Chapter 71: Clark's Warning

In the office of the Hydra Station Chief at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Bureau, the Director of Homeland Strategic Defense, Attack, and Logistics Support, Alexander Pierce was feeling overwhelmed as he observed the surveillance footage showing over a hundred "Black Heroes" causing chaos throughout the city.

Unexpectedly, Clark had pulled such a move. Faced with hundreds of individuals dressed alike, dashing in different directions, how could one discern which one was the real deal?

This cunning trickster was definitely no easier to deal with than the old fox, Alexander Pierce!

After who knows how long, Alexander Pierce finally let out a long sigh and said to a white, bald man beside him, "Sitwell, notify Coulson to call off the tracking of Clark and also send someone to closely monitor the several Hand's strongholds in the city. I have a feeling their next target will definitely be one of the many nests of the Hand."

"Knock! Knock! Knock!..."

Suddenly, the door was knocked.

Upon receiving Pierce's permission to enter, a man named Scrambled Egg walked in.

As he walked towards Pierce's work desk, Scrambled Egg spoke, "I just received a message from Frank. The Hand's largest stronghold in New York City has been taken down by them. The personnel sent for the cleanup work sent back these photos."

Saying so, Scrambled Egg threw the photos on Pierce's desk and stood by without a word.

Pierce and the bald man looked at the photos together, and the bald man's eyes lit up immediately. Pointing at the photo of a black boy's silhouette, he said, "I recognize this. It's written in Chinese characters. If we follow this clue, it won't be hard to trace it back to Clark."

"Naive!"

Pierce disdainfully glanced at the eager bald man and then turned his attention to Scrambled Egg, "Nick, what do you think?"

Nick Fury seriously replied, "This was definitely done by Clark and his group. There's no need for an investigation for this. But don't forget, with Frank in their camp, they wouldn't leave any evidence that could directly implicate them."

Looking at the photo again, where a cloak was seen behind the boy, "This object is called a 'banner', a sort of thank you letter, used exclusively by the Chinese. From the boy's description, it's likely that Clark is involved."

The bald man got excited again, "Isn't this a lead?"

"A lead?" Scrambled Egg disdainfully glanced at him and then directly said to Pierce, "Seeing this banner, many would associate it with Clark, but in reality, it proves nothing. The opposition has cleared all clues, leaving only a banner. What does that tell you?"

Taking a deep breath, Scrambled Egg didn't wait for their response and continued, "I believe this is Clark, sending out a warning to anyone who dares target him!"

"He is telling everyone that he, Clark, is not someone who plays by the rules. If anyone pushes him too far, the Hand will end up just like them!"

Seeing Scrambled Egg's confident demeanor, Pierce nodded in approval and then said, "Well, in that case, let's not provoke that young man's sensitive nerves for now. Let this matter rest."

Alexander Pierce, a tough character who could handle ups and downs, quickly moved on from the matter of Pym Particles to discuss other topics, "Regarding the research on infinite energy sources right now..."

Truly letting go of the Pym Particles matter, Alexander Pierce's primary mission as the Hydra Station Chief at S.H.I.E.L.D. was to complete the Insight project.

As for other valuable items like Pym Particles, it would be great if he could get his hands on them by chance, but it wasn't worth risking a direct confrontation with Clark, a dangerous individual.

Instead of risking being targeted by Clark, it was better to wait for others to make the first move and then reap the benefits.

Indeed, Scrambled Egg's guess was spot on. The banner was indeed a signal Clark intentionally released to those eyeing the Ant-Man suit.

"This deed was done by me, Clark!

Within the Hand, the three ancient demons were all taken down by me, Clark!

I've now fully entered mad dog mode. If anyone wants to try their luck, come at me! Let's hurt each other! Maybe I won't end up well in the end, but the first one to act definitely won't see that day come."

This is what's called a man's fury, blood splattering five steps away! As for the signal Clark intentionally released, reactions from various factions varied.

Some chose to back off decisively from this unconventional madman.

Some brash ones didn't care about Clark's threats, believing firmly in their creed, "The King of Pirates... cough, I mean, the Ant-Man suit, is mine!"

Of course, more people shared Alexander Pierce's mindset, opting to wait and see how things unfold.

Thus, with a mere banner, Clark managed to deter most of the eager forces from acting rashly. Although some tigers remained, the situation had significantly improved compared to before.

On the other hand, the Avengers Alliance was also experiencing internal rifts due to Barney's death.

Hawkeye was not unreasonable; he knew that Uncle Punishment did nothing wrong. However, Barney, for all his faults, was his brother! Blood is thicker than water, and he couldn't bring himself to forgive just yet.

So, he chose self-exile. After burying Barney, he decided to leave New York for a while to clear his mind.

Clark felt this might be the best outcome for Hawkeye and silently wished him to recover from his psychological trauma soon.

Somewhere in New York, in a hidden underground base, Clark was diligently working on a precise instrument, highly focused and careful not to make any mistakes.

Not far from him, Hope and Mindy were boredly watching him tinker with the equipment, unable to lend a hand.

"Done!"

After carefully testing the data one more time, Clark finally put down his tools, massaged his temples, and let out a sigh of relief.

Hearing this, Hope excitedly stood up and asked, "Is it finished?"

Nodding, Clark said, "The device has been calibrated. Now, we just need to wait for the right moment and leave the rest to fate."

"Timing?"

"Fate?"

Hope and Mindy both caught on to different points of interest and asked simultaneously.

Standing up and stretching, Clark said, "Quantum field fluctuations have their own periodicity and irregularity. After repeated calculations, the best time to save Uncle Pym is in seven days."

"As for fate..." Clark shook his head, "Every scientific endeavor is filled with uncertainties before its confirmation. Whether my attempt will be successful depends a lot on fate."

Hearing this, Mindy quickly asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Pray for me." Clark's casual remark came out, but his expression suddenly turned peculiar.

"Clark, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just feel more confident!"

Though he brushed it off with a casual remark, Clark had already silently opened the system interface.