Chapter 537 A ghost named Medal Respect... (Part 1)

As it is well known, since the Cold War era, America's Red Scare has been incurable. If you wanted to pull someone from their position, the quickest way was to accuse them of being a communist.

And the Red Scare also has a precursor symptom, which belongs to the "Paranoia Syndrome" or the "Red Phobia Syndrome" where you see everyone as a potential communist.

By the modern era, the severity of this condition has significantly waned, almost reaching a point of cure, as the cause of the outbreak no longer exists. However, with the shadow of the original cause re-emerging on this planet, the long-standing disease has once again relapsed.

"Sir, I think this is really outrageous. After all, we can't search Captain America's personal belongings, can we?"

A young agent followed his superior, who walked through the corridor with a blank expression and said, "Don't ask why, execute the order."

"Not just Captain America, every member of the Avengers must be secretly investigated."

"But haven't we already voted to cooperate globally? Why do we need an internal secret investigation?"

"The so-called Superhero Registration Act failed, so the Senators don't have access to information about these superheroes, leaving us to investigate on our own. We must thank their desire for control, this is our job."

Turning a corner, the supervisor pointed at a door and said to the young agent behind him: "Go there, grab your gear, and follow your team leader."

After the young agent nodded in agreement and left, the supervisor sighed and grumbled, "If the blasted S.H.I.E.L.D hadn't transferred most of our manpower, we wouldn't be sending inexperienced newbies into the field."

Once done speaking, he strode downstairs and entered an office. He greeted the silhouette sitting behind the desk, "Mark, good afternoon. Don't you have a field mission today?"

"Hmm, yes I do, but I don't understand why I have to protect Stark. Why's that?"

The supervisor walked over to Mark, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "I thought only the newbies asked such questions. Remember our principles?"

Mark sighed, "Don't ask why, just do the job ... alright, I'll go now. But seriously, how much longer until I can retire? My mental state is getting worse."

Mark pressed the side of his head with his hand, then said, "Just now, I even fainted for a moment and when I woke up, I didn't know what happened. Can't I retire early due to illness?"

The supervisor consoled him a bit more before watching him leave with his gear. His smile faded the moment the room was empty. He pulled out a communication device and said, "He's gone. Search his belongings, but don't leave any traces. He is still useful."

Meanwhile, in the Stark Building, Stark looked quizzically at the newly arrived Mark.

He studied Mark from head to toe and said, "Aren't you the Khonsu follower who went crazy with Shiller the other day? Don't tell me you're in charge of security for this exhibition."

"Indeed, that's me," Mark replied impatiently. For someone ready to retire, all the work before retirement merely felt like an obligation.

Moreover, he found it absurd. Why should he have to protect Iron Man? Why does Iron Man need protection?

But when Mark opened his mouth, what came out was a different question: "Why are you holding a technology exhibition now?"

Stark scoffed and replied, "Some guy was so out to get me, he made a huge fuss, saying he was only capable of changing lightbulbs. His meddling even altered Earth's order, forcing us to unite."

"Previously, the Solar System Construction Plan didn't have much progress. He ended up doing me a favor, but Stark doesn't owe anyone anything."

"Now, showcasing some advanced technology would boost the confidence of the newly-formed union. Meanwhile, I will reward those who make big contributions with this technology, regardless of their nationality or stance..."

Stark crossed his arms, "Even though our goals align, I must prove that only Stark is the linchpin of human civilization. Every Stark, in every era."

"Okay, first thing, my team will conduct a preliminary sweep of the exhibition site to identify any potential hazards. Before your products enter, I must check them to ensure there are no potential public safety hazards..."

Reciting from the agent's handbook, Mark droned on while Stark listened, growing rather impatient.

But Mark was even more frustrated. He was about to retire and was stuck with a thankless and challenging task. Clearly, his boss was trying to make his life difficult on purpose.

After arguing with Stark for a while, Mark was extremely irritated and said, "I'll use the bathroom. We can discuss the specific matters when I get back."

Once in the bathroom, Mark couldn't help but shake his head violently. He turned on the faucet intending to splash his face with cold water to stay alert, but the moment he looked up at the mirror, a horrifying expression flashed past.

It wasn't his own reflection, but a pair of indifferent and brutal eyes. Mark grabbed the edge of the sink and murmured, "No...Don't. He can't come out...Help me..."

Khonsu didn't respond. Mark held onto the sink, retching with his face buried in the basin. When he finally raised his head and straightened his back, the figure appearing in the mirror was the emotionless face of Jack.

Stark was standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the scenery outside.

