The next day, after getting his reservation, Wong happily went off to his date.
Apparently, they planned to have lunch together, then hang out somewhere, and then have dinner in the evening.
It was like Ronan got a mouthful of dog food shoved down his throat.
Since he couldn't enjoy Christmas himself, he decided to take out his frustration on others.
Yes, specifically on those two.
This time, he was determined to make their Christmas just as unforgettable—if he couldn't enjoy the holiday, neither would they!
Well, to be precise, if one of them had a bad Christmas, it might ruin the holiday for all of S.H.I.E.L.D.
So, Ronan devised a meticulous plan.
First, he would deal with Motherf***er Man, ruining the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Christmas.
Then he would pay a visit to Tony Stark, making sure he and Pepper Potts received a special Christmas gift.
Couple?
Heh!
Good luck with that!
...
Shield Headquarters.
The renowned "Motherf***er Man" Nick Fury was sitting alone in his office.
His one eye focused on a newly submitted proposal.
Ever since the Battle of New York, he had been on edge.
Not only did he face various pressures from the higher-ups, questioning him about the alien incident, but many of the superheroes weren't happy with him either.
The reason was simple: this whole situation had started because S.H.I.E.L.D. was experimenting with the Tesseract.
And as a result, in some way, Nick Fury had to take the blame for everything.
Among the superheroes, aside from Black Widow and Hawkeye, who already worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., only Steve Rogers retained a shred of trust in him.
But that was just the loyalty of a soldier.
So, in recent times, Nick Fury had been searching for a solution.
Then, a proposal called "Project Insight" landed on his desk.
The plan had a lot of ambitious ideas, like monitoring all of humanity and taking preemptive action against threats before they could strike.
It seemed like a way to protect Earth more effectively.
Of course, the concept was good, but Nick Fury was still hesitant.
In his heart, he was actually quite supportive of the plan.
Especially after watching footage from the Battle of New York—he wanted to approve the plan immediately.
Because for the first time, he learned that there were sorcerers on Earth!
When that man wearing the Iron Man helmet stepped through a glowing golden portal and later left the same way, it heightened Nick Fury's sense of crisis.
What would happen if someone with such powers became a supervillain?
They could go anywhere, possibly even avoiding being caught on surveillance.
What could they do about that?
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Nick Fury nearly picked up a pen to sign his name on the proposal.
"Oh, Mr. Nick Fury, I suggest you calm down a bit."
Just then, a voice echoed through the empty office!
Nick Fury jolted, instinctively reaching for the drawer on his right.
Inside it, a gun was hidden!
"Don't move, or you'll die."
In the next moment, something cold and hard pressed against the back of Nick Fury's head.
That chillingly familiar sensation made him almost certain it was a gun!
So, his hand froze in mid-air.
"Now, let's play a game."
"Open the drawer on your right and toss that little toy to me."
"What do you think?"
The voice spoke again, warm yet with a mischievous edge, but it made Nick Fury feel an intense sense of danger.
How did this person even get in here?!
He knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. was practically the most secure location in all of America.
Except, maybe, for that building with five sides or that big white house.
And when it came to single-combat skills, S.H.I.E.L.D. had Captain America.
But this person had just slipped in undetected.
It left Nick Fury baffled.
However, disbelief aside, his hand obediently followed the instructions, retrieving the gun from the drawer.
Ronan took the gun, weighing it with satisfaction.
Ah, real guns just feel better.
Yes, the intruder was Ronan.
This time, he definitely wasn't here to negotiate.
Swoosh!
In the next second, Ronan vanished, reappearing on a nearby couch.
Ronan leaned back on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, wearing a classic Iron Man helmet on his face.
In his left hand, he held Nick Fury's gun, while his right hand casually tossed a metallic rod back and forth.
Nick Fury's mind was spinning.
He couldn't understand how Ronan had suddenly moved across the room.
And that cold feeling earlier—it was just a metal rod?
"You dare mess with me."
Nick Fury's face darkened, his tone filled with displeasure.
It had been years since anyone had dared to toy with him like this.
Of course, given his expressionless face, it wasn't easy to tell he was upset.
"I didn't mess with you. See, I've got a gun, don't I?"
Ronan shook the gun in his left hand, his tone utterly innocent.
"You!"
That one line left Nick Fury speechless.
It's my gun!
But Ronan didn't care about that—whoever grabs it, owns it.
"You're the guy from that day?"
Nick Fury calmed himself, recognizing the helmet Ronan wore.
That helmet had made him suspect that Ronan might have some connection to Tony Stark.
"Which day, which guy?"
"You don't know anything, yet you're trying to pry into others' secrets."
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Ronan, still holding the gun, started to slowly twist the metal rod onto the barrel of the gun under Nick Fury's gaze.
That rod wasn't just any metal—it was a suppressor!
But it was a type of suppressor Nick Fury had never seen before.
"Never seen a suppressor that can fit any type of handgun, huh?"
Ronan tightened the suppressor, aimed the gun at Nick Fury, and closed one eye.
His action sent cold sweat streaming down Nick Fury's face.
Nick Fury discreetly moved his right hand under the desk, pressing a hidden button.
This button, when pressed, signaled that Nick Fury was in danger.
"You really don't play fair, do you?"
Bang!
A barely audible gunshot rang out!
A flash of fire burst from the barrel, piercing through Nick Fury's desk.
With the momentum, the bullet tore through the desk's surface, slamming straight into Nick Fury's thigh!
"Motherf***er!"
The infamous "Motherf***er Man" finally uttered his classic catchphrase under Ronan's shot.