Bab 48: A New Discovery
As the collapse happened on the other side, Barton and Natasha, with their agile skills, managed to evade the danger and reached a safe spot.
Jean, on the other hand, used her telekinesis to levitate herself, avoiding the fall altogether.
Tony's Mark V armor grabbed the injured Victor, keeping him airborne, but Logan wasn't so lucky—he fell along with the debris.
After a moment of chaos, the dust began to settle, and everyone started checking their surroundings.
Yashida Ichiro, who had been sitting in his wheelchair, was now dead. However, given his old age and long-time retreat from public life, few even remembered him. His death didn't stir much of a reaction from the group.
Yashida Mariko, on the other hand, had been more active, so they searched for her briefly before giving up.
"Let's go down and check out the situation."
"Yeah, and don't forget, we need to find the cure for the zombie virus."
"How's Victor's partner? We need to save him too."
A few minutes later, they descended to the lowest level of Yashida Corporation, where they saw a group of security guards gathered around the Silver Samurai.
"President, are you alright?"
"President? President!"
"There's no response... he's dead! No!"
Someone soon noticed Tony and the others approaching from above and immediately drew their guns.
"Revenge for the president!"
"Bang! Bang!"
"Kill them!"
"Boom!"
Faced with overwhelming numbers and with Japan's Self-Defense Forces arriving outside, the group knew it was time to retreat. After confirming Yashida Shingen's death and retrieving Logan, they made their escape.
............
One hour later~
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Nick Fury wore a grim expression as he faced the team.
"You killed Yashida Shingen? Wasn't the mission to capture him?"
Natasha and Barton remained silent. They understood Fury's temperament and knew his anger was more directed at the outcome than at them personally.
However, Tony wasn't one to tolerate Fury's attitude. He stood up, ready to leave the room, but hesitated when he remembered Victor and Logan were still being treated in the medical bay. He couldn't abandon those who had risked their lives to save him.
"You have no idea how dangerous the situation was," Tony retorted. "Yashida Shingen's Silver Samurai suit had almost no weaknesses. If we hadn't killed him, we would all be dead."
Fury stared at Tony, his tone icy. "And what about the cure? What about the millions of people on Kyushu?"
Tony wanted to say it wasn't his responsibility, but the thought of the terrifying zombies and the innocent women, children, and elderly stopped him.
His sense of justice and compassion wouldn't allow him to turn a blind eye to the millions of lives at stake.
Seeing Tony back down slightly, Fury softened his approach and looked at the others.
"Now, Japan's government and the Self-Defense Forces are demanding we hand over the person responsible for killing Yashida Shingen. What do you suggest we do?"
"Maybe they should explain why an electronics and household appliance company had access to such deadly weaponry," a voice said from the doorway.
Charles Xavier, sitting in his wheelchair, was being pushed in by Jean. Fury, ever the pragmatist, gave him a nod, his expression neutral.
"That's a good defense, but whether it'll work is another question," Fury replied.
For him, Yashida Shingen's death wasn't the main issue. The pressure from Japan's leadership wasn't either. What mattered most was using this opportunity to temper Tony's attitude for future use.
And if he could get Professor Xavier to cooperate as well, even better. That would add another powerful ally to his Avengers roster.
"The priority now is finding a cure for the zombie virus. Even if we can't find the cure itself, discovering the original virus strain could help.
It might take some time, but our specialized scientists should be able to develop a vaccine," Fury said. "Natasha, Barton, I need you to infiltrate Yashida Corporation and locate the target."
"Yes, sir."
"Professor Xavier, I need you to help locate Yashida Corporation's research base and personnel."
"Consider it done."
..............
Nightfall~
Thick clouds blanketed the sky, casting an oppressive darkness over Japan. At the Yashida family estate, white cloths hung everywhere, and the sounds of weeping echoed through the halls.
But Yashida Mariko, rather than donning the black garb of a widow, wore a tight white outfit.
She held a cloth bag about the size of a basketball, and as she pressed a hidden button on the wall, a secret door appeared with the sound of gears turning.
With a click of her high heels, she descended into the hidden passage. As the door behind her closed, the room was once again plunged into darkness.
A dim light flickered to life in the secret chamber. After walking for a while, Mariko finally reached her destination.
It was a black room, empty on all sides. A moment later, a projection appeared—an image of a young girl in a red dress.
"Mariko, how did the mission go?" a mechanical voice asked.
Without a word, Mariko tossed the bag onto the floor, and as it rolled, the head of Masanobu Tanigawa became visible.
"Here's his head," she said, pulling a small USB drive from her pocket. "This contains the formula for Adamantium and the schematics for the Silver Samurai."
The hologram of Red Queen nodded approvingly.
"Good. Umbrella Corporation will fully support your takeover of Yashida Corporation."
As she spoke, a cable descended from the ceiling, plugging into the USB drive to extract the data.
Yashida Corporation had been after Umbrella's T-3 virus, but Umbrella had its own plans for Yashida as well.
"And what about the reward your master promised?" Mariko asked.
"Don't worry, the T-3 virus will be yours. However, due to the zombie outbreak in Japan, there may be a delay. In the meantime, my master has one more task for you."
"What is it?" she asked.
"When you take control of Yashida Corporation, my master will give you the cure for the zombie virus. You must use this opportunity to enter the government and run for the position of prime minister!"
Mariko trembled slightly at the mention of prime minister, her eyes gleaming with desire and anticipation. But uncertainty crept in.
"But Japan has never had a female prime minister."
"Don't worry," the Red Queen reassured her. "The U.S. military will back the people's vote. Even if they oppose it, they won't have a choice."
Hearing this, Mariko immediately dropped to one knee.
"I will obey my master's commands."
..............
Three days later~
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, everyone looked downcast and frustrated.
"Why can't we find the cure for the zombie virus?"
"Yeah, we can't even locate the original strain."
"Could our intel have been wrong? Maybe Yashida Corporation wasn't behind it after all."
"No way, we verified it from multiple sources."
As the group continued to fret, Charles suddenly entered the room.
"Everyone, I've made a new discovery."
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