The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 584, 1084, and 1085: A Terrible Result

"Sorry, Tony."

Black Widow raised an eyebrow, her wine-red hair resembling congealed blood in the dim light. She lowered her arms, not directly answering the question, but instead speaking in a slightly reminiscent and meaningful tone:

"As far as I know, back when I was first recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D., the top brass in the United States and the big shots in the CIA pointed at my file and asked Director Fury almost the exact same questions..."

Hawkeye, on the other side, shrugged and said with a helpless expression, "Don't look at me like that, Tony. This time I think the captain is right."

“We are at war now, dealing with a digital ghost that can infiltrate any electronic device… Sometimes, the most effective way is to use one digital ghost to fight another.”

"As for who this digital ghost was in the past... hehe, I think we should leave that question for after we win this war."

“Okay, okay, you guys…” Tony Stark said “okay” three times in a row, his voice gradually changing from initial anger to indifference and disappointment, and finally turning into a deep sense of powerlessness.

He seemed to have all his fighting spirit and strength drained away, and he slumped back onto a dusty wooden chair next to him, the old chair groaning under its own weight.

But he still raised his proud chin, seemingly using this silent surrender to express his strongest protest at that moment.

Captain America glanced at Tony Stark, who seemed to have turned into a statue, and when he saw that Tony was no longer speaking, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but he knew in his heart that he had to make a decision as soon as possible.

He then turned his gaze back to the others, took a deep breath, and immediately announced:

"Since everyone basically agrees with my proposal, let's start implementing the plan we just decided on."

"First, we should prioritize contacting Homelander to find Dr. Helen Zhao's whereabouts and obtain the modification rights to the core program of Cradle of Life from her... This is the best option."

“Stark, I’ll probably need you to handle this part. I’m afraid you’ll have to have Friday continue her all-out search on the internet.”

A muffled snort came from the chair opposite him, which was his response.

Captain America, unfazed, continued, "If we still can't find Dr. Zhao's exact whereabouts in two days, then... we'll activate the second plan: upload a backup of Arnim Zola's consciousness to the body in the Cradle of Life."

Immediately, everyone except Tony Stark nodded in agreement.

Even if some of them didn't really support Captain America's somewhat risky approach, there was no doubt that they couldn't come up with a better solution at the moment.

So the best option right now is to shut up!

……

Time flies by.

Two days later.

The atmosphere inside the barn was even more somber than it had been two days earlier.

The inner chamber of the Cradle of Life still radiates its unchanging pale blue light, and the vibranium body lies there quietly, as if waiting for a soul to be infused into it.

Tony Stark stood in the corner, tossing away the greasy rag in his hand. He had spent two days specifically upgrading the operating system built into the Mark 45 armor.

However, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that his face was much gloomier than it had been two days ago, clearly indicating that he was still sulking.

A moment later, Friday's crisp female voice rang out in the barn, but it brought with it a result that left everyone present feeling frustrated:
"Boss, I'm sorry, but in the past 48 hours, I've used all available satellite resources, web crawlers, and non-public databases, performing over 1.2 million data matches and signal tracings, yet I still haven't been able to pinpoint any valid location information for Homelander and Dr. Helen Zhao. It's as if they've vanished from the face of the earth..."

A silence instantly enveloped everyone inside the barn.

Without a doubt, their last hope for a peaceful resolution to the 'Vibranium Body' issue has been officially shattered.

"It seems that we have no other choice."

Captain America turned to Tony Stark and said in a light tone, "So it seems we can only proceed with the second plan... Stark, you're the fastest flyer here, so I hope you can go to that abandoned underground military facility in Witton County, New Jersey, and copy Arnim Zola's core data over."

"Hehe, Captain, you really know how to assign tasks."

Tony Stark raised an eyebrow, his face full of resistance and displeasure: "I was the one who rushed to search for Helen Zhao's whereabouts, and I was also the one who went to copy the data? So I did all the work by myself, what were you guys doing..."

Although Tony Stark complained and was deeply resentful of this approach, given the trouble he had caused and his current lack of support, he had no choice but to reluctantly carry out Captain America's orders.

Without waiting for Captain America's embarrassed reply, he angrily put on the Mark 45 armor and shot straight into the sky, flying rapidly towards Witton County, New Jersey.

"Hey……"

After watching the Mark 45 armor disappear into the horizon, Captain America shook his head helplessly, thought for a moment, and then turned to the remaining crew, saying:
“We can’t all just sit here and wait… Barton, you and Dr. Banner stay here and make sure Cradle of Life is safe.”

“Natasha and I are using this time to figure out something else… what exactly happened on the Star of Lemuria? And how is it connected to Fury’s attack by that imposter!”

Black Widow's eyes lit up at the mention of this. She pouted and said eagerly, "We should have gone to talk to Sitwell a long time ago."

A few minutes later, the Quinjet parked outside the farm silently took off again and flew towards Washington, D.C.

However, Captain America and Black Widow both have very sensitive identities right now, so they are destined not to appear in the public eye openly.

Therefore, the task of 'kidnapping' Sitwell must be handed over to someone else.

And this person is none other than Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man mentioned by Black Widow!

……

[Washington, D.C.] Outside a five-star hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.

With a gentle smile on his face, Hitterville was chatting and laughing with a middle-aged senator in an expensive suit and a large belly as they walked out of the hotel's revolving door.

Behind them were two vigilant S.H.I.E.L.D. field agents with their right hands near their holsters, and two senators' private bodyguards—a truly impressive lineup.

“Listen, Jasper…”

Senator Stern wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and said with an annoyed look, "I have to fly back to New York tonight. I can't delay any longer."

