"Are you sure?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.
"Yes, I've redirected their investigation," the Colonel replied calmly. His voice was low, but every word was precise.
"Good, stay in touch." With that, the phone call ended.
The Colonel put down the phone, picked up a glass of whiskey, swiveled his chair, and looked at the United States flag and SSR emblem on the wall.
The Flying Eagle extended its talons, gripping a round shield tightly.
He took a sip of the amber liquid, the spicy taste soothing his nerves quite a bit.
However, just as he intended to close his eyes for a nap, an unexpected voice suddenly appeared behind him.
"Why don't you chat a bit more? I'd love to hear more about it. Who is the Elder, Colonel?"
The Colonel's eyes widened as he quickly turned his chair around, only to discover it wasn't just Deathstroke, but also Howard and several others. The Roaring Assault Team had already blocked the doorway.
"What do you want?!"
"Hand over the Obelisk, or I'll cut off your limbs."
Su Ming answered the question simply.
They had left before, and the Colonel had checked that no one was outside the door before making the call. Unfortunately, the new Colonel wasn't as familiar with Deathstroke as Philip was, nor did he understand what kind of existence Deathstroke's little pet was.
When Su Ming and his group 'left,' Strangulation returned.
It clung to the corner like a thin worm, slipping under the door, transforming into a conduit for transmitting sound, still capable of directional audio capture.
Meanwhile, around the corner in the distant hallway, Su Ming stopped the others and listened carefully to the Colonel's phone call through the megaphone transformed by Strangulation.
Strangulation was very sensitive to sound, and no matter how softly the Colonel spoke, it was useless. The resonance inside Strangulation's chamber amplified his volume enough for everyone to hear.
Nick Fury immediately called the Roaring Assault Team together, while Howard just gave Nathaniel a mysterious smile.
"Ah, looks like someone got busted."
So it turned into the current situation. At the same time, Fury took out a recorder and played the Colonel's call again, serving as evidence.
"How did you find out?" The Colonel took a deep breath, slowly set down his glass, and stared at Deathstroke. As expected, it was him who ruined things.
Su Ming did not answer. Instead, a blade's light flashed as the extended Godslayer swung directly at the Colonel.
Answering the enemy's questions? Deathstroke had no such obligation. The earlier dialogue was just to adjust positions to avoid accidental injury to others.
As for the Obelisk, searching his body would be timely.
Unfortunately, Su Ming's lightning-fast attack missed as the Colonel vanished on the spot, as if teleported away.
The golden blade only sliced through a patch of green light.
Both Strangulation and the Cloak reported simultaneously, confirming the target had disappeared.
"Hmm, a spatial jumper, that's troublesome," Su Ming regretfully retracted his weapon.
Nick Fury immediately searched the office's cabinets and ventilation duct, while ordering the Roaring Assault Team to seal all exits to prevent any of the staff from being the Colonel's accomplices.
Howard casually seated himself in the Colonel's chair, spinning as if quite comfortable: "Can you tell us how you figured it out now?"
Su Ming put the little ornament from the Colonel's desk into his bag, assuming it was platinum: "He was wrong from the start, and there were more and more loopholes that confirmed my suspicion."
"Come on, Detective, the Colonel seems pretty ordinary." Howard lay feigning insistence on the desk.
"Do you remember what happened when I first walked into the SSR Brooklyn Base?" Su Ming sat down, now that the person who killed Dr. Xavier had been found.
Howard recalled and touched his neck: "I remember, you even played tricks on me then."
"Generally, when someone with unclear intentions breaks into the base, the response is either resistance or negotiation. Regardless of which, the highest leader would appear. Especially being a soldier, hiding at the back makes no sense."
Howard's mustache twitched as he began rummaging through the desk drawers: "Just because he's different from Philip, can't people be timid?"
"Then he sent Nick and the Roaring Assault Team to negotiate? All twelve of them together? Fury could tell I wasn't planning to kill, and the Colonel had seen it earlier but didn't say anything, instead using the chance to divert everyone's attention…" Su Ming interlaced his fingers, resting them on his chin, "If I'm not wrong, he took the Obelisk during that time."
"Reason?" Howard raised his head.
"Dr. Xavier had four assistants, and the experiment records state that when Dr. Xavier was killed, they opened the Black Womb to check the situation inside. Apart from the Professor's disappearance, they found nothing amiss. The Obelisk is an important component of the mutagen experiment; if it had been missing, it would have been discovered and reported long ago."
