When Liu A'dou completed his movie shoot, Ada had also finished her training with S.H.I.E.L.D. and became a Level 7 agent.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, with his right-hand Maria Hill and left-hand Phil Coulson, oversaw the organization.
Maria Hill was fiercely loyal to Director Fury, serving as the commander of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier. Though she lacked superpowers, her physical skills were comparable to Black Widow's. However, she didn't have Black Widow's wealth of real-world combat experience.
Maria Hill established the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, with Level 10 being the highest and Level 1 the lowest. The higher the agent's rank, the more secrets they had access to. A Level 7 agent was already the highest rank achievable by new agents. Agents ranked Level 8 and above were trusted individuals who had undergone years of trials. Even if Ada were more capable, she couldn't become a Level 8 agent.
Of course, Level 7 agents were still highly esteemed—Hawkeye was also a Level 7 agent. While he couldn't rank up due to his seniority, Director Fury treated Hawkeye like a trusted confidant.
Therefore, it was quite an achievement for Ada to become a Level 7 agent straight out of the gate. Her first assignment, however, was to handle the aftermath of superhero battles. Most superhero fights resulted in massive damage, often leaving dangerous weapons behind. Ada's job was to manage the victims' relations with recovery teams and retrieve any leftover items from the scene.
The so-called "recovery teams" were government-funded organizations that profited from cleaning up after superheroes. Ada only learned of their existence after becoming an agent.
The work itself was straightforward. During superhero battles, Ada and her fellow agents would head to the scene to assess the damage, check for hazardous materials, and speak with witnesses. Sometimes, they even had to supervise the recovery teams to prevent them from inflating the damages for profit.
Ada's first mission involved a robbery during Iron Man's racing incident.
"Ivan, these are yours. They belong to you," said the dying elderly man to his burly middle-aged son inside a shabby apartment in Moscow, Russia.
No one would have guessed that this frail, aging man was once a partner of Howard Stark, the founder of Stark Industries. Back when the Soviet Union still existed, the old man and Howard Stark had designed the Arc Reactor together. The elderly man returned to the Soviet Union with the design, hoping to serve his country and make a fortune, but he found that his designs were completely ignored in the turbulent political landscape of the time. He spent his life depressed and was further worn down by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now, on his deathbed, the man saw his old partner's son, Tony Stark, thriving and proudly announcing himself as Iron Man on TV. The old man still remembered that after his departure, Howard had claimed the Arc Reactor as his own invention, a claim the elderly man knew was a lie. He believed that everything Iron Man had achieved should rightfully belong to his son, Ivan.
"Ivan, my poor son, the only thing I could give you was knowledge," the man said with regret. He had given Ivan a strong, battle-hardened Russian body, a sharp mind, and a thirst for revenge.
"My poor son..." He died, consumed by endless regret.
Watching his father die, Ivan smiled. "My old father, I will reclaim everything that belongs to me."
Now that his only family was gone, Ivan was free to seek revenge on Iron Man. He retrieved the long-forgotten design blueprints and the rare palladium he had acquired during the collapse of the Soviet Union through special means.
With a little more time, Ivan became the second person in the world, after Tony Stark, to successfully miniaturize the Arc Reactor. Ivan, though poor, was a genius, one whose talents rivaled Tony Stark's.
Unfortunately, Ivan was a genius who had chosen the path of crime.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Stark casually sponsored a racing team and provided the cars.
This year was the first time Stark's team participated in the race, but no one expected that, right at the moment the race was about to begin, Tony Stark would suddenly show up on the track and demand that the team switch him in for the driver. Yes, as the team's behind-the-scenes boss, Tony was going to race himself.
The driver was furious, cursing Tony for being ruthless. But Tony was the boss, and the entire team had to listen to him. Everyone knew from gossip reports that Tony Stark was the kind of stubborn rich kid who would do whatever he wanted. Even if the whole team threatened to resign, it wouldn't change Tony's mind. After all, Tony had the money. If they wanted to resign, fine. He would replace them all and still race himself.
Originally, Pepper thought Tony would just sit in the VIP section watching the race on the big screen, but her face immediately changed when she saw Tony on the track. Tony had never driven an F1 car before; this was practically a suicide mission. "Natasha, Natasha, where's Hogan?"
The sultry Natasha, with her wavy, voluminous hair, responded, "He's outside."
"Tell him to get the car ready. We need to go get Tony."
"Okay, I'll go right now." Natasha, still undercover as a legal advisor for S.H.I.E.L.D. at Stark Industries, had kept her true identity hidden from both Tony and Pepper.
Natasha quickly went outside and found the fat driver, who was eating barbecue with gusto. "Hogan, get the car ready. We need to go get Mr. Stark."
Hogan shoved meat into his mouth and mumbled, "What's going on with Mr. Stark?"
"He swapped places with the driver and wants to race." Natasha was just as baffled as Hogan by Tony's reckless decision.
"My God, is no one going to stop that guy?" Hogan didn't even stop to gulp down his cold drink.
Natasha looked at the fat driver curiously. Had he always been this blunt? "Hurry up, we need to stop Tony before he crashes."
"No problem, I'll get the car ready." Hogan moved to prepare the car.
Natasha was still staring at Hogan's retreating figure, feeling like something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him felt different. She didn't notice the rebellious grin on Hogan's face as he turned his back—because this wasn't Hogan, but Kaitou Kid.
Liu A'dou and Ada had stayed in contact, even though Ada was under orders not to transmit any S.H.I.E.L.D. information through any channels. But they were like the Saints of the Zodiac, and sending thoughts over long distances was child's play for them. After all, didn't the Saint Tiger from Five Old Peaks seem like a satellite phone, always able to reach Saints from around the world?
That was why Liu A'dou knew that Ada had become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, so he asked her to keep an eye on Iron Man's movements. Actually, given Ada's level, she couldn't know Iron Man's secret yet, so she learned about Tony through reading gossip columns. She found out he was going to Monaco to watch his team's race and contacted her husband.
Liu A'dou saw this as an opportunity. He had a deep desire for the Arc Reactor. While he had many designs in mind, the materials and energy needed to make them a reality were hard to come by. The Arc Reactor was a good source of energy and could power some of his designs. It was definitely more reliable than Professor Agasa's solar cell, which only worked when the sun was shining—making it about as useful as a flashlight that only lit up in the light.
The Arc Reactor was a must-have for Liu A'dou, so he passed all the post-production and promotional work to a famous Hollywood director. Since Professor X was footing the bill, it should be fine. Meanwhile, Liu A'dou wasted no time and headed straight for Monaco. Without anyone noticing, he disguised himself as the fat driver Hogan, waiting for the right moment to strike.