The first thing everyone saw was Stark Tower, and Iron Man, with fiery jets from his feet, flew a full circle around it.
Finally, he stopped at a position in the air.
He performed a transparent scan of Stark Tower, and an elevator and projected view immediately appeared.
"Alright, Captain, the scepter is in the elevator, just past the eightieth floor," Iron Man said to Captain America through the comm channel, still hovering in the air.
This made everyone present a little surprised; they hadn't expected Iron Man to be involved in this matter.
It seemed to be a "joint operation" between Iron Man and Captain America.
"Understood!"
The camera then switched to an elevator entrance on one of the floors, where Captain America responded through the comm channel, "Prepare to head to the lobby!"
"Understood, we'll meet there!" Iron Man's reply immediately echoed through the comm channel.
At this point, the camera switched again, moving inside the elevator, where a group of people were standing.
It was Jasper Sitwell, Brock Rumlow (Crossbones), and several other special agents.
As Hawkeye Barton had guessed, it was the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. configuration for transporting important items: a commander plus a quick-response team.
"Captain, did you notice something?" Tony Stark found something very interesting. "The people in the elevator are the same ones who ambushed you in the elevator last time! This is truly interesting."
During the incident where Nick Fury was "killed," Captain America was ambushed in the elevator of the Triskelion.
Those people were precisely the same group now in Stark Tower!
The coincidence was simply incredible.
"Is that so, Captain?" Black Widow couldn't help but glance at Captain America, sighing slightly, "This really feels like fate."
Captain America merely stared at the large screen and said nothing.
"The evidence has been secured, we're going to find Dr. List now!" Sitwell's voice rang out; he was on the phone in the elevator, "No, there's no unexpected, Mr. Secretary."
Mr. Secretary!
These four words made everyone present's expressions subtly shift.
Considering Jasper Sitwell's identity, there was a high probability that this Mr. Secretary was Alexander Pierce.
Then a basic judgment emerged: Sitwell, currently an overt S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, should be reporting to Nick Fury, not Pierce!
Had Nick Fury died, or was Pierce also a HYDRA agent?
With this question in mind, everyone continued to watch the unfolding events.
With a clang, Sitwell had just hung up the phone when the elevator door suddenly opened, and Captain America's figure appeared in everyone's line of sight.
Sitwell and the others clearly showed a slight change in expression.
Evidently, they had not anticipated Captain America's appearance and were caught off guard.
"Captain, I thought you were coordinating the search and rescue efforts," Sitwell asked, probing Captain America.
"Plans change!"
Captain America responded calmly, as if oblivious to the strange atmosphere, and strode confidently into the elevator.
"Hey, Cap!" Crossbones Rumlow even gave Captain America a proper greeting.
"Rumlow!" Captain America replied coolly.
Immediately after, the elevator fell silent, and the atmosphere visibly grew tense.
Some of the quick-response team agents quietly placed their hands on their holstered guns, seemingly ready to act against Captain America at any moment.
This scene was almost identical to the previous one where Captain America was "ambushed" in the Triskelion.
It was practically a reenactment.
"Does anyone want to get out before we get started?"
Tony Stark even instinctively thought Captain America was about to utter this line.
However, this time, Captain America didn't act so cool.
He took in everyone's subtle movements, and calmly said, "I just got a call from the Secretary; I'm in charge of the scepter."
"Sir, I don't understand." Sitwell was no fool and immediately cast a suspicious glance at Captain America.
"We received intelligence that someone might try to steal it!" Captain America explained to Sitwell.
"I'm sorry, Captain, we can't give you the scepter," Crossbones also said to Captain America with a serious expression.
"I need to call the Director!" Sitwell pulled out his phone, ready to make a call to verify.
"It's alright, trust me," Captain America said meaningfully, then leaned his head close to Sitwell's face and whispered, "Hail HYDRA!"
Sitwell's face immediately showed surprise; he clearly hadn't expected Captain America to also be a HYDRA agent.
Crossbones Rumlow was also slightly taken aback, then broke into a smirk, as if excited to know that Captain America was on their team.
Clang!
The elevator door then opened.
Captain America walked out, carrying a large box.
Clearly, the box contained the so-called "scepter."
Clang!
The elevator door then closed again, and a slight smile appeared on Captain America's face.
The scene froze on Captain America's smiling face.
"Captain, so you can also use tactics; I must say, that truly surprises me," Black Widow couldn't help but glance at Captain America and chuckled.
Captain America's usual image was brave, righteous, fearless, and self-sacrificing—all very noble and upright qualities.
His sudden "trick HYDRA" move truly shattered everyone's preconceived notions of him.
However, that video just now could also be said to have cleared Captain America of the previous suspicions he faced.
Anyone who wasn't blind or mentally impaired could see at a glance that Captain America's "Hail HYDRA" was merely a ploy to trick the scepter out of Sitwell's hands, nothing more.
"Now we need to focus on two key issues," Captain America said, ignoring Black Widow's teasing, and summarized with a serious expression.
"The Secretary Sitwell contacted, most likely, is Alexander Pierce, right?"
Although he used the phrase "right?", Captain America's tone was actually quite confident.
Since participating in the quiz and collaborating with Nick Fury, Captain America had gained a considerable understanding of S.H.I.E.L.D., and its personnel structure was naturally clear to him.