"But the fact is quite the opposite. Until you and Nick entered that lab, no one noticed the Obelisk's disappearance," Howard continued, throwing all sorts of stuff from the drawer around: "The assistants didn't want to be disbanded or abandon the project. They planned to follow in Dr. Xavier's footsteps, so the experimental equipment should remain untouched, and the Obelisk should have been inside the womb. Thus, the disappearance timeframe for the Obelisk is actually today."
"He deliberately called Dr. Richards later and directed our attention towards the Blood Race. That's a good way to pass the blame, but the Blood Race wanted to kill Howard for different reasons. They couldn't access the Obelisk and would be petrified, so I saw through this framing."
"Oh, being targeted by vampires, so annoying..." Howard sighed, smiling while continuing to rummage: "I heard that when vampires knock, if you don't agree, they can't enter people's homes, is that true?"
"False. They'll blow up your door with TNT, burst in, and suck you dry like a mummy," Su Ming immediately replied. Marvel vampires are not refined or polite creatures; low-level vampires love canned food.
"Uh... If that day truly comes, I hope the one sucking me is a beautiful female vampire, preferably starting from between the legs."
Howard paused but soon flashed a sleazy smile, wiggling his eyebrows.
Su Ming sighed helplessly; Howard and Wade are both lustful gluttons, indifferent to the life or death of their targets:
"It's true; many vampires are beautiful. But even if the opportunity arises, I advise against sleeping with vampires; they'll give you an incurable disease."
"Vampire STD? I could use..."
Howard stuck out a finger and made a gesture as if putting on a sleeve with his other hand.
"No, they'll suck your blood while riding you, allowing you to experience an extreme pleasure in your dying moments, like soul emergence or celestial ascent. After sleeping with them, other women will taste like wax, and happiness will be elusive. Are you willing to give up a forest for one tree?"
"Impossible!" Howard stood up, speaking righteously: "My research is boundless. I will teach more, and prettier ladies, physics. Vampires cannot hinder my progress!"
"Well said, Dr. Stark!"
Nathaniel applauded excitedly, epitomizing the scientific community, forsaking celestial joy for knowledge dissemination; what kind of spirit is this?
"Thank you." Howard nodded modestly, as if giving a speech at a scientific conference.
Fury completely ignored Howard's act. After completing his search, he returned to Deathstroke: "I've searched here; there's nothing."
"Looks like your Colonel possesses the ability to teleport objects or people. That's a powerful ability among Inhumans," Su Ming also ignored Howard's mania and joined Fury and the Roaring Assault Team.
"Should we issue a military warrant for his arrest?"
Dum Dum Bullet Dugan approached; they understood the situation, feeling uneasy knowing that even SSR's leadership were Inhumans. How many spies were there within the organization?
If he could read Dugan's mind, Su Ming would surely answer that at least half were from rival factions. Even the twelve-member Roaring Assault Team had a Hydra and a Leviathan infiltrator.
Currently, the Hydra agent in the team is under Gatler's command, tasked with inciting the team against leaders other than Zola, using others as pawns in their game.
A plethora of Hydra agents occupy various positions, serving different leaders, without mutual affiliation, and being oblivious to each other's identities, leading to internal spy wars within SSR; how thrilling?
As for Leviathan agents, their current task is to covertly steal intelligence and await opportunities.
Currently, dealing with Inhumans is necessary. These people are useful; Su Ming has no desire to dig up worms, not being a woodpecker.
"No need. Names, appearances, and such are likely fake, wasted effort. I suggest you quickly call Captain America back and let him handle security. Agent Carter can temporarily take leadership duties."
Fury had no objections, given Carter's relationship with the Captain. At times like these, being a woman gives Carter an edge over Fury, a black man.
Fury understood Peggy's capabilities well; as long as she's not blinded by Steve, she's an excellent agent.
Regarding other leaders, attempting to seize power depends on who's holding the guns. Disobedience can be prosecuted as treason.
Dugan nodded in agreement, his thick lips shaded beneath his dense beard, a burly man. He swapped the cigar from one corner of his mouth to the other: "What about us?"
"Hold your ground, soldier, hold your ground." Deathstroke's voice came from beneath the mask, like a ghostly wail, "Have the UV lamps been found?"
"Here." A brawny blond-haired, blue-eyed man handed the UV lamps to Su Ming.
"Ah, thank you, Agent Eric."
"Uh... you know my name?" The man glanced at his companions, smiling as he patted his chest.
"Don't mind; I know all your names." Su Ming connected the lamp to a battery, the light turning everyone's faces an intriguing shade.
Truthfully, Deathstroke's claim wasn't accurate; he remembered Eric's name only because the man was a double agent.