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"How did S.H.I.E.L.D. find this place so quickly? Was it Susan?"
Reed Richards' face changed drastically. He then pulled out the portable hard drive from the computer. It stored all his research data and related materials, which absolutely could not be left for S.H.I.E.L.D..
Then, without looking back, he rushed out of the wooden house and ran into the dark forest.
However, before he could run far, the sky echoed with the thunderous roar of helicopter rotors, and several searchlights accurately locked onto him.
"Dr. Reed, please stop where you are and don't run anymore… otherwise, we'll open fire!"
Several S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents quickly rappelled to the ground, then raised their specialized tranquilizer rifles and stun guns, pointing them at Reed Richards.
But how could Reed Richards let them dictate his actions? If he had been willing to compromise, he wouldn't have chosen to run away in the first place.
During his 'part-time' work at the PPDC Organization, he had already roughly understood from Stacker Pentecost's mouth how 'evil' S.H.I.E.L.D. was.
So, his brain naturally had a rebellious attitude towards this organization.
Whoosh—
His arm suddenly elongated, and he punched an Agent several meters away, knocking him down. Then, his body swayed like a spring, successfully dodging several tranquilizer darts flying towards him, and then rushed in front of another Agent, quickly knocking him unconscious.
He then used the surrounding trees as cover, dodging attacks while using his extendable limbs to deal with the remaining Agents.
Boom—
But just as he knocked out the last Agent, a colossal figure suddenly descended from above, landing in front of him.
It was none other than Thing, Ben Grimm.
"Reed, so you've been hiding here all this time? You've really made me search hard, haven't you?"
"Ben, wait, let me explain!"
Seeing Ben Grimm approaching aggressively, Reed Richards realized that the other party must have misunderstood him, so he tried to explain while backing away:
"I know you're very angry now. What happened to us is a disaster, both for you and for all of us… And it's all my fault. But I've already found a way to make amends… Ben, I promise you, I will definitely cure us this time. Please, just trust me one more time?"
However, before he could finish speaking, Ben Grimm headbutted him directly, knocking him unconscious. "No, you can't do it. You always just make Things worse… Besides, I've long stopped believing your nonsense. You're the one who turned me into this monstrous state."
...…
…
S.H.I.E.L.D..
Inside a certain interrogation room.
Susan Stone pushed the door open and walked in, smiling sweetly, "Hey, Reed, we meet again."
Reed Richards, whose entire body was controlled by a special node device capable of suppressing superpowers, slowly turned his head to look at her, asking with a complex expression:
"Susan, you helped them find me, didn't you?"
"Sorry, but I had no choice!"
Susan Stone walked to the interrogation table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, staring into his eyes as she said:
"Reed, don't worry, S.H.I.E.L.D. just wants you to help calibrate the orbital algorithm of their spacecraft…
And Director Nick Fury has already agreed that as long as we help S.H.I.E.L.D. complete a certain number of missions afterwards, he will let us go."
"Susan, you're thinking too simply."
Reed Richards clearly disagreed with what she had just said, frowning and retorting, "Do you really think S.H.I.E.L.D. will keep its promise? Haven't you seen how they're using Ben?"
Susan Stone fell silent upon hearing this. In fact, she had long guessed that Nick Fury's promise was probably just an excuse.
After all, the last time they dealt with the Ten Rings Gang, she had already fully recognized the true face of that black man.
But seeing clearly is one Thing; wanting to escape is another.
Susan Stone knew very well that with her strength, she was powerless to contend with a massive organization like S.H.I.E.L.D..
So, besides compromising, what else could she do?
"Yes, you're right, but if we don't do it, they'll do the same Thing to Jonathan…"
To complete the persuasion task given by Nick Fury, Susan Stone had no choice but to put on a pitiful expression and start playing the emotional card.
"Reed, you are my only hope now… Please, help me. Don't let Jonathan become their pawn too, okay?"
Facing the desperate plea of his former goddess, even though Reed Richards knew this was a 'honey trap' specially set for him by S.H.I.E.L.D., he could only bite the bullet and walk into it.
He said, feigning casualness, "Susan, have you ever thought about what our lives would be like now if we hadn't gone to space that day?"
Susan Stone lowered her eyes slightly, her voice soft yet full of helplessness, "Reed, there are no 'ifs.' No matter how smart your mind is, you can't change the past. The only Thing we can do now… is to work hard to change the future!"
"I still remember you once said that you hoped all your efforts would bear fruit… Now is the chance. As long as you can help S.H.I.E.L.D. send their space shuttle into space, they can find that Symbiote Planet, bring back more Alien Symbiotes from there, study them, use them, and prevent more disasters from happening… And at the same time, you can help me protect Jonathan!!"
At the end, Susan Stone directly grabbed his hand and looked at him affectionately. What else could a single-minded engineer like Reed Richards say?
Of course, he chose to agree unconditionally.
So, he was then led by Susan Stone to a data center, where Nick Fury had been waiting early. Upon seeing Reed Richards, he said with a smile:
"Welcome, Dr. Reed! I believe with the help of your brilliant mind, S.H.I.E.L.D. will soon usher in a brand new second spring!"
"I'm sorry, Director, but I only agreed to help Susan with a favor. I have no intention of joining S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Reed Richards refused mercilessly, "However, I hope you, Director, will keep your word afterwards and grant us our freedom!"
The smile on Nick Fury's face immediately stiffened.
You brat, I think you're truly ungrateful, aren't you?
