"What exactly do you mean by that?" Nick Fury demanded angrily.
All the criminal activities had been perpetrated by Hydra—what did any of this have to do with him personally?
Hill promptly threw the document Pierce had given her directly at Nick's face.
"See for yourself. It contains every charge against you."
Nick Fury read through them methodically, and his expression grew increasingly dark with each line.
"I'd venture to say that except for the accusation that you're Hydra, everything else listed here is absolutely true," Hill observed, crossing her arms and studying Nick Fury with obvious displeasure.
As deputy director, she should have been second only to the chief executive within SHIELD, yet she'd never suspected that Nick Fury had concealed so many operations from her.
Of course, Hill didn't particularly care about the secrecy itself.
What truly infuriated her was that after all these years as director, Nick Fury had embezzled such astronomical amounts of taxpayer money!
She glared at him with barely contained rage. God only knew what this man had spent those funds on.
"Ever since becoming deputy director, I've worried about budget constraints every single day. We have countless agents carrying out high-intensity missions continuously, but we can't even afford to hire recreational facilities or mental health professionals to help them cope with psychological stress..."
Hill took a deep breath as her anger reached a boiling point.
"More importantly, you never shared even a fraction of that money with anyone else!"
"This is what you're concerned about?" Nick Fury raised an eyebrow incredulously.
"Nick Fury, you're finished. It's bad enough that you're corrupt, but you also evaded taxes on the embezzled funds. Who else deserves prosecution if not you?" Ben commented after examining the document and immediately grasping the essential points.
Nick Fury was truly unscrupulous when it came to money. He was genuinely greedy—he'd never let anyone else get even a penny of his ill-gotten gains.
"I've never heard of paying taxes on embezzled money!" Nick protested.
"Of course you should—don't you know that seventy percent of it rightfully belongs to others?" Ben asked pointedly.
Who could tolerate someone being so thoroughly selfish?
"Alright, let's stop discussing this and focus on dealing with Hydra," Tony interjected, glancing at the accusation document. He couldn't understand why anyone would take such enormous risks for what seemed like relatively minor financial gains.
"Ben, let me borrow your workshop so I can construct new armor."
Ben nodded in agreement. Since Primus Tower had originally been Hammer Industries, there was already a small production line available, making armor construction entirely feasible.
"Mr. Stark will build armor, and Ben will prepare to hack the Helicarrier. What should the rest of us do?" Peter asked.
Steve answered him decisively: "Rally those forces we can still unite with."
He stood up, his posture as tall and immovable as an iron fortress.
"I believe that even within SHIELD, not everyone is Hydra. There are agents among them who are simply following orders without understanding the true situation."
"That won't be easy," Nick Fury observed. "Currently we're the wanted criminals. Who's going to believe us?"
"We have to try," Steve insisted with determination.
At that moment, the elevator doors suddenly opened and Dr. Connors entered, glanced at the assembled group, then announced simply: "He's awake."
Before Steve and Tony could determine who Connors was referring to, Nick Fury quickly stood up, regarded Steve Rogers with a complex expression, and said, "It's your old friend."
Nick assumed Steve would be surprised to hear this news.
Steve was indeed surprised, but beyond that shock, he looked at Tony Stark with an even more complicated expression—one filled with concern and guilt.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I don't know this person," Tony frowned with obvious confusion.
Hearing this exchange, Ben studied Steve carefully. He was genuinely curious about what choice Steve Rogers would make this time. Would he protect Bucky, or would he voluntarily tell Tony the complete truth?
Steve was also looking at Ben.
There was a questioning look in his eyes, as if asking whether Ben had revealed the truth to Tony.
Ben shook his head in response.
Tony only knew that the person who killed his parents was the Winter Soldier, but he didn't know the assassin's name or identity.
Many people assumed that in Captain America: Civil War, Steve chose to conceal Bucky's role in Howard's death specifically to save his friend.
But in reality, he'd never had much opportunity to explain the situation to Tony properly.
When they'd finally fought and separated, Steve had only learned about this connection recently.
This time, he had sufficient time and opportunity—but Tony and he weren't even friends yet.
What choice would he make?
"What's wrong? Why did the atmosphere suddenly become so tense?" Peter asked, scratching his head in confusion.
Steve stood up, walked to the elevator first, then exhaled heavily, as if he'd made a momentous decision.
He looked directly at Tony, the guilt in his eyes becoming even more pronounced.
