Goodbye, Zola

"You make your preparations, and I’ll arrange the rest." Nick Fury turned to Alex, who looked delighted, and couldn’t help chuckling. He spoke slowly. "Don’t go into the specifics. It’ll be troublesome if word gets out."

Alex nodded casually, looking utterly unconcerned. "Don’t worry. I know that much."

The two remained atop the roof of the world for a while longer before finally heading back.

The moment they appeared, Emma and the others hurried over and surrounded Alex. They wanted to ask something, yet had no idea what to ask, so they could only look at him with hopeful faces.

During the time Alex and Nick Fury had been away, the Floating Temple had not been peaceful. Although Natasha and Carter had said nothing, after some speculation, everyone guessed that Nick Fury had found a way to save Alex. Otherwise, he would not have specifically called Alex out for a private talk at such a crucial time.

Alex patted the shoulders of the four women. His gentle gaze swept across them, and a brisk smile bloomed on his joyful face. "Thanks to Nick Fury, I might not have to go into hibernation." Alex still could not be certain of the final result, so he used the uncertain word might.

Emma and the other four froze at his words, tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces as their excitement became impossible to hide. The others did not go so far as to cry, but every one of them looked extremely thrilled, and their gazes toward Nick Fury carried a little more gratitude.

It took Alex quite a while to calm the four women’s flood-like tears. Then he gave them a brief explanation, without going into details. He only explained that he would continue "living" in the form of an energy body, while his physical body would still need to be frozen.

Many people were extremely curious after hearing Alex’s explanation. However, seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate, and that even Emma did not ask a single question, they had even less reason to do so. They could only suppress their doubts.

Nick Fury was extremely efficient. After waiting only half a day, Alex received notice and brought Emma and the other four women to New York. Alex had originally not wanted to bring them along, but they insisted, and he could not refuse them. He could only nod in agreement.

Not long after the five returned to New York, Nick Fury personally drove a small car to X-Film Company to pick them up, proving remarkably dutiful.

"Is it far?" After letting the four women into the car, Alex took the passenger seat. Turning to the stern-faced Nick Fury, he asked in surprise, "Why did you come yourself? You could’ve just sent someone!"

"No. I have to take you there myself. No one else can do it." Nick Fury shook his head, carefully surveying their surroundings as though guarding against something.

Alex stiffened for a moment, then shrugged and teased, "Then I’ll have to trouble the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be our driver for once!"

Nick Fury spat lightly and glared at Alex in embarrassment and irritation.

Alex fearlessly met Nick Fury’s eyes. In the end, Nick Fury was the first to yield, looking defeated as he stared at Alex. "I have to say, Alex, your skin is really thick!"

They joked all the way, and before they knew it, the car had left New York’s urban area. It wound around countless turns, and no one knew where they had ended up.

Just as Alex was wondering about it, Nick Fury suddenly drove the car toward a military camp. More than a dozen American soldiers holding submachine guns stood proudly at the entrance.

The moment the car approached, four soldiers immediately surrounded it, their faces cold. However, upon seeing Nick Fury in the driver’s seat, they instantly adopted respectful expressions. Without even looking at Alex and the others inside, they let the car pass.

"So this is the legendary face check!" Once the car entered the military camp, Alex turned toward Nick Fury with a curious expression and teased him with a grin. "I never expected it. I really never expected it!"

Nick Fury shot Alex an annoyed glare, then turned away and ignored him, feeling utterly depressed inside.

Seeing Nick Fury at a loss for words, Emma and the other women, who had been quietly seated in the back, could not help giggling. After laughing a few times, Emma reached out and patted Alex on the head, then turned to apologize to Nick Fury. "Nick, I’m sorry…"

"There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m used to it!" Before Emma could finish, Nick Fury waved his hand. He looked at Alex with a wronged expression and gave a dry laugh. "He used to be better. Now he’s gotten even worse!"

Alex curled his lips into an exceptionally punchable smile and chuckled.

After driving around the military camp for a while, the car finally stopped before a relatively isolated single-story building. There were no other buildings visible within dozens of meters.

"This is it?" Alex opened the car door and helped Emma and the others out. Only then did he turn to inspect the small, detached building before them, which was barely three meters tall. His face was full of disappointment, but he suddenly smiled and turned to Nick Fury in surprise. "Don’t tell me it’s underground again?" Alex had encountered quite a few hidden laboratories and bases. They were either built underground or carved into mountains.

Nick Fury said nothing. He led Alex and the women openly past the guards at the entrance and walked straight inside.

After passing through a long corridor and the guards who appeared every so often on either side, the group pushed open the door at the end of the hallway. An elevator stood before them.

The descending elevator ran for nearly a minute before stopping. The moment he stepped out, Alex could not help exclaiming, "This has to be at least a hundred meters down, right?" Judging by the elevator’s descent speed and time, the underground laboratory was at least a hundred meters deep.

Nick Fury nodded. The indifferent expression on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a hint of solemnity and, faintly, a trace of greed.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, someone came to greet them. He led them through a bustling experimental area before finally entering an independent laboratory. A short man stood inside. From his back alone, Alex recognized him as Dr. Zola. Nearly twenty years had passed, yet Zola had barely changed, whether it was his short stature or his nearly bald head.

It was not until Zola finished what he was doing, some five or six minutes later, that the young man guiding them softly called out, "Dr. Zola, your guests have arrived!" While waiting, Alex did not deliberately cause trouble. He merely kept looking around, occasionally turning his gaze toward Zola.

Hearing the voice, Zola instinctively turned around. When he saw Nick Fury, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then suddenly noticed Alex beside him. His whole body shook violently, and his narrow eyes filled with terror.

"You didn’t tell him it was me?" Seeing Zola’s reaction, Alex could not help frowning. He covertly glanced at Nick Fury and asked in a lowered voice.

Nick Fury also frowned. Then, as if he had thought of something, he calmly said, "I told him. Maybe he’s just a little excited to see you again."

"Let’s hope it’s only excitement, not something more." Alex shrugged and gave a self-mocking chuckle. "Otherwise, if he accidentally causes some kind of incident on purpose, that’ll be troublesome."

"Don’t worry. He doesn’t have the nerve." Nick Fury gave a cold laugh, his grim smile utterly intimidating.

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