Chương 163: Chapter 163: SHIELD's Hidden Undercurrents 

"How on earth did you nearly stumble just now?" Luke asked Tony with a smirk as he retracted the sprawling darkness. 

Faced with Luke's teasing, Tony's expression turned serious. "Impossible. Right now, even if a nuclear bomb went off in my face, I'd be completely fine. I only asked for your intervention because that guy's self-destruction would have caused extensive damage to the surrounding environment." 

"What, is this your port? Why are you protecting it so fiercely?" 

Tony raised an eyebrow at Luke. "What do you think?" 

"It really is yours?" Luke rubbed his chin. "How is it that your family owns literally everything?" 

Tony felt a twinge of guilt under Luke's skeptical gaze, but then he puffed out his chest and stated, "Stark Industries hauls a massive amount of supplies from the Trade Hub every single day. What's wrong with buying a port?" 

Alright then. Luke shrugged. "Big deal, you own a port. I own the Earth." 1

With that, Luke turned and opened a portal to head home. Tony watched him leave and breathed a sigh of relief. 

He hadn't explicitly confirmed that he owned the port; it was all Luke's assumption. Still, the geographical location was quite favorable. It might not be a bad idea to actually purchase it. 

He instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. to forward the port's location to Pepper to assess its viability for purchase, then took off, intending to head back and check on Happy, who had just returned home. 

... 

"Captain, our operational objective this time is the Arctic. Intelligence indicates a terrorist organization has established a base there, and our mission is to dismantle it." 

As with previous operations, Rumlow handed a physical copy of the mission briefing to the Captain, who was suiting up. 

The Captain smiled at Rumlow as he turned to leave. "Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to transcribe the digital files into hard copies for me every time." 

Rumlow paused at the door, glancing back. "Don't mention it. Respecting the elderly is a virtue, after all." 

The Captain smiled helplessly, picking up the operational report to review it, while Rumlow turned and strode out. 

As he walked, Rumlow pressed his earpiece. "The mission briefing has been delivered to the Captain. He suspects nothing." 

"Excellent work. Once you reach the designated coordinates, execute the plan as discussed and apprehend the Captain." 

Sitwell's voice came through the earpiece, detailing Rumlow's next steps. 

"Understood." Rumlow cast one last look toward the Captain's quarters before heading to the briefing room to go over tactics with his team. 

After all, their target in this upcoming operation was a living legend. They couldn't afford to be careless. 

While these individuals were busy scheming, a series of messages were transmitted entirely without the knowledge of either SHIELD or Hydra. 

In the hospital room of Captain America's beloved, Peggy Carter, an elderly man suddenly appeared. 

"You may leave," he said to the nurse, who secretly possessed dual clearance as both a SHIELD and Hydra agent. The elderly man sat directly in a chair beside Carter's bed. The nurse nodded and stepped out, waiting by the door and effectively acting as a guard for them. 

"Has Steve been by to visit you recently?" The elderly man picked up an apple from the bedside table and began slowly peeling it with a fruit knife. 

"Of course. He visits quite often, but he always looks so incredibly sad," Carter replied, turning her head to smile at the man. 

"I imagine he is quite disheartened about missing that dance with you." 

"But didn't you finally make it? Even if it was nearly 80 years late for you." 

Carter slowly reached out and gently rested her hand on the elderly man's leg. 

"It seems you're preparing to undertake something significant?" Carter smiled at the elderly man beside her, her eyes filled with gentle affection. 

"Yes. Once this is resolved, I should finally be able to genuinely retire." 

"Indeed. You've been tirelessly working for nearly a century. You deserve to rest." 

"I do, but I must deal with Hydra first. Fortunately, my return wasn't entirely unfruitful. We still maintain control of SHIELD." 

Carter looked at the smiling elderly man, then turned her gaze to the ceiling, her eyes clouded with memories. "You used to despise all this espionage nonsense. You always preferred to fight on the front lines." 

"I had no choice. To the rest of the world during that era, I was considered a dead man. Reappearing publicly would have caused absolute chaos. I had to resort to other methods," the elderly man chuckled heartily. 

Carter smiled, holding his gaze for a few moments. However, her eyelids soon began to droop slowly; it seemed she was growing tired. 

The elderly man watched Carter fall asleep. Smiling gently, he smoothed a stray lock of hair from her forehead before quietly leaving the room. 

Stepping outside the hospital, the elderly man sat casually on a bench, leisurely soaking in the sunlight. 

Since Hydra intends to capture him in the Arctic, I might as well play along with their scheme and allow this timeline's version of myself to rescue Bucky early. Handled correctly, this could potentially avert the impending civil war among the Avengers. 

Oh, right. The Avengers in this timeline only consists of a few individuals. Still, altering the eventual outcome between Tony and myself would be a positive change. Reflecting on it now, my actions back then were undeniably wrong. 

After a moment of careful consideration, the elderly man pulled out a smartphone and swiftly typed out several text messages. 

If Tony knew he could operate these devices so proficiently, it would probably shock him profoundly. 

The phone quickly vibrated with replies. The elderly man nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and departed. 

Meanwhile, significant changes were taking place within SHIELD. 

"We have absolutely no prior operational history with these individuals, yet we're integrating them into the field team? Are you certain about this?" 

In the staging room, Rumlow frowned at the unfamiliar faces surrounding them, questioning the supervisor beside him. 

