บท 98: Chapter 92
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[Speaking of Black Widow giving Stark an injection, I suddenly recall a universe where Black Widow's shot resulted in Stark's death.
Even though it's different from what I previously meant, Stark still died of palladium poisoning, right?
We can only say that the Ant-Man from that universe was truly formidable, single-handedly annihilating the Avengers!
This is something even Thanos hadn't accomplished!
It's true that Thanos also killed a large number of Avengers, leaving a horrifying trail of death, but at least the big three of the Avengers were still alive.
Unlike Ant-Man, who wiped them out completely, leaving only Colonel Rhodes standing alone.
Even if it was just the early days of the Avengers, this feat is astonishing.]
Killed by an injection?
Tony Stark couldn't help but marvel to himself, wondering whether this was an attempt to save or kill!
How did his counterpart in that universe meet such a tragic end?
Tony Stark naturally didn't think it was because Black Widow was unsteady and accidentally hit an artery with the needle, causing his death.
After all, she is a top-level spy and wouldn't make such a ridiculous mistake.
Therefore, the injection given by Black Widow should have been without any issues.
It was most likely the serum!
Either the serum developed by SHIELD was flawed, or it had been tampered with or altered by someone.
Even though SHIELD is an international intelligence organization, Tony Stark felt that these possibilities weren't very high.
However, upon seeing the mention in the diary that Ant-Man had slaughtered the Avengers, Tony Stark fell into deep contemplation.
Why does it say Black Widow killed him with a shot, and then immediately after contradicts this by claiming Ant-Man wiped out the Avengers?
If the mention of the Avengers being wiped out is a general statement and doesn't include Stark's death by Black Widow...
The diary then emphasizes that Ant-Man also killed the big three!
Yes, Black Widow did kill Stark, but the real murderer was Ant-Man!
A logical conclusion then follows—Black Widow's fatal injection was orchestrated by Ant-Man!
He must have taken some measures, successfully tampering with the serum.
"Ant-Man?"
"Who is that?"
Tony Stark firmly etched this name in his memory.
Even if Ant-Man's slaughtering of the Avengers happened in another universe, his power is evidently remarkable.
Moreover, the raw power of Thanos shone through more vividly than ever before.
Iron Man always knew Thanos was powerful, having fought with many superheroes, but the extent to which he had killed most of the Avengers was beyond his expectation!
It seems my previous guess was right—Thanos is undeniably a big boss.
"Ant-Man?"
Colonel Rhodes, facing another diary, was struck by a thought.
Tony Stark didn't know who Ant-Man was, but Nick Fury, as the Director of SHIELD, certainly did.
Ant-Man was once a prominent figure within SHIELD!
But he left SHIELD long ago and established Pym Technologies, becoming a renowned entrepreneur.
Additionally, he was quite old, to the point of having white hair, thoroughly the image of an elderly man.
However, even so, Nick Fury dared not underestimate him.
For Ant-Man's equipment was incredibly elusive!
In fact, Hank Pym didn't need to wear the suit personally; anyone wearing it could wield the power of Ant-Man.
The key was the suit, not the person!
Although Colonel Rhodes didn't know why Ant-Man in another universe sought to exterminate the Avengers, he firmly decided on something.
SHIELD needed to pay closer attention to these potential threats!
Determined, Nick Fury once again focused on the diary, waiting for further "updates."
However, yet again, the diary abruptly ceased without warning.
After waiting for a while to no avail, Colonel Rhodes had no choice but to divert his attention away from the diary.
The first thing Nick Fury did afterward was to log into SHIELD's internal system and conduct a search.
What was he searching for?
Of course, the HYDRA moles alluded to in the diary.
The first lead was the "bald man with glasses," and Colonel Rhodes could immediately begin the investigation.
Rapidly typing on the keyboard to set the relevant search criteria, he then pressed the enter key.
With rhythmic electronic beeps, the computer screen flashed through the files of various personnel.
After a few seconds, the screen suddenly froze.
Twelve bald men with glasses appeared before Nick Fury's eye.
The one who leaked the Insight Project in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" was also among them.
"Which one of you is it?"
Nick Fury scanned the "candidates" with his eye, his gaze becoming sharper and more profound.
With only twelve individuals, the task of investigation was manageable for Nick Fury.
The only issue was that the matter had to be handled with extreme caution!
The diary made it clear—the extent of HYDRA's infiltration into SHIELD was dangerously severe.
If his investigation inadvertently tipped them off, it would be troublesome.
Therefore, this investigation required absolute trust in the chosen individuals.
Fortunately, the stringent criterion of "absolute trust" was tough but feasible, thanks to verification by the diary, leaving a few options before Colonel Rhodes.
Coulson, Hawkeye Barton, and Black Widow.
What about Agent Hill?
While Nick Fury had high trust in her compared to other agents, it wasn't absolute; he remained vigilant to a certain extent.
Never trust anyone—that's always been his disposition.
Thus, for this exceptionally challenging task, Nick Fury immediately ruled out Agent Hill, only considering Coulson among the three.
