Setting Sights on Sokovia

"Of course."

Old Wang had come prepared. He smiled faintly. "There are so many terrorist organizations around the world. Tony alone is far from enough. S.H.I.E.L.D. must have plenty of intelligence. The Azeroth Iron Soldiers can make their debut today."

Egghead nodded and pulled up a file.

As the head of the world’s largest intelligence organization, he actually knew the exact locations of many terrorist bases.

Knowing was one thing; taking action was another. Political factors, geographical conditions, large numbers of hostages—everything could have an impact. Moreover, many terrorist organizations had the backing of local governments.

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. cooperated with more than a hundred countries around the world, it could not simply enter wherever it pleased, much less launch military operations.

That could trigger international disputes!

"Coulson has been clearing out Hydra’s remaining forces. He tracked down the approximate location of one of Hydra’s heads, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, in a mountainous region of the Republic of Sokovia."

Egghead opened the file and said, "Among all the surviving Hydra members, Baron Strucker is the most dangerous. He has a scientist under his command, Dr. List, who is as famous as Whitehall. He is an expert in genetics and possesses a great deal of related research material. Baron Strucker has more than a thousand Hydra soldiers under him, along with a large stockpile of weapons."

Baron Strucker? Old Wang felt like he had heard that name somewhere before. His tone turned playful. "So you want the Azeroth Iron Soldiers to deal with them?"

Egghead said, "Baron Strucker has excellent intelligence. A large-scale military operation would easily alert him. The Avengers have already assembled, but their preparations are not complete. If the Iron Soldiers are really as strong as you claim, they can act now."

"Of course."

The corners of Old Wang’s lips rose slightly. "Skye, did you hear all that?"

The next moment, Skye’s voice sounded in Old Wang’s mind through the embedded communicator. "Give me ten seconds… Okay, I’ve got all the information. The exhibition is over. Iron forces, deploy! Soldiers, charge!"

Accompanied by crisp keyboard clacking, the order was issued.

In the livestream, ten Air Force-model Iron Soldiers activated and shot into the sky amid cries of surprise.

"Yes, as you can see, the Air Force Iron Soldiers have deployed to carry out a mission!"

Having known in advance that an "accident" would happen today, Justin remained calm. Waving both arms, he shouted, "I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal too many details… Well, I don’t know the details either. But if you’d like, you can keep watching here, because I’m going to livestream it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the largest screen lit up and split into ten displays, each showing nothing but blue skies and white clouds.

This was a livestream intended for the exhibition, not something that would be broadcast across the internet.

Security Council office.

Seeing the screens within the screen, Egghead frowned. "Director Wang, you shouldn’t do this."

"Consider it publicity. The people attending the exhibition aren’t ordinary people. They all know about S.H.I.E.L.D., and before long, they’ll know about the Shengun Bureau too."

Old Wang smiled faintly. "Don’t worry about it affecting the operation. The world is so large that no one can determine the Iron Soldiers’ exact location or target from nothing but blue skies and white clouds on a screen. Director Fury, your people should get moving."

"I hope everything goes as you expect."

Egghead turned the office into a command center and gave the Avengers their orders. "Captain Rogers, Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, the operation begins now."

Captain America’s voice quickly came through. "Sir, our preparations aren’t complete, and reinforcements haven’t arrived. The enemy has heavy firepower. Acting rashly could lead to casualties. I need to formulate an operational plan."

Egghead looked at Old Wang.

Old Wang smiled. "New York is roughly eight thousand kilometers from Sokovia. They can arrive in two hours at most."

The Iron Soldiers currently came in four models. The ones deployed were Model 1.

Because Model 1 lacked power, had rudimentary equipment, and was made from ordinary steel, it was heavier than Models 2 and 3. Its flight speed was therefore not particularly fast, reaching only four times the speed of sound, and its endurance was limited.

However, because it was remotely controlled rather than piloted by a human, there was no cockpit. It was therefore nowhere near as heavy as it looked, and there was ample space to install more Arc Reactors—

A full ten of them.

Making several round trips between New York and Sokovia would not be a problem.

Since there was no human pilot, comfort did not need to be considered, and the demands for shock absorption were low. The thrusters could be made larger, so it was actually faster than Iron Man’s armor.

And this was only Model 1.

