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Chapter 198 Fury and Pierce’s Results
TL: Kyous
Washington was around three hundred kilometers away from New York but Leo only took three minutes to fly back to Erwin Building and directly dived into the basement.
Randomly finding an empty space, he enlarged the Capsule House and opened the door.
Bucky immediately shouted, “Leo, why did you suddenly bring us back? There may be other things about Steve in the room and we yelled at you on the way but you didn’t respond.” He walked out of the house as he spoke.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Leo replied offhandedly. “Before I leave, I forgot to switch off the high-frequency sound wave laboratory. Steam called me to remind me to come back, fearing that the lab might go ka-boom accidentally. So I was in a hurry.”
“Is that so?” Bucky was skeptical.
“Why would I lie to you?” Placing his arm around Bucky’s shoulder, Leo added, “Besides, Peggy’s house won’t be running away and we can’t miss it. I’ll take you there next time.”
Bucky rolled his eyes but still bought Leo’s explanation. He had no choice but to believe because they were in New York already.
On the other hand, Leo was silently cursing, ‘Do you still want to go to Peggy’s house? Forget it!’
He wasn’t daring enough to venture there again. The bigshot hiding in Peggy’s house was someone he couldn’t afford to offend so he could only let the man stay there forever.
Steve truly was extremely tight-lipped, keeping everyone in the dark. Leo hoped Steve never come out ever again.
“Leo, is it okay for me to come out like this?” Out of the blue, Natasha’s voice came from behind Bucky.
Taking a peek, Leo found Natasha bending down with her head sticking out of the Capsule House. Her head was eight times bigger than usual and looked rather frightening.
“Go back first, Natasha. I’ll shrink you down and let you out later. You’re too big and I can’t afford to feed you.” Leo hurriedly said.
After some fuss, Natasha was finally back to her normal size and exited the Capsule House. Then, Leo sent the two of them back to work at their respective positions. The second base in the suburbs was already under construction and it was time to hire some workers.
…….
Time flew by and another week passed by in the blink of an eye. Finally, the investigation into Fury and Pierce was over.
In an office at the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, Lindsay, Peggy, and General Ross were discussing the handling of Fury and Pierce.
“The president sent me the final decision on Agent Pierce and Agent Fury this morning. Take a look.” Lindsay handed over two copies of the handling report.
Swiftly scanning the report, Peggy looked up in shock and said to Lindsay, “The president wants me to re-serve as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”
“Yes, Director Carter. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is in a state of disarray, we need a capable and responsible director. The president thinks of no one but you.”
Lindsay’s behavior toward Pegyy had greatly improved over the past few days, thanks to Peggy’s work etiquette and sense of responsibility that won her minimal respect.
Peggy frowned, “Please give me some time to consider this matter before giving an answer to the council.”
“Of course. If you have any inquiry, you may contact the president directly.” Lindsay nodded.
By now, General Ross also finished reading the report and voiced out, “From the start to the end, no evidence of Fury being the HYDRA was discovered yet you decided to directly reduce his agent rank from eight to one. Wouldn’t this be too severe for a punishment?”
“This is the president’s decision. I have no right to comment on it.” Facing General Ross, Lindsay’s explanation became as typical as possible.
General Ross believed this decision was inevitably obstructing Fury’s future. He considered for a bit and asked, “Then if I want to transfer Fury back to the army, is that possible?”
“As long as you go through the standard procedure. Submitting the application, having Agent Fury’s consent and approval from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director. Then, Agent Fury can be transferred back to the army.”
“Good. I’ll inform Fury then.” Picking up the handling report, General Ross headed to the detention room where Fury was.
Seeing General Ross leaving, Peggy also picked up the report and stood up. “Pierce is quite old already yet you lots demoted his agent rank to Level 1. Who knows whether or not he can climb back up in the future? Miss Lindsay, let me break this news to Pierce lest he couldn’t accept it.”
Lindsay found Peggy’s suggestion undeniable, so she didn’t stop Peggy.
With a soft smile, Peggy left the office.
……
Inside the detention room painted with pale white, Fury heard some movements and jerked his head up, immediately saw General Ross entering.
“Is my result out?” Fury asked right away.
“Indeed it’s out.” General Ross closed the door. “Your agent rank is reduced to Level 1 and prohibited from leaving the country for a decade. Every week you must report your every movement to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. branch. This is your punishment.”
“That’s good to hear.” Fury softly smiled and offhandedly stated, “At least my path of advancement isn’t restricted.”
General Ross widened his eyes, “Good? What level were you when you first transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D. from the army?”
“Level 6.”
“It has been four years yet you only raised by two levels. If you want to return to your current spot, how long will that take?”
“If without any special merits, probably ten years,” Fury answered.
“After ten years, you’ll be almost fifty! A mere Level 8 Agent, is that comparable to a general of the army?” General Ross began tempting. “How about you return to the army with me? You’ll still be a colonel. Ten years later, although I can’t guarantee you’ll be a lieutenant general, becoming a major general is certainly no problem.”
“General, thank you for your kindness.” Fury rejected it straight away. “You should know I dislike competing for fame and fortune. Besides, the world is at peace right now and wars rarely occur. So, there’s nothing attractive in the army to me. I prefer the way S.H.I.E.L.D. operates and its work. Now that I’m a Level 1 agent, I can interact more with the grassroots mission. I’m quite excited, to be honest.”
General Ross stared a long while at Fury but Fury’s eyes remained firm without the slightest hints of changing.
“Hmm!” General Ross sighed and placed his hands on his back, turning and leaving. “It seems like I’m too old to understand the youngsters nowadays thinking process. If you’re free, remember to come and have a chat with this old bone of mine.”
Looking at General Ross’s back, Fury sincerely said, “Thank you.”
General Ross, who reached the door, smiled and left without turning his head.
Fury simply packed his things and marched out of the detention room. Although he was framed and punished, he ultimately still eliminated every spy within S.H.I.E.L.D. The glory and pride within his heart made him immune to the haggard feeling of being imprisoned.
Simultaneously, the door of the detention room next door opened as well. A haggard Pierce walked out of it.
As if being secretly connected by the thread of fate, the two of them deeply looked at each other. Fury’s gaze glistened as the corner of his lips arched up while Pierce’s gaze contained madness as his pupils shrunk, becoming inhuman-like.
Following Pierce, Peggy exited and interrupted their staring contest.
“Agent Pierce, Agent Fury. I personally believe both of you are innocent. Both of you have greatly contributed to S.H.I.E.L.D. I, Carter, will carve this in my heart. I also hope you won’t hold grudge against the council. After all, their attitude against H.Y.D.R.A. is even worse than ours. I hope you will continue working hard and regain your former glory.”
Both of them thanked Peggy and Peggy marched away first.
Fury and Pierce exchanged another glance with each other before walking to the opposite ends of the corridor.