章 75: Chapter 75
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Zhou Cheng had no idea that Tony Stark's mansion had been "invaded" by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury.
Although he had seen the movies and knew about this plot point, there was no way he could have predicted just when this incident would actually occur, right? After all, this scene is simply a post-credits scene in the movie "Iron Man," which many people might not even be aware of.
As for himself being on Nick Fury's radar, being considered as a candidate for the Avengers, that was something Zhou Cheng was even less likely to know.
Lately, apart from regretting some past decisions, he had been keeping an eye on some major events and character developments in the Marvel world.
He needed to determine how much this world deviated from the Universe 199999, which was crucial because it directly affected whether his foreknowledge could still be leveraged.
If the deviations were minimal, all would be fine, but should the differences be too great, Zhou Cheng would have to seriously consider his next steps.
Fortunately, aside from Obadiah being arrested early and Tony Stark announcing himself as Iron Man, other events hadn't changed significantly.
Just yesterday, Stark Industries had announced their intention to restart the Stark Expo, which also aligned with Zhou Cheng's recollections.
The opening of the Stark Expo - wasn't that the start of the "Iron Man 2" movie?
According to the plot, after the opening of the Stark Expo would come the "Senate hearing showdown," the "Monaco racetrack battle with Whiplash," the "Palladium poisoning crisis," and the "Iron Legion incident," and other classic moments.
But the question was, would these events unfold as he remembered them? This was something Zhou Cheng would have to verify step by step.
Before he could, however, Zhou Cheng was caught off guard by another incident.
Squeak!
Returning home nonchalantly after dining out, just as he had done many times before, Zhou Cheng stopped in his tracks just past his entryway.
What's going on?
Why is there an extra person in my house?
With one slipper half on, Zhou Cheng immediately looked up.
Glancing over at the imposing figure seated comfortably on his sofa, Zhou Cheng almost blurted out an expletive.
Nick Fury!
What the hell!
Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. in his own home?
What kind of plot twist was this?
Considering Fury's special status, him showing up personally meant it could not be a trivial matter. Zhou Cheng's senses were on high alert.
At the same time, his brain whirred into action, trying to make sense of this unexpected visit, and he quickly came to the only plausible conclusion.
Could this be because he had demonstrated extraordinary abilities?
Nick Fury had intruded rather politely, considering other possibilities, suggesting it wasn't likely to be an ominous development.
"Who are you?"
"And why are you in my house?"
Pushing those thoughts aside, Zhou Cheng began to question Fury with a wary and cold tone.
"On the surface, you're just an unemployed drifter who got fired by his company, even seen by neighbors as somewhat hopeless."
"Because you haven't had a job for over half a year and do nothing all day."
"But who would have thought that such an inconspicuous man would have another identity that would surprise everyone?"
Nick Fury spoke with an enigmatic air as he rose from the sofa, the glare reflecting off his bald head, reminiscent of the "One Punch Man" Saitama.
Hearing Fury's performance before him, Zhou Cheng felt more confident in his own understanding.
Fury thought he had seen through Zhou Cheng's disguise?
Little did he know that he was the one being transparent to Zhou Cheng!
However, Zhou Cheng didn't intend to expose Fury. After a brief silence, as if affected by Fury's words, he continued to inquire, "You haven't told me who you are and why you're here."
"Mr. Satan, I am Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Having set the stage, Fury didn't keep Zhou Cheng in suspense any longer and revealed his purpose, "I am here to talk to you about the Avengers."
Zhou Cheng: "..."
Nick Fury wanted him to join the Avengers?
Even though he had suspected it, hearing the confirmation from Fury was still a bit of a surprise to Zhou Cheng.
After all, the Avengers were immensely important in the Marvel movie series.
The unfolding of all major events and storylines revolved around the Avengers.
Without exaggeration, Marvel's story was the Avenger's story!
The Avengers were the undisputed protagonists of the Marvel Universe!
But a key consideration was that not everyone wanted to be the protagonist.
Especially Zhou Cheng, a man from another world. Having understood the storyline of the Marvel series and, with the advantage of foresight and the premise of being overpowered,
Unless he was out of his mind, Zhou Cheng would never consider becoming an Avenger.
With almost no hesitation, Zhou Cheng made his decision.
Refuse the boiled eggs!
Of course.
Although he already had a plan in mind, to avoid blowing his cover, Zhou Cheng still played along with the current situation and asked the other party, "SHIELD? What is this organization? And what are the Avengers?"
"In simple terms, SHIELD is employed by the United Nations Five Permanent Members to handle extraordinary events that regular agencies can't deal with,"
"And the Avengers I plan to form are a special combat team specifically for handling these extraordinary crises…"
Nick Fury began to carefully explain these matters to Zhou Cheng.
