Building Superheroes at Marvel

The exhibition hall on the first floor of the Water Company.

"Boss, are you sure you want to give me this task? I'm afraid I can't handle it!"

Alice's delicate face flushed with embarrassment. She was just a private secretary—why was she suddenly tasked with attending a press conference? Moreover, she had to act as the star of the event! How could this not make her nervous?

When she first heard the news, she thought Kyle was joking.

"Alice, you need to believe in yourself. Even if you can't believe in your own abilities, trust in mine. You can do this!" Kyle said, offering her words of encouragement, though his expression remained unmoved. After explaining the situation to her, he had been relentlessly bombarded with questions.

Half an hour later, Alice's nerves were calmed by the breakfast she'd prepared herself.

Currently, only two people were in Kyle's inner circle—Alice and Gasco. Ryan could be considered, but loyalty still needed to be proven.

With the press conference scheduled for 10:00 AM, time was running out before the opening ceremony. Kyle found a reason to push Alice into the dressing room, then grabbed a Coke from the vending machine and leisurely made his way to the venue.

"Comfortable!"

…

With just five minutes left until the press conference started, Kyle approached Gasco, who was backstage, handling security.

"Gasco, is everything set? It's almost time."

Kyle was casually holding a Coke in one hand and popcorn in the other. He had no concerns about his safety, as he had total trust in Gasco's preparation.

"Don't worry, young master. The venue has been thoroughly searched, and the area is well-guarded." Gasco gave him a confident thumbs-up, assured that no disruptions would occur.

This press conference was a major turning point for the Water Company, so everything needed to go smoothly.

"Okay, then. I'm going to take a stroll," Kyle said, waving off Gasco before heading into the crowd of journalists gathering outside.

With a slightly immature face, Kyle walked through the throng, unaware of the attention he was garnering. He simply picked an empty chair and sat down, preparing to enjoy Alice's debut on stage.

"As an audience member, it's the first time for me," Kyle mused. He was confident that this press conference, paired with the accompanying publicity campaign, would be the catalyst that would make the products explode in sales. Once the first person stepped forward to take the plunge, the market would be flooded.

The press conference officially began, and Alice, dressed in a light blue starry sky dress, walked nervously up to the stage with a sweet but slightly anxious smile. But as she glanced down and saw Kyle's reassuring face in the crowd, her nerves began to settle.

"Welcome to the Water Company's new product launch. I'm here to introduce and showcase our latest innovations..." Alice began her speech. It was a bit shaky at first, but her confidence grew as she continued.

Kyle sat back, watching with mild interest. He wasn't concerned about the proceedings—he was just passing the time.

"Mr. Walter, do you mind if I sit here?"

A gentle voice interrupted Kyle's focus. He turned and saw a middle-aged man smiling at him.

Kyle's expression shifted. His curiosity piqued, he recognized the man instantly. "If I said I minded, would you leave?" he said dryly, staring at Phil Coulson, the seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Coulson's calm demeanor never faltered, despite Kyle's blunt remark. He sat down with a briefcase in hand, not engaging further with Kyle. Instead, he focused his attention on Alice at the front.

Coulson, a man who had worked on countless covert missions, was unsurprised by Kyle's response. However, he had expected a more engaging interaction—perhaps something akin to a friendly chat with an influential newcomer.

Before Kyle could finish his thoughts, a woman's voice interrupted from his left.

A professional-looking woman, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a reporter's suit, stood there, a badge hanging from her neck. Though her appearance seemed inconspicuous, Kyle saw right through the disguise.

This was Maria Hill, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had clearly come to monitor the situation.

"Great... Two more troublemakers watching me," Kyle thought to himself. He couldn't reveal his knowledge of their true identities yet, so he decided to sit back and observe what their next moves would be.

Kyle considered his options—he could cause a scene, but he preferred to let them continue their covert actions. If things went south, he could always unleash the No. 7 crystal into New York's water supply and turn the city into another "Raccoon City."

He also couldn't shake the feeling that S.H.I.E.L.D. was watching him for a reason, and that the exposure might have happened during a previous encounter when Gasco had dealt with some gangsters. That seemed like the most likely trigger for attention from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"They don't realize that I know who they are under those disguises," Kyle mused. "They think they're working in the shadows, but I've got the upper hand."

Kyle began to consider other possibilities. He speculated that Nick Fury had likely taken an interest in Gasco, perhaps wanting to recruit the old butler into his ranks.

With a sigh, Kyle realized just how much effort it would take to keep his true identity under wraps. If he'd had access to the Red Queen sooner, he would've simply cut off all the network connections near the port that night.

Meanwhile, Maria Hill, clearly unaware of Kyle's awareness, approached him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You look like you're enjoying the show," she said. "I wonder if you're interested in joining me for a drink at the Blue Enchantress later?"

Kyle smirked. If they thought they had him fooled, they were about to find out just how wrong they were.

"Cough, cough…" Coulson, who had been quietly sipping water, looked up, surprised at Kyle's audacity. Hill, typically an ice queen in demeanor, was caught off guard.

"You're not serious, are you?" Coulson asked.

Kyle, ever the smooth operator, leaned back in his chair with a grin. "Of course, why not? How about we find a quiet place and have a drink later? Just the three of us?"

Hill, hiding her surprise behind a forced smile, responded, "Well, why not? Let's do that. It'll be nice to talk in private."

Unbeknownst to both Coulson and Hill, Kyle had already figured them out.