If he could, Quicksilver really wanted to run all the way from New York to Ohio. Rocket flight devices really weren't for him; next time, he shouldn't be stubborn and just apply to take a plane instead.
After landing, Wanda transformed her broom into the shape of a staff. Seeing her brother like this, she couldn't help but ask, "Pietro, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'll be okay after walking it off for a bit."
Pietro wouldn't admit that he felt like throwing up right now. Being the only one of the three who couldn't adapt, how could he ever be a superhero in the future?
"We should hurry up. They're nearby. Are you two going to turn on your cameras? You can post it on your personal accounts or hand it over to the police station afterward as a record. It's good for your popularity."
Peter, speaking from experience, reminded Wanda and Pietro. To grow and develop the War Disaster Relief Charity Foundation, they needed substantial financial support. With Wanda and Pietro's popularity, just a few heroic acts would earn them a huge following. Then they could build it into a major IP and make a lot of money.
The main thing was, it wouldn't cause them any trouble. Every activity Peter Parker participated in was of his own free will. The company wouldn't force him to attend events he didn't want to just to boost so-called popularity. In other words, the superhero department served them, not the dollar; otherwise, Peter Parker could be earning a lot more.
"Thanks. This is our first time participating in this kind of hero activity. We'll consider it next time when we're absolutely sure."
Wanda politely declined Peter Parker's suggestion. If they could make a cool arrest, she'd be thrilled to start a livestream. But these targets weren't simple criminals; it would be bad to embarrass themselves.
"Your concern is valid, but you should still have a little more confidence in yourselves..."
Even as Peter said this to Wanda, he quietly turned off his own camera.
Then, the group hurried on their way. Before coming, Peter Parker and the others knew Tony Stark's location in Ohio. However, Peter Parker was only providing this one-time assistance. Tracking Iron Man and the others afterward would be up to them.
Hyuga Mirai watched from a different perspective, treating it like a live-action superhero movie. Kurenai Yuhi also nestled contentedly in Hyuga Mirai's arms, snacks in hand, ready to enjoy the three's impressive performance.
Within a few minutes, the trio arrived at Iron Man's private mechanical manufacturing warehouse. It was sealed by a heavy steel door. Without the password, even firing hundreds of RPG rounds probably wouldn't blast it open.
Peter Parker knocked on the door. Sensing no immediate danger outside, he had a bad feeling.
He then signaled to Wanda. Among the three of them, only she had the power to tear off this door.
Hyuga Mirai had developed Wanda's abilities far more than Hydra ever did. Although Wanda was only about fourteen now, she could easily lift nearly a thousand tons with her telekinesis and snap steel reinforcements.
Receiving Peter Parker's signal, Wanda directly used her telekinesis. Stretching out her hands, a red glow appeared, and the dozens-ton solid steel safety door began to creak and groan. In less than three seconds, it was forcibly ripped off, crumpled into a metal ball, and tossed aside by Wanda.
"Impressive, Wanda."
As soon as Pietro finished speaking, his figure vanished instantly. Using his super-speed, he ran inside. No one could see him when he ran, making him the perfect scout.
But this time was different. Before Peter Parker could call out to Quicksilver, he had already run inside.
"Quicksilver—"
"Ah!"
A pained cry, like someone being electrocuted, came from inside. Hearing Quicksilver's shout, Wanda and Peter Parker quickly followed him in.
However, as soon as Wanda and Peter Parker showed themselves, they found five gun barrels aimed at them. Equipped with infrared detectors, the guns would instantly lock onto and fire at anyone entering through the door. Quicksilver hadn't triggered the fire earlier because he was too fast for the automated firing program to target in time.
Bang bang bang bang!
In an instant, bullets poured out from the muzzles like a raging storm. Although Peter Parker's spider-sense detected a great deal of danger, he didn't dodge.
As the bullets neared them, they were all stopped by Wanda's telekinesis. Peter Parker could clearly see the tranquilizer darts, glowing with a red aura, hovering just a few centimeters from his face.
The next second, all the tranquilizer darts and several tranquilizer guns were pulled into the air by Wanda's telekinesis and then crushed into pieces.
"Thanks, Wanda. These bullets might not pierce my suit, but they'd still hurt pretty bad..."
After speaking, Peter Parker prepared to check on Quicksilver, who was on the ground groaning in pain. But before he could get close, Quicksilver stopped him.
"Don't come near for now. There's high-voltage electricity on the floor. It's dangerous..."
"High voltage? Alright... Got it."
Hearing the warning, Peter stepped back a few paces, then shot two webs that stuck to Quicksilver. He pulled his arms back, yanking Quicksilver over.
Zzzap~!
"Ouch!"
Touching Quicksilver, Peter Parker got a shock too, but luckily he was wearing his protective suit.
Once Quicksilver was away from the electrically charged floor, Wanda used her telekinesis to rip out all the high-voltage wires underneath.
"They're not here anymore. They really left us a parting gift. Without the suits and Wanda, we'd probably be on the floor right now."
Peter Parker said, helping Quicksilver up and asking, "You okay?"
"I'm fine. My shoes and suit insulated most of the current. It was the continuous current that kept me from getting up..."
Quicksilver felt a bit embarrassed. He'd messed up on his first real mission. Without his gear, he would have been captured.
"They've definitely gone somewhere else. We should try to track them down as soon as possible... Is there surveillance? I'll try to see if I can find any useful information."
Saying this, Peter Parker wasn't sure if he could do it. His university major was physics, but he was also pretty good with computers. Plus, Peter Parker had learned a lot about network tracking from being around Hyuga Mirai.
Before coming out, he had brought quite a bit of gear, partly because one of their opponents was Tony Stark.
