Chapter 216: Chapter 216 Minimum

When the energy sphere fell to the building’s midpoint, Jason detonated it.

Boom!

A massive fireball erupted from within the building, its light too dazzling to look at directly, the sound was deafening.

Jason quickly moved away.

He felt the earth shake. The Triskelion headquarters was completely pulverized.

Shattered building materials obscured the sun, scattering like confetti, while the surrounding lake churned as if boiling. The violent tremor spread, and distinct shockwaves were felt dozens of kilometers away.

After several dozen seconds, the explosions and tremors faded.

Looking out, the Triskelion and the area for hundreds of meters around it had been reduced to ruins. The main building, dozens of stories high, was razed to the ground, leaving only sporadic, smoking rubble.

The explosive was terrifying. Hill was likely blasted into meat paste in that explosion.

His objective achieved, Jason didn’t linger. He immediately left Washington and flew to New York.

……

Los Angeles, S.H.I.E.L.D. Hideout.

Nick Fury and the others were in the conference room, watching the entire collapse of the Triskelion on a live broadcast.

The room was silent. All the agents’ faces were etched with grief.

In their eyes, the building’s collapse was irrelevant. What truly broke their hearts was Hill’s death.

Fury closed his eyes in anguish.

Of everyone present, his relationship with Hill was the closest. Hill wasn’t just his capable assistant at work; she was also one of the very few close friends he could truly confide in.

Reality was just that cruel.

While Fury was still trapped in his grief, the World Security Council contacted him.

The agents voluntarily stood up and left, and the conference room went into lockdown.

Five holograms materialized in the chairs before him.

Fury glared with his one eye and demanded, “I know her! She was a careful person. Doing something she knew was impossible was not her style.”

Being confronted at the start of the meeting, the councilmen were immediately displeased.

“Are you questioning the World Security Council’s decision?”

Fury was furious and didn’t care. He nodded. “Judging by the results, yes!”

“Judging by the results, Director… Hill disobeyed orders and retreated before the fight! If she weren’t already dead, she would be facing a military tribunal!”

“Judging by the results, it was because Hill deliberately drew Jason’s attention that thousands of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and soldiers survived.”

“The Council’s order to her was to protect the Triskelion at all costs, and Hill didn’t execute it!”

“Because Hill was smart. She wouldn’t follow stupid orders!”

The atmosphere grew tense. The councilmen were furious. “Nick Fury! This is an internal Council meeting. Watch your tone!”

“Hmph!” Fury snorted. He leaned back hard in his chair, kicked his feet up onto the table, and said coldly, “Then please, Councilmen, stop wasting time and get to the point.”

Being so brazenly provoked, the councilmen were extremely annoyed. But considering Hill’s death and his relationship with her, they swallowed their anger for the moment.

“With the Director dead and headquarters destroyed, S.H.I.E.L.D. is in chaos. The Council has decided to have you temporarily assume the position of Director, to get S.H.I.E.L.D. operational again.”

Fury’s expression was grim. He wasn’t happy about being reinstated.

He wanted to stylishly reject their offer, but he knew this wasn’t the time to be petty. After this battle, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s morale had hit rock bottom. As the former Director, he had a responsibility to lead it back to the top.

After a long pause, Fury sighed heavily and nodded. “I understand.”

The councilman continued, “One more thing. S.H.I.E.L.D. is now a thorn in Jason’s side. You are to cease all operations for the time being. Shift all focus to Project Insight.”

“So, in the meantime, we just let the Joker organization run wild?”

“Don’t worry. General Ross will take over that mission for you.”

Hearing this, Fury frowned. “The ’Super Soldier Program’ is too risky.”

The councilman gave a disdainful smile. “A pity! As it turns out, the ’Super Soldier Program’ has proven to be more reliable and secure than the ’Iron Soldier Program.’”

He was mocking the Iron Soldiers controlled by Tony Stark.

Fury couldn’t refute that. He just shrugged. “Then let’s wait and see.”

………

Not long after Jason returned to the hideout, his accomplices also arrived, bringing back the wreckage of the new-energy suits.

After violently ripping out the Arc Reactor, Jason took the elevator to the underground factory to find Ivan.

That old dog had been living it up at the hideout for a long time, but hadn’t produced anything except shit. He said he needed an Arc Reactor prototype to start working. Now, the prototype was in his hands.

If he still couldn’t develop anything of value, Jason would make him eat all the shit he’d produced.

Ivan couldn’t show his face, so Jason had set him up in a small den next to the factory.

As he walked up to the door, ready to knock, Jason heard… amorous sounds… from inside.

“Shit! It’s not even dark yet!” Jason’s face darkened, and he roared, “IVAN!”

The shout startled the people in the room, and the… sounds… instantly faded.

A moment later, the door opened.

A blonde girl ran out, head down, in a panic.

Jason was about to go in when a short-haired woman walked out, covering her face.

Watching the two girls leave, Jason was left with a confused expression.

White and Black? He really knew how to live.

“Ivan, come out and talk.”

Afraid of being choked by the smell inside, he just sat down on a chair outside the door.

After another moment, Ivan walked out, wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, bare feet, and a toothpick in his mouth.

“Hey! Boss! You… ”

Seeing the Arc Reactor on the table, Ivan’s eyes lit up. “Is that…?”

“Stark’s newest Arc Reactor. I got it for you.”

Ivan’s expression froze, then exploded with elation.

He grabbed the reactor, put it on the workbench, picked up a wrench, and in a few swift moves, disassembled it. He then began to study it intently.

Jason sat and watched silently.

This was the first time he’d seen Ivan work so seriously. Compared to his previous degenerate vagrant style, he actually looked like a mad scientist.

A full hour later, Ivan finally emerged from his work mode.

“So?” Jason asked quickly.

“The craftsmanship isn’t complex, and duplicating it is simple. The only problem is the material.”

Hearing this positive answer, Jason relaxed slightly. “The material is right in front of you. Just copy it. No matter how rare the metal, I can find it for you.”

Ivan shook his head. “It’s not that simple. The previous generation used palladium, but the material for this new reactor is a substance that doesn’t exist on Earth, and it can’t be synthesized.”

Jason frowned. “Then how did Stark make it? It couldn’t have just fallen from the sky. Besides, this suit is already in mass production.”

Ivan didn’t know how to answer. He squinted, fiddling with the toothpick.

Just as Jason was losing patience, he finally said, “I have a theory, but I need time to test it.”

“How long?”

“Three months. Minimum.”

Jason stood up, patting his numb butt. “I can give you three months. I’ll provide the equipment and materials. But if you still can’t produce anything by the end… you know what happens.”

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