CH-20. Big shots are gathered for Michael

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At this time, a man jumped in from the broken window.

Spider-Man.

"Michael, Human Torch, stop fighting, it's a misunderstanding..."

Spider-Man shouted hurriedly as he entered, but what he saw surprised him greatly. Michael was actually holding the Human Torch, and it looked like the Human Torch had been taught a severe lesson!

"It's too late…"

Michael glanced at Spider-Man and then put down the Human Torch.

As soon as he let go, Human Torch collapsed to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"You... you didn't swallow his abilities, did you?" Spider-Man asked nervously. After notifying the Human Torch, Spider-Man felt he should inform S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate Michael's background.

As a result of the investigation, they discovered that he was actually a newly appointed consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Becoming a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., it was unlikely he was a bad person or meant harm to Susan, making it seem more like a misunderstanding. So, he hurried in to stop the fight, but unfortunately… it seemed a bit too late!

"You should be glad that I only absorbed his abilities and didn't take his life. I've had an awful day. First, I got attacked by Susan for no reason, then you showed up, and now I'm dealing with Human Torch. What? Do you guys just gang up on outsiders? Or do I look like an easy target?" Michael shouted angrily.

Spider-Man was speechless. Who was getting beaten by whom?

'Susan was knocked out by you, I was beaten up by you, and now not only was the Human Torch beaten, but his abilities were also absorbed by you. Who's the unlucky one here?'

Although he thought this, Spider-Man couldn't say it aloud. After all, Michael had a point. If he weren't strong, he probably would've been in trouble.

"Hey, I don't know how this ends, but I think someone will come to clean up the mess soon." Spider-Man said helplessly, believing that someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. would arrive soon.

And indeed, within ten minutes, there was a mechanical roar outside, and a massive aircraft carrier approached the hotel. Then, the cabin door opened, and several people jumped out.

A black man in a long trench coat with an eyepatch.

A woman with a curvy figure wearing a black bodysuit.

A strong man with red and blue stripes and a shield on his back.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, Avengers member Black Widow Natasha, Avengers member and leader, Captain America," Michael looked at the three of them, naming them one by one, and said, "If you're here to arrest me, this lineup may not be enough."

---

"He's badly injured and unconscious. I'm afraid his abilities have been absorbed." Natasha said after examining the Human Torch. She reported this to Nick Fury, then went to check on Susan, who was still unconscious, and showed a strange expression.

"She... she's just drunk."

"Drunk..."

Upon hearing this, Nick Fury and the others felt exasperated.

"I hope you can give me an explanation!" Nick Fury demanded from Michael.

"Alright, but I want an explanation too. You know what happened with 084, right? After completing the mission, I wanted to go out to relax. I met Susan at a bar and bought her a drink. When I stepped outside, I found her drunk, alone in an alley, with someone following her."

"I tried to help her, but she mistook me for an accomplice of the Puppet Master. She refused to listen to me and even attacked. I had no choice but to defend myself, and she eventually passed out. I brought her here to wait until she sobered up so we could talk, but before I left, I ran into this little bug!"

Pointing at Spider-Man, Michael sneered, "I don't know if you've all been arrogant for too long. Instead of just asking what happened, you all jump to conclusions and start attacking. I even gave Spider-Man my name, expecting him to ask around first and realize I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But instead, he contacted Human Torch, who was even more aggressive. He attacked without giving me a chance to explain, thinking he'd let me talk *after* he dealt with me. So, yeah, I fought back. But he wasn't as strong as he thought… Hehe…"

"That's the story. Believe it or not." Michael said coolly.

"Can you return the abilities you absorbed?" Nick Fury asked bluntly. He could investigate Michael's story later, but he wanted to know if the Human Torch's powers could be restored.

Although Human Torch's personality was grating, he was still on the right side, and the importance of the Fantastic Four couldn't be underestimated.

"I can't."

Michael answered calmly. Even if he could return the powers, he wouldn't. He did this deliberately, showing weakness initially to provoke the Human Torch into attacking, giving him the opportunity to absorb his abilities without outright hostility.

Had he absorbed the Human Torch's powers without cause, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four would likely become adversaries. And while he wasn't afraid of facing the world, avoiding trouble was preferable.

And what's more, leaving them helpless to restore Human Torch's powers was satisfying in itself.

Nick Fury frowned, "Let's go to the carrier. I'll call the rest of the Fantastic Four."

Michael didn't mind. He was actually curious about the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier.

Once onboard, Michael ignored the gloomy, busy Nick Fury and wandered around, while Black Widow Natasha followed him, keeping a watchful eye.

That was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s style—never fully trusting anyone, always wanting control. And because of that, while Michael joined S.H.I.E.L.D., he didn't intend to stay long.

"I think you absorbed the Human Torch's power on purpose. Your previous absorption of Pyro John's fire-controlling ability could be seen as an accident, but this time, I think it was deliberate. You needed the Human Torch's powers."

Black Widow Natasha suddenly whispered.

Michael stopped, looked at her, and said calmly, "If he hadn't been arrogant, hadn't confronted me, and hadn't refused to listen to my explanation, I wouldn't have been able to absorb his abilities, right? So, even if I wanted his powers, he created the opportunity for me."

"And I don't have the habit of not fighting back when I'm attacked. He's not my friend or my partner, so I have no reason to go easy on him. If they want to challenge me, fine, as long as they can afford the price!"

Natasha remained silent. Yes, even if Michael had the motive, Johnny's arrogance was his own downfall.

"I'll arrange a room for you. You can rest for a while. This isn't an easy situation since it involves the Fantastic Four. Coulson is on his way, and he update you once we have answers." Natasha said.

Michael shrugged indifferently, "Fine, it's a good opportunity to catch some rest. Hopefully, there's a resolution by the time I wake up!"

Without another word, Natasha led Michael to a room.

The room looked standard, though there may have been hidden monitoring. Michael didn't care. He trusted that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't overstep in this context.

Nick Fury might act tough, but as long as he found Michael valuable, he would try to leverage him. And it didn't matter; if Fury was using him, Michael was using S.H.I.E.L.D. just the same.

---

While Michael rested in his room, things were tense in the meeting room.

Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Invisible Woman Susan, Human Torch Johnny, Director Nick Fury, Agent Maria Hill, Mr. Fantastic Reed, the Thing Ben, plus Phil Coulson—the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had all gathered in the middle of the night for Michael.

Susan was sober now. Although Johnny didn't look well, he'd accepted the reality of his lost abilities.

The entire sequence of events was recounted by Susan, Spider-Man, and Johnny, and confirmed through surveillance footage, aligning with Michael's account. In other words, Michael wasn't at fault here.

"So, that's the situation. What do you all think?" Nick Fury asked, looking around.

"It's all my fault. I misunderstood him. At the time, the Puppet Master's puppet was following me, and I thought they were in the same group. That's what led to everything else," Susan admitted remorsefully. She regretted drinking so much that night.

"What about Johnny?"

Nick Fury asked.