"It looks like you've run out of tricks. Is it my turn now?" The Gurongi Avatar's gaze playfully swept over the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounding him as he spoke softly.
"These big guys are really starting to irritate me with all that noise."
The black snakes on his shoulders exhaled black freezing air, condensing into massive ice cones in mid-air. They slammed down, piercing straight through the sonic cannons mounted on the vehicles.
"Damn it, retreat immediately!" Seeing that none of their weapons posed any threat to the Gurongi avatar, Rumlow shouted at the top of his lungs.
Turning to run, he spoke into the miniature communicator on his collar: "Director, the enemy's power exceeds estimates; the field tactical team can't handle this. Requesting backup and cover for extraction."
"Snipers, provide cover fire. Field agents, evacuate now!" Nick Fury immediately issued orders to the snipers positioned in the distance.
Several gunshots rang out as sniper rounds were fired at the Gurongi Avatar's vital points. However, even the armor-piercing incendiary rounds fired from anti-materiel rifles stopped dead upon entering the Avatar's vicinity. They lost all kinetic energy and dropped harmlessly to the ground.
"Even armor-piercing sniper rounds are useless?!" Out of the corner of his eye, Rumlow caught a glimpse of the situation while fleeing, his heart jolting with shock.
Watching the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents forced to flee on foot because their vehicles had been destroyed, the Gurongi Avatar wore a contemptuous smile. "Did I give you permission to leave?"
The two black snakes on his shoulders opened their mouths slightly, spitting out a mysterious light like a black hole. It expanded at extreme speed, overtaking the retreating agents in the blink of an eye.
A terrifying chill froze the agents where they stood, locking them in mid-stride. They looked like lifelike statues, their surfaces coated in a thin layer of white frost.
After sealing twenty to thirty agents, the chill did not stop. It continued to spread until it had transformed everything within a two-hundred-meter radius into permafrost.
The Gurongi Avatar gave the frozen agents a casual glance before looking up at a certain point in the sky where a cloaked Quinjet was hovering. A white mist appeared beneath his feet, lifting him into the air and carrying him toward the jet's position.
"Director, the target has indeed discovered us. Permission to fire immediately?" The pilot of the Quinjet reported as he saw the Gurongi clone flying directly toward them with clear intent.
Nick Fury's brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "He can detect a cloaked Quinjet at an altitude of several hundred meters? It's not just raw power; his sensory perception is off the charts."
After a moment of deliberation, a sharp glint flashed in Nick's eyes. "Wait. Increase altitude first. Lure the target higher. Once he reaches a certain height, attack with the mounted missiles. The machine guns on the jet likely won't work. If the missiles explode at this altitude, the blast might hit our agents on the ground."
Although the agents on the ground were frozen, their deaths hadn't been confirmed, so he couldn't use heavy weaponry without concern.
In fact, these agents weren't dead yet; they were just flash-frozen, their life signs suspended. Theoretically, if thawed properly, they could be restored. S.H.I.E.L.D. had successfully thawed Captain America after seventy years, so they technically had the capability to restore these agents.
However, a large part of Steve Rogers' success was due to the Super Soldier Serum. These agents, though highly trained, were still ordinary humans. Furthermore, the freezing caused by the Gurongi Avatar was far more complex than being trapped in a block of ice.
Being frozen directly at such low temperatures without a protective layer of ice made them incredibly fragile. The slightest accidental touch could cause a person to shatter into a pile of fragments. Moreover, they were exposed to the open air; if not handled with professional care immediately, they would certainly die as the temperature rose to room level.
Whether these agents could be saved—and whether they would suffer permanent damage—depended entirely on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rescue speed and technical prowess.
Dan neither cared nor paid attention. To him, it was like blowing a breath at ants on a windowsill. Where those ants landed or what happened to them wasn't worth his focus.
Though Nick Fury didn't know this, he immediately dispatched medical personnel to the scene. Regardless of whether the Quinjet could defeat the Gurongi, the rescue of the agents could not be delayed. This was the attitude he had to show his subordinates; otherwise, how could he expect them to risk their lives?
"I wonder if the tactical missiles on the Quinjet can defeat this Gurongi?" Nick had originally been confident in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech, but after witnessing the clone freeze a hundred-meter radius in an instant, doubt crept in.
The Quinjet had been sent as a contingency; its missiles were powerful enough that they shouldn't be used lightly. He hadn't expected the elite agents to be so utterly defenseless.
"We've reached the required altitude. The impact on the ground will be negligible. Requesting permission to engage," the agent on the Quinjet reported.
"Authorized. Fire," Nick said decisively.
The pilot pressed the button, launching a missile. It streaked toward the Gurongi Avatar, trailing a long plume of flame.
The Avatar shook his head with a light laugh. The two black snakes coiled in front of him exhaled a biting chill, enveloping the incoming projectile. Within the hazy mist, the missile's tail flame visibly weakened until it was completely extinguished.
"Detonate the missile manually!" Nick ordered immediately, seeing the missile suffer the same fate as the bullets.
"The internal systems have lost response!" the pilot shouted in disbelief.
"Damn it! Even tactical missiles are useless?!" Nick Fury cursed. "Abort! Evacuate immediately!"
Recognizing the operation was a total failure, Nick gave the order to retreat.
"Copy that," the pilot replied, attempting to maneuver away.
But the Gurongi Avatar was already beside the Quinjet. The mist he summoned swallowed the aircraft.
"Hull is icing over! Engines have stalled! We're going down! Everyone, bail out!" the pilot yelled in panic.
The Gurongi clone watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents parachuted out one by one. He smiled and turned to leave.
This lesson and show of force were sufficient. S.H.I.E.L.D.—and the HYDRA elements within it—should stay quiet for a while.