There wasn't much information in the report.
The most important detail was that a meteorite had fallen over New Mexico yesterday. Following that, the Umbrella Corporation had mobilized immense resources to investigate.
If this had happened in the past, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been the first to receive the news, and they would have been the first to arrive on the scene.
But the current S.H.I.E.L.D. was no longer the powerful organization it once was.
Coulson casually set aside that page and continued flipping through the rest of the report.
Most of it contained minor incidents—mutants spotted in certain areas or sightings of extraordinary individuals.
But when he reached the last page, his pupils shrank.
It was a resignation letter.
The applicant was none other than Natasha. No wonder she hadn't rushed out of the office earlier—she had been planning to leave.
"No, I won't allow it."
Setting aside Natasha's capabilities, the sheer amount of intelligence she possessed meant that S.H.I.E.L.D. could never let her walk away.
Natasha had expected this response. She simply shrugged and said calmly, "I've already taken a job at the Umbrella Corporation."
"I don't care where you applied—"
Coulson's voice trailed off as he processed her words.
A moment later, he looked at her in disbelief. "What?! You joined Umbrella?! How could you do this?"
"Because at Umbrella, I can resign anytime I want."
At this point, Coulson had nothing more to say.
"Who introduced you?"
"Sharon."
"I see… Sharon."
Hearing that name, Coulson's thoughts drifted.
Two years ago, Sharon had regularly sent intelligence back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Last year, however, the reports had dwindled.
This year, there had been barely any. Only one or two reports every few months, and even those contained little valuable information.
He knew that Sharon's allegiance had begun to shift.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
May walked in.
She glanced at Natasha in slight confusion before turning to Coulson, "Coulson, something unusual has been discovered in the Arctic…"
.........
Meanwhile, in New Mexico~
After overcoming various obstacles, Thor finally reached the tent containing Mjolnir—his hammer.
Elsewhere, in the monitoring room, William watched Thor approach the hammer and muttered, "Should we capture him?"
Luna stopped him.
"Wait… maybe he'll surprise me."
Moments later, Thor stood before Mjolnir, a triumphant smile on his face.
He was certain that as soon as he grasped the hammer, he would regain his divine power and once again become the mighty God of Thunder.
Eagerly, he reached for the handle and pulled.
But no matter how hard he tried, the hammer refused to budge.
"What's going on?!"
He tried again, putting all his strength into it, but Mjolnir remained firmly planted in the ground.
Above him, thunder rumbled as if mocking his efforts.
In the monitoring room, Luna shook her head in disappointment.
"Take him."
Hearing this, William grinned and eagerly led a team to capture Thor. Seeing the Asgardian walk in so boldly had already irritated him.
Ten minutes later, Thor was locked in a holding cell.
William had no intention of mistreating him—after all, without his powers, Thor was just an ordinary man.
.........
Outside the facility~
Three people sat anxiously in a car, waiting for Thor to return.
"He's been in there for a while," said Jane. "Do you think he's okay?"
"He's probably been caught," Darcy guessed.
Eric frowned. "Should we try to rescue him?"
"How?" Darcy scoffed. "Are we going to march in there with a camera and get shot as intruders?"
Eric's words silenced them.
Just then, several vehicles approached the facility.
One of the cars suddenly turned around and drove toward them. A moment later, it stopped beside their car, and a man with a smug grin jumped out.
"Hey there, ladies and gentlemen. This area is off-limits to unauthorized personnel."
Then he tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh? Where's your guy? Did he ditch you?"
He grinned. "Well, if you need a new knight in shining armor, I'm available! But not you," he added, pushing Eric away playfully.
Despite his antics, Eric noticed something.
"The guy who fought you earlier—Thor—he went inside but never came out. I think he's been captured."
The man—Wade—shrugged.
"Well, that's what happens when you go looking for trouble.
This place is guarded by Umbrella's U.S.S. unit. We've got Captain Frank, Alpha Squad, and Omicron Squad all stationed here."
In just a few sentences, he had casually revealed his teammates' presence.
Of course, he did it on purpose.
Eric's eyes gleamed with curiosity, "Oh? Are they stronger than you?"
"Hah! No way. I just don't want to hurt them." Wade stretched. "Anyway, if you're smart, you'll leave. I don't want to have to chase you down too."
"Alright, thanks," Eric said, nodding.
Jane opened her mouth to say something, but Eric had already rolled up the window and stepped on the gas.
"Wait! I still have more questions!" Jane protested.
Eric shook his head.
"If we don't leave now, we won't get another chance."
Glancing back, Jane saw several more vehicles arriving at the facility, though Wade had stepped forward to intercept them.
Eric continued, "That guy may talk a lot, but he's actually helping us. He gave us information and warned us to leave."
"So what now?" Jane asked.
"We call the police."
"What? The police?" Darcy blinked in confusion.
"Yes," Eric nodded. "That guy just said it—this facility is guarded by Umbrella's forces. I know Umbrella is powerful, but they're not an official government agency."
The three fell silent, pondering his words.
..........
Later that night, they returned to the town of Puente Antiguo and went straight to the police station.
But the officers dismissed their concerns, citing the thunderstorm as an excuse not to investigate.
Something felt off.
Their suspicions were confirmed ten minutes later when a group of men wearing Umbrella insignias entered the station.
Sensing danger, the trio immediately tried to flee.
Only Jane managed to escape.
Darcy and Eric were both captured.
______________________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ShadySmuggler