Chapter 32:
After the Battle of New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. from top to bottom fell into a state of constant busyness.
Through this battle, Alex Chen was officially and forcibly inserted into the ranks of the Avengers by Nick Fury.
This was because Alex Chen's performance in the battle had been too outstanding — he had almost single-handedly taken on all the important tasks.
For a time, Alex Chen's fame reached its peak, both within S.H.I.E.L.D. and in the eyes of the general public.
This kind of overnight fame was something Alex Chen had dreamed of in his previous life, but now that he was truly living this highly exposed life, he instead gained many troubles.
Ever since becoming a public figure, Alex Chen felt that every word and action of his had become transparent, completely exposed to the public eye.
For example, not long ago, because Bill and the others needed to clean up the underworld order in various neighborhoods of New York, they were spotted by some nosy reporter from the Daily Bugle.
The reporter had hidden in a dark corner and recorded every detail of Bill and the others eliminating evil and bringing peace.
Later, Alex Chen had no choice but to personally step in, transforming into the Dark Knight to retrieve the footage from that guy.
From then on, even the daily words and actions of Alex Chen's subordinates had to strictly follow the rules.
Bill even went so far as to have his arm tattoos removed in order to properly play the role of secretary in front of the media.
Although everyone's lifestyle had changed so drastically in such a short time, the subordinates who had spent years operating in the gray areas of the city still longed to shine like the celebrities they saw on television.
So, to some extent, they still quite enjoyed this change.
This was something that could never have happened when they followed Kingpin. Therefore, Alex Chen's subordinates had been very careful during this period to maintain the hard-earned attention.
Even Alex Chen's originally struggling foreign trade company gradually became bustling with visitors. Moreover, after the cooperation with Stark Industries was deeply dug into, many companies that had been watching from the sidelines came knocking on the door to discuss partnerships.
Having to receive an endless stream of clients every day, Alex Chen felt as if his body had been hollowed out. He was even more tired than when he had fought the Chitauri army.
Business warfare tested not only the body but, more importantly, the mind — the challenges and tempering at the spiritual level.
Even though he was immersed in the ocean of business warfare every day, Alex Chen never forgot to pay attention to the whereabouts of the Ancient One after the Battle of New York.
At the same time, he frequently sent people to the other side of the city to keep an eye on that surgeon who liked to drive fast cars and would inevitably crash.
Moreover, after Alex Chen's identity was exposed, it became inconvenient for him and Wanda to frequently appear at school.
But in order to complete their studies as quickly as possible, Alex Chen specially sought help from Nick Fury to pull strings and have the school's professors come to their home to give the two of them private lessons.
This was the power of money!
After feeling that his status had changed dramatically and with such a strong backer as Nick Fury,
Alex Chen no longer chose gentle methods for many matters. Instead, he began using thunderous means.
Under Alex Chen's strong suppression, all the underworld forces in New York shrank back. Although unwilling, they still obediently gave up resistance.
Under Alex Chen's iron-fisted approach, the matter was quickly handled properly.
After all, ordinary underworld forces simply didn't have the strength to wrestle with Alex Chen.
In this way, after a long period of time, everything seemed to have returned to peace.
But Alex Chen knew that New York's peace was only temporary. Soon, new events would be waiting for everyone.
As expected, after a few days of peaceful rest, new developments appeared.
Not long ago, a new mysterious force had quietly infiltrated New York City and the entire North American region.
Looking at the calendar, as Christmas drew closer and closer, Alex Chen realized that another familiar storyline he knew was about to begin.
Looking at the streets full of fallen leaves, Alex Chen unconsciously felt a trace of chill. Time really passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it had been more than half a year since he left campus.
In the past six months, thanks to the professors' "painstaking efforts," Alex Chen's studies had successfully come to an end.
From now on, Alex Chen could focus wholeheartedly on running his own business.
He planned to firmly take control of the entire New York City in the next phase, striving to have his eyes and ears in every corner of the city.
After fighting the Chitauri army, Alex Chen clearly realized the difference between individual combat and team coordinated fighting.
This was also why Marvel's heroes were often beaten like dogs in their individual storylines, but when the entire Avengers team fought together, they could beat the opponent like dogs.
When he had single-handedly held off the countless Chitauri army outside the portal, the idea of building his own team had formed in Alex Chen's mind.
This way, whether facing enemies from beyond Earth in the future or dealing with organizations that harbored ill intentions toward the people around him, he wouldn't be as embarrassed as he was this time.
But to build such a well-trained and exceptionally powerful team, enormous human and material resources were essential.
Therefore, Alex Chen had a bold idea — to bring the entire New York City into his empire's territory.
In Alex Chen's view, he could use New York City as a springboard, then recruit talents and search for resources on a global scale.
Moreover, in Alex Chen's heart, there was currently one place on Earth that could perfectly help him achieve his goal, and there was also an army there that was countless times stronger than S.H.I.E.L.D.
Wakanda!
In the coming time, Alex Chen planned to first help Tony eliminate some guys who might cause trouble during this Christmas, then look for an opportunity to make contact with Wakanda.
After all, at this point in the timeline, T'Challa had not yet ascended to the throne, so external contact with Wakanda was extremely limited.
Therefore, many things could only be observed and waited upon.
He just didn't know whether Wakanda's vibranium reserves would be enough for Alex Chen to build an entire army.
Just as Alex Chen was lost in thought, his ears suddenly twitched as he heard the urgent roar of a car engine in the distance.
Why would a car stop here at this time?
Alex Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, and a thought immediately came to mind: Could it be…
"Hehe."
Alex Chen grinned and stepped forward.
"Hi! Mr. Stark, long time no see!" Alex Chen smiled and waved.
Tony hadn't expected that as soon as he got out of the car, Alex Chen would already be there to greet him.
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