Taking into account that both Black Widow and Barton were currently assigned to missions and Coulson had just completed his mission in the Arctic...So, it naturally follows who should handle this matter.
"Coulson!"
Nick Fury immediately called Coulson back to assign him a top-secret mission upon learning about the twelve personnel. He slapped their files down in front of Coulson.
"You have an utmost confidential task: among these twelve is a high-level spy from another agency."
"I need you to identify this person with the greatest urgency."
"Also, this investigation is to be conducted solo, without utilizing any SHIELD resources."
Unlike the rescue mission for Captain America, where Coulson had to choose trustworthy individuals, this time Fury only allowed Coulson to act alone to investigate the Hydra infiltrator.
This way, there was no possibility of a leak.
"Director, are you implying that there are other moles within SHIELD?"
Coulson wasn't naive; he sensed something was amiss and immediately questioned Fury about his own doubts.
"I will neither confirm nor deny that."
Coulson understood that it was not his place to inquire further, so he didn't push for answers.
"However, if that's the case, Director, you'll need to allocate more funds."
Coulson said to him with all seriousness.
Without access to SHIELD resources, Coulson would have to rely on external resources, specifically a top-notch, elite team, as he couldn't tip off SHIELD - something that would undoubtedly be expensive.
"I understand."
"Don't worry about the budget; I want results."
"Understood, sir!"
Coulson hurried off.
After Coulson's departure, Fury initiated an investigation into another prominent Hydra figure: Baron Strucker.
With swift keystrokes on the keyboard, the image of a middle-aged man with a crew cut and somewhat scholarly appearance appeared before Fury.
With a full name provided and a title such as 'Baron,' Fury easily located him.
"So you're with Hydra," Fury uttered as he glanced through Baron Strucker's profile, his expression growing grimmer.
Baron Strucker was no simple man, his status and identity were not to be underestimated, just like that senator - a person of high authority.
Thus, Hydra's infiltration into society had reached such an alarming level!
Fury didn't plan to entrust the investigation on Baron Strucker to Coulson, Barton, or the Black Widow either.
After some deliberation, he dialed several rarely used and extremely secretive numbers.
Indeed.
Fury himself began to employ resources outside of SHIELD for the necessary investigations.
And that Hydra senator?
That was the most troublesome of all.
Such a heavyweight political figure required the utmost caution to avoid leaving even the slightest trace or arousing the slightest suspicion.
Otherwise, it could lead to significant trouble.
That required long-term planning.
Of course, prior to that, Fury had another matter to attend to.
That was to identify the mole at Tomorrow's hearing!
Meanwhile, the hearing held the attention of more than just Fury.
Also focused on this were two other notebook holders and Zhou Cheng.
It goes without saying that Tony Stark, directly involved, would normally not concern himself with such a hearing.
After all, in the eyes of the great Tony Stark, it was nothing more than a show.
But now, knowing his parents were killed by Hydra and that Hydra was targeting his armor at the hearing, Iron Man couldn't remain indifferent.
The latest spoilers on the notebook meant that in addition to keeping his armor, Tony Stark had an additional task at the hearing.
To uncover the Hydra senator!
That was crucial.
The same went for the Black Widow.
Her sole "motivation" for the hearing was to determine the identity of the Hydra senator.
And what about Zhou Cheng?
He already knew who the senator was and couldn't care less, as Hydra's affairs were none of his concern.
Zhou Cheng was there purely for the spectacle, awaiting Tony Stark's hearing showdown, where he would fiercely lash out at the senator - an event too intriguing to miss.
So, with everyone's attention turned towards it.
At 9 AM the next day, Tony Stark and his personal assistant Pepper arrived punctually at the hearing site.
They took their designated seats amidst military and political bigwigs from all over - whether it was the committee members on the stage or the attendees, all were prominent figures.
But to the cool and impressive Tony Stark, it was child's play, and he didn't take it seriously at all.
Even as the hearing officially began, he was still flirting with his assistant, exuding unabashed arrogance.
Only when Senator Stern launched a formidable attack, attempting to strip Tony of his armor with lethal precision, did Iron Man finally turn his attention to the matter at hand.
He glanced at Senator Stern nonchalantly, and while outwardly calm, inside he couldn't help but snort in disdain.
This pig must be the Hydra senator mentioned in the notebook, right?
Since this was the case, he wouldn't hold back against him!
"Weapons of mass destruction? No, that's not an apt description of my suit."
"I'd describe it as a high-tech prosthesis."
"I am the destructor; I and the destructor are one. To hand over the destructor is to hand over myself, which amounts to selling myself or my soul."
"I am your nuclear deterrent, no need to thank me. It's been effective; America is safe."
"I've done you a favor; I've successfully privatized world peace! What more do you want?"
The spectators stood and applauded enthusiastically for Iron Man's performance.
The hearing erupted into an uproar of excitement, turning into Tony Stark's personal stand-up show.
"F*ck you, Stark!"
"F*ck you, Stark!"
Senator Stern, his face metaphorically slapped, couldn't contain his furious outburst.
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