Yondu?
Nolan froze when he heard the name.
Yondu was not someone you casually crossed.
Of course, anyone who dealt in weapons was already a dangerous client by default. None of them were the kind you could afford to offend.
Even so, the name Yondu still managed to catch Nolan completely off guard.
Yondu was the leader of a band of Ravagers. He also carried another identity: the adoptive father of Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord.
You could say Yondu walked the line between good and evil.
Whatever his moral stance, at least one thing about him was unquestionable: his strength.
His signature weapon was a whistling arrow. It looked ordinary, almost unimpressive, yet it had taken more lives than anyone could count.
Yondu's Ravagers were feared across the entire galaxy.
Nolan glanced at Loki with an odd expression.
"I'm curious. How exactly did you end up dealing with Yondu? If I'm not mistaken, he is a Ravager."
"That is not important."
Loki's lips twitched as he recalled the first time he met Yondu.
Back then, he had been extremely confident in his own power.
A ragtag group of space pirates daring to challenge Loki the God of Mischief? They were three thousand years too early.
So naturally, he fought them head-on.
At first, everything went smoothly.
Then Yondu showed up, and the situation changed instantly.
With just a sharp whistle, that arrow of his became a deadly blur. Even Loki himself almost lost his life several times. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender.
It was humiliating.
After having all of his belongings confiscated, Loki still had to talk his way into keeping his life.
Then he suddenly realized something.
"Wait. How do you even know who Yondu is?"
Someone even he had barely heard of, yet this Earthling, Nolan Locke, somehow knew his name?
Nolan simply smiled and did not answer.
Loki sighed helplessly.
"In short, that Ravager leader is very interested in the products of Locke Technologies. They are preparing for a war and need a large quantity of weapons."
As soon as Loki finished speaking, Nolan understood.
This was his chance to finally step into the greater universe.
Thor had only purchased equipment for Asgard's immediate needs. That hardly helped Nolan expand his market.
But this time, Nolan knew the moment Yondu bought his combat robots, Locke Technologies would enter the interstellar market.
The future would be limitless.
The system required technology points to purchase advanced blueprints, and those points were tied to monetary value. It did not matter if the payment was dollars or other currencies; everything could be converted.
Nolan did not fully understand how the system evaluated worth, but at least Earth and Asgard's currencies were both valid.
Once Yondu made his purchase, the value of the company would ignite across the cosmos.
"How does he want to handle the transaction?" Nolan asked.
Loki replied, "You need to meet him in person. This is Asgard's territory. Even Yondu would not dare walk in here uninvited."
Loki was looking rather pleased with himself as he said that.
"All right. I will head to the Ravagers. But if I am meeting Yondu, I need to prepare. By the way, you have a spaceship, right?"
"Of course."
Distances in space were unimaginable. Without a ship capable of dimensional jumps, even a thousand years might not be enough to reach the Ravagers' base.
"Good. We leave in one week."
Nolan smiled.
His plans had shifted slightly.
Looks like the preparations he made earlier needed some adjustments.
After Loki left, Nolan picked up the phone.
"Director Fury, I need funding to keep the company running."
On the other end, Nick Fury frowned.
"We just transferred seventy billion to you."
Nolan sighed helplessly.
"I know, but I really have a problem here. Thanks to the recent S.H.I.E.L.D. incident, global development is slowing down. Do not tell me S.H.I.E.L.D. expects Locke Technologies to shoulder the consequences."
Fury actually did want Locke Technologies to shoulder them.
But after a moment of consideration, he exhaled.
"How much?"
"Twenty billion."
"Are you out of your mind?"
Fury exploded immediately.
Nolan remained impassive.
He was getting that money today, one way or another.
Without it, he would not dare leave Earth.
"That is impossible. The most I can give you is ten billion."
"Fifteen. That is my bottom line."
Fury went silent, calculating how much S.H.I.E.L.D. needed for its own operations.
"Fine. I will transfer it within half a month."
"One week at most. I need it urgently."
"...Understood. I will try."
