Chapter 89

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Nick Fury: I Was Nearly Killed by Hydra!

"That guy, did he really see me as just some character?"

"Just like watching a movie or reading a novel, is that how he sees my life?"

"Perhaps even munching on popcorn and sipping soda, casually jotting down a few snarky comments in his diary when something exciting happens?"

"I must say, no one has ever viewed me from such a strange perspective before."

Tony Stark couldn't help feeling irritated and somewhat bemused at the thought.

Throughout his life, the great Tony Stark has been labeled countless things: a super-rich second generation, a super-genius, Iron Man, a groundbreaking scientist, and so on.

Each label signifies the extraordinary nature of the great Tony Stark, and he has always been quite pleased with them.

But just as any other character?

This isn't merely an issue of being underestimated; it's a form of condescending belittlement, an aloof sense of superiority.

"This does fit the identity of a person who traversed realities, doesn't it?"

Jarvis' voice surfaced, expressing understanding of this perspective, "After all, this isn't his world. To him, isn't everything here akin to a game, or perhaps a movie?"

"His attitude of treating this world as a game or as a theatrical play isn't really that unusual."

Jarvis' reasoning made sense, and Tony Stark didn't argue.

Moreover.

Tony Stark's thoughts drifted, and he recalled certain terms previously mentioned in the diary.

"Classic scenes."

This phrase had appeared in the past, and Tony hadn't given it much thought then.

But pondering it now.

Isn't this term more apt for novels, movies, and other works of fiction?

After all, who uses "classic scenes" to describe events in the real world?

So, Zhou Cheng, that guy, has indeed been treating the great Tony Stark and everything in his world as characters!

No, not just Tony Stark, but everyone in this world!

The classic scenes Zhou Cheng listed involved many people.

To think of them as mere characters and to view it all as a show, even going so far as to divide the great Tony Stark's life into installments, perhaps sequels?

Isn't that taking it too far, getting a little too lost in the spectacle?

"Wait, is there a possibility like this!"

After some ranting, Tony Stark suddenly had another, more plausible conjecture.

"In Zhou Cheng's world, has my story been turned into a series of films named 'Iron Man'?"

"The 'second part,' 'plot,' mentioned in the diary, is it actually referring to those movies?"

When this thought crossed his mind, Tony Stark's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He felt this was a very likely possibility.

After all, biographical movies about famous personalities and leaders are commonplace.

Considering that if the age of superheroes truly arrives, each superhero would become a superstar, with an influence and fame surpassing typical celebrities.

Someone making a series of movies about superheroes would be even more normal.

In other words.

Zhou Cheng traversing to this parallel universe is like crossing into a world merged from several living movies.

The events happening in reality are exactly the same as the movies he has seen!

It indeed would make Zhou Cheng intertwine reality and film in his perception.

Viewing these living "film characters" subconsciously as if they were roles in a movie.

"If that's the case, doesn't this make the whole thing more logically smooth and coherent?"

This could further explain why Zhou Cheng has such irreverence for everyone in his diary, freely mocking and judging.

Indeed, he's unconsciously adopting a moviegoer's mindset.

"There is definitely that possibility!"

"And in fact, it is quite likely."

Jarvis also voiced his deep agreement on this.

"So sir, in Zhou Cheng's world, you're just a character in a film!"

Jarvis even sighed with this realization.

"At least, I'm the protagonist, right?"

"'Iron Man,' that's a movie tailored for me!"

Iron Man felt upbeat once again thinking about it.

Even if Zhou Cheng saw him as a character in a movie, the great Tony Stark still remained impressive and extraordinary!

However, without the omniscient perspective, Tony Stark could never guess the shocking truth.

[If I remember correctly, the next act should be the iconic "Senate Hearing Showdown," right?]

[That Hydra senator does all sorts of machinations during the hearing, bringing together Justin Hammer and War Machine—oh, wrong, it's actually Rhodey; at this point, he hasn't become War Machine yet.]

[The Hydra senator gathers these heavy hitters to corner Stark, demanding he surrender the Iron Man armor with ferocious intent.]

[But what's the result? Stark gives them a brilliant smackdown!]

[Even cursing publicly during the hearing in front of the media.]

[Haha, it's such a pitiful look. How did such a person even get into Hydra?]

"'Senate Hearing Showdown'? I like the sound of that!"

Tony Stark clapped his hands with satisfaction; "showdown" was quite an expressive term!

Even without reading the subsequent descriptions of the hearing, just those two words vividly portrayed the unstoppable and formidable demeanor of the great Tony Stark.

It was perfectly to his liking.

Humph!

As he read on, Tony Stark couldn't help but scoff.

It was that Hydra senator again!

This guy dared to covet his Iron Man armor?

What a foolhardy thought!

And Justin Hammer, that mediocre clown, even attended the hearing?

Birds of a feather flock together, indeed conspiring in their antics!

But such characters, even a hundred of them combined, aren't worth considering; Iron Man wouldn't bother giving them a second glance.

But was Rhodey there too?

Tony Stark was slightly surprised.

