bioinnovel Chapter 455 Reversing the Heavenly Gang, the "Lower-Rank Substitute" in District 3
Chapter 455 Reversing the Heavenly Gang, the "Lower-Rank Substitute" in District 3
The call ended, and Tony stood alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
The setting sun painted the New York skyline gold, and subtle changes were taking place in this city he knew so well.
Not just cleaner energy, lower crime rates...
There's another kind...
Ordinary people can finally breathe a sigh of relief and truly feel alive.
After a brief observation, Tony brought up another encrypted interface. It displayed a detailed analysis report of the two recent failed intrusion attempts against Stark Tower.
The intrusion was sophisticated, almost completely bypassing all standard alerts. But at the last moment, it triggered three new firewalls that Tony had specifically added after the Sitwell intrusion incident.
Even so, the well-prepared enemy managed to escape the encirclement before the defense system could be activated, erasing all traces. This left Tony knowing he had been hacked, but unable to pinpoint the attacker's exact location.
Clearly, Sheriff Blake's concerns were not unfounded.
Even though Roger and his gang are in jail, there are still people lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike at Tony—or rather, at the people around Spider-Man.
Besides this, the bad news that gave Tony a headache was far from over...
In previous operations, the recovery of the Iron Monger wreckage was 99.7% complete.
However, the core AI driving the Rail Monument, named Gauss, has shown no signs of activity to date.
It's not damaged, it's not in hibernation mode...
Instead, it actively cut off all contact with the outside world, maintaining only the most basic standby function.
just like……
All that remains here is a useless shell.
The real Gauss has long since disappeared.
The only thing that could give Tony some comfort was that when he was creating Gauss's personality module, he chose Riley as the model for learning.
Therefore, under Riley's influence, there should be no need to worry. This AI, whose whereabouts are unknown, should know what it is doing and will not cause any trouble.
Ok……
I guess so……?
……
At the same time, the command center of District 13
In front of Sheriff Black were three documents that all required his signature: a draft commendation order from the New York City Mayor's Office, a budget request for the next quarter, and a "Letter of Intent for Cooperation" personally signed by Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Frey is still the same as always."
Blake's voice carried a familiar, teasing tone.
He turned to Riley, who had just entered the command center and was still carrying his backpack, and said something to him.
"It's all the same old 'we provide guidance, you execute' rhetoric. It's as if cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. is some kind of incredible favor… Has he forgotten that, with the dual support of Stark Industries and the Osborn Corporation, District 13 already has a complete supply chain capable of self-sufficiency, while S.H.I.E.L.D. is still cleaning house?"
"That's just his personality. He's naturally suspicious and wants to control everything, but he never thinks about whether he can actually manage it."
Riley casually placed his backpack on the chair next to him, as naturally as if he were going home.
Then, while still grumbling, he took the letter of intent from Sheriff Blake and quickly skimmed through it. The light fell on his face, outlining his features that were somewhere between a teenager and a young man.
A few seconds later, Riley chuckled and handed the file back to Blake.
"That black-hearted bastard wants you to be the deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D., that's quite interesting." His tone was calm, yet it carried a precise penetrating power. "On the surface, it's a promotion, but in reality, it's a takeover. He wants to swallow up Section 13, taking all the assets we've worked so hard to accumulate and putting them into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s warehouse to fill the loopholes created by Hydra."
"So I'm very grateful that from the very beginning you advised me to avoid too much contact or involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D."
After receiving the letter of intent, Sheriff Black casually tossed it into the corner of the table. He then picked up the budget application for District 13 and signed his name.
"As you said, we don't need another superior organization right now, especially an old intelligence organization that we've just discovered has been infiltrated like a sieve by Hydra beneath its glamorous exterior."
"That's all thanks to you, Sheriff, for believing what I said instead of treating me like a child and just giving me a perfunctory answer."
Sheriff Black's words brought a knowing smile to Riley's face, and he sincerely gave Sheriff Black a little compliment.
Then, Riley plopped down on the sofa, picked up a donut from the table, and put it in her mouth.
"However, on the other hand... well... he's still on the government's side, so he's kind of on our side. So we need to be tactful when we refuse; we might need S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help in the future, right?"
Blake raised an eyebrow, a hint of childish defiance in his voice: "Oh? For example? What else is there that District 13 can't do right now?"
"For example, their global surveillance network. Although it's a bit outdated, its coverage is indeed wider than ours."
Riley patted the frosting off his hands, then expertly tapped a series of buttons to bring up an encrypted map on the control panel, which displayed several flashing red dots.
"For example, Fury probably still has some 'legacy' that isn't written in the files—for example, things left behind by the Strategic Scientific Corps during World War II, or those black technology prototypes that Howard Stark helped design—those things probably aren't even fully documented in Tony's archives."
Blake was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "That makes sense, so what you mean is?"
"There's an Eastern saying, 'He who eats another's food is bound to be obligated; he who takes another's money is bound to be obligated to be obligated to be obligated to be obligated to be obliged.' So I think we can invite Nick Fury to dinner," Riley said casually, as if he were just talking about going to the supermarket to buy milk tomorrow. "We can make things clear at the dinner table. District 13 can't merge with S.H.I.E.L.D., but we can establish limited intelligence sharing and emergency cooperation mechanisms."
"To sum it up in one sentence, he wants to save face, and we can give that. But the substance has to stay with us."
Upon hearing this, Blake showed no surprise or hesitation, but rather an expression of "it's only natural".
"Okay, you choose the location, I'll take care of the rest."
Sheriff Black agreed without even asking Riley how he planned to negotiate.
"No need. You're the boss of District 13. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" Riley shook his head. "It's best if we can reach an agreement, but it doesn't matter if we can't. We're not the ones in a rush right now. Besides, even if he wants to burn bridges, I'm not afraid. I still have a trump card that I haven't had time to use yet."
The confidence in those words made Blake smile involuntarily.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the busy technicians in the command center and the row of real-time monitoring screens on the wall.
Six months ago, this was an unknown special operations department.
The equipment was outdated, and the training level of the special agents varied greatly.
The only thing we can boast about is our unity and solidarity.
In the eyes of the group above, it probably doesn't even qualify as a "lower-tier alternative" to S.H.I.E.L.D.
What now?
Stark Industries' latest generation of tactical analysis system displayed a scrolling data stream on the left screen.
The medical station provided by Osborn Biotechnology occupies a corner of the base.
The field team in District 13 is equipped with customized equipment that even the U.S. Special Forces envy.
And their core combat strength...
Blake looked at Riley, this seemingly ordinary boy, and the superheroes behind him who were gradually coming together because of his influence...
Their lineup is so impressive that it could probably be more than enough to rule the world.
As a result, S.H.I.E.L.D., which was once high above and unattainable, is now showing signs of becoming a "lower-level alternative" to District 13 as its status continues to decline.
It can truly be described as turning the world upside down!