[God-Level Role-Playing System]
Name: Kai
Role-Playing Template: Kyogoku Makoto (92.5%)!
Second Template: Borsalino (47%) — unlocks the third template at 80%!
Abilities: Monster Physique, World-Class Karate, Armament Haki, Pikachu Fruit (Unawakened), Navy Six Styles...
Closing the system panel, Kai stretched lazily on the sofa.
The gemstone-inlaid ring on his left hand shimmered, and the water cup in front of him instantly exploded into a swirl of floating petals.
With a casual thought, the petals merged back into a cup, perfectly intact.
This was the power of the Reality Stone, something Kai had been learning to control ever since he returned to Earth from Asgard more than half a month ago.
Of course, that power was far from fully mastered. The ring itself couldn't completely handle the Reality Stone's energy.
If he overused it, there was a good chance the ring—and possibly his hand—would be obliterated from the backlash.
Still, the Reality Stone had proven useful in enhancing his Borsalino role-play degree.
Since obtaining it, his rate had doubled—from 0.1% to 0.2% per day.
During battle, when he fully synchronized with Kizaru's character, the gain doubled again.
That's how he'd jumped from 43% to 47% in just over two weeks!
Well, that and the "ether particles" he'd absorbed during his little Asgard vacation brawl with Malekith. That alone bumped him up 1%.
Kai stretched and sighed.
Vacation was over.
Since his trip to Asgard, Coulson's team had been deployed to the Middle East after some kind of extraordinary discovery.
With them gone, Kai had been coasting at Stark Industries, doing basically nothing for weeks.
But with the team due to return soon, Tony would definitely put everyone back to work.
He glanced at the calendar.
Three days until Spring Festival.
Not that anyone here cared, except the folks in Chinatown.
Still, he was free, so why not celebrate?
Hopping into the limited-edition sports car Tony Stark had given him, Kai headed out for a shopping spree.
He loaded the trunk full of supplies, ready to head home—
—until he noticed people running frantically in the opposite direction.
A street away, gunfire and explosions echoed through the city.
Kai frowned, shut his car door, and vanished—his body turning into light.
Chaos on the Overpass
"Da-da-da-da!"
"Boom!"
Gunfire and grenade blasts tore through the street. Luxury cars burned, their twisted frames smoldering wreckage.
A group of heavily armed mercenaries fired wildly toward a stone pillar beneath the overpass.
Behind that pillar, Steve Rogers crouched with his shield raised. Natasha Romanoff knelt beside him, pistol ready.
"Where the hell did these guys come from?" Steve muttered, keeping his voice low.
"No idea," Natasha replied sharply. "But ever since Nick Fury died, you and I have been branded wanted criminals by S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Now every snake that's been hiding in the dark thinks it's open season on us."
Steve gritted his teeth. "We can't stay here. The pillar's not gonna last. I'll draw their fire to the left—break out from the right."
Natasha gave him a look. "Be careful. These guys aren't amateurs."
Before he could respond, a familiar, lazy voice drifted down from above.
"Oh my, is this the famous Captain America and Black Widow? You two look terrible..."
A streak of golden light flashed—and Kai appeared in his yellow-striped suit, grinning.
"Kai!" Natasha's eyes lit up. Steve's face relaxed in relief.
"Hey," Kai said casually, cracking his knuckles. "Let me clean up this trash first, then we can catch up."
His body turned to light, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the overpass.
"Flash!"
"Damn it—it's Flash! Kill him!"
The mercenaries immediately redirected their guns toward him, unleashing a storm of bullets.
"Da-da-da-da!"
"Bang!"
Kai smirked. "Oh my, what a warm welcome! You guys are so enthusiastic."
The bullets passed harmlessly through his elemental body.
In an instant, he blurred forward, his fingertips flashing as he cut through them like lightning—swift, merciless, efficient.
Within moments, the gunfire ceased. Screams replaced it.
From below, Steve and Natasha stepped out cautiously.
The men who'd been firing seconds ago were now lying motionless across the overpass.
Natasha shot Steve a look. "Told you. If another Avenger were here, we wouldn't be crawling under bridges."
Steve exhaled. "We can't involve them. S.H.I.E.L.D. hid Fury's death—even Tony doesn't know. The others shouldn't be dragged into this."
Natasha frowned. "And yet someone knew enough to send a hit squad after us. You think that's a coincidence?"
Steve didn't answer. S.H.I.E.L.D. had changed—and not for the better.
But Kai saving them meant one thing: he was now part of this mess, too.
