Ace

All this time, Jos had overlooked a crucial question: the Marvel world he found himself in was a real world, with living, breathing people. Some might find this notion old-fashioned, but it touches on a fundamental truth—living people have their own thoughts and actions.

Here, there were no copyright issues preventing certain characters from appearing in the Avengers’ universe, nor did Magneto have to go mad and father four children. But beyond these matters, many things in this world were influenced by elements never present in the original works, spawning unexpected events that never existed before.

The butterfly effect is familiar to all; if a single butterfly can stir up a storm, what chaos might unfold when deranged scientists and extraordinary individuals collide in this world? Take Jason, for example, whose appearance is half reminiscent of Abomination—that alone speaks volumes.

“Tsk, does this mean even the storylines I know might not be useful anymore?” Jos’s thoughts raced, though his actions were quick; sensing trouble, he immediately… hid behind Nick Fury and his companion.

Damn it, I’m just a trainee! Am I supposed to face this monster head-on?

No one noticed Jos’s movement. In fact, when Jason shouted “Hail Hydra,” chaos erupted. Natasha drew her gun and engaged Jason, while Nick Fury seized the moment to grab a microphone—not to rap, but to evacuate the crowd.

“All agents below level five, take your trainees and evacuate immediately! The rest, follow me and fight!”

With his orders given, Nick Fury glanced at the Avengers alarm, which had already been triggered, and wasted no time. He drew his gun and charged in behind Natasha.

Despite the presence of some powerful individuals in S.H.I.E.L.D., its core was still made up of agents, and there were considerable shortcomings in combat ability. All Fury could do was buy time until the Avengers arrived.

With Fury and Natasha joining the battle, Jos was left exposed, but at this point, no one paid him any mind. Even Jason was fixated on Fury, attacking with wild abandon.

“He’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and the director, but why does this bald guy seem even tougher than a berserker?” Jos couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety, watching their actions. He knew Fury was drawing Jason’s hatred to give others a chance to escape, but it still seemed reckless.

But Marvel heroes rarely stick to their character settings—just look at Hawkeye, who spends eighty percent of his time shooting arrows point-blank.

Boom!

With a muffled crash, Natasha’s slender figure landed beside Jos like a meteor. Yet the Black Widow’s combat experience was superb; even midair, she braced herself, rolled on the ground, and sprang back up.

“What are you standing around for? Get out of here!” Natasha snapped, anger flaring as she saw Jos rooted to the spot.

Faced with her fury, Jos shook his head. “No, this guy’s too dangerous—and I’m the one who set him off. I have a responsibility to deal with him.”

“You…” Natasha hadn’t expected Jos to say such a thing. Her beautiful, jewel-like eyes fixed on Jos’s resolute face. The words she’d been about to say to urge him away died in her throat.

She let out a long breath, then pulled a pistol from her belt and handed it to Jos. “Fine. We just need to hold him off for a bit. Captain and Stark are already on their way. Stay behind me—”

“Sis, are you out of your mind? Do I look like someone who can fight monsters like that?” Jos looked at her like he’d seen a ghost, refusing even to touch the gun.

Natasha faltered, “But didn’t you just say… you wanted to fight?”

“No, I said I’d stay and watch. You misunderstood. If you don’t get back now, S.H.I.E.L.D. will need a new director soon.” Jos pointed to the battlefield behind her.

“You son of a—!”

Natasha didn’t waste another word. With a curse, she turned and dashed back into the fray.

Jos merely shrugged at her reaction, indifferent. After all, taking reckless risks only meant something if you survived to tell the tale.

Jason, transformed and monstrous, was so powerful that even Black Widow, Nick Fury, and a team of agents struggled desperately against him. If Jos joined them, he’d barely survive a single blow.

But his decision to stay had its reasons—to ensure Fury and Natasha didn’t die here.

From a practical standpoint, if these two iconic figures died, S.H.I.E.L.D. might collapse, and Jos’s mission would fail outright. Without S.H.I.E.L.D., where would he join?

On a personal level, Jos naturally didn’t want to see two superheroes fall here. It would be a tragedy for S.H.I.E.L.D., and a loss the Avengers could hardly bear.

After all, Jos didn’t want to see this world turn into something like its neighbor, where someone loses a wife and ends up creating an Injustice League.

“Just imagining the Captain and his crew forming a Non-Avengers League… Wait, that actually sounds pretty good?”

While Jos pondered these random thoughts, Natasha and Fury were fighting with all their might. Ordinary agents, if grazed by Jason’s fists, were instantly crippled. In less than a minute, more than a dozen had fallen, and it was unclear how many would survive.

Even Natasha and Fury, top-tier agents though they were, were struggling to hold out.

Nearly everyone present lacked superhuman powers; the trainees were even more vulnerable, and even the few mutants among them were less effective in battle than an examiner.

“Damn it, where are the Captain and the others?” Natasha, dusty and out of breath, was nearing her limit.

“It’s not even five minutes yet. Even coming from Stark Tower, they’ll need a bit more time…” Fury forced a grim smile, clearly doubting the outcome of today’s events.

Suddenly, a figure stepped past them, standing before Jason!

“Ah, I really didn’t want to use this move…” Jos sighed, then adopted a bizarre fighting stance.