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"Motherf*cker! Useless! What a bunch of useless trash!"
Nick Fury was enraged by the news, slamming the table and letting loose a torrent of abuse over the phone.
"What do S.H.I.E.L.D. spend money on you researchers for? You can't even do such an important experiment properly… Don't you understand the importance of these Symbiotes to my upcoming plans and strategic layout?"
The project leader on the other end of the line didn't dare to breathe, silently listening to Nick Fury's emotional outburst.
After a long while of scolding, Nick Fury finally calmed himself down. Considering the 'rarity' of Symbiotes at this stage, he immediately ordered:
"Temporarily cease all Symbiote splitting experiments. We'll resume them when a new batch of Symbiotes is captured."
Currently, for Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., the most important project was the Titan Hunter Mecha Project, which he had high hopes for.
The 12 Symbiotes captured by Eddie Brock, paired up, could perfectly match the Hunter Mecha in the future.
In his grand blueprint, every single Symbiote at this stage was an indispensable, crucial cog.
Therefore, even the loss of a single Symbiote now would inevitably lead to a Titan Hunter Mecha being unable to be officially deployed due to a missing pilot.
This would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to S.H.I.E.L.D.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the PPDC Organization had spent hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars to purchase the complete remains of six Titans, including Ghidorah and the MUTO that was accidentally damaged in battle, from the Hyperspace Group.
This investment of funds had almost drained the PPDC Organization and Nick Fury's personal coffers, as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s accounts had little money left…
So at this moment, Nick Fury had a string pulled tight in his heart, absolutely not allowing any mishaps with these Symbiotes!
"Phew…"
After hanging up the phone, Nick Fury leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted. The wide chair seemed unable to bear the pressure on him, creaking slightly.
He kept rubbing his temples with his hand, his brow furrowed into a deep 'Sichuan' character.
Alas, the baby's heart is bitter, but the baby can't say it!
In his eyes, the vast S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a pile of loose sand; there was no one who could help him share the heavy burden!
They were truly a bunch of useless good-for-nothings.
Indeed, the heavy responsibility of saving Earth could only be borne by himself…
However, what Nick Fury didn't know was that it wasn't that the 12 Symbiotes Eddie Brock handed over lacked the ability to split.
It was because the Symbiote God, Knull, in order to better control Eddie Brock as a puppet, had remotely "locked" the splitting ability of these Loyalist Symbiotes.
So even if Eddie Brock could now command tens of thousands of Symbiotes, throughout the entire Earth, only the two Symbiotes in Karl's possession, whose consciousness he had erased and turned into Symbiote Suits, truly possessed autonomous splitting abilities.
...…
Outside a small family farm in Queens, New York.
The gloomy sky was like a huge lead plate, pressing heavily on the ground.
Black Widow, clad in a tight combat suit with a pistol holstered at her waist, moved agilely, her eyes vigilantly scanning her surroundings. Each step she took was cautious, like a female panther lurking in the darkness, ready to face unknown dangers at any moment.
"Creak—"
Black Widow gently pushed open the door, and a sour, unpleasant odor instantly assailed her, like the smell of decay from years of poor ventilation, making her wrinkle her nose.
The scene inside was, as expected, a mess. Various household items were scattered haphazardly across the floor, clothes, books, and tools were strewn about, clearly the room of a messy bachelor.
Black Widow quickly scanned the room but didn't find Phineas Mason, the Tinkerer, and her brows furrowed even tighter.
"Hmm?"
Black Widow meticulously searched the room. Through the numerous photos left on the phone in the album on the desk, the modification tools laid out on the workbench, and a new type of weapon that was still unfinished, she could almost certainly determine that this was Phineas Mason's hideout.
But what puzzled Black Widow was that, judging by various traces, Phineas Mason seemed to have left in a great hurry.
The bedsheets were still messily spread, clearly someone had been resting there not long ago, and a hint of body heat seemed to linger in the creases.
The wardrobe was half-open, with a few seasonal clothes still hanging on hangers, as if the owner had only left temporarily and would be back soon.
Some personal clothing was casually discarded on the floor, as if the owner had no time to tidy up when leaving, and in their hurry, had forgotten these private items.
And the phone on the table hadn't been taken… No, perhaps it should be said there wasn't time to take it.
Also on the table was a half-eaten meal, which had already started to spoil slightly. Even without getting close, Black Widow could smell the faint, abnormal odor emanating from it, a sour, putrid scent lingering in the air.
"Strange, why would he leave in such a hurry, not even bothering with his phone and personal clothes?"
Black Widow murmured to herself, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
But from all these traces, and the information Black Widow had previously gathered, she could easily draw a conclusion… Phineas Mason had not left long ago; it must have happened within the last two days.
Furthermore, Phineas Mason absolutely did not leave voluntarily, but was forced to leave by someone, so much so that he had no time to make any preparations.
Given that Black Widow found no signs of a struggle in the room, it indirectly suggested that the person who came possessed strength far exceeding Phineas Mason's, or carried lethal weapons like a pistol, enabling them to successfully coerce him into leaving.
"Damn it, who could it be?"
Black Widow frowned, pondering to herself who had found Phineas Mason's whereabouts before her.
She had always been confident in her intelligence gathering abilities.