There were no ministerial-level positions within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The only one who could be called a Secretary was a Secretary of the World Security Council.
Of course, the World Security Council had more than one Secretary, but only one Secretary was permanently stationed at S.H.I.E.L.D., responsible for coordinating between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council.
Alexander Pierce.
So, it was clear that the person Sitwell contacted must have been Pierce.
"While it's hard to accept… if Sitwell is also HYDRA, then Pierce very likely is as well," Hawkeye Barton couldn't help but interject.
"According to S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol, Sitwell should report to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; his direct contact with the Secretary is already outside protocol."
"However, it's also possible that some special circumstances arose, so Sitwell directly interfaced with the Secretary; I can accept that."
"But we all saw that Sitwell reported to Pierce in private, yet in front of Captain America, he said he needed to call the Director."
"Why?"
"This indicates that this matter should originally have been handled by the Director, not the Secretary! That's why he pretended to call the Director in front of Captain America, an outsider."
"That sounds very reasonable!" Thor nodded in agreement. "And for your S.H.I.E.L.D. to be infiltrated to such an extent, there must be HYDRA agents at a very, very high level."
Black Widow and Captain America remained silent. Based on the content presented in this video, Pierce indeed had strong suspicions against him.
"Besides the issue with Pierce, there's another thing we need to pay attention to: that scepter," Captain America said again.
"HYDRA, I, and Stark are all vying for that thing; whatever it is, it must be something very important."
"We cannot let HYDRA get it."
Everyone naturally agreed on this point.
HYDRA was an evil organization, similar in nature to the Nazis of old—a public enemy.
Everyone had the right to eliminate them.
Things that HYDRA wanted to obtain naturally needed to be stopped without hesitation.
"It's just a pity that the scepter was kept in the box the entire time; we don't know what kind of scepter it is," Dr. Banner said with regret.
A scepter is a general term for a type of object, a "staff" used by ancient emperors, symbolizing royal and imperial power.
Merely knowing the name "scepter" without any other related information made it impossible to conduct any analysis.
"So what we need to look out for is an antique?" Hawkeye Barton shrugged.
"Or a weapon," Thor added.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed everyone looking at him strangely.
"What's wrong? Aren't scepters considered weapons here? Loki used a scepter; perhaps some sorcerers on Earth use them too," Thor asked, scanning everyone.
"Good point!" Captain America pondered for a moment, then nodded. "After experiencing and learning so much, we really can't think with old mindsets anymore."
[Please answer the question: Many people in the Avengers have been controlled by Scarlet Witch's mind magic. Which of the following characters was NOT among them?]
[A. Thor]
[B. Hawkeye Barton]
[C. Ant-Man Scott Lang]
[D. Spider-Man Peter Parker]
[Friendly Reminder: Correct answer will receive the reward skill: Straight Line Demon Eye; incorrect answer will randomly deduct one personal attribute, including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc...]
After the new question appeared, everyone temporarily stopped their discussion and refocused their attention on the large screen.
The question featured a character that everyone found quite interesting.
"Scarlet Witch, the witch who appeared in Civil War, Wanda Maximoff, a powerful sorceress," Black Widow said first, briefly introducing her to Dr. Banner and Hawkeye Barton.
"So sorcerers really exist; I always thought that was something from movies and novels," Hawkeye Barton's face showed a hint of surprise.
"Barton, you need to open your eyes and see this world anew," Tony Stark said to Hawkeye Barton seriously.
"By the way, Stark, have you found anything about the Scarlet Witch?"
Next, Black Widow couldn't help but turn her head and ask Tony Stark.
During the previous round of questioning, Black Widow not only used her Sharingan to copy the Scarlet Witch's appearance, but they also learned her name.
Wanda Maximoff.
They didn't know if she had a middle name.
But for Tony Stark, who had J.A.R.V.I.S., knowing her appearance and this much of her name should make finding her quite simple.
"I found dozens of Wanda Maximoffs across America, and none of them fit the description," Tony Stark said, shrugging. "Either the timing is off, and Wanda Maximoff is still a child, or she's hidden somewhere secluded, without any internet access."
In short, she hadn't been found.
"Stark, we cannot give up," Captain America said to Tony Stark with a serious expression. "This Scarlet Witch is far more dangerous than we imagined."
Originally, in Civil War, Scarlet Witch only showed the tip of her abilities, but now the question stated that many Avengers had been controlled by her.
And the Avengers were a group of enhanced individuals; they were not ordinary people!
The strength of the Scarlet Witch was imaginable.
And "mind magic," which immediately suggested a powerful and impressive form of magic.
"Moreover, her allegiance is unknown," Black Widow added.
Although Black Widow fought alongside Captain America in Civil War, a single such battle didn't necessarily prove anything; everyone still maintained their vigilance.
Besides, didn't the question say that Scarlet Witch had acted against more than one Avenger? No one could guarantee that all those actions came from the Civil War incident.
"J.A.R.V.I.S. is constantly monitoring the network; I'll know of any news immediately," Tony Stark said to the two.
"Everyone, isn't this question too easy?" Thor looked at the question and chuckled, hinting wildly, "I think everyone should know the answer already, right?"
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