Ethan Blake leaned back in his chair and casually began listing his demands as if he were ordering off a menu. "The Tesseract, the Infinity Formula, or the Super Soldier Serum. Just give me one of them and we'll call it even," he said with an easy smile. He spread his hands slightly as if to emphasize how reasonable he believed the request was. "See? I'm not asking for much. Honestly, you'd still be making a huge profit."
But every name Ethan mentioned made Nick Fury's expression grow darker. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't interrupt, yet the tension around him thickened with each word.
The Tesseract was obviously out of the question. Its importance was beyond debate. Not only did it contain immeasurable energy, but it was also the cornerstone of several advanced weapons projects. Most importantly, it was unique—there was nothing else like it in the entire universe. Even if the choice were between ten Tony Starks and the Tesseract, Fury would still choose the cube without hesitation.
Then there was the so-called Infinity Formula. On the surface it sounded like nothing more than a scientific formula, something that could easily be copied and handed over without losing the original. But the truth was far more complicated. That formula concealed the secret to extending human life. During World War II, a brilliant scientist had perfected the research, turning it into something that could dramatically slow the aging process.
Nick Fury himself was living proof.
The reason he had survived from the era of the war all the way to the present day was tied directly to that formula. It was a secret known to almost no one on Earth, something Fury guarded more carefully than nearly anything else in his possession. Compared to that, even Tony Stark wasn't nearly important enough to justify handing it over.
The final item Ethan mentioned—the Super Soldier Serum—was hardly any easier.
That serum had been created during the war by a scientist whose work transformed an ordinary soldier into Captain America. The formula enhanced both the body and the mind, pushing human potential to its peak. Unfortunately, after the scientist's death, much of the original research had been lost. Over the decades many organizations had attempted to reconstruct it from fragments and notes, including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
They had produced workable versions, but none matched the perfection of the original serum.
"Impossible," Fury said flatly. His voice carried no hesitation whatsoever. "Tony Stark isn't worth that kind of price."
Ethan didn't seem surprised by the refusal. In fact, if Fury had agreed so easily, Ethan would have suspected something was wrong.
"Alright then," Ethan said lightly, as if adjusting a negotiation strategy. "How about this instead? Give me two items classified as 084."
Within S.H.I.E.L.D., the code "084" referred to objects of unknown origin. The classification covered a wide range of bizarre discoveries—alien artifacts, strange biological specimens, unidentified energy sources, and occasionally even people with unexplained abilities. In other words, the category was a grab bag of mysteries.
"Still impossible," Fury replied without missing a beat.
Ethan immediately threw up his hands in exaggerated surrender. "Fine, forget it. If you won't pay, then let Tony Stark die peacefully in that cave."
The casual tone made Fury's single eye narrow. He didn't say anything for several seconds, simply staring at Ethan with a gaze that could have pinned someone to the wall.
The silence stretched long enough that Ethan began to feel a chill crawl down his spine. The underground corridor around them suddenly felt darker than before. Fury's expression was unreadable, but the intensity of his stare was enough to make Ethan uncomfortable.
For a split second, a ridiculous thought crossed Ethan's mind. This dim hallway, the long stare, the awkward silence… was this secretly some kind of underground nightclub? The mental image made him shiver.
"Alright, last offer," Ethan said quickly. "One hundred kilograms of Vibranium."
He had deliberately lowered the quality of the demand. Since Fury refused to hand over anything truly priceless, Ethan had shifted to something slightly more realistic.
"Too much," Fury said immediately. "S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have that much Vibranium."
On the black market, one gram of Vibranium could sell for ten thousand dollars. But that number was almost meaningless, because Vibranium wasn't something you could simply buy whenever you wanted. The price could easily climb to a hundred thousand per gram and still sell instantly. It was one of the rarest materials on Earth.
Most of the world's Vibranium originated from Wakanda. That hidden African nation controlled nearly all known deposits and released only tiny amounts into the global market when it suited them. Outside of those rare sales, they guarded their resources with extreme secrecy.
Ethan had no idea exactly how much Vibranium S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed. But he was absolutely certain it wasn't much.
"Fifty kilograms," Ethan said after a moment, his expression firm. "That's my final price. No bargaining."
Fury fell silent again as he considered it. After a brief pause he finally replied, "Thirty kilograms."
Thirty kilograms was already close to half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stored Vibranium. Losing that much would hurt, but compared with the importance of Tony Stark, the decision wasn't actually difficult.
"Deal," Ethan said immediately.
His quick agreement made Fury feel a stab of regret. The speed of the response suggested Ethan might have accepted an even lower number. But there was no point dwelling on it now, and Fury showed none of that irritation on his face.
"Then where is Tony Stark?" Fury asked.
Inwardly he had already made another decision. Once Stark was rescued, Fury fully intended to recover his losses. However much Ethan had managed to take from him, Stark would eventually be the one paying it back.
Ethan simply spread his hands with a helpless shrug. "No idea."
The answer stunned Fury into silence for half a second.
Ethan's expression remained completely sincere. "I really don't know," he continued. "Who knows which cave in Afghanistan he's hiding in right now?"
Fury's stare sharpened again, and Ethan felt the invisible pressure returning. From Fury's perspective the situation was obvious—Ethan had used Stark's location as leverage during negotiations, secured the payment, and then admitted he didn't actually know anything. Anyone would be furious.
"Hey, hey… Director Fury, calm down," Ethan said quickly, raising his hands in surrender again. "I may not know exactly where Tony Stark is, but I guarantee I'll bring him back alive. That's good enough, right?"
Hearing that promise, Fury forced down his anger. His voice turned cold as he asked, "When are you planning to act?"
"How about right now?" Ethan replied with a grin.
He turned his head toward the two people who had remained mostly silent throughout the conversation. Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff had been standing nearby the entire time, quietly observing the negotiation like invisible witnesses.
"I remember leaving the door unlocked when I came out," Ethan said casually. "If I don't go back soon, Wanda and Pietro might think someone broke into the house."
Coulson and Natasha exchanged confused looks, but they still nodded.
"Alright," Coulson said.
"No problem," Natasha added.
"Then… see you later," Ethan said with a friendly wave.
In the next instant he vanished.
Fury's eye narrowed sharply. He immediately pressed a finger to the discreet earpiece hidden beneath his collar. "Report. Has anyone exited the building?"
"No, Director," a woman's voice answered through the headset. "No one has left the house."
There was a brief pause before the agent spoke again with uncertainty. "Director… the thermal scanner shows one heat signature missing from inside the room. Is the equipment malfunctioning?"
"No malfunction," Fury said after a moment of silence. "Remain at your positions. Also redirect three satellites and begin full surveillance coverage over Afghanistan."
"Yes, Director."
Before entering the building earlier, Fury had secretly deployed seven elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around the area. The team had been prepared either to capture Ethan or to intervene if something went wrong during the meeting with Coulson and Natasha. But judging from what just happened, those precautions were completely useless.
Fury stood quietly for a long time, lost in thought.
Eventually he turned toward Coulson and Natasha. His expression had returned to its usual calm, but his voice carried unmistakable authority.
"Everything that happened here today is classified at the highest level," Fury said. "Level Ten clearance only. No one is allowed to mention it or record it in any form."
Both agents straightened immediately.
"Understood, Director," Coulson replied.
"After you finish your previous mission, submit a full report directly to me," Fury continued. "Coulson, you're responsible for this."
"Yes, Director," Phil Coulson said.
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