A Marine Admiral in the Marvel Universe

But later, with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the effect of lightning strikes was better than water pressure, so I haven't been there for a long time.

Unlike New Jersey, where there were maids who cleaned regularly, Cao Gui and his companion stayed there for one night. Now it was time to go back to New Jersey to settle in.

However, after returning to New Jersey, Cao Gui noticed something was wrong. Some of his neighbors had changed, such as Hardware Store Hero... oh no, I mean McCall, who had apparently moved to Brooklyn.

John Wick also left; his wife had passed away, so he moved to another place to live.

In the middle of the night, after putting Gwen to sleep, Cao Gui opened a portal and arrived in Los Angeles. He hadn't seen Beth in a long time and missed her terribly.

……

Marbury Villa, Los Angeles.

It was already midnight, and Beth was still working on files on her computer. The impact of the Battle of New York had actually subsided considerably, and things had basically stabilized.

But before Beth could even feel happy, something else happened in London.

As one of the world's three major financial centers, the City of London was inevitably affected by the Dark Elf War.

So these past few days, Beth has been feeling extremely tired... not physically, but mentally exhausted. She was injected with the Extremis virus, and her physical condition is much stronger than before. Now, even Hawkeye and Black Widow are no match for her.

"Never mind, let's put it aside for now..." Beth slammed the laptop screen shut, sighing with a terrible headache.

But at that moment, a cold glint flashed in Beth's eyes, and her body tensed instantly. Her keen senses told her that there was a second person in her room.

Just as she was about to launch a surprise attack, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders: "Still not asleep so late?"

Beth's tense body relaxed instantly; it was Cao Gui, her boyfriend.

"Always appearing and disappearing without a trace..." Beth slapped Cao Gui in annoyance: "You've come at the right time, hurry up and give me a massage, my shoulders are so tired."

"Okay, okay..." Cao Gui chuckled and carried Beth back to the bedroom.

A sly glint flashed in Beth's eyes, and she chuckled, offering no resistance.

In the bedroom, on the bed, the first round is over.

Cao Gui, who was just about to take a short rest, was suddenly pulled back by Beth.

Cao Gui: (??ˇ?ˇ??)

What happened? Also, your figure seems to have improved.

After the second round ended, Cao Gui, who thought Beth had done her best, relaxed and was about to lie down when... he was pulled back!

Cao Gui: (⊙o⊙)

Again?

The third round...

Cao Gui: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Are we just not going to live our lives anymore?

The fourth round...

Cao Gui: (ー`′ー)

Something's up!

The fifth round...

Cao Gui: ?(???)

You monster! Watch me turn the tables!

……

In the middle of the night, Cao Gui stroked Beth's smooth, long black hair, his eyes narrowed, feeling quite pleased.

"Damn it... that stinky man..." Beth muttered, rubbing her stomach; she'd eaten too much today.

"What happened?" Cao Gui asked softly.

“Hmm… I was injected with the Extremis virus.” Beth said with droopy eyelids, “Don’t worry, Maya and I have conducted many experiments and confirmed that there are no side effects.”

As she spoke, she nestled her head on Cao Gui's shoulder and fell into a deep sleep. In the past, she was simply mentally exhausted but physically energetic, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.

Now, I'm exhausted, but I have such a nice pillow, and I can sleep so comfortably.

……

The next day, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, Cao Gui and Beth stood in a relatively flat valley.

“Honey, I’m ready.” Beth clenched her fists, eager to try. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but she didn’t feel cold at all on this high mountain above the snow line.

The extremity virus also brought her another positive effect: it greatly improved her body's cold resistance.

"Then let's go," Cao Gui said with a light laugh.

As soon as she finished speaking, Beth shouted, and a fiery red light shone from her body. Instantly, white smoke began to appear in the surrounding air.

That's the white mist formed when cold air encounters high temperature and cools into water droplets, which are then evaporated by the scorching heat and turn back into water vapor.

With a flash, Beth's body exploded with speed, and she threw a powerful punch, which landed on Cao Gui's palm with a loud crack.

Cao Gui frowned. He hadn't paid attention when they were fighting Killian, but now he realized that this Extremis virus did have some merit.