Back at Kai's Apartment
"What the hell happened?" Kai asked, setting sandwiches on the table. "I've been at Stark Industries for two weeks and heard nothing."
Natasha, toweling her hair after a shower, sat down.
"Nick Fury's dead," she said flatly. "Now Steve and I are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most wanted."
Kai blinked. "Fury's dead? Already?"
The Captain America: The Winter Soldier plot was starting early. He hadn't expected that.
"Remember that valley base where your team and Coulson got attacked?" Natasha asked.
"Yeah."
"Fury got a name out of that mess—classified it top-secret. He's been investigating ever since. Even faked a pirate attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. freighter to recover encrypted data."
Steve continued, "Fury came to me, wounded, said S.H.I.E.L.D. had been compromised. He gave me this."
He placed a USB drive on the table.
"The next day, he was assassinated."
Kai sighed, leaning back. "Great. So Hydra decided to start their movie early because of me."
Steve nodded grimly. "After Fury's death, Alexander Pierce questioned me. I told him Fury's last words were 'don't trust anyone.' I didn't mention the drive. Hours later, I was a wanted man."
Natasha added, "That means someone high up in S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't want this truth coming out."
Kai smirked. "So basically, you two have no idea who the enemy is, or what's in that drive. Just that you're both wanted."
Natasha gave him a sharp look. "Pretty much."
Kai shrugged. "Then we charge into S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, arrest Pierce, and—"
"It's not that simple, Kai," Natasha interrupted. "Pierce was Fury's friend. And we can't risk chaos in S.H.I.E.L.D. It would shake the entire world."
"So the plan," Kai summarized, "is that you have no plan."
"Pretty much," Steve said with a faint smile.
Kai stood, grabbed his laptop, and dropped it on the table.
"All right. Since we fought together in New York, I'll help. But I'm probably getting fired for skipping work."
Steve gave him a serious look. "If you help us, S.H.I.E.L.D. will want you too."
Kai sighed. "Would it help if I said I don't want to?"
Natasha smirked. "Sorry, too late. You saved us. Congratulations—you're wanted now."
"Fantastic," Kai muttered. "Guess I'll have to call Tony. If he finds out I'm missing work because I'm wanted, he might still dock my salary. Capitalist bastard."
Natasha grabbed his wrist. "No! Don't call him. S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't told Tony about this. They're afraid the other Avengers will get involved."
"If they do, Hydra's plan falls apart. So for now, no calls, no contact. Not with Tony, not with anyone."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let's just hack the damn USB drive."
He glanced out the window—and froze.
Bright skies. Fighter jets in the air. Armored troops below.
"Natasha, Steve," he said calmly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. just showed up."
They both stood instantly. Natasha clutched the drive and laptop.
"I knew it," she muttered. "Kai, they've marked you as wanted too."
Steve gripped his shield. "We'll hold them off while Natasha escapes. And Kai—don't kill them. Some might just be following orders."
Kai sighed. "No need for all that."
He lifted his hand. The Reality Stone gleamed dark red.
In an instant, the soldiers, vehicles, and even the helicopters morphed into ribbons of light, scattering into the air.
Steve and Natasha stared in stunned silence.
"Relax," Kai said casually. "They'll revert once we're gone. Let's move."
He waved again, and the wall twisted and warped into an open passage.
Steve and Natasha followed, wordless.
It seemed Kai's powers had grown… unsettlingly strong.
As they left, the world snapped back to normal.
Walls restored. Soldiers reappeared, shaken but alive.
One of them looked around in panic. "Captain, what the hell just happened to us?!"
Rumlow—Crossbones—scowled, flexing his restored hands.
"Hell if I know," he growled. "But we're reporting this to Pierce. Flash not someone we can handle."
Later…
Ten minutes later, the trio sat disguised on a park bench.
Natasha held the USB drive. "This thing has a level-six trace system," she said. "If we access it through S.H.I.E.L.D., they'll locate us instantly."
"Kai, get us a car," she added. "Meet us on the next street in nine minutes. And when we're done with this laptop—"
She smirked faintly. "—I'll make sure it disappears."
"It's up to you. Just return me a new laptop when the time comes!"
Hearing Natasha Romanoff say that, Kai stood and walked across the street.
Steve Rogers watched Kai leave and asked Natasha, "How long will it take you?"
"About nine minutes." Natasha plugged the USB drive into the laptop and began decrypting.
Ten minutes later.
Steve—playing the part of a couple with Natasha to avoid suspicion—walked to the intersection and spotted Kai lounging in the back seat of an SUV, leisurely peeling and eating an orange.
Seeing Kai had fixed the car, Steve and Natasha climbed in and they drove away.
