Having just activated the Faiz Armor's ten-second acceleration form, Zed was nearly cooked despite the armor's cooling system. He quickly deactivated it and walked towards Hawkeye, who was crawling on the ground.
Seeing this scene, which strongly resembled a famous painting, Zed suddenly felt a wicked impulse. Just as Hawkeye was about to touch the Ride Watch, Zed stomped on Hawkeye's hand. He bent down, picked up the Zangetsu Ride Watch, and toyed with it, saying to Hawkeye:
"What's the point of activating the Ride Watch? What's the point of transforming into Zangetsu? In the end, the Ride Watch will still end up in my hands!" He mocked, waving the Zangetsu Ride Watch in front of Hawkeye.
"Can Nick Fury, that black egghead, hear me? Want the Ride Watch? Trade me the Tesseract!"
As a top agent, Hawkeye was naturally not provoked by Zed's clumsy taunts, nor would he respond to Zed's words. But the order from his earpiece made Hawkeye speak:
"Where did you get the information about the Tesseract? What exactly is your goal?"
Zed understood that Nick Fury had already intervened, so he continued, "That's none of your business! As for my goal... isn't it natural for a Demon King to gather power and strengthen himself? Are you going to trade or not? Give me a straight answer!"
"Impossible! The Tesseract is obviously more valuable than your Ride Watch! I can't make a losing deal! Moreover, S.H.I.E.L.D. is responsible to the World Security Council, I can't make such a decision alone."
After Hawkeye refused, Zed didn't bother haggling and wasting time. He stated his objective directly:
"Since you're unwilling to part with the Tesseract, let's make a deal. Give me the Obelisk from 084, and I'll give you some information. Trust me! This information is definitely worth it. What do you say?"
Nick Fury, sitting in his office, pondered what information could possibly be worth the untouchable Obelisk, while also considering Zi-O's sudden offer. Weighing the pros and cons, Nick Fury spoke:
"What's the information about?"
Seeing Nick Fury take the bait, Zed whispered, "Are you sure it's just the three of us on this channel?"
After a moment of silence from Nick Fury's end, his voice came through: "Alright! Go ahead!"
Zed slowly squatted down and leaned towards Hawkeye's earpiece, whispering:
"Hail Hydra!"
"..."
Seeing no reaction from Nick Fury, and only shock and confusion on Hawkeye's face, Zed, feeling quite bored, pouted and said, "Be here in a week. Don't try anything."
The words were finished, but Zed's foot remained firmly planted on Hawkeye's arm.
Hawkeye couldn't pull his arm free. He looked down at the large foot on his arm, then looked up to meet Zed's gaze.
They stared at each other, a silent staring contest.
Then Zed spoke slowly, "Aren't you going to thank Zi-O? Ah~ Otherwise, this deal's off! Shout it!"
Hawkeye, who had maintained his composure until now, was truly angered. This guy was humiliating him!
Nick Fury spoke again over the comms, "Just do it! Hawkeye! We're agents, this kind of humiliation is nothing!"
"Shout it!"
"Th-thank you... thank you, Zi-O..."
"Eat shit!"
After saying this, Zed kicked Hawkeye in the face, stopping him from pursuing.
He turned and sprinted along the pre-planned escape route. Leaping onto the parking lot fence with his left foot, he jumped onto the Time Mazine that was already hovering there, and immediately disappeared into the night sky. Woz and Dan Kuroto, having received the retreat signal, also immediately left the battlefield.
In this battle, Zed not only taught S.H.I.E.L.D. a harsh lesson, but also successfully retrieved the stolen Ride Watch, and finally humiliated Hawkeye. You could say it was a very fruitful endeavor.
It would have been even better if Matt or Natasha could have also activated a Ride Watch, but nothing is perfect in this world, and some things can't be forced.
In Pierce's office within S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce and Sitwell watched the entire battle, except for the part that Nick Fury cut off at the end.
"Sitwell, what information does Zi-O possess that can rival the Obelisk? We need to know this. I'm assigning this task to you. Make sure you keep a close eye on these guys, don't miss any clues," Pierce said, turning his chair to face Sitwell.
"Yes! What about the Obelisk? That's something Daniel Whitehall has always wanted. What if Nick Fury really agrees to Zi-O's deal? How should we deal with Daniel Whitehall?" Sitwell was quite comprehensive in his thinking.
But Pierce didn't seem to care.
"Not 'what if'! Nick Fury has already decided to make this deal. Something that's been studied endlessly without any results, and kills anyone who touches it, traded for a very important piece of intel. It's not a loss! As for Daniel Whitehall, just let him know. Whether he can keep the Obelisk is up to him. Our own safety is the most important thing. Go!"
After Sitwell turned and left, Pierce continued to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s daily affairs until Brock, bandaged from the infirmary, went to Pierce's office.