Fury did not argue further. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had to spend the money anyway, better to keep things civil.
Nolan rubbed his forehead.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would not be able to cover everything. He needed another approach.
He dialed another number.
"Tony, I need fifty billion."
"All right. It will be in your account within an hour."
Tony Stark's answer was crisp and clean.
Hearing how casual he sounded, Nolan felt a sting of envy.
If he did not have the system dragging his finances dry, maybe he too could be carefree like that.
On paper, he was worth hundreds of billions.
In reality, he was constantly broke.
Heaven must have taken pity on him.
Otherwise, why would a system choose someone like him?
He deserved it. He truly did.
After this small moment of self-praise, Nolan finally relaxed.
It was settled.
"Red Queen, how is the Hydra operation progressing?"
The AI projection appeared.
"By tracking Madame Viper and various subtargets, we have identified thirty-one Hydra bases worldwide. Twenty-seven are domestic, four abroad. We can strike at any time."
"Then begin."
Nolan's gaze turned cold.
There might still be Hydra elements hiding deeper underground, but he was done waiting. It was time to close the net.
"Understood. Initiating Hunter Protocol."
In the next instant, deep in the Hive, rows of T-1000 units opened their eyes.
A passage to the underground deployment tunnels unlocked.
Thirty-one bases. The sweep would begin with those closest.
Meanwhile, a large aircraft landed at New York Airport.
From it stepped a man who looked... flamboyant.
His hands were covered in rings. Dozens of them, glowing with wealth.
There were many rich people in the world, but few flaunted it so shamelessly.
As soon as he stepped off the plane, several subordinates approached and bowed respectfully.
"Leader."
"Where is Nolan Locke?"
"He has been staying inside his base in the suburbs. He has not left for three days."
The man's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Kill him. I do not want him to see the sunrise."
"Yes, Leader."
His followers nodded without hesitation. Their eyes were burning with fanatic devotion.
Nolan Locke was dangerous, yes.
But their leader was the Mandarin, wielder of ten powerful rings.
Anyone who crossed him, even a so-called hero, had only one fate.
The Mandarin entered the Ten Rings headquarters.
Hundreds of members filled the hall, each armed, each fierce, each carrying an air of madness.
Beside them stood numerous NS5 units and even T-800 terminators.
The T-1000 was far beyond their reach, but the T-800 alone was proof of their resources.
They were all waiting eagerly.
Waiting to see Nolan Locke's expression when Locke Technologies was destroyed.
The Mandarin stepped onto the platform.
"Everyone. Our holy war has begun. The Ten Rings does not fear anything.
Killian once served us well and contributed much to our cause.
But he died here, without justice.
And the man who killed him walks around as a hero.
This is an insult.
Tonight, we will wash that insult away."
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The roar echoed across the empty district.
"Tonight, Nolan Locke dies."
The Mandarin smirked and stroked his ten glowing rings.
Each one held immense power.
With them, he would spread fear across New York City.
Night fell.
The entire Hive seemed swallowed in darkness.
Only scattered lights showed that the massive facility was still occupied.
Nolan sat in his office.
Sharon Carter stood quietly beside him.
Nick Fury was quick to act. The moment he learned Nolan was back, he sent Sharon over immediately.
"I am about to be a real agent soon," Sharon grumbled.
Nolan glanced at her.
"A real agent?
So you are not one right now?"
Sharon rolled her eyes.
"Boss, where have you been for the past six months?"
"Fury should know. A very extraordinary place," Nolan replied.
"I want to know what kind of place it was."
"That cannot be disclosed."
Nolan shut her down instantly.
At that moment, the Red Queen appeared again.
"Sir, I detect a large number of humans outside. Identities unknown. Should we engage?"
Nolan paused.
Someone was attacking the Hive?
"Activate our defenses. Do not fire unless their hostility is confirmed."
He stood and looked out the window.
The night sky revealed nothing.
But he trusted the Red Queen.
This was the calm before the storm.
Tonight would be sleepless.
Troublesome indeed.