Though impatient with these agents, he knew that it wasn't the right time to confront them. The opportunity that Shiller had cleverly crafted was for the benefit of human civilization. It was a delicate moment, and it wasn't wise to make trouble.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind him. Before he knew it, a huge cross-shaped glow formed by crossing swords was flying towards him.

"Bang!!!!!!!"

The floor-to-ceiling window at the top of the Stark Building shattered instantly, and Iron Man rushed out, followed by the bandaged Moonlight murderer.

"Mark!!!!!! What are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!!" Stark screamed.

But Mark didn't care at all. He just kept creating enormous glowing blades with his pair of knives, making Khonsu's bizarre light effect visible throughout all of New York, even during the day.

Soon, word of Mark's fight with Iron Man spread to all the major departments, leaving everyone in the dark about what was happening.

Just as they were trying to figure it out, news completely unexpected came in rapid succession.

"Hey, Chief, got some bad news. We indeed found something related to the Soviet Union amongst Mark's personal effects, what appears to be a Soviet medal, but I'm not sure which one," said a voice on the other side of the phone.

Mark's boss held the phone, his brows furrowed. He said: "I knew it... No wonder he was in such a rush to quit, he must have been afraid that we'd find out his secret!"

He took a deep breath, then said: "Don't act rashly. We're in a delicate period now, so an arrest warrant may not be approved. Put everything back where you found it, I'll report to Congress."

After hanging up that call, he dialed another number. The person who answered was a member of Congress, in the middle of a meeting.

Hearing the situation described by Mark's boss, the congressman furrowed his brow. "I seem to recall," he said, "Didn't this agent named Mark and Shiller disappear together for a long period of time?"

"That's right, and the special abilities they exhibited previously were similar in nature. They could very well be the products of Soviet experimentation..."

The congressman sighed: "For now, don't make a move on him, to avoid provoking Shiller. We need to further investigate."

After hanging up, he turned to the other members of Congress, most of them quite elderly, hair graying at the temples. He relayed the situation, and serious expressions appeared on the faces of the others.

"It seems they really are everywhere," said one of the elderly members.

"This proves our investigation is necessary," said another, banging his fist lightly on his chair. "But I didn't expect the first person to propose this investigation would be Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pierce certainly had him figured out."

"We need to find someone we can trust to take responsibility for the covert activities. I think Nick Fury is a good choice, but we need another person to be the public face, in charge of the Solar System construction project," said another congressman, glancing around the room.

"That would be Captain America, wouldn't it? Hasn't he been doing work of this nature all along? I remember seeing his promotional videos when I was a child," said one of the elderly men. The others chuckled a bit, and another added:

"Indeed, he's quite manageable, and highly effective too. I could not think of a better candidate..."

Just then, the shrill ringing of a phone interrupting their conversation. The congressman who had been handling the calls pressed the answer button again, and a panicked voice came out from the other line:

"The situation is dire! We found a medal while searching through Steve Rogers's personal belongings, it appears to be... may be the Soviet Guardian Medal from the Soviet era!"

"A Guardian Medal? How could Captain America have a Soviet Guardian Medal?... Hold on, which era is he from again? Were relations between America and the Soviet Union okay back then?"

The congressman who had hung up the call clutched his chest, panting heavily. He braced himself against the table before straightening up, turned around, regarded the group of elderly congressman behind him, swallowed hard, and said to his secretary, "Get a doctor in here."

Unsure as to why the secretary left, the others all looked at him quizically, and the congressman said:

"Captain America may be a recipient of the Soviet Guardian Medal."

"Bang!","Bang and crackle!"

"Ugh!","Oh!"

"Doctor! Where's the doctor! Someone get help! Someone's fainted!!!"

Half an hour later, Stark, after finally banishing the crazed Jack, flew back into the Stark Building through the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows. He heaved a sigh of relief, shook his head, feeling that he was really out of luck.

At that moment, Jarvis said to him: "Sir, we've got a call from Mr. Shiller. Shall I connect you?"

"Put him through."

On the other end, Shiller's voice was as calm as ever, but the content made Stark's heart skip a beat.

"Prepare to take full control of the Solar System construction project and become its rightful leader. No one would be more suited than you."

"And why is that???"

"Because we all have medals, and only you don't."

"Huh???" Stark was completely baffled by Shiller's cryptic statement.

But Shiller simply hung up the phone. Soon after, Jarvis spoke again:

"Sir, we have a call from Congress. Would you like to take it?"

"Put them through."

On the other end, were the broken voices of the congressmen:

"Stark!!! We only have you left!!!!!"