"I am certain. This roster has been vetted by higher-ups. You should be well aware of that," the supervisor replied, his tone laden with subtle implication. 

Rumlow nodded, though clearly dissatisfied. "Our objective this time is incredibly challenging. I sincerely hope these new additions prove competent." 

"Rest assured. These operatives have undergone highly specialized training. They operate exceptionally well in extreme cold-weather environments like the Arctic. Prepare to be impressed," the supervisor smiled, patting Rumlow on the shoulder before turning to leave. 

Rumlow stared at the supervisor's retreating back, then turned his gaze back to the newly assigned personnel, his frown deepening. 

While his initial assessment confirmed their combat proficiency, the sudden, last-minute personnel substitution felt inexplicably bizarre. The supervisor was also a Hydra operative, meaning he theoretically should trust him implicitly. Yet, a lingering, unsettling feeling gnawed at him. 

The target for this ambush is the Captain. Why am I experiencing this sense of unease? 

After contemplating for a moment, Rumlow decided to bypass the chain of command and contact Sitwell directly using his clearance. 

"Commander Rumlow, what is the situation?" Sitwell's voice crackled through the comms. "I am currently assisting the Director with administrative matters. Is there an urgent issue?" 

Recognizing Sitwell's subtle hint that he was not in a secure environment, Rumlow got straight to the point. "I have significant reservations regarding the personnel selection for this operation. I request your immediate review." 

Sitwell acknowledged the request and terminated the connection. 

When he looked up, he found Nick Fury staring at him intently with his single eye, causing a cold sweat to break out on Sitwell's brow. 

"What's the situation with Rumlow?" Fury asked abruptly, continuing to review the documents on his desk. 

"It concerns the personnel roster for the upcoming routine operation. Commander Rumlow believes several individuals are unsuitable for the mission and bypassed standard protocol to report directly to me. As you know, Commander Rumlow takes every operation incredibly seriously, particularly since the Captain joined the Strike Team. He's become increasingly cautious. The Captain is a living legend, after all; even the slightest mishap would cause widespread panic." 

Sitwell answered calmly, maintaining his composure. "Would you like me to forward the operational roster for your review shortly?" 

Fury shook his head. "No. The soldiers on the front lines possess a far superior understanding of combat dynamics than the politicians sitting in the rear. Assist Rumlow and ensure the matter is handled appropriately. Meanwhile, I need to focus on locating those missing nuclear warheads. If those detonate in unauthorized locations, we'll have a massive crisis on our hands." 

Sitwell nodded, resumed processing documents as usual, and eventually exited the office. 

Not long after, Sitwell arrived at Pierce's office, carrying a roster. 

"What is it?" Pierce asked directly, turning from the window where he had been observing the view. 

Sitwell responded by simply unclenching his fists, letting his hands rest flat against his legs. 

Seeing this subtle signal, Pierce immediately returned to his desk and pressed a concealed button near his foot. Opaque panels composed of an unknown material descended from the ceiling, completely obscuring the transparent windows. The entire room was instantly shielded, completely blocking all outgoing signals. 

"What's wrong? Has something happened regarding the Captain?" Pierce asked anxiously. Their absolute highest priority recently was the successful abduction of Captain America. Sitwell's urgent arrival at this critical juncture strongly suggested a complication related to this objective. 

"Correct. Commander Rumlow has expressed significant reservations regarding the personnel selected for this operation. He requested our review." 

Sitwell handed over the roster, specifically pointing out the newly added names. 

"The supervisor responsible for the personnel swap claims these soldiers have undergone specialized training, making them vastly superior operatives in extreme cold-weather environments like the Arctic," Sitwell added, relaying the supervisor's justification. 

Pierce, recognizing the critical importance of the abduction mission, did not take the matter lightly. He carefully reviewed the files himself. 

"They are indeed impressive. Their performance metrics in Arctic conditions are undeniably superior to the original operatives. Inform Rumlow to proceed with this team. As for the displaced operatives, order them to immediately deploy to the Arctic base to begin preparations. Having more personnel involved in this operation will provide me with greater peace of mind." 

Pierce quickly reached a decision. Sitwell nodded in acknowledgment. After Pierce deactivated the room's security countermeasures, Sitwell immediately departed to relay the orders. 

Several hours later, Pierce received confirmation that the Captain and the Strike Team had deployed. After pacing his office hesitantly, he decided he needed to personally monitor the situation. He planned to head to the secret facility to watch the live feed of the operation. 

However, shortly after Pierce exited his office, a figure silently materialized in front of his door. 

Natasha carefully checked her surroundings. Confirming the corridor was clear, she gracefully vaulted through the exterior window, skillfully bypassing the security cameras positioned above the doorway, and infiltrated Pierce's office. 

Standing inside, Natasha let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even as one of SHIELD's most elite operatives, she knew the Triskelion was swarming with highly trained agents. 

She had expended considerable effort to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. 

Approaching the display of Pierce's preferred vintage wines, Natasha carefully picked up a bottle that appeared indistinguishable from the rest. With practiced precision, she gently peeled back the edge of the label and extracted a microscopic recording device—barely the thickness of a human hair. She carefully placed it into a secure pouch. 

After ensuring everything was meticulously restored to its original state, Natasha cautiously exited the office. She flawlessly applied a disguise, produced the corresponding identification credentials, and casually walked out of the SHIELD headquarters.