To be honest,
Nick Fury wasn't as confident about this rescue mission as Pierce and the others mistakenly thought.
From the very beginning, the conclusion that Captain America might be frozen in the Arctic Ocean was purely a hypothesis.
It was a narrow, technology-driven conclusion made by a genius scientist who had inherently rejected the supernatural.
Nick Fury only sent Black Widow to the Arctic Ocean because Coulson's magical hypothesis couldn't be verified. That was all.
In truth, Nick Fury didn't have much confidence in this mission.
But what Nick Fury didn't expect was that Black Widow actually found something.
"Sir, we've found something! I've located the wreckage of an aircraft, and based on my analysis, it's highly likely that this is the plane Captain America was flying when he went down!"
On the other end of the line, Black Widow's voice was filled with excitement and surprise.
It was clear she hadn't expected this mission to yield any results at all.
Nick Fury's one good eye gleamed with a sharp light: "Secure the scene, I'm on my way!"
After ending the call, Nick Fury quickly arranged his tasks and wasted no time.
He gathered his trusted agent, Agent Hill, and flew toward the coordinates Black Widow had provided.
However, Nick Fury was unaware that his every move was being reported back to Pierce.
At Pierce's command, Winter Soldier, along with Crossbones and other Hydra elites, began heading secretly toward the Arctic Ocean.
When Black Widow finished briefing Nick Fury, she began directing her tactical team to secure the area.
They set up a temporary base and started the preliminary exploration and excavation of the aircraft wreckage, gathering necessary data and performing modeling analysis.
Everything was progressing in an orderly manner.
By the time Nick Fury and Agent Hill arrived, the preparations were nearly complete.
"Sir, after our preliminary excavation, we can now clearly see the aircraft's serial number, and it's confirmed. This is indeed the plane Captain America crashed in all those years ago."
Black Widow led Nick Fury to the wreckage and pointed to the serial number on it.
"Good job, Romanoff!"Nick Fury nodded in approval.
He then glanced around, feeling slightly puzzled: "Such a large object, and no one has found it in the past seventy years?"
"Sir, the terrain here has changed,"Black Widow explained. "This used to be the Stark's #9 marker site, and it was once at the bottom of the sea."
Nick Fury nodded, understanding the situation.
"Sir, the aircraft is damaged, and the hatch won't open. We need to cut through the hull, but..."
Black Widow reported to Nick Fury, pausing as she glanced around for the necessary tools.
Just as Nick Fury was about to speak, his face suddenly changed, as if he had noticed something.
He swiftly drew his gun and fired several shots into the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a few shots, a black object was shattered and flew diagonally, crashing to the ground.
It had to be said that even though Nick Fury only had one eye, it didn't seem to affect his marksmanship at all.
"It's a drone!"
Black Widow immediately became alert. She hadn't expected that their covert operation had been under surveillance the entire time.
As the leader of the mission, she hadn't detected this—an absolutely serious oversight on her part.
"No, wait," she said, her suspicion growing. As she picked up the drone's remains, she realized it wasn't a military-grade drone.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sound of air breaking reached their ears, drawing everyone's attention to the sky.
They all turned to see a Iron Man Armor flying toward them, shooting brilliant high-temperature exhaust.
"Sir, it's Tony Stark!"
Black Widow secretly let out a sigh of relief. Although Iron Man's intentions were unclear, at least it wasn't another special forces team.
The situation had improved considerably.
—It was obvious that the drone just now had been deployed by Iron Man.
Whoosh!
Clang!
The Iron Man Armor landed powerfully in front of the group with a bang. The helmet opened automatically, revealing a familiar face: Tony Stark.
"Ugh! This place is freezing!"Iron Man immediately felt a chill and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Tony Stark, what are you doing here?"Nick Fury took a few steps forward and asked, staring directly at Iron Man.
The surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. agents immediately surrounded Iron Man at Nick Fury's signal, hands hovering over their sidearms.
The tension in the air was palpable.
"Why are you here? Well, why am I here?"Iron Man responded casually, as though he hadn't sensed any tension at all, before walking toward the aircraft wreckage.
The agents were about to stop him, but Nick Fury waved them off.
Nick Fury knew that Iron Man must have come to the Arctic Ocean because of the answer system, searching for Captain America.
It was just an accidental meeting, nothing more.
"If I'm not mistaken, Captain America should be inside this wreckage, right? Didn't expect you guys to find him first."
Iron Man nodded, then with a somewhat superior tone, he glanced at Nick Fury: "But you guys can't get in, can you? You should be thankful I'm here!"
Nick Fury didn't disagree. Iron Man's equipment was the most advanced in the world.
And since Nick Fury's goal was also to find Captain America, it didn't matter who broke open the aircraft. They were on the same mission.
Whoosh!
After saying that, Iron Man began scanning the wreckage, locating the best point of entry.
He then fired a laser from his arm, cutting through the aircraft's hull.
(End of Chapter)