The Defenders

Just as he was about to leave the office to find a place for dinner, a middle-aged man in a black suit, wearing black sunglasses, and with a receding hairline, appeared at the office.

Although the man hadn't spoken yet, Russell knew his identity the moment he saw him.

Phil Coulson!

Level 8 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a prototype for American agents, an avid fan of Captain America, and one of Nick Fury's most trusted subordinates at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Since arriving in this world, although Russell hadn't interacted with Coulson, it didn't mean he didn't know about him.

From a certain perspective, he even knew about Coulson's future.

"Mr. Bradley, hello! I'm Phil Coulson, Director of the New York branch of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Upon entering the office, Coulson took off his sunglasses and spoke directly.

As he introduced himself, he also extended his right hand for a handshake with Russell.

However, Russell had no intention of shaking hands with Coulson. Instead, he glanced at Coulson's left hand.

The severed hand trope had become something of a tradition in the Marvel world.

And Coulson was one of those cases.

"Is there something you need?"

Russell redirected his gaze to Coulson's face and said casually.

Coulson smiled and retracted his right hand, saying slowly, "Can we sit down and talk?"

"Go ahead and sit."

Although Coulson hadn't yet stated his purpose for coming, Russell could already guess why he was here.

Most likely, Coulson was also here about the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor.

While S.H.I.E.L.D. was interested in black technology, they had a completely different style from HYDRA.

Bakshi, representing HYDRA, had come right out asking about the armor.

Coulson, representing S.H.I.E.L.D., was far more tactful.

"Although i probably have no obligation to tell you, I'm just curious."

Russell responded with a question.

While HYDRA wasn't a particularly honorable organization, he didn't have any fondness for S.H.I.E.L.D. either.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Is led by Nick Fury, and that wasn't even the main issue.

It was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s facade of "everything I do is to protect the world" that he found distasteful.

Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. was indeed a legitimate intelligence agency with official backing.

But that didn't mean Russell had to have any positive feelings towards them.

Legitimate or not, liking or not liking, those were two different matters.

"You're right, you have no such obligation. I'm just making a casual inquiry."

Coulson didn't mind Russell's attitude and smiled as he spoke.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving work."

Russell stated directly.

"We're very interested in that armor. If you're willing, we'd like to buy your armor."

"And if you're not interested in selling the armor, we'd be interested in acquiring some related technical data."

Strong-arm tactics were never S.H.I.E.L.D.'s style.

For matters that could be legally settled, they preferred to use legal means.

Of course, this was an exception when it came to dealing with dangerous individuals and terrorist organizations.

"Whether it's the armor or the data, I have no intention of selling."

Russell refused without even considering it.

Selling the armor to S.H.I.E.L.D. would be an insane decision, unless he had lost his mind.

Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to exchange it for the Cosmic Cube, he wouldn't consider it.

While the Cosmic Cube was indeed a valuable item, if he wanted it, he'd just take it directly; he wouldn't use the armor as a bargaining chip.

Although stealing wasn't something to be promoted, the Cosmic Cube wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s in the first place.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had stolen it from HYDRA.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. could steal the Cosmic Cube from HYDRA, he could definitely steal it back from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Don't forget, he was a member of HYDRA now.

Although he had just joined HYDRA less than a day ago, that wasn't important.

Taking the Cosmic Cube back from S.H.I.E.L.D. on behalf of HYDRA would be quite reasonable!

"That's alright. Here's my business card. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime."

After saying this, Coulson took out a business card from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table in front of Russell.

After placing the card, Coulson nodded at Russell, got up, and left the office without looking back.

Once Coulson left, Russell picked up the card on the table and glanced at it.

Then, he simply tossed it into the trash.

Hell's Kitchen.

Happy Family Restaurant.

Russell sat alone in the restaurant, enjoying his dinner.

Diana was on a business trip, and there wasn't much for him to do at home.

As he pondered whether to go to the Continental Hotel for some entertainment, like chatting with Perkins about life, he noticed someone.

What's going on today?

Why are people suddenly showing up one after another?

Across the restaurant, in the dimly lit corner of the street, stood a man in a tight red suit.

Although the lighting was dim, Russell recognized the man's identity the moment he saw him.

This man was none other than Daredevil, Matt Murdock.

While Kingpin had offered a $10 million reward for Daredevil's true identity, no one had claimed the bounty up to now.

If Russell wanted to claim it, he could.

However, he had no interest in Kingpin's bounty or the grudge between Kingpin and Daredevil.

As long as they didn't bother him, even if they turned Hell's Kitchen into a battlefield, he wouldn't be interested.

Seeing Daredevil standing at the dimly lit street corner like a streetwalker, Russell turned his head to look around.

He's not alone?

Apart from Daredevil, he spotted three other people in different locations on the street.

A muscular black man wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

A man in a green uniform with a yellow head covering.

A black-haired woman in jeans and a black leather jacket.

What's this?

A team activity?

Except for the man in the green uniform, the black man and the black-haired woman seemed normal in their attire, not looking out of place.

But as soon as he saw them, Russell immediately guessed their identities.

Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones!

With Daredevil, the three of them made up the current members of the superhero team, the Defenders.

Although the Defenders had been active in Hell's Kitchen, Russell didn't think their appearance here was a coincidence.

Based on their positions, this looked like an ambush.

As for the target of this ambush, it was none other than him, sitting in the restaurant enjoying his third beef soup.

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