All the officers present were at least inspector level, and now they were listening to Liu A'dou analyze the case.
At that moment, Wolverine was in a fierce battle with the Silver Samurai. Besides the Silver Samurai, Yashida's ninjas were also attacking. The Silver Samurai wielded two thermal swords, their heat strong enough to cut through adamantium. To deal with Wolverine, Yashida had paid a huge price to collaborate with Hydra and got access to a range of high-tech weapons.
Two Nazi organizations working together again—villainous as always.
Wolverine hadn't expected to chase all the way here and run into such a tough enemy. The Silver Samurai's defense, attack power, and mobility were top-class. Typical Japanese craftsmanship—they really knew how to make killer robots.
Yukio had also arrived and was now fighting the ninjas. Outnumbered, and with Madame Viper in the mix, she couldn't hold on much longer.
Wolverine wanted to help, but he was already stretched thin. Yukio was about to get beaten to death. It was turning into a tragedy.
Boom!
A sudden explosion rocked the ballroom, and two figures dropped from the sky. Before they even landed, a circular shield flew out. It was Captain America and Hawkeye. They'd tracked a secret Hydra account all the way to Japan and arrived just in time to find Madame Viper.
Wolverine saw the shield smack the Silver Samurai's sword aside, giving him a much-needed breather.
He didn't hesitate. His claws thrust forward, stabbing into the Silver Samurai's ribs. But the enemy wasn't hurt at all—clearly, the torso wasn't a weak spot. The Silver Samurai swung his blazing blade down toward Logan's arm like slicing tofu.
Logan jumped back, but it was too late. Pain shot through his body. He looked down and saw one of his claws had been severed—his first time ever. Beneath the adamantium coating, there was still bone. Red marrow was exposed, throbbing with cold, searing pain.
That sword? Wolverine froze for a second, then exploded with rage. That really hurt. "Yashida, you bastard—you planned this all along!" This weapon was clearly custom-built to kill him. Enraged, Logan charged in close, determined to rip that robot apart.
Captain America and Hawkeye tore through the battlefield, quickly flipping the situation. The Japanese ninjas got beaten back hard. With the shield in hand, Cap was unstoppable.
Then, from the hole in the ceiling, another person dropped down. Madame Viper's eyes widened with fury. It was Ada Wong—fresh off another promotion.
Ada had been promoted from Inspector to Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearly, the forces trying to destroy the agency were playing all the angles. First, they made Ada fight with Director Nick Fury. Then they inserted her back into S.H.I.E.L.D. to deepen the rift.
Now S.H.I.E.L.D. was split in two. One side followed Nick Fury. The other—Ada's side—was loyal to her and the shadowy power backing her.
Ada played this role—half hero, half villain—like a natural. Her actions pleased her handlers and earned respect from Director Fury. Even seeing his own recruit become his equal didn't make Nick angry. In fact, everything Ada did made him admire her more. She always acted by the book, made the right calls. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had split, it wasn't Ada's fault. The rot had already been there.
Nick wanted to fix it, but he no longer had the power. At the very least, he could let Ada clean up her side. He'd even step down if that's what it took. A real official working for the people—no one fit that better than Nick Fury.
Ada Wong had become a legend. Every mission completed perfectly. And thanks to her central role in this power struggle, she kept rising. Now, if she managed to capture Madame Viper, that would be another big win. She'd probably be promoted past Nick soon. No one had ever climbed the ranks that fast.
Madame Viper saw Ada and still hadn't forgotten that mushroom cloud—the alien tech that got blown to pieces. So of course, when enemies meet, emotions ran hot. She lashed her whip at Ada's neck.
Ada let go and dropped from several meters in the air. She drew her pistol and fired at the approaching ninjas. Shoulder. Thigh. Each shot hit its mark.
Whoosh! Crack!
Madame Viper's whip snapped through the air, Midori and slick with corrosive poison. One touch and anything it hit would rot away.
Ada saw the poison on the whip squirming into the air, clawing and snapping like living things, lunging to devour anything nearby. She didn't hesitate. She dove behind a pillar and fired one curving bullet into the air.
Madame Viper watched in shock as a bullet curved out from behind the pillar. Her eyes widened, her heart skipped. That insane marksmanship again. Unbelievable trajectories. Last time, her entire squad had been wiped out in one shot. She had told them the bullet could curve, but no one believed her. Even she'd doubted herself, thinking maybe it was a hallucination. But no—it really was a horizontal arc traced by the bullet in midair. This wasn't an illusion.
Dodge! She ducked, but the ninja beside her took the hit instead. He hadn't expected a bullet to come from that direction. His face froze in shock as he went down.
As a transmigrator—and wife to another transmigrator—Ada had heard plenty of bizarre things from their conversations. It had opened her mind. Combined with her steadily growing strength, she wasn't content with ordinary combat. She began training her techniques toward the strange and the deceptive. That's how she learned gun kata and curving bullets.
With both pistols in hand, Ada put on a show. Bullets curved one after another around the pillar, flying out like they had eyes of their own.
Madame Viper was furious. She pressed a button on her whip. It shot out longer instantly. "Let's see you dodge this!" She aimed to wrap the pillar—and Ada—with it.
"Ah!"
Boom!
The whip coiled around the pillar. It corroded fast, breaking apart. "Die!" Madame Viper shouted.
But Ada had already ducked low when the whip came at her and avoided it entirely.
"Madame Viper, surrender," Ada said calmly. "You can't win."
"Aaaargh!" Madame Viper nearly lost her mind. Why was Ada so damn good? When the whip failed, she snatched a machine gun from one of her men and opened fire at the pillar in a blind rage. Debris flew everywhere.
Ada couldn't help but think, 'How classless can you get?' This tantrum was just embarrassing. "Madame Viper, try to maintain a bit of grace. You're making me feel insulted. Do none of my enemies have brains?"
"You—!" Madame Viper was fuming. The more composed Ada stayed, the angrier she got. She kept firing, but ammo runs out eventually.
Click. Empty.
Ada finally stepped out from behind the pillar. She raised her pistol. The distance between them was less than two meters. The barrel pointed straight at Madame Viper's forehead.
"You're under arrest."
Madame Viper's Midori lips twitched. She'd lost her cool—again. This was the second time Ada had caught her like this.
Two strong women facing off—it was beautiful and brutal. But in the end, evil never wins. Madame Viper dropped her weapon. Ada cuffed her. Still, Madame Viper couldn't help but say, "Don't forget—you're in Japan."
Heh. Ada smiled. 'So what if it's Japan?' That's exactly why they could move so freely here.
Yukio had been watching the whole time. She couldn't stop muttering, "Amazing, amazing." Her eyes sparkled.
Elsewhere, Wolverine and Captain America had teamed up. Cap's shield blocked the Silver Samurai's sword. Wolverine attacked relentlessly, finally killing the old man. Yukio's premonition had only delayed the death a bit—it still came true in the end.
"Collect everything and send it to S.H.I.E.L.D.," someone ordered. All this tech was from Hydra—extremely dangerous stuff.
Wolverine looked over at Captain America, confused. He had no idea why they'd shown up out of nowhere. But thanks to them, they'd won.
"Logan-san, are you okay?" Yukio asked, worried about her favorite uncle.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm okay too." Then she looked over at Ada, stars in her eyes. "So cool. How can a woman be that cool?" She was never one for dresses—always preferred weapons. And now, seeing Ada, she was completely starstruck. As for her grandfather's death, she hadn't felt much grief. Yashida had changed. He was nothing like the kind man she remembered. She just couldn't feel sad.