Chapter 201: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Secret
Without the support of a supercomputer or remote satellites, the AI Alice could only rely on Xi Nian's phone as her carrier. Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where there was no signal shielding, she could finally break into their encrypted and heavily fortified communications and intelligence systems.
That was precisely the reason why, a few days ago, Xi Nian had specifically requested to Nick Fury that he wanted to "tour" S.H.I.E.L.D.
So the moment he stepped inside, his true objective was already halfway accomplished.
"I see."
Looking at his phone screen, Xi Nian watched as Alice successfully infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central system and began streaming simplified data back to him.
His eyes lit up, and in that instant he learned many things—
The origins of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The secrets hidden within the organization. The true cause of Nick Fury's death. Even the history of the Cosmic Cube itself.
At that moment—
On Xi Nian's phone, the files relating to S.H.I.E.L.D. were things that, if leaked, would shock the entire world!
Unfortunately…
Among them, there was nothing about the one thing he wanted most: the whereabouts of Wanda's brother Pietro, who had been abducted by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Still, what he could confirm was that Pietro was not being held inside headquarters.
Xi Nian tapped his phone with a finger and instructed, "Keep digging. Even if you have to comb through the files of every division of S.H.I.E.L.D. across the globe, I want a clue."
"Understood, master," Alice's pleasant voice replied, followed by another stream of glowing code scrolling across the screen.
Just then, footsteps approached.
A steaming cup of coffee was set carefully onto the table in front of him, its rich aroma filling the air.
"Thanks."
Xi Nian smiled faintly, took a sip, and his eyes lit up. "Not bad. Almost as good as the little maid back home."
"You have… a maid at home?"
Skye frowned slightly, feeling strangely uneasy.
Xi Nian waved her toward the chair opposite him and asked, "Skye, do you know what kind of position the Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D. holds? What's his rank inside the organization?"
"Of course. That's not exactly a secret."
She didn't know why Xi Nian was suddenly asking this, but she nodded anyway and explained softly: "The current Secretary is Alexander Pierce. He used to be Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., then stepped back to the role of Secretary, allowing Nick Fury to become Director."
"The Director mainly oversees internal operations, coordinating the work of the divisions and agents. The Secretary focuses more on diplomacy, handling relations with the Council and high-level officials from behind the scenes."
"The two positions are equal in rank. Both hold the highest level of authority in S.H.I.E.L.D., including the power to veto missions. Neither is technically higher than the other."
At this point, Skye suddenly froze, her eyes trembling.
"Just now… didn't Mr. Rogers say he was taking the elevator to the top floor? To have a little talk with the Secretary?"
Xi Nian swirled the coffee in his cup, took another sip, and asked meaningfully, "And what do you think they're talking about right now?"
Skye fell silent.
Captain America and the Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D. weren't exactly old friends.
So what would they be talking about?
The assassination of Nick Fury by the Winter Soldier last night—what else?
But then came the problem.
Last night, Natasha—the Black Widow—had told her Captain America left specifically to investigate the organization that killed Fury.
And today, he turned up at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters… going straight to the Secretary's office?
Skye couldn't stop a shiver from running down her spine. She whispered, "Don't tell me the Captain suspects what I do—that there's a mole inside headquarters, and he came here to confirm it?!"
"Correct answer," Xi Nian said as he set down his empty cup.
And right then—
A deafening crash rang out!
From one of the higher floors above came a sharp, echoing explosion.
A tall figure plummeted straight down outside the building, trailing shards of shattered glass.
He streaked past the window beside Xi Nian and Skye, before slamming hard into the open plaza before the main entrance below!
The impact set the entire headquarters into an uproar. The whole building erupted with alarm in an instant!
"It's the Captain!" Skye gasped, leaping to her feet as she spotted the blond young man below, struggling up with the help of his vibranium shield.
"It's our cue to leave," Xi Nian said suddenly.
Scooping up Xiao Huang in one arm, he grabbed Skye's hand with the other and hurried away.
"Are we going to help the Captain?" Skye asked, for once actually looking to the boy for direction.
"Help? You can't even help yourself," Xi Nian shot back without turning his head. He pulled her along at a brisk pace, quickly exiting the lounge area on the third floor.
Not long after they left,
A squad of agents rushed into the same lounge.
The squad leader looked at the empty room, at the still-warm coffee cup on the table, and cursed, "Fuck!" He immediately barked orders into his comm: "Lock down S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters! Find them!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
The elevator.
Inside bore the clear signs of a violent fight—shattered glass on one side, bullet casings scattered across the floor.
Xi Nian and Skye stepped over the debris into the empty car. Thanks to all nearby agents chasing after the Captain, the elevator was now unguarded.
Not that it mattered.
The system had already triggered lockdown mode. All elevators were disabled.
"We can't get out this way," Skye warned grimly. "The elevators are locked down. And there are surveillance cameras in here."
She finally understood—headquarters itself, or rather, the shadowy hand controlling it, wanted to eliminate them.
"How would we know if we don't try?"
Xi Nian looked as relaxed as if he were still on a casual tour. He stepped inside and casually pressed his fingerprint to the controls.
As if he owned the place.
"Wait!"
Skye moved to stop him, then froze.
Because the red lock indicator suddenly blinked out—
The panel switched to green, granting access.
The elevator began to descend.
And the floor Xi Nian had chosen… was the deepest underground level of headquarters.
Sublevel Ten.
"Clearance confirmed. Xi Nian Prince."
The system chimed, not with an alarm, but with authorization, and the car began to sink rapidly.
"How did you do that?"
Skye stared in shock. Even she couldn't access Sublevel Ten without extremely high clearance.
There was no way the late Director would have given Xi Nian that kind of privilege.
As for hacking the system—
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s defenses, even Skye, a professional hacker, couldn't break in so quickly.
"Just pressed some buttons at random," Xi Nian shrugged.
Skye: "…"
Liar!
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