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The monitor's footage continued playing, and a tense silence filled the room.
Everyone watched helplessly as the figure on the screen appeared frequently, yet it was impossible to identify the person or their motives.
Dr. Banner, focused on the footage, began frowning and grew more serious by the second.
"Tony, can you replay the video for me?" Banner requested, eyes locked on the screen. "Yes, the one in the top left corner."
Everyone's attention sharpened. Had Banner noticed something?
Suddenly, Banner exclaimed, "Oh no, that doesn't make sense!"
He scrutinized the video, shaking his head in disbelief.
Curiosity filled the room.
"Doctor, did you find something?" someone asked, but Banner ignored them, mumbling under his breath, "It's impossible... it's impossible..."
He moved closer, touching the virtual projection, pulling video after video in front of him.
Something was wrong.
"Damn it, these videos have been edited!" Banner exclaimed. "Tony, are you sure this is what Jarvis transmitted?"
His voice trembled slightly.
Iron Man, taken aback, replied, "Banner, what are you saying?"
"Are you questioning my abilities?"
Banner shook his head and pointed at the video. "Look closely. These videos have been re-edited. This footage wasn't there when I first saw it."
Everyone turned back to the screen and quickly noticed something was off.
The video appeared similar to what they had just watched… but there were subtle differences.
Someone had altered the video, right in front of them.
A chill ran down their spines as if they'd seen a ghost.
Who could be behind this?
"It's impossible," Iron Man muttered. "Jarvis's defense system is unbreakable. How could this happen?"
He was on edge, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Did Jarvis get hacked?" Iron Man asked, alarmed. If Jarvis—his supreme masterpiece, the core of his Iron Man suit—had been infiltrated, it meant the hacker could modify Jarvis's operating system at will.
In other words, the hacker could control the Iron Man suit… and potentially kill Tony Stark whenever they wanted.
Realizing this, Tony felt an icy wave of fear wash over him.
"Please, Jarvis, find out what happened," he thought, almost begging.
But his plea was met with frustration.
"Sorry, Tony," Jarvis responded, his mechanical voice calm yet chilling. "There are no signs of a network attack. No intrusion was detected. But this video has indeed been altered. Our adversary is stronger than we anticipated."
Jarvis's revelation left everyone frozen with fear.
Dr. Banner took a deep breath and tried to steady Tony. "Stay calm, Tony. Since the intruder changed the video, they're likely trying to communicate something. Can you rearrange the footage chronologically?"
Iron Man, though still shaken, quickly adjusted the order of the video.
Moments later, gasps filled the room.
"Damn… what does this even mean?"
The mysterious man on the screen wore a white hat and a slight, unsettling smile. Every time he appeared in the surveillance footage, he displayed a number with his fingers.
This had gone unnoticed in the earlier footage.
Now, it was eerily apparent.
Even more bizarre, the numbers appeared random and lacked any discernible pattern.
"Six, seven, zero, zero, one, three, six..." someone murmured, reading the sequence aloud.
The numbers seemed chaotic. What could they mean?
What message was this man attempting to send through the video?
Suddenly, Captain America spoke. "Tony, try reversing the order of the video."
Puzzled, Tony complied. He reordered the footage in reverse.
As Captain America studied the new sequence, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Everyone watched him intently, holding their breath, careful not to interrupt his concentration.
At last, he exhaled sharply, his face turning cold.
Fury was the first to break the silence. "What is it, Captain? What did you see?"
With a solemn look, Captain America responded, "This man is using an old Allied code from World War II."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they exchanged nervous glances.
"Steve," Tony said, "are you sure?"
The U.S. team nodded solemnly. "I'm pretty sure," Captain America said. "I'm very familiar with this kind of code."
"But I need time to translate. Tony, can you write down the numbers he indicated for me?"
Tony quickly exported the data, which Jarvis printed on a piece of paper. Captain America took the paper, matched it with the video, and began tapping on the virtual buttons.
Lines of text started to emerge in front of everyone:
"In the next month, I'm going to be working on thirty cases in this city like crazy. You have a chance to stop me before you do. If not, I'm sorry, but more and more people will die because of you. Avengers base, just the first day."
Suddenly, Captain America's hand froze. At that moment, all other images on the projection vanished!
A line of scarlet text appeared in the center of the dark screen, slowly materializing in an eerie manner:
"Welcome to the Abominable Party!!!"
The mere sight of those words sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Captain America slowly raised his head to look at Tony, speaking with difficulty. "Stark, that guy has been here all along, right in this room, watching our every move."
The atmosphere grew thick with tension, and the temperature in the room plummeted, leaving everyone speechless.
After a long, suffocating silence, Black Widow finally broke the tension. "We can't sit still. This guy is like a hunter, lurking in the shadows, secretly watching us. The more we panic, the more excited he becomes. It's a game, and we need to figure out the identity of our opponent!"
Tony, his voice low and steady, replied, "It's simple. What about clues?"
A glimmer of recognition crossed Black Widow's face. "I know someone who might be able to help identify this person!"
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