Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

However, Bruce wasn't worried about whether the gunfire would attract the Punishers under Captain America, or even the Avengers.

Because from the very beginning, Bruce had no intention of bringing Bullseye directly back to the Iron Nation.

What Bruce needed was a fully unified war zone—a war zone that operated with absolute unity.

Crash!

The window was suddenly smashed open.

In the next instant, a streak of light burst into Bullseye's apartment. As it landed, the figure already had a gun aimed squarely at Bruce's back.

"Before you make a worse move, I suggest you stop."The man, wearing a trench coat over an orange-yellow combat suit, stared intensely at Bruce through his orange-tinted goggles.

Judging by the Punisher insignia on his coat, it was clear he was affiliated with the Punishers.

Bruce was somewhat surprised by his arrival, as the man had shown up almost simultaneously with the sound of the gunshot.

At this moment, the Punisher officer also noticed the figure being held by Bruce.

Despite the lighting, he still couldn't clearly see who it was that Bruce was holding.

But that didn't affect his judgment. He raised his firearm, aiming directly at Bruce.

"I've already notified the Punisher squad. Don't try any futile resistance," he shouted sternly at Bruce, his finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment."Now put that person down, raise your hands, and turn to face me."

Bruce turned around to face the Punisher officer, dropping the figure he had been holding.

Even under the dim lighting, the general outline of the figure Bruce had dropped was still visible.

It was a green-skinned creature with ridges on its chin.

Clearly, not a normal human.

"I want to see Steve Rogers," Bruce said as he carefully examined the officer in front of him. "Punisher officer."

The Punisher officer's attention was drawn to the figure lying on the ground. For a moment, he forgot to keep his eyes on Bruce.

"Focus!"

A voice snapped in his ear, and the next moment, several more figures arrived on the scene.

At the same time, the buzzing sound of helicopters filled the air.

A spotlight from the helicopter shone into the room, illuminating the previously dim apartment brightly.

The figure lying on the ground was now clearly visible.

"Apologies, I truly didn't expect this," said the first officer who had arrived, quickly returning to a guarded stance to prevent Bruce from making any sudden moves.

Among the three newly arrived Punisher officers, two had already moved behind Bruce, ready to respond in case he became aggressive.

The third, also wearing Punisher combat gear, had begun inspecting the body on the ground.

"A Skrull," he muttered. Even though beings with that appearance could only be one thing, caution was still necessary.

After cuffing the unconscious Skrull with specialized restraints, the officer slowly stood and looked Bruce in the eye.

"So, who are you?"

Bruce replied calmly, "I'm here to help you see the truth."

"Then I suppose Mr. Truth won't mind putting on these cuffs."The man behind Bruce tossed a pair of handcuffs in front of him.

"I want to see Steve Rogers," Bruce said, not even glancing at the handcuffs, his eyes locked on the officer who had just inspected the Skrull.

The officer furrowed his brow, then walked to the side to report in.

Bruce wasn't in a hurry. He simply stood there quietly, observing the first officer who had arrived.

"Speedball? Or should I call you something else now?"Back in the Iron Nation, Bruce had studied the background of all involved parties.

For instance, the Stanford explosion that led to the Superhuman Registration Act was caused by the reckless actions of this very man in front of him.

It was also one of the main triggers of the Civil War.

"Call me Officer Baldwin now."Speedball—or rather, Robbie Baldwin—responded as he looked at Bruce.

Bruce said nothing more and returned to silence.

But that silence didn't last long.

The Punisher officer in combat gear returned and nodded at Bruce.

"All clear. Come with us."

As he spoke, the officer began walking out. Bruce followed without hesitation, completely ignoring the handcuffs on the floor.

Meanwhile, across town, Captain America was waiting for the team he had dispatched to the Iron Nation to return.

Standing beside him was the top scientist from the Blue Nation—Beast.

The two stood in silence, saying nothing.

"They're back," Beast said, looking up at the approaching aircraft. He immediately turned to Steve.

Steve looked up at the returning craft and sighed in relief. Everyone knew how tightly guarded the Iron Nation was and how fiercely they protected their resources.

Their return alone meant that the mission was more than halfway successful.

However, when the aircraft landed, it was obvious one member of the team was missing.

Erika—who had sought revenge for Daredevil—was gone. Only Venom, the new Black Panther, and Peter Parker remained.

Peter Parker walked straight over to Beast, holding Daredevil's billy clubs, which Erika had carried.

"Peter, was the mission successful?" Beast asked, watching Peter closely.

"Yes, McCoy. We got everything on your shopping list," Peter said, but the weight in his tone made his grief clear.

"We did it. The Clock Curve Project is on the verge of success."Beast's voice carried a trace of excitement, but upon seeing Peter's downcast expression, he quickly restrained himself.

"Look at this, Hank. Then you'll understand the cost. We lost Erika."Peter handed over Daredevil's billy clubs to Beast.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry."

