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In the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center, as the Mandarin's murderous words hung in the air, every agent's eyes snapped to Nick Fury.
No one working for S.H.I.E.L.D. was a fool.
They could all see the Mandarin wasn't bluffing.
Caught off-guard and overstretched, S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a boxer who couldn't get his arms up, teetering on the brink under the Ten Rings' full-force assault.
Ground forces would take ten minutes to arrive. Naval support? The ships currently at the bottom of the harbor were the naval support.
As for missile strikes... they'd likely turn the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters into a firework display long before they took out the Ten Rings.
The Mandarin's claim of breaching their defenses in three minutes and slaughtering everyone in five wasn't an empty boast.
The situation had devolved to the point where the only question was how many would manage to escape.
And throughout this ten-second countdown, the Ten Rings' assault hadn't slowed in the slightest if anything, it had grown more ferocious.
The Mandarin was leaving Nick Fury no room to maneuver, no chance to turn the tables.
Crossing oceans to reach this soil had been a monumental effort, even for the Ten Rings. One misstep could lead to total disaster.
The Mandarin would not allow a single variable, a single shred of uncertainty. If he was going to do this, it would be executed flawlessly.
His execution was flawless, and it had backed Nick Fury into a corner with no way out.
Under the collective gaze of his agents, the ten seconds elapsed.
"Nick Fury. Time's up. Speak. Do you wish to die here with your subordinates, or...?"
Nick Fury's face was an unreadable mask. He gestured with his right hand.
"Order Squad Four to cell block 0357. Extract the prisoner and hand him over to the scum outside."
The order was relayed. A wave of silent relief passed through the command center, though no one dared show it on their faces.
Fury watched it all, feeling neither anger nor sorrow.
Agent Coulson was tracking Stark Industries. Agent Hill was at the Saint Kent Institute. Agent Carter was in D.C. Other key agents were all deployed on various missions.
Running a quick mental tally, Fury realized he had shockingly few trusted operatives by his side at this critical moment.
As for the others in a situation like this, he couldn't trust their judgment implicitly!
As Fury conceded, the Mandarin's expression softened noticeably. A rare smile even touched his lips.
"Nick Fury. A most rational choice. I am satisfied."
Simultaneously, the cacophony of explosions and gunfire outside the helicarrier diminished significantly.
Another transaction between the Ten Rings and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been concluded.
Though this one was brokered with brute force and piled high with corpses!
Seeing the Mandarin's improved mood, Fury asked, his tone carefully neutral, "Mandarin. How did you acquire the defense schematics for the naval yard? How did you manage to infiltrate and attack so silently?"
"And most importantly, how did you discover the location of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters?"
The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier possessed flight capabilities, but that mode was rarely used due to its massive energy consumption. Thus, the headquarters typically remained floating at sea. But where it floated, which port it docked at these were supposed to be top-level secrets.
How could the Ten Rings have obtained such intelligence?
The Mandarin, in high spirits, actually answered. "The Ten Rings has your spies. Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D. has mine."
Fury shook his head. "Mandarin, don't insult us both with such lies. You know perfectly well that level of secrecy isn't something a few low-level moles could uncover."
"The location of the headquarters, the port, the defense layouts... I don't even have the full picture of all that myself. What kind of power could a handful of moles possibly wield to know such things?"
A look of appreciation crossed the Mandarin's face. "Truly, Director Fury. Deceiving you is no easy task."
"Since you have been so... accommodating, delivering Shang-Chi so obediently into my hands, I am in an excellent mood. I don't mind sharing a little more..."
"Those secrets... my few embedded agents indeed could not provide them. This information was given to me by an organization."
Fury's pupils constricted. "An organization? What organization could possess that kind of reach and intelligence channels?"
The Mandarin shrugged. "That, I do not know. However that organization has a rather... popular motto. Would you like to hear it?"
"If you're willing to share, I'm willing to listen."
The Mandarin smiled. "That organization wanted me and S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight to the death. While I don't particularly mind a good fight, I have no desire to be used as someone else's blade!"
"They are exceptionally well-hidden. Even my own intelligence efforts found it difficult to trace them. But the more elusive they were, the more determined I became."
"Finally, I managed to uncover a single thread, Nick Fury. Have you ever heard this phrase?"
"Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place?"
The S.H.I.E.L.D. command center fell deathly silent.
Even Fury struggled to maintain his composure.
Though he had harbored suspicions, hearing the Mandarin state those words with such certainty made it difficult to conceal his shock.
"That's impossible! They were eradicated! Wiped out!"
The Mandarin's smile was profound and knowing. "Oh? Were they truly? Nick Fury... can you really be so sure?"
"That is for you to ponder. Believe it or not, the choice is yours. Shang-Chi is being brought to me now. I can scarcely wait to lay eyes on him once more."
With that, the large screen went black.
On the dark screen, only the faint, trembling outline of Nick Fury's figure remained. But his expression was unreadable, hidden in the deep shadows of his grimace.
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