Washington, Smithsonian Museum
Sam Wilson had recently taken a liking to jogging in the area near the Smithsonian Museum in the mornings. Inside the museum, there was a section dedicated to Captain America and the Howling Commandos.
Although it wasn't as comprehensive as the exhibits in New York, ever since Sam had coincidentally encountered Captain America at a museum there, his inner fan had prompted him to make this area his preferred jogging route.
As dawn broke, Sam had just completed his second lap around the museum when he saw two off-road vehicles speeding past him on the road to his left.
Instinctively, Sam glanced over and caught a glimpse of Captain America's shield flashing on a partition in one of the vehicles' trunks.
This wasn't the rectangular shield displayed in the museum; it was the same round vibranium shield that Captain America currently used.
Sam didn't know if the shield in the car was actually made of vibranium, but it definitely resembled Cap's iconic shield.
The vehicles turned at the next corner and entered the museum grounds. Curious, Sam followed them, wondering if a new Captain America exhibit had been added.
However, as he approached the entrance, he noticed two burly men in combat gear unloading a person from one of the cars in the parking lot.
Even from a distance, Sam caught a faint glimpse of the person's clothing and part of their profile.
It seemed to be Steve Rogers himself.
The shield, the outfit, and part of the face—Sam was almost certain the person being carried from the car was Captain America.
Quickly, Sam hid behind a tree by the roadside and pulled out his phone to snap a few photos of the scene.
After Captain America was taken inside, another person wearing a tactical vest was carried out of the vehicle.
When Sam zoomed in on the photos, he realized it was none other than Hawkeye, who had appeared in the Wakandan battle not long ago.
Sam realized he had stumbled upon something extraordinary.
Going in alone was clearly a bad idea. Should he call the police?
The thought crossed his mind but was immediately dismissed.
Who knew what government agencies might be involved in this?
The group carried both Captain America and Hawkeye into a room inside the museum. After five or six minutes, they came out empty-handed, got into their cars, and sped away.
Sam glanced at the tall gates and the security personnel inside, then turned and walked toward the nearby wall.
---
The next morning, during work hours, Nick Fury was still unable to contact Hawkeye. He called Coulson and instructed him to drop everything and team up with Blake to locate both Hawkeye and Captain America.
As for Fury himself, he took the elevator to the 40th floor, where the World Security Council was located, just above his office.
---
Blake's system upgrade had finally completed, and the Level 3 Store was now available.
[Level 3 Store]
[Asgardian Intermediate Divine Physique]: An advanced version of the beginner level. Flame temperature increases to 5000 degrees, flame energy density rises, overall body strength improves by 20%, and flight becomes possible using flame power.
[6000 points]
[Advanced Combat Techniques]: Upgraded from intermediate combat techniques. Gain full control over muscles and bones, improved body coordination, enhanced explosive power and speed, and heightened danger perception.
[1500 points]
[Advanced Weapon Mastery]: Upgraded from intermediate weapon mastery. Achieve a deeper understanding of melee weapons. Once accustomed to a particular weapon, you will feel no discomfort or disconnection when using other tools. The ideal of "man and weapon as one" becomes reality.
[1500 points]
[C-Class Combat Suit]
An upgraded version of the D-Class Combat Suit. In addition to retaining all functions of the D-Class, it provides:
- An additional 60% kinetic energy absorption.
- Immunity to all conventional thermal weapons below strategic-grade.
- Some defense against high-density energy attacks. For instance, Tony Stark's repulsor beams are mostly ineffective unless fired continuously.
[1500 points]
---
[C-Class Melee Weapon Customization]
An upgrade from D-Class Weapons, capable of:
- Easily cutting through advanced alloys on Earth.
- Sufficient durability and toughness to counter high-grade cosmic materials.
- Material comparable to vibranium but slightly weaker and lacking the kinetic energy absorption properties.
[1500 points]
---
[Intermediate Spatial Storage Device]
- Storage capacity: 50 cubic meters.
- Customizable exterior appearance: ring, bracelet, watch, necklace, etc.
- *Note:* If preferred, it could take the form of a diaper, though any items stored inside would risk being submerged in urine.
[3000 points]
---
[Requirements to Unlock Level 4 Store:]
A total of 50,000 points is needed.
---
After unlocking the Level 3 Store, restrictions on personal use for items in Levels 1 and 2 were lifted. This was a significant advantage, but the bad news was that Blake currently only had 4800 points. Not enough to gift items to others—or even to purchase the upgraded Asgardian Intermediate Physique for himself.
But when Blake inadvertently took out the Tesseract after the system upgrade...
[System Alert]
["Detected a high concentration of universal origin energy near the host. The system can absorb it and convert it into a large number of points. Proceed with absorption?"]
The sudden prompt startled Blake, but he quickly frowned at the proposal.
"Wait, are you suggesting absorbing the Space Stone itself? That's one of the six Infinity Stones! You want to absorb it? Unless you're offering me 1-2 billion points, it's a no-go."
Unless the points earned could push him to invincibility—at least to a level like Odin or the Ancient One at their peak—Blake felt the trade wasn't worth it.
[System Response:]
["Host, stop daydreaming about billions of points. Do you know what that even represents? I never said I could absorb the Infinity Stone itself. I'm referring to the cube-shaped energy casing around the Space Stone."]
As expected, it wasn't going to be that easy. However, Blake was still pleased. The Tesseract's energy casing was impractical for most people to touch and couldn't even be stored in his spatial device. Removing the casing would make the Space Stone far more portable.
"Confirm absorption!"
As soon as the thought crossed Blake's mind, he felt a powerful suction radiate from his hands. The outer layer of the Tesseract melted away like ice, transforming into a viscous, oil-like liquid energy that was absorbed by the system through his body.
[System Notification:]
["Points increased by 2700!"]
"What? That's it? You call 2700 points a 'large number'? This is the Tesseract! Shouldn't I be getting at least 10,000 or 20,000 points?"
While the Tesseract's casing wasn't particularly useful to Blake, it was still part of a legendary artifact. Earning less than 3000 points felt like a rip-off.
[System Response:]
["This system assigns points strictly based on total energy content. If the host is dissatisfied, you can decline."]
"No, no! I'll take it. You're amazing!"
Reluctantly, Blake complimented the system and, fearing it might change its mind, immediately spent his now-total 7500 points to purchase the [Intermediate Divine Physique] and [Advanced Combat Techniques].
*******************************************
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