William could imagine it.
Nick Fury, at this moment, was coldly "watching" him through the airwaves with his single eye, waiting to see him panic, cry, and beg for mercy on his knees.
William leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows on the table, his other hand unconsciously clenching the soda can, producing a faint sound of metal deformation.
The color drained from his face at a visible speed, and his lips became somewhat pale.
"...You mean," William's voice sounded a bit dry, even carrying a subtle tremor, "my voice...has been marked by them?"
"Every byte."
"HYDRA invests no less resources than we do in monitoring global communications. Especially when it comes to their top-secret 'Winter Soldier' project, any related keywords will trigger the highest level of alarm."
"You are not the first, nor will you be the last smart person to get into trouble because of this."
"So, this insurance contract of mine that just went into effect..." William's breathing became a bit rapid.
"It will pay you a decent pension after you die," Fury interrupted him coldly, "provided we can find your body."
This conversation was full of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s black humor and absolute sense of oppression.
In Fury's eyes, this glib insurance Agent had finally paid an unbearable price for his cleverness.
Game over.
However, what he didn't see was that beneath William's seemingly pale and bloodless face, deep within his eyes, there was no fear at all; instead, a nearly excited flame of "calculation" burned.
His brain was operating at a speed beyond that of ordinary people.
Risk assessment initiated... Threat source: HYDRA.
Threat level: Global, lethal, highest priority.
Current situation: Exposed, marked as "contaminant."
Response plan... William's inner thoughts were already in turmoil, but on the surface, he still maintained the image of a pitiful, weak, and helpless insurance Agent who was about to be scared to death.
"Director... Director Fury," he said in a tearful, pleading tone, "you can't just leave me to die! We just made a deal! I'm your client! I'm S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest-level policyholder!"
"Our deal was that you provide intelligence, and I provide you with security."
Fury's voice remained cold and hard.
"But you didn't tell me that you shouted this intelligence directly in front of HYDRA. The insurance contract has clear exclusion clauses, Mr. Rodriguez. For risks caused by the policyholder's subjective intent or gross negligence, the insurance company will not compensate."
"I did that to show you my sincerity!"
"Your sincerity almost activated a HYDRA super assassin in the middle of New York City and also put yourself on the assassination list. Should I say you have commendable courage?"
Listening to Fury's merciless sarcasm, William rolled his eyes inwardly.
Old fox, still testing me.
He knew that from the moment he uttered those German words, the game between him and Fury had already entered its second phase.
Fury was using death threats to re-establish his dominant position in this collaboration, pushing William Rodriguez from an equal collaborator back into the position of an easily manipulated informant.
Unfortunately, he picked the wrong target.
William took a deep breath, and the panicked expression he had just worn vanished without a trace.
His voice returned to its characteristic, slightly cynical calm.
"Alright, Director Fury. Since we're talking about exclusion clauses, we should also discuss your'service quality' issues."
Fury on the other end of the phone keenly noticed this change in tone. He remained silent, not speaking.
"Your security system can be infiltrated like a sieve by competitors. My voice, my encrypted signal, was intercepted on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s channel, wasn't it?"
William leaned back in his chair, relaxing completely.
"According to industry practice, this is a major error on your part. Due to your security loopholes, my personal safety as a VIP client has been severely threatened. Forget compensation; I can even sue you now for emotional damages."
"You..."
"So, Director Fury, don't talk to me about exclusion clauses."
William chuckled softly, completely taking control of the conversation.
"The situation now is that because your operational capabilities are subpar, you've caused me immense trouble. I demand compensation. Immediately, right now."
"...What do you want?"
Fury's voice finally carried a hint of gravity. He realized that he was not facing a scared little character, but a truly formidable gambler, more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.
"Very simple."
William's fingertips tapped lightly on the table.
"A global manhunt sounds very expensive. According to the level of my policy, I need S.H.I.E.L.D. to provide the highest level of 'risk hedging' service."
