Chapter 316: The Red Queen Appears, Xenomorph Crisis
A magazine change in one second.
Despite Amanda's bulky frame, she still moved with agility.
Bang bang bang…
A full burst of bullets suppressed Fury.
"You shameless bastard—how dare you bring up Joe? He grew up without a father, endured the ridicule of his classmates—do you even understand the psychological pressure he faced?"
A classic issue in the community.
Have a child, and the dad vanishes.
So, in that sense, Fury was a model Black man.
"I'm sorry. I had no choice."
But Amanda had no sympathy for Fury's remorseful apology. She shouted angrily, "To you, S.H.I.E.L.D. is everything, and you're willing to abandon your wife and child for it, huh?"
"That's not a valid reason for you to start the Suicide Squad," Fury countered, shifting the subject.
The Suicide Squad had been created specifically to counter S.H.I.E.L.D.
The two organizations had long engaged in covert rivalry.
If not for their complicated relationship—and Fury's personal guilt toward Amanda—S.H.I.E.L.D. would've crushed the Suicide Squad long ago.
Both sides used sound to gauge positioning, occasionally firing suppressive shots in a back-and-forth stalemate.
Of course, neither had any intention to kill.
Fury had relocated in advance and, seizing the moment Amanda was swapping magazines, suddenly lunged and tackled her to the ground.
A scuffle broke out instantly.
They disarmed each other using close-quarters combat techniques learned from the same master.
"Let me go, you bastard!"
"Calm down, Little Dada."
"Baldy, don't call me Little Dada!"
"I am calling you that—Little Dada."
"…"
Ultimately, Fury's superior physical strength allowed him to pin Amanda's arms down. All she could do now was fight back with words.
Mmph mmph…
His ultimate technique.
The Suffocating Kiss.
Mouth to mouth seal.
Amanda resisted, squirming and struggling. But as the seconds ticked by, her resistance slowly faded, and she started responding to the kiss.
Click!
A flash of white light.
The sound of a phone camera shutter.
Smooch!
Their lips finally parted as the passionate moment ended, and they instinctively turned toward the source of the flash.
There, peeking from behind a corner wall, were Allen and the five women.
Harley Quinn was holding up a phone, recording. She had accidentally hit the shutter button.
"We were just passing by. Please, carry on," Allen said with a perfectly sincere expression, clearly not looking away or planning to.
Big news—an illicit affair between the heads of the Suicide Squad and S.H.I.E.L.D., caught on photo and video.
"Allen!?"
Fury shot to his feet, recognizing him immediately.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network wasn't just for show. Allen was a high-priority surveillance target, and the Birds of Prey were under consideration for hero recruitment.
Amanda calmly adjusted her hair and, returning to her usual commanding demeanor, said authoritatively, "Harley, delete the video and photos."
But Harley wasn't about to listen.
She used to work under Amanda and had suffered plenty. Now that she finally had a chance to get revenge, how could she just give that up?
"Not a chance," she said.
With a gleeful expression, Allen chimed in, "We're keeping this little secret for life."
Oof…
Amanda and Fury both knew that Allen absolutely would do it.
The more they looked into him, the more mysterious his background became.
Within both organizations, Allen's history traced back centuries. He acted with absolute impunity and was virtually untouchable.
As for why they couldn't trace any cosmic origins? Simply put, both the Suicide Squad and S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled to even get to space.
"When did you get here?" Fury asked grimly.
"Not long ago," Allen replied, spreading his hands casually. "Think back to when our son started talking."
"Right, little Lily," he added.
"Yes, little Allen," Harley replied, playing along smoothly.
Absolutely mortifying.
They had no idea where to even put their faces anymore.
Amanda, fuming, shot Fury a death glare and snapped, "Harley, don't forget there's still a micro-bomb in your head we haven't removed."
"Oops. I might've just accidentally forwarded the video to a friend. If I die, can't say for sure if it'll stay private," Harley said nonchalantly.
"You…"
Amanda was momentarily out of options.
Meanwhile, Harley was grinning ear to ear. Thinking back on all the abuse she had suffered, this moment made it all worth it.
"What are you guys doing here?" Fury asked, calming down and cutting to the real issue.
"We came to take down Umbrella. What about you two? Why are the Suicide Squad and S.H.I.E.L.D. here together?"
Allen had the same question in mind.
Amanda and Fury exchanged a look, both filled with confusion.
"Wasn't this place supposed to be hiding a virus that threatens all humanity?" Amanda asked, puzzled.
"My intel said alien tech fell into the hands of a criminal organization," Fury replied.
Clearly, both the Suicide Squad and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been fed false information.
But to what end?
"Damn, we've been set up," Allen realized. "The Fourth Reich's trying to provoke a conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Suicide Squad. They're even willing to sacrifice a base to do it."
That was the only explanation that made sense.
Given the longstanding rivalry, it wouldn't take much to push the two sides into open conflict.
Too bad they hadn't accounted for Amanda and Fury being a pair of love-hate spouses.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the wall trembled slightly.
Dust fell from the ceiling above.
Everyone instantly sensed danger—maybe the entrance was being destroyed to trap them inside.
Gunfire was getting closer.
All eyes turned toward the stairwell. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the Suicide Squad were retreating together, providing cover for one another.
"What's going on?" Fury shouted.
"Unknown creatures spotted—numbers increasing rapidly!" a returning agent called back.
He was helping carry a teammate—one who had a mutated facehugger clinging to his head.
"Xenomorphs again," Allen muttered.
He casually pulled out a glass vial and shouted, "Everyone back off! He's already been infected—we'll have to freeze him and hope you guys can figure out a way to save him."
The agent stepped aside. Everyone watched as Allen opened the vial and poured out a frosty liquid that rapidly coated the infected in a layer of ice.
Whether the xenomorph could be removed surgically depended entirely on how advanced S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical tech was. If not, they'd soon be seeing a chestburster baby.
"You're all going to die."
A cold voice interrupted them.
The Red Queen's holographic projection suddenly appeared, her gaze icy as she stated bluntly, "I've released all experimental subjects, destroyed the top three levels, and in five minutes the base's self-destruct protocol will complete. Not one living being will escape."
"Hey, brat—have you seen Dr. Birkin? He and I had plans for a romantic getaway. We were going to be each other's crispy roast duck," Allen asked casually.
"You should be worrying about escaping," the Red Queen replied coldly, "not clinging to distractions."
She was right—she had activated the self-destruct. Everyone was already in chaos.
At the stairwell, a swarm of bio-engineered xenomorphs was pushing hard. If not for the Squad's heavy weapons, they'd all have been overrun by now.
"Why don't you just shut it down?" Allen said irritably.
"..."
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