Chapter 54: Skirmish
"For God's sake, our plan was to sneak in and capture them quietly!"
Black Widow slapped her forehead in exasperation.
"I expected this. It's their way of showing dissatisfaction with the plan. Activate the jamming device. I don't want tomorrow's headlines to be about two superheroes robbing drug dealers!"
Blake and Tony Stark were among the most famous people in the world right now. It was easier for Blake to hide his identity by covering his face, but Iron Man's suit was too recognizable.
They didn't want to expose this team or reveal the identities of Blake and Tony, so they had prepared in advance.
Coulson's voice came through their earpieces.
"Let them do their thing. You and Hawkeye just make sure no one escapes. Our agents in Mexico are already positioned on the perimeter. Leave the rest to them."
Indeed, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents always left nothing to chance. The forces deployed here were top-notch, arranged by Nick Fury, and part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret black-ops unit.
Despite the drug dealers' sophisticated equipment and large numbers, they were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Iron Man.
In the middle of the night, a suit of bulletproof armor flying down from the sky was beyond their expectations. Conventional weapons were useless against him.
The heavily armed drug dealers hadn't even had time to bring out their heavy weaponry.
With a loud crash, the wall near the main gate collapsed. A seemingly frail figure burst in like a wild beast, not only bringing down the ten-meter-high wall but also demolishing several watchtowers with sheer force.
Every bullet fired at him bounced off harmlessly. He was like a human tank, heavily armored and incredibly powerful.
As soon as Blake entered the battlefield, Tony switched to patrol mode, flying circles around the mansion. He not only targeted and eliminated hidden drug dealers but also precisely identified the locations where they stored their weapons and drugs.
Two micro-missiles later, and the tonnage of drugs and ammunition went up in flames, turning the mansion into a fiery inferno.
In no time, the vast estate was half-ruined. Tony in his suit and the miniature Hulk-like Blake were a nightmare for the unprepared drug dealers.
By the time Black Widow and Hawkeye arrived, they were met with a shocking scene.
"Hiss!" They both took a sharp breath.
"No finesse at all!" Hawkeye sneered, but the envy in his eyes didn't escape Black Widow.
Which hot-blooded man wouldn't love this kind of all-out brawl?
"It seems we underestimated Blake's combat abilities. He's like a mini Hulk!"
Black Widow murmured, then spoke loudly into her earpiece.
"Don't get caught up in the fight. Stark has destroyed the armory. Leave the outside to us. Don't forget our objective, and don't let anyone escape through the tunnels."
"Don't worry, he won't get away!"
Tony Stark's confident voice came through the earpiece.
"Blake, check Seresto's room to see if he's still there! Jarvis, scan the mansion for underground tunnels!"
Even the most hidden tunnels couldn't escape Tony's advanced tech.
Almost immediately after Blake reported not finding Seresto, Tony's helmet screen displayed a map of the underground tunnels.
"Sir, there are at least a dozen tunnels beneath the mansion, and they seem to have measures to block thermal imaging."
Jarvis's voice was relayed to everyone's earpieces.
A dozen tunnels was quite an exaggeration.
"Figure something out, Jarvis!" Tony said without hesitation.
"Yes, sir!"
Jarvis reinitiated the scan of the underground tunnels, and within thirty seconds, the results were in.
A red line highlighted one of the tunnels on Tony's screen.
"This tunnel has some magnetic interference, likely due to heavy metal reinforcement. If I were that drug lord, I'd choose this one for safety. Safety first, sir!"
"Well done, Jarvis!"
Tony's suit flew outside the mansion. The shoulder of the suit opened, and a penetrating missile was launched at the ground.
Tony had clearly prepared for this. The missile turned into a drill upon contact with the soil, boring into the ground.
It drilled about four or five meters deep, creating a small crater in the steel-reinforced tunnel before exploding, sending a cloud of dirt into the air.
It was unclear how thick the drug lord had made the tunnel's steel reinforcement, but Tony's special missile only managed to create a hole a few centimeters deep.
"Blake, I didn't bring enough missiles. The steel here can't be more than a meter thick; otherwise, the underlying rock wouldn't support it. Where's your steel-cutting weapon?"
"On my way!"
Blake arrived quickly, leaping several times to reach the crater Tony had created.
Jumping down, he didn't waste any time. Following the pre-drilled hole, he pulled out his katana and thrust it in.
The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air.
The thick steel plate met its match in Blake's extraordinary strength and the razor-sharp katana. Amidst the grating noise, a square window-sized piece of steel was cut out.
It revealed a large tunnel over two meters high and nearly three meters wide.
"Drug lords sure are wealthy!"
Blake muttered, charging into the tunnel in the opposite direction of the mansion.
Perhaps because of the numerous underground tunnels or to avoid existing sewage systems and other infrastructure, this tunnel wasn't straight. After running about ten meters, Blake encountered a bend.
Confident in his abilities, he didn't worry about ambushes and charged ahead.
Ratatatatatatata!
Just as he turned the corner, before he could see what was ahead, the sound of a Gatling gun's rotating barrel and gunfire erupted.
The terrifying rate of fire instantly filled the tunnel with bullets.
"Shit!"
Blake cursed inwardly, instinctively raising his hands to protect his head.
Even though he was nearly invulnerable, getting pelted with bullets in the face wouldn't be a pleasant experience.
The clinking sounds of bullets bouncing off his body and the steel walls filled the air.
"Damn it, I'm shoving that machine gun up your ass."
Blake fumed as the gunfire subsided. He lowered his hands and growled.
Just as he peeked out, a metal arm swung at him.
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