The Best Defense Is an Offensive

Black Widow froze, then turned to glance at Egghead.

Something as important as the Avengers Initiative, and you just blurt it out to someone you’ve known for less than half a month? Isn’t that too reckless? It completely goes against your image as the cunning and devious king of spies!

Shouldn’t you cooperate for a while first, then bring it up?

Egghead ignored her. He had his own considerations.

More than a decade had passed since he and Captain Marvel had fought side by side against the Skrull invasion.

Although they had successfully saved Earth, Captain Marvel was not part of S.H.I.E.L.D., while Ant-Man had left long ago.

Now, Hydra had resurfaced, alien threats had never gone away, and relations between civilizations in the universe were nowhere near as harmonious as many imagined. If the Skrulls or other aliens invaded again, with trouble both within and without, who would protect Earth?

The Avengers Initiative needed to be formed as soon as possible.

As for revealing this to Master Wang, Iron Fist, and K’un-Lun?

Ant-Man’s departure had already proved that Super Heroes could not be bound by S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other force. The Avengers Initiative was destined to be a loose alliance. He could create it, but he had no way to control it.

And regarding K’un-Lun and Iron Fist, based on the information currently available, he could basically confirm that they posed no threat.

If Hydra had not reappeared, perhaps he would not have been in such a hurry.

But now, he had no choice but to hurry!

Because the first enemy the Avengers Initiative would deal with was Hydra…

Old Wang listened to Egghead’s words with great seriousness and silently calculated the timing.

Even without me, Egghead would form the Avengers Initiative in a few months at most. The only difference is that Iron Man was supposed to be the first person he approached, but now it’s me.

"Many forces are protecting this world. Earth has survived intact to this day amid the cracks between the universe’s major civilizations and under the watchful eyes of many powerful beings in the multiverse. That is no accident. Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. understands some of this. K’un-Lun is one of those forces."

Old Wang said that inscrutably, then put on an expression of pure curiosity. "A Super Hero alliance? What Super Heroes are there? Are they powerful? Like Captain America and Winter Soldier?"

"…There aren’t any yet."

Egghead had originally wanted to say that Black Widow and Hawkeye would both join. After all, those two possessed special abilities that ordinary people lacked; one had undergone physical enhancement, while the other was exceptionally gifted. Calling them Super Heroes would not be entirely wrong.

But now, he no longer had the confidence.

Master Wang’s very first examples had been Captain America and Winter Soldier.

Winter Soldier was an enemy, so there was no point discussing him.

Compared to Captain America, even if Black Widow and Hawkeye were tied together, they would not measure up…

Old Wang’s words cut too deep. Egghead glanced at the expressionless Black Widow and added, "Actually, there are some, but that’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. secret."

He thought of Ant-Man, who had left long ago, and Captain Marvel, who had vanished from his life.

If he could bring them aboard, the Avengers Initiative’s prestige would rise by at least two levels.

But that would be far too difficult.

Besides, Ant-Man was a stubborn old widower who completely distrusted S.H.I.E.L.D., while Captain Marvel’s situation was complicated. Both were troublesome.

He would not consider them for now.

Compared to that, Iron Fist was more practical.

"I’ll tell Iron Fist about this. I think he’ll consider it." Old Wang neither agreed nor disagreed.

He had no intention of joining the Avengers Initiative or S.H.I.E.L.D.

Even if he wanted to protect Earth, he had his own plans. Rather than follow others, he would rather have others follow him. Old Wang was not someone willing to bow his head and obey orders. He preferred giving them.

In Old Wang’s eyes, both the Avengers Initiative and S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed somewhat tragic and weak.

You needed revenge only after being bullied; you needed a shield to block only after being attacked. Captain America was a defender, while Winter Soldier, with his Qilin Arm, was the one meant to break through enemy lines. Old Wang preferred taking the initiative and attacking.

Earth had always been on the defensive.

That was because, in the vast universe, Earth truly was at a disadvantage.

Perhaps he could change all that through his own efforts…

"Fine. Let’s discuss the specifics of our cooperation."

Egghead had not expected to persuade Master Wang or Iron Fist behind him with just a few words. If Master Wang had agreed on the spot, he would instead have hesitated and suspected a trap. Bringing up the Avengers Initiative had actually been a way to test K’un-Lun as well.

The title "cunning and devious king of spies" had not been given for nothing.

Egghead had believed he held the initiative, but he now realized that compared to S.H.I.E.L.D., K’un-Lun seemed larger and stronger.

He had originally thought that K’un-Lun, having had no contact with the outside world for hundreds or thousands of years, would be passive and inexperienced in such matters.

But Master Wang did not seem passive at all. His words revealed considerable experience, and he appeared to understand Earth far better than S.H.I.E.L.D. did. His attitude represented K’un-Lun’s attitude, while his abilities represented K’un-Lun’s abilities. That made things difficult.

They would take it slowly.

Black Widow accompanied Skye to a Midnight Diner three hundred meters away to buy supper for seven people. Old Wang specifically ordered several dozen extra eggs, then talked with Egghead through the night.

Before long, they reached a consensus on comprehensive, multi-faceted cooperation between K’un-Lun and S.H.I.E.L.D. in manpower, resources, intelligence, and other areas. They made verbal promises to each other and confirmed their first joint operation:

The purge of The Hand.

S.H.I.E.L.D., which possessed the world’s Nth-largest intelligence network, would handle the intelligence work, locate members of The Hand, and dispatch trustworthy elite agents such as Black Widow and Hawkeye to assist. The true main force, naturally, would be K’un-Lun.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had the duty to handle special incidents, while K’un-Lun wanted to clean house. Old Wang and Egghead immediately hit it off and decided to act at once.

To show its sincerity, S.H.I.E.L.D. gave them Titanium Alloy Staffs and Titanium Alloy Gauntlets, worth the equivalent of thirty field agent equipment sets, free of charge.

Old Wang was not stingy either. He immediately offered a bottle of Erguotou containing Well of Eternity Water essence as a gift in return. As for the exact amount, Old Wang said that he had always been generous.

They talked from late at night until dawn, and Egghead and Black Widow left satisfied.

"Sir, why didn’t you ask about the Darkhold?" Black Widow asked Egghead in confusion as she drove, turning her head toward him.

Had this man really resigned himself to giving up the Darkhold he had searched for for so many years?

"Because I suddenly realized something: we cannot lay hands on power that does not belong to humanity." Egghead made himself sound noble.

"Like the Cosmic Cube?" As a legendary agent and Egghead’s confidante, Black Widow knew perfectly well what the most important research project of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s science division was.

The Cosmic Cube was not an 084 anomalous item.

But even several hundred anomalous items combined could not compare to one Cosmic Cube.

They had already laid hands on the Cosmic Cube, so why fear the Darkhold?

"…"

Egghead sighed. "The Darkhold is either in Immortal Iron Fist’s hands or Ghost Rider’s hands. And I’m very busy right now. I don’t want to clash with them. We’ll discuss this later."

The corner of Black Widow’s mouth twitched slightly. "I believe you."