Artoria did not participate in their operation; she simply watched Tony and the others leave. Tony was likely quite satisfied that Artoria wasn't involving herself in such dangerous affairs, but everyone else besides Tony was a bit confused. They couldn't understand why someone with Artoria's immense power wouldn't help them save the world. It was baffling, but they had no right to force someone onto the battlefield.
"Why aren't you going, Artoria?"
Gwen walked curiously to Artoria's side. Her question was on the minds of all the women present. They clearly felt that Artoria wanted to go out, yet she stayed behind. This was unexpected. Gwen voiced their inner thoughts, and Artoria remained silent for a moment before turning her gaze toward the women.
"Shouldn't we continue? It's a vacation; I don't really like working overtime."
Lifting her long hair that had fallen over her chest due to her Spirit Dress, Artoria spoke to Gwen with a smile. Most importantly, the opponent this time didn't interest her at all. Would you use your full strength to crush an ant? It was a very realistic answer; Artoria didn't want to focus her attention on a minor character that could be wiped out at any moment.
"Eh? X N."
Artoria's answer didn't just surprise Gwen; Susan, Hope, and the others also looked at Artoria in shock. This didn't quite fit your usual violent personality! Why the sudden change of heart today, choosing not to fight? But this was a great opportunity. Now that the eyesores were gone, they could proceed with a normal vacation and then take turns going on dates. It was exactly as planned. This was fantastic. Susan and the others glanced at each other, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
"What's wrong? Do you not want to go on vacation anymore?"
As she spoke, Artoria looked at Susan and Hope. Was it over just like that for these two women who were halfway through their confessions? Did they really think she would just let it go after these two beauties provoked her, and act like a piece of wood? She wasn't one of those 'useless' Japanese protagonists; Artoria wouldn't let these women go. They were all hers.
"What's going on? Artoria's gaze is so burning."
Gwen, who was more sensitive than anyone else due to her Spider-Sense, could immediately feel the change in Artoria's gaze. This feeling reminded her of the guys at school, but coming from Artoria, she didn't find it unpleasant. Instead, her heart raced a bit, and she felt quite excited.
"Tidy up! Let's get ready to continue the vacation."
Hope took on the role of the elder sister at this moment. She remembered that the hired servers had already been evacuated from the island. It was a bit late to call them back now, so if they wanted to repair the buildings damaged by the battle, it would indeed require their own effort. Without much thought, she prepared to take a few of the women to start repairing the damaged areas, leaving Artoria alone to quietly watch their departing figures. Why didn't anyone drag her along? She had nothing to do right now! To think they actually excluded her—what a bunch of silly idiots.
"She didn't follow?"
Hearing Natasha's report, Nick rubbed his furrowed brow. Although he had considered that Artoria might not join this conflict, he was still disappointed to hear the news. With Tony watching from the side, anyone who dared to incite his sister would have to be prepared to have their head blown off by a steel fist. Realizing this, Nick could only feel a bit dejected. Fortunately, the Avengers were mostly assembled. As for Dr. Banner, he could handle the outreach himself; after all, aside from himself and Hill, no one knew where Dr. Banner was currently located.
"The numbers are sufficient. Natasha, I will give you Pierce's network. Lead the Avengers and take these people into custody first. These are all important figures; don't kill them all. If they commit suicide, that's another matter."
Suppressing his emotions, Nick handed Natasha the network of his superior, Pierce, which he had obtained through'special means,' along with a list of suspected Hydra members. These people held high positions and lived in complex locations. There was no other shortcut; they had to move quickly and seize them all before they could react. Luckily, Natasha and Barton had come in the latest Quinjet; otherwise, this task would have fallen solely on Thor and Tony, the two with the highest mobility.
"I'm more concerned about your safety right now, Director."
Natasha was quite confident about the mission. Although she had come for a vacation, what Special Agent doesn't carry some gear? Plus, the Quinjet was heavily armed. She was very familiar with this setup. With so many comrades present, they could capture suspects in over a hundred locations in a single night. Her biggest worry was that while she was on the mission, her superior might be killed, leaving her at a loss as to how to proceed with the plan.
"Natasha, I'll leave that judgment to you. Even if the Captain and I die, you must never let Hydra go. Such a threat would destroy the peace of this world. This is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s duties; it cannot stop just because someone is gone. I Hope you understand."
After a brief silence, Nick glanced at the Captain, who was accelerating the Helicarrier, and spoke solemnly, his voice full of resolve. Since stepping onto this path of no return, he never planned on making a clean exit. Furthermore, he had a trump card. If Hydra's power truly exceeded theirs to the point of endangering the entire world, he would call 'her.' Now was not the time for despair. Fortunately, he had reassigned elites like Hill, Agent May, and Special Agent Phil; otherwise, it would have been a disaster if they had been wiped out in one go. He had finished instructing Natasha, so Phil and the others should start moving separately as well! They must find and eliminate all of Hydra as quickly as possible, or it will trigger a great catastrophe.
"Execute the mission, Natasha."
Section 93 "Yes, Director." The two sides hung up the communication. Barton, next to Natasha Romanoff, glanced at her and continued piloting the fighter jet toward the first target point. At this moment, Tony Stark was apologizing to Pepper. He had been too rushed just now, to the point that he forgot about Pepper, who had been sent home. When he was mocking Natasha Romanoff, dozens of missed calls had already appeared on his phone. After calling Pepper, it took a good while of comforting to get her to calm down.
"Tell me, how did three missiles that big disappear? Did aliens appear? Were they all wiped out too?"
At this moment, Pierce was furiously questioning his subordinate. He had been happily drinking coffee, waiting for the fireworks of victory to bloom, but he hadn't expected to be hit with news of the missiles disappearing. Pierce turned his head to check the date; it wasn't April Fool's Day. Are you sure you aren't joking with me? Such large missiles would make a sound even if they hit the ocean surface. How could they just disappear without even a fart?
"Could it be that the Prince of Asgard cast some magic? But didn't the report say that besides summoning lightning and swinging his hammer, he doesn't know any magical spells?"
Pierce looked at his assistant in frustration. Now, the situation had exceeded his expectations. Since the missiles had disappeared and the subordinates he sent had been wiped out, it meant the other side probably already knew that something had happened within S.H.I.E.L.D. This was truly a huge problem. Plus, Nick Fury had already escaped. Pierce felt that this was a terrible move; he shouldn't have gone for an assassination. It would have been better to just blow up S.H.I.E.L.D. directly, and it wouldn't have been this troublesome. Who told him to be stingy with money at the time? He really regretted it.
"Notify all soldiers to prepare for battle. It is time for Hydra to appear before the people and let the radiance of Hydra shine upon the entire world."
Pierce had started to give up on hiding and decided to stop concealing everything. He solemnly issued Orders to his subordinates. He decided to take the first step and execute the plan to control the world. A long-lost passion welled up in his heart.
"Yes, Hail Hydra." "Hail Hydra."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.