Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

Seeing that the man in front of him was clearly starting to lose control, the Skrull who had previously disguised himself as Bullseye could only raise his hands high in surrender.

"Calm down, calm down. How do I know you're not hiding some sort of scheme?" the Skrull said, looking at Baldwin.

They had long since learned that when dealing with humans, trust should never be given lightly.

Having hidden among humans for so long, they were already quite familiar with the little tricks humans played.

After all, even among humans, there's that saying: "Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

So he couldn't bring himself to believe that Baldwin truly had no hidden agenda against the Skrulls.

It just didn't make sense.

"I said—take me there!" Baldwin sounded like a man completely consumed by obsession, utterly ignoring whatever the Skrull was saying.

His gun shifted to aim at the Skrull's other leg.

Bang!

"Ah, FUCK!"

Another shot, another scream of pain.

The searing gun barrel was pressed directly onto the fresh wound.

The intense pain made the Skrull tremble instantly.

However, at this point, the Skrull had already begun to let his guard down slightly against this man in front of him.

That look in Baldwin's eyes was hard to fake.

Still, something felt off.

"Now, show me the way!" Baldwin pressed the blood-stained gun barrel against the Skrull's forehead.

But right now, he couldn't afford to care about anything else. The man in front of him really might just kill him without hesitation.

In the next moment, a flash of light appeared.

Baldwin felt his body lift off the ground slightly, and in the next second, he found himself in a place that was clearly filled with high-level technology.

And there—he saw a figure he never expected to see.

"T'Challa! You're not dead!"

Baldwin was visibly emotional. Although he had been in prison during the war and didn't know all the details, he knew how it ended.

Those events had stirred up an uproar at the time.

There was no way he hadn't heard about it.

And among them, Black Panther T'Challa had reportedly died inside Prison 42 in the Negative Zone when it exploded.

For him to be here now—it didn't add up.

"No, no, no, you're a Skrull!" He quickly remembered that he had forced the Skrull to bring him to their base.

And now, standing here, it was obvious—this had to be the Skrulls' hideout.

"You're not entirely stupid." This T'Challa slowly walked up to Baldwin, eyeing the man who had actually forced the Skrull to teleport him here.

He had already learned everything from the Skrull earlier.

If he hadn't been ordered not to kill Baldwin, he would have shot him the moment he appeared.

Even so, this incident left him deeply uneasy.

None of their plans had fully unfolded yet, and many problems remained unresolved.

Worse, Steve and the others had now caught wind of their presence.

It was very likely that all of their efforts would end in total failure.

They were just one step away from success, and now that final step had been compromised—by their own people.

T'Challa looked at Baldwin, who was now locked up. Fortunately, the moment he arrived, they thoroughly scanned him to ensure there were no trackers or other issues.

Otherwise, this situation would be far harder to contain.

The only silver lining was that their embedded agents hadn't been fully exposed yet. If that ever happened, they'd have to pray their enemies' hatred would blind them from seeing the truth.

Finally, T'Challa ignored Baldwin's furious yelling and turned away to begin the next phase of their operation. Since they couldn't provoke the Blue Nation first, then they'd push the Iron Nation to strike instead.

"Hey, begin the operation."

T'Challa contacted his spy within the Iron Nation, only to receive an infuriating reply: the spy hadn't secured any major authority, even though Stark was no longer in power.

All of Iron Nation's political and military authority had been handed over to Jennifer—She-Hulk, who had always stayed by Stark's side.

Without that power, it was impossible for Iron Nation to initiate military action. And clearly, Blue Nation had already grown wary and wouldn't act so easily either.

"Damn it!"

T'Challa slammed his fist onto the nearby table, leaving a deep dent with ease.

At that moment, a Skrull approached and asked whether they should relocate their base to avoid detection.

T'Challa shook his head. He didn't believe anyone would find them here—especially since Baldwin had been scanned thoroughly, and no tracking device had been found.

The idea that someone would discover them here was simply absurd.

Moreover, he was confident that no one could possibly imagine where their base was located.

Elsewhere, Bruce stared at a coordinate on the screen that had gone completely still, and then glanced at Stark and Steve, nodding.

"Looks like our Officer Baldwin has found their location," Stark said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. After all, ever since Bruce had told them about sending Baldwin on this mission, Steve's expression had been grim—grimmer than it ever was even toward Stark.

Steve knew exactly what kind of game Stark was playing, but he couldn't bring himself to feel any goodwill toward Bruce. It was clear Bruce had basically sent Baldwin on a suicide mission.

Bruce projected Baldwin's final location.

Seeing it, both Steve and Stark clenched their jaws.

Because that location… was what they now called the watershed.

You have to understand, Watershed used to be New York City. If it weren't for that massive explosion, New York would still be peacefully nestled within this special district.

It can be said that the Watershed is a place of sorrow for both Steve and Stark. Neither of them would easily attempt to investigate what lies beneath it—doing so would be like reopening old wounds.

The Skrulls clearly understood this psychology, deliberately placing their base beneath the Watershed precisely to avoid detection by them.

Whether it's the Iron Nation or the Blue Nation, their technology isn't much inferior to what the Skrulls possess.

