Logan never expected to run into S.H.I.E.L.D. here.
He had anticipated being spotted by patrol guards, running into others eyeing the cargo, or even being surrounded by the owners, the Juarez family. But he never imagined he would cause such a stir with S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Logan realized the cargo could not be smuggled porcelain or antiques; S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be interested in such things!
What should he do now?
"They're about to open the container," Josh suddenly warned.
Below, a S.H.I.E.L.D. team was forcing the lock.
Logan knew that if S.H.I.E.L.D. got the cargo, the entire trip would have been a waste!
He couldn't afford to forfeit the $20,000 reward. Once that money was in his account, he could leave with the Professor.
At this moment, not only did the Lawrence family know his identity in Santa Fe, but Donald's group was also watching him closely. The longer he remained in Santa Fe, the greater the danger. He couldn't afford any more delays.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. group was led by the Black Widow this time, and her combat strength wasn't particularly high among the Avengers. Logan still had a chance.
After a moment's thought, he turned to Josh and the others and told them, "You three, split up and draw a group away. I'll intercept the cargo!" The three were startled. There were quite a few people down there, all heavily armed; it clearly wouldn't be easy to engage them.
Logan whispered again, "Don't hesitate, I don't want this trip to be for nothing!"
The three exchanged glances, and seeing that the container was about to be opened, they had no choice but to grit their teeth, stand up, and jump.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Damaging private property is a serious offense!" Samuel yelled at the agents.
Conrad, nearby, drew his pistol decisively and pulled the trigger without hesitation, shooting an agent in the chest. The body dropped to the ground.
"Damn it, are you crazy?!" Samuel exclaimed, stunned, looking at Conrad's smoking gun.
He had heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.; it was a secret service organization—fast, decisive, and even ruthless—because they could easily solve any problem, no matter how big. An angry S.H.I.E.L.D. never ended well!
Before Samuel could even scold them, all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were looking at them, with several gun barrels instantly pointed their way.
Samuel's skin crawled, and he turned and ran.
At the same time, the agents' weapons spat fire, the silenced bullets whizzing past, narrowly missing Samuel and Conrad's backs.
"Looks like we're not the only ones with eyes on this cargo!" Rumlow said, lowering his pistol. "I'll handle them."
He immediately ran after Samuel and Conrad.
Bang!
In that instant, Josh also appeared on the other side, but instead of yelling, he hid behind a container, pretending to stage an ambush, but accidentally stumbled against it, making noise.
Seeing Natasha and the others looking at him, Josh didn't hesitate and took off running.
Seeing this, Natasha frowned and ordered the surrounding guards: "I'll take this one. The rest of you, stay here and keep watch. Contact Captain Rogers."
Having said that, she quickly ran toward Josh.
Only five guards remained by the container.
Without hesitation, Logan leaped from the container, his fists clenched, and smashed them hard against the back of the necks of the two guards right below.
The immense force of the impact instantly stunned them, sending them tumbling to the ground.
The other three guards' expressions changed drastically, and they immediately aimed their weapons at Logan.
Before they could shoot, Logan quickly drew his pistol and shot all three guards in the arms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The silenced pistols barely made a sound, but the accurate aim instantly pierced the arms of the three guards.
The sharp, sudden pain made them drop their weapons.
Without hesitation, Logan lunged forward, and before they could react, his palm strikes landed on the necks of two guards, instantly rendering them unconscious.
The last terrified guard tried to bend down to retrieve his pistol with his other hand, but Logan didn't give him a chance. A spinning kick landed on the guard's chest, with an immense force that instantly stunned him.
He didn't kill the guards.
Intercepting S.H.I.E.L.D. goods and killing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are two different things. The former might be fine if he could hide, but the latter would mean facing the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.
He didn't want a violent confrontation with S.H.I.E.L.D. at that moment.
"Phew…"
As the three men fell, Logan sighed in relief, holstered his pistol, and used his steel claws to cut the container's padlock. Inside the large red container, several boxes of goods were stacked.
Logan pulled out a flashlight, covered the bulb with his hand before turning it on, and the dim light filtered between his fingers and illuminated the cargo.
