บท 64: Chapter 59 Colin Luper
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Chapter 59: Colin Luper
"Natasha."
Removing the metallic skull mask from his head, revealed a sinister face.
Turning his head to look at Black Widow, Taskmaster said in a monotone voice and without changing his expression, "You're late."
"You know, I'm a woman. Being late is our job."
Shrugging her shoulders, Natasha calmly replied.
"I hope there won't be a next time."
Ignoring Natasha's joke, Anthony withdrew his gaze and collected all the weapons inserted in the ground. He instructed the Crossbones in front of him, "Notify all members to assemble."
...
Inside the Thunderbolts team base on Governor's Island in Upper New York Bay.
Natasha entered right on time, glancing around before taking a seat near the exit on the left side.
To her right was Songbird, and obliquely to her sat Luke Cage, who had just finished training and still had a faint smell of gunpowder on him. Sitting a bit further away was Crossbones, who removed his mask, revealing a face full of burn scars. Sensing Natasha's gaze, he turned his head and flashed a sinister smile at her.
Ignoring the provocation in Crossbones' expression, Natasha leaned towards Songbird next to her and asked in a low voice, "Where's Hyde?"
"He refused to participate."
In response to Natasha's inquiry, Songbird glanced at Anthony, who stood at the front, and whispered, "You know, that guy is a complete weirdo. He's always holding onto his so-called Hyde Formula, hardly ever coming out of the lab except for missions..."
Meanwhile, Natasha was catching up on what had happened at the base during her absence, through her conversation with Songbird.
On the other side, with most members present, Anthony looked around and paused at the empty seats of Mr. Hyde and Bullseye.
Since joining the Thunderbolts team, Mr. Hyde had always maintained a reclusive demeanor, rarely interacting with others. Bullseye, on the other hand, remained under confinement due to his criminal history and murderous impulses.
Retracting his gaze, Anthony began to inform the Thunderbolts team of the latest instructions he had received.
"The situation maintained by the New York City Mayor is about to change. The new mayor, Wilson Fisk, is likely to issue new policies targeting 'unregistered superheroes' within the city, initiating a new round of crackdowns and purges. Thunderbolts will also be involved in the operation..."
"Finally, it's starting, huh?"
After listening to Taskmaster's words, Crossbones grinned, revealing an eager expression on his scarred face.
"I've been looking forward to it."
"Are we really going to follow Wilson Fisk's policies?"
Of course, not everyone displayed a hostile attitude towards these 'unregistered superheroes.' Luke Cage frowned with some skepticism, especially considering Wilson Fisk's identity. "We all know Wilson Fisk's identity is not simple. Besides being a businessman, he's also the head of an underground organization in New York City. His purpose in issuing new policies could very well be aimed at his past opponents."
As a street-level hero, Luke Cage had clashed with Wilson Fisk's organization more than once and had a clearer understanding of Wilson Fisk, or rather Kingpin, and his motives behind the new policies. It was far from being solely for the sake of the city's security, as he claimed.
"Regardless, the citizens of New York have chosen Wilson Fisk as their new mayor."
The secret identity of Wilson Fisk was not a concealed piece of information within the Thunderbolts team.
However, as a government-affiliated 'legitimate' superhero group, they had to show a cooperative attitude towards Kingpin, who had successfully been elected as the mayor of New York City.
Unless, one day, Kingpin was no longer the mayor.
"Isn't it interesting, a New York City underworld leader transforming into a mayor? The citizens of New York truly made a 'good' choice."
Not everyone cared about Kingpin's identity. Crossbones, for instance, dismissed it and even mocked, saying.
"That's not interesting at all. For New York City, this might turn out to be a huge disaster."
Luke Cage turned his head to look at Crossbones nearby, displeased.
"Since the citizens of New York made their choice, they naturally have to bear the consequences. With each of their votes, Wilson Fisk ascended to the mayor's seat."
"But all of this is based on the premise that Wilson Fisk hasn't deceived the public. This New York City mayoral election itself was unfair. Wilson Fisk concealed his identity using means."
Within the Thunderbolts team, Luke Cage and Crossbones engaged in a heated argument.
However, their quarrel remained in the minority.
In fact, the majority of the Thunderbolts team members didn't care about the mayor's identity.
As legally registered superheroes, they were not within Kingpin's scope of attack.
"Alright."
Interrupting Luke Cage and Crossbones, Anthony spoke up.
Gazing at the two, he calmly said, "Wilson Fisk's identity is a matter of concern for the citizens of New York and the federal government, but it's not within the considerations of the Thunderbolts team."
Putting a stop to their argument, Taskmaster fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating something.
"..."
After a quiet ten seconds, he finally spoke again, continuing, "Furthermore, according to the information provided by Hydra, the resistance movement has resurfaced."
Taskmaster's words caught the attention of the Thunderbolts team members, who had been seemingly indifferent.
Sitting beside Songbird, Natasha's slender eyebrows twitched slightly. She adjusted her sitting position subtly and discreetly scanned Taskmaster in front of her with a hidden gaze, maintaining her expression unchanged, listening intently.
"According to the intel from Hydra, this time the resistance movement is different from their previous modus operandi. In fact, they even exposed the identity of one of their 'members.'"
As he spoke, Taskmaster pressed a few times on the screen on his wrist.
The next moment, a projection with a photo appeared before the members of the Thunderbolts team.
"Colin Luper, former journalist of The Daily Bugle, member of the Dark Avengers."
Raising his arm, Taskmaster looked at the photo of Colin with a slightly nervous employee ID picture in the projection and said slowly.
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