General Ross's face instantly turned deathly pale, and he even staggered a step, nearly losing his balance.
Before coming here, he had been scheming with great confidence.
If someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. had messed up, he could have seized the opportunity to confront Nick Fury and squeeze a hefty budget out of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But now, the situation had completely spiraled out of Control.
Not only had his subordinates' operational error nearly released the Abomination, but more critically, the senior Agent sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. was now in critical condition.
This was no longer about how much money he could extort; if S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to exploit this... it could become a major incident serious enough to land him before a Military court.
If Makima died on his turf or ended up permanently disabled, the astronomical compensation and political fallout that would follow... Ross didn't even dare to think about it.
"Quick! Have the Base's medical team follow them!" Ross's tone was stiff, his previously aggressive demeanor completely gone, replaced even by a hint of panic. "We must save that Agent's life! At any cost!"
Watching the medics rush away, Ross felt his throat go dry.
The soldiers who had witnessed the entire truth, even though their minds were under Makima's Control, now felt a chill.
The truth was far more insane than what Ross had seen.
Just over ten minutes earlier, upon hearing that Ross was about to arrive, Makima hadn't hesitated for a moment.
She raised her slender hand, pointing her index finger at her own shoulder, abdomen, and even her stunningly beautiful face.
"Modie-chan, bear with it, okay? It might hurt a little..."
Her tone was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child.
As soon as she finished speaking.
With several dull thuds, blood splattered and bones shattered.
The brutality with which Makima had inflicted harm upon herself sent a chill down even the Abomination's spine.
Yet, there wasn't even a flicker of pain on her face. She even had the leisure to adjust the visual effect of her wounds, just to make herself look convincingly pitiful and add more chips to the upcoming "negotiations."
On the other end of consciousness, Su Modie wasn't nearly as composed.
Although sharing senses usually brought multiplied pleasure, this kind of genuine, intense pain was transmitted just the same.
At that moment, Su Modie, far away in a New York safe house, curled up on the sofa in pain, sweating profusely and teary-eyed.
But for the sake of the plan, what was a little pain?
The good news was that aside from Su Modie, the other avatars weren't as sensitive to pain.
Of course, General Ross knew none of this... The red light in the emergency room didn't stay on for too long.
After emergency surgery, Makima was essentially pulled back from the brink of death by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top medical team.
It must be said, her hand was terrifyingly steady—that single finger strike had brought her to the edge of death, successfully deceiving Ross's eyes and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s precise detection instruments, yet it had accurately avoided truly fatal points.
After all, she didn't actually want to perform a "vanishing act" horror show in front of Fury or the Military.
In the following days, Makima naturally moved into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-level ward.
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a serious injury.
This gave her a perfect excuse to temporarily step back from the front lines. During her recovery period, the threshold of her ward was almost worn down by visitors.
Coulson and Tony Stark visited one after the other.
Coulson remained his usual amiable self, carrying two exquisite fruit baskets, complete with flowers and a letter of condolence from the Bureau.
As for Tony, his attitude toward Makima was particularly subtle, showing an inexplicable eagerness that didn't seem related to sexual attraction.
This surprised Su Modie.
Could it be that Tony... missed his mother?
Su Modie couldn't help but joke.
It was no wonder she thought that.
Tony Stark was deeply lacking in love, especially care from parental figures.
Faced with Makima's gaze, which always seemed to watch over you with motherly gentleness, he indeed had severely low resistance.
Next came Reze.
Originally, Reze had refused—what sense did it make to visit herself?
Besides, she wasn't particularly fond of Makima to begin with. But although Natasha hadn't interacted deeply with Makima, she had heard some rumors within S.H.I.E.L.D.
She specifically texted Reze, reminding her that getting closer to Makima wouldn't hurt.
Natasha cared quite a bit about Reze.
So, Reze came, albeit reluctantly.
After just a few words of conversation, she started devouring the fruit baskets in Makima's room on her own.
Before leaving, she even outright took both fruit baskets with her—
Hmph~ Taking them home for Su Modie to eat~
This scene left Makima, lying in the hospital bed, momentarily speechless with laughter.
After that, even the elusive Director Fury paid a personal visit.
"You've done well, Agent."
Fury stood before the hospital bed, a rare glint of genuine appreciation in his single eye.
Clearly, the strategic objectives on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side had been executed nearly perfectly by Makima.
The Abomination had been proven to be an uncontrollable time Bomb, eliminating any possibility of joining the Avengers. Moreover, Makima's severe injuries had become a bargaining chip in Fury's hands, enough to keep General Ross's head down in front of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time.
As for how much tangible benefit he could squeeze out of Ross, that would depend entirely on Fury's own methods.
Especially upon learning that although Makima was severely injured, she wouldn't suffer any lasting effects, Fury was in an even better mood.
Good news lifts the spirits. Even his perpetually gloomy face seemed a little less dark. With a wave of his hand, he not only fully covered the medical expenses and approved a long leave until full recovery but also directly raised Makima's clearance level to—Level 7.
After this battle, Makima had essentially secured her place within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s inner circle.
On equal footing with Coulson, Hawkeye, and Natasha, all she lacked was a bit more time to settle in.
Makima had flawlessly completed Fury's task, but what about Pierce's side?
Although he hadn't managed to get the Abomination into the Avengers, Pierce wasn't in a hurry.
Because he knew well that Makima's plan was still ongoing.
He immediately sent a sternly worded official letter to the U.S. Military in the name of the World Security Council—due to the Military's severe oversight, S.H.I.E.L.D. must intervene in the containment of the Abomination. And what belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D... naturally belonged to HYDRA.
The bald Agent Sitwell naturally took over the handover work for the Abomination.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ross didn't dare to object.
Thus, the landscape changed.
From Ross's complete Control, it shifted to a fifty-fifty split between the Military and S.H.I.E.L.D., with S.H.I.E.L.D. even holding slightly more sway.
After all, the colonel originally in charge of the Abomination project had been killed in action, and a replacement still needed to be promoted.
During this power vacuum, the juicy piece of meat that was the Abomination was essentially ripped from the Military's mouth by Makima and fed right to HYDRA's lips.
Su Modie knew that Pierce's desperate efforts to get the Abomination into the Avengers were merely to bring it under his command and turn it into a biological weapon against Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk. Whether it actually joined the Avengers had never really been the main point.
Although in Su Modie's view, this idea was somewhat laughable—the Abomination was no match for those three—it was undeniable that Makima's "Self-injury Ruse" was extremely shrewd, simultaneously exceeding the expectations of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA.
After all, it's hard to keep things perfectly balanced. Su Modie understood this well, but Makima's handling was seamless.
The big bosses on both sides were very satisfied with her.
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