"Have you seen Hogan?" Iron Man asked, squeezing through the crowd to Pepper.
"Wasn't he with you earlier?" Pepper asked, confused.
Hogan was missing? Tony suddenly had a bad feeling. Just then, Black Widow walked up. "I can't find Hogan." After speaking with him, she had felt something was off. Her sharp agent instincts led her to look for the fat driver, but she found no trace of him.
"What's going on?" Tony recalled giving the counterfeit Arc Reactor to his trusted driver. If Hogan was gone, it meant the fake reactor was also gone. "We need to find him."
At that moment, an officer walked up. "Mr. Stark, someone says they need to see you."
Tony was already frustrated, and he didn't have the time or energy to meet anyone. Luckily, Pepper was right by his side, so she casually asked, "Who wants to see Tony?"
"He says he's Mr. Stark's driver, his name is Hogan."
Everyone looked at each other, surprised.
It turned out that the police had found a drunken, unconscious man with exposed clothing and had brought him into the detention cell. He had only just woken up. Hogan, confused and missing all his clothes except his underwear, had begged the officer to believe he was Tony Stark's driver. The officer then came to report the situation.
"Where is he now?" Tony asked, growing more anxious.
"He's been in the cell since noon yesterday," the officer replied. "Mr. Stark, if you wish to bail him out, please send someone to the police station."
Tony's mind raced. He had just realized that the driver with impressive car skills wasn't Hogan at all. "Oh no, someone must have stolen the fake Arc Reactor." Tony realized the situation was critical. If the reactor ended up in the wrong hands, it could be turned into a weapon of war.
Black Widow was also shocked. "How could this be?" But she, still undercover as an agent, couldn't afford to reveal herself.
Tony couldn't believe someone would be bold enough to impersonate his most trusted person to steal something, almost like they had foresight. "Let's head to the police station."
At the police station, Hogan was sitting in his white shorts with red spots, looking like he was on the verge of tears. "I just went to the bathroom, and when I woke up, I found myself locked up! I don't know anything. Mr. Stark, please get me out! I haven't eaten all day."
Hogan was completely out of the loop, which made Tony even more exasperated. How could this happen?
Meanwhile, at the racetrack, Ada had received orders to handle the aftermath.
"Gather all the debris and check it one by one," Ada, wearing her deep blue S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket and black high heels, commanded as she directed the agents. Her task was to recover Ivan's whip.
"Please come this way, miss." The Monaco police were quite polite to the American secret organization. They were a small country, and cooperating with the U.S. was always a safe bet.
Ada saw the crude but sturdy and practical design of the Russian-made whip.
Electrifying the whip made it reach high temperatures, capable of melting and cutting through metal. The effect was outstanding. Combined with the whip's enormous power, it was sharper than a heat blade.
"Quite a good weapon, isn't it? High energy conversion, and the materials used aren't even that rare. Plus, with an external frame to enhance arm strength, it's simple but very powerful. Typical of Russian design," the Monaco police officer accompanying Ada said, surprising her with his insight.
Ada gave the police officer a suspicious look and then saw a familiar smile. "Liu A'dou?"
Liu A'dou removed his officer mask and grinned. It had been almost three months since he last saw his wife, and he was definitely missing her. "Come here, let's hug."
Like a swallow returning to its nest, the two embraced.
"Did you finish filming the movie?" Ada asked.
"It's done, and even the post-production is finished," Liu A'dou replied. "They've already started promoting it. To be honest, X Professor and the others are more invested in it than I am."
"Is Elsa alright?"
"Her?" Liu A'dou thought for a moment. "You can tell she's not acting, she's playing herself. There's a lot of emotion there. Maybe it's because she's recalling her past regrets, but overall, it's something to be happy about. I just hope she can resolve her inner conflicts."
That's good, Ada thought, and then quietly enjoyed the peaceful moment, relishing the feeling of being so close. It felt like a sweet reunion after a short separation.
After a long while, they finally parted.
"Ada, I really didn't expect you to be out on a mission so soon," Liu A'dou laughed. He was surprised that Ada had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and even became a Level 7 agent. He wasn't questioning her abilities, but he was amazed at how quickly S.H.I.E.L.D. had acted.
"I'm pretty impressive, aren't I?" Ada replied confidently, smiling.
"I know, otherwise, why would I marry you?" Liu A'dou said. "By the way, didn't they suspect anything about me?"
"Suspect you? They investigated both of us thoroughly, but they could never guess we're time travelers. Plus, our files are complete, and we're both orphans, so they could never find a flaw," Ada explained. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is strong, but they're not all-powerful."
"So, if we work together, we can definitely steal something valuable," Liu A'dou said.
Ada laughed. She had stolen things in the past, but only viruses. After working with Liu A'dou, her methods had become more varied. "Got any plans?"
"Of course. I'm planning to strike at the Stark Industrial Expo and steal the future."
"..." Ada thought her husband was really bold, but she was curious about what exactly Liu A'dou planned to steal.
"Ada, for this operation, you shouldn't get involved. You need to stay undercover in S.H.I.E.L.D., preferably working in New York City," Liu A'dou said, thinking about Thor's appearance and Ivan's arrival. The Avengers were getting close.
The members of the Avengers had been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s one-eyed director, but not including Superman or Batman. One was too expensive, and the other couldn't be found.
Superman's popularity was unparalleled, with knowledge that surpassed human science by a hundred centuries and god-like abilities. He was Earth's greatest protector, so much so that even the U.S. President would seem short in comparison. Let alone Nick Fury.
As for Batman, he was fully dedicated to protecting Gotham City, and the one-eyed director had no ability to locate him there.
The Green Lantern was often off-planet, and S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't do anything about him.
The Flash, protected by Reverse-Flash, was another issue. Reverse-Flash, having returned from the future, knew that Flash would eventually join the Justice League. To ensure Flash gained his full powers, Reverse-Flash would not allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to interfere with Flash's development.
Green Arrow had too many family matters to deal with, leaving him no time for the one-eyed director. Wonder Woman had only recently appeared, and her role was still to be observed.
Within the Avengers, Hawkeye and Black Widow were already S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Captain America had originally been a soldier under command, and now he was part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Iron Man, with his father being one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., naturally had ties to the agency. Spider-Man was also the same.
So, before the Justice League and Avengers were formed, the appearance of superheroes was already quite different. After understanding this, Liu A'dou couldn't help but complain in his mind, "Is there really much difference between DC and Marvel?"