Gwen knew her boss was aware of her secret identity as Spider-Woman. What Lin Feng didn't know, however, was that she knew he knew.
Lin Feng thought he was playing three-dimensional chess, but Gwen was always one step ahead, seeing the whole board clearly.
Still, she was deeply grateful. Lin Feng had given her an incredible opportunity and treatment. After all, her family was just an ordinary middle-class American household. Working for Lin Feng offered her a chance to transcend her social class in the future.
But right now, she still found his words utterly absurd.
Unlike others who were either skeptical or only half-convinced, Gwen Stacy truly idolized Captain America Rogers.
Even after becoming Spider-Woman, he was the role model she looked up to whenever she fought for justice.
In this world, at least, countless people had been inspired by Captain America Rogers' spirit to engage in public service and heroic deeds.
But now, she was being told that Captain America Rogers might actually be the Hydra Captain. How could she possibly accept this? It was simply unthinkable.
She desperately wanted to find Lin Feng right away and ask him for an explanation.
But the moment the thought arose, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her, as if she had just conceived some utterly blasphemous idea.
The hair on her body stood on end. It was her Spider-Sense—it had detected this horrific danger and immediately reacted.
It told her just how dangerous this thought was.
Gwen snapped out of it instantly, not daring to entertain the idea of asking Lin Feng for an explanation again. Ever since she became Spider-Woman, her Spider-Sense had emerged. It could be said that her Spider-Sense had amplified her perception a hundredfold, making the terrifying sensation she felt a hundred times stronger than it would have been otherwise.
Back when she was still an ordinary person, even if she had accidentally harbored such a thought, she would have only felt a vague, muddled sense of dread.
But now, Gwen's hair truly stood on end. She immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong, something utterly terrifying.
*So dangerous!*
She couldn't even tell where this feeling of danger was coming from, but she knew it was extremely perilous!
*Forget it, forget it,* she thought. *I'll just wait and see what Lin Feng says next.*
***
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
"But don't you find it strange?" Bruce Banner asked. "Why do Captain America and Tony have so many fans in Lin Feng's original universe?"
"It makes sense," Natasha, the Black Widow, replied. "After all, even an ordinary person like Lin Feng in that universe can access so much of this content. Clearly, observing other multiverses isn't difficult there. They might even edit it into movies or TV shows for broadcast."
"That would explain how they got a fanbase," she added. "Don't forget, we have plenty of Captain America and Tony Stark fans here too."
The group thought it over and agreed her point made sense.
Just then, a new video appeared on the screen below.
[Captain America? No, Hydra Captain! Truly America's Finest Ass, hahahahahaha! I bet Captain America himself is pretty speechless about this. But you have to admit, he's the real Elevator God of War, absolutely badass!]
The commentary left everyone utterly confused, especially Steve Rogers. *Elevator God of War? What is that?*
They quickly clicked on the video. The first thing that met their eyes was the office of S.H.I.E.L.D. Secretary Alexander Pierce.
Nick Fury's pupils constricted slightly. He knew this place all too well; after all, he used to visit it frequently.
Just one month ago, he had personally arrested Alexander Pierce in this very room.
The others, also aware of Alexander Pierce's true identity, couldn't help but speculate: *Could this really be a secret meeting between two Hydra agents?*
Alexander Pierce rose from the office sofa and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. As he walked, he said, "I have a seat on the Council not because I want to be there, but because Nick asked me to. We are both realists. We know that beyond high-level diplomatic cooperation and grand speeches about building a better world, sometimes you have to tear down the old to make way for the new. And that's how you make enemies!"
After saying this, Alexander Pierce turned his gaze toward Captain America Rogers and said, "Those people will call you dirty because you have the courage to get your hands in the dirt and try to build something better. The thought of those people gloating right now makes me absolutely furious!"
"You're the last person to see Nick alive. This can't be a coincidence. I think you agree, so I'll ask you once more: why did he go to you?"
