Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life

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Upon hearing Zhao Weike's words, a question mark slowly appeared above Sherlock's head. The members of Squad 141, who had also heard Zhao Weike's question over the communication, quickly rushed over.

However, when they saw the connector in Sherlock's hand that looked almost like a USB flash drive, even the tough guys of Squad 141 couldn't quite control the expressions on their faces.

It's no wonder Zhao Weike suspected that Sherlock had taken the wrong one, after all, the connector's design was rather bizarre.

This thing, about the size of a lighter, has a muscular brute with a skull on its tail and octopus tentacles on its beard. Anyone can see that if this thing is powered on, the muscular brute will keep repeating a hip thrusting motion.

If it were just a parody of the Hydra symbol, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, no one can guarantee that Hydra doesn't have eccentricities like Sherlock Holmes who create some weird merchandise.

The problem is that the USB drive itself has a very three-dimensional S.H.I.E.L.D. logo printed on it. Combined with the Hydra muscular man thrusting his hips, it looks as if the muscular man is pressing the S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle emblem down on him and doing something indescribable.

Seeing the strange looks everyone was giving him, Sherlock chuckled awkwardly before explaining to them.

"Um, I can guarantee I didn't pick up the wrong one. The reason it's styled like this is just to mock S.H.I.E.L.D., right? That's all, really, you guys believe me!"

Chapter 289 The fierce battle begins

Listening to Sherlock's weak and feeble explanation, and looking at the thing in Sherlock's hand that was practically overflowing with taunting attributes, both Zhao Weike and the rest of 141 had only one thought left.

Don't mess with this unreliable jerk!

Considering that Price's discarded backpack had the Hydra symbol on it, Sherlock's USB-like contraption seems like an unnecessary addition.

If Sherlock hadn't guaranteed that the device would automatically destroy itself after use and be completely untraceable, Price wouldn't have even wanted Sherlock to plug it into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers.

After all, if it's just something casually discarded, letting S.H.I.E.L.D. investigate and identify the 'enemy' is one thing, but Sherlock's actions of openly revealing his identity to S.H.I.E.L.D. are undoubtedly a more prudent approach.

However, it was too late to say anything now. Price, who was not very familiar with Sherlock, could only choose to believe Sherlock and did not refute Sherlock's explanation. He just sighed and said to the group with a solemn expression.

"Get ready, brothers, the real battle is about to begin!"

As Price finished speaking, Sherlock nodded to Price and then plugged that wickedly funny gadget into the server.

Just as they had anticipated, the moment Sherlock plugged the connector, which looked like a USB flash drive, into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s server, alarms throughout the entire base went off almost simultaneously.

It was like pouring a glass of cold water into a pot of hot oil; the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, which had gradually calmed down as night fell, suddenly became noisy again because of the piercing alarm.

After hearing the alarm sound inside the base, almost all the researchers who stayed behind to work overtime were stunned for a moment, and then reacted quite quickly, starting to move to the safe zone according to the emergency response procedures they had practiced.

The armed personnel who were originally resting in the dormitory in shifts suddenly jumped out of bed as if wound up the moment the alarm sounded, frantically put on all their equipment, grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the dormitory.

At the same time, the intrusion alarm, like a virus, was sent from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base in New York by means of the physical properties of electromagnetic waves, heading towards the headquarters in Washington.

In less than a minute, the entire Tri-Wing Building was in an uproar as countless calls poured into Blackie's and Pierce's cell phones.

On Sherlock's side, although the connector, which seemed to be full of wicked humor, was indeed making hip thrusting motions after being powered on, just as they had expected, neither Squad 141, Zhao Weike, nor even Sherlock himself, who created the thing, had any interest in paying attention to this wicked contraption anymore.

Compared to the connector in front of them, which was full of wicked humor, they undoubtedly had a more important mission.

That is to use the firepower of the entire squad as a distraction, so that the group of armed security personnel who rushed over would subconsciously ignore the damned Hydra connector.

The instant Sherlock's USB drive was plugged into the server, Price rallied everyone to rush up to the upper level of the server room. Unsurprisingly, the team encountered the security personnel who had arrived first to defend the area at the entrance to the second floor of the server room.

Almost instantly, a fierce firefight broke out in the server room and corridor. Gunshots mingled with smoke, explosions mingled with screams, and roars and curses quickly became the dominant sounds, turning the small corridor into a scene of hell.

