"Tell them I'm not here. They really picked a great time."
Tony Stark had just come back from the ocean floor. He had replaced all of Stark Tower's energy supply with clean energy generated by the new-element reactor and had just finished the final step.
["Sir, I'm afraid he won't believe that."]
"Have some confidence. I'm on a date."
As the last set of leg armor was automatically dismantled, Tony Stark, now dressed in business-casual clothes, walked over to Miss Pepper.
Just as Tony was about to celebrate together with Pepper.
Jarvis sent another alert, ["Sir, your phone. My program has been modified…"]
In order to find Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D. had actually gone so far as to modify Jarvis's program.
Coulson's repeated calls ruined his mood.
The call connected.
["What you are seeing now is a holographic image of Stark. Please leave a message if you have business…"]
Who would have thought that the other party had already taken an encrypted elevator up to the rooftop, exposing Tony's little trick on the spot.
This made Tony a bit annoyed. His security system was practically useless in front of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Phil! Come on in, we're celebrating."
Pepper, who had once been through thick and thin with Agent Coulson, warmly greeted him.
"Then he really has to leave."
His girlfriend's enthusiasm toward another man made Tony extremely unhappy, until Coulson handed Tony a file, "Please take a look at this as soon as possible. It's very urgent."
The willful Tony was in a bad mood at the moment and didn't even plan to take the file himself.
Luckily, Pepper was understanding and helped ease Coulson's awkwardness.
"I thought the Avengers Initiative was shelved. After all, I wasn't standard enough to join."
"After all, I'm fickle, extremely self-centered, and I don't play well with others…"
Seeing S.H.I.E.L.D. come begging for help, Tony recalled being rejected from the Avengers before and vented his dissatisfaction with nonstop muttering.
"The current situation has nothing to do with personality anymore."
Holographic projections appeared all around Tony at the same time, displaying information on all Avengers members as well as the situation, consequences, and aftermath of the Tesseract being stolen.
Only then did Tony realize how serious things really were, his expression gradually turning grave.
———
A certain sea area—
[S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Mobile Base. The Aircraft Carrier]
The carrier looked slow, but was actually moving fast across the sea. The bow split the waves, creating a huge roar that echoed in the ears.
The sea wind rushing toward them carried tiny droplets of water that slapped against people's faces.
Corin, dressed in high-end casual wear, stood at the bow with both hands on the railing, looking out at the ocean. The environment was perfect for thinking about poetry and distant horizons.
But what Corin was thinking was:
"How much is this carrier spaceship actually worth?"
Yes, Corin knew that this giant under his feet was not just a sea fortress. It could also fly into the sky and become an aerial fortress.
"Appraisal!"
[S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier → Appraised value: 200 billion USD (non-convertible)]
"Hiss!"
After seeing the value of this ship, Corin sucked in a sharp breath.
Two hundred billion was the highest price Corin had ever seen. At the same time, the non-convertible status was entirely expected.
Agent Natasha beside him thought Corin was stunned by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sheer presence.
To be honest, when she first boarded this carrier, she had been deeply shocked as well.
"Well? Mr. Destiny, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ride isn't bad, right?"
Natasha knew Destiny. Her undercover work at Stark Industries, observing and understanding Tony Stark, had only been a side task.
The main mission had been to help Tony solve the palladium poisoning crisis, thereby elevating the relationship between Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D.
But halfway through, the man in front of her had snatched Stark's legacy away, causing all her hard work to result in nothing more than a single evaluation report.
This made Agent Natasha a little unhappy.
As a veteran agent, her standard for work was never just completing the mission as required.
Her habit was to exceed the mission.
Hearing that this bounty hunter called Destiny had repeatedly given Director Fury headaches, Natasha felt a trace of competitiveness. Seeing Corin spacing out, she spoke up to show off.
Corin was indeed surprised, but not because of the so-called presence, rather because of the ship's price.
And even more so because of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research capabilities.
After all, an aircraft carrier of this scale and functionality couldn't be built with money alone.
"Ms. Natasha, in my view, this carrier is the crystallization of countless people's wisdom and labor. It's definitely more than just a ride."
After saying that, without paying attention to Natasha, he walked alone toward the deck.
He wanted to get a closer look at the oddly shaped aircraft that had just flown in.
Hearing Corin's words, Natasha froze for a moment, "It was just small talk. Why did you suddenly raise it to such a high level?"
"Can't we just chat normally?"
"Even though I admit you're absolutely right, saying it like that makes me look really shallow, okay?"
At this moment, an order came through her earpiece, telling Natasha to immediately escort Captain Rogers, who had just arrived, to the bridge.
In Corin's eyes, the uniquely shaped aircraft landed on the massive S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem.
Agent Coulson and Captain America, Colonel Steve Rogers, walked down from the aircraft.
"Hi~ Mr. Destiny, long time no see. You suddenly disappeared last time and really made us search for you."
Seeing Corin standing not far from the plane, Coulson politely greeted him and added a small complaint.
Corin felt nothing about it. The job was done. Why would he stay there?
Hot and stuffy New Mexico was nowhere near as comfortable as a hotel.
He nodded politely but did not respond.
Corin looked at Captain America, Steve Rogers, standing beside Coulson.
It was his first time seeing this symbol of the American spirit. Steve was wearing a shirt and a leather jacket. Dressed in casual clothes, Corin almost didn't recognize him.
After Coulson's introduction, Captain America met the man in front of him.
When he learned that Corin was also an Avenger, a hint of surprise flashed in Steve's eyes.
He couldn't see anything particularly special about the man with the Eastern face in front of him.
"I haven't joined the Avengers Initiative. I'm here on Director Fury's commission,".When he heard Coulson introduce him to Captain America as an Avenger, Corin corrected him in time.
"Right…", Coulson had heard Director Fury complain. This time alone, commissioning Corin had cost 10 billion. It was a price so outrageous it defied reason.
At this moment, Agent Natasha came over to them, "Colonel Rogers, Mr. Destiny, let's go to the bridge. They've started positioning and tracking…"
"Excuse me."
Hearing this, Coulson decisively walked off to the other side, looking very efficient.
But in reality, he extremely did not understand or agree with Director Fury spending 10 billion dollars to hire Destiny.
With 10 billion, couldn't they do something better? That was enough for several rounds of carrier maintenance and upkeep.
Were the other Avengers not strong enough, or did S.H.I.E.L.D. have so much money they didn't know where to spend it?
What kind of bounty hunter opens his mouth and asks for 10 billion?
The most outrageous part was that the usually wise director had actually agreed to that price.
He couldn't accept this for the time being.
As long as Corin appeared in front of him, Agent Coulson would think of that wronged 10 billion.
So when Agent Natasha came to call Captain Rogers and Destiny over, Coulson immediately handed the two of them off to her.
'If we're talking heroes, it still has to be our Captain America, Steve Rogers.'
Coulson quickened his pace, thinking as he walked.
When he received the order to pick up Colonel Rogers, Coulson was so excited he almost trembled.
That's right. Captain America was Agent Coulson's idol.
When he was still a little boy, Captain America's stories had deeply inspired him.
That was why, on the plane earlier, Agent Coulson had told the captain more than once, ("It's an honor to work with you.")
As for Corin?
What kind of money-grubbing piece of trash is he? How could he compare to our respectable and lovable Captain?═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
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