On the road.
"Kai, where did you get this car? If it's borrowed, we should be careful and return it afterwards!" Steve said, glancing at Kai through the rearview mirror.
"Drive with confidence. Even if you crash, you don't have to worry," Kai replied, kicking back and continuing to snack.
"I bought it from the owner for $100,000. I'll need you to pay me back tenfold after this is over!" Kai added, nonchalant.
Sitting in the back, Kai munched on oranges and casually checked the system prompt.
Borsalino's role performance +0.2%.
He smiled. Only 2.8% left until 50% role-play—nice.
As dusk fell, they finally arrived at Camp Wetton Leeha in New Jersey.
Steve stepped out and stared at the abandoned camp, memories reflected in his eyes. "That's where I came from."
Opening the locked iron gate, Steve led them into the deserted compound. In the dim light he could see the echoes of his younger self—training among men who towered over him.
"No thermal imaging, no signals, not even radio waves," Kai observed, scanning the area.
"Steve, why do you think the USB contents pointed us here?" Natasha asked, reaching out for an orange from Kai's hand.
Kai tossed her the orange and answered, "I suspect our investigation points in the wrong direction."
Steve looked around and noticed a structure that looked like an underground ammunition depot. He moved toward it and frowned at the locked door.
"By regulation, ammunition shouldn't be stored within 500 yards of the barracks. This doesn't make sense."
Kai stretched a hand; his fingertips flashed and the chain snapped. They pushed the door open and entered.
The so-called warehouse was far larger than it appeared from outside. Kai flipped the light switch, and the power came on—old monitors and vintage computer towers whirred to life.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D. — or the place where S.H.I.E.L.D. used to operate," Kai said, pointing to a faded SHIELD emblem on the wall. "So yeah. Trap."
"Also, it's almost time to get off work," Kai added casually. "For the sake of our friendship, I'll double the overtime pay. No problem."
Natasha shrugged. "We don't have money to pay double overtime, Kai—"
"No." Kai cut her off, suddenly serious. "You don't have to pay. As long as you agree to this, someone will cover my salary."
Steve and Natasha exchanged confused glances. They had no idea who Kai meant, but since it wasn't their problem, they agreed.
They walked down the corridor and found a hidden elevator behind an iron rack. Natasha scanned the panel and entered the security code. The elevator descended.
"Kai, what do you need so much money for? You don't seem like a greedy person," Natasha asked while the elevator hummed.
Steve listened, curious. Since the Battle of New York, he'd come to respect Kai—competent, loyal, and not the kind to run away when things got dangerous.
Even if Kai slacked off at Stark Industries, he was responsible where it counted.
Kai shrugged. "You know? I'll be nineteen after this year. Time to find a girlfriend."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with money?"
"You need a place to live if you have a girlfriend," Kai explained.
"I've got my eye on a Manhattan mansion. Price? Two hundred million dollars. A little out of reach for my current salary."
He grinned. "Also—three days until the Spring Festival in China. And here I am, helping you get hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Isn't that wonderful? Five times overtime is fair. Otherwise you're exploiting a poor worker."
They laughed—briefly—before the elevator doors opened onto a room full of ancient computer rigs and dust-coated monitors.
"Very good. It seems someone agreed to our terms," Kai quipped.
Natasha moved forward and found a modern converter beside a battered monitor.
She inserted the USB drive. One by one, the old machines booted up. Dusty cameras pivoted, focusing on them.
A mechanical voice crackled: "Steve Rogers, born 1918. Natasha Alenova Romanoff, born 1984. Kai—"
The machine paused. "Why aren't you speaking?" Natasha asked.
Kai stepped forward and smiled. "I'm eighteen this year, and I'll be nineteen after Chinese New Year. Want me to help you calculate my birth year?" he said, joking.
The mechanical voice resumed. "This is a video." It continued in a cold monotone: "Kai's file was classified top secret by Nick Fury. Even within official superhero files, little information exists about Kai's identity."
A picture flickered on the monitor: Dr. Arnim Zola.
"As for me," the voice intoned, "I am not the man Captain America once faced in 1945."
Images of Zola's warped, mechanical visage filled the screen. "Arnim Zola—once a scientist of Hydra—has been preserved. When medicine could not save my body, science saved my mind."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Kai snapped.
"Just tell us the useful information," Steve demanded, stepping forward.
Zola's voice continued, emotionless: "Hydra's plans never truly died. Where one head is cut off, two more grow. I succeeded in what I could not finish in Hydra."
