"Yes, sir, no problem."
"Huh? A whole modern giant pig?"
The waiter blinked, puzzled. Who still made jokes like that in a place like this?
"Yeah, you heard me right. Fry me another one," Blaine confirmed calmly.
The waiter left, still dazed. But since the customer insisted, the restaurant had no choice but to comply—after all, it prided itself on meeting every client's request.
Blaine had picked this place deliberately—the same five-star restaurant he'd visited last time in Washington. It certainly lived up to its name. An hour later, the staff actually brought out an entire roasted modern giant pig.
The two ate slowly. Blaine was keeping Gali company while she filled her stomach; Gali, on the other hand, was simply passing the time. Neither of them had anything better to do.
"Dididi…"
A shrill ringtone suddenly interrupted their meal.
"Hello? What's the matter?" Blaine answered reluctantly. The caller turned out to be the "black marinated egg" himself—Nick Fury. Another mission?
"Mr. Hunter, there's a business proposition I'd like to discuss—"
"Not interested. Hanging up."
And Blaine did just that, cutting him off mid-sentence, showing not a shred of respect for the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
On the other end, Fury froze. Did he just hang up on me? His face darkened, and he hurled the phone to the ground in frustration. "You dare hang up on me? Damn it, I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and you're the first person crazy enough to—"
"Hello? Mr. Hunter, please don't hang up, just let me finish—"
The man who'd been cursing seconds ago now called again, his voice polite, as if nothing had happened. His ability to change tone could rival the Monkey King's transformations.
"Speak."
"Fifty billion. Help the Avengers take down a HYDRA base. Simple task."
"For Loki's scepter? Not interested."
Beep… beep… beep…
The busy tone buzzed in Fury's ear again. This time, he completely lost his temper.
"Son of a—! Fine, we'll do it without you!"
Blaine chuckled to himself.
"Done eating? Let's go back and catch the show after dinner," he said casually.
It wasn't that he didn't want the job. Blaine had a rule: after every mission, he had to rest for at least a week. If he kept taking contracts endlessly—killing and earning—he'd turn into nothing more than a weapon. That wasn't who he wanted to be.
Besides, he had Gali with him. The sweet, curious little girl had snuck out just to see him, risking the wrath of cosmic forces if necessary. How could he possibly send her home alone?
"Eat up, then let's go."
Two huge beef legs sat untouched in front of Gali, but the moment Blaine mentioned there was a "good show," she devoured them in an instant.
A moment later, they teleported home, barely wasting a few seconds.
"Gali, can you locate the Avengers?" Blaine asked.
"The man in the metal armor, the big green one, and the one with the shield?" she replied.
"Yeah, that's them."
"They're on your Earth—some small island called Europe."
"Looks like a fight's about to start. Perfect timing for a show."
"Then let's enjoy it properly," Blaine grinned.
"Why go there when we can watch from home?" Gali teased, waving her hand.
A projection shimmered to life above their villa's bed, showing a massive transport jet—clearly marked with S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia. The rear hatch was open, and inside stood Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Natasha, Hawkeye, and even Thor, who'd returned to Earth without notice. The original Avengers were all assembled.
"Damn, a live broadcast? Gali, I adore you more and more," Blaine laughed.
He'd originally planned to spy through HawkEye's perspective, but since HawkEye was free now, even Blaine's mental strength wasn't enough to locate the Avengers' position. He could only flatter Gali to cover his embarrassment.
…
"Everybody ready?" Captain America asked, adjusting the shield on his arm.
"Come on!" Natasha and Hawkeye said eagerly.
"ROAR!"
The Hulk bellowed and leapt from the jet first.
"Wait for me, Hulk!" Thor shouted, diving after him.
One by one, the rest jumped down in style. None of them needed parachutes—Natasha and Hawkeye might've been ordinary humans, but they had their own tricks to land safely.
From afar, Blaine could see the HYDRA base perched on a cliffside, the emblem of a nine-tentacled octopus fluttering ominously. If that wasn't HYDRA, nothing was.
It seemed Fury truly despised HYDRA—no matter how many times they clashed, neither side could completely wipe out the other. Last time, Fury had thought he'd eradicated the remnants, but some had clearly slipped through the cracks.
The Avengers' arrival didn't go unnoticed.
Sirens blared. Tanks rolled out, followed by armored vehicles and squads of heavily armed HYDRA soldiers, encircling the heroes on all sides.
The snowy forest would witness an extraordinary battle that day.
"ROAR!"
The Hulk struck first, smashing down on an armored vehicle. The steel beast crumpled like a toy car under his feet, reduced to scrap before it could even fire a single round.
The fight exploded instantly.
Hawkeye took cover behind a tree, firing arrows with deadly precision. Occasionally, one detonated to add chaos and cover.
Natasha moved like a panther, her strikes swift and precise, leaving her enemies completely disoriented.
Iron Man was almost lazy—J.A.R.V.I.S. handled the targeting for him. Repulsor blasts and shoulder-mounted missiles locked onto HYDRA troops with surgical accuracy.
Thor swung Mjolnir, shattering tanks and even batting shells back toward their sources.
Captain America deflected incoming fire with his shield, his agility and combat skill unmatched.
And the Hulk—well, there was never any question about his strength.
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