Chapter 138: Opposite Direction

The Deputy Commissioner received a sudden notification from his superiors this evening. The whereabouts of the group that kidnapped Commissioner George had been found.

This news was enough to revitalize the Deputy Commissioner, who had been frazzled and exhausted from spending days at the police station handling every minor and major incident. There could be no more wonderful news than this, he thought. It also significantly improved his stereotypical view of those agents who always seemed to be slacking off, relying only on elite soldiers to save the world.

This, in fact, was the prevailing view held by most people. At this point in time, the world had not yet transformed into a realm of superhumans. Most powered individuals hid in the shadows of the city, prioritizing self-preservation over showing off their abilities. Consequently, in the eyes of the public, this was still a world dominated by technology. Thus, there seemed to be no great necessity for the existence of those multifaceted agents. This stereotype would not fully vanish until the Chitauri invasion of New York. Only then would people realize the importance of superheroes and the agents working behind them.

Back at the police station, under the Deputy Commissioner's strict orders, almost every officer—excluding those occupied by urgent, unavoidable tasks—had assembled to receive his briefing. The Deputy Commissioner stood on an elevated platform, looking down at the officers who wore expressions of dissatisfaction at being roused in the middle of the night. He did not deliver a long speech; he uttered only one sentence, and it instantly ignited their morale.

"Tonight, we are going to rescue Commissioner George."

Once those words were out, every officer was instantly energized. They efficiently armed themselves, grabbed their gear, and climbed into their patrol cars. Like a dragon emerging from its lair, a long line of police vehicles sped out of the station, racing toward their destination. High above, on a building where no one could see, a black-and-white figure watched the convoy depart before leaping off in the opposite direction.

***

At a secret base on Ingram Street in Queens, New York:

"Ivan, is your machine broken?" Zhong Shenxiu stared at the screen, where the energy signal was so high it was almost off the charts, and asked Ivan with a puzzled expression.

"Definitely not," Ivan confidently refuted.

Despite his words, he quickly pulled a keyboard from the cluttered desk, plugged a USB cable into the back of the black box, and began clattering away at the keys. His speed was so great that Zhong Shenxiu could see faint motion blurs. A massive amount of code was pulled from the background and displayed on the tablet that had just shown the radar screen. Ivan carefully checked for any errors. After a while, having rapidly scanned the key sections twice, his conclusion remained the same: there were none.

Ivan shook his head and said to Zhong Shenxiu, "The machine is fine. It must be that an incredibly strong gamma-ray signal just happened to appear nearby."

Hearing this, Zhong Shenxiu fell into deep thought. He then said to Ivan, "Give me the exact location; I'll go take a look."

***

The S.H.I.E.L.D. squad had been lying prone on the ground. After a series of rumbles erupted from the Big Guy’s stomach, the stomachs of the female agent, the Hawk, and the Captain began to growl in turn, as if they were performing a roll call. It made everyone suddenly ravenous.

"How long are we going to be here? We haven't even really eaten all day," the female agent complained, kneading her stiffening muscles.

Even the Big Guy chimed in, "So hungry, so hungry, so hungry."

For once, the Hawk didn't argue. The Captain’s complexion was also poor, but as a battle-hardened veteran agent, he had been through far tougher situations than this more times than he could count; he was nowhere near his limit. He was fine, but he couldn't stand the constant complaining around him.

The Captain issued an order: "Eating is out of the question, but you can get some rest. We’ll rotate shifts—one person rests while two keep watch, one hour per rotation. I will remain on watch. Who wants to go first?"

"Me!" the female agent said, refusing to yield. She didn't care if the others agreed; she simply rolled over, lay on the ground, and closed her eyes. The Big Guy looked regretful that his reaction had been too slow to claim the first spot. The Hawk rolled his eyes at the female agent before suggesting to the Captain, "Captain, why don't you get some rest later? I'll keep watch here."

The Captain shook his head. *I truly can't trust you bunch of weirdos,* he thought—though as a seasoned pro, he kept that opinion to himself.

"It's fine, I'm not tired. This is nothing. When we went into Vietnam alone, things were much tougher than this."

"You served in the Vietnam War, Captain?" the Hawk asked, looking surprised.

"No, but I... empathize."

"..." *What kind of nonsense is "empathize."*

"Wait, something's coming!"

Just as the Hawk was about to retort, he felt a vibration on his wrist. He immediately checked the screen and said, "There are a lot of people approaching. There are 48 of them, divided into eight small teams. Judging by their tight formation and fan-shaped approach, they’ve received special training."

The Captain’s face darkened. Based on previous intelligence, he could guess the identity of this group. He said in a low voice, "Attention everyone, be ready to move at any moment."

Even the Big Guy looked uncharacteristically nervous, gripping his weapon until his knuckles turned white. The Hawk, who looked mature but was actually still a fledgling agent, was even more on edge. When he saw the female agent still fast asleep, he had a sudden idea. He gave a subtle kick, landing his right foot squarely on her head. His own tension vanished as he did it.

*Thwack.* The female agent woke up instantly. It was clear she had received rigorous training; she didn't make a sound upon being startled awake, a reaction that defied instinct. She stared with annoyance at the foot resting on her head.

The Captain glanced at her calmly and explained, "Forget it, don't go back to sleep. Be ready to move; we're in danger, a group is closing in."

The female agent regained her composure and said, "Yes, Captain."

"We have to move. Their path will intersect with ours," the Hawk said.

"Then what are you waiting for? Move!" the Captain commanded.

The four agents rose in unison, ready to depart.