Marvel's Venom, starting with a Hydra undercover agent.

At times like these, Holm's presence becomes less noticeable, and Daisy, the professional player, has to take the lead.

Normally, only the two of them are needed for a mission, but today is different. Phil Coulson is also rarely seen in the team, and he is standing behind them.

"The main location of this mission is in Afghanistan and its surrounding areas. The core objective is to use every available means to find the missing Tony Stark..." Phil Coulson said to Holm and the others while swiping on his tablet.

Hearing the details of the mission, Holm was also somewhat surprised. According to his memory, Tony Stark should be able to escape the terrorist-guarded cave soon and be rescued by the Air Force in the desert.

Unexpectedly, this task was assigned to him in his own place. It seems that although it wasn't shown in the movie, S.H.I.E.L.D. may have secretly searched for it back then, but just didn't find it.

Now that this task has fallen to him, he can't afford to lose this opportunity; he must get the credit.

Thinking about this, Holm also began to recall the relevant memories in his mind, and then he found that his memories did not seem to be of any help.

The movie only shows him in Afghanistan, in a terrorist base, but everyone knows this information. They're about to go to Afghanistan, and the only thing that might be useful is that he knows there are caves there.

But caves... Holm suddenly felt less confident. He felt he might become the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who wasn't shown in the movies but actually carried out a serious search mission.

While his mind was racing, Daisy also raised her own questions about the mission.

"Looking for someone? But we've never handled this type of mission before. Where should we begin?"

Chapter 79, Saving the Vengeful Tony

Hearing Daisy's question, Philin Coulson pondered for a moment before saying, "The military has been conducting ground searches and some conventional search methods, but there haven't been any results so far."

"So what we need to do is use some of the special methods that you each have your own expertise in, and try to break out of the current deadlock using these special methods."

After saying that, he looked at Daisy and Holm and said to them separately, "Daisy, use your expertise in network technology to search and see if you can find any hidden signals. After all, the terrorists who kidnapped Tony Stark also need to make a living, and they will eventually leave a trace."

"As for you, Holm, I remember that your eyesight has been enhanced and is much stronger than that of ordinary people. You can use your eyes to see if there is anything unusual when you are flying at low altitudes."

Hearing Phil Coulson's arrangement for him, Holm was speechless. What the hell did he mean by "using his eyes"? Most of the area was desert, a vast expanse of yellow and orange. Even if his eyesight was excellent, he would still get dizzy looking at it. At this intensity, even Hawkeye would develop presbyopia.

It was hard to imagine these words coming from the usually composed and steady Phil Coulson; Holm even wondered if Venom had eaten his brain.

However, this also shows that S.H.I.E.L.D. is very anxious about Tony Stark's disappearance. More than two months of regular searches have yielded no results, which is why they are resorting to these seemingly outrageous special methods.

"Um... Actually, one of my special abilities is the ability to perceive my surroundings. It's like a special little radar that I don't need to look at with my eyes. Although the range isn't very large, I think it should still be somewhat effective."

To minimize the strain on his eyes, Holm could only simplify and downplay his sensory abilities. In reality, his perception was far superior to radar, which couldn't create concrete images in his mind like he could.

Upon hearing Holm's suggestion, Philin Coulson nodded in surprise and said, "Such an ability? That's great! Close distance doesn't matter; we can fly at extremely low altitudes."

Any ability is acceptable as long as it helps us find Tony Stark quickly.

Phil Coulson knew that Tony Stark was important to Nick Fury's future plans. Although he didn't know the specifics of the plan, he could sense how much Nick Fury valued it. Therefore, Tony Stark absolutely could not afford to lose him and had to find him and bring him back safely.

......

Three days passed. During these three days, Daisy would occasionally adjust the type of search signal to ensure that everything was foolproof, while Holm spent most of his time with his eyes closed, chatting with Venom in his mind while sensing Tony Stark's whereabouts by following the Quinjet's ultra-low-altitude flight.

With their superior present and the mission progressing quite seriously, Daisy and Holm communicated much less than usual. Daisy usually initiated the conversation, with Holm responding, since it didn't matter if someone with connections spoke first.

Phil Coulson hasn't been idle these past few days either. Although he's not directly involved in the search, judging from the frequency with which he's made phone calls and communicated with others, he's probably in charge of the whole thing.

In addition to the three of them, there were many other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents conducting separate searches. However, since they were a special team, Phil Coulson, the team's founder, was on the same plane as them.

Phil Coulson had originally planned to try a different approach to break the deadlock, but after several days of fruitless searching, his hopes gradually faded, turning into frustration and anxiety about the current situation.

"We've found a clue!" Daisy's sudden shout broke the silence on the plane.

Holm opened his eyes when he heard the sound, and at the same time he saw Philon Coulson, who had just been sitting in the cabin, jump up almost instantly and rush behind Daisy's seat after the sound.

