Chapter 102 - 99
On the streets of New York City, a black SUV sped recklessly through traffic, ignoring several red lights without a care. The traffic police quickly noticed and began pursuing the vehicle, immediately calling for backup.
"Driving like that in New York, during morning rush hour, with a speed limit of 45 kilometers per hour? You're insane," one officer muttered as they raced to catch up. The driver had already run red lights and caused multiple accidents, showing off incredible driving skills, but the arrogance infuriated the officers. "I'm going to make you regret this."
Despite their best efforts, the police couldn't keep up with the black Chevrolet SUV, which expertly weaved through the congested city streets. Inside the SUV, the driver was none other than Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, heading straight for the seaside villa, barking orders as he drove.
"Hill, send in the Quinjets and have snipers on standby."
"Five Quinjets are already in the air and will arrive in three minutes. Snipers are on standby. The rapid response special forces, led by Rumlow, have also arrived," Hill's calm voice came through Fury's earpiece.
Fury didn't respond but issued another command. "Get rid of the pursuers behind me."
"Understood."
After giving the order, Fury slammed on the accelerator, speeding like a black bolt of lightning, carelessly ignoring the red lights and traffic. Behind him, screeching brakes and the sound of crashing cars filled the air, but Fury paid no mind. His focus was on the projected route displayed on his windshield.
"Someone's actually managed to break into the villa, and the perimeter security system didn't react. This is bad," Fury muttered, frowning.
Tony Stark was originally just a contingency plan in Fury's larger strategy—an afterthought, really. He hadn't paid too much attention to Stark, certainly not as much as the Hulk, who was being hunted by the military. But that changed when S.H.I.E.L.D. followed the faint tire tracks of a military convoy into the desert, where they discovered the remains of a canyon buried by an enormous explosion, 330 meters deep. Everything inside was destroyed.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had invested significant resources to dig out what remained of the site. They found corpses blown to pieces, offering few clues as to how Tony had escaped. But what they unearthed in that cave was a startling discovery—a massive, crude steel armor. Though damaged, it had survived the explosion, and after repairs by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists, the full suit of armor was restored.