Chapter 118: Undercurrents Surging (Fifth update, added in appreciation of your tremendous support)

Watching the Apostle and Iron Man fly away one after the other, the smile on Captain Rumlow’s face slowly faded.

Glancing at the busy agents around him, Rumlow walked to a secluded corner, took out his phone, and dialed a number. The call was answered immediately.

A low, masculine voice came from the other end: "Brock, why are you contacting me?"

"The operation failed," Rumlow said in a low voice.

"Did you clean up the mess?" the other person asked.

Rumlow replied, "They are all dead."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before the voice said, "Reformulate the plan to capture the Apostle. We cannot afford to be exposed."

"Understood," Rumlow said coldly.

The call ended.

Rumlow pocketed his phone and walked back to direct the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in clearing the scene. From that brief exchange, it was clear that he, too, was a member of Hydra.

Brock Rumlow—known by his alias, Crossbones.

...

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

Nick Fury was uncharacteristically furious upon learning of the attack.

Even Hill had rarely seen such an expression on Fury; he looked like a frozen volcano suppressing an eruption, his dark face flushed with an unnatural crimson.

After reporting the situation, Hill wisely retreated and closed the door behind her.

Inside the office, Fury stared ahead with his lone eye for a long time.

He had finally calmed down.

The King of Spies never let his emotions cloud his... single eye.

Fury mused silently that the moment he pulled Hawkeye away, the enemy had struck. It seemed that, just as he had anticipated, they had been targeting the brat all along.

The "undercurrent" Fury referred to was one within S.H.I.E.L.D. that he had only recently confirmed existed. It was deep-seated and seemed to involve high-ranking officials with significant clearance.

He was glad for his foresight; he had been preparing contingencies since he first sensed something was wrong. The Avengers and his secret overseas bases were all part of those preparations.

Luke, in particular, was his top priority.

Luke occupied a place in Fury’s mind far beyond what the boy imagined.

Two months ago, he had sent Hawkeye to monitor Luke, but that was merely a facade.

In reality, protecting Luke was Fury’s true intention—a strategic ruse. By keeping Hawkeye in the open, he was meant to deter small-time threats.

Hawkeye believed he had been sidelined. If even the man himself thought that, the people in the shadows certainly would too. When it came to playing with human nature, Fury was a master at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Yet, he had still underestimated their interest in Luke.

"The fusion technology was only just unveiled, and they couldn't wait any longer..." Fury suspected they had ulterior motives for capturing Luke. Fusion technology alone wasn't enough to make them take such a massive risk.

Fortunately, they had botched the job, likely because they underestimated the brat's capabilities. At this thought, Fury couldn't help but smile, revealing his teeth.

The office was quiet.

The air conditioning was set low, which helped him think. Fury sat behind his desk with his hands interlaced, his expression somber and shifting, as if he were plotting something else.

...

The next day, the catastrophe on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was reported by various media outlets, causing quite a stir.

The death toll was never the main point of interest. The sight of the Apostle and Iron Man teaming up again to fight evil was the real spectacle, and the fans were ecstatic for the entire day.

Fury didn't seem to intend to suppress the news.

Top floor of Stark Tower.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a small figure dressed in children's clothes. The boy was only seven years old, with black hair and black eyes—typical Asian features. In his ink-dark eyes, there flickered a maturity and cunning that belied his age.

Indeed, it was Luke. He had come to officially negotiate with Tony today.

After fighting side-by-side the previous night, he felt their relationship should have thawed at least a little. Although the "Affection System" showed that Tony’s favorability remained a constant, eternal zero.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Jarvis’s voice echoed in the room: "Mr. Brat, Mr. Stark is waiting for you."

Luke’s expression immediately soured.

Watching Luke walk in with a grumpy look, Tony found his own mood significantly improved. He gestured casually at the sofa, telling Luke to sit wherever he liked.

Then, he went to the liquor cabinet to pour two glasses of whiskey; drinking in the early morning was a common habit for him.

After sitting down, he pushed one glass toward Luke and held the other for himself.

Only under Luke’s strange gaze did he seem to have a sudden realization: "Forgot, kids shouldn't drink." He picked up Luke’s glass, poured it into his own, and even toasted Luke with a smile.

Luke knew this guy was trying to get a rise out of him. He decided he absolutely would not get angry!

*(Ugh, so annoying! I guess I’ll never touch alcohol in this life.)*

"I want an explanation," Tony said lightly, swirling his glass.

"An explanation? Why is everyone asking me for one? I want an explanation too, who’s going to give me one?" Luke rolled his eyes. He had been inexplicably transported into this world; who could explain how that happened?

"Let’s start with who you actually are."

Tony ignored Luke’s irritation. He stared at him, looking him up and down, and suddenly said, "Are you a product of genetic optimization? A mutant? Or an alien?"

Luke said crossly, "I’m a human."

"That’s impossible. No human IQ could complete that technology at age seven. Even I couldn't do it. Unless you're willing to let me study your brain slices."

"Fuck off!" Luke gave him the middle finger.

Tony didn't care at all and continued, "I’ve studied your technology. Under normal circumstances, each project would take no less than ten years to crack, even for a well-funded organization. At first, I thought you were some old guy from an organization, which might have made sense. But now, none of it makes sense. I need an explanation."

"There’s nothing to explain. As long as you admit in your heart that I am a super-invincible genius who leaves you behind by several galaxies, everything is explained. Hmph." Luke hummed.

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he didn't.

Just as Tony enjoyed watching Luke get frustrated, Luke was equally happy to see Tony stumped.

*I am a super genius, backed by the knowledge of the entire system,* Luke thought. *Not convinced? There’s plenty more stuff that will make your eyes pop out.*

Tony wisely changed the subject, knowing that if he kept dwelling on this, he would likely be the one getting frustrated in the end.

He asked about the events of last night: "I’ve investigated the identities of those people, and their backgrounds are quite complex. Police, teachers, lawyers, even janitors. This is what I don't understand. How did these people, who have no connection to each other, come together, and for what purpose did they attack me?"

"First, let me correct you: their target wasn't you, it was me." Luke rolled his eyes and then said, "You should remember that slogan, though it might be from a long time ago. These people belong to an organization that goes by the name of Hydra. Do you have any impression of that?"

"Hydra?" Tony’s brows furrowed involuntarily.

Hydra—of course he knew it.