Finding an undamaged data port, Peter Parker used his portable micro-computer to connect to the warehouse's backend database. He also used a piece of software developed by Android 18 to block any external monitoring traffic.
Wanda asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Cutting off surveillance, restoring data... Lucky for us they didn't go for the kill. If they'd blown up the place when we first came in, even with the suits protecting us, one or two of us might be out of commission. And it seems like they intended to capture us alive?"
Peter Parker explained to Wanda while manipulating his nano-micro computer. Once he gained control of the data backend, he cut off all external communications.
The moment Peter Parker acted, in a modified cargo truck heading to New York, the surveillance feed on Tony Stark's computer went dark.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"Sorry sir, the data feed has been cut."
Tony Stark covered his face. Barely two seconds had passed, and with the data cut here, those kids might be able to track them. Although they had cleared the data before leaving, if J.A.R.V.I.S. could restore it, then surely the other side's AI could too.
Unless the boss of Future Pharmaceuticals never intended to let an AI handle it; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a mistake, sending the three to Ohio.
Tony Stark suddenly said, "One good news and one bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Can there even be good news in this situation?" Nick Fury asked.
"Of course. The boss of Future Pharmaceuticals isn't planning to come after us at all. Isn't that good news? He's probably on vacation, or maybe he just doesn't care about us. Plus, the leader of the Super Seven Team and the new members didn't come."
Some people didn't quite get Tony Stark's point, like Clint Barton and Steve Rogers. They were believers in victory and optimism, and found it hard to accept Tony's high praise for a company owner, even if that company did have several superheroes.
Bruce Banner asked, "Tony, what's the bad news?"
"They might have figured out where we're headed. Director, can we change the location?"
Nick Fury almost ripped the steering wheel off after hearing this. It was already good enough that he could contact Maria Hill. According to Tony, even Hill was compromised now?
"We're still over a hundred kilometers from New York City. Do you guys have any other friends?"
Natasha, Clint, Steve and the others were silent. They didn't have many friends. Clint did have a place in the countryside, but he was very reluctant. He had kids, and if his home got discovered and a fight broke out there, it would be way too dangerous for them.
The truck fell silent for a moment. Tony Stark, seeing no one spoke, offered a suggestion.
"Change course to D.C.? The only place I can think of is with War Machine."
Nick Fury countered, "Are you sure we should go to a military colonel? Let's keep him as a last resort. I'll contact someone else... Stark, I hope you can reach out to Rhodes. Not for a place to stay, but to get information on what the military is doing."
To Nick Fury, those three superheroes weren't the biggest problem. If that old fox Pierce shamelessly asked the military for help, then things could get...
Having been in S.H.I.E.L.D. for so long, it wasn't that Nick Fury couldn't find a place to go. As Director, he had recruited quite a few agents; finding a few safe houses wasn't difficult.
But Nick Fury believed Hydra wouldn't just rely on Future Company's superheroes. Thinking they could openly capture top agents like them was underestimating them. Besides, information about Future Company was always his own closely guarded secret. After returning to S.H.I.E.L.D., he never recorded it in the agency's internal files.
"Mr. Emil, your chance has come."
After receiving the news, General Ross arrived at the military's super-soldier training base. Back then, it had taken considerable effort and persuading several senators to get the Abomination out of prison.
Now was the perfect time for the Abomination to legitimately prove himself and make amends.
"These are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal files. The people on screen are the fugitives they are pursuing."
After assembling the super-soldier squad, General Ross played a classified file on the projection screen.
It showed video footage of Iron Man, Captain America, Natasha, Hawkeye, and the Hulk fighting their way out of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
In the video, the Hulk withstood several RPGs, roared, and shattered the main gate with one punch, then scattered all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
A familiar sight!
Emil Blonsky's pupils contracted slightly, and then the corners of his mouth curled up. He had thought this chance wouldn't come for years, maybe even a decade, but it came sooner than expected...
"Mr. Emil? Mr. Emil!"
General Ross called out several times before snapping Emil Blonsky out of his thoughts. He then warned him seriously, "I know your hatred for Bruce Banner, but remember your position. I didn't pull you out of prison just to have you train and then get sent back. Mission first, above all else."
"Okay, of course."
Emil Blonsky shrugged, reining in his emotions, and said to General Ross, "I know. Soldiers follow orders. I'm completely at your command..."
He had had enough of that prison with its omni-directional, no-blind-spot surveillance. Even going to the bathroom, three people watched his every move. He'd rather flee to another country than go back to a place like that.
And he'd only been locked up for a few years, yet so much had changed outside.
The military had managed to harness the Hulk's power. It wasn't permanent, and its strength wasn't as great as his transformed state, but there were many of them. Five of them together could match him; ten could subdue him.
After witnessing the military's super-soldiers, the Abomination's nature and temper had been significantly tempered.
This was no longer an era of individual might. He believed the Hulk would find the same. If the military deployed now, even the Hulk would be subdued.
"You probably know the mission requirements by now. How much funding we can get from Congress depends on your performance."
"Control, Mr. Emil. I hope you can control your personal emotions. If something like what happened a few years ago occurs in a busy city district, I'll have no choice but to send you back."
General Ross warned sternly. This was the super-soldier squad's first mission, and their funding for the next few years depended on their performance.
"Rest assured, General Ross. I have my power under control now."
Emil Blonsky said. This mission was not only important to the military, but also crucial for him personally.
Subsequently, General Ross briefed the super-soldier squad on the intelligence and the supporting S.H.I.E.L.D. teams. Besides Emil, every other soldier carried a serum. With nineteen weakened Abominations mobilizing together, once they found the target, the outcome was already determined.
"Move out!"
(End of Chapter)