"Brock! You've been very active today! Very good!" Pierce praised Brock with a fake smile.
Brock didn't respond to Pierce's sarcasm, but stood in silence with a more standard military posture.
Seeing Brock like this, Pierce sighed.
"I know you want to get stronger, you want Hawkeye's armor. But what's the point of doing this? Individual strength will never be as good as the strength of the collective, don't get lost in it! Brock! Look at Hawkeye, what good did the Ride Watch do him? He was still easily robbed. Our great cause does need your martial strength, but I hope you understand the priorities! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!" No one knew if Brock had listened, but he just wore a blank expression.
After waving Brock away, Pierce rubbed his forehead. Ugh, these guys really give me a headache!
Brock's injuries weren't serious, and he could be released after some basic treatment. But Natasha, Matt, and Hawkeye were a different story. Zed hadn't gone for the kill, but he hadn't exactly gone easy on them either.
When Nick Fury came to check on them, Matt and Natasha, who had been the first to retreat, had recovered somewhat, while Hawkeye had passed out from exhaustion.
Nick Fury was the first to speak, asking Matt, "How are you feeling?"
"This hospital is a lot better than patching myself up!" Matt quipped ruefully.
Seeing Matt was in good spirits and even able to joke, Nick Fury didn't press him further. He turned to Natasha and asked, "How are you feeling, Agent Natasha?"
"Alright! He didn't go for the kill, or I wouldn't be here to see you."
"I knew he wouldn't kill you. You're all treasures in his eyes. Hawkeye has already successfully activated a Ride Watch, and the two of you have a high chance of activating one as well. To put it dramatically, he's the person in the world who least wants you to die." Nick Fury explained his thoughts to Natasha and Matt, also explaining the secrets of the Ride Watches and Zi-O's purpose to Matt.
"It's a strange feeling, being valued by your own enemy. But Hawkeye's Ride Watch has been taken, and Zi-O won't hold back against Hawkeye in the future, I imagine." Natasha prioritized her good friend Hawkeye's safety.
"If a person can only activate one Ride Watch, I think so! So, Natasha, I need you to contact Zi-O next. If he gives you a Ride Watch, don't try to activate it." Nick Fury's insight into human nature was very sharp; he saw Zi-O's "care" for these potential recruits.
As a super-spy, Natasha immediately understood her advantage. It was like fishing for a sugar daddy, maintaining an attitude of being close yet distant. Keeping Zi-O's appetite whetted, as long as she didn't try to activate the Ride Watch, Zi-O absolutely wouldn't kill her.
"Understood, Director." Natasha's previously downcast mood brightened.
Matt, who was beside them, listened to the two's completely unrighteous conversation, thinking he was ashamed to be associated with these people. Then, he asked Nick Fury, "If this doesn't work out, he'll come looking for me again, right?"
Nick Fury looked at Matt and then at Natasha and said, "He will definitely come looking for you again, but I hope you can uphold your own justice."
"I will!"
Leaving the infirmary, Nick Fury met with his deputy, Hill, as soon as he stepped out, "What is it, Deputy Hill?"
Hill cleared her throat and asked, "Mark Murdock has been involved in too much. Aren't you planning to recruit him?"
"He's too idealistic. This isn't a place for upholding justice. He wouldn't fit in here," Hill could hear from Nick Fury's tone that he really appreciated Matt.
That's why he let him go.
Zed and the others didn't return to the cramped little warehouse, instead going straight to Dan Kuroto's company. Zed flopped onto the soft sofa. Ah~ This is much more comfortable than the folding bed in my warehouse.
"Woz, are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s standard issue weapons powerful? Are they a threat to us?"
"My King, their standard issue weapons pose almost no threat to us. However, a small number of special weapons can still cause us harm," Woz mentioned the weapons he had seen used by S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Hmph~ These guys only invent low-level stuff. My Gashat is about to be completed, I'll let them admire my god-like talent," Dan Kuroto, fresh from the fight, was feeling a bit cocky.
"Alright! Let me take a look at this Zangetsu Ride Watch first!" Zed said, and then immediately used the Ride Watch.
Whoosh!
After transforming into the Zangetsu Armor, Zed was suddenly buried by a mountain of paper, only one leg visible.
Woz, who had been about to celebrate, awkwardly held back his words. He picked up a piece of paper, which read: Kureshima Family's Son's Growth Plan, Daily Schedule, Nutritional Meal Plan, Exercise Chart.
------------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" China's Superman in Marvel vs. DC "
" Marvel Exposing Foundation from the Start "
" Marvel: Ancestor Superman, Beginning with Wanda"
" Marvel's Divine Game Producer "
"Marvel's Gravity God Shinra Tensei From the Start"
"Marvel World in the Running a Dimension Store"
"Marvel Starting from Spider-Man No Way Home"
"Marvel: Becoming Kamen Rider Geats Today"
many more are available
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)