Beth, having missed her first strike, lightly touched the ground with her foot, her fair calf instantly turning red like a branding iron, and swept her kick towards Cao Gui's head.

With another snap, Cao Gui easily caught Beth's leg as it lunged at him, and with a gentle pull, Beth fell into his arms.

"How is it?" Beth asked quickly.

Cao Gui shook his head: "Strength is okay, but agility is not. It's passable against ordinary people, but it's a bit of a disadvantage against real superpowered individuals."

"Of course, your high temperature also keeps others away, so it's just average."

“How does it compare to Gwen?” Beth asked.

Cao Gui was speechless. Where did this idea come from?

"Cao, say something!" Beth urged.

“That won’t work either,” Cao Gui said. “Gwen is good at aerial combat. She’s agile and flexible, and her strength is not bad either. Plus, she has armor… although she hasn’t used it in a long time.”

"Okay." Beth was a little disappointed. She hadn't expected to lose to Gwen. It seemed she would have to work on her speed more in the future.

Ring ring~

"Is it Gwen on the phone?" Beth asked, puzzled.

“No…it’s my adoptive father on the phone.” Cao Gui raised an eyebrow, looking at the caller ID on the screen.

It seems Project Insight is about to begin...

------------

Chapter 422 The Dark Hand

"Hey, honey, I'm on my way to Washington right now. I'll be away from New York for a while," Cao Gui said with a laugh into the phone.

“Washington? I just woke up and you were gone…” Gwen said resentfully, clearly unhappy.

"Ah, this... about S.H.I.E.L.D..."

“Why are there so many garbage pipes?” Gwen complained.

"...about the Hydra." Cao Gui had no choice but to tell the truth.

Gwen: "...Do you need my help?"

"Not for now," Cao Gui said with a smile.

“Okay…” Gwen muttered and hung up the phone.

In the car, Sitwell's lips twitched slightly. Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. were putting on such a high-class vibe during this conversation.

"You actually told Gwen everything?" Sitwell asked, somewhat surprised.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you?" Cao Gui asked in surprise, "She's the masked woman in armor during the Battle of New York."

“I understand…” Sitwell fell silent for a moment. He was also an extremely strong person, the kind who could easily take on half of the Avengers single-handedly.

"How are the preparations going?" Cao Gui steered the conversation toward the Insight Plan.

“It’s all set. Agent Hill and Steve already know about Project Insight,” Sitwell said. Their task was simple: to sideline Pierce.

Sitwell didn't want to lose his current power, which he had fought for most of his life, but he also didn't want to pursue the Insight Project, which was completely impossible.

Therefore, the best approach is to maintain the status quo, but by doing so... Cao Gui and Sitwell will not only be facing Pierce, but also Captain America and his allies.

"What a hassle..." Cao Gui sighed.

"The mothership is full of my people now, and even if they weren't, I've turned them into my own."

Sitwell raised his chin. The driver's expression was normal, and his eyes were natural, but compared to a normal person, he still lacked a certain liveliness.

They were transformed into the most loyal Neo Serpent Demons using nanobot technology obtained from the Arctic base.

……

S.H.I.E.L.D., Trident Headquarters.

“Operation Insight Bay.” Sitwell led Cao Gui into the elevator.

Cao Gui curiously examined the transparent elevator. This place... was perfect for shouting "Long live Hydra!"

"Access denied. Level 3 Agent Cao Gui does not have permission to access Project Insight," the AI ​​immediately warned.

"Authorization exceeding the level of the agent, Level 8 Agent Gaspar Sitwell."

"Confirmed!"

The two took the elevator down to the underground hangar, where they arrived at a large underground shipyard.

"Captain Steve Rogers, Level 8 Agent Maria Hill has entered the Insight Project bay under the leadership of Director Pierce," the AI ​​prompted for the second time.

Cao Gui and Sitwell exchanged a glance; everything was going according to plan.

"You've come at the perfect time, Sit."

Ahead, three people stopped and turned around to wait for the two of them.

Seeing Sitwell and Cao Gui approaching, Pierce smiled and said, "I was just introducing Project Insight to Agent Hill and Captain Steve. Now that you're here, come and listen in."