"This is a good opportunity, agree to her."
"From today on, you just need to go undercover by Artoria Stark's side."
It was just as she expected, without any surprise. Raven had already guessed what kind of words the person sitting on that steel throne would say, but her heart still felt a bit heavy. She was being used like a tool. Ever since she followed Magneto, she had never thought of defecting; instead, she wholeheartedly completed every task Magneto gave her. But from this moment on, she felt Magneto had changed, becoming someone she was somewhat unfamiliar with.
"I will."
Tidying up her emotions, Raven didn't even know how she managed to say those words. From today on, the place she regarded as home was no longer her home. This was the second time; when she first took the initiative to leave Richards's side, she thought such a thing wouldn't happen a second time, but reality had slapped her in the face, and she could only accept it. Having received Magneto's order, Raven left the place that broke her heart without looking back.
"Wu... wu... wu"
The orange-red, furry Little guy acted as happy as a puppy under Artoria's petting, but this scene made the other two Little guys unhappy. Dongfang had already grown to be as tall as Artoria and was no longer suited to acting spoiled in her arms. The newly arrived Second Fatty had not been there long before facing the situation of 'falling out of favor.' The two of them were originally hostile to each other, but at this moment, they strangely glared with their eyes, staring at the Little Nine-Tails in Artoria's arms. This fellow had played the cute card so well since arriving that it had completely stolen the Master's attention. This caused their jealousy to rise, and they decided to have a good talk with this nine-tailed fellow about the dignity of being a senior.
"master, the hyperion's modification is complete, the power system has been tested, and the new control system has also undergone improved testing. There are no problems at all. Please decide on the final launch date."
While stroking the legendary strongest Tailed Beast, Saturday's voice came from the headphones Artoria was wearing. During this time, not only had Mr. Reed completed his Space plan, but Artoria's hyperion had also prepared everything. Artoria was now a bit worried about when to launch the hyperion; after all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier was still circling in the sky. She didn't want it to be discovered. Even with the latest generation of stealth technology, Artoria didn't quite dare to let her warship pass in front of instruments made by scientists where green-skins walk all over the place.
"Wait until I get back from Space! Continue checking, don't miss a single screw for me. If there are really no problems, find someone to apply a layer of wax to the deck for me."
"Yes, master."
Still not quite feeling safe about courting death at this point, Artoria decided to wait until she returned from Space before finding a way to let the hyperion enter Space unnoticed. Now Reed's plan was the priority; she didn't like everything happening at once, as that would make things head-spinningly busy.
"Alright, you guys play together first while I go take care of some business."
Smoothing the Little Nine-Tails's fur, Artoria placed it on the ground and gestured for it to go play with Second Fatty and Dongfang. Artoria herself left the small courtyard with light steps, leaving only a canine, a feline, and a horse staring at each other. The next moment, clanging and banging sounds rang out in the courtyard.
"Special Agent Phil, how do you have time to visit my place today?"
So they finally came! S.H.I.E.L.D., what exactly are you up to? Despite thinking this, Artoria still politely invited Phil to sit down. Gwen obediently poured a cup of coffee for Artoria and Phil, which made Phil—who had just endured Tony's poisonous tongue and being kicked out—feel a bit flattered. As expected, the sister was better than the brother; she was a polite and good child.
"I'll go take care of some things first."
Seeing Phil staring at her, Gwen tactfully said that to Artoria. Seeing Artoria nod, Gwen left the office, leaving time for the two to talk.
"Miss Artoria, I won't hide it from you. We have identified the person who attacked you. It seems to be remnants of Hydra from World War II. We are currently cleaning up these crazy guys. If anyone attacks you or those around you, please contact us immediately."
The words that needed to be said had to be said. Phil had no choice now that things had developed to this point, especially since the Avengers had all been attacked. He could only represent the Director to handle the clean-up work. Even if the attack wasn't launched by S.H.I.E.L.D., someone had to come out and make a statement. So he was pulled out to get scolded. That bastard Tony almost made him cry from anger; couldn't that jerk have any quality of respecting the old and loving the young? After being out getting scolded for so long, only Artoria could speak to him so peacefully. She truly lived up to being a girl with an Angel's name.
He said what he needed to say and absolutely didn't say what he shouldn't, such as the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had long been riddled with holes by Hydra's infiltration. He wouldn't say that even if it killed him. Taking shamelessness to the extreme, Phil handed Artoria a phone number and stated that she could connect to their superiors at any time.
"I understand, Mr. Phil. How is Stacy doing now?"
"She's doing well... How did you know she's at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Taking the slip of paper Phil gave her, Artoria smilingly asked Special Agent Phil a question. Phil, who was happy not to be scolded, answered subconsciously. By the time he said it, he realized something was wrong. How did Artoria know Stacy was in S.H.I.E.L.D.? But no one answered his counter-question.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure. Then, goodbye, Miss Artoria."
Looking at the subtle smile on Artoria's face, Phil left in a bit of a panic. It seemed the secrets within S.H.I.E.L.D. were no longer secure, having been penetrated to such an extent. He had to report this to the Director immediately.
"Let's see if you S.H.I.E.L.D. people can still act so smug this time."
Artoria did it on purpose. Never mind this little secret, I even know how your Director's eye was blinded. I also know what a stingy person he is, exploiting labor without giving time off, and sometimes even deducting wages for no reason. A guy with a black face and an even blacker heart.
"It's not chaotic enough yet. It would be better if it were a bit more chaotic; then these rats hiding in the darkness would appear."
Madam Hydra, the Hand, and Kingpin—none of these guys were easy targets. They were still quite quiet now, but as soon as the world fell into chaos, they would surely jump out. At that time, wiping them all out in one fell swoop would surely yield more holy grail stones. Thinking of this, Artoria realized she hadn't done a pull in a long time. She felt a bit itching to do it and entered her consciousness again, throwing a large handful of holy grail stones into the pool.
"Sacrifice Hammer Bro's Mjolnir, and then throw Dain into the sea to feed the fish. Come out, SSR!"
Recently chanting the 'incantation for becoming European,' Artoria looked expectantly at the things coming out of the black hole. It was time to try her luck again.
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