"Report to the commander—the system has returned to normal," a technician said at that moment, a hint of joy flickering across his face.
"Have we stopped the invasion?" Nick Fury asked, his voice sharp with curiosity.
"No… the other party's invasion has ended."
"..."
"I ought to curse you! What are you so happy about? Your house has been completely ransacked, and you're still in the mood to laugh? Are you looking for death?"
Fury's anger boiled over—white-hot and unrelenting. He desperately needed an outlet, and the unfortunate technician had just walked straight into his trap.
After the scolding, the technician lowered his head in silent grievance, not daring to utter a word.
Seeing this, Agent Hill quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Immediately check what data they've tampered with. Right now, our only lead is to figure out their intentions from there."
"Understood." At Hill's order, a team of technicians sprang into action.
It didn't take long before they uncovered the disturbed data using a traversal algorithm.
"It's personnel records. The intruders copied SHIELD's internal personnel database."
"Personnel records?" Fury's brow furrowed. "What does that guy want with those? Is he investigating someone inside SHIELD? What's his endgame?"
Confusion spread across the room. No one could fathom what Loren was up to.
Just then, Fury's comm chimed.
He answered—and within seconds, his expression turned grim.
"The World Security Council building has been attacked by unknown assailants. Many are dead."
"What?!" The room erupted in shock. "There are government officials from dozens of countries in there! If they've been targeted, that's a declaration of war on the entire world!"
Stunned silence followed, faces pale with disbelief.
"It seems there's another madman in this world," Fury muttered, his voice heavy with meaning.
His gaze shifted to Coulson. "Coulson—take Natasha and Barton with you. Investigate the scene and find out who's behind this. And remember: Alexander Pierce is an old friend of mine. Nothing happens to him."
"Understood. We move out now."
Without hesitation, Coulson contacted Natasha and Barton. Minutes later, the trio boarded a Quinjet and sped toward the World Security Council building.
But as they raced through the skies…
…Loren and 2B had already arrived—hovering silently above the structure.
"Boss, the anti-gravity drone swarm has surrounded the World Security Council building. What are your orders?" Alice's voice crackled through Loren's steel helmet—cold, precise, and utterly devoid of emotion.
It mirrored Loren's own state of mind. He felt nothing for the Hydra operatives inside. Only indifference—and a steely resolve to avenge his father.
"Hold position for now," he said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "If anyone tries to escape, cross-reference them with the personnel data you extracted. If they match Hydra profiles, eliminate them on sight."
In his eyes, every life in that building was no more than an ant—expendable, insignificant.
"Understood, boss," Alice replied. "And… what about those who don't try to escape?"
A thin, icy smile curled Loren's lips. "Don't worry. I'll handle the ones who stay—personally."
With that, he dove like a meteor toward the building below.
He blew the roof off the building with overwhelming force—then suddenly appeared before a group of Hydra operatives deep in a clandestine meeting.
"Still having a meeting? I'm calling you in!"
Loren smiled coldly. With Alice's real-time intel, he instantly identified the Hydra agents embedded within the World Security Council.
Without hesitation, he fired. Bullets erupted from the weapon mounted on his shoulder, cutting down several hidden operatives in an instant—so fast they never had time to react.
Half the room lay dead before they even registered his presence. The survivors froze in terror; some screamed and bolted for the exits.
But Loren gave them no quarter. He raised a hand, pointed—and a searing laser shot from his fingertips, piercing the calf of a fleeing man.
The man collapsed, howling in agony.
"Without my permission," Loren said icily, "no one moves. I don't want to kill innocents—but if you force my hand, I won't hesitate to become a murderer."
The room fell deathly silent. No one dared breathe.
Satisfied, Loren—clad in his bat-like tactical suit—nodded.
"Good. That's the reaction I wanted. Now, answer my questions. Where is Pierce? The first one to speak gets to walk out of here."
An Asian woman in glasses immediately raised her hand, voice trembling. "Minister Pierce is in his office. I saw him five minutes ago."
"Very good," Loren said, studying her. Something about her manner struck a familiar chord. On impulse, he switched to Mandarin. "You're from China, aren't you?"
Her eyes widened behind her glasses. "You… you speak Chinese?!"
"Raising your hand to answer questions—that's a habit most Chinese students pick up in school," he said with a faint, wry smile. "Shame this isn't a classroom."
She flushed slightly, embarrassed—but her fear visibly eased. "Pierce is a monster," she said, lowering her voice. "He's harassed so many of my colleagues. If you're here to stop him… I support you completely."
"He's in the first office at the end of the corridor," she added eagerly. "If you can't find it, I can show you the way."
Loren chuckled. "Wow. Even overseas, the 'good student' instinct lives on."
He gave her a small nod. "Thanks for the help—but I prefer to handle things myself. It's more fun that way. Take your friends and go."
As he strode toward the exit, the other survivors turned to the woman with wide, fearful eyes.
"Ms. Li," one whispered, "what did you say to him? Why did he laugh?"
"I just told him you were all decent people," she replied smoothly. "And that his suit was impressive. He smiled and told me to get you out safely."
"God bless you, Ms. Li—you're a lifesaver!"
Loren, of course, heard none of it. His focus was already locked on Pierce.
Then Alice's voice crackled in his earpiece:
"Boss, hostiles incoming from the lower floors. Heavily armed. Proceed with caution."
Loren glanced at the 2B android standing beside him. "These grunts are yours. Leave no one alive."
"Yes, sir," 2B replied, her lips curling into a chilling smile—before vanishing in a blur of motion.