The screen played footage of Project Paperclip-style schematics and a timeline: Howard Stark's death by car accident. Nick Fury's assassination.
"Captain America, you lost," the voice said. "Your loss may be meaningless."
Steve clenched his fists. "What's inside the USB drive?"
"Project Insight," Zola replied. "An algorithm I wrote. What it does—you may not have the chance to discover. You are about to die."
At that moment, the iron door behind them began closing. Natasha's phone started ringing alarms.
She checked it and shouted, "Missiles are incoming! They're close—we have at most thirty seconds!"
"Now we know almost everything. Kai, get us out of here!" Natasha ordered.
Kai grinned. "Delaying missile launches? Good plan. But you made a mistake underestimating me."
He grabbed Steve and Natasha, then glanced at the console. "Missiles? That's it? You don't take me seriously."
The Reality Gem on Kai's ring gleamed. The underground bunker twisted, warped, and opened into a passage. Kai, Steve, and Natasha vanished.
Ten seconds later, a series of violent explosions rocked the distance.
Five kilometers away, Camp Wetton Leeha erupted into flame under missile strikes.
Steve stood frozen for a moment, shield in hand. "Who in S.H.I.E.L.D. can launch missiles inside the United States?"
"Alexander Pierce," Natasha answered flatly. "Dr. Zola told us enough. Hydra's the infiltrating force, and Pierce is connected to Insight."
Kai split an orange in half and handed pieces to Steve and Natasha. "Then let's go take care of Pierce."
"I agree," Steve said, eyes hard. "But first we need to find out what Project Insight is—and how to stop it."
"And where are we staying tonight?" Natasha asked dryly, glancing at Kai.
Early morning in Washington. Inside Sam Wilson's apartment.
Sam arrived with breakfast and found Kai writing something with a pen on a sheet of paper.
"What are you keeping notes of?" Sam asked, setting a plate down with a smile.
"Keeping the accounts," Kai said. "We need a clear record of rescue expenses. It's reimbursable—large sums."
Sam smiled. Natasha, clean and composed, sat beside Kai. "Sam, thank you for taking us in. With S.H.I.E.L.D. after us, we needed a safe place to plan."
"No one from the military would refuse to help Captain America," Sam said.
Steve emerged from the bathroom and apologized, "Sam, I'm sorry to drag you into this. We'll leave once we've planned."
Sam waved him off. "Captain Rogers—actually, I'd like to apply to join your effort. Here's my résumé."
Natasha leafed through Sam's info. "Is this Balaam? Did you take part in the Khalid Kandir mission? There were rockets there—what equipment did you use?"
Sam handed over details of his Falcon suit and gear.
Steve glanced at Kai and said, "Sorry, Sam. I can't let you get involved. We're facing S.H.I.E.L.D. We might lose—or worse. You've already helped by letting us hide."
Sam didn't hesitate. "Captain Rogers, I'm in. If you need help, I'm here."
Natasha nodded. Steve turned to Kai. "Kai—what do you think?"
Kai shrugged. "Wondering if reimbursement doubles."
Steve laughed weakly. "Thank you, Sam. Where can I get the equipment you mentioned?"
Sam explained, "The last set is at Fort Meade Security Building, behind three protective doors and a twelve-inch reinforced steel wall."
"Kai?" Steve asked.
"No problem," Kai said, wiping crumbs from his mouth. "Fort Meade is small potatoes."
After Sam officially joined, they discussed the plan over breakfast.
"What Kai said is right. Pierce is tied to Hydra, so he's a target," Steve conceded. "But if we try to capture Pierce and fail, Hydra might trigger Project Insight."
"So first, we figure out Project Insight—and then stop it."
Natasha added, "Fury got the USB contents from Lemuria. Jasper Sitwell was there too. Sitwell must know something."
"Then we lock the target on Sitwell," Steve decided.
"Let's split up. Sam, Natasha, and I will capture Sitwell and force him to talk. Kai—" Steve looked Kai's way. "Kai, go to Fort Meade and get that equipment Sam mentioned."
"Got it!" Kai replied without hesitation.
After breakfast, they moved out.
Fort Meade, Maryland—headquarters of the National Security Agency. Tight security, sentry posts every few steps, and satellite surveillance everywhere.
For Kai, breaking in posed no technical obstacle. Chaos, though, was inevitable afterward—but that was the plan.
Kai stared at the Security Bureau building, then activated the Reality Gem.
A wave of reality-bending energy enveloped the compound. Monitors and lights fused and then shattered. Alarms began to blare. The busy security center dissolved into controlled chaos in an instant.
Kai smirked. The game had begun.
...
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