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"Recently, the Avengers' base in upstate New York exploded, and their homes were maliciously destroyed."
The screen cuts to footage of the base, showing smoke billowing from the rubble, with dead and wounded bodies scattered across the ground.
Various television stations frantically report the incident.
From TV stations to the internet, the event sparks a wave of speculation, some completely unfounded.
"Oh my God, could terrorists have done this?"
"Brother, you're too naïve. Ordinary terrorists can't threaten Iron Man and the others. It's probably some terrible organization. Remember what happened in New York?"
"Oh, you mean those monsters? If that's the case, it's terrifying. I don't want to deal with them again!"
"Who knows, it could be mutants. The world's getting crazier, and maybe some mutant with a grudge against these so-called heroes is behind this."
"I don't care who did it. All I want to say is that it was well done. These arrogant superheroes deserve to be flushed down the toilet, washed into the sewers! If anyone's got a problem with that, squash me! Hail Hydra!"
"Oh no, if even the superheroes can't handle this, we're done for! This could be the start of something worse. Run! Get as far away as you can!"
Inside the Avengers' meeting room, everyone watches the flood of messages on their screens and phones.
The destruction of their base causes widespread panic, along with a wave of schadenfreude among criminals.
The Avengers' image is in shambles.
"Damn it! Who leaked this?"
"Fury, this should have stayed classified."
Tony snapped at Fury.
Fury's expression was even more grim. He slammed the table, "Stark, calm down. I'm not omnipotent, and I don't have time to block every bit of news!"
"Neither your people nor mine would do something so petty," Hawkeye said, eyes narrowing. "That means whoever leaked this is probably the one behind the explosion!"
The room grew cold. Everyone turned toward Fury. If the culprit could broadcast this footage, they might have left a clue.
Fury sighed. "Sorry, guys. This one's slippery. No leads."
He spread his hands, exasperated.
"Whoever they are, they're like a ghost. No trace."
"Any ideas on who might have a grudge big enough to do something like this?" Fury asked, looking around.
Thor shook his head. "If it were my brother, he wouldn't use something as crude as a bomb. He'd kill them directly."
Iron Man knocked on the table. "I don't let my enemies live long enough to plot something like this."
Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanged glances and shook their heads.
Then all eyes turned to Bruce Banner, who had been quiet the whole time.
He nervously adjusted his black and red coat. "Guys... don't look at me."
"You know anyone who faces me when I'm Hulk... doesn't survive."
The team sighed in unison, discouraged.
Just then, Fury's phone buzzed with a new message. His face changed slightly.
"Looks like we've got a lead."
The Avengers immediately perked up.
"One of my surviving agents reported seeing a Chinese transporter in the surveillance footage, acting suspiciously."
"Wait, Chinese?" Tony asked, leaning in.
"Well, he's not sure. The person wore a hat, so their face was hidden, but based on some characteristics, he guessed."
"Jarvis, pull up all the surveillance footage stored at the base," Tony ordered. "Search for a man with a hat."
Although the base was destroyed, the footage was stored in Jarvis's network. A huge virtual panel appeared, displaying dozens of camera feeds.
Soon, a figure emerged on multiple screens—a man wearing a white cap, tall, with black hair and white gloves, just barely visible under the brim of his hat.
This man had been inside the Avengers' base multiple times over the past two days!
Despite hours of footage, they never saw his face.
He avoided every camera, both visible and hidden, with precision that sent a chill down everyone's spine.
This was no coincidence—he knew the base's layout intimately.
Everyone watched as Jackson Chen strolled through the base, bypassing alarms and security systems with ease.
For half an hour, he wandered in and out of camera view, his movements calculated. Under the shadow of his cap, they could just make out the slight smirk on his lips.
It was a look of complete contempt and indifference.
The room fell into stunned silence.
The sight of Jackson on the screen left them speechless, haunted by the implications of his presence.
They couldn't shake the unease that had settled over them. The figure on the screen left more questions than answers.
And something about him was deeply unsettling.
It was now almost certain—the man in the video was the one who blew up the base!
But who was this man with the white cap?
They still knew nothing.
He had the ability to bypass all surveillance and alarm systems, and even managed to plant bombs without leaving any trace.
This was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. The Avengers' base had hundreds of monitoring and alarm systems, both visible and hidden.
How could someone memorize all the surveillance points, avoid each one with such precision, and remain so calm while doing so? His knowledge of the base's structure was disturbingly comprehensive.
The most unsettling question remained: How did he smuggle in the bombs?
The Avengers' base enforced strict checks on all incoming materials. Dangerous items, especially explosives, were impossible to sneak past the detection systems. Even the smallest trace of such a threat would trigger alarms.
These lingering doubts piled up in their minds. The shock of the explosion had evolved into an overwhelming sense of unease.
As for his motives—why he blew up the base, what he aimed to achieve—they were entirely in the dark.
Everyone sat in silence, knowing the culprit was right there on screen, yet they were powerless to act.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers—both facing this unknown man—were gripped by a chilling stillness that settled over the conference room like a deathly silence.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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