"Tony... Howard was once my friend," Steve began, uncertain how to proceed but determined to continue.
"You don't know that your parents' deaths are also connected to Hydra. They were assassinated..."
"I've known that for quite some time," Tony replied with studied calm.
His composed demeanor surprised Steve considerably.
"You already knew?"
"Hydra, Winter Soldier... did you think I had nothing better to do than risk becoming a wanted fugitive just to help you fight Hydra for no reason?" Tony looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "So what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"James 'Bucky' Barnes is the Winter Soldier who killed your parents. He was also the operative who attacked Nick Fury. After Harry defeated him, he brought Barnes here to Primus."
Seeing that Steve had chosen to reveal everything to Tony but didn't know how to articulate it effectively, Ben stepped in to provide clarity.
Tony didn't absorb the second half of that explanation at all.
He only processed that the murderer who killed his parents was currently in this building. At this moment, he had no thoughts beyond making that man pay with his life.
He stood up, his lips trembling slightly, but his voice was ice-cold: "Which floor is the medical wing on?"
"Fifteenth floor," Ben answered simply.
Tony walked toward the exit without looking back, but Steve intercepted him in front of the elevator.
"Calm down, Tony!" Steve blocked his path. "It's not Bucky's fault—he doesn't know, he was brainwashed..."
Although he'd chosen to reveal the truth, Steve still intended to protect Bucky, not only because Bucky was his friend, but because the past couldn't be changed and he had to protect the person who survived.
"Whose fault is it then—my father's?" Tony's eyes were bloodshot, and the look he gave Steve was filled with hatred and resentment.
"Are you worthy of being called my father's friend?"
Steve was speechless. He could only repeatedly apologize. He could neither compensate for nor repay what he owed to Howard.
Tony spoke with deadly coldness: "I'm going to the workshop. Get out of my way!"
He pushed Steve Rogers aside with an expressionless face. Steve was strong enough to prevent a helicopter from taking off, but at this moment he seemed so powerless that Tony moved him aside with a single gesture.
Then Tony stumbled into the elevator alone, moving like an unsteady child.
The elevator doors slowly closed like an impenetrable barrier, completely separating Steve and Tony.
This scene left Nick Fury feeling utterly helpless.
He'd thought the Avengers had assembled here and would be able to fight side by side immediately.
But unexpectedly, cracks had appeared in this organization so quickly.
Steve lowered his head silently. He watched the elevator descend rather than ascending to the fifteenth floor, which brought him relief while simultaneously intensifying his guilt.
But soon, he contained these emotions and turned to find Bucky.
In the workshop, Tony Stark maintained a grim expression while repeatedly striking metal plating with a hammer.
In reality, with the advanced materials used in the latest Mark armor, human-powered hammering wouldn't leave any visible damage whatsoever.
He was venting his anger more than actually working the metal.
Ben approached from behind.
"I thought you were going to confront him immediately."
Tony replied coldly without looking up: "Why would I fight a mind-controlled person when I'm not wearing armor?"
After all, Tony had just witnessed his parents' murder, yet he seemed calmer than he'd been in the films.
"I don't think he'd fight back," Ben observed.
Tony stopped his work, turned around, and looked at Ben with obvious stubbornness and even some hurt, asking: "You already knew, didn't you?"
"Don't play games. You knew that Bucky is the Winter Soldier who killed my parents, right?"
Ben was taken aback.
He suddenly felt this scene was eerily familiar—just like Tony questioning Steve in the movie.
"So you've known for a long time, but you kept it from me to maintain peace for the war, right?" Tony accused Ben directly.
"You also think I shouldn't kill him?"
"Why would you assume that?"
"We should unite against powerful enemies..."
"The prerequisite for unity is resolving internal conflicts first," Ben stated firmly. "Whatever decision you make, I support you."
Tony was genuinely surprised.
"I thought you'd say that he was brainwashed, that it's not his fault, that he's just a tool, like a knife..."
Tony lowered his head. "I shouldn't direct my anger at tools."
"But as a victim, you have the right to destroy the knife," Ben replied.
Tony looked at him and felt considerably better. He took a breath and said: "I didn't expect you to take my side."
"Of course I'm on your side. I'm not the type who admires noble, self-sacrificing personalities. We're the same kind of people, and I like you more."
"Of course I'm on your side, Captain."
In the recovery room, Ben patted Captain America on the shoulder reassuringly.
"You know, Tony can be incredibly self-centered sometimes. I don't like him at all. I like you much more!"