At this moment, Coulson's suspicion about Batman's true identity deepened.
Anton?
No!Anton Jameson was likely just a façade created by Batman.
The half-truths and misleading information made it impossible to tell the real from the fake.
Even if Anton removed the Batman suit and stood before Coulson, he would still wonder if someone else had undergone surgery to look like Anton, deceiving his eyes.
Otherwise, why would Batman show up with Green Arrow in tow?
A display of muscle?
They had already scrutinized Anton's detailed profile countless times ever since they began suspecting him of being Batman.
Anton's life experiences before taking over the Daily Bugle or filming The Mystery of the Shadow Knight were entirely different from the psychological profile SHIELD experts had on Batman. In their eyes, Anton and Batman were two completely separate people.
In fact, if not for the undeniable link between Anton and Batman, SHIELD wouldn't even entertain the idea that Anton could be Batman.
And yet, Batman had just spoken a piece of SHIELD's highly classified intelligence.
The source? Unknown!
Anton certainly wasn't someone who could have accessed such information.
SHIELD had dug deep into Anton's personal and professional relationships while investigating him, and "digging up the earth to its core" would not have been an exaggeration.
Coulson couldn't fathom where Anton could have gotten that intelligence from.
The Daily Bugle?
If the Bugle had that kind of capability, it would have long surpassed Stark Industries and Oscorp. J. Jonah Jameson wouldn't just be rich—he'd be the world's top media tycoon.
So… could Anton truly be a pawn orchestrated by Batman? Or a spokesperson of sorts?
Coulson's face was grave, mind racing with thoughts, hesitant to reach a conclusion.
Natasha Romanoff, standing beside him, was equally astonished.
Coulson was, apart from SHIELD Director Nick Fury, one of the agency's most experienced and competent agents.
Having worked alongside Fury for years, he had learned much from him—and in some aspects, even surpassed him, with a charisma that won the respect of many senior SHIELD operatives.
His capability was widely recognized.
Yet now, Coulson couldn't control his emotions, his face betraying the shock within.
"Alien… cosmic threat!"
Natasha thought to herself, incredulous. Could it really be true? Was Earth truly facing an extraterrestrial menace?
Her mind briefly drifted to DC's recently released movie, Cyborg.
The plot emphasized a cosmic threat, featuring a Mother Box from Apokolips and one name…
Darkseid!
"Could this be the threat they meant?"
Natasha was puzzled, but being clever, she said nothing, standing by silently as the conversation continued.
"I understand now!"
Coulson collected himself, refraining from asking about Batman's intelligence sources, and spoke formally: "I respect your decision."
In his eyes, Batman had placed him in an unusual position—a position that often came with significant risk.
Fury had been similarly positioned.
Anton was somewhat surprised by Coulson's response.
"I'm growing to admire you more, Coulson. If you ever decide to retire, come find me—I'll always keep the door open for you."
He nodded, not forgetting a subtle dig.
"And you, Black Widow!"
He paused briefly, then looked at Natasha.
Natasha's heart skipped a beat as she looked up at Batman.
At that moment, she was certain he already knew her true identity.
If Batman wasn't in the dark, could Anton still be unaware?
Reflecting on her recent interactions with Anton, she felt a sudden unease.
Coulson, however, remained unfazed. Batman knew about the 1990s alien invasion events in detail—so it was no surprise he knew about Black Widow.
"By the way."
Before leaving, Anton gave Coulson a friendly warning, acknowledging his tact.
"Go back and tell Nick Fury that I don't dislike SHIELD—I just think you should clean your house before inviting guests over."
With that, he pushed the door open, left the room, and vanished into the darkness.
Coulson and Natasha watched him leave, then went to the doorway and saw the courtyard filled with arrows planted in the ground.
Green Arrow, back turned to them, followed Batman into the darkness and quickly disappeared.
Hawkeye lay on the ground, gasping, bruised, and dazed.
Clearly, he hadn't fared well against Green Arrow.
"Barton," Natasha detached her emotions, stepped forward, and helped Hawkeye up, smiling: "Looks like you got beaten up again."
"He couldn't have gotten away unscathed," Hawkeye muttered stubbornly.
Though there was no decisive victor in his fight with Green Arrow, Hawkeye admitted he had been outmatched. Green Arrow had clearly dominated.
Even with Batman's exit, he couldn't turn the tide.
Though it was merely sparring, in a real fight to the death, Hawkeye knew he had no guaranteed victory.
"Damn it!!"
Anger and frustration boiled within him.
Not only could he not beat Batman—he couldn't even beat Batman's sidekick.
"Next time, I'll train harder!"
Hawkeye vowed silently. Next time he faced Batman and Green Arrow, he'd make them respect him.
Coulson stood at the front of the building, watching Hawkeye and Natasha silently, lost in thought about Batman's earlier words.
Not that he disliked SHIELD—but SHIELD needed to clean up its house before inviting guests over…
His expression darkened as he considered Batman's intelligence channels.
A mole?
There was an insider in SHIELD!!
Undoubtedly, this was the hidden meaning behind Batman's words.
The conclusion left Coulson utterly astounded.
Within SHIELD, the few who knew about the 1990s alien invasion were all high-ranking personnel.
If Batman's warning was true, a mole among them would be catastrophic.
Batman's words were not to be doubted.
After all, he had shared the intelligence directly with Coulson.
"Terrifying…"
Coulson's head throbbed as he contemplated the potential fallout—a SHIELD-level upheaval. He resolved to rush back to the Washington headquarters overnight to consult with Director Nick Fury.
-----------------------
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