Facing the congested road ahead and the panicked crowd around him, Nick Fury had no choice but to ram the cars in front of him, forcing a path through sheer impact.
A police officer with an assault rifle ran to a nearby platform, parallel to Fury's driver's seat, and began firing directly at him.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Bullets whizzed through the air. Fury pressed himself against the seat and leaned back, hiding his body behind the B-pillar of the car. The officer's shots pierced the car window but failed to hit him.
After taking down two officers by ramming their vehicles, Fury forced open a path and sped away.
However, the pursuers were relentless, chasing him in their police cars while continuing to fire. The high-speed pursuit became even more thrilling and dangerous.
At that moment, Fury couldn't help but regret not having injected himself with a physical enhancement serum.
As the director of the world's most advanced spy agency, he never thought he'd face a life-or-death assassination attempt in broad daylight.
With the help of the AI assistant and a passing semi-truck at an intersection, Fury managed to take out two of the pursuing police cars.
After clearing them, Fury quickly shouted, "Find me an escape route!"
The AI replied, "Calculating safe route..."
Just then, Fury noticed a man standing in the middle of the intersection ahead. Dressed in black, the man held what looked like a weapon.
Fury was prepared to run him over, but the man remained eerily calm, raising his weapon and aiming it beneath Fury's vehicle.
The man in the road was none other than the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
With a pull of the trigger, a round bomb skimmed across the ground and attached itself to the undercarriage of Fury's car.
"Boom!"
The explosion sent Fury's car flying into the air amidst a blaze of fire.
As the car hurtled toward him, Bucky calmly sidestepped, letting the vehicle crash down behind.
"Crash!"
The car skidded for half a block, spewing black smoke before coming to a stop.
Bucky, holding his weapon, began walking toward the wrecked car, step by step.
Inside the overturned vehicle, Fury spotted the approaching enemy through the cracked window.
Wasting no time, he retrieved an electromagnetic cutting tool and began cutting through the car's roof. Beneath the car, he noticed a manhole cover.
Realizing his luck hadn't run out yet, Fury quickly escaped into the sewer system below.
Bucky reached the car, he grabbed the door with his metal arm, ripping it off effortlessly and tossing it aside. Peering inside, he spotted the hole in the roof and the open manhole cover below.
…
Meanwhile-
After Charles Doyle purchased the Manda Summoning Contract, far away in the Sound Village Base, Orochimaru suddenly felt his connection with Manda restore.
This meant that he could once again summon Manda for battle. Orochimaru smiled but refrained from attempting the summoning.
He knew this was because Lord Charles had brought Manda into this world. Having Manda as an ally meant gaining a summoning beast on par with the Kage-level, far superior to Aoda, both in strength and size.
However, Orochimaru wasn't particularly eager to reunite with his old companion. His current focus was on the numerous scientific projects he was overseeing. A reunion with Manda could wait for another time.
It wasn't just Orochimaru who sensed the return of Manda's summoning contract. In the medical room, where Sasuke was recovering, he too became aware of the situation.
…
Meanwhile-
After bidding farewell to Sam, Steve Rogers headed straight for the Charles Agency in Queens, New York.
Riding his Harley to the entrance of the agency, he paused to glance at the sign and the doorman standing at the entrance.
Although he had reviewed this place multiple times in the files, it was his first time visiting in person.
After parking his motorcycle by the roadside, Steve walked toward the agency.
As he approached, the doorman opened the door for him.
"Thank you!"
Entering the agency, Steve noticed the spacious and luxurious interior. Unlike the bustling activity at Suna or Kumo, the agency seemed quiet, with only the staff present and few clients in sight.
The staff barely glanced at Steve as he walked in, seemingly indifferent to the presence of the famous super-soldier.
Steve made his way to the front desk, where he was greeted by a professional-looking woman.
"Hello," Steve said, "I'd like to inquire about something."
The receptionist, Selene, offered a polite smile as she replied, "All information from the Charles Agency comes with a fee."
Selene knew very well that while Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, was a well-known public figure, he wasn't particularly wealthy. In fact, his financial standing was below that of many middle-class individuals.
Of course, if he was here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. for an official mission, the situation would be different—S.H.I.E.L.D. could certainly afford to pay.
Steve clarified, "It's not about intelligence or resources. I'd like to learn more about physical enhancement serums."
"If, say, a person in their 90s wanted to receive the serum safely, would it be possible to restore their body to peak condition?"
Hearing this, Selene thought to herself, 'Is he asking about this for an old friend?'
If Steve had posed this question to anyone else, they might not have been able to give him a definitive answer without experimental data. However, this was Selene.
Besides the developers of the serum, such as Orochimaru and Tsunade, Selene was among the most knowledgeable about its effects.
She knew that the serum was essentially a "toned-down version of the vampire serum."
With the current physical enhancement serum, giving it to a 90-something-year-old would pose no issue at all.
Selene smiled and reassured him, "You don't need to worry about that."
"With the serum's capabilities, as long as the person isn't already dead, they'll be perfectly fine after injection."
"For a 90-year-old, the serum's effects would still classify them as relatively young."
Hearing this, Steve's face lit up with joy.
"This is the best news I've heard all day."
However, considering how difficult it was to acquire the serum, Steve paused for a moment and asked, "What if—just hypothetically—I offered my shield in exchange? How many doses of the serum could I get?"
Steve understood the value of his shield, which lay in its rarity. Made of vibranium and other metals, it had been forged by Howard Stark under unique circumstances. Its worth was unquestionably high.
Selene was briefly taken aback by Steve's offer—his shield.
'Would this qualify as an 084 artifact?' she wondered. Though she had heard of the shield's uniqueness, she wasn't sure if Lord Charles would have any interest in collecting it.
After a moment, she replied, "I can't determine the shield's value right now."
"It's possible it might not be enough for even one dose, but it could also fetch one—or maybe several."
"I'll need to report this to the Boss for a decision."
Hearing her response, Steve felt a mix of emotions—neither happy nor disappointed. For now, there was no definitive answer.
He pulled out his business card, placed it on the counter, and said, "Please report this for me. Let me know when there's a decision."