"Damn it, the voters and some union leaders in Hell's Kitchen are making a huge fuss, and the media is fanning the flames... I have to go there myself and make a gesture to appease those greedy idiots."

With a slightly obsequious smile, Hitter bowed slightly, lowered his voice, and asked pointedly:
"Is there anything I or S.H.I.E.L.D. can help you with, Senator?"

"For example, we might be able to provide you with some less conspicuous assistance on certain 'security' issues."

“Besides that increasingly disobedient bastard Wilson Fisk pulling strings behind the scenes…” Senator Stern seemed to want to say something, but then glanced around hesitantly, and finally just waved his hand, lowered his voice, and shook his head vaguely:
"Hmph, forget it, I'll find a chance to deal with that guy myself... As long as he still wants to run for mayor, he'll have no choice but to submit to me."

Then, as if he had thought of something amusing, he changed the subject, a lewd smile spreading across his face. "But, that girl you arranged last night... well, that hot model-like chick, her service was really good, she was very... moist both up and down. The only downside was that she talked a lot. She even told me that if she had the chance, she wanted to be a reporter... Ha, in a moment like that, who the hell would pay attention to her career plans?!"

Hitwell understood immediately, raised an eyebrow with a knowing look, and chuckled, "Don't worry, Senator, her background is clean, and she's very 'sensible.' Trust me, she definitely won't cause you any problems... I'll handle the subsequent 'sponsorship' fees through the old channels."

“Really?” Senator Sent patted Sitwell on the shoulder with satisfaction. “My back still hurts from all the scratching she gave me last night, that enthusiastic little wildcat… but never mind.”

He glanced at the bustling crowd around him. “This isn’t a good place to talk about these things. Come visit me at my villa in Georgetown sometime, and we can have a proper… in-depth discussion about these interesting things, and also talk about the next phase of our ‘cooperation’.”

Then, during their final embrace, Senator Stern, using his body as cover, whispered almost inaudibly in Hitwell's ear:
"Tell Commander Pierce that I hope Project Insight goes smoothly... Long live Hydra!!!"

Hitwell, still wearing that harmless smile, nodded slightly.

The two parted ways.

Senator Stern, surrounded by bodyguards, climbed into the extended Lincoln.

Hitwell straightened his suit, a look of relief on his face as he turned to walk toward his armored car.

However, the moment he lifted his foot, something unexpected happened!
Hitwell felt the world before him suddenly magnify at a dizzying speed.

The hotel doorman, who had only reached his waist in the distance, suddenly became a giant he had to look up to.

The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in front of him, their figures rising like mountains, anxiously looked around, searching for their suddenly 'disappeared' selves, looking both comical and terrifying.

Not just people, but everything around them...

The revolving door in front of him, the cars below the steps, the buildings all around... everything in Hitterville's eyes was growing bigger and taller, as if the scale of the entire world had been reset in an instant.

"Oh, damn it! What the hell is going on?!"

Hitwell was horrified to discover that it wasn't the world around him that had grown larger, but rather that his own body had shrunk... to the size of an ant.

The ground beneath his feet had changed from smooth cement to a rough surface of boulders covered with gravel and cracks.

He tried to shout, but his voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz and was instantly drowned out by the city's massive background noise.

Just as he was panicking and watching the two giant-like agents begin calling into their communicators and expanding their search area, a figure, also only the size of an ant, wearing a peculiar red and black uniform, rode a relatively large flying ant with a buzzing wing, descending from the sky like a knight.

He clearly recognized the newcomer; it was none other than Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man.

"Hey, Mr. Bald Agent, it's nap time!" Scott Lang's voice carried suppressed anger and a hint of inexplicable impatience.

He maneuvered the flying ant in a precise dive, and before Sitwell could react, a powerful right hook slammed into Sitwell's fat face, which was contorted with terror.

boom!
Before Hitwell could even utter a sound, his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness, and his obese, miniature body slumped limply to the ground.

"Don't blame me, I didn't want this to happen either..."

Scott Lang sighed helplessly, then deftly picked up the unconscious Sitwell, tossed him onto the flying ant's back, and then climbed on top of him himself.

"Let's go, little cutie, we've finally finished half of this disgusting chore."

He patted the flying ant on the head, skillfully maneuvering it to avoid pedestrians and fly towards the rooftop of a skyscraper a few blocks away.

A few minutes later, Scott Lang, having been sculpted back to normal size by the Pym Particles, tossed Sitwell onto the cold concrete floor of the rooftop like a sack of potatoes, where he rolled right at the feet of Captain America and Black Widow, who had been waiting for him.

Scott Lang ripped off his helmet, revealing a face flushed with rage. His chest heaved as he pointed at Captain America and Black Widow, growling:
"The person you wanted, I've brought him to you... Now, listen up! This is the last time. I'm warning you, if you ever dare to threaten me with my daughter's safety again, even once, I don't care if you're Captain America or some damn S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, I will do everything in my power to personally kill you two bastards... I mean it!!"

"Don't be so angry, Scott..."

Despite Scott Lang's threat, Black Widow maintained her nonchalant, even slightly mocking smile. She tossed her long red hair and giggled.
"Look, aren't we cooperating quite 'pleasantly'? Highly efficient, perfect results... Sometimes, a little 'incentive' is necessary."

As a top agent personally trained by the Red Room, she has done countless dirty jobs and touched countless moral gray areas for Nick Fury over the years.

Using the weaknesses of the target's family to coerce them is just one of the most common, even 'gentle', methods she employs.

Even if the other party is just an innocent little girl.

(End of this chapter)