Chapter 267

"I got here because your people didn’t stop me." This time, Melinda was not as affected by the title Iron Cavalry as usual. She merely kept a straight face and said, "Did they think I posed no threat?"

"I have never underestimated you." Evenson lowered his head slightly, though he still had his back to Melinda. "My people don’t know how to hold back."

"And unlike Captain America, you’re not someone who is unlikely to get hurt. Nor are you like those field teams whose names I cannot even be bothered to remember, who can be easily held up. And you do not have special reasons like Natasha…"

"So, if I wanted to stop you by force, I would have had to hurt you."

"Is that so? You are actually being so considerate of me?" Melinda asked.

"I owe you a favor," Evenson said. During the battle with Ghost Rider last time, Melinda had helped him stall for a moment. She had risked her life to buy him that time.

"You remembered?" Melinda was somewhat surprised. "That was merely my mission. It had nothing to do with personal feelings."

"Of course I remembered." Evenson sounded sincere. "I also remember that you stopped going on field missions. Why did you come with them this time?"

When Melinda had gone with Evenson to New Mexico last time, she had not known beforehand that they would go through such a battle. At the time, they had also used handling diplomatic matters as a pretext.

"I am just here to drive…" Melinda’s expression was exceptionally cold. Although she held a pistol, she did not raise it. She merely paced behind Evenson with it in hand. "Besides, I told you before that if it is for you, I am willing to make an exception."

"Heh… just so you can beat me up with a legitimate excuse?" Evenson chuckled. He remembered that Melinda had indeed said that, but at the time, it had only been a joke between them.

"That was what I thought at the time…" A trace of sorrow appeared in Melinda’s usually emotionless voice. "But now, I only want to be able to bring you back alive after beating you up."

"Bring me back alive…" Evenson savored those words. "So Nick Fury gave the order that I can be killed?"

"Yes," Melinda answered without hesitation.

"Thank you." Evenson thanked Melinda first, then gave a derisive laugh. "I just did not expect Nick Fury to be so impatient."

"You have gone too far, Evenson." Melinda raised her voice slightly. "Given your special nature and your contributions to S.H.I.E.L.D., S.H.I.E.L.D. could overlook some of your minor flaws, even some relatively minor crimes. But this time, you have crossed more than just the line."

"Ha… looks like that is how it is." Evenson sighed and laughed.

Nick Fury could not be blamed for being intolerant. You kidnapped his former leader without a word. Who would not panic if put in his shoes? And you made the scene look like a brutal interrogation. What was he supposed to do?

"This is your last chance, Evenson." Melinda raised her gun and aimed it at Evenson, who still had his back to her. "Release Ms. Carter and come back with me. You may still be able to keep your life."

Melinda knew that, given Nick Fury’s character, if Evenson were brought back alive, he would not kill him easily. Because of Evenson’s special nature and value, he would probably be placed in the Sandbox or The Fridge for the rest of his life. But that should still be better than death.

"Thank you sincerely for being so considerate." Evenson thanked her again.

"Then cherish this chance." There was some urgency in Melinda’s voice. "Before anything irreparable happens."

Melinda could see that Peggy Carter was unconscious, but still alive. And though the battle outside sounded lively, she had not yet received any reports of casualties. So the situation was not yet too terrible.

He still needed a little more time. Evenson looked at Carter once more. Unlike ordinary people, as a Sorcerer, Evenson could sense certain special things.

The clash between Peggy Carter’s soul and the Doomguard’s soul was nearly over. With the preparations Evenson had made beforehand, Peggy Carter would win by an overwhelming margin—but not yet.

"Melinda." Evenson suddenly turned around and looked at Melinda, who was aiming her gun at him. "What makes you think you can take me back, or even… kill me?"

"Is it that Captain America, who cannot even beat Tyler?" Evenson walked toward Melinda step by step. "Or Black Widow, who is playing with Sarah right now?" Well, perhaps she was the one being played with.

"Or do you think you know enough about me to defeat me alone?" Evenson stopped less than thirty centimeters from Melinda’s gun barrel. The invisible barrier he had set up beforehand was pressed against the muzzle, so it bumped him.

He knew that this woman named Melinda was, put nicely, decisive and ruthless. Put bluntly, she was reckless and stubborn. You never knew whether she might suddenly fire a shot, so how could Evenson fail to make preparations in advance?

"Some things… must be done." Melinda kept a straight face, revealing nothing.

"But doing them does not mean you can accomplish them." Evenson slowly raised his right hand, abruptly straightening his index and middle fingers. "In fact, I only need to move a finger… huh?"

At that point, Evenson suddenly froze. He bent his fingers and straightened them again, but still nothing happened. He scratched his head in confusion and looked at Melinda. Such a perfect chance to show off—how had it failed?

"Surprised?" A hint of a smile actually appeared on Melinda’s cold face, as if she had succeeded in a prank. "A device Tony Stark specifically developed to deal with you."

Evenson looked even more confused. Fine, maybe Tony had developed a device to deal with him because he was paranoid, but they had not had that much contact, nor had they fought. How had Tony developed it? By imagining it out of thin air?

"Tony’s armor has a combat recording function." Seeing Evenson’s face nearly scrunch together, Melinda’s smile deepened. "It recorded in detail what happened when you fought Obadiah. When he analyzed it afterward, he discovered an invisible energy frequency he had never seen before. He believed that was the Mental Power you spoke of. So after a long period of research, he finally developed a device that can block that energy."

"Ah…" Evenson nodded as though he had suddenly understood.

"Just as you said, science and Magic are both truths. They are interconnected." Melinda’s expression turned serious again. "So surrender, Evenson. Otherwise, you will have to kill us all."

"Oh…" Evenson nodded, then let his raised right hand droop.

Thump. Melinda collapsed to the floor.

Evenson walked over, helped Melinda onto the chair Dottie had used, and said, "It is just a signal jammer. I only needed to switch Mental Power frequencies."