"If you're talking about that stinking aircraft mechanic named Abner Jenkins, then yes, I know him."
Mason casually grabbed a dirty rag to wipe his hands and let out a snort, his tone carrying a hint of reserve and pride.
"That kid's research into mechanical structures is decent. While he's nowhere near my level, among those amateur assemblers, he's got some skill."
"A while back, he was struggling with the balance issues of a miniature flight module and specifically came to see me to ask about a few key technical difficulties."
Hearing this, Lux felt a surge of joy and quickly stepped forward a couple of paces.
"Then do you know where he lives now?"
"I do. He's at..."
Without thinking much, Mason rattled off an address.
Su Modie was dumbfounded by what she heard.
Wait... was it... really that simple?
So, after searching for the Beetle for so long, he was actually right under her nose—turns out he's a buddy of her own subordinate?
This certainly made things easy, saving them most of the search effort.
Makima didn't even need to gather clues; she just had to show up and "pick up the goods."
Mason the Tinkerer's reputation as the Marvel Universe's premier logistics provider for villains really wasn't an exaggeration.
Even though he hadn't become a villain yet, his connections across all walks of life were already quite extensive.
One could only say that Su Modie's deal to recruit the Vulture's team looked better and better; these "old boys" were all talented individuals hidden away in a salvage company.
It was just tough luck for Abner; he probably never imagined in his wildest dreams that while he was hiding so well, Mason would sell him out so easily.
Of course, Mason couldn't really be blamed. After all, who could have guessed that a seemingly harmless, sweet, and cheerful blonde girl like Lux was asking for the address just to kidnap him and turn him into expendable cannon fodder for the Thunderbolts?
There was no helping it; in this World that judged by appearances, looks were the best camouflage.
Elsewhere, in Baltimore, Maryland.
With the address provided by Mason, the efficiency of the subsequent operation was naturally guaranteed.
Without a moment's delay, Makima directly requisitioned a black car from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Maryland branch. Amidst the dull roar of the engine, she headed straight for the destination, prepared to give the new member of the Thunderbolts a standard "knock-on-the-door" service.
The car stopped in front of a dilapidated apartment building on the outskirts of the city.
Makima stepped out of the car briskly and gave a casual hand signal.
Several accompanying S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents immediately fanned out, silently setting up a perimeter around the apartment building to block all possible escape routes. Meanwhile, she herself, stepping in high heels, walked up the dark stairs alone.
She stopped in front of a peeling security door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Makima raised her hand and knocked rhythmically on the door.
There was no movement behind the door.
Makima hadn't expected to call him out with just a few knocks.
Her vision had already followed several rats under her Control as they boldly squeezed through the windowsill and into the room.
Through the rats' perspective, the scene inside the room was clear at a glance.
It was a typical bachelor pad.
On the table lay a half-eaten, shriveled, and hardened takeout pizza box; the trash can was stuffed with various flavors of cheap beer cans; and even more unsightly, a pile of crumpled, used tissues was scattered on the floor.
Even Makima couldn't help but frown repeatedly.
He's actually not home?
"Could it be that this guy has some kind of 'Beetle-sense' and sensed danger, so he ran away early?"
Su Modie joked to herself back in New York.
Of course, it was just a joke.
Although Abner was known as the Beetle, he wasn't like a certain little Spider-Man next door.
He didn't have any mutated superpowers; he was a completely ordinary person who relied on a high-tech suit for a living.
Makima controlled the rats to go deeper, passing through the mess, and finally discovered a clue in the closet deep within the bedroom.
The closet partitions had been modified; after pushing them open, there was a hidden small secret room. In the center stood a humanoid metal frame, surrounded by a dense array of cables, blueprints, and power equipment, looking like a charging station for some kind of large gear.
If Su Modie guessed correctly, this place was the hangar Abner used to store the Beetle suit.
Since all his belongings and equipment were still there, it meant he probably hadn't run away.
After all, the current Abner was like the early Peter Parker—his pockets were cleaner than his face.
Sure enough, before long, the sound of a heavy object landing came from the roof of the apartment building.
A rather strange-looking "creature" descended from the sky, sneakily folding its green wings and stepping onto the moss-covered roof.
The design of this thing could be described as quite bizarre—he wore a purple, fully enclosed metal helmet on his head, with two giant pink lenses resembling insect compound eyes embedded in the front, and two comical short antennae sticking up from the top.
His upper body was covered in a heavy purple chestplate, while his limbs were wrapped in a green protective suit, and he wore purple combat boots.
Most striking were the two giant green mechanical wings on his back, like the hind wings of a Beetle, and the exaggerated pair of purple gloves on his hands—
Those gloves didn't have normal human fingers; instead, three thick mechanical tubes extended out, with hollow structures similar to suction cups at the tips.
This ridiculous purple and green outfit, colors aside, really did have a bit of the Mothman urban legend vibe.
First Generation Beetle Suit
One could only say that while Tony might be flamboyant, his aesthetics were indeed far ahead of this era.
Look at the Iron Man Suits others have cobbled together besides him—what kind of monstrosities are they?
However, even though the Beetle was ugly, Su Modie felt a strange pleasure, like catching Pokémon in the Marvel Universe.
Regardless of how hideous the Beetle looked now or how strong his combat power was, she would complete the collection for Makima first. Besides, despite his current ugly appearance, his later iterations of the suit were actually quite cool, giving off a vibe like a flying Kamen Rider.
Beetle Rider
Back to the apartment rooftop in Baltimore.
Abner operated the Beetle suit to land smoothly.
Inside the purple fully enclosed helmet, a layer of purple virtual scanning interface lit up.
Data streams quickly scrolled across the two pink lenses as Abner habitually performed a security scan of his surroundings.
The screen flashed, and the radar system suddenly popped up a red dot at the edge of the interface—
Behind a ventilation duct not far away on the rooftop, a human heat signature was hidden.
Beneath the helmet, Abner's pupils shrank suddenly.
He was decisive and had no intention of staying to investigate.
The green mechanical wings on his back vibrated violently, and he took off, intending to flee.
Taking off, wheee!
Quite cautious!
Seeing their cover blown, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents lying in wait immediately emerged from behind their cover.
They raised their sidearms, aimed at the Beetle who was about to escape in mid-air, and decisively pulled the triggers.
Bang, bang, bang—
Gunshots rang out in succession.
However, the bullets only struck the Beetle's purple chestplate, creating several bright sparks without penetrating the armor in the slightest.
At that moment, Makima had just pushed open the iron door to the rooftop from the stairs.
Watching the Beetle fly further away in mid-air, her expression remained calm.
Seeing this, Bronski, who was beside her, let out a cold snort.
He grabbed his collar with both hands, preparing to strip off his clothes, seemingly intending to transform into the Abomination and leap after him.
However, before he could burst his clothes, a fair hand was casually placed in front of him, stopping his movements.
Makima withdrew her hand, her red lips parting slightly to utter two cold words.
"Angel."
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