As for Nick Fury, after hearing Blaine's words, he fell into brief silence, his mouth dry. As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a level 10 agent, he felt a chill in his heart.
A man without rules...
Wasn't that exactly what he was thinking just moments ago?
Could it really be, just as he said—
"Director Nick Fury."
Blaine reminded him, "Now's not the time for silence."
It had already been three minutes since he arrived.
In these three minutes, Abomination had probably killed dozens of people.
"Fine!"
Nick Fury nodded in resignation. "If you can take down that monster, you'll receive a bounty of 1 billion."
After saying that, he sighed.
Just as Blaine expected, a billion was truly the absolute bottom line for S.H.I.E.L.D. If those guys found out that he, Nick Fury, spent a billion to hire someone for this crisis—regardless of the outcome—they would tear into him with a storm of criticism.
[Nick Fury: 'Looks like I'll have to deal with those guys again.']
Blaine nodded in satisfaction and stood up. "Oh right, Director Fury, since you tried to screw me over earlier, I have one more condition."
"For this operation, don't cover up my involvement. In fact, I want S.H.I.E.L.D. to publicize it."
Standing in the shadow of the office chair, Blaine waved his hand and slowly merged into the shadow.
Accepting this job from S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't just about the money—though that was definitely the main part.
There was another reason.
He wanted to make a name for himself in a single battle.
This time, he would make the name "Bounty Hunter" known internationally!
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence, the "Bounty Hunter" title would appear in many people's sights—heroes and villains alike would know that this man handled business regardless of morality, as long as they paid.
And by then, wouldn't missions come pouring in?
No more sneaking into shady underground trading hubs looking for jobs, only to get mocked by some stray dog off the street. That was so lame.
Hmm... any job under a hundred million? Not interested. Even those above it, he'd have to think it over!
Wow, just imagining it made him feel great.
Blaine was already grinning just from the thought.
Watching Blaine finally leave, Nick Fury let out a breath of relief.
But what he didn't know was that Blaine hadn't actually left the room. He was currently moving through the shadows of the chair into the wall and was now hiding in the shadow by the door.
Not being able to phase through walls was annoying—he had to wait for someone to open the door to leave.
Should he consider buying a phasing ability?
Shaking his head, he dismissed the strange thought. Right now, he was only a C-rank Hunter. The skill slot limit was ten. Shadow Stealth was enough. No need to waste a slot on something like wall-phasing. The money wasn't the issue—wasting a skill slot was.
Ever since the system told him there was a limit to skill purchases, Blaine had become extra cautious.
Luckily, the skills he had bought so far were all useful. Otherwise, he'd cry.
"Natasha, go out and coordinate with the field agents, and inform them not to attack the Bounty Hunter."
Nick Fury's words earned a silent nod of approval from Blaine.
The bald guy wasn't too bad after all—loyal to the country, the people, and Earth itself. His flaw was being too controlling. Okay as a teammate, but not really friendship material.
"Yes."
Natasha nodded, opened the door, and left.
At the moment she opened the door, Blaine slipped out behind her, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base unnoticed.
Natasha didn't sense a thing.
Recently, she had been doing clerical work. After all, the hidden internal force Blaine had left in her body hadn't dissipated yet. She lacked strength for combat and could risk internal injury.
Fortunately, the force wasn't too malicious. It should dissipate by tomorrow.
Once outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. base...
Blaine re-entered the shadows and rapidly made his way toward Manhattan.
…
…
While Blaine was negotiating with Nick Fury...
Two whole blocks of Manhattan had already been destroyed by Abomination. The fires of war raged in the midst of the modern city, and the screams of fleeing civilians echoed non-stop.
Hundreds of SWAT officers armed with heavy weapons confronted Abomination.
Several tanks and armored vehicles from the military had arrived.
The roar of artillery filled the air.
Armed helicopters hovered above, occasionally providing suppressive fire.
Aside from the heavily armed SWAT officers, there were also S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hidden among the crowd. Though few in number, they were still applying noticeable pressure on Abomination.
Unfortunately, even with such overwhelming firepower and manpower, Abomination showed barely any signs of injury. In fact, he seemed to get more excited the more he was attacked.
With a single leap spanning hundreds of meters, he could crush tanks and armored vehicles with one foot. Even a tiny shockwave from his jump caused heavy casualties among nearby officers and soldiers.
One low-flying helicopter was even dragged down by Abomination and smashed into a building with a deafening boom, exploding mid-air. The gunner and pilot were incinerated by the flames and shockwave before they had a chance to escape.
Those who did manage to escape still couldn't deploy their parachutes in time due to the low altitude and dense urban environment—splat, they became bloody pancakes on impact.
The scene was gruesome—this was easily the most terrifying "terrorist attack" in modern times.
Calling it a standoff with Abomination...
Would be better described as letting Abomination slaughter them!
As long as he didn't run away, let him kill! Let him kill as much as he wants!
Until someone arrives to take him down!
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