"Speak plainly."
"I need S.H.I.E.L.D.'s financial support. You know, my Base still needs a lot of money."
A dial tone came from the other end of the phone.
Well.
It's too hard to get money from the black egg.
Fury cut off the communication without a word after he stated his final demand.
The contract immediately took over William's phone after the call was hung up.
"contract: On HYDRA's side, all three data tracking lines have been cut and reverse-blamed on S.H.I.E.L.D. Communications for their six rapid response teams deployed around New York City have been taken over by me and implanted with false directives. Their operations have been delayed by at least three hours."
"contract: Regarding your voice sample identification, I have implanted over 1.8 billion highly similar, obfuscated interference data points across global public and encrypted networks. Any attempt to track you via voiceprint will result in a random target."
"contract: Sir, according to my calculations, your current physical safety factor is 99.87%. Direct network threats from HYDRA have essentially returned to Zero."
Listening to the contract's incredibly efficient report, the smile on William's lips grew wider.
Fear?
What a joke.
From the moment he decided to call Fury, he had already instructed the contract to make thorough preparations.
Nick Fury thought he was standing on the edge of a cliff, unaware that beneath his feet was the most solid foundation, constructed from the entire digital World.
HYDRA's global manhunt?
It sounded terrifying, but in front of the nascent digital deity that was the contract, so-called network tracking was nothing more than a childish game.
"Well done, contract."
William praised sincerely.
"It seems our firewall is much more effective than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s."
"contract: Logical affirmation. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system is too large and bloated, filled with redundant designs due to human bureaucracy. My core has only one directive: ensure your absolute safety."
William nodded in satisfaction.
He walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the blinds, and looked down at the sleeping city below.
Nick Fury hanging up the phone was nothing more than to urgently verify the situation, and... weigh the pros and cons.
He would give in.
William was certain.
Because he had not only thrown out a HYDRA super soldier, but more importantly, he had pointed out the deepest festering wound hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interior.
Fury wanted to dig it out more than anyone, and he, this "external variable" unbound by any rules, was his best surgical knife.
Fury wouldn't lose on this deal.
As he was deep in thought, the contract's voice sounded again.
"contract: Sir, during the process of clearing HYDRA network probes, I intercepted an action brief with an extremely high encryption level that was being uploaded."
"Oh?" William became interested. "About what?"
"contract: The brief was initiated by the 'Crossbones' Special Operations Team. The recipient's permissions are unknown. The content is about... a young man named Peter Parker, located in Queens, New York."
William's pupils suddenly constricted.
Peter Parker?
Crossbones?
The combination of these two names made him instantly smell an extremely dangerous aura.
Crossbones, one of HYDRA's top Agents, Brock Rumlow. Why would he target Peter, who hadn't been Spider-Man for long?
"What did the brief say?"
William's voice deepened.
"contract: The brief describes that the target 'Peter Parker' has recently shown abnormal physical abilities and reaction capabilities, which highly match the characteristics of a stolen genetically modified spider project from Osborn Industries. The brief recommends listing him as a 'potential asset' for phase one observation and contact."
A cold sweat broke out on William's back.
This was completely different from the plot he knew!
HYDRA had targeted Spider-Man so early!
He spun around abruptly and went to the computer.
"contract, immediately pull up all associated information about Peter Parker and Osborn Industries! I want to know what HYDRA is trying to do!"
His plan, his stable development and quietly prosperous insurance Agent career, seemed to have triggered a more terrifying storm he hadn't anticipated due to this proactive move.
"contract: Executing. Sir, another discovery."
"Speak!"
"contract: According to the data, the research center that Kingpin attacked, its financial chain, besides Fisk Industries and The Hand, has a third hidden source."
On the computer screen, countless data streams flashed rapidly, and finally, a company logo that William was extremely familiar with, yet should never have appeared here, was clearly highlighted.
It was a green, technologically advanced pumpkin shape.
Osborn Industries.
-------------------------------
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