Showdown with The Hand

Three days later.

The gauntlets and staff were indeed great things, with far too many functions.

As one of World of Warcraft’s most famous weapon masters, Old Wang had spent the past three days familiarizing himself with them. He had finally figured out the staff, spearhead, built-in cable, nine-section whip, electric shock functions, and what to use in which situation. This only made him admire Fitz and Simmons even more.

Those two young scientists were no joke. Even in World of Warcraft, they could crush most gnome engineers and goblin engineers.

How could people like that be wasted at S.H.I.E.L.D.?

All the world’s academic geniuses, into my jar you go!

Just as he was thinking that, his phone suddenly rang.

"Egghead? That’s rare. What does he want with me?"

Egghead was busy. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a United States general, how could he have time to chat with an ordinary guy like him?

Coulson had been responsible for liaising with him at first, and now it was Black Widow. Why did he have time? Was Egghead so idle his eggs hurt that he wanted to steal the position of "Marvel Novice Village Chief"?

He answered.

A roar suppressing its fury nearly pierced Old Wang’s eardrums. "Tell me, why did Fitz and Simmons resign?"

Old Wang froze.

They had resigned already?

Young people these days sure had guts. Back then, he had not dared to quit even for a monthly salary of three thousand.

Resigning was good. Once they resigned, they could come work for him!

Of course, he could not say that. Old Wang shrugged and put on a casual air. "Your subordinates resigned. How would I know why? Maybe their boss was suppressing them, their pay wasn’t enough, or you couldn’t satisfy their life ambitions or let them realize their social value?"

Egghead snorted heavily.

He had not cared at all about two trainees who had only just applied for graduation.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was not a terrorist organization. It was a legitimate government agency. Resigning was fine, as long as they signed a nondisclosure agreement.

But half an hour ago, the head of the Technology Department had personally rushed into his office with two resignation letters, saying that these two absolutely could not be allowed to leave. They were S.H.I.E.L.D.’s future, the pillars who would carry the organization after Ant-Man.

Only then did he realize just how extraordinary they were.

But the problem was, they truly did not want to stay. Even raises and promotions could not convince them!

Thinking it over carefully, there was no reason for the two of them to resign. The only thing that had happened recently was their contact with Master Wang.

They had definitely been sweet-talked by Master Wang!

"Let me think. What do you want two scientists for?"

Egghead pressed both hands against his desk and thought for two seconds. "You want to study Essence Wine? You want them to make high-tech equipment for you? No, you want them to study the Darkhold! The Darkhold is in your hands. Does K’un-Lun have some kind of partnership with Ghost Rider?"

Old Wang was slightly startled. Egghead really was not stupid!

That really was one of his goals.

"Tell me. What conditions will get them to come work for me?" Old Wang did not want to waste time haggling and asked directly.

Since Egghead had called instead of refusing outright, he obviously wanted to negotiate terms.

To someone like him, let alone scientists, even the Cosmic Cube could be handed over as long as the benefits were good enough or the threat was great enough.

In Avengers 1, had he not ultimately allowed Thor to take the Cosmic Cube away?

"I want the research results."

Egghead had clearly prepared for this. He said in a deep voice, "Share the Darkhold research results!"

Old Wang smiled. "Sure. I’ll share the Darkhold research results, and you share the Cosmic Cube research results. How about that? Or we can trade directly. Give me the Cosmic Cube in exchange for my Darkhold, and I won’t take Fitz and Simmons either. How about it? You’ve been researching it for nearly a century anyway, and you haven’t gotten much out of it, have you?"

Egghead’s face darkened.

Master Wang actually knew the Cosmic Cube was in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hands!

Well, although the Cosmic Cube was top secret, more than sixty years had passed. Too many people had come into contact with it, especially researchers, who had been replaced batch after batch. There were still hundreds of people researching it now. A leak was perfectly normal. Hydra surely knew long ago. It was only natural for Master Wang—or rather, K’un-Lun—to know as well.

No matter how good the Darkhold was, it could not compare to the Cosmic Cube!

Egghead was about to make other demands when a jumble of noise came through the phone.

What was happening?

"An earthquake." Old Wang felt his entire little shop shaking. He hurriedly used True Qi to steady the shelves, saving all those fragile bottles of liquor from being ruined.

The shaking lasted only a short time, though, and it was not particularly violent.

This was not a natural earthquake. It was man-made.

Old Wang looked toward a building in the north, his panda eyes narrowing into slits. "Director Fury, The Hand has made its move. Send your people over. The final battle has begun!"

Egghead’s heart stirred as he recalled some of The Hand’s files. "I want The Hand’s Resurrection Coffin, and the last remaining Dragon Bone."

"They’re all yours. Tomorrow, I want to see Fitz and Simmons."

Old Wang hung up, opened a case, and took out the Titanium Alloy Staff and Titanium Alloy Gauntlets.

He had a premonition.

The first hard battle since coming to this world had begun!

Manhattan, a certain high-rise.

Deep underground.

After the violent explosion, Alexandra looked at the stone wall after the dust settled, her mood terrible.

It had failed again.

This was not a stone wall, but a door—a door sealed by a previous Iron Fist. Behind it lay an intact Dragon Bone Fossil.

An explosion powerful enough to cause a shallow earthquake across New York could not blow open the door, and digging through it was even more impossible. The power of Iron Fist had completely sealed the entire area. Only Iron Fist could break this seal.

Every Iron Fist drew power from Shou-Lao. It was all the same. Any Iron Fist would do, regardless of strength, including the current one.

"Everyone, get ready. Immortal Iron Fist will definitely come," Alexandra ordered before looking in a certain direction.

A boy of fourteen or fifteen stood there. He looked calm, yet an evil god was hidden within him.

Looking at him, Alexandra silently encouraged herself.

This time, it would definitely succeed.

She would continue living, forever!

"That’s the place."

The black sports car screeched to a stop. Black Widow looked at the skyscraper a hundred meters away and lowered her voice. "The earthquake originated there. Is everything ready on all sides?"

Voices came through the earpiece one after another.

"This is Eric Koenig. I’ve contacted the police and relevant departments. The evacuation has begun."

"This is Barton. Snipers are in position and ready to fire at any time!"

"The reconnaissance team is in position. The enemy has grenade launchers and shoulder-fired rocket launchers. We suspect a large amount of explosives is hidden inside the building, threatening everyone’s safety. We advise against a direct assault."

"This is Skye. I’ve hacked into the building’s surveillance system. Special operations team, follow my command."

After hearing the last sentence, Black Widow said, "Agent Barton, the outside is yours. Special operations team, follow Skye’s command… enter the building!"

They had no choice but to listen.

Aside from herself, everyone on the special operations team belonged to Master Wang.

Master Wang had appointed Skye as commander. Who would dare disobey?

Old Wang soon arrived near the building. Skye’s voice came through the embedded receiver-control device in his lower lip.

"Wang, I’ll change your communication frequency… All right, we’re on a unified channel now. Everyone, listen up."

"Agent Romanoff, I’ll guide you to all the explosives. Your mission is to ensure none of them are detonated."

"Matt, Elektra, Stick, your mission is to eliminate The Hand members in the building while ensuring the safety of innocent people as much as possible."

"Wang, you’re the only one going into the underground area. You’ll be facing The Hand’s Four Fingers and Black Sky. No problem?"

Old Wang flexed his hands and smiled. "Tell me, where do I go in?"

Skye fell silent for two seconds. "The sewers."

Thanks to Ziyuan882 for the 100-tip reward!

If you are interested in The Hand-related plot, you can watch the Defenders series, including Iron Fist and Daredevil.