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*****
Florida, Tallahassee.
As night fell, a bar tucked away in a corner of the city opened for business.
A man entered the bar, holding a black cane and wearing a top hat.
Some patrons glanced at his odd attire with surprise in their eyes, while others let out quiet snickers.
With such an old-fashioned outfit, one might think he'd walked straight out of the last century. He looked like a third-rate magician.
But in today's world, there are all kinds of people. So the others in the bar only gave him a quick look, whispered a few comments, and went back to their own business.
The man smiled and walked up to the bar counter.
The bartender greeted him with a smile. "The usual?"
The man nodded with a grin.
With practiced ease, the bartender mixed a colorful cocktail and placed it in front of the man.
"Enjoy."
The man smiled back, plucked the cherry off the top and set it aside, then downed the entire drink. Afterward, he placed the cherry into the empty glass.
Looking at the bartender, he smiled and said, "Thanks for the past few days. Your drinks are excellent."
"Appreciate it," the bartender replied.
The man then turned toward the entrance and watched as several people walked in. He said calmly, "You sure took your sweet time."
The expressions of the newcomers changed instantly.
They had been discovered.
Without hesitation, they drew their weapons and aimed at the man. "Don't move. You need to come with us for questioning!"
Other bar patrons screamed at the sudden scene.
The man frowned slightly and muttered, "Silence."
With that single word, it was as if the bar came alive.
The front door slammed shut, and every object in the bar instantly transformed into a deadly weapon.
Barstools, glasses, even the lights on the wall...
Screams of agony rang out, and the scent of blood quickly thickened in the air.
As the man took action, his disguise dissolved, revealing his true appearance.
He had gray skin and a face with creases that resembled tree bark. Most strikingly, he had no nose and a partially bald head.
His cane had also transformed—now it was a staff with a blade, topped with a glowing blue gemstone that shimmered, drawing the eye.
Though his appearance was bizarre—almost laughable—in the midst of this blood-soaked bar, it came off as eerie and deeply unsettling.
Behind him, the bartender stood frozen with fear. The agents who had aimed their weapons at him—S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—stood paralyzed, drenched in cold sweat.
Their weapons hovered beside their heads, and even their clothes had twisted around them, binding them in place.
They could do nothing now but watch as the people in the bar were slaughtered one by one, the entire space turning into a scene straight from hell.
The lead S.H.I.E.L.D. agent took a deep breath and asked coldly, "Who are you?"
"Who am I?"
The gray-skinned man smiled strangely. "I am the loyal servant of Lord Thanos—Ebony Maw."
"Oh, pardon me. I suppose animals like you wouldn't have heard of the great Thanos."
Ebony Maw chuckled softly as he strolled toward them. Seeing the fear and fury in their eyes, he smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that. They merely contributed to the balance of the universe."
"Speaking of which... there are a few too many of you."
As he finished, he raised an eyebrow. The guns floating beside the agents fired.
Bang! Bang!
With the gunshots, blood splattered.
A single drop landed on the lead agent's shoulder. Though it was warm, it sent a chill down his spine.
"Much more balanced now."
Ebony Maw gave a soft, eerie chuckle. With a touch of annoyance in his voice, he added, "You people are truly slow."
Despite the deliberate flaws he left behind, it still took them a whole week to find him. It was honestly disappointing.
The lead agent, drenched in sweat, said nothing in response to the taunt.
Ebony Maw, now visibly bored, tapped the agent's chest with the tip of his staff.
The gemstone at the top glowed faintly.
Invisible psychic energy invaded the agent's mind. For a moment, his eyes turned completely black—then returned to normal.
Ebony Maw smiled calmly. "I have some questions for you."
The agent nodded respectfully and sat beside Ebony Maw at the bar. Ebony Maw tapped the counter and called out to the bartender, who had collapsed in fear on the floor: "Could you make two more drinks?"
Trembling, the bartender stood and began preparing the drinks, glancing helplessly at the carnage around him.
Ebony Maw picked the cherry off one of the new drinks, popped it into his mouth, and slowly sipped the cocktail. Then he turned to the agent.
"What's your name?"
"Masala."
"Well then, Masala. You're with S.H.I.E.L.D., correct?"
Ever since he was sent to Earth a month ago by the revered Lord Thanos, he had been conducting his investigation.
The strength of Earth's military forces, the powerful individuals, and the whereabouts of the Infinity Stones—these were all pieces of information he was tasked with gathering. And throughout his information-gathering process, one name kept surfacing again and again: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Once he discovered the existence of this organization and investigated further, he learned that it wielded significant power. Not only had it long been defending against unknown threats, but it was also actively collecting mysterious artifacts. This made S.H.I.E.L.D. quite intriguing to him.
If he wanted to locate the Infinity Stones, then starting with S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't a bad idea.
"No, I'm with Hydra."
"…Hmm?"
Ebony Maw was momentarily stunned, and a trace of interest flickered across his face.
Under the influence of the Mind Stone embedded in his scepter, there was no possibility of the agent lying.
So… what was this 'Hydra'?
Hydra—a secretive, ancient organization whose goal included world domination. And now, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been deeply infiltrated by Hydra.
As Masala explained further, Ebony Maw's interest in Hydra began to grow.
If what the man said was true, then there was no need to pursue S.H.I.E.L.D. at all—he could go straight to Hydra.
He smiled faintly and said, "Come on, take me to meet Hydra's leader."
"Sorry… I don't know who the leader is."
"Then take me to your superior. We'll work our way up the chain."
"…May I ask what you want with the leader?"
"What do I want?" Ebony Maw rose and began walking toward the exit. His tone was calm, but deliberate. "I want to discuss a deal—work together… or something else. Heh."
He had completely taken control of Masala.
Masala obediently followed behind.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the sealed doors of the bar swung open. Just as Ebony Maw was about to walk out, he suddenly turned around and looked at the bartender—who was silently breathing a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for the drinks. Here's something for you."
With a slight flick of his finger, the cherry from his first cocktail shot into the air and, before the bartender could react, embedded itself right in the center of his forehead.
A second later, every bottle in the liquor cabinet exploded simultaneously. A candleholder flew up from one of the booths.
Seconds later, flames engulfed the bar.
Ebony Maw, now disguised once more, stepped into the night with Masala, vanishing into the darkness.
(End of Chapter)