I sparked a mysterious resurgence in Marvel.

Chapter 285 Reunion with the Ancient One

Mixed in with a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watching the spectacle, Nick Fury, his hands cuffed, was taken away by the investigation team.

Erin shook his head and smiled, never expecting that in the end, he would be the one to put shackles on Nick Fury.

After watching the excitement...

Erin's figure disappeared unnoticed among the group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

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A dozen minutes later.

A middle-aged man with short brown hair, a mustache, and a black briefcase walked into his office on the 18th floor of the Tri-Wing Building. He looked unremarkable.

The office wasn't large, but inside it hung a huge landscape painting depicting auspicious purple clouds rising from the east.

It seems to subtly reveal the office manager's hobby.

The next second, the pupils of Duke Granger, the Level 8 Agent and head of logistics at S.H.I.E.L.D., who had just opened his office door, suddenly contracted.

Suppressing his heart trembling, he gently closed the door to his office.

Duke walked forward quietly and quickly, head bowed, and stood quietly to the side, waiting for the boy who had taken over his desk and computer to finish his game.

"GAME OVER!"

Looking at the huge word that took up most of the computer screen, Erin stretched and then closed a single-player game that he had set to the highest difficulty level.

Only then did Duke Granger speak respectfully to Erin.

"grown ups."

Seeing this, Erin waved his hand and then said to Duke, "I've already gotten Nick Fury to confess to the incriminating evidence you leaked to the World Security Council. With this achievement and your past experience, it won't be difficult for you to be promoted to Level 9 Agent, but Level 10 Agent will depend on luck. Of course, even if you are promoted to Level 10 Agent, you're still a long way from becoming the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Upon hearing this, Duke Granger immediately said to Erin, "Please lend me a hand, sir. I am willing to pay any price."

Upon hearing Duke's words, Erin stood up from Duke's boss chair, looked at Duke, and said calmly, "You really want to sit in the position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Yes, because only in this way can I truly avenge my dead family members."

As he spoke, a long-dormant hatred burst forth from the depths of Duke Granger's heart. Years of forbearance had not diminished this hatred in the slightest; on the contrary, it had nurtured it to become even more intense.

Duke Granger made no attempt to hide his emotions in front of Erin.

Instead, he revealed his true self to Erin.

Because he knew very well that he couldn't realize the crazy idea deep in his heart on his own. If he could get Erin's support and actually sit in that position, it might be his only chance in his life.

"revenge?"

A playful expression appeared on Erin's face, then he looked at Duke Granger and said, "It seems you don't intend to simply kill your enemy!"

Before recruiting Duke Granger, Erin had already figured out who Duke's enemy was through the information left behind by Alexander Pierce.

Yes, a high-ranking general in the military.

He is even one of the candidates for the next federal defense minister.

During a military operation, in order to prevent a group of terrorists from causing greater casualties, the opposing side sacrificed dozens of people, including Duke's family, by using heavy firepower to forcibly kill the terrorists.

Although dozens of people were killed, the other side also saved thousands of civilians.

It's hard to say who was right or wrong in this matter, but for Duke, who lost his wife and daughter, the military general who ordered the missile strikes against the terrorists was an enemy he hated to the core.

Duke once wanted to seek justice for his family through legal means.

But in the end, his enemy not only did not receive any blame, but instead rose higher and higher because of that merit.

Duke himself, on the contrary, suffered various forms of suppression, both overt and covert, as a result.

He almost couldn't even stay at S.H.I.E.L.D.

It was around that time that Duke joined Hydra.

Although joining Hydra allowed Duke to retain his position within S.H.I.E.L.D., over the years, no matter how hard Duke Granger tried, he was never able to get a promotion.

Even his position was reassigned to a sinecure department in the logistics department.

That's why, when Erin reorganized the Hydra members left behind by Alexander Pierce, Duke, realizing the opportunity had arrived, didn't hesitate to be the first to join Erin's ranks.

of course.

Erin did not mistreat Duke Granger.

Although on the surface he was still the obscure, low-profile logistics manager, in reality he was in charge of all the Hydra members in the Tri-Wing Building for Erin.

With so many elite Hydra members at his disposal, Duke Granger could have easily orchestrated a murder to eliminate his enemy if he really wanted to.

But judging from Duke's expression now, he doesn't seem to intend to let that enemy off easily.

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Under Erin's amused expression, Duke lowered his head and said, "Although I want to avenge my family, I will not cause trouble for you, sir. This is the promise I made to you when I swore allegiance. Besides... it would be too easy for that guy to die without knowing why."

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. My family is dead, so why should his family live?"

"Why is it that the executioner who killed my family can rise to power by stepping over the corpses of my loved ones, while I, who have dedicated most of my life to world safety, am subjected to all kinds of open and covert suppression?"

"Is it because he has a good father, and I don't?"

"I refuse to accept this..."

Under the influence of the mental field.

Even if Erin didn't look Duke Granger in the eye, he could clearly feel the hysterical hatred deep inside him.

"To avenge one's family? What an irresistible reason!"

After saying this softly, Erin slowly walked towards the door of Duke's office.

"I will use some means to get you into the position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but whether you can hold onto that position is up to you..."

"As for how you want revenge, I don't care, but if you need military support, you can go to Kiris. You know where to find her."

Upon hearing Erin's words, Duke Granger looked up abruptly.

But by then, Erin was nowhere to be seen in the room, as if he had never been there at all.

Staring at the tightly closed office door, after a long silence, Duke Granger, his eyes red-rimmed, growled in a hoarse voice:

"Thank you, sir. I will not let you down..."

The low growls echoing through the room were both a heartfelt vow and a guarantee of Erin's trust.

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Shortly after leaving the Tri-Wing Building.

With a different face, Erin boarded a flight to New York under a different identity.

More than an hour later.

After leaving the airport, Erin hailed a taxi and had it take him to Chinatown.

After getting rid of the somewhat talkative driver with a tip,

Just as Erin was about to head home, she suddenly noticed a bright yellow figure standing in the shadow of a streetlamp next to her house.

The dim streetlights shone on the bright yellow robe, as if they were gilded, making it exceptionally dazzling. The brass pendant on the chest of the robe, shimmering with green light, was even more eye-catching.

But neither the crowds nor the cars passing by seemed to pay any attention to that conspicuous figure.

He didn't even glance in that direction.

Although the figure was wearing a hood, revealing only half of her chin, Erin recognized the face hidden under the hood when she saw the distinctive item on her chest.

The Supreme Master – Ancient One.

After frowning slightly, Erin lifted her foot and continued walking forward.

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

By this time, the Ancient One had already come knocking on his door, and even if Arryn wanted to hide, it was too late.

As Erin approached, the Ancient One, standing under the streetlight, slowly raised her head and gave Erin a gentle smile.

"Long time no see, Erin."

For some reason, seeing the gentle smile on the Ancient One's face made Erin's nerves tense up even more.

It seemed that this gentle Ancient One was even more terrifying than the Ancient One he had seen last time, who exuded a terrifying aura.

Although she instantly became extremely vigilant, Erin did not show it on her face.

Instead, he smiled and said to Gu Yi, "Has it been a long time? I remember we just met not long ago."

"It may not have been long for you, but for me, it has been a very, very long time."

After shaking her head, Gu Yi turned to Erin and said, "Mind if we chat somewhere else?"

Hearing this, Erin shrugged and said, "I'm fine with anything."

As soon as Erin finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

On the bustling streets, the vehicles and pedestrians who were rushing by disappeared in an instant.

Erin turned his head and saw that the tall buildings around them suddenly twisted and then began to rotate in an incredible way.

The brick wall, bearing the marks of time, resembles waves on the sea, rippling outwards and sweeping in all directions.

Meanwhile, Erin and the Ancient One's figures moved swiftly towards the horizon amidst the rolling waves.

The Sorcerer Supreme's signature spell—Mirror Dimension.

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After the tide subsides.

Erin discovered it.

He and Gu Yi were already standing in a distinctive teahouse located at the entrance of Chinatown.

However, compared to usual.

The teahouse, which was still brightly lit, was now completely empty.

"sit."

After pointing to a chair that Erin had acquired, the Ancient One sat down opposite Erin without a care in the world.

Seeing this, Erin didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly in the chair that Gu Yizhi was sitting in.

After fiddling with the still steaming teapot on the table and pouring Erin a cup of tea, Gu Yi said, "I originally wanted to wait for you at your house, but then I realized it's more convenient to come here."

Upon hearing the Ancient One's words, Erin felt a slight smile.

He certainly understood the meaning behind the ancient saying.

It's simply that they discovered they couldn't teleport directly to Erin's house, and since they didn't want to break down the door, they created this whole mess, bringing Erin to the teahouse in this mirror space to talk.

It seems that replacing that broken anchor wasn't a waste of time; at least now the Ancient One can no longer be secretly transmitted directly into my home.

While this doesn't mean that his house can block the Ancient One, it at least gives Erin a little more time to prepare.

For Erin, this is at least a good start, isn't it?

A slight smile crept across Erin's face. Instead of responding to the Ancient One's words, he asked directly, "What did the Ancient One want to tell me in the middle of the night?"

Unfazed by Erin's directness, the Ancient One picked up a cup of tea she had poured for herself and casually uttered a name.

"Loki!"

Arryn frowned slightly after hearing the name uttered by the Ancient One.

Although he wanted to go to Loki to ask for a return on his investment, he hadn't set off yet.

Could it be that the Ancient One saw something in the river of time through the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto, which is why she came to find me?

Thinking of this, Erin looked up at the Ancient One: "Loki, the second prince of Asgard? Why is the Ancient One bringing him up? I heard he just stole the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D. Is the Ancient One asking me to help you find him and retrieve the Tesseract?"

"No."

The Ancient One shook her head and said, "The Tesseract in Loki's hands will be a crucial turning point in the future. Although it will bring a lot of pain, it will also give birth to a group of heroes."

"And those people... will be the hope for the future of the Earth."

As she spoke, countless phantoms seemed to flash in the Ancient One's eyes, as if she were witnessing something.

This is······

After listening to the Ancient One's words, Erin seemed to understand why, in the original story, the Ancient One, despite having the power to prevent the Battle of New York from breaking out, silently stood by and watched as the Battle of New York occurred.

Is she trying to create a group of superheroes who can protect the Earth before she dies?

But what does all of this have to do with me?

(End of this chapter)