Everyone's first reaction was—Did they come to the wrong place?
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't a bank, nor did it have any financial dealings with civilians. What did "compensation" even mean?
Fury frowned. "Kate, are you certain those people outside are normal?"
Kate hesitated for a moment, then said, "Aside from being overly emotional, we can basically rule out mind control or infection. They're not brainwashed or zombified."
Fury's face darkened. That made it worse.
If they were zombies, he could've just wiped them out without hesitation. But attacking or even injuring normal civilians—especially in broad daylight—would cause catastrophic fallout.
And the number of people gathering outside was only increasing. Something had clearly triggered them into turning against S.H.I.E.L.D.
Kate handed over several tablets. "Director, this is the report. You should take a look."
Fury, Hill, Captain America, and Black Widow each took one and quickly scanned the data.
When Fury finished reading, he sighed heavily. "Zola… truly lives up to Hydra's name. Her understanding of human nature is terrifying."
"This is worse than any hostage crisis."
Everyone fell silent.
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't just a military organization—it was responsible for the planet's overall safety.
If Zola had taken hostages, S.H.I.E.L.D. would never have negotiated. They had sacrificed worse in the past.
During the New York wormhole war, the higher-ups had even considered launching nuclear missiles over their own city to seal the rift.
Zola was too smart to waste time threatening lives.
Instead, she'd found a far more insidious weapon—greed.
Fury rubbed his temple. "She's manipulating human desire. That's more dangerous than any bomb."
The data was clear: every single person attacking S.H.I.E.L.D. had recently won a jackpot.
Not a small one either—millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions.
And all across the U.S., the "winners" were spreading outward from around S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters like ripples.
Through agents still outside the energy barrier, S.H.I.E.L.D. had managed to confirm the truth—
Zola had used her control over global digital systems to rig bank transactions and deposit real money into ordinary people's accounts.
For a brief, glorious moment, they had truly become millionaires.
Of course, disbelief came first. So they checked.
And when the balances were confirmed, human nature took over.
Luxury bags. Cars. Houses. Even suitcases of cash were withdrawn for "fun."
Within hours, entire neighborhoods had gone on spending sprees.
Then, when the chaos peaked, Zola released a fake S.H.I.E.L.D. announcement across the Internet—
declaring that all the winnings were fraudulent, all the money had been reclaimed, and all accounts containing "illegal bonuses" would be seized.
Worse—she claimed S.H.I.E.L.D. itself had issued the order.
The result was immediate.
Hundreds of millions in digital balances vanished in seconds.
The psychological shock was worse than death.
Anger replaced reason.
No one cared about truth or logic anymore—they just wanted someone to blame.
And Zola had already pointed the finger straight at S.H.I.E.L.D.
The mob outside the energy barrier screamed accusations:
"You stole our winnings!"
"Return our money!"
"You rigged the system!"
Even though most of them hadn't even bought lottery tickets, it didn't matter anymore.
Just like the scams Lock remembered from his past life—fake lottery texts, promising huge prizes if you just paid a "processing fee."
People knew it was impossible, but greed always won.
Now, Zola had dangled a real prize in front of them.
And then ripped it away.
Their rage had a target now—S.H.I.E.L.D.
Those who had once been victims of scams were now ready to burn down the very organization that had supposedly "cheated" them.
Even worse, the chaos attracted opportunists.
Looters, agitators, the desperate—all flooding into the crowd of "jackpot winners."
Within hours, every major city had its own swarm of furious "millionaires," and Zola didn't even need to control them anymore.
Human greed was enough.
Captain America stood on the rooftop, looking down at the mob with quiet sorrow.
"These poor people," he said. "They don't even realize they're being manipulated."
"That jackpot was just bait—dangling a carrot in front of the donkey that dragged them here."
Kate turned to Fury. "Director, should we try explaining? Tell the public the truth?"
Fury's face hardened. "No. Zola already used our name in her fake announcement. If we issue another statement, no one will believe it—and it'll only make things worse."
Even Fury, the man who'd outsmarted gods and world leaders alike, looked powerless before this kind of manipulation.
Zola's schemes struck at the heart of what made humans tick—desire, greed, loss.
Even if they defeated her AI today, the damage to society would linger for years.
Outside, the sea of people swelled. Cars arrived from miles away, bringing more "winners" demanding "justice."
Entire districts were now surrounded by furious crowds.
At first, they just shouted.
Then they began pounding the energy barrier.
When that didn't work, they started digging, trying to tunnel under it.
Hardware stores were raided for tools.
Police lines collapsed.
Looting broke out across multiple cities—what people online later called "the Zero-Dollar Purchase Movement."
In less than half a day, the mob had dug trenches around the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. perimeter, working tirelessly, possessed by greed and rage.
They weren't zombies.
They were worse.
There was no reasoning with them.
Hill watched from above, her face pale. "Thank the gods Lock brought back Asgard's energy shield tech… If this were the old S.H.I.E.L.D—."
She didn't finish the sentence.
Everyone understood. Without the barrier, the headquarters would have already been torn apart by the mob.
Time and again, Lock had saved them—from alien invasions, cosmic threats, gods, monsters, and now even human nature itself.
Fury sighed quietly. "Natasha," he said, "if you hadn't gone to the City of the Gods back then… do you think Lock would've stayed there forever?"
"Would he have ever involved himself in these world-ending crises?"
He had read Black Widow's mission report countless times—how a simple assassination mission had somehow awakened a being capable of changing destiny itself.
Even now, it still felt unreal.
Everyone turned toward Natasha—
especially Wanda, Helen, and Daisy.
They, too, wanted to know.
What kind of man had Lock been at the very beginning?
---
A/N: New Fanfic Is Out " Naruto: I'm Boruto Uzumaki"
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