Knowing that he hardly had any friends, Rhodey was essentially his only friend. Could he also betray Stark at the hearing?

But Iron Man quickly let it go.

Rhodey was a military man, coerced by circumstances!

Tony Stark believed Rhodey surely wouldn't truly betray him; he was simply attending the hearing under orders, manipulated by that Hydra senator. Tony Stark stopped fretting over that particular matter temporarily.

Instead, he shifted his focus to another issue.

"So Rhodey is War Machine?" Tony Stark couldn't help but feel surprised. He had always thought they were two different people, but it turned out they were both Rhodey. This meant that there was one less person in control of his Iron Man suits in the future, which was quite a relief for Tony Stark. It meant he had one less problem to deal with!

"Who could the 'Hydra Senator' be?" Nick Fury's concern, on the other hand, differed completely from Tony Stark's. He didn't care how the "Hydra Senator" coerced Stark to try and steal the armor; what really mattered to Fury was who this Hydra Senator actually was!

Though no specific answers had been provided yet, luckily there were enough detailed descriptions to make some educated guesses. Once the hearing commenced, Fury only had to look for who was most jubilant yet ended up most devastated, even resorting to swearing. This would become the first undercover Hydra agent Fury caught.

The impending hearing was something Nick Fury began to take seriously, even looking forward to it.

[It's hard to believe what Hydra's recruitment standards are. The incompetency within seems apparent.]

[The senator made a complete fool of himself around Stark, serving merely as a backdrop from start to finish. There's no need to even discuss it.]

[Then there's the bald guy with glasses, who cowered so easily. A plan as crucial as the Insight project was spilled just because Black Widow intimidated him.]

[The bald man's reaction was somewhat understandable, at least. He faced a real threat when Black Widow kicked him down a flight of stairs.]

[Baron Strucker was the real disgrace.]

[He surrendered to Captain America without even a hint of resistance!]

"Hydra doesn't seem all that impressive, do they?"

"They're just a motley crew."

Seeing the descriptions of Hydra's incompetence in the journal, Tony Stark couldn't help but scoff disdainfully.

Whether it was the senator at the hearing, the "bald guy with glasses," or Baron Strucker, they were all high-ranking individuals who were utterly pathetic.

They either lacked ability or backbone. These few individuals were quite indicative of Hydra's level.

Of course, Tony Stark wasn't really concerned about Hydra.

He was just making fun of them for his own amusement.

However, Nick Fury, in front of another journal, felt drastically different.

He valued any spoiler about Hydra highly.

Finally, the journal revealed that there were several Hydra sleepers!

Although it didn't say exactly who the bald man with glasses was, just the characteristics of "wearing glasses" and "being bald" were distinguishing enough to narrow down the suspects.

As for "the Insight Project."

When Nick Fury's one eye fell on this term, he immediately lapsed into deep thought.

Without any context, it was impossible for Fury to analyze it. However, it was undeniably one of Hydra's secret plans, an important one at that, as stated in the journal.

At that moment, Fury decided to covertly investigate what this plan was all about.

Other than that, Fury could not do much else for now.

Baron Strucker?

Well, that was much simpler.

The journal had bluntly revealed the man's identity, sparing Fury a lot of trouble.

[The Winter Soldier seems pretty tough, doesn't he? A super-soldier who took on so many Avengers by himself in the anti-terrorism building, he was ferocious.]

[He even made Captain America look like a beaten dog during the battle of the Insight project.]

[Yet a supposedly powerful individual, even with so many operatives, failed to kill Fury, who single-handedly escaped.]

[Indeed, Fury was beaten badly, and his hi-tech car played a significant role.]

[But the fact remains - Fury escaped, and that's indisputable!]

[Even the attempt to finish him off a second time didn't work.]

Winter Soldier!

The moment this word appeared, Tony Stark's expression darkened with anger and a hint of murderous intent.

This was the killer of his parents.

Had the journal finally started revealing information about this guy?

Tony Stark paid keen attention to this piece of information.

Seeing that the Winter Soldier could take on many Avengers made Iron Man frown. It wasn't good news for him.

Although the journal had already stated that the Winter Soldier was a super-soldier and Stark was aware of his strength, he didn't expect him to be this formidable!

Continuing to read, Stark's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

The Winter Soldier was also with Hydra!

Ever since learning that the Winter Soldier had killed his parents, Tony Stark was actively searching for his whereabouts, but with no progress.

Stark had speculated that there was a powerful, hidden hand behind the Winter Soldier.

But Iron Man had never imagined that hidden hand to be Hydra!

So, Hydra was the one erasing all traces!

"Hydra, I should have thought of it!"

Iron Man grunted in frustration.

The original Scientific Strategic Reserve was established to combat Hydra, and even after it later became SHIELD, it continued the struggle against them!

Given that viewpoint, Hydra killing his parents wasn't surprising at all.

In an instant, unbridled hatred and a desire for revenge spread across Iron Man's face.

Although he had learned from the journal about the continued existence of Hydra and its alarming growth, he had been quietly watching from the sidelines.

Now, the situation had changed!

Hydra had killed his parents. That made them Tony Stark's enemy!