Chapter 169: Respective Appraisals

However, Tony was a very busy man nowadays, and he kept a much lower profile than before, spending almost all of his time exclusively within his own estate.

Given that Tony had no desire to see Steve, the only way Steve could possibly encounter him was by forcefully breaching the Stark estate.

Although Steve and Tony had a complicated history of grievances, he would certainly never resort to trespassing in a private residence.

Therefore, Nick Fury was entirely confident that Steve would not turn down this rare opportunity for an Avengers assembly.

"I have some matters to attend to. I'll have someone take you."

Shortly after, Nick Fury accompanied Steve into a vehicle and spoke.

"To see those politicians?"

Hearing this, Steve cast a glance at Nick Fury and asked.

Long ago, he had already experienced firsthand the ruthless and predatory faces of those high-ranking political figures.

"Not just them, but also some top brass from the military."

"Rest assured, though, I'll handle them. I won't let them become a nuisance to you all."

Nick Fury paused for a moment at these words, then smiled and said.

The Avengers were composed of a group of superhuman heroes, and while these heroes possessed vastly different personalities, they each held absolute confidence in their own abilities.

To put it simply, they were proud, and it was already a stroke of immense fortune that they were willing to lend a helping hand.

If politicians and the military were allowed to interfere, it would be all too easy for the newly formed Avengers team to simply disintegrate.

Thus, no matter what, Nick Fury would never allow politicians to meddle in the affairs of the Avengers.

"As long as my actions aren't forcibly restricted, I don't mind."

"Though it's hard to say about the others."

Understanding the implications, Steve smiled and replied.

Because S.H.I.E.L.D. was an organization founded by Peggy, he was willing to serve it and execute various missions for it.

There was one absolute condition, however: his thoughts and actions must never be restricted; otherwise, he would rather retire directly and find some quiet place to live out his days in peace.

Nor was he willing to serve politicians who endlessly schemed and wrestled for their own selfish interests.

"I understand."

Nick Fury nodded in acknowledgment.

Soon after, the car carrying Steve and Nick Fury came to a halt.

Nick Fury departed immediately, while the person tasked with receiving Steve drove him all the way to a secret military base.

Steve was led before a combat aircraft unlike anything he had ever laid eyes on.

"Hello, my name is Coulson."

"I've heard a great deal about you, Captain America, Steve Rogers."

"These are the latest files on the Avengers, as well as some supernatural events that have recently surfaced on Earth."

"Please look them over; it will help you with the battles you'll soon face."

"Let's board the aircraft first."

"It will take us about fifty minutes to reach headquarters."

Upon meeting Steve, Coulson wore a smile and handed over the tablet computer in his hand as he spoke.

Steve accepted the tablet from Coulson and stepped aboard the aircraft.

Once inside, Coulson first contacted headquarters.

"This is Coulson. I have successfully rendezvoused with Steve Rogers. We are fifty minutes away from reaching headquarters."

Coulson reported.

"Received."

The response came back from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Meanwhile, after boarding the aircraft, Steve took a seat and tapped the tablet screen.

Having been awake for quite some time now, he had learned how to use such basic and intuitive smart devices.

Almost immediately, Steve's eyes fell upon the file of an individual named Dr. Banner, also known as the Hulk.

The evaluation of the power residing within Dr. Banner was exceptionally high.

His strengths included a near-impenetrable defense that rendered him completely immune to modern bullets and artillery shells, alongside features of boundless, godlike strength.

However, alongside this exceptionally high evaluation, an unignorable weakness was also noted: this immense power was completely uncontrollable. Several videos were attached to illustrate this.

At most, Steve could endure fire from conventional firearms, sustaining only minor injuries, but if an anti-tank sniper rifle were used, even he would have to avoid its direct edge and rely on his Vibranium shield for defense.

Intrigued by this, Steve tapped to play the video.

Moments later, Steve was watching footage of the Hulk on a rampage.

A heavily equipped military force, despite surrounding and assaulting the Hulk, found their attacks to be no more effective than a gentle scratch, completely unable to inflict any harm upon him.

Even when struck directly by artillery fire, it merely caused the Hulk to pause momentarily before driving him into an even greater fury, eliciting a roar that sounded as though it came from a primal beast.

Such defensive capabilities utterly shattered Steve's worldview.

Most terrifying of all was the sheer might displayed by the Hulk. Armored tanks were like soft clay in his hands; he would bend the barrels straight back and then smash them with both fists clenched, instantly rendering an armored vehicle a total wreck.

To integrate into modern society, Steve had naturally familiarized himself with the latest modern military equipment.

Even when taking a direct hit from a shell, these armored tanks were not so easily reduced to scrap metal.

Yet under the Hulk's full-force charge, a tank weighing at least twenty tons or more was sent flying simply from the impact.

And a monster wielding power that defied common sense was actually a member of the Avengers?

"Can this Dr. Banner truly not control his own power?"

After watching several videos, tumultuous waves churned within Steve's heart as he spoke.

"Because Dr. Banner isn't trying to control him; he's trying to eradicate the Hulk."

"Therefore, we at S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot definitively determine whether the Hulk's power can be controlled."

Coulson replied.

"..."

Hearing these words, Steve fell into a silent contemplation and continued reading the next file.

Previously, Steve had only glanced at the most basic, generalized profiles of the other Avengers members, without ever seeing what they looked like in actual combat.

However, the files Coulson had given him now included video clips. Even though these videos were brief, they offered a clear glimpse into their true capabilities.

He discovered that the Black Widow and Hawkeye did not possess overwhelming physical power; at least before him, they seemed no different from ordinary humans.

This brought Steve a minor sense of reassurance—he had not fallen entirely obsolete just yet.

However, when Steve subsequently viewed the file on Tony Stark, his gaze sharpened and turned serious.

He tapped on the video, revealing Iron Man clad in a gold and red suit of armor.

The footage showed him locked in aerial dogfights with the newest fighter jets, reaching speeds of up to Mach 2.

The record on this particular video dated back to 2008, clearly marking it as the earliest footage.

The subsequent videos showed Tony Stark single-handedly rescuing people in Afghanistan and wiping out terrorists.

The eradication process could only be described with effortless ease, fully showcasing Tony Stark's prowess.

A group of heavily armed terrorists was utterly defenseless before the Iron Man armor.

In response to this incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. added a new evaluation regarding Tony Stark: the Iron Man armor was the ultimate humanoid weapon of war, featuring technology that surpassed the modern era by at least several decades.