*Chapter 234: Heavy Fog*

"Just one hit and you become extraordinary?"

With such a sweet deal, there probably isn’t a single young woman in America who could refuse.

She began to understand why Kratos always had pretty girls around him.

The guy was like a real god, able to grant people power at will.

And it seemed like it came without any side effects, unlike those shady biotech companies that turn people into monsters.

In some sense, she knew she had made a great deal.

If she didn’t have her own principles, she might have already thrown herself into Kratos’ arms.

Of course, she didn’t feel like she owed him anything. After all, this was supposed to be a friendly game of pool as a thank-you for him saving her life. She hadn’t even asked him for anything beforehand.

It was all Kratos who gave it to her willingly.

Even if she felt a little uneasy, it wasn’t enough to make her feel guilty.

It just felt... a little weird.

"Ugh! Please don’t stand across from me, hero."

While Black Widow was lost in her little dilemma, Captain America was having a chat with Director Nick Fury.

They went from personal matters to talking about Nick’s father and finally discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newest plan: Project Insight.

In short, the plan was to build three airborne warships that would hover near the edge of the atmosphere and use long-range artillery that could cover the globe, eliminating threats to America before they even had a chance.

A grand goal.

After realizing the dangers of going down the path of mutations and superpowers, the higher-ups decided to go the mechanical route instead.

But neither Captain America nor Nick Fury foresaw that S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been infiltrated by Hydra to the point of collapse.

For Nick, everything happened suddenly.

As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was humming a tune, driving his smart SUV down the street, when a group of Hydra agents disguised as police officers and SWAT ambushed him.

First, a dramatic 90-degree side collision left Nick with broken bones. Then, several police cars surrounded his SUV, trapping him. As soon as the "police" and SWAT agents got out, they started firing automatic rifles at his bulletproof car.

Nick barely escaped with his life, eventually finding his way to Captain America’s small apartment in Brooklyn.

And then... he was ‘assassinated.’

Captain America chased after the assassin, smashing through countless doors in pursuit, but couldn’t catch up to the killer with the silver metal arm. His trademark shield was even caught mid-air by the assassin, who threw it back perfectly. When Cap caught it, it almost knocked the wind out of him.

In the end, Fury was ‘pronounced dead.’ When Captain America returned to S.H.I.E.L.D., he barely finished a conversation with Secretary Pierce before being framed by him.

Pierce publicly announced that Captain America had defected from S.H.I.E.L.D.

For the regular S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this news was a bombshell.

Captain America, the symbol of America, a traitor?

Could that even be possible?

Well, blame Homelander!

People once thought Homelander was the new Captain America of this generation, but behind the scenes, he’d done countless shady things. If it weren’t for the remaining shareholders of Vought using their influence to prevent a reckoning, Homelander would’ve already been nailed to the wall of shame.

But Homelander’s true nature was an open secret within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Now, with Pierce declaring that Captain America had defected, people were hesitant to believe it—especially after Homelander had already set such a bad example.

Sigh America... those in power can really get away with anything.

Just like how a former president could be falsely accused of assaulting an unattractive woman over twenty years ago without any evidence, yet still be convicted by a jury.

It’s like something straight out of a Mark Twain novel, where a politician running for office would suddenly have a bunch of kids of different races calling him "Dad." False accusations spread quickly, but clearing your name takes forever—a real hallmark of the country.

And yet, people are quick to believe it.

Sharon Carter, the niece of Cap’s old flame Peggy Carter, couldn’t believe her eyes. So many of her colleagues actually believed the accusation. She was anxious but couldn’t openly oppose Pierce, who was the highest-ranking officer in S.H.I.E.L.D.

She knew that even if she had evidence—which she didn’t at the moment—standing up to those in power wouldn’t change anything. It would only get her into trouble. Still, she secretly resolved to help Cap.

On the other side, the most iconic moment was about to unfold. Unaware that his enemies were closing in, Captain America entered an elevator at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, followed by Brock Rumlow and a group of men.

Just then, Cap’s phone buzzed with a text from Black Widow: "Watch out for Brock. I think he’s a traitor."

As it turned out, Cap didn’t have much trouble dealing with these guys with a combat rating of just 10, especially with Black Widow’s heads-up.

At that moment, Cap was like a god of war who had accidentally wandered into a daycare.

It’s hard to imagine what Hydra’s higher-ups were thinking, sending regular guys like Crossbones to take down Captain America, who had been enhanced.

Without even waiting for Brock (aka Crossbones) to pull out his electric baton, Cap started the fight.

Punching them square in the chest!

Smacking them with his shield!

In the original timeline, Cap at least took a few hits. This time, it was pure domination.

"Duang!" His vibranium shield made a crisp sound as it struck one of the goons’ heads.

Sound good?

Well, a good sound means a solid head!

Poor Crossbones didn’t even get to make a move before Cap took him down.

Cap escaped, jumping from several stories up, almost breaking his neck.

As soon as he got out of S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow was there to pick him up.

A Maybach sports car skidded to a stop nearby. "No time to explain, get in!" she yelled.

Cap, a little worse for wear, climbed into the car. But as soon as they sped through a couple of blocks, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicopters caught up with them.

"This won’t work," Cap shouted.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in the speed of the Maybach; it was New York traffic he didn’t trust.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan."

"There aren’t many people left in S.H.I.E.L.D. we can trust."

Black Widow smiled mysteriously. "They’re not from S.H.I.E.L.D."

As the armed helicopter got closer, a sudden fog appeared out of nowhere, causing the pilots to freak out, turn on their fog lights, and scatter.

Meanwhile, the rest of the pursuers were diverted as well.

Black Widow kept driving, and before Cap could even react, they’d driven into a custom-made trailer.

From the outside, it looked just like any other truck on the streets of New York.

"Let me introduce you," Black Widow said with a smile, "This is Katana, this is the Huntress, and this is Starlight."

"Wait, they’re..."

(End of chapter)