You think you can run after entering my S.H.I.E.L.D.?
No way, just watch me deal with you!
However, considering Reed Richards' immense value in the field of scientific research, Nick Fury suppressed his anger and nodded slightly to Maria Hill beside him, signaling her to begin.
So, under Maria Hill's guidance, Reed Richards sat down in front of a computer. Looking at the orbital calculation data of a certain space shuttle displayed on the monitor, he frowned and said, "I need half an hour… no, fifteen minutes."
"Hmm?"
Nick Fury was slightly startled and instinctively asked, "Do you need some preparation time?"
"No, I mean… I will use this time to make appropriate adjustments to the incorrect source code appearing in here."
Reed Richards pointed at the computer expressionlessly and said, "Some of your steps are ridiculously wrong. If you launch the spacecraft with these calculation data, not only will you not reach the target Planet, but you will also fail the mission midway due to energy reserve issues and the gravitational pull of the neighboring Planet!"
"Is it really as serious as you say?"
Nick Fury raised an eyebrow and asked with a look of suspicion, "You just glanced at it, and you already spotted so many problems?"
You little rascal, are you trying to fool me?
My people have been working overtime for months and couldn't figure out the data, and you just casually glanced at it and found a bunch of problems?
Are you trying to play me?
"Believe it or not, it probably won't take more than fifteen minutes to complete."
Reed Richards ignored Nick Fury's questioning and immediately buried himself in work in front of the computer.
Since he had promised his old flame, he would not go back on his word.
What else could Nick Fury say?
Of course, he could only wait with a smile.
Good job, kid, I'll give you full marks for that swagger!
Seeing that Reed Richards had entered his working state, Susan Stone quietly withdrew from the data center and went to another laboratory.
The staff inside were conducting a new round of tests on Human Torch, Jonathan Stone's flame-releasing ability.
"Can I talk to my brother for a couple of minutes?"
Susan Stone found the person in charge of the laboratory and asked quietly.
"Of course, no problem."
The bald-headed person in charge nodded readily, then said into his communicator, "Everyone, take a break. The experiment will continue in five minutes."
"What's wrong, Susan?"
Jonathan Stone asked, somewhat puzzled, when he saw his older sister walk in.
"They found Reed."
Susan Stone said with a somewhat complex expression, "To be precise, I helped them find Reed… And the reason I did that was all for you."
"For me?"
Jonathan Stone looked at his older sister. Seeing that she didn't seem to be joking, he couldn't help but complain:
"Come on, Susan, you're my sister, but you're not my mother, so can you please stop treating me like a child?"
"No problem, but first, you need to act like an adult."
Susan Stone reprimanded him mercilessly, "Last time, when dealing with members of the Ten Rings Gang in Miami, you almost got into an accident due to your recklessness…
And then, during the rescue of the President, you were even caught directly by the enemy and almost lost your life because of it."
"If those people from the Hyperspace Group hadn't appeared in time, your grave might already be overgrown with grass by now. But why do you just never learn?"
"Don't hit someone in the face, don't expose someone's shortcomings when scolding them, Susan, what you just said was a bit too much!"
Jonathan Stone retorted indignantly, "That was just a momentary mistake, and now, S.H.I.E.L.D. is preparing to tailor a training method just for me… Once I learn it, that kind of situation will never happen again!"
"Jonathan, don't be silly. Do you really think the people from S.H.I.E.L.D. genuinely want to help you improve your abilities?"
Seeing that her brother was still stubborn, Susan Stone couldn't help but earnestly persuade him, "They're just using you as a pawn for charging into battle…"
But before she could finish speaking, Jonathan Stone angrily interrupted, "Enough, Susan! I remember you always used to encourage me, saying I had the potential to do great Things. Look, that's what I'm doing now!!"
"I firmly believe that God giving me superpowers was definitely not an accident, but for a reason…"
Jonathan Stone said narcissistically, "That is, I was born to be a superhero."
Susan Stone was almost exploding with anger at her stupid brother. Do you even hear what you're saying?
You were born to be a superhero?
My God, you can't even beat those Fire Lizard Warriors from the Ten Rings Gang, and you still want to be a superhero?
But she also understood that her brother must have been brainwashed by that one-eyed old schemer, Nick Fury, which was why he was so stubbornly determined to be this so-called superhero.
So, she had no choice but to patiently continue persuading him, "Jonathan, you don't understand what S.H.I.E.L.D. intends to do to you. Developing your superpowers is actually not a good Thing…"
"No, you're wrong."
Jonathan Stone, as if completely brainwashed by a pyramid scheme, stubbornly argued, "It's not what S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to do to me, but rather I am working with them, because… I am now a member of the New Avengers Alliance."
"It won't be long before I can replace Iron Man and Thor, becoming the most popular Avenger!!"
"So, big sister, you don't need to persuade me anymore. I'm an adult, and I have the right to choose my own life!!"
A few minutes later, Susan Stone returned to the data center with a dejected expression. By then, Reed Richards had already completed the orbital algorithm calibration.
The grim expression on Nick Fury's face finally broke into a satisfied smile. He immediately ordered, "Hill, immediately notify Eddie Brock that all pre-flight preparations are complete. Tomorrow morning, he will board the 'Explorer' with three other astronauts and head to the target Planet…"
"Yes, Officer." Maria Hill immediately turned and left.
Nick Fury quietly clenched his fists, constantly shouting in his heart, "Karl Merks, just you wait and see. This time, I will personally turn the tables!!"