"Have you found his location? Where is he? Let's go check it out right away! If we need assistance, I'll call headquarters now!" Phil Coulson rattled off a string of words, his face brimming with excitement.

It's rare to see him with such an expression. Daisy had previously complained to Holm that she thought he probably wouldn't have much of an expression even if a S.H.I.E.L.D. airship blew up in front of him.

It's no wonder Phil Coulson was so excited. After all, Tony Stark is far more important than the Helicarrier. He had just been thinking about what to do if he couldn't find Tony Stark, and then Daisy suddenly gave him a surprise.

"We're pinpointing their location now. I did it through a suddenly appearing network signal. Maybe some of the terrorists really wanted to watch the game, so they secretly turned on their phone's data..."

"Through this network signal, I also accessed some devices connected to him in the vicinity, and then secretly connected to one of the cameras, from which I could directly see a portion of the footage..."

“Tony Stark sometimes appears in this scene. He seems to be imprisoned in a cave and looks a bit disheveled, but you can still recognize him.”

As Daisy spoke, she projected the image onto the screen in front of the Quinjet, making the already blurry picture even more fuzzy after zooming in.

Nevertheless, Tony Stark's distinctive accent allowed them to immediately recognize him through the screen. He was standing at the door, accepting a tray handed to him from outside the thick iron gate.

"What did you say was that blue glowing thing on his chest? Was it a searchlight? Like how some workers turn on the lights on their hats when they're working," Daisy said, looking at the Arc Reactor emitting a ghostly blue glow on Tony Stark's chest in the video.

Holm knew what it was, but of course he couldn't say. Phil Coulson didn't know what it was, but he didn't care; he was currently thinking about how to safely and properly rescue Tony Stark from here.

According to Daisy's investigation, the base appears to be quite large. From the other surveillance footage that was recently blacked out, she also saw various heavy weapons casually placed in different locations, as well as a considerable number of patrol personnel.

There are so many people on patrol alone, not to mention the total number of people in the base.

After a moment's thought, Philon Coulson also turned his attention to Holm.

Under the current circumstances, it seems that only Holm has the ability to complete this task.

Chapter 80, Plans and Changes

The moment Phil Coulson's gaze fell upon him, Holm knew he was in for a job, and his credit was about to be awarded.

Sure enough, the next second, Phil Coulson placed his hand on Holm's shoulder and said, "There are too many people in this base, and their firepower is sufficient. Even a direct assault would take some time, and that time would be enough for them to decide to kill Tony Stark directly. So we need to use another strategy..."

"This mission can only be entrusted to you, Agent Clint. When their guards are less vigilant at night, you will infiltrate and protect Tony Stark. Then, we will launch a fierce attack from the outside to draw their attention and divert their firepower, creating an opportunity for you and Tony Stark to escape."

"Remember, you must protect Tony Stark's safety. He is the core of this mission. Any accident will affect the success or failure of this mission. Only by safely bringing him onto this plane and back to New York can this mission be considered a complete success."

"Your work has never failed, and I hope this time will be no exception."

As he spoke, Phil Coulson patted him on the shoulder and promised, "This mission is very important. It will be a crucial asset for your future promotion. You are currently the most promising agent in the department. What you achieve in the future depends on yourself."

Holm had already stood up the moment Phil Coulson spoke, and after Phil Coulson finished speaking, Holm replied with a serious expression, "I will definitely complete this mission perfectly, sir. Rest assured, I will protect Tony Stark's safety."

“Even if he wants to stay with these terrorists a little longer, I will bring him back by force.” After saying this seriously, Holm also made a small joke to lighten the mood.

Phil Coulson laughed and said, "I don't think he would think that way. Hard bread and spice paste in the cave are not as good as cheeseburgers."

After finalizing a few more details, they waited for nightfall. It was currently noon, so it would be best to wait until at least two or three in the evening to take action.

Watching Phil Coulson finish reporting the situation to Nick Fury with a sigh of relief, and then chat with Daisy on the side, Holm also looked at the several surveillance images displayed on the screen, praying in his heart that Tony Stark's armor hadn't already been built. After all, apart from the parties involved, only he knew what Tony Stark was planning.

If Tony Stark doesn't act today, he can rescue him relatively easily according to plan. But if Tony insists on acting today, things will become somewhat complicated, and the situation won't be as controllable as planned...

Holm was hoping that noon would pass quickly, because he remembered that Tony's escape in the movie was around this time, but the situation he least wanted to happen still occurred.

On the surveillance footage, a group of terrorists, looking serious, arrived at the large iron gate of the cave and excitedly pounded on it, trying to get in.

However, Tony Stark and another gaunt middle-aged man inside managed to block the large iron gate. The terrorists outside became even more anxious after realizing they couldn't open the gate, and tried to use their guns, but ended up accidentally injuring their teammates.

