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Los Angeles, inside a villa.
A teenager was lying on the couch, browsing through YouTube. He always found new entertainment on the site.
Whether it was a hot, fiery girl or a netizen with a goofy sense of humor, everything seemed to bring a smile to his face.
"Oh, shit! Look at what I found!"
Suddenly, his attention was captured by a live stream, and his eyes were glued to the screen.
His whole body began trembling!
On the screen, a team of disheveled but striking women slightly lowered their heads, their faces full of frustration and reluctance.
Countless comments covered the screen!
As soon as the live stream appeared, it was broadcast by media outlets across the U.S. and around the world.
He put down his fries, completely stunned.
Captain America was being live-streamed!?
Starting from Jackson Chen's "Welcome, Mr. Steve," everything Captain America had done and said was now in full view of people across the globe??
At that very moment, major media outlets were simultaneously broadcasting the live stream!
...
Meanwhile, explosions continued to rock New York.
Fire and smoke clouded the city.
"Fury, there are so many injured here, and explosions are still happening in the northern part of the city. We need air support to evacuate the wounded!"
Thor had just rescued a little girl from the debris when he immediately activated his communication channel, calling Fury for assistance.
After some static, a voice finally came through.
It was Iron Man.
"Thor, that damn one-eyed bastard is incompetent enough to let his own headquarters get blown up."
"Listen, all the aircraft have already been deployed. There's nothing left for you..."
"Thor, Thor! Damn it, Hammer Guy, are you listening to me?"
On the other end, Thor could hear Iron Man's voice, but his attention was fixed on a giant screen in the city.
He couldn't respond.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Thor muttered, "Tony, you have no idea what I'm looking at. You might want to turn on your TV."
"We were all wrong—his real target is Steve."
Iron Man, who had been hot with anger, suddenly inhaled sharply. Moments later, his breathing turned rapid and panicked.
In front of Thor was a massive electronic screen, floating in mid-air, showing Steve trapped underground.
At that moment, everyone around Thor stopped what they were doing.
Standing among the ruins, they all gazed up at the enormous modern screen.
Black Widow, watching the video in disbelief, couldn't stop thinking about what the Ancient One had told her.
[Although the picture is blurry, in your future, I see the man in that video.]
"No, no, no! Steve, don't agree to this!"
Black Widow watched the screen nervously, certain that Steve had no idea he was being live-streamed!
Striking a deal with a criminal would completely destroy him!
She started to understand Jackson Chen's ultimate plan.
His goal was to shatter the righteous image of America's hero, in front of the entire world!
In New York, countless people clenched their fists.
They prayed that Captain America would make the right choice!
Across the country, media outlets and the public couldn't stop talking about it.
Countless comments and bullet screens nearly crashed the network.
"Stand tall, Steve. Seeing you like this makes me sick!"
"Oh, shit! Captain America, stop staring at that damn screen and go deal with that bastard!"
"Never compromise with criminals. They'll never keep their promises; they'll just kill more people!"
"God, is our hero really at the mercy of someone like this?"
"You'll be a criminal, Steve!"
The flood of comments—praise, contempt, encouragement—kept coming.
But Captain America couldn't hear any of it.
In the dark, confined space, he was left with no choice.
"Name your terms," he said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire internet erupted.
What had begun with anticipation and understanding turned, almost instantly, into a wave of outrage!
"Disgraceful! Screw you, Steve!"
"Oh, go ahead, kneel and kiss that criminal's boots, Steve. You make me sick!"
"No! You can't do this. You're supposed to be a beacon of righteousness, unshakable and strong!"
In that moment, even the beliefs of many people began to crumble.
The Avengers launched into action, desperately searching for Captain America's location!
"Damn it! I can't find where he's being held!"
"There's too much radio interference in New York!"
Iron Man frantically tried to locate Jackson Chen. He knew it was too late to stop him!
On the monitor, Jackson Chen smiled.
"It was good."
"Congratulations, Captain. You finally made the right choice."
"At least this time, you faced the responsibility without any backlash."
Jackson Chen clapped slowly, patiently explaining to Captain America.
"But before I get to my demands, there's something else you should know."
"To your left and right, there are vaults. Inside them, I've made some specific classifications of the people trapped inside."
"Just like garbage needs to be sorted, so do humans. Geniuses and freaks, heroes and criminals, supernaturals and mortals. It's all a bit distant now, but you get the idea."
He smirked and continued, "The people in these vaults? They're far from good."
"For example, the pregnant woman in the next room. The child she's carrying isn't her husband's—it's her superior's."
"And of course, the boss in the room with her? He's no saint either. Embezzled funds, abused his power, and forced himself on his staff."
"And you know how successful men like him are. He doesn't have just one lover, naturally."
As Jackson spoke, the U.S. team could hear hysterical screaming from the vault next door.
"How many women have you been with? I got pregnant for you, risked everything, and now this!?"
"No, Mary! Listen to me!"
"Enough! You liar. I actually thought you'd marry me. I must've been blind!"
"Stop it! Don't pull that! It's going to blow! Please!"
The chaos in the room grew louder, with frantic shouting from both men and women. The noise made Captain America increasingly uneasy.
But he still listened intently to Jackson Chen.
Because he had no choice.
"In addition to them, there's also a securities broker. She's destroyed countless lives—people lost everything and were driven to suicide because of her. She knew exactly how those stocks would crash, but she didn't care."
"And then there's Jerry, the lawyer, and Judge Lapuri—responsible for dozens of wrongful convictions."
"Oh, and let's not forget the sweet little girl who extorts money from her father by threatening to tell her mother about his affair."
Jackson Chen rattled off the names without a hint of concern, but each word hit Captain America harder than the last.
In just a few minutes, he made it clear: almost no one locked inside those vaults was innocent.
Wait a minute...
Captain America's head shot up in realization.
This maniac wasn't planning to make me decide... was he?
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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