He meticulously searched the area but found no cargo marked BU-26 or BU-27.
The crate codes didn't even start with BU. After confirming he hadn't missed anything, Logan frowned, a bad feeling settling in.
Damn it! Chris was a fool!
Logan cursed under his breath, put away the flashlight, and turned to leave.
"Just as I expected—a distraction tactic, a clumsy trick."
A cold female voice resonated behind him, followed by the cold barrel of a pistol pressing against the back of Logan's neck.
"Tell me who sent you!"
Natasha stared intently at him, finger on the trigger, ready to fire without hesitation at the slightest movement.
Logan remained silent, not answering.
Just as Natasha was about to press him further…
Swish!
Logan abruptly bent down and cocked his head, instantly moving away from the gun barrel. Simultaneously, he delivered a kick backwards, striking Natasha squarely in the abdomen.
The force of the impact launched her into the air, her slender body slamming hard against the container behind her.
"Sss!"
The intense pain in her abdomen made her gasp. What surprised her most was that the man's strength and reaction speed were no less than that of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Ordinary people wouldn't have such strength!
However, Natasha, with her extraordinary combat skills, did not release her pistol despite the hard blow.
Even after being knocked down, she held the grip firmly, raising it again without hesitation, aiming at Logan inside the container.
This time she didn't waver; her finger tensed, about to pull the trigger.
Bang!
No shot was fired. Logan kicked the pistol away, his gaze fixed on Natasha. "Don't move!"
Natasha threw her head back, not taking her eyes off Logan. "Going up against S.H.I.E.L.D. usually doesn't end well!"
As she spoke, she tried to get a clear look at Logan's face.
But since there were no lights, the only illumination came from the moon, 380,000 kilometers away, and she couldn't clearly make out his face. She could only vaguely recognize that he was an older man, at least sixty or seventy years old.
Was he wearing makeup, or was he really that old? Could someone sixty or seventy years old have such explosive strength?
For a moment, Natasha was lost in thought.
As an elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, her physical resilience far surpassed that of common people; a full-power attack from a normal person would not be enough to incapacitate her.
However, that man's kick had left her powerless, with a pain in her stomach that felt about to burst.
"Where is all this?" Logan asked, pointing to the open container door behind him.
Natasha paused, realizing there was nothing inside, and then snorted coldly. "Are you asking me? We didn't even have time to open it!"
Logan knew Natasha wasn't lying; they had clearly received faulty information.
"Damn it!" Logan exclaimed. Either the Juarez family had leaked false information about container number seventy-nine, or they knew it was important and had temporarily changed its location.
This cargo was undoubtedly extraordinarily valuable—not only highly valued by the Juarez family, but it even involved S.H.I.E.L.D.!
This job wasn't even worth twenty thousand dollars!
While Logan was reflecting, Natasha subtly reached for the dagger on her waist, and her eyes shone with a fierce glare as she looked at him.
However, her subtle movement did not go unnoticed by Logan. He suddenly kicked out, his foot connecting with Natasha's neck.
The force of the impact instantly made Natasha's eyes roll back, and she completely passed out.
Logan looked around and walked away without hesitation. At that moment, Samuel's voice came through his earpiece.
"James, are you done? We've escaped, and those guys chasing us are heading back!"
Logan quietly replied: "I'm evacuating."
There was no point in continuing the search if they wouldn't find anything, and S.H.I.E.L.D. could send reinforcements at any moment. If they were seen, they would be trapped.
Then, Samuel's voice, somewhat frightened, was heard again: "Good. See you at the car. We need to get out of here fast. Conrad killed a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; they won't let that go. If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"
Hearing this, Logan's expression changed drastically.
"Idiot!" he couldn't help but curse. Killing a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent… This was a disaster!
However, he had barely finished speaking when a clear, crisp voice suddenly resonated in front of him.
"Sir, swearing is not okay."
A tall, imposing figure appeared, with a strikingly handsome face. His white and blue suit accentuated his muscular physique, and his blond hair and blue eyes were enough to make any young girl fall in love. His eyebrows conveyed an air of righteousness, and he carried a Vibranium shield with a white star in the center.