He also recycled the spiel he had used to cajole Tony Stark.
About becoming part of a greater universe, how the world wasn't as mundane as it seemed, and that it was filled with extraordinary crises and superhuman individuals, among other things.
In short, he said a lot of confusing things that, for the average person, would be quite persuasive indeed.
Unfortunately, to a transmigrator like Zhou Cheng, such things left his mind completely unswayed.
"Thank you for considering me, but I refuse."
Zhou Cheng gave a very clear response, "I'm a mercenary; I don't get out of bed without the promise of payment. My actions are driven by money."
"If SHIELD wants to hire me to handle something, I might consider it."
"But joining the Avengers or anything like that - forget it."
"Mr. Satan, I don't need your answer right now; you can take your time to consider."
Seeing Zhou Cheng's firm stance, Nick Fury did not persist any further.
After leaving Zhou Cheng with that statement, he walked away with a swagger, as if it weren't Zhou Cheng's home, but the home of boiled egg heroes.
"What the hell, I've caught the attention of the boiled eggs!"
After Fury's figure had completely disappeared from the living room, Zhou Cheng flopped onto the sofa, furrowing his brow in annoyance.
One thing was now painfully obvious.
Even if he had outright refused to become an Avenger, his life was unlikely to remain peaceful.
He was probably under SHIELD's surveillance at all times.
Just thinking about it was frustrating.
But, when in Marvel's world, unless one is utterly ordinary and unremarkable,
It's impossible to escape the notice of SHIELD.
For someone like Zhou Cheng, who is endowed with so many advantages, it's impossible to shrink back and lead a quiet life forever simply because of SHIELD's attention, right?
That would be too frustrating.
Obviously, that's not going to happen.
So, with that thought, being watched by SHIELD seemed to be an unavoidable situation.
"Forget it!"
Zhou Cheng shook his head, quickly coming to terms with it.
Being watched is being watched; just act as if SHIELD doesn't exist, right?
After all, he never intended to become a world-destroying super-villain.
Aside from watching him, SHIELD shouldn't do anything more concrete.
Just ignore it!
Regarding Nick Fury's suggestion to become an Avenger, it was without a doubt that Zhou Cheng would never agree.
There was no doubt about his unwavering stance.
However, he had a belly full of rants that he needed to spill.
Zhou Cheng subconsciously activated his thought and pulled out his diary again.
Pouring all his pent-up frustration into the diary...
...
"Commander, did everything go smoothly?"
Once he returned downstairs and got into the car,
Agent Hill, seated in the driver's seat, buckled up, and casually asked Nick Fury.
"Everything is under control."
Fury, with his one good eye, uttered his response with an air of profoundness.
It wasn't just Fury being pretentious.
Before entering negotiations with that Satan, Fury really hadn't been sure of success, had he?
"So, what's next?"
Hill didn't dwell on her boss's grandiose reply; she promptly started the car.
"Back to HQ."
"Understood!"
The black "agent car" roared to life.
It soon merged into the bustling traffic, disappearing from sight.
Back at SHIELD HQ, after dismissing Agent Hill, Nick Fury went straight to his office.
Only then did he allow himself to massage his temples.
Not a good start at all!
Whether it was the distinctive Tony Stark or the unequivocal mercenary Satan, the feedback was not optimistic.
And Bruce Banner, practicing yoga in a foreign country, was another headache.
He's of no use when he's not angry and doesn't help much, but his anger might just make things worse!
It seems this plan might need more careful consideration.
Hm?
What's happening?
While Fury was sorting out these issues in his mind, he suddenly paused, his attention drawn to a black diary on his office desk.
Where did this diary come from?
Fury distinctly remembered there wasn't such an item on his desk.
Considering this was SHIELD's Director's office, Fury didn't believe it was mistakenly left by one of his subordinates.
After all, no one else could enter this office!
Surely no one had broken in and placed the diary on his desk in his absence?
That was simply unthinkable.
So where did the diary come from?
After a moment of contemplation and getting nowhere, Fury stopped wasting his brainpower and started to check the surveillance.
He intended to figure out exactly what had happened.
However, Fury was surprised to find that the surveillance footage from his departure until now showed nothing unusual.
No one had entered at all.
Furthermore, the surveillance was intact, with no signs of tampering.
So the question arose.
The surveillance showed that no one had entered his office, so could the diary have grown wings and flown in?
Wait!
Before Fury could understand what was going on, he noticed another peculiarity.
The surveillance footage showed no sign of the diary at all!
On the monitor, his desk was bare; no diary in sight.
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