Chapter 206: The Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Boom!
The ground of the entire island city still roared with angry tremors.
Tens of thousands of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, intelligence officers, and factory workers who had not been struck down by the shockwaves fled in panic from the shattered headquarters and underground bases, pouring out into the open spaces.
Above their heads, three massive helicarriers split apart, fragments burning like blazing suns in the night sky. One after another, they broke apart completely and plummeted into the vast lake surrounding the island, sending waves several stories high surging outward.
This night was destined to be recorded in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s history—its greatest purge and transformation since its founding during World War II.
The earth rumbled. The skies burned.
S.H.I.E.L.D. shattered. The carriers destroyed.
Every agent who witnessed this scene would remember it vividly, even decades later.
At that moment—
On the only bridge connecting the city to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Xi Nian exhaled heavily, pulling back his hands and slowly standing tall again.
The bridge, built to military-grade wartime standards, was now covered in countless cracks. The steel reinforcements inside were twisted and shattered, the supports beneath ready to collapse at any moment under the returning floodwaters.
"Is it… over?"
Skye held Xiao Huang in her arms, her expression dazed as she watched the final burning fragments of the helicarriers vanish into the endless black lake.
To her, this event had seemed nearly impossible to deal with. Yet the boy beside her had ended it in less than ten minutes.
"The rotten S.H.I.E.L.D. could only be dealt with this way—shattered, then rebuilt. As for the remnants of Hydra outside headquarters, scattered across other branches and hidden corners of the world… you'll have to root them out slowly."
Xi Nian swayed slightly, even he felt lightheaded after channeling shockwaves at such high intensity for so long.
Skye quickly stepped forward and steadied him.
Catching his breath, Xi Nian looked out at the devastated ruins of headquarters.
It had looked easy. But the truth was—without his ability to merge with shockwaves and unleash precision strikes across such a wide area, and without the intel Alice had provided, the battle would have been far more troublesome.
And this also proved something else.
Before absolute power, schemes and conspiracies were nothing more than jokes.
Hydra was just a pack of rats hiding in the sewers of the world, cockroaches too disgusting for true superhumans to even bother stepping on. Yet they actually believed they could destroy the world and overturn an entire era.
Xi Nian could guarantee one thing.
Even if he had allowed the three helicarriers to launch, Hydra's Insight Program would never have succeeded. In mere minutes, they would've been destroyed or cast into space by beings far beyond Hydra's comprehension.
Still, Xi Nian had chosen to crush them with shockwaves for his own reasons.
"What I needed to do is already done. What you need to do… is just beginning." He turned to the cold, beautiful agent supporting him.
"I understand."
Skye drew in a deep breath, her eyes resolute. "This entire incident—Hydra's secrets and intel were intercepted by me, using my hacking skills. The quake that destroyed headquarters… was the result of my powers erupting out of control. As for you… after visiting S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, you had already returned to Washington alone."
"As long as you understand."
Xi Nian nodded. "After this incident, your name will become S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nightmare. The higher-ups and outside forces will put enormous pressure on you. But once you endure it, the credit for eradicating Hydra and stopping the Insight Program will all fall on you alone. Your prestige in S.H.I.E.L.D. will reach unmatched heights.
And when S.H.I.E.L.D. is reorganized—or if a new organization is formed—you will be the strongest candidate for Director.
This is both your trial and your opportunity. From here on, everything rests on your shoulders. I'll give you a list of Hydra operatives, but that's all."
His words were blunt and decisive. From the moment she had chosen to rely on him, he knew she had already accepted the burden.
"I know what I must do next."
Her expression was calm. Skye released her hold on him and handed Xiao Huang back into his arms. "Go. Soon, many people will arrive here."
"Alright. Goodbye."
Xi Nian nodded, turned with the little orange cat in his arms, and walked toward the city beyond the bridge, leaving Skye alone.
Just before he stepped off the bridge, her trembling voice called after him:
"Xi Nian. If one day, I ask for your help again… will you still come?"
Without stopping, Xi Nian and the cat disappeared into the night.
He left only one sentence behind:
"Of course. We're partners, aren't we?"
"Thank you, Xi Nian."
A faint smile tugged at Skye's lips before her face hardened once more. She clenched her fists tightly, and though nowhere near as powerful as Xi Nian had been, a shockwave still surged from her body.
Buzz—
Centered on her, a powerful wave of vibrations rippled outward, shattering the bridge completely and spreading destruction for kilometers.
She coughed up a mouthful of blood, crimson beading across her skin from the backlash. Her slender body collapsed with the falling bridge and plunged into the cold, dark waters below.
A loud splash followed.
And then—it sounded like someone else leapt into the lake after her.
…
Monday morning.
The sun was bright. Peace returned.
Washington, at a high school.
Spring had arrived in full. The campus was green and vibrant, students moving quickly as classes were about to begin.
In the lobby of the teaching building, the large screen played the morning news.
"Last night at 8:10 p.m., a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Brooklyn, New York. Fortunately, the epicenter was an industrial zone with no workers present at the time, resulting in no casualties…"
"Some locals claimed to have seen three white lights in the sky during the quake, suspecting another alien attack. Many wealthy residents fled New York overnight. Officials and the mayor have since denied the rumors…"
…
A black-haired boy walked lazily into the school building with two beautiful girls beside him. He glanced up at the screen briefly before yawning and looking away, uninterested.
"Senior looks so tired… what were you doing last night? You didn't sneak off to Gwen's house, did you?"
Kara leaned close to Gwen, teasing in a mock-warning tone. "We had an agreement. You're not allowed to cheat!"
"Kara! What are you saying? I did not!"
Gwen's face flushed red as she snapped back, then glanced at Xi Nian with a huff.
Xi Nian blinked at the two of them curiously.
When did they get this close…?
And what agreement did they make behind his back?
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