"He told me not to trust anyone!" Captain America Rogers said, his face impassive as he stared at Alexander Pierce.
Alexander Pierce had just dropped a bombshell.
*Nick Fury is dead?*
The group was stunned for a moment, but they quickly realized something was wrong. Nick Fury wasn't dead—he'd survived all the way through the Snap. Alexander Pierce must be mistaken.
But Pierce seemed absolutely certain. That left only one possibility: he *was* mistaken, but Nick Fury, given his usual trust in Pierce, would never have kept him in the dark.
Which meant there was only one explanation: from this moment on, Fury had suspected Pierce was Hydra, so he told no one.
And his supposed death was likely directly connected to Alexander Pierce. After all, while Fury was highly influential, he primarily dealt with the representatives of the Five Great Council Nations on the world stage, rarely interacting with the highest levels of each country's government.
Very few people outside knew of him.
So even if many factions hated S.H.I.E.L.D. with a passion, there were still very few who truly knew him.
With Alexander Pierce appearing and asking why he went to see Captain America before his death, the mastermind behind his killing was already obvious. Who else could it be?
Hydra, obviously.
Analyzing it this way, many problems were solved. For example, in the video of the Ultron Crisis, why did he appear before Tony Stark looking like a nearly retired old man? Because at this stage, he had been beaten to death.
At least, on the surface, he had been beaten to death.
Based on Nick Fury's personality, he had probably entrusted Captain America Rogers with something, and Alexander Pierce was desperate to know if he had said anything he shouldn't have to Rogers.
*It's very possible that he really did learn some terrible secret and was silenced.*
*Many things could be said to be shrouded in mystery, but if one were to work backward from the already known outcome, many things could hardly be called secrets anymore.*
At this moment, after hearing Captain America's words, Alexander Pierce in the video merely said indifferently, "Does that include himself?"
A look of sorrow flashed in Captain America Rogers' eyes, obviously thinking of something, as he said, "I'm sorry, those were his last words. Excuse me!"
After saying this, Captain America Rogers went to the side, took his shield, and was about to leave, but before he could, he was called back by Alexander Pierce.
"Captain, someone murdered my friend, and I will pursue this to the end. Anyone who dares to stand in my way will regret it! No matter who it is!" Alexander Pierce threatened. In fact, everyone knew the meaning behind his words: he was clearly not trying to get justice for Nick Fury, but had other plans.
"Understood." Captain America Rogers replied tersely, then turned and left. After exiting the office, he stepped into the elevator and gazed at the scenery in the distance.
"Dispatch Center," Rogers said.
"Confirmed," the AI replied.
Suddenly, others arrived—none other than Crossbones and his Hydra Squad.
"Assemble all agent teams!" Crossbones commanded.
"Understood!"
"Yes, sir!" his subordinates replied in unison.
"Forensics Department," Crossbones said, then turned to Rogers. "Captain!"
"Rumlow," Rogers replied.
The atmosphere at the scene began to grow tense.
As the elevator descended, Crossbones broke the silence. "Forensics found some fibers on the roof and want us to take a look. Should I notify the Response Team?"
"No need. Let's see what it is first," Captain America Rogers replied.
"Copy that," Crossbones answered.
At that moment, Captain America Rogers also noticed something strange about the agents. In the elevator, one of them still had his hand on his gun, as if he were in a state of combat readiness.
*This is wrong!*
Because this was S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, not a battlefield. No normal person would make such a gesture.
However, the audience outside the screen knew that these were all Hydra agents. Coupled with Lin Feng's blatant mention of the "Elevator God of War" in his diary, they had a vague suspicion.
Moreover, the previous conversation between Alexander Pierce and Captain America Rogers had already alerted them to something—Hydra was likely preparing to turn.
Just then, another group of agents walked in. Everyone was talking among themselves, as if they didn't even see Captain America Rogers.
"I'm sorry about Fury," Crossbones said, glancing at Captain America Rogers. "He was really unlucky."
"Thank you," Captain America Rogers replied, returning the glance.
-----------------------
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