It's true that Stark and Steve hadn't considered this before—but now, they do.

Just as Steve was about to say something to Stark, it was obvious Stark had received news from the Iron Nation.

At that moment, Stark was replying with a solemn expression to someone on the other end of his communication.

It didn't take long before Stark turned to Bruce and Steve with a smile. "Apparently, I've found the Skrull among us. The guy had actually infiltrated the top levels of our leadership."

As he said this, Stark couldn't help but shake his head. He never imagined that the person he had placed so much trust and hope in would turn out to be a Skrull—someone who even attempted a coup to push the Iron Nation into war with the Blue Nation.

Fortunately, Stark had entrusted all authority to someone who couldn't be overthrown so easily. Clearly, Jennifer had already taken care of the situation.

What he just received was merely a notification. As for the traitor's fate, Stark had no interest in finding out.

What mattered now was eliminating the pests hiding beneath the Watershed.

"So why not take action right now?" Stark looked at Steve and said, "Let's give them a nice big present."

Stark's words were met with Steve's agreement. He had already begun assembling the troops and ordered them to bring along the Blue Nation's large-scale weapons of mass destruction. He planned to reduce those invaders to ashes right there.

Hearing Steve talk about that weapon, Stark stroked his chin and hesitantly asked, "That WMD you kept around… that wasn't meant for me, was it?"

Steve shook his head. "Though it's called a weapon of mass destruction, it's actually just a person."

"The Nitro-man who caused the Stamford explosion," Bruce added at that moment, revealing what Steve had left unsaid. This so-called weapon was the true culprit behind the Civil War.

Upon hearing Bruce's words, Steve turned to glance at the bat with an expression of disbelief. Nitro's existence had been kept secret from almost everyone.

Even Peter Parker, who had been by Steve's side all this time, didn't know that Nitro was still within the Blue Nation.

"Who are you really?" Steve finally voiced the question that even Stark had been wondering about.

Although Stark hadn't asked Bruce directly until now, curiosity was finally getting the better of him—just who was this guy, and why did he want to overthrow God-Emperor Doom?

Bruce didn't answer directly. Instead, he activated his nano-suit and placed the helmet over his head.

"You'll find out soon enough," Bruce said as he turned and walked away.

Steve and Stark exchanged glances. They still didn't know what was really going on, but from Bruce's demeanor just now, it was clear that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.

At that moment, Bruce had already contacted Jessica and the others in the Iron Nation.

"How's it going?"

"There was a bit of trouble just now," Jessica replied calmly, watching as some soldiers were dragged out of their rooms. "Someone tried to overthrow Mr. Stark's leadership and wanted to eliminate us completely. Fortunately, someone took them down quickly."

"No need to worry about my side. Tell me what's happening over there," she said, turning her gaze away from the soldiers and toward the window.

"Everything is going smoothly. There's likely going to be a major operation soon, but it'll be over quickly. It shouldn't affect your side," Bruce replied, glancing at the Blue Nation's army as it began to assemble. "Did the equipment Stark sent arrive?"

"Yes." Jessica raised her arm, showing off her new suit—very different from her old one, and quite similar to the Iron Nation's armor.

She could feel how incredibly tough the suit's material was. She had once tried to forcibly break off a piece of the armor, but could only manage to bend it. It quickly restored itself afterward.

Though not as convenient as nanotech or symbiotic metals, this armor's defensive power was the real deal.

That was exactly why Bruce had them switch gear. In the coming battle, portability wouldn't matter much—defense was everything.

"Did you run diagnostics?" Bruce asked, still concerned.

At that moment, Stark walked out from inside and overheard Bruce's question. Judging from Bruce's tone, he could guess who he was talking to. Stark smirked.

"Relax. I wouldn't be so bored as to plant bugs or trackers on your little girlfriend. I'm not that paranoid, you know," Stark said, walking past Bruce.

His tone made it clear just how little he cared about such things.

Bruce, however, didn't respond to Stark's attitude. He was still waiting for Jessica's answer.

"That voice just now must've been Mr. Stark," Jessica said, having heard everything. When Stark made that jab about paranoia, she couldn't help but chuckle—after all, her beloved Bat was definitely the most paranoid person around.

Bruce frowned at the sound of her laughter. He still hadn't gotten the answer he wanted.

"Don't worry. Every suit's been thoroughly checked. No bugs, no trackers, nothing hidden. They're just suits tailored to our abilities," Jessica reassured him. She knew Bruce wouldn't hang up until he got a straight answer, so she laid it all out clearly.

Bruce didn't say anything more and simply ended the call. Jessica wasn't worried—this was just how he was.

"Done chatting with your little girlfriend?" Stark teased as Bruce walked up beside him. "There shouldn't be any big issues with my armor, right?"

Unfortunately, Bruce didn't even acknowledge Stark's comment. He simply stood there, silently observing the fully assembled army.

"So boring," Stark muttered, stroking his chin.

Just then, Steve reappeared before them—no longer in his military uniform, but dressed once more in his old suit, the one he hadn't worn in ages. In his hand, he held the iconic star-spangled shield.

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09