After the video ended, Natasha Romanoff leaned back on the sofa in her apartment, frowning deeply.
The video she watched today revealed a lot of shocking information, but what bothered her most was why her future self called S.H.I.E.L.D. a quagmire.
After serving in S.H.I.E.L.D. for so many years, she never felt there was anything wrong with it.
And then there was the Red Room... and Dreykov.
Didn't Clint and she already blow up Dreykov years ago?
Getting up, Natasha walked over to the wine cabinet, picked up a bottle of red wine, and poured herself a glass.
Just as she was about to take a sip, she suddenly remembered something from the video — it was Linen who had reminded her that something was wrong with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Thinking of that, Natasha set the wineglass down and picked up her phone, scrolling to Linen's number.
But as soon as her finger hovered over the call button, she hesitated — and hung up.
So far, she'd only met Linen once, and he had no official contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Even if she reached out now, it probably wouldn't help.
She sighed, picked up her glass again, and walked back to the sofa, gazing at the dim chandelier above her.
"Avengers..." she whispered.
At the same time, in Linen's apartment—
"All body functions have been doubled. Finally, I'm not just some mage anymore!"
As the video finished playing, Linen glanced at the reward the system had given him and nodded in satisfaction.
Originally, the reward should have been even higher — if it weren't for Thor, that reckless fool, who caused chaos in the theater and got himself kicked out.
Otherwise, the power-up would've been far greater.
He picked up a dumbbell from the corner of the living room.
The 25-kilogram weight now felt incredibly light in his hand.
Putting it down again, Linen grinned eagerly, eager to test out his enhanced physique.
He grabbed his phone, opened his contacts, and made a call.
In a luxurious villa in Manhattan—
"Alright, alright, I support your idea!"
Listening to his daughter explain her career plans after graduation, Olson, a self-proclaimed daughter's slave, raised both hands in surrender.
"Tomorrow, I'll contact the right people in New York and make sure all the paperwork you need gets approved immediately!"
"Thank you, Dad!"
Hearing that, Jessica smiled brightly.
Just as she was about to say something else, her phone rang.
It was Linen, telling her that a cat capable of doing backflips had just wandered into his bedroom — and asking if she wanted to come see it.
Jessica immediately replied, "Dad, I've got to go out for a bit. I won't be home tonight — I'll stay over at Barbara's place!"
She grabbed her car keys and ran out before Olson could even respond.
Watching his daughter disappear out the door, Olson's face darkened.
If it were possible, he'd love to grab a submachine gun and put a few holes in Linen.
That damn bastard!
"What's wrong?"
His wife Melia came out of the bathroom, smiling when she saw his expression. "Where's Jessica?"
"She was just invited out by that punk Linen! Damn it, it's bad enough he's getting close to our daughter — but now he's even fooling around with Jessica's best friend, Barbara!"
"Alright, alright," Melia chuckled softly. "They're young. At least they're not getting into any real trouble. And since Jessica met Linen, she's clearly become more disciplined."
"You should remember, you weren't exactly an angel when you were his age."
"Hmph!"
Olson snorted coldly. "If it weren't for the fact that Linen strictly forbids Jessica from touching stuff like flour or marijuana, I would've killed him already!"
"The deputy mayor's daughter sneaking off with her best friend and that punk..."
Seeing him getting worked up again, Melia just smiled and sat gently on his lap.
That simple gesture made Olson immediately fall silent.
After all, when you're middle-aged... sigh.
New Mexico.
"Thor Odinson?"
Staring at the name on the screen, Agent Coulson frowned. Director Fury had just ordered him to track down a man named Thor Odinson — quietly.
But even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global data network couldn't locate him. Where was he supposed to start?
"What's wrong? You look troubled," said Clint Barton, handing Coulson a burger.
"Nothing serious," Coulson replied. "By the way, what's the situation with the hammer?"
"It's still stuck in the crater. We've tried everything, but no one can lift it. The scientists are analyzing it now."
Clint glanced up at the night sky. "Looks like it's going to rain tonight."
Coulson followed his gaze. "Yeah. Hopefully, things start going smoother soon."
Just then, Coulson's phone buzzed again.
Another message from Nick Fury — this time, it included not just Thor's name but also a hand-drawn sketch of his face.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 20+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.