"The Foot Clan?" Fury's eyes sharpened. "So the Foot Clan is helping Hawk clean up?"
The logic instantly formed in his mind: Hawk has accomplices! These people are helping him retreat and clearing traces! After the Busan incident, they suspected Hawk had organizational support, and this scene seemed to confirm it.
The Foot Clan? Alien technology!
Was this Hawk's trump card?
He felt a slight sense of relief at this moment, believing he had completely seen through Hawk. If Hawk were in front of him now, he would mercilessly mock him: You think you're the only Earthling who's encountered aliens? Hilarious!
Natasha, also on the channel, twitched her mouth. This line of thinking was a bit far-fetched...
"All units, attention!" Fury's voice boomed over the loudspeaker throughout the sealed area, cold and full of unquestionable authority. "Unknown personnel below! You are surrounded! Immediately lay down your weapons, cease resistance, put your hands on your heads, and surrender! Repeat, lay down your weapons, surrender immediately! This is your only warning!"
The cleanup operations below visibly halted.
The swift-moving figures in dark ninja suits, and some larger, bio-engineered mutants with skin glowing with metallic or unnatural luminescence, appeared somewhat bewildered under the strong lights.
Several Quinjets circled at low altitude, their weapon hardpoints unlocked, their machine guns and micro-missile launchers targeting the objectives below.
After a brief standoff, Fury saw the reaction he expected: a small number of ninjas at the periphery hesitantly, slowly dropped their short swords or recovery tools, stiffly raised their hands, and slowly knelt. They bowed their heads, their posture indicating surrender.
"Sir, some targets have surrendered!" The on-site commander reported.
But Fury's single eye was fixed on the companions around those who surrendered, especially the silent, statue-like bio-engineered mutants.
The surrendering movements were too deliberate, too slow, and the surrender area was too concentrated, more like... bait to attract attention!
"No!" Fury's intuition and years of experience instantly triggered the highest alert. "It's a trick! All units, open fire! Repeat! Open fire!"
His command was given almost simultaneously with their action!
The "surrendering" ninjas suddenly looked up, their eyes showing no fear, only cold killing intent and mockery!
Their kneeling bodies sprang up like coiled springs, tightly gripping sharp shurikens or micro-bombs they hadn't truly discarded!
At the same time, the previously silent bio-engineered mutants let out low, inhuman roars. Their metallic armor instantly warped, revealing energy weapon ports or biological claws that gleamed dangerously!
Even more terrifying, some of the bio-engineered mutants suddenly expanded a faint purple energy shield around their bodies!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
"Boom!"
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!"
The ninjas' projectiles and bombs flew like a swarm of poisonous bees towards the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers, while the bio-engineered mutants' energy beams and biological acid violently shot towards the low-flying Quinjets!
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and soldiers, with their top-tier combat training, had already opened fire the moment Fury gave the warning. Energy weapons and live ammunition interwove into a dense barrage of fire!
The scene instantly transformed from eerie calm into a bloody inferno!
"Damn it!" Fury roared, watching a Quinjet hit in the flank by concentrated energy beams, smoking black as it struggled to climb.
"Take them out! Dead or alive!"
On the chaotic battlefield, Natasha's figure moved like a ghost through the explosions.
Her twin pistols precisely targeted, headshotting a ninja attempting to ambush a teammate from behind, while deftly dodging a scorching bio-energy beam.
Her cold gaze swept over the grotesque mutants, rapidly assessing these unexpected new enemies: "The Foot Clan... unexpected... it seems Hawk's trouble is far greater than imagined."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
"Rumble!"
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!"
The Foot Clan ninjas' poisoned shurikens, micro-bombs, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' energy pulse guns, armor-piercing rounds, crisscrossed in the air, explosions engulfing corners of the ruins.
The bio-engineered mutants let out inhuman roars. Their arms split open, revealing rotating energy cannons or glands spraying corrosive acid. Faint purple energy shields violently vibrated and flickered under the hail of gunfire.
From the very beginning of the battle, the Foot Clan, with their elite ninjas' uncanny agility and the bio-engineered mutants' powerful assault capabilities, caught S.H.I.E.L.D. off guard.
The elite ninjas moved like venomous snakes blending into shadows, using the complex terrain of the ruins to move at high speed, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
Their precise throwing techniques and close-quarters assassinations, coordinated seamlessly, instantly wounded several S.H.I.E.L.D. assault team members, who fell to the ground.
Smoke grenades exploded in their hands, further disrupting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vision and formation.
Even more terrifying were the bio-engineered mutants.
They charged en masse, fearless, protected by their energy shields. Energy beams sliced through the night sky, easily melting through the weaker points of armored vehicles;
Strong acid sprayed onto cover, making a terrifying "sizzle" sound and emitting pungent white smoke.
Their physical strength was also astonishing; one bio-engineered mutant single-handedly overturned a light armored vehicle, causing surrounding agents to gasp and retreat.
A Quinjet that flew too low and too close was unfortunately hit in its side engine by several concentrated energy beams. Alarms shrieked, and it struggled to climb and escape, trailing thick black smoke.
The faint purple energy shields they used were exceptionally tough; regular small-caliber weapons and energy pulses only created ripples on them.
This allowed the Foot Clan's core combatants to push forward forcefully in the initial stages, enduring heavy fire. The objective of clearing the battlefield seemed to become secondary, with severely damaging S.H.I.E.L.D. being the primary goal.
Fury watched clearly from the command aircraft, the cold light in his single eye intensifying.
"Hand! Analyze their energy shield frequency! All units, maintain distance, prioritize concentrated fire on ninjas not protected by shields! Air units, blow up the cover around those tin cans and expose them!"
S.H.I.E.L.D., after all, was one of the most powerful intelligence and special operations organizations on Earth. After a brief period of confusion and tactical adjustment, its rigorous command system and overwhelming technological superiority quickly became apparent.