Their Respective Assessments

Tony was a very busy man now, and he kept a much lower profile than before, basically staying within his own mansion.

With Tony unwilling to see Steve, the only way for Steve to meet Tony would be to force his way into Stark Mansion.

Though Steve had some grievances with Tony, he certainly would not trespass into someone’s home.

Therefore, Nick Fury was certain that Steve would not refuse this rare opportunity for the Avengers Initiative to gather.

"I have some matters to handle. I’ll have someone take you there."

Then, Nick Fury brought Steve into a car and spoke.

"To see those politicians?"

Steve glanced at Nick Fury and asked.

Long ago, he had already seen the true faces of those officials who devoured people without even spitting out the bones.

"Not just them. There are also some high-ranking military officers."

"But don’t worry. I’ll handle them. I won’t let them trouble you."

Nick Fury paused at that, then said with a smile.

The Avengers Initiative consisted of a group of superhuman heroes. Though their personalities differed, every one of them had absolute confidence in their own strength.

Simply put, they were proud. Their willingness to lend a hand was already a blessing.

If politicians and the military interfered, it would be easy for the newly formed Avengers Initiative to fall apart immediately.

So no matter what, Nick Fury would not allow politicians to interfere in the Avengers Initiative’s affairs.

"As long as they don’t forcibly restrict my actions, I don’t care."

"But the others might not feel the same way."

Steve understood perfectly and replied with a smile.

Since S.H.I.E.L.D. was an organization founded by Peggy, he was willing to work for it and carry out all kinds of missions.

But there was one condition: they absolutely could not restrict his thoughts or actions. Otherwise, he would rather retire outright and find somewhere peaceful to live out his days.

Nor was he willing to serve those politicians who constantly fought and schemed for their own interests.

"I understand."

Nick Fury nodded.

Soon afterward, the car carrying Steve and Nick Fury came to a stop.

Nick Fury left directly, while the person receiving Steve drove him all the way to a secret military base.

Steve was brought before a fighter jet unlike any he had ever seen.

"Hello, my name is Coulson."

"I’ve long heard of you, Captain America Steve Rogers."

"These are the latest files on the Avengers Initiative, along with some recent supernatural incidents on Earth."

"Please look them over. They will help with the battles you will face next."

"Get aboard the jet first."

"It will take us roughly fifty minutes to reach headquarters."

When Coulson met Steve, he smiled as he spoke and handed over the tablet in his hand.

Steve took the tablet Coulson gave him and boarded the fighter jet.

After getting aboard, Coulson first contacted headquarters.

"This is Coulson. I have successfully rendezvoused with Steve Rogers. We are still fifty minutes from headquarters."

Coulson gave his report.

"Received."

A response also came from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

After boarding the fighter jet, Steve sat down and tapped the tablet.

Having been awake for so long, he could still use this kind of basic and simple smart device.

Then Steve saw information on someone called Dr. Banner, also known as Hulk.

At the same time, Dr. Banner’s power was rated extremely highly.

Its advantages were bulletproof defense, immunity to modern bullets and shells, and immense strength.

But alongside that high rating was an undeniable weakness: the power was uncontrollable. Several videos were attached as well.

At most, Steve could sustain minor injuries from ordinary firearm rounds. If anti-tank sniper rifles were involved—

Even he could only avoid their edge and use his vibranium shield to block them.

That made Steve open the videos with great interest.

Then Steve saw several videos of Hulk going berserk.

Even a heavily armed military force attacking Hulk together was like scratching an itch; they could not harm Hulk at all.

Even direct hits from artillery only made Hulk pause briefly before enraging him further, causing him to let out beast-like roars.

This level of defense completely overturned Steve’s understanding of the world.

Even more terrifying was the strength Hulk displayed. Armored tanks looked as though they were made of clay before Hulk. Hulk bent their cannon barrels, then smashed them with both fists, instantly turning an armored tank into scrap.

To integrate into modern society, Steve had naturally learned about the latest modern military equipment.

Even when struck head-on by artillery shells, these armored tanks would not be so easily destroyed.

Yet under Hulk’s full-force charge, tanks weighing at least twenty tons were sent flying with a single collision.

And such a monster, possessing power beyond common sense, was actually a member of the Avengers Initiative?

"Can this Dr. Banner really not control his own power?"

After watching several videos, Steve’s heart churned with turbulent waves as he spoke.

"Dr. Banner does not want to control him. He wants to destroy Hulk."

"So S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot make a complete judgment as to whether Hulk’s power can be controlled."

Coulson replied.

"…"

Steve was speechless after hearing that and continued to the next file.

Previously, Steve had only read some general information about the other members of the Avengers Initiative. He had not seen what they looked like in action.

But the materials Coulson had given him now all included videos. Even though the clips were short, they revealed enough to judge the whole.

He discovered that neither Black Widow nor Hawkeye was particularly strong. At least, in Steve’s eyes, they were like ordinary people.

That reassured Steve somewhat. He had not been completely left behind by the times.

But when Steve saw Tony Stark’s information next, his eyes flickered and he grew serious.

Then he opened a video, which showed Iron Man in red-and-gold armor.

It showed him maneuvering through the air against the latest fighter jets, reaching speeds of mach 2.

Moreover, the video had been recorded in 2008, clearly making it the earliest footage.

The videos that followed showed Tony Stark rescuing people in Afghanistan and single-handedly wiping out terrorists.

Tony Stark’s performance during the operation could only be described as effortless.

A group of terrorists armed with vast quantities of weapons was utterly powerless before the Iron Man armor.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had added another assessment of Tony Stark this time: the Iron Man armor was a humanoid ultimate weapon of war, built with technology at least several decades ahead of the modern era.