The ride was bumpy as Coulson brought Ronin to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters—the Triskelion Building in Washington, D.C.
The building was impressive. As they walked inside, Ronin looked around. Security was tight—agents patrolled every section, and certain areas required identity verification.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security system was probably the most advanced in the world. Breaking in would be nearly impossible. Maybe Ant-Man could try—he had snuck into Darren Cross's company (with help, of course), which was still pretty impressive.
A woman walked toward them. She had striking green eyes, shoulder-length red hair, and a killer figure perfectly hugged by a black tactical suit.
There weren't many female agents at S.H.I.E.L.D., and the one with this devilish body and gorgeous face could only be Natasha Romanoff—better known as the Black Widow.
True to her name, she was like a spider covered in vibrant patterns: beautiful on the outside, but capable of delivering a lethal strike when you least expected it.
This woman wasn't as innocent as she looked. She had a heart more venomous than any spider. She never showed mercy to enemies, but she could be gentle with her own people—though whether that was genuine or just an act was anyone's guess.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were all master actors. Otherwise, they'd never earn anyone's trust on undercover missions.
For example, Black Widow's next assignment would likely involve getting close to Tony Stark, earning his trust, becoming his assistant, and eventually selling him out to Nick Fury.
Black Widow glanced at Ronin, then smiled at Coulson. "Phil, you work fast."
Coulson smiled back. "Natasha, you look like you're in a hurry. Did the Director finally give you a mission?"
"Even without a mission, I need to get out and breathe. This place is driving me crazy—my muscles are starting to atrophy." Black Widow rolled her shoulders.
"Let me introduce—"
Before Coulson could finish, Black Widow cut him off. "No need. Mr. Ronin's name is famous. Even someone like me who doesn't watch many movies has heard of him."
"You boring woman. No wonder no one wants you," Coulson muttered with disdain.
Black Widow ignored him and gave Ronin a faint smile. "But young Winston was just too adorable."
"Can't wait for the next movie."
With that, she walked away. Coulson grumbled, "Didn't you say you don't watch movies? You sound like a hardcore Overwatch fan."
Ronin felt a swell of pride. Overwatch Films' movies were popular across all kinds of industries—common ones, sure, but even rare ones. First police and special forces loved them, now even agents were fans. What profession would be next?
"We meet again so soon, Mr. Ronin."
They arrived at Nick Fury's office. Sunlight streamed in, making the room bright.
Ronin sat across from Nick Fury while Coulson stood to the side.
"Before you interrogate me, can I get a cup of tea? My throat's on fire," Ronin said, smacking his lips.
"This isn't an interrogation. It's a conversation," Fury replied.
He gave Coulson a look. Coulson reluctantly went to get the tea, clearly annoyed. No matter where he went, this guy acted like he owned the place. Even at S.H.I.E.L.D., he still carried that "I'm number one" attitude. He and Tony were cut from the same cloth.
What kind of people were these? Acting like big shots, yet the Director gave them all the face in the world.
Coulson hadn't even returned when Ronin spoke up. "Coulson barging into my house and dragging me here—what is this if not an interrogation? Or did you invite me for a tour of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I hope you understand that I don't want trouble with you. But we just had a face-to-face talk not long ago, and then last night's incident happened. Why?"
Nick Fury spread his dark hands, looking puzzled.
"I'd like to know why too. Someone must have it out for me," Ronin said.
"So were you at the scene last night?"
"How could I possibly have been there?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Ronin realized the problem. Among the nearly one hundred destroyed vehicles last night was his orange Lamborghini.
That wasn't the issue. The real problem was that the license plate was missing.
Sure enough, Nick Fury pulled out a mangled piece of metal—a badly twisted license plate that was still readable.
"How do you explain this?"
"It was my driver, Thomas. The guy loves taking my car out for joyrides."
Ronin had no better excuse, but if S.H.I.E.L.D. dragged Thomas in for questioning, the lie would fall apart.
At that moment, on a beach somewhere, Thomas was sunbathing when he suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and looked up at the sky. "Which bitch is badmouthing me behind my back?"
"Mr. Ronin!"
Nick Fury suddenly stood up, slamming both hands on the desk. "I hope you answer honestly. This is S.H.I.E.L.D. We eliminate every threat—whether it has already happened or might happen in the future."
"The world is no longer safe. I need a team that can handle these threats instead of watching one danger after another emerge. To be frank, you already have the potential to become a threat to the world. So think carefully before you speak."
Ronin chuckled. "I'm just a filmmaker. What do you want me to say?"
His expression turned serious. "Even if Soldier: 76 and I have some unusual connection, so what? Did Soldier: 76 rob your house? Burn, kill, and pillage? Or do something else that threatens the world? Is that why you're so worried, Director?"
"If you have time for this, why not figure out why so many incidents keep happening? On the surface, S.H.I.E.L.D. solves all the problems, but what about the root cause? Have you considered the internal makeup of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
He had said enough. If Nick Fury understood, it would be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s good fortune. If he didn't—or if he still believed S.H.I.E.L.D. had no internal issues—then let them keep being Hydra's puppets.
As Director, if he couldn't even manage his own organization and spent all day meddling in everyone else's business, did he really think he was the world's savior? If he put that energy into investigating S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own people, most problems would disappear. Was that so hard?
Ronin had no intention of helping S.H.I.E.L.D. clean house. His kindness didn't extend that far, and he didn't want to get targeted by Hydra too early. With his current strength, he wasn't ready to confront them.
Most importantly, Hydra had too many bases. Cut off one head, and two more grew back—just like their slogan.
Too many people followed Hydra. It was almost unbelievable. Until he had enough power, he absolutely could not go against them, or he wouldn't even sleep soundly.
Nick Fury was speechless. His face stiffened for a long time before he sat down weakly.
After a long silence, the door suddenly burst open!
A masked man walked in holding Coulson hostage, with several other masked figures following behind, guns pointed at them.
Ronin turned his head and felt his heart nearly stop. Oh no—this feels like a heart attack!