Hawkeye and Black Widow represent the pinnacle of ordinary human combat skills on this planet, whether in terms of speed, physical fitness, or strength.
According to Black Widow's description, Blake's abilities far surpassed hers.
It was this unreasonable disparity that made Black Widow draw her gun on him as soon as he showed his ability.
This oppressive feeling of being outmatched in strength had only been felt once before in her career as an agent.
And that was from the legendary Winter Soldier.
(According to Black Widow's conversation with Captain America in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," she was shot in the abdomen by the Winter Soldier, which should have happened in 2009. Here, it's 2008, before Iron Man's emergence, so a slight adjustment is made.)
The super serum was no trivial matter, so Black Widow reported the entire incident along with her analysis and speculations to Nick Fury.
Nick Fury was aware that the military still had some incomplete super serum samples that couldn't create a true super soldier.
So he suspected that Blake might have undergone some kind of accidental mutation.
He began investigating Blake's life history and everyone around him.
Nick Fury's resources were far superior to those of any ordinary intelligence agency.
Soon, the system-manufactured life experiences of Blake were thoroughly investigated by Nick Fury.
In Blake's over twenty years here, the only two extraordinary events were the shooting that killed his parents during his childhood and the recent shooting incident at Isaiah's house when Blake had just crossed over.
However, there was a deliberately erased figure in both incidents.
Isaiah.
Isaiah was a figure that the U.S. government refused to acknowledge.
After being exploited to the last bit by the government and then pardoned by a certain president, Isaiah had been in hiding.
When Nick Fury discovered his name, all the classified files were laid out on his desk within hours.
With this information, Nick Fury could piece together a rough idea of the events.
"A super soldier after Captain America, the second successful test subject?"
Black Widow said incredulously.
"That's right, some bastards in the government always enjoy doing dirty deeds. He served the country and fought hard against Hydra, only to be imprisoned in a lab for thirty years."
Nick Fury was indignant. Isaiah's experience was indeed tragically unfair.
But Nick Fury knew that with Isaiah's strength, it was impossible for him to extract the super serum and successfully create a super soldier on his own.
So the only answer was an accident—some accident must have occurred, causing Blake to fuse with the super serum, possibly during that shooting incident.
Nick Fury's analysis was about eighty to ninety percent accurate.
But regardless of whether his analysis was correct, one thing was certain: Blake was definitely a super soldier who had broken human limits.
And he happened to have a plan that required super soldiers.
"Agent Romanoff, your task for the next period is to get close to Blake. I need a comprehensive psychological evaluation and personality analysis report, as detailed as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
Black Widow responded and left Nick Fury's office.
Nick Fury sighed and turned his attention to the Avengers Initiative document.
He had harbored this plan in his mind for over a decade.
Very few people in the world knew that aliens truly existed, and their individuals and technology were far superior to Earth's.
The Earth needed some super soldiers, some superhumans, and a superhero team capable of resisting foreign civilizations someday.
...
During this time, Blake spent all 500 points he earned from the last mission.
He bought [Primary Weapon Mastery] and [E-Level Cold Weapon Customization] (Tang Dao Blade).
The system was very considerate, making it easy for Blake to carry the blade. In its initial state, it was just a handle. The blade segments were hidden within the handle.
When used, one just had to open the handle and give it a strong flick for the blade to assemble. The joints were cleverly concealed by dragon-shaped engravings on the blade.
The blade was predominantly black, with only the edge emitting a cold glint from the alloy material.
Blake tested it, easily slicing through ordinary metals. Only some special alloys could withstand the blade's cuts.
With a weapon that suited him, Blake's combat power increased significantly.
"Blake, if you have time tonight, accompany me to a charity gala."
In Tony's villa basement, Tony had just been thoroughly beaten by Blake.
At this moment, he was lying on the ring, looking at the ceiling and gasping for breath.
"Tony, I'm not your date. Why should I accompany you to a charity gala? I don't have enough money for charity." Blake said while taking a bottle of mineral water from the fridge.
"I'm Tony Stark, buddy. I never need a date for galas and parties. The moment I show up, all the women go crazy for me."
"But this is something you'll never experience. So, are you coming or not? There will be lots of beauties and even some Hollywood stars."
Hearing about the beauties, Blake was a bit tempted.
Then Tony Stark added, "You're only 22, buddy. For God's sake, when I was 22, I partied every night. You should use this time to make more friends. Come on!"
"Let's relax a bit. I have to go to Afghanistan in a few days to sign a contract with the military. Think of it as a pre-departure celebration!"
'Afghanistan?'Blake silently repeated the name of the country in his mind.
It seemed the plot was about to begin. He wondered what kind of mission the system would give him and how many points he could earn.
The trip to Afghanistan was a turning point in Tony's life and the place where Iron Man would emerge.
So, even though Blake and Tony had gotten along very well during this time, Blake refrained from warning Tony to be careful and instead agreed to accompany him to the gala that evening.
At such galas, people usually had their small circles, chatting in groups.
Tony, besides being surrounded by beauties, rarely interacted much with others.
This time, he decided to bring Blake along.
"Tony, I just realized you're a liar. You told me this was a charity gala, but it turned out to be an awards ceremony where the military is presenting you with a patriotism award."
"Look around, it's filled with old men in uniforms. Where are the Hollywood stars you mentioned, you jerk?"
Blake realized he had been tricked. This was clearly the award ceremony from the beginning of the Iron Man movie.
"Relax, maybe I got it wrong. I only promised them I'd show up. I never said I'd stick around to accept the award. Come with me, I'll take you to find some beauties."
Just like in the movie, Tony headed straight to the hotel's casino.
However, instead of being followed by a large group of bodyguards, this time it was just Happy following Tony and Blake.
"Come on, relax. Grab some chips and have fun. Soon enough, there will be a stream of beauties surrounding us. I promise you can pick first, provided they are willing to give me up."
Tony handed Blake a stack of chips.
Blake rolled his eyes. With Tony's wealth, the girls here would be crazy to leave him for me.
Since he had no chance with the beauties tonight, Blake decided to help Tony lose some money.
He fiercely placed a large stack of chips on the number 1 spot on the roulette table.
"Oh, damn it. Have you never gambled before?"
"That's right. Number 1 isn't a wise choice. Isn't one person too lonely? If it were me, I would choose number 2!"
Tony Stark's words were interrupted by a familiar female voice to Blake.
As she spoke, she also reached out and pushed Blake's chips to the number 2 spot.
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