บท 88: Never!!!
Several days ago...
"We have discovered a submarine!"
Inside the ancient and uniquely styled underwater palace of Atlantis, an Atlantean soldier, with blue skin, bowed respectfully and reported to his king.
Hearing the soldier's words, Namor, the ruler of Atlantis and the King of the Seven Seas, furrowed his brow. A surge of anger rose from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. He immediately stood up, grabbing his trident and striking it hard against the ground.
"They're courting death!"
He roared, his already menacing face growing even colder and fiercer.
"I'll give them a warning!"
With that, he strode out of the room, while the rest of the people lowered their heads and watched their king leave.
Among the crowd, one Atlantean cast a glance at Namor, their eyes flickering as if lost in thought.
…
Namor quickly ascended through the water, soon reaching the depth close to the ocean's surface.
Underwater, he opened his eyes wide, using his extraordinary vision to search for his target.
Before long, he spotted the large submarine moving through the sea.
With a cold snort, Namor slightly opened his mouth, emitting a sound imperceptible to the average human.
The moment the sound was released, various marine creatures that had previously ignored him suddenly, as if receiving orders, swam toward him in unison, circling him in continuous motion.
As his sound carried farther, more and more marine life gathered around him, until a massive shadow appeared beneath him.
It was a strange whale, larger than a blue whale, with a fearsome appearance, the likes of which had never been seen before.
At this moment, the whale, drawn by Namor's call, obediently swam alongside him.
Seeing his massive creature arrive, Namor showed a trace of satisfaction, then pointed his trident toward the submarine.
Immediately, the marine creatures he controlled raced toward the submarine, while the enormous whale positioned itself directly in the path of the vessel.
Soon, under the assault of the monstrous whale, the submarine broke apart.
Countless sea creatures, like sharks drawn by the scent of blood, swarmed into the submarine through the gaping holes, devouring the surviving crew one by one.
Namor, meanwhile, stood proudly in the water, watching the massacre unfold.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something, and with a swift motion of his legs, he swam rapidly toward the submarine.
Outside the submarine, Natasha, like a goddess descending from the heavens, effortlessly dealt with the smaller creatures attacking her, quickly swimming upward.
In just two seconds, Namor reached Natasha and, before she could react, thrust his trident toward her.
Sensing the disturbance in the water, Natasha was alarmed and tried to turn around, but sharp pain in her shoulder stopped her.
Namor's trident, sharp and deadly, pierced Natasha's fragile body, and fresh blood began to flow.
Grunting in pain, Natasha turned and swung a punch at Namor.
Surprised by this human's resilience, Namor didn't dodge and took the punch squarely on his jaw.
But with Natasha's strength, the punch only caused him mild discomfort, far from injuring him.
Fueled by anger, Namor responded by striking Natasha hard in the chest.
This blow knocked the wind out of her, darkening her vision. Her body went limp as she began to sink slowly.
Namor, meanwhile, studied this human who had dared strike him, realizing it was a woman!
His thoughts shifted, and he moved forward to catch Natasha, giving her a closer look.
She wasn't bad-looking.
Definitely prettier than most Atlanteans.
With that, Namor changed his mind about killing her and carried her back to Atlantis.
...
"No one is coming to save you!"
Inside a room, Namor sneered at Natasha.
"I've already sent your people a warning. If they have any sense, they won't set foot in our territory again."
Natasha, her shoulder wrapped in bandages, coldly stared back at Namor, her lips moving slightly as she said:
"They'll come."
Namor's small eyes flickered as they scanned Natasha's alluring figure and delicate face. His tone turned seductive as he said:
"Stop dreaming! Wouldn't it be better to stay here? If you agree, you could become the queen of Atlantis!"
"Queen?"
Natasha gave Namor a strange look, then replied:
"I think our tastes might be different. I'm not into fish."
Hearing this, Namor's small eyes flashed with malice, and his expression grew impatient.
Since bringing Natasha to Atlantis, he had been subtly trying to persuade her to join him.
But Natasha didn't hesitate to refuse, not even considering it. She wasn't single.
Even though Natasha's relationship with Clint might be complicated, to her, Clint was the one she loved.
And besides, Natasha had no special affection for a fish-man king.
Looking at this fish-man, with many parts of his body different from a human's, she couldn't imagine herself falling for such a cross-species romance.
"I'm a half-breed!"
After a brief pause, Namor, gritting his teeth, revealed his secret that he rarely spoke of.
"I'm more like a human, right?"
"Really?"
Natasha smiled slightly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Then what's with those tiny wings on your feet?"
Seeing that Natasha remained indifferent to his advances, Namor angrily shouted:
"Do you want to die?"
"Yes, go ahead and kill me!"
Natasha stood tall, showing no fear as she replied.
"Isn't that what you did to my companions?"
"You...!"
Just as Namor was about to make her suffer, an Atlantean soldier entered the room, speaking in a language Natasha couldn't understand.
After listening, Namor shot Natasha a malicious glance, then chuckled coldly:
"Looks like someone really is coming to save you, but…"
He laughed, his face filled with cruelty.
"I'm going to kill them all and bring their bodies to you!"
With that, he turned and left.
Natasha watched Namor's retreating figure, her eyes filled with a mix of worry and anticipation.
…
The waves roared as Namor coldly watched Iron Man and his companions fly off into the distance.
"Next time, you won't be so lucky!"
He swore to himself before angrily diving back into the sea, heading toward Atlantis.