Model 3 had a maximum flight speed of ten times the speed of sound. Model 4, still on the drawing board, would even surpass every intercontinental missile in the world.

Before Mark 50, Iron Man’s armor was mainly for looking cool.

In terms of combat power and cost-effectiveness alone, it truly could not compare with the Iron Soldiers.

They could arrive within two hours?

Why was that Master Wang’s voice?

Captain America froze, then was overjoyed.

Could Master Wang be personally coming as reinforcements?

If Master Wang came, would Bucky come too?

It had been more than two months since their last meeting. It was impossible for him not to miss him. Carter had mentioned him several times as well, and Captain America felt a little excited.

The next moment, Old Wang’s voice sounded. "Captain Rogers, Skye will contact you."

Captain America froze again, as though someone had poured cold water all over him.

Could Quake be the reinforcement?

Master Wang could not possibly send his girlfriend to team up with another man.

His eyes dimmed, then quickly lit up again. "Understood!"

"Two hours remain."

Old Wang glanced at the four council members on the screen and smiled. "As for the Shengun Bureau’s internal organizational structure, this is what I have in mind…"

It was not something that needed to be kept secret in the first place. Since Director Wang did not mind, the female council member naturally had no reason to chase Egghead out. There would be plenty of opportunities for backroom deals; there was no need to rush.

The more Egghead listened, the more astonished he became.

Director Wang had actually planned out the Shengun Bureau’s organizational structure long ago.

Though it was still rough, it was already quite good. This man had definitely not come up with it on the spur of the moment. Who knew how many years he had been planning it?

Had he been thinking about this ever since he was wearing crotchless pants?

K’un-Lun Base, Himalayan Base, Sahara Base, Antarctic Base, and Pacific Base.

All five major bases would be located in uninhabited regions. Construction would be extremely difficult, and transporting materials alone would be a major problem. They could not rely entirely on air transport—

Of course, Director Wang could open portals, so that was not a problem.

The problem was money.

Although the United Nations had been settled through backroom deals, no one actually took it seriously. They still believed that the Shengun Bureau had no reason to exist.

Alien invasion?

What kind of interstellar joke was that? Show me an alien, then!

Establishing an organization was no big deal, but once funding was involved, everyone would clutch their wallets tight.

No one cared about saving face. They only cared about money!

Egghead was almost certain of it.

The United Nations’ annual funding for the Shengun Bureau would not exceed two billion dollars—not even a tenth of NASA’s budget.

S.H.I.E.L.D. received at least tens of billions in funding every year. And whenever special circumstances arose, such as researching and constructing a Sky Carrier, there would be additional designated funding of up to thirty billion dollars.

Building a large base on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s scale would cost at least one billion dollars. And that was only for the base itself, excluding the supporting personnel, vehicles, aircraft, weapons, and extremely expensive high-end equipment.

Director Wang, you want five major bases the moment you open your mouth. Where will the money come from?

And from the sound of it, you also want to build a Sky Carrier.

One alone would cost nearly ten billion dollars.

Director Wang, are you crazy?

Old Wang ignored him.

They were only building a few bases, and all of them would be located in remote, uninhabited zones. Naturally, the Security Council would approve.

As for funding?

Who was actually counting on funding?

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s annual anonymous donations amounted to at least several billion dollars, and it also held shares in more than a hundred companies, including Stark Industries. That was what supported such a massive operation.

Since its founding, S.H.I.E.L.D. had spent at least five hundred billion dollars—more than Stark Industries as a whole.

Old Wang knew very well that others could not be relied upon. The only person he could rely on was himself.

That was the real reason he kept establishing companies and The Laboratory, constantly finding ways to make money.

The Shengun Bureau was, after all, a United Nations agency on par with S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if that was only nominal, it still needed its own people in name, for the sake of every country.

The five permanent member states would all send people to join the Shengun Bureau and serve in mid- to high-level positions, such as Deputy Directors and deputy heads of various departments.

Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., the Shengun Bureau would have five Deputy Directors, one from each of the five permanent member states. On one hand, they would assist Old Wang in carrying out his work; on the other, they would serve as a check on him.

The two hours quickly passed.

Skye’s voice came through the communicator. Old Wang paused, and a curve lifted at the corner of his lips. "The show begins!"