking a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship and running into Captain America. Even without Cap, they'd be doomed. Offending both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra at the same time—"
"Hey!"
Sitwell cut him off before he could finish.
"Be careful. Captain America is still on the ship. We can't afford any mistakes, understood?"
Meanwhile, as Captain America led his small team in an assault on the bridge, his face suddenly changed—shock and realization dawning on him!
*******************************************
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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