This time, she had successfully located Phineas Mason's hideout, which the FBI and NYPD had been unable to find, in less than a single night.
But who would have thought that in the end, someone else had gotten there first?
This inevitably caused a strong sense of frustration in Black Widow's heart.
But she thought for a while and still came up with nothing.
In the end, she could only reluctantly choose to leave.
However, what she didn't know was that Phineas Mason, whom she had been desperately searching for, was now on a private plane, having arrived in Sokovia, nearly ten thousand kilometers away from New York.
"Is this Sokovia?"
Phineas Mason followed Selena, slowly descending the aircraft stairs, looking at the unusually prosperous metropolis before him, feeling both curious and fearful.
Sunlight shone on the towering skyscrapers in the city, which stood like giant trees, reflecting a dazzling glow.
Although he had spent almost all his time and energy in the past two years modifying the weapons and equipment left behind by the Chitauri Legion.
But in his spare time, he would still occasionally surf the internet.
Therefore, he was not unfamiliar with the Hyperspace Group, which had successfully prevented the Dark Elves and demon army from invading Earth and had saved the Titan Cataclysm that occurred in Washington D.C.
Naturally, he had also heard of the Kingdom of Sokovia and the man behind the Hyperspace Group… Karl Merks!
However, in his impression, Sokovia was just a small European country with a population of only a few hundred thousand, and it was constantly embroiled in war and turmoil… At least, it was like that two years ago!
So before coming here, his mind had already preconceived a scene of desolation and ruin.
Yet, what was now before his eyes was an exceptionally prosperous and highly modernized super metropolis.
Within the city, skyscrapers of diverse styles stood side by side, reaching into the sky, their glass curtain walls reflecting dazzling light under the Sun's illumination, as if countless mirrors refracting sunlight in all directions.
The streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians, and people of all ages wore happy and joyful smiles on their faces.
That vibrant energy seemed to infect every molecule in the air, filling the entire city with vitality.
Phineas Mason couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief, gazing at the bustling scene around him, muttering:
"This is completely different from what I imagined; it's even more like a modern international metropolis than New York…"
However, what he didn't know was that just two years ago, this very land before him was still deeply mired in war, with widespread devastation and a post-apocalyptic landscape everywhere.
It wasn't until the appearance of that man that this country underwent Earth-shattering changes in just two short years.
And that man, of course, was Karl Merks, who is now regarded as the sole faith and savior by all Sokovian people.
"Get in the car."
Selena ignored the easily surprised Phineas Mason, opened the car door, and spoke in a cold voice.
Her voice was like clinking ice, devoid of warmth, inadvertently sending shivers down one's spine.
"Alright… alright."
Phineas Mason instantly trembled with fear. Like a startled rabbit, he quickly scurried into the back seat of the car, afraid of angering the cold woman—or rather, female Vampire—before him.
Phineas Mason still couldn't forget the moment, two days ago, when this woman silently appeared before him.
And the dozen or so infrared warning devices he had set up around the farm had not reacted at all.
Is this woman a ghost?
Also, how did she find me?
Phineas Mason had deliberately changed his hideout several times to avoid capture by the Police and the FBI, finally choosing this farm where there wasn't a single camera within a dozen kilometers.
However, what he didn't expect was that he was still found in the end?
"Are you Police, or FBI?"
At that time, just as Phineas Mason tried to distract Selena and grab the energy gun by the bed to resist, the other party seemed to have already anticipated his thoughts. Before he could make a move, she effortlessly lifted his nearly two hundred-pound body with just one arm.
"Don't be afraid, Mr. Phineas Mason. I mean no harm. It's just that the Hyperspace Group, where I work, greatly appreciates your expertise in modifying high-energy weapons, so we'd like to invite you to Sokovia for an academic exchange."
That's what Selena said then… but the more she said it, the more Phineas Mason felt scared.
I say, big sister, when you tell someone not to be afraid, can you please put me down first?
At least that way, I might believe you a little more!
Phineas Mason could tell that if he showed even a hint of refusal, the woman in front of him would kill him without hesitation.
And when he subconsciously looked into her icy blue eyes, he instantly felt a sense of exposure, as if all his secrets were laid bare!
It was as if those cold eyes could pierce through one's heart.
What else could Phineas Mason do?
Of course, he chose to agree!
...
Half an hour later.
Hyperspace Group Headquarters.
18th floor underground.
Selena directly brought Phineas Mason, along with the homemade weapons, Mechanical Wings, and remaining chitauri energy stones confiscated from his farm, to Dr. Samuel Sterns's research center.
"Dr. Stern, I've brought back the talent you specifically requested…"
Selena maintained her usual cold aloofness, nodding slightly and pointing to Phineas Mason, who was clearly startled by Samuel Sterns's enormous head. She then continued:
"This is the engineer who independently developed the Phase Emitter."
Phineas Mason's eyes widened in terror as he stared at Samuel Sterns's head, which was three times larger than a normal person's.
"I didn't expect such a small matter to trouble Miss Selena to personally make the trip. Thank you very much…"
Among the high-ranking officials of the entire Hyperspace Group, almost no one was unaware of Selena's close relationship with their Boss.
Therefore, even a research fanatic like Samuel Sterns, who usually paid no mind to worldly affairs, had to show her full respect.