Marvel With Zanpakutou

At this moment...

Inside the Triskelion’s central control room.

Temporarily placed in command, Grant’s expression alternated between ruthless and gloomy as he stared intently at the surveillance monitors.

The screen displayed a black Audi coupe racing toward the Triskelion at a speed of three hundred kilometers per hour, the accelerator fully depressed without the slightest intention of slowing down, as if it intended to break straight through the defensive perimeter.

However, no one in the control room looked nervous.

Quite the opposite—many of them were chatting and laughing among themselves.

To be fair...

People this brave were a rare sight these days.

There were plenty of people who dared attack the Pentagon, but those bold enough to charge straight at the Triskelion like this were practically nonexistent.

Even the most fearless terrorists knew better than to provoke S.H.I.E.L.D.

At best, they’d be wiped out by drone strikes.

At worst, they’d face agent infiltration followed by overwhelming firepower.

The infamous Ten Rings had learned that lesson firsthand.

After provoking S.H.I.E.L.D., they spent the following months receiving special treatment—bombed day and night without interruption. More than ten thousand tons of munitions were dropped on them, blasting away three layers of earth.

Besides, there was no way an ordinary sedan could break through so many defensive checkpoints.

If it actually managed to storm S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, everyone here might as well resign and become hosts instead.

"Commander Grant, we’ve identified the driver of the Audi. It’s former Level 9 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, codename Black Widow."

An agent operated the computer, enlarging the surveillance image onto the main screen.

"The man sitting beside Natasha has also been identified. According to the Eye System database, he’s just an ordinary martial arts school owner."

An ordinary... martial arts school owner?

Grant frowned slightly as he carefully examined the man sitting beside Natasha.

He vaguely remembered that Viper’s mission had failed two days ago.

The reason seemed to have something to do with this man.

"What are your orders, Commander Grant?"

An agent beside him asked,

"Should we activate the interception system? The armed helicopters are already airborne and awaiting authorization to eliminate the targets."

"W-Wait!" Sharon Carter suddenly stood up, looking nervous. "I think we should prioritize capturing them. We still don’t know why Natasha betrayed us."

"No need."

Grant shot Sharon a cold glance before decisively issuing the order.

"Tell them to eliminate the intruders immediately."

Viper’s mission had failed a few days ago, costing them two Harrier fighter jets.

The exact reason for that failure still hadn’t been disclosed.

That fact alone made Grant increasingly uneasy.

Although Alexander Pierce hadn’t said anything directly...

As an elite agent, Grant had detected a hint of concealed truth from his expression.

Combined with this man’s appearance, the conclusion wasn’t difficult to reach.

The reason Viper’s mission had failed...

Had absolutely something to do with that expressionless Asian man.

"But..."

Sharon wanted to continue arguing.

Yet after meeting Grant’s icy gaze, she ultimately swallowed her words.

"Activate all defense systems!"

Grant stared fixedly at the monitor, the uneasiness in his heart growing stronger.

"Natasha has betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. No one knows whether she’s carrying anything dangerous. She must be stopped outside the perimeter at all costs. Understood?!"

The last few words were practically shouted.

Everyone in the room stiffened.

They realized their new commander was being completely serious.

"Yes, sir!"

"Initiate Protocol 082!"

"Place the entire base on maximum alert! Activate all defensive weapons! Scramble F-22 fighters for support!"

...

A full ten AH-64 Apache attack helicopters hovered above the highway leading to the Triskelion.

The rotor blades whipped up fierce winds that howled through the air.

Even from several hundred meters away, one could feel the overwhelming pressure and suffocating sense of intimidation emanating from those helicopters loaded with weapons.

Mounted beneath each wing were 70mm rocket launchers carrying sixteen Hellfire anti-tank missiles.

Beneath the nose hung a single-barrel 30mm chain gun capable of firing up to 1,000 rounds per minute.

Using high-explosive armor-piercing dual-purpose ammunition, it could easily penetrate lightly armored vehicles or the weaker sections of main battle tanks, with a lethal radius against personnel of up to five meters.

It was no exaggeration to say that on certain Middle Eastern battlefields, the Apache was nothing less than the god of slaughter.

During the Kosovo Crisis, the United States had deployed only sixteen of them.

Yet now...

S.H.I.E.L.D. had dispatched ten of these killing machines just to deal with the two of them.

Natasha honestly felt it was completely unnecessary.

Even if Captain America himself showed up, he’d probably apologize and leave.

She was just an ordinary agent.

This really wasn’t worth it.

"Chen... I’m asking you one last time!"

Staring at the ten hovering helicopters, Natasha swallowed hard as several beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

"There are ten Apache attack helicopters ahead of us. Are we really driving straight through?"

Even someone with an agent’s iron nerves couldn’t help trembling under these circumstances.

Being locked onto by ten Apache helicopters...

Simply not wetting yourself was already an impressive feat.

"Trust me..."

Chen Lin looked rather helpless.

"As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you."

"You said it!"

Natasha gritted her teeth.

Determination flashed through her eyes as her crimson hair fluttered in the wind.

"Then I’m not holding back anymore. I’m driving straight through. If we get blown apart, I’ll settle the score with you in hell!"

"I’m afraid..."

Chen Lin smiled faintly.

"You won’t get that chance."

"They’re coming!"

Natasha cried out.

The ten circling Apache helicopters suddenly dove toward them.

The 30mm chain guns beneath their noses accelerated to full speed.

Like evil dragons awakening from slumber, they spat dazzling tongues of hellfire, accompanied by deafening roars that seemed to tear apart the air itself.

Within mere seconds...

Countless rounds poured toward the Audi.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom...

The bullets fell from the sky like an endless torrential storm.

"Ahhh—!"

Natasha’s face turned deathly pale as she instinctively shut her eyes.

Although fear made her entire body tremble and her hands and feet grow ice cold...

She still chose to trust Chen Lin.

She made no attempt to evade.

Instead, she kept the accelerator pressed to the floor while desperately holding the violently shaking steering wheel.

"Open your eyes."

"We’re fine."

A teasing voice sounded beside her ear.

Natasha breathed heavily before slowly opening her eyes.

The scene before her made her gasp in shock.

Every incoming bullet...

Had been stopped by a transparent wall.

It looked exactly like the scene in The Matrix where Neo froze every bullet in midair.

Their immense kinetic energy had simply vanished.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—

Seeing their bullets blocked by the invisible barrier, the Apache helicopters launched their Hellfire missiles.

More than a dozen missiles trailed blazing flames through the sky, producing shrill whistles before crashing into the invisible wall.

BOOM!!!

A terrifying explosion erupted in the air.

The violent shockwave carried shattered rocks flying in every direction.

The detonation of more than a dozen Hellfire missiles produced an enormous sea of flames that instantly engulfed the entire highway.

The blast wave ravaged the asphalt surface, hurling massive chunks of concrete into the air as thick smoke billowed dozens of meters high.

Just as Grant watched the screen anxiously...

The black Audi suddenly burst out of the smoke like a bolt of lightning.

The entire car remained completely intact.

There wasn’t even the slightest scratch on its paint.

It was as though the barrage of Hellfire missiles had merely given it a comfortable car wash.

For a moment...

The entire control room fell silent.

Countless jaws nearly hit the floor.

"Y-You..."

Natasha stammered for a long time, unable to finish her sentence.

She had heard long ago that Chen Lin had slain a true god in Britain.

But only now, seeing it with her own eyes...

Did she finally understand just how terrifyingly powerful the man beside her truly was.

"I told you already."

Resting one hand against his cheek, Chen Lin looked calmly ahead and said,

"I’m very strong."

"Do you believe me now?"