Vicious Cycle

After leaving Crystal behind, Alex activated Teleportation again. When he reappeared, he was already on the streets of New York.

Alex had originally wanted to teleport directly into Nick Fury’s office at S.H.I.E.L.D., but the teleportation failed. Left with no choice, he picked a location in New York and teleported there instead.

"I should find Howard first!" Alex muttered under his breath. He turned and headed toward Stark Industries, occasionally surveying his surroundings as he walked.

Ten years had passed, and New York had changed enormously. It was more prosperous and vibrant, its streets filled with all kinds of fashionable trendsetters. Of course, there was no shortage of business elites in suits, hurrying along as well.

After ten years, Stark Industries had become even more illustrious. From afar, Alex spotted the towering building in Manhattan’s commercial center, with the prominent words Stark Industries displayed on it.

Seeing such an eye-catching sign, Alex could not help curling his lip. His pace unconsciously quickened, and before long, he arrived in front of the Stark Industries building.

Without alerting anyone, Alex used Teleportation and quickly found Howard in his top-floor office.

Ever since moving the laboratory to the Floating Giant Island, Howard had spent most of his time there. Only occasionally did he have to return to the company to deal with its affairs. This time, Howard had returned partly because Alex had asked him to, and partly because the company had accumulated a great deal of work.

"Howard!" Alex had been standing across from Howard for several minutes, but the man had been so engrossed in his paperwork that he never noticed him. Left with no choice, Alex could only speak first.

Hearing the voice, Howard’s entire body jolted. He immediately looked up, and the expression on his face changed dramatically—from fear, to surprise, and finally to delight.

"Alex, how did you get here?" Howard put down the documents in his hand, rose from behind his desk, and strode quickly over to Alex, the delight on his face growing stronger.

Alex rolled his eyes. Without dwelling on it, he asked bluntly, "Where is Nick now? I need to see him immediately!"

Howard froze briefly before understanding. With a light laugh, he said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. changed its workplace because its personnel have grown so much. I’ll take you to him!" Howard held a very special position within S.H.I.E.L.D. He was not only one of its founders, but also its greatest benefactor. Most of the people in S.H.I.E.L.D. respected him deeply.

Alex thought about it and did not refuse. Still somewhat hesitant, he pointed at the documents on the desk and asked, "Won’t this delay your work?"

"Work never ends." Howard waved a hand, his face full of disdain.

They did not waste much time. Half an hour later, Alex saw Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s new headquarters.

"Alex, you were in such a hurry to find me. Is something wrong?" Nick Fury had already learned of Alex’s purpose when Alex went looking for Howard. Now that he saw Alex’s anxious expression, he was even more certain.

Alex frowned slightly, his gaze covertly sweeping over the surroundings before he lowered his voice and asked, "What is the US Government’s current stance?"

"They refuse to yield an inch!" Fury’s dark face was filled with rage. He reached up to touch the eyepatch over his blind eye, while a fierce light flashed in his remaining eye. "If the Soviet fleet dares to enter, the US Government will immediately choose war. There is no room for compromise."

Alex was not surprised in the slightest. After pondering for a moment, he looked up at Fury, his eyes narrowing like a wolf’s. "Who in the government has been the most proactive?" He hesitated for a moment before adding, "The kind who would start a third world war for the sake of war."

Fury frowned at that, and deep wrinkles, like strings of sausages, unconsciously appeared across his dark forehead. "There are many people like that." As he spoke, Fury rattled off a string of names, including several well-known political figures in the US Government.

"The most proactive!" Alex took a deep breath and demanded in a low voice, "The kind who can’t wait for war to break out right this second!"

This time, Fury remained silent even longer.

After a long while, Fury finally spoke again. "In that case, there really is one. But…" He suddenly paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "But he hasn’t made himself that conspicuous. He keeps a low profile, yet he can influence the decisions of the entire US Government, constantly steering it toward hardline choices."

"More importantly, this guy is only a colonel, not even a general!" Fury seemed both amused and exasperated as he said this. It was simply absurd.

Alex, however, let out a sigh of resignation. "He should be Sebastian Shaw’s man. He has people on both the Soviet and American sides."

"Should I kill him right now?" Natasha was also in Fury’s office, but she had not said a word from beginning to end. Her sudden remark startled many of them.

Alex rolled his eyes and snapped, "If killing people could solve the problem, would I need to trouble you all?"

Before anyone could speak again, Alex told them about what he had seen in the Soviet Union, along with his own suspicions. "I suspect the Soviet side also wants to take this opportunity to deploy missiles in Cuba."

If it had initially been merely Sebastian Shaw’s people provoking the Soviet Government, then afterward, the Soviet Government had taken the lead. Even the person deeply influenced by Sebastian Shaw had not said a word before they took everything upon themselves, refusing to let outsiders interfere. That was why Alex had not found anyone in Moscow—the man had already been dispatched to carry out the core of the mission.

After hearing Alex’s words, everyone fell silent. If it were only Sebastian Shaw, they still had some confidence in resolving the matter. But now, it was highly likely that the Soviet Government itself was involved. When facing a state machine, ninety-nine percent of people died beneath its advancing wheels.

"What do we do now, Alex?" Natasha also realized the importance and danger of the situation. Her playful expression became exceptionally serious, and the excitement in her heart was impossible to conceal in her slightly trembling voice.

Alex shook his head with a bitter smile, his face full of frustration. "If the Soviet Union wants war, what can we do?" It was not as though Alex had never considered secretly changing the minds of the Soviet leaders, but experience had told him it was impossible. Those who could become the leaders of a nation possessed minds and wills far beyond ordinary people. Changing the thoughts of such people was harder than ascending to heaven.

"Are we just going to watch?" Fury was equally hesitant. S.H.I.E.L.D. stood for protecting humanity, and naturally, Fury did not want a third world war to descend upon them.

"We’ll play it by ear!" Having obtained the answer he wanted, Alex found that the matter had entered an unsolvable Vicious Cycle. All they could do was watch it continue to worsen.