Blaine played with Gali for several days.
During this ti, he had no idea what was happening in the outside world.
After all, so of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bases were extrely secretive. Even if they were blown up, not many people would know, and those who did were unlikely to spread the word. So New York remained much the sa as before—no signs of an impending alien invasion or warlike tension in the air.
More importantly, Blaine was in a state of "keeping his ears away from the window" during his break. In other words, since he wasn't accepting any missions, whatever happened wasn't his concern.
Just as he was about to descend from the mountain, he received a call.
"Mr. Blaine?"
It was Phil Coulson on the line.
"Phil Coulson?