Several people raised their hands, some of them still clutching forks that didn't even have any braised pork on them.
Surrounded by three layers of gunmen, none of them dared to move. They didn't even try to catch the braised pork when it slipped off their forks and fell.
Once the encirclement was secured, Sitwell stepped forward, confirming there was no danger.
"Everyone, please come with us."
"May I ask why we're being arrested?" Hank, the team leader, asked.
Sitwell explained calmly, "The items you recently developed were used in illegal activities and posed a threat to national security. We are taking you in for investigation."
Hank glanced at Fitz and sighed. "Alright, we'll cooperate. I just hope you won't hurt them."
Sitwell nodded. "Of course. As long as you cooperate."
"Take them away."
Several people were handcuffed and escorted outside.
"Wait," Sitwell added casually. "Let them settle the bill first."
After making them pay, he even turned to the waiter and said politely, "Hello, please pack this up for me."
The arrested group stared at Sitwell in disbelief. They paid the money but barely got a single bite—it was downright fucking evil.
The unluckiest one was Fitz. He didn't even get one mouthful, only watching helplessly as the so-called "fish" he ordered was taken away.
Sitwell loved moments like this—enjoying gourmet food alone while watching a bunch of weak, helpless people get toyed with by his subordinates.
Watching his men bully the weak was his favorite side dish. Everyone was excited, including Hank and another male colleague who eagerly joined in.
A world where only Fitz was terrified was officially born.
Weak, helpless, and on the verge of having his dignity cut clean off like a cock, Fitz confessed everything just to avoid further humiliation.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
"It was Phil Coulson. He came to me and said there was a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and that he needed my help. I couldn't resist and agreed."
As several burly men leaned closer, Fitz's face turned deathly pale. It was as if he'd been injected with truth serum—everything spilled out uncontrollably.
Fitz: ୧(˃᷄﹏˂᷅٥)୨
"I helped them build an anti-gravity device. Just a few people can lift thirty tons."
"They provided the core anti-gravity technology. I only compressed it into a smaller volume."
"..."
Sitwell smiled. "He's doing so well. Aren't you going to give him a reward?"
Fitz: ∑(°Д°;≡;°д°)
"You can't do this! My eyes! Ah—my eyes!"
From that day on, Fitz became a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent secretly embedded within HYDRA. Strangely enough, he was actually quite satisfied with the arrangement.
Aside from the occasional harassment, there wasn't much he found unacceptable.
"If it were a beautiful female agent harassing me, I might even be happier…"
But every time a burly man invited him out for drinks at a bar, Fitz could only refuse again and again with forced politeness.
Although he had only watched Hank and the others get beaten on the transport that day, the experience made him miss the beautiful girls of S.H.I.E.L.D. even more.
They were soon transferred to a HYDRA base.
Then they were transferred again—to the Red Room Base.
Two days later, Jack, who was busy handling governmental affairs, received a call from Sitwell.
Jack knew Sitwell rarely called without a reason, so he paused briefly before answering.
"Commander, there's an emergency."
Jack didn't stop writing, calmly continuing his work. "Speak."
"Commander, that bastard Nick Fury somehow gathered a group of underground forces and seized one of our strongholds. They possess various abilities, and our people suffered losses due to insufficient intelligence."
Jack thought for a moment. "There wouldn't happen to be someone named Nick Cage, would there?"
Sitwell replied promptly, "Commander, you truly are a modern-day Zhuge Liang. Yes, there is such a person—though he calls himself Luke Cage."
"But according to our records, his original name really is Nick Cage. We suspect he's Nick Fury's illegitimate son—their skin color is exactly the same."
Jack realized he'd misspoken, but since Sitwell had already paved the way, he smoothly went along with it.
"Besides Nick Cage, who else?"
"The rest of the underground forces are still trapped inside the base. Only about a dozen managed to escape."
Jack mused, "Nick Fury really is something, hiding so many people right under our noses."
"What about those S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists from before?"
Sitwell replied, "They're under constant surveillance. Melinda May disappeared with Coulson's team two months ago. There are several high-level agents among them."
"Our people have infiltrated their ranks, but their positions are too low to obtain much intelligence."
Jack said, "Then deliberately leak some flaws. Let them follow those cracks straight to us."
"Understood, Commander. We'll take care of it."
Jack added, "Remember—be steady. If one hundred men are needed, send two hundred. If anything goes wrong, call me immediately. I don't want anyone threatening my organization."
"Yes, Commander."
Jack hung up and returned his attention to government affairs. There had been far too much going on lately, with countless matters waiting for delegation.
Meanwhile, an expedition team at the North Pole, having narrowly survived a geological disaster in the snow, sat down to enjoy a rare moment of peace.
Suddenly, a teammate shouted, "Look! What's that?"
Everyone turned and saw an ice-encased object shaped unmistakably like an airplane.
The captain raised his binoculars and looked closer.
"Everyone, move toward the plane."
After several minutes of cautious advance, dodging numerous dangers, they reached the aircraft and spotted a blurry emblem.
"Is that… Captain America's symbol?"
"Yes. They say Captain America crashed in the North Pole. This must be it."
"Seriously? Then how much could Captain America sell for?"
The captain cut off his money-hungry teammates.
"Dig first. If it really is Captain America, we'll make a fucking fortune."
The moment those words were spoken, no one felt tired anymore. Scientific curiosity vanished, replaced entirely by greed.
A few hours later, when they uncovered the frozen Captain America, every single one of them was grinning like lunatics.
Some cheered. Others started calculating numbers.
Two days later, when HYDRA arrived to take over Captain America, only the captain remained from the entire expedition team.
"Here's your card," a HYDRA agent said. "The money's inside. The password is—"
Taking the card, the captain finally showed a deeply satisfied smile.
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