Chapter 49: Child Prodigy?

The air conditioning in the Director’s office was set to an icy chill.

A startled voice broke the silence. “Say that again. Romanoff, how old is this agent?”

Standing before him were the Black Widow and Agent May. Hawkeye was nowhere to be seen.

Black Widow pressed her lips together and shook her head. She had expected this reaction from Fury as soon as he found out.

She said, “He’s still a child, Director.”

Fury’s mouth hung slightly open, his expression dazed. Only at moments like this did it become apparent that Fury actually had two sharp canine teeth.

Was it truly seven years old, not seventy?

“Are you sure?” Fury asked again.

Much like Tony, Fury had always suspected the operator behind the Apostle was some crotchety old man.

“I can confirm that the incident in Hell’s Kitchen you sent me to investigate was also caused by him,” Black Widow replied with a shrug.

Fury had only asked out of formality; he knew full well Black Widow wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake. He was simply too shocked…

He couldn’t believe that the Apostle was actually a child!

Someone capable of fighting Iron Man to a draw in full view of the public, and now he was being told this was just a child?

The chaos in Hell’s Kitchen lately had been stirred up by this very culprit—and yet, he was being told it was a child?

A child who had managed to capture three of his top agents alive and run them ragged—just seven years old?

Was he truly getting old?

Had the times advanced so rapidly?

A complicated mix of emotions welled up in Fury’s heart…

Black Widow and Agent May exchanged glances, barely containing their laughter. Clearly, Fury’s reaction matched the discussion they’d had on their way back.

After a long silence, Fury finally spoke.

He asked, “Do you think there’s the shadow of some organization behind him?”

“Not clear yet,” Black Widow replied, shaking her head. “But I don’t think so.”

“You’re telling me he built that white mech himself?” Fury pressed.

“Not just that. Over the past few days, the three of us watched him construct a six-meter-tall mech. The project isn’t finished, but I have no doubt he’s perfectly capable,” Black Widow replied.

“Wait—how tall did you say?” Fury’s eyes widened.

“Six meters. Nearly twenty feet tall,” Agent May confirmed.

Black Widow nodded. “Much larger than the previous white one. About two stories high.”

Fury fell silent once more.

After a long pause, he asked, “He built this larger mech right in front of you?”

“Yes. He didn’t seem to mind us observing at close range.”

Fury nodded.

“If, as you say, he’s a child prodigy, then where did he acquire such advanced engineering knowledge?” Fury raised the key question. “As far as I know, there aren’t many individuals or groups who possess this level of technology—even Tony Stark doesn’t have that kind of orange protective field.”

Black Widow shrugged. “That, I can’t say.”

After a moment, she added, “Once you see him, you’ll understand—he’s a true genius. If he hadn’t fought Stark so fiercely, I’d almost suspect he was Stark’s illegitimate son.”

“A prodigy child?”

That term wasn’t all that rare to SHIELD. Since its founding, SHIELD had encountered countless prodigious children, directly or indirectly.

“A super-genius,” Black Widow emphasized, glancing at Agent May. “Melinda, you’ve fought Luke before. How would you rate his combat skills?”

Without hesitation, May uttered two words: “Otherworldly.”

She added seriously, “I suspect he’s undergone the most professional martial arts training—not our kind of professional, but esoteric, master-disciple-level instruction. His short-range strikes are more refined than mine. During our three-on-one match, he even demonstrated an Eastern secret technique, the Lion’s Roar. His martial arts talent is unquestionably at the genius level.”

“Eastern secret technique?”

At this, Fury frowned. He knew far more secrets than anyone at SHIELD. May’s words instantly brought to mind two mysterious organizations.

“Could it be one of those two groups? The Spear Bureau? Or Kunlun?”

A headache set in for Fury.

He thought to himself, Is this really getting even more complicated?

He had never expected the situation to possibly involve the Spear Bureau. Why would their people come to America? That bunch was notorious for never meddling in external affairs.

As for Kunlun, his knowledge was limited. He only knew they weren’t even based on Earth.

Was this genius child truly connected to either of those powers? Fury pondered deeply.

“Luke seems to know a great deal about SHIELD,” Black Widow remarked.

She recalled the first time she’d met Luke—he had recited her personal information with perfect accuracy. The same had happened this time; Luke seemed equally familiar with Agent May and Hawkeye.

He even seemed to know their combat styles.

Agent May agreed wholeheartedly. She nodded. “He can call each of us by name, knows our strengths, and he knows about you.”

This only reinforced Fury’s suspicions.

He thought: Could he really be sent by the Spear Bureau?

“Who has Luke been in contact with?” Fury asked Black Widow—her assigned task.

“Luke’s social circle is simple. Mostly, he interacts with his adoptive parents, his schoolmates, and—oh, there’s Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen.”

As Black Widow spoke, she handed Fury a file she’d compiled. It contained all the information she’d collected on Luke.

“Matt? The ‘Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’ Matt?” Fury asked.

“Yes. I’m actually very curious whether he knows the kid’s identity and abilities,” Black Widow replied with a small, knowing smile. She and Daredevil were old acquaintances.

“All right, you both step out. Leave the file here,” Fury said.

He wanted a moment to think alone.

Black Widow and Agent May nodded and left the office together.

Fury sat alone, picking up the file from his desk to study it in detail.

Luke Nelson.

Currently seven years old.

Of Chinese descent.

Grew up in an orphanage. Adopted last year by the Nelsons, a couple living in Queens.

Now attending Dawes Elementary.

Top student in his class.

Enjoys sleeping in class?

To Fury, it all looked like the profile of an ordinary, high-achieving child.

But this very child had a second identity—the newly-emerged superhuman, Apostle, whose every move was now the subject of frenzied media pursuit worldwide.

Neither hero nor villain, formidable, and ruthless.

The media relished such ambiguity.

Now, outside SHIELD’s walls, the Apostle’s popularity was second only to Iron Man.

Fury rubbed his tired brow.

He decided—it was time to meet this super-genius child face to face.