Everyone who holds a position of power longs to control everything—and that desire is far stronger than it is for ordinary people.
For someone like Nick Fury, an intelligence chief, it's even worse.
Just look at how S.H.I.E.L.D. was riddled with holes by HYDRA, and yet Nick Fury still retained enough personnel and hidden forces to remain firmly in control.
He likes to command the overall situation. He dislikes anything—or anyone—that exists beyond his grasp.
Unfortunately for him, he happened to run into someone like Qin Xiao.
Whether it was the Iron Monger–level materials he possessed or his personal strength that far surpassed that of ordinary super soldiers—
I never informed Nick Fury in advance.
It wasn't until something happened that I remembered I technically still had a job, and that this "notice" was really just to have me send someone to clean up my mess.
"If you hadn't told me, I'd have thought you'd forgotten I was your boss," Nick Fury said coldly."No wonder you've become a celebrity—praised as a superhero, even befriending upper-class figures like Tony Stark."
You couldn't really blame Nick Fury for being angry. The last time he spoke with Qin Xiao on the phone, he was so furious that he smashed his phone on the spot.
"You can't blame me, boss," Qin Xiao replied calmly."You never gave me a chance to integrate into the team. Other than Natasha, Clint, Coulson, and you, I don't know a single person in the department. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing every day. You didn't give me any assignments—so you can't blame me for that."
"As for Obadiah, Tony asked me for help. Once I finished handling it, I immediately notified Coulson."
Qin Xiao knew that he had, in fact, been making use of S.H.I.E.L.D. most of the time, so he didn't press the issue further. He simply spread his hands, wearing an innocent expression.
"What about the Middle East incident?" Fury snapped."You were supposed to be on a Quinjet. You stole one from the Los Angeles branch, and then told me you were attending a yacht party?"
Nick Fury slammed the table angrily.
"Who said my work permit couldn't be used to enter a branch? I went there to apply for an aircraft! Who would've thought my clearance wouldn't even let me into the facility? Do you think this is a joke?!"
Qin Xiao remained perfectly calm, looking utterly blameless.
"And Stark?" Fury pressed."Why didn't you tell me in advance about that suit of armor?"
"Boss, that wasn't my job," Qin Xiao replied flatly."When did you ever tell me I was responsible for monitoring Tony Stark's every move? You didn't. So you really can't blame me."
He spoke as casually as if he were slicing meat.
Nick Fury felt a headache coming on.
Strictly speaking, he should have reminded himself of this. But the truth was, he'd never brought it up, nor had he ever given this kid any formal training.
So in the end, he could only straighten his posture and speak seriously—because there was genuinely nothing he could refute.
"Fine. Forget the past," Fury said."Explain your strength. This isn't super-soldier–level power. Whether it's Captain America or Isaiah, fighting someone like you wouldn't be easy. You're basically a walking steel monster."
Qin Xiao had no intention of explaining himself.
Nick Fury had no choice but to stand up, grab a glass, pour himself a drink, and continue:
"This is simple," Qin Xiao said lightly."Chinese kung fu. You know—I'm Chinese. The mysterious East has always had mysterious things. Bruce Lee. Hah! Chinese kung fu!"
He started spouting nonsense again, even striking a classic Bruce Lee pose.
"Chinese kung fu?"Nick Fury wasn't an idiot. He frowned in confusion.
"That's right. Chinese kung fu," Qin Xiao nodded solemnly.
As if to prove his point, he reached out to Natasha and took her modified handgun.
Imitating the Fire Cloud Evil God from kung fu lore, he raised the gun in his right hand and pressed it directly against his own temple.
I'd always wondered how to properly translate this line into English to make it sound impressive:All martial arts in the world are invincible—except speed.
Without hesitation, he fired sideways.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, shocking both Nick Fury and Black Widow.
At the same instant, Qin Xiao's left hand shot up, his index and middle fingers extended toward his right temple.
Thud!
His left hand was nearly level with his nose when the bullet slammed mercilessly into his temple.
His attention was entirely focused on his left hand—his body wasn't prepared at all.
Natasha's modified handgun packed tremendous power at close range.
The impact snapped Qin Xiao's head violently to the side, and he was thrown heavily to the floor.
His left hand remained raised—still forming a victorious gesture.
The Hulk's defensive power was terrifying. Even at just thirty percent, a handgun couldn't penetrate it.
Although the temple was a vulnerable spot, there wasn't even a hint of redness where Qin Xiao had been shot.
From his actions, it was obvious he had intended to catch the bullet with his bare hand—and failed.
So even though both Nick Fury and Black Widow were stunned, Natasha couldn't help laughing.
"Hah? What I wanted to show you was Chinese kung fu—Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt!"
Qin Xiao patted off imaginary dust, sat back up, and said shamelessly.
"A truly impressive performance," Nick Fury said dryly, clapping a few times without enthusiasm.
Then his expression turned serious.
"Regardless of where your power comes from, what I care about most is the Avengers Initiative. Now we have you, Tony Stark, that shape-shifting green behemoth, Agent Romanoff, and the bow-and-arrow kid. I believe the plan can officially begin."
"The big guy and Stark both have a good relationship with you. You'll be responsible for bringing them in. Natasha will assist you. Any objections?"
Nick Fury's meaning was clear.
In his view, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers Initiative were meant to be two parallel systems—cooperating, but not interfering with one another.
That was also why Qin Xiao had been forcibly absorbed into S.H.I.E.L.D. but given no real assignments, nor allowed contact with anyone outside Fury's inner circle.
Join the Avengers Initiative. Use Nick Fury's immense resources to assemble the Avengers. Then, at the right moment, gather a group of like-minded people and build their own enterprise.
This had always been one of the plans Qin Xiao shared with Tony.
Naturally, he had no objections.
Especially since Fury wanted Black Widow to work with him during the early preparation stages—this suited Qin Xiao perfectly.
Nick Fury nodded, clearly satisfied, and continued:
"I had planned to meet with you and Stark tomorrow. Today was just to see you first—and to let you speak with Stark beforehand, so tomorrow we can have a formal discussion."
"I'll provide you with bases, funding, equipment, weapons of all kinds, transportation—I'll even arrange enemies for you to practice teamwork against."
He raised his glass slightly.
"Welcome to the Avengers Initiative."
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