Soon after, Namor sat on his throne, surrounded by blue-skinned Atlanteans standing below.
"Your Majesty, we've been exposed. It won't be long before they swarm us like sharks smelling blood. We must prepare."
One Atlantean voiced his concern, gesturing while emitting a high-frequency sound that conveyed his anxiety. This unique "language" was specific to Atlantis, evolved for their oceanic environment and the biological makeup of the Atlanteans, allowing them to produce sounds inaudible to humans.
"There's no need to worry!"
Namor replied in the Atlantean language.
"They won't come after us. With their current technology, they're far from capable of truly exploring or threatening us beneath the sea."
"But that day will come eventually! And the ones they sent today were clearly stronger than before... I believe we need to prepare for war."
Another Atlantean responded, his words sparking Namor's thoughts.
Thinking of the enemies they had just faced, Namor fell silent for a moment.
Being a hybrid of human and Atlantean, Namor had lived in the human world for many years and knew it well.
He recognized Iron Man as a high-tech creation, and although today the Avengers had fled, that didn't guarantee they wouldn't come back better prepared next time.
As for the one wielding a hammer and summoning lightning, Namor was even more wary. He had never encountered anyone like that before.
A superhuman?
Or was it the hammer's power?
Namor wasn't sure, but he knew if he were to be struck by that lightning...
The outcome wouldn't be pleasant!
On top of that, the green monster who transformed—though clumsy underwater—clearly possessed immense strength.
These people... definitely posed a threat to him.
However...
In the ocean, his domain, he was invincible!
With renewed confidence, Namor declared:
"If they dare challenge us again, I will show them that the sea belongs to Atlantis!"
...
"I'm afraid I couldn't bring your freakish friends back."
Namor walked into the room, grinning coldly.
Hearing this, Natasha felt a slight relief, but a faint hint of disappointment rose within her.
Without sparing Namor a glance, Natasha said expressionlessly:
"You? I'm actually happy for you. I thought you'd end up as grilled fish."
"You!"
Namor's fury surged, and he struck the ground twice with his trident.
The immense force made the ground tremble, causing Natasha to instinctively step back.
Watching her retreat, Namor laughed arrogantly.
"I am the ruler of the Seven Seas! In the ocean, no one can challenge me!"
"Hmph!"
Natasha, wearing a look that suggested she was staring at an idiot, snorted from deep within her nose.
"You disagree?"
Namor sneered, then listed off the names of the defeated:
"Iron Man, the guy with the hammer, the green monster, the one with the shield, and the archer… they all fled like cowards!"
"What?"
Natasha furrowed her brow.
She hadn't expected that so many had come. These were nearly all the Avengers she knew.
She had thought that Director Fury might send Agent Barton, also known as Hawkeye, along with Captain America and Iron Man.
But...
It seemed Fury had called in everyone to handle the situation.
Then again, Natasha realized that dealing with Atlantis and its civilization was indeed significant enough to gather the team.
However...
If they had fled, what would happen next?
There was only one solution.
Natasha sighed softly.
Director Fury hadn't summoned Lynch, and it was clear he had hidden the details from him.
She understood Fury's reasoning. Fury had always insisted that the safety of Earth shouldn't rest in the hands of just one person, even though Lynch was increasingly under SHIELD's control, with Natasha herself being the key to that control.
Fury believed that a team—a team that could balance power—was the best way to address global threats. That team was the Avengers.
And because Lynch had the potential to be a threat, he was also considered an adversary.
That's why Lynch wasn't informed about this event—this was the Avengers' opportunity to prove themselves.
But was this really the right approach?
A deep sense of worry filled Natasha's heart.
What would Lynch do if he found out?
Natasha knew Lynch well and understood his personality.
Lynch was a kind and simple man, but he despised deception and betrayal.
If he found out he'd been kept in the dark, he would undoubtedly feel distanced from the others.
And if something happened to her...
"One last chance!"
Namor's voice suddenly rose, interrupting Natasha's thoughts.
"Death or be my queen!"
Natasha looked up, smiling sweetly as she replied:
"I don't think my boyfriend would agree."
"Hmm? You have a boyfriend?"
For some reason, Namor's expression grew even more excited and intense.
"Isn't that even better?"
"No."
Natasha smiled, thinking of many things.
She remembered seeing Lynch's photo in a file when she first took on this mission. At that time, she thought he looked inexperienced, but his eyes held many secrets.
She recalled their first meeting, when she disguised herself as a food delivery person, only to end up delivering herself, and hearing Lynch predict her not-so-bad future. Back then, she felt Lynch was lonely, somewhat detached from the world.
She thought of last Christmas when she noticed Lynch struggling, his mood low, so she went to comfort him. That was when they grew closer, and she found him to be such a sweet man.
...
She even thought of that time just before the mission when she discovered Lynch surrounded by other women. Though she wasn't supposed to feel upset, a strange pang of discomfort hit her.
Finally, she thought of something Lynch had said to her one night:
"…I will fly to wherever you are."
For the first time, Natasha felt a sweetness she had never experienced before.
But was it already too late?
Natasha's face turned cold again as she looked at Namor and said, word by word:
"Not a chance. Maybe in your next life!"
"Die!"
Namor, enraged, raised his trident and thrust it at Natasha with all his might.
But as Namor rushed toward her, Natasha merely flashed a sweet smile and closed her eyes.
Goodbye, Lyn.
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