Although those S.H.I.E.L.D. security personnel were all military-trained, their combat experience and skills were no match for the absolute elites of Team 141, who had fought their way through large-scale battles. Even in terms of marksmanship alone, they couldn't compare to Zhao Weike, who was an assassin.

With the two sides already at odds, and with Sherlock's extensive tactical equipment and the cooperation of Squad 141 and Zhao Weike, the incoming armed personnel were wiped out by Price and his men with almost no effort.

"Quickly! Proceed according to plan, to the laboratory in the central square! Stay concealed, check the quantity of ammunition and equipment! Minimize firefights!"

Following Price's command, the entire squad sprang into action, with Sherlock closely following behind. The group headed toward the laboratory in the central square, as originally planned.

Because Sherlock's team quickly eliminated the first wave of enemies, and because the underground base was so large, the entire squad, with careful concealment, actually managed to bypass several waves of reinforcements and successfully reach the central square.

When everyone stood at the entrance to the central square, Sherlock, Squad 141, and even Zhao Weike all had only one thought in their minds.

"Fuck the IRS!"

It's no wonder that Sherlock and his group had such feelings; the scene before them was truly breathtaking.

Before them lay an open space roughly the size of a standard football field, filled with what appeared to be temporary, makeshift laboratory structures.

That's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is that these laboratories are filled with a lot of 'technological items' that, even if placed outside, could make a company a top company in the industry.

The technological creations of the Chitauri, the steel soldiers of the Hammer Corporation, and even a suit of armor similar to Iron Man's without a core energy source exist.

Of course, these are just the things they can recognize; there are countless other things they can't identify.

Above this open space is an exceptionally luxurious office area. A group of people can even clearly see the lavish offices and meeting rooms, as well as the huge statues and solid wood desks, through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows.

You have to understand, this is underground!

Leaving aside the money spent on building the laboratory and the raw materials, as well as the luxurious decorations in the offices and meeting rooms, the cost of clearing the soil and rocks from this huge open space is simply astronomical.

Keep in mind that they're currently beneath the New York subway! Completely underground! And S.H.I.E.L.D. has actually carved out a space as spacious as a stadium right beneath this!

Most importantly, whether it's the space in front of us or the luxurious decorations in the S.H.I.E.L.D. offices, the money spent on them all comes from ordinary taxpayers like us!

Just imagining that is enough to break anyone who sees it.

However, reality clearly did not give them much time to appreciate the scene before them, which could be described as a civil engineering miracle. In the instant they were stunned, bullets rang out in front of them, accompanied by a broadcast.

"Attention all security personnel! Attention all security personnel! The intruders have reached the central plaza! The intruders have reached the central plaza! Request immediate base security support! Request immediate base security support!"

Chapter 290 The Hidden Map That Suddenly Appeared

"F*** you! We've been spotted!"

The instant the base's broadcast began, Soap's curses also rang out in the squad's internal communications.

Unlike the other members of the squad, Sherlock reacted the fastest. With the help of his armor, Sherlock easily locked onto a small window high up across the square.

Sherlock could see clearly that a group of people were operating something on a computer behind the window, and most importantly, one of them had just put down his microphone.

Without any hesitation, Sherlock raised his 191 rifle and, with the added field of vision from the quick-aiming sight and the stability from the angled grip, began firing short bursts at the figure inside the window.

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Nine shots were fired in quick succession. Given the physical enhancements provided by the Destroyer Armor and the accuracy of rapid aiming, there should have been almost no deviation from the target.

Unfortunately, the expected scene of being shot and falling to the ground did not appear. Instead, nine large white dots appeared on the seemingly ordinary French window.

"SHXT! Bulletproof glass!"

After seeing that his bullets could not penetrate the bulletproof glass of the control room, Sherlock couldn't help but curse, while Price and the others seemed to have expected it all along.

"Stop complaining! Everyone, listen to my orders, watch your surroundings, and fire indiscriminately. We must get through the plaza quickly and find a way to destroy the control center! Otherwise, with them tracking us, we won't be able to escape at all!"

With Price's orders, the squad members began their assault on the central square.

The good news is that the white prefab houses scattered around the central square, which look like containers arranged in a completely irregular pattern, actually have a decent protective capability. At least Sherlock doesn't have to temporarily act as cover for the squad members anymore.