"If it were the past, I would have sworn to take revenge, using his matter as motivation. Just thinking about this moment feels a bit desolate. But now…" Peter Parker had already been through too much, seen too many things. He had become somewhat numb. "I don't feel much anymore, really. I can remember how I felt back then, but… that feeling will never come back."

"So many people have died—what difference does one more make? That was Erica. I've grown numb and indifferent. I need to fix myself."

As he spoke these words, Peter lowered his head. The light could no longer reflect on the face of that once-sunny young man.

His expression was deeply grim as he turned to leave.

At the same time, he addressed the beast holding the stick: "You might want to wash that—Fisk is all over it."

At that moment, Steve pulled his closest comrade, his most loyal guardian, into a hug, gently patting him on the back.

"We're going to make it, right?" Peter asked Steve in a low voice.

"We will."

Steve nodded.

"But in the meantime, I hope you can stay here for a bit. The Punisher is bringing someone to us." After calming Peter down, Steve continued speaking to him.

That's right. The leader of the Blue Nation wasn't just waiting here for Peter and the others to return—he was also waiting for the Punisher to bring over the man who had requested a meeting.

And based on what the Punisher had reported over the comms, it definitely didn't sound like a trivial matter.

"Okay." Peter didn't reject Steve's request. He just stood silently to the side, saying nothing.

Just as he said himself, he had grown numb. He needed time to become the person he once was again.

*"Buzz... Buzz... Buzz..."*

A helicopter slowly descended in front of them. The Punisher stepped out first, followed closely by a figure neither Steve nor Peter had ever seen before.

But the next moment, their attention was fully captured by the person Baldwin had brought with him.

"Skrull?!"

Whether it was Peter, Steve, or even the recently alert Beast, all of them widened their eyes upon seeing a Skrull.

"Impossible. We already wiped out all the Skrulls," Beast was the first to voice his disbelief.

Back during that war, they had lost many allies to ensure the Skrulls were completely eradicated. But now, they were being told the Skrulls had not only survived but had infiltrated right beside them.

"I take it you're the one who wanted to meet me?" Steve snapped out of his brief shock and turned his gaze to the unfamiliar man.

Bruce nodded, then glanced at the soldiers unloading materials from the aircraft.

"Looks like you've just completed a pretty important mission," Bruce said, clearly noticing the Iron Nation insignias marked on the crates. Tony Stark would never offer support to Steve at a time like this.

Which meant the only explanation was that Steve's team had just carried out an infiltration mission in Iron Nation territory.

As for what these materials were intended for, Bruce couldn't guess.

They looked like they were meant for weapon construction.

"I'm here to reveal the truth to you—to show you who is really behind this endless conflict." Bruce met Steve Rogers' eyes directly.

Steve wasn't a fool. He instantly understood that the truth Bruce referred to was linked to the captured Skrull.

But before Steve could speak, Bruce had already pressed a button on his belt, and a holographic projection appeared in front of them all.

It was footage Bruce had recorded while infiltrating the Skrulls—back when he was at Bullseye's apartment.

It showed, in full detail, everything Bruce did—including how he knocked the person out.

Everything was presented before Steve and the others, leaving nothing out.

"I believe the evidence is now right in front of you," Bruce said, turning off the projection. He then removed a backup drive from his belt and handed it to Beast, who was standing nearby.

"You can run tests to confirm there's no forgery, just so you don't think I'm trying to trick you."

Just seeing the Skrull and the projection was enough to convince Beast 99%, but the remaining 1% still needed verification.

"What do you want to do?" Steve looked at Bruce and asked the most critical question.

He didn't believe Bruce had no ulterior motive—there was no benefit to him in revealing this, and doing so might even get him killed.

"I want you to fight a war with me," Bruce said frankly, laying his intention bare.

Steve was stunned. That wasn't what he had expected.

He had thought Bruce might be after some resource or item they had.

But this? Dragging them out of one war just to throw them into another?

"No way!"

Peter was the first to react.

For him, the shock was overwhelming. From any perspective, he had just lost a comrade—a friend—in Iron Nation. Now they were being told their true enemy might not be Stark or Iron Nation, but rather the hidden Skrulls? This was a huge emotional blow for Peter.

Steve didn't voice his opinion. He just stared silently at Bruce.

On the other side, Beast had already examined the backup Bruce gave him and confirmed that it was unedited, authentic footage.

Which meant—it really was those alien scum behind all this.

Beast walked over to Steve and gave him a nod. "It's clean."

"And how do I know this isn't some scheme you cooked up with Stark?" Even with the evidence, Steve still couldn't bring himself to trust Bruce.

"I think what we should be doing right now," Bruce said, pointing at the slowly regaining-consciousness Skrull, "is getting more information from inside that thing's head."

But the next moment, Peter smashed his fist into the Skrull's head, sending him back into deep unconsciousness.

"So, how will you prove it to me?" Steve looked at Bruce and asked.

(End of Chapter)

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