Washington, D.C. — Triskelion Building.
A one-eyed Black man sat on the balcony flipping through a newspaper. One particular article caught his attention once again:
On September 28th, the stronghold of the mercenary group that attacked Brilliant Star was destroyed. According to members of the Falcon Special Forces, the stronghold had already been blown up before they arrived. The person who destroyed it was Soldier: 76.
Soldier: 76 has a keen sense for danger. After Mr. Ronin was captured by the mercenary group, he rushed to the stronghold at the first opportunity, rescued Mr. Ronin, destroyed the base, and even left a live witness for the Falcon Special Forces.
Attached to the article was a group photo of Soldier: 76, Ronin, and the entire Falcon team.
Staring at the photo, the one-eyed Black man fell into deep thought.
Ever since the Deep Sea Bar incident, he had been keeping an eye on Soldier: 76. The Brilliant Star attack had once again confirmed something for him: Soldier: 76 was not a fictional movie character, but a real super soldier existing in the world!
Today, Soldier: 76 had appeared for the third time, single-handedly destroying an enemy stronghold. That alone was enough to warrant his full attention.
If they could recruit him, it would be very helpful for future plans.
Of course, that was only if Soldier: 76 met all the requirements—not just in combat ability, but in other aspects as well: character, whether he had any bad habits, whether his worldview was normal, and so on.
The other person in the group photo had also drawn his attention.
Why was it that in all three incidents involving Soldier: 76, this young president named Ronin always appeared? In the first incident, Soldier: 76 showed up to protect Ronin. In the second, he appeared to protect all the filmmakers at the international film summit—which also meant protecting Ronin. And this time, Soldier: 76 had once again shown up to protect Ronin.
What exactly was the connection between Soldier: 76 and Ronin? Why did it have to be the fictional superhero created by Overwatch Films?
This Ronin didn't seem as simple as he appeared on the surface.
"Agent Coulson, come to my office."
Soon, a man with a noticeably bright forehead walked in, dressed in a sharp suit, though his hair was a bit thin on top.
"Director!"
Nick Fury handed over the newspaper. "Agent Coulson, you're my most capable subordinate. What do you think about this?"
Agent Coulson took the newspaper, glanced over it, and placed it on the desk. In truth, he had been following Soldier: 76 as well; he might have known about this news even earlier than the Director.
"Let's reason it out. There are quite a few coincidences here. First, Soldier: 76 is the first superhero created by Overwatch Films. Second, every time Soldier: 76 appears, the CEO of Overwatch Films is inevitably present. Third, from my observations over the past few days, Soldier: 76 isn't as elusive as everyone thinks—he's actually quite close to the CEO of Overwatch Films."
After speaking, Agent Coulson narrowed his eyes and reached his conclusion: "Soldier: 76 is just a smokescreen. The real mastermind is the CEO of Overwatch Films!"
With this reasoning, Nick Fury suddenly saw the light. "You mean Soldier: 76 takes orders from Ronin?"
Agent Coulson shrugged. "Exactly. Ronin is the one we should truly pay attention to. If we can pull him in, believe me, Soldier: 76 will definitely follow."
"However, before that, we need to confirm his identity and find out what kind of life he has actually lived!"
Nick Fury nodded. "Correct. If he has any other ambitions, then what we need to consider isn't how to recruit him, but how to eliminate him!"
Nick Fury led Agent Coulson unimpeded into the archives room. This place collected dossiers on everyone—yes, everyone!
The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—also known as S.H.I.E.L.D.—was established precisely to nip any budding threats to the world in the cradle!
Mastering detailed information on everyone was both necessary and essential!
They located Ronin's detailed file and pulled it up. The holographic screen displayed:
Ronin, current CEO of Overwatch Films. His father was the CEO of Haiyan Films (the predecessor of Overwatch Films). His mother was a housewife.
After graduating from MIT, Ronin took over his father's work.
On June 13, 2007, while Ronin was out socializing, his parents died in a house fire caused by improper use of fire at home.
On July 1, 2008, Ronin renamed Haiyan Films to Overwatch Films, took out a loan of over a hundred million dollars, and produced Soldier: 76 based on a script he wrote himself. The film broke 3 billion at the global box office, shattered the world record, brought him instant fame, and established Overwatch Films as the dominant force in the film industry.
...
After reading it, Nick Fury and Agent Coulson exchanged glances. There didn't seem to be any issues—just an entrepreneur who had grown his family business through talent and hard work, with no particularly strange or unusual experiences.
So where did Soldier: 76 come from? And why would he listen to him?
"Some unusual experiences might not have been recorded. That's possible—unusual things are unusual precisely because they're unusual," Agent Coulson said.
"Oh! Agent Coulson, you're about to make my head spin with that tongue twister."
Nick Fury frowned. Yet these seemingly convoluted words opened up another line of thinking for him.
"Do you think it's possible that Soldier: 76 is someone in disguise? With today's technology and techniques, impersonating someone else isn't difficult—as long as you don't pay attention to the fine details, it's hard for others to notice."
Agent Coulson blinked. "That would make everything add up. Ronin provides a set of Soldier: 76 equipment and has a subordinate play the role!"
He then stroked his chin in thought. "But Soldier: 76's physical abilities aren't something an ordinary person could possess."
"Could it be some kind of serum?!" Nick Fury's expression suddenly turned grave.
Agent Coulson's face also twisted in concern. If Ronin really possessed a serum that enhanced physical abilities, then he would qualify as a high-level threat.
Who knew whether he would use the serum to mass-produce Soldier: 76s? For now, it seemed to be for upholding justice and maintaining peace, but human desire is endless. When one wields too much power, it can cause them to lose their original heart and ultimately bring disaster to the world.
While they were pondering countermeasures, a woman in a tight black outfit—extremely well-proportioned—pushed open the door and walked in.
"Talking so much is pointless. Why not just let me grab him and interrogate him properly? It's been so long since I've had a mission. Staying cooped up in this place surrounded by walls is driving me crazy."
She twisted her shoulders, producing a few crisp cracking sounds.
Coulson looked at her with distaste. "Natasha, can you stop always thinking about solving problems with violence?"
"If it can be solved with fists, then it's not a problem. I don't know what you two have been discussing for so long. Just let me bring him in and all the questions will be answered." Natasha looked eagerly at the Director.
Nick Fury shook his head. "Agent Romanoff, things aren't as simple as you think. Do you really believe that throwing punches will make him afraid of you?"
He then turned to the mature and steady Phil Coulson. "Agent Coulson, I think you should make the trip."
The corners of Agent Coulson's mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Director, leave it to me."
Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, clearly displeased with his smug look, and let out a dissatisfied hum.