The bad news is that Sherlock, Price's Team 141, and Zhao Weike all made a fatal mistake: they underestimated the number of armed personnel still on duty at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base at midnight!

From the moment the squad members began their assault into the central square, the enemy seemed to be constantly appearing from all directions. Almost everyone had to be extremely alert in order to organize an effective counterattack.

Even so, almost everyone had suffered some degree of attack, and if it weren't for their bulletproof vests, they would probably have been injured by now.

"Think of something, warlock!"

"Cover me!"

As the number of enemies increased, Zhao Weike roared at Sherlock over the comms. Hearing Zhao Weike's words, Sherlock didn't hesitate for long. He roared and threw his backpack on the ground. Using the backpack as cover, Sherlock pulled out a large number of grenades from his four-dimensional pocket.

All kinds of grenades!

From the most basic and least powerful offensive grenades to the Russian flail grenades, to the powerful defensive grenades and even more powerful anti-tank grenades, they have it all.

Upon seeing the things Sherlock pulled out, both Squad 141 and Zhao Weike disregarded everything else and started throwing them around.

It has to be said that although Zhao Weike did not like this typical Ana-style tactic at the beginning, it was damn convenient in large-scale battles.

Especially those powerful anti-tank grenades, one shot can knock down a large number of people.

It can only be said that the truth that all anti-material equipment is extremely effective when used against individual soldiers is not just a casual remark.

With Sherlock's support, the squad members, who had initially felt vaguely surrounded, actually managed to suppress the enemy with this artificial firepower and even launch a counterattack.

Seeing that the gunfire was gradually subsiding, Price had no intention of continuing the fight and shouted at Sherlock over the comms.

"Warlock, the plan has changed. There are too many enemies, so we can't let you choose carefully. Just grab something as a token gesture. We must destroy that hollow space as soon as possible. If we delay any longer, we'll just become the dogs that get locked up and beaten!"

Hearing Price's roar, Sherlock lost interest in seeing what S.H.I.E.L.D. was researching. Looking around, something in one of the laboratories caught Sherlock's eye. Most importantly, this laboratory was semi-open.

Without further hesitation, Sherlock rushed to the laboratory table, grabbed a round ball from the table, stuffed it into his pocket, and roared at the crowd.

"Go! Go! Go! Mission accomplished! Retreat!"

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the team members immediately ceased their hesitation and began a full-scale assault on the control room. With the continuous firepower of Squad 141, coupled with occasional bursts of fire from Zhao Weike and Sherlock, the SHIELD personnel, already dazed and confused from the explosions, were almost completely overwhelmed by Sherlock and his group, offering little resistance.

The moment the group arrived at the door of the control room amidst a hail of bullets, before Sherlock could even react, Price had already affixed C4 explosives to the heavy door of the control room.

With a loud explosion, Price and Soap burst through the door like they were breaking down a door in a game.

By the time Sherlock realized what was happening and entered the control room, Price and his team had already dealt with everyone inside, and even planted the bombs to destroy the control room.

Sherlock, who had just entered, was practically dragged out by Price. Meanwhile, outside the control room, Xiaoqiang, Ghost, and Zhao Weike had been using the terrain advantage of the control room to firmly guard several corners and prevent the enemy from rushing in.

"Prepare for demolition! 3, 2, 1, Detonate!"

As Price spoke, Sherlock, who had just been pulled out by Price, suddenly felt a huge shockwave coming from behind him, followed by a deafening explosion.

With the sound of the explosion, the entire base was plunged into darkness in the next second. Moreover, without the control of the central control room, the fire sprinkler system immediately started working.

The cold fire sprinklers began spraying water, and the entire base was thrown into chaos.

"Quickly, manually turn off the sprinklers and activate the backup power control!"

"Damn it, ceasefire! Ceasefire! Don't let friendly fire get in!"

"F*** you! Don't fire!"

With the lighting system collapsing, curses filled the air. Now, the only light source the armed guards of S.H.I.E.L.D. had left was the tactical flashlights on their weapons.

In such a dark and open environment, the beam of a tactical flashlight would be a sitting duck, and no one would dare to keep their tactical flashlight on for an extended period of time.

As for Sherlock's squad?

The instant the lights went out, the group put on their night vision goggles and, under the cover of darkness, silently began moving toward their designated retreat point.

However, halfway there, Price, who was in command, stopped and looked at the tactical computer on his arm with a very strange expression.