Locke hung up the phone and stepped out of the stairwell; Megan, who had been eavesdropping just a moment ago, was already gone.
As expected.
Still a fresh little rookie straight out of the oven.
So easy to deceive?
Well, don't blame me then; you were the one who made the first move.
Perhaps at the very beginning, Megan wasn't coming for him, but after being kidnapped and released by S.H.I.E.L.D., she was definitely targeting him now.
Locke had been certain of this before, but he'd lacked concrete proof.
And now?
If you are going to be heartless, then don't blame me for being unjust.
After returning to the classroom, Locke glanced at Megan, who had already returned to her seat, thinking to himself.
'A beautiful lady, yet she chooses the life of a thief!'
Locke let out an internal sigh. Although he could lift the blade and follow through with the swing, his heart was always so soft.
Sigh!
Sitting next to him, Gwen looked at Locke as he came in and asked curiously, "That phone just now... I've never seen you use it before."
Locke pulled out the prepaid burner phone and shook it. "This? The mobile shop had a sale yesterday, so I bought one to play with. I have two more; do you want one?"
Gwen waved her hand. "One is enough for me."
Locke smiled.
Since it was Friday, the Chemistry Competition group didn't plan on holding extra sessions in the evening. School let out around 4:00 PM.
Megan hurried out of the school gates, intending to deliver this sudden, fantastic news to the man she called Hardman—but who was actually S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury.
However.
Just as Megan rounded the corner.
The next second.
A speeding van screeched to a halt. The side door slid open, and two men leaped out. In a matter of seconds, they had once again dragged Megan into the van before disappearing in a cloud of dust.
...
Inside the van.
After Megan broke free from her restraints, she looked helplessly at Nick Fury sitting across from her.
Nick Fury spoke first: "I'm taking you home."
"What?" Megan froze, then looked at Nick Fury. "We had a deal."
They had clearly agreed that if she completed this final mission, she could stay and continue experiencing the life of an ordinary high school student. And she was *this* close to finishing it.
"Victoria Knox is in New York."
"Wasn't she captured?"
"She escaped."
"What?"
Because Victoria's escape happened exactly when Megan was deserting, and Nick Fury hadn't told her during their last encounter, this was news to her.
Megan fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly, "I can find the location of the Peerless Assassin tonight."
Nick Fury looked up at Megan.
Megan said, "We made a trade. I give you the Peerless Assassin, you give me my freedom."
"Where is he?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Excuse me?"
"I give you the Peerless Assassin, you give me my freedom. Tonight. I'll deliver him to you."
"..."
Nick Fury's single eye flickered with a light of wisdom—the kind of light reminiscent of another one-eyed god-king who had eaten the fruit of knowledge.
He was considering the options.
The Brotherhood claimed the Apple of Eden belonged to them, but Nick Fury believed it should be held in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
The Apple was a regulated weapon; it should rightfully be kept and used under the supervision of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was officially recognized by the World Security Council.
The idea was great, but reality was cruel.
They couldn't beat the Brotherhood.
Once S.H.I.E.L.D. learned the Brotherhood possessed an Apple capable of theoretically destroying the world, they had attempted to seize it by force. The result was heavy casualties and nearly exposing their secret existence to the public.
But the Peerless Assassin had another Apple in his possession. This was the primary reason S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted him.
The Brotherhood has numbers, so I can't touch them. But you're just one man—surely I can handle you?
Clearly.
Nick Fury had absolutely no idea what the word "Peerless" actually implied.
"Fine!"
Nick Fury thought for a moment and looked at Megan. "I agree."
Although Agent 83 was a recruit he highly valued, Megan had entered the rebellious phase of puberty. Over the past few days, Nick Fury had read quite a few books on how to deal with adolescent rebellion. In these situations, the more you suppress, the more counterproductive it becomes. So, Fury decided to agree to Megan's demand.
Nick Fury believed in Megan's combat prowess.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. elite agent with orthodox training versus a rogue assassin who only knew a few killing techniques?
Was there even a comparison?
As for Victoria?
He'd just have the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stay on alert.
Soon.
As the van passed an intersection, Megan quickly checked her surroundings and stepped out of the vehicle.
"Coulson."
"Sir."
Nick looked at Coulson, who was driving. "Monitor Megan's vitals in real-time. If anything looks wrong, move in immediately for support."
Coulson nodded.
In all the time Nick had spent managing the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, only two standout talents had emerged: Agent 1, Victoria Knox, and Agent 83, Megan Walsh.
In fact, even after capturing Victoria Knox, Nick Fury hadn't thought about killing her. He was still thinking about how to bring her back to the "right path" and make her a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who would risk her life for world peace again.
As for Megan Walsh?
Nick Fury suddenly felt the guilt of an old father. He felt that he had overlooked Megan's mental health, leading to her current rebellious streak.
"Let's go."
Nick Fury rubbed his temples and said, "Back to the Command Center. I have an appointment with a S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologist. I plan to discuss creating a 'Guide to Caring for Female Mental Health' for every instructor at the Academy."
Coulson: "..."
...
Night fell.
The 28th floor of the Star Tower was shrouded in darkness.
Megan walked into the Star Tower openly. Using unknown methods, she bypassed the security—who, once again, seemed blind to her presence—and let her step into the elevator without a hint of suspicion.
The Star Tower security was blind.
But the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tailing Megan certainly weren't.
However...
Just as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were about to report this to Nick Fury, there was a *knock, knock, knock* on the back door of their van.
Three minutes later.
Victoria Knox, tossing her blonde ponytail, stepped out of the van and looked at her two subordinates. "Clean this up."
Inside the van lay the corpses of four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with no identifying documents.
Victoria looked up at the 28th floor of the Star Tower.
'Little thing, I finally found you.'
***
Welp we got to 170+ stones although we hit the goal I'll still drop a bonus
Thanks for reading 🙏
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Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666