Nick Fury's people moved quickly. In less than an hour, a folder was delivered to Black Widow's inbox.
It contained not only evidence of Obadiah secretly selling weapons to terrorists, but also a video sent by those terrorists. In the footage, Tony Stark was bound to a chair.
"It looks like you were right," Black Widow said. "This really does involve Obadiah. But locating Tony Stark will still take some time."
"Once we find his exact location, we'll rescue him as quickly as possible. Please be patient and wait for my good news."
After saying that, Black Widow looked as if she was about to leave.
Qin Xiao immediately grabbed her arm.
"I want to go with you."
He knew that with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, rescuing Tony wouldn't be a problem.But he had a mission—and mission points were valuable.
"No," Black Widow said firmly. "This isn't your job. Trust us."
She rejected him outright.
"Tony is my friend. I provided the lead. No matter what, I have to go. And I'm not an ordinary civilian."
Qin Xiao looked at her, refusing to back down.
Just then, Black Widow's phone rang.
It was Nick Fury.
Naturally, she reported everything.
To her surprise, Nick Fury accepted Qin Xiao's request for them to go together—but on one condition:
Qin Xiao had to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
As Qin Xiao hesitated, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Mission: Join S.H.I.E.L.D. and become an official agent."
Completing the mission would grant reward points, and Qin Xiao had no intention of letting those go.
Still, he couldn't help asking:
"System, why do I have to join S.H.I.E.L.D.? Wouldn't staying independent be more free?"
The system answered decisively:
"To better support the host in completing future missions. Rest assured, the host will not be required to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. permanently."
Hearing that, Qin Xiao finally felt relieved.
"I agree. I'll join S.H.I.E.L.D. Take me to Afghanistan."
He had been hesitating just moments earlier, yet now he agreed without further resistance.
Black Widow was confused.
"Why? Didn't you say you didn't want to be restricted?"
"I need a job," Qin Xiao said shamelessly.
Naturally, Black Widow didn't believe him—but since he refused to explain further, there was nothing she could do.
"Fine," she said. "Rookie agent, get ready. You're coming with me to Afghanistan for your first mission."
Southern Afghanistan Desert.
A Quinjet streaked across the sky and slowly came to a halt near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The rear hatch opened, and a metal ramp lowered.
A Chinese-made civilian SUV with Pakistani license plates rolled out of the aircraft.
Black Widow and Qin Xiao, disguised as backpackers, sat in the front seats.
From the driver's seat, Black Widow raised her thumb toward the Quinjet.
Blue flames erupted from the three thrusters on its tail and wings as it shot back into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
"We already know the general area," Qin Xiao said, waving his hand."Why don't we send in a few aircraft, drop a special operations team with live ammo, sweep the place, and rescue him directly?"
Black Widow drove with one hand and answered calmly.
"First, that would require extensive reconnaissance—enemy numbers, weapons, terrain. We must guarantee the hostage's safety."
"Second, they're not in Afghanistan. They're in Pakistan. Even though this desert is a no-man's-land, we can't just enter their airspace. That would be extremely dangerous."
"Why?" Qin Xiao asked, puzzled.
In the movies, even the Avengers went wherever they pleased. Since when did national borders matter?
"Because Pakistan has a powerful ally behind it—China," Black Widow replied."As the saying goes, don't approach a lion while holding a weapon."
"Every country knows this: China can live without the world, but the world cannot live without China."
She said it calmly.
Qin Xiao understood immediately. Driving a car was one thing—but flying a combat jet was another matter entirely.
Even in a different timeline, he couldn't help feeling stirred by his country's strength.
An organization like S.H.I.E.L.D., even with its advanced aircraft, didn't dare cross Pakistan's border by even an inch.
That spoke volumes.
Seeing the pride on Qin Xiao's face, Black Widow smiled.
"I almost forgot—you're Chinese. You know, there's a saying in the intelligence world: no matter whether you're an international spy, an agent, or even a mercenary, you absolutely must not set foot in China. Do you know why?"
"Oh?" Qin Xiao said with interest. "Why?"
"During the Cold War, Soviet and American spies were everywhere—but anyone who entered China simply vanished."
"As far as I know, both sides sent at least three groups of several hundred people each. Every single one lost contact."
"Rumor has it that, in the end, both intelligence agencies received a document from the Chinese authorities. On it were four words:
'Foreigners Forbidden.'"
"I used to think it was just a legend," Black Widow said."Until I joined the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division—and saw that document with my own eyes. It was unbelievable."
As she spoke, the vehicle continued southward into Pakistani territory.
The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a vast desert—an uninhabited zone.
Neither side stationed troops there.
But after the so-called freedom fighters of the Ten Rings kidnapped Tony Stark, everything changed.
They knew Afghanistan would soon be thoroughly swept by the Americans, so they made the smart choice and moved directly into Pakistan.
This not only allowed them to avoid U.S. forces, but as long as they stayed away from the desert's edge, no one would enter to search for them.
What they never expected was that their video would end up in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands.
They had been extremely cautious—routing emails through servers in multiple countries.
In the video, the terrorists covered their faces, revealing only their eyes.
But combined with Afghanistan as a reference point, that was more than enough for S.H.I.E.L.D.
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