Inside the cave, Tony was no longer visible on the surveillance footage. All that could be seen was a gaunt middle-aged man shouting something about dealing with terrorists delivering takeout, while busily operating something.

"The situation has changed! We need to get there immediately!"

"Horm! Get ready for battle. We'll provide cover fire and call in nearby agents for support," Phil Coulson said seriously to Daisy and Holm.

They both nodded in agreement. Daisy immediately followed the instructions and rushed over as fast as she could, while Holm had already reached the door of the fighter jet, ready to jump at any moment.

Phil Coulson gripped the seat with one hand to avoid falling during acceleration, while using the other to contact nearby agents on the phone.

With the Quinjet accelerating at full speed, they reached the terrorist base at low altitude in just over a minute. During that minute, the terrorists on the surveillance footage finally blew open the door with explosives and killed the gaunt middle-aged man.

The surveillance video was then physically destroyed by stray bullets, and they have no idea what happened next.

As the Quinjet came to a low stop, Holm, carrying his weapons and equipment, jumped out of the cabin.

Seeing this, Phil Coulson also took the co-pilot's seat and activated the fighter jet's weapon system.

......

“Let’s go together. Didn’t you say you were going to visit your family?” Inside the massive steel armor, Tony Stark crouched down, looking at Ethan, who was lying on the ground coughing.

Ethan felt his vision blurring. He looked at Tony Stark, who seemed to be swaying in front of him, coughed a few times, and then said weakly as if all his strength had been drained, "My family is dead. I'm going to visit them now."

"Just let me lie here, Stark, just let me lie here."

Tony Stark opened his mouth as well, his voice trembling slightly as he sincerely said, "Thank you... thank you for saving me..."

Hearing his gratitude, Ethan smiled with relief, then said with his last breath, "Don't let me down...Stark...protect yourself...don't make unnecessary sacrifices..."

After saying that, Ethan slowly stopped breathing and lay quietly on the ground.

Seeing Ethan lose his breath, Tony Stark's eyes held a different look. He stood up with a resolute expression, then snapped off the visor and began to maneuver the massive Iron Man suit of armor outwards.

By this time, the cave was surrounded by panicked terrorists. Most of them did not know what had happened inside. They only saw their companions running out of the cave in a panic, shouting that there were monsters, which made them view the thing inside with more mystery and fear.

They gripped their guns tightly, pointing them straight at the cave entrance. Although they were somewhat afraid, they still didn't believe that any monster could be dealt with by bullets. Even if a dinosaur came out, it would be torn to shreds by their bullets.

Just then, the sound of metal clashing came from the cave, growing louder and louder.

Once they got a clear look, they discovered that it was a small steel giant resembling armor. As they pointed their guns at him, he slowly raised his steel arm.

Chapter 81, Entering a New Stage of Life

Good news: what came out of the cave wasn't a terrifying monster, but just a steel suit of armor that didn't seem very agile.

The bad news is that while this steel armor isn't as frightening as the monster, their bullets can't penetrate it; instead, they bounce back and injure their comrades nearby.

The sound of gunfire was deafening, and soon the feet of the steel-armored man were piled high with dented shell casings.

Tony Stark manipulated his Iron Man armor to raise his arm, then activated the flamethrower, which began to burn wildly in all directions.

In an instant, screams of agony rose and fell as terrorists, their bodies ablaze, threw down their weapons and began to writhe on the ground.

Despite the power of the flamethrower, it still has a limited range. So, the terrorists outside the range picked up rocket launchers and aimed them at Tony Stark's steel armor, ready to unleash their fury on him.

Tony noticed their movements and quickly fired the remaining two rocket launchers from his arm.

However, his aiming method was too primitive, and he missed both shots. Just as he realized something was wrong and was preparing to move quickly so that they wouldn't be used as targets, several rockets flew in from a distance and landed accurately in the corresponding groups of terrorists.

The rockets that flew over, along with the rockets and other ammunition they had prepared, amplified the explosive power several times over, causing several small mushroom clouds to rise instantly throughout the cave area.

Tony Stark was also stunned by the sudden scene. He turned his head to look at where the missile had come from and saw a fully armed man standing on the edge of a cliff in the distance, skillfully loading ammunition.

Behind his black goggles, Holm squinted, calculated the angle and distance, and then pulled the trigger, bringing warmth to the several groups of terrorists gathered together, moving them to tears.

Only after he had used up all the ammunition he carried did Holm throw down the rocket launcher on his shoulder and rush out by stepping on the rocks on the edge of the cliff.

At this point, there were not many terrorists left who could still move. Seeing Holm rushing towards them, some of them were terrified and turned to run away, while others had red eyes and were ready to teach Holm a lesson.