"..."
Nick didn't even know how the funeral ended. The moment he saw Artoria's breasts... ahem! To be precise, the little head in between, he felt his long-blind eye start to ache faintly. It wasn't that he was being overly sensitive, but sometimes, you absolutely must not ignore the danger just because something looks cute. The fate of his eye told him that.
Anyway, the moment he saw that kitten, his train of thought and plans were thrown into disarray. He didn't dare approach Artoria to greet her, afraid that little furry paw might give him a swipe. If that happened, he'd probably be completely blind.
"This is our Director, Artoria."
"Oh! Really does look like a big Nick Fury (in Chinese)."
"What did you say, Artoria?"
"Nothing, just remarking on how serious this gentleman looks!"
Natasha watched the interaction between Artoria and Sharon with a face full of black lines. She was a master who had studied various languages, including Chinese. From Artoria's nickname for Nick, this term definitely exceeded her imagination—probably something like a 'bad egg'? She understood it, but Natasha had never actually seen or eaten a 'Nick Fury' (Nick Fury). Otherwise, she would have burst out laughing.
"Where did this little cutie come from?"
Having been busy seeing off her aunt, it was only now that Sharon noticed a pair of adorable little eyes watching her. Looking down, she saw a cute, furry little head nestled between Artoria's breasts, surveying the surroundings. She was utterly charmed by the Little guy's cuteness and wanted to ask Artoria where it came from—she wanted to raise one too.
"Not sure. It just ran over from nearby and let me hold it."
Artoria gently tapped the Little guy's head and scratched its little ears. The Little guy didn't resist at all; instead, it actively rubbed against Artoria's fingers. It was absolutely adorable.
"Since there's nothing else, let's go first! Natasha."
"Yes, boss."
Watching Sharon eagerly trying to take the Little guy from Artoria's arms, Artoria had no intention of giving it up. After all, her house was big enough, and she wouldn't have to take care of it herself—she could just hire a couple of maids to look after the Little guy. Although she had wanted to raise a little lion, keeping a cat seemed pretty good too.
As for Captain America Steve, Artoria didn't approach him. She wasn't particularly interested in him to begin with, not to mention he was one of the sparks that ignited the Civil War. If possible, she'd rather not have any contact with the Captain. His charisma was commendable, but he was too rigid—probably completely incompatible with her. Artoria didn't want to end up bickering with him like her brother Tony did, so it was better to keep interactions minimal.
"First contact failed, huh? Oh well, there'll be other plans later."
Nick stood in the distance chatting with others, but he kept his attention fixed on Artoria. When Artoria got into the car and left, Nick also breathed a sigh of relief. That cat looked too much like that one.
"Coo-coo! Where did your little girl run off to? One is missing."
Meanwhile, an Old man somewhere else carefully counted the large brood of kittens and realized one was indeed missing. He patted the mother cat's head and asked.
"Meow~!"
"Alright! So you're letting that little girl help you babysit for now, huh? You're such a little Rogue, and a bit irresponsible as a mother too, you little troublemaker."
"Meow meow!"
If anyone were here, they'd be amazed—the Old man could actually understand the kitten's meows. But all around, mountains of kittens quietly watched with their adorable little eyes as their 'mother' conversed with the Old man. The whole room felt somewhat eerie and bizarre. Anyone with trypophobia would probably faint from fright.
After returning to the Base, Nick hurried off to the location agreed upon with Tony. He decided he would recruit this problem child today. The longer he delayed, the more troublesome it felt. He needed to assemble this team as soon as possible. He had a bad feeling—the forces lurking in the darkness were probably about to make their move.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but touch a pager in his inner pocket. Captain Marvel had left it with him when she departed. Several times, he had almost used it but held back in the end. People on Earth needed to grow. If a powerful 'guardian deity' appeared, humanity's laziness and dark side might explode. He understood this better than anyone, which was why he had never dared to let the Captain return.
Arriving at the prearranged spot, seeing Agent Hill's displeased expression and Tony's nonchalant demeanor, Nick guessed Agent Hill had probably been teased by this playboy. Really, just like his Father in his younger days.
Sighing, Nick sat down opposite Tony, his dark, single eye glaring at Tony. He pulled out a stack of documents for Tony to see and began reading an assessment report written by Natasha.
"Look at your evaluation, Tony! Idle narcissist, playboy—a typical ticking time bomb."
"Recommendation: Keep under observation for now."
As he spoke, Nick observed Tony's expression, but seeing the other's indifference, he could only stop.
"Tony Stark, your character doesn't measure up to your sister Artoria Stark's. Originally, we intended to recruit your sister Artoria Stark for this initiative."
"I advise you to drop your schemes. No one lays a finger on my sister. I guarantee you, anyone who dares touch my sister, I'll chop off their hands and shove them down their throat. I mean it."
Nick had stepped on a landmine. Tony took off his sunglasses, calmly stared at Nick, and the playful look on his face vanished. A wave of killing intent made Nick frown. Bold kid, daring to threaten him. Did he know how many people who pointed fingers and threatened him Nick had buried back in the day? His hands were stained with the blood of such people.
If you weren't Howard's son, Father would teach you a lesson in cunning today.
"That's precisely why we haven't approached your sister. You can rest assured on that point!"
Nick's skin was as thick as a city wall. He selectively forgot why Natasha and Sharon had gone on their mission and began to hoodwink Tony again, changing the subject.
"I will keep this invitation open. You can look into it, Tony. S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by your father and his friends. You have a right to know part of the truth. I Hope you take a good look."
Putting the file down, Nick gave Tony time. He still needed more powered individuals. Unfortunately, Professor X ignored him entirely, and he was wary of Professor X's abilities. As a result, very few Mutants entered S.H.I.E.L.D. to help. There was a promising kid named Stacy lately, right? He knew part of her background; with some training, she should make a fine Special Agent.
"Think it over, Tony."
Setting down the folder embossed with the letter 'A' icon, Nick patted Tony's shoulder and told him to consider it carefully. He was busy and couldn't focus solely on this problem child.
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