Bab 72: Avengers recruiting!
Inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost:
"…Avengers recruitment evaluation. Iron Man, passed."
Tony held a report about himself, reading out the result, and looked at Fury smugly:
"I might need to think about it."
Fury, ignoring Tony's hesitant act, bluntly said:
"Keep reading."
Tony paused, then looked down to continue reading:
"Tony Stark… not recommended?"
He raised an eyebrow and, with a frustrated expression, argued:
"This is ridiculous. How can you accept another version of me but not the real one?"
Fury looked up to the sky, ignoring Tony for a moment.
"I have a new heart, and I plan to treat Pepper well. We're in a stable relationship…"
After mumbling to himself for a while and seeing that Fury had no interest in hearing his rant, Tony's voice became quieter.
Fury only looked at Tony once he stopped talking, saying earnestly:
"That's exactly why we decided that, for now, you can only serve as a consultant."
"Pffft."
The serious atmosphere was interrupted by someone who couldn't help but laugh. Tony's pride was hurt by the sarcastic laughter, and he turned to glare at Lynch.
"What's so funny? Is your sense of humor that low?"
"I'm sorry."
Seeing Tony's frustration, Lynch put on a serious face and apologized.
But as soon as Tony turned his head, Lynch couldn't help but whisper to Natasha beside him:
"But it's really funny, isn't it? Accepting Iron Man but rejecting Tony Stark—what do you think?"
"Lynch! I can hear you!"
Tony angrily slapped the table in front of him to express his displeasure.
"Okay! I won't laugh anymore. Continue, please!"
Lynch patted his chest, making a promise.
After taking a few deep breaths, Tony looked puzzled and questioned Fury:
"I don't understand!"
He pointed to Lynch.
"Why is Lynch allowed to sit here mocking me? Is he also part of this plan?"
Fury glanced at Lynch, thinking to himself, I wish he was.
"No, he isn't."
Tony's face lit up, but Fury continued explaining:
"But he is our ultimate contingency, so he can do whatever he wants."
"Ultimate contingency?"
Tony pondered the term and found it quite fitting.
After all, Lynch was practically a real-life Superman.
However, Lynch wasn't the only outsider in the room.
"So, who's the guy with the bow and arrow? Does S.H.I.E.L.D. run a circus now?"
Tony was referring to the middle-aged man in a black jacket, carrying a bow and arrow, sitting quietly.
"His name is Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye. Like Natasha, he's a Level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and currently part of the plan."
Fury introduced Agent Barton calmly, glancing at him.
"What?"
Upon hearing that this unimpressive cosplayer was an actual member of the Avengers Initiative, Tony was immediately displeased.
"This guy can join your team? I could find a hundred people like him in an hour in New York!"
What's going on here?
I'm Tony Stark, and I get rejected, while this guy gets to be an Avenger?
What am I lacking compared to this guy?
Seeing Tony's disdain for his subordinate, Fury signaled Hawkeye.
Hawkeye got the message, silently standing up.
In truth, he didn't think much of someone like Tony, who always acted carefree and joked around.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't join the Avengers to fight alongside Tony.
But he couldn't disobey orders, so he had no choice but to follow Fury's intentions and show this arrogant guy a thing or two.
Standing still, his gaze suddenly became sharp and cold. His hands swiftly grabbed his bow and an arrow from his back—stringing and shooting in one fluid motion.
"Whoosh—"
A short arrow flew right past Tony's ear, giving him a cold sweat, before embedding itself in the wall.
But Tony wasn't about to admit he was scared.
"Is that it?"
He sarcastically said, expressionless:
"So, can your bow and arrow pierce my Iron Man suit?"
Hawkeye didn't respond, simply putting away his bow and arrow and sitting down again.
Fury walked over to the wall, pulled the arrow out, and tossed it in front of Tony.
Tony took a casual glance and then squinted his eyes.
On the tip of the arrow was a fly the size of a soybean.
"In fact, his arrows can be equipped with explosives. Whether they can breach your Iron Man suit depends on the explosives' power."
Fury added.
Tony was momentarily speechless, thinking this guy does have some skills.
"Okay!"
He spread his hands, stood up, and extended a hand.
"A perfect meeting! But I have to go now, lots of things to do!"
Fury shook Tony's hand briefly, and Tony quickly withdrew his.
"Honestly, you can't afford to hire me, so there's no need for an evaluation."
It was clear Tony wasn't happy.
"Okay, goodbye."
Fury remained unperturbed, not caring about Tony's attitude at all.
"Goodbye, Lynch. Are you staying?"
Lynch nodded, saying:
"I have some matters to discuss with Director Fury."
"Okay!"
Tony answered, not looking at Hawkeye, and swaggered out.
After hearing the sound of Tony's sports car start up outside, Lynch looked at Fury and said:
"So, do you have any other candidates?"
Fury was taken aback, thinking, Doesn't this guy already know who's in the Avengers?
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
"I've already found them for you, haven't I?"
Lynch laughed.
Upon hearing this, Fury frowned, thinking for a moment.
He went over all the people Lynch had met: Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Matt Murdock, Steve Rogers... Oh right, and the guy with the hammer!
All these people could be considered candidates, except for that last one.
"You mean the guy with the hammer?"
Apparently, Fury never considered Thor as a candidate for the Avengers.
And that was understandable. Who would trust someone who suddenly appeared from the sky, carrying a hammer and thunder, claiming to be a god-like alien?
Even if the assessment showed that Thor was simple-minded and kind-hearted, he was still a powerful alien.
Fury was more inclined to consider Thor as a potential threat to the Avengers rather than a protector of Earth.
"Why not?"
Lynch smiled, understanding Fury's thought process well.
As the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury, like any great spy, was highly suspicious. Seeing Thor as a threat was normal.
Even Lynch himself was probably still under Fury's scrutiny.
Although his relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. had improved a lot, Lynch knew it was all just a facade.
When a person has a power equivalent to a nuclear weapon, how could an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. let them live an ordinary life without any interference?
The approach changed from eliminating the threat to controlling it.
Head-on with Superman?
Sure, he might shed sweat or blood, but you'd lose your lives!
What's the right approach?
Well, just look at Natasha!
Since ancient times, heroes have struggled to resist beautiful women, and Lynch…
Anyway, so be it!
"You should know that Earth is considered part of Asgard's territory. As the prince of Asgard, Thor has a vested interest in helping protect Earth from threats from space."
Lynch explained with a smile.
But Fury clearly wasn't easily convinced. Instead, after listening, his face grew heavier, becoming increasingly worried about Asgard—a kingdom that claimed the Earth as its domain.
"How do we know Asgard won't turn against us? Earth affairs should be managed by Earthlings. Why let aliens interfere?"
His tone was hard, filled with concern.
Lynch could only smile helplessly at Fury's concerns.
What he said wasn't wrong. The current situation on Earth was vastly different from ancient times.
Rapid technological development gave Earthlings a bit of confidence to defend the planet and maintain territorial sovereignty, but the thing was, this was the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The main theme here was always the battle between superheroes and supervillains!
Technology?
It's merely background for superheroes. When a villain wants to destroy the Earth, all the advanced technology in the world won't be enough!
To deal with supervillains, you need superheroes!
"There's no need to worry so much. The Asgardians are friendly. I actually had a pleasant experience when I visited them."
"Oh, by the way, why did you bring him back to Earth again?"
Fury grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.
He had been relieved when that guy left Earth, only for Lynch to bring him back!
Hearing that, Lynch's expression became strange.
"Did Coulson not tell you?"
Fury's face shifted, giving Lynch an incredulous look:
"He's really just here for romance?"
Under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance, that's exactly what Thor had been doing.
As soon as he returned, Coulson took him to find that girl named Jane Foster, and the two were inseparable, clearly in love.
Sensing the annoyance in Fury's tone, Lynch fell silent.
Uh...
Though Thor had ostensibly come back for the Tesseract, in practice?
So much time had passed, and Thor hadn't even brought up the Tesseract to Lynch.
But so what if he's in love?
Being an old bachelor, Fury would never understand…
Sometimes love can save the world!
"Actually, he's here on a mission."
Lynch glanced at the other two people in the room.
"But it's rather important, and we should talk privately."
Natasha and Hawkeye looked at Fury. After getting his approval, they both left.
After considering his words for a moment, Lynch spoke:
"Are you researching the Tesseract?"
Fury's expression stiffened slightly, countless thoughts flashing through his mind, but he quickly adjusted and responded:
"Yes, it is the key to unlocking unlimited energy."
"Is that so?"
Lynch couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, then mercilessly exposed Fury's lie:
"You're planning to create weapons, aren't you? To deal with people like me or Thor."
Steady as always, Fury's heart wavered when he realized Lynch had seen through his actions so thoroughly. He bowed his head and pondered for a while.
Thinking Lynch might have developed negative feelings, Fury had to brace himself and explain:
"I have to do this. It's not my decision alone."
But Lynch merely shrugged indifferently and said:
"I understand your reasoning, but the truth is that all the risky actions you take to protect Earth will ultimately lead to even greater danger."
This kind of thing happened too often in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The stories of "The Avengers" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" were clear examples.
The only thing was, no one on Earth other than Lynch knew what would happen in the future.
Even the Sorcerer Supreme, who wielded the Time Stone, could only see possible futures—but what the future would truly hold?
No one could predict.
So their mistakes were forgivable.
"Just keep the Tesseract for now. When the time comes, it will naturally return to where it belongs."
With that, Lynch, slightly disinterested, got up to leave.
Since Thor wasn't in a hurry, let the story progress along its original path.
Halfway through, he suddenly noticed a projection in the room.
It marked several places very familiar to Lynch, such as the site where Iron Man battled Iron Monger, the place where Hulk fought Abomination, and where Captain America was discovered...
Of particular interest were locations that hadn't yet appeared, like Wakanda in Africa, representing Black Panther, and a point indicating an undersea quake in the Atlantic.
Black Panther was understandable—he would appear sooner or later. But the Atlantic quake? That was a Marvel Cinematic Universe Easter egg that hadn't been addressed by the time Lynch transmigrated, hinting at Namor, Marvel's equivalent of DC's Aquaman.
"Have you investigated here?" Lynch asked with interest.
"We have, but nothing special," Fury replied calmly.
"Really?"
Could it be that Namor didn't exist in this world?
Feeling a bit disappointed, Lynch said goodbye to Fury and left with Natasha.
Inside the room, Fury pondered Lynch's suggestion, then looked at the projection again, a question surfacing in his mind:
Could there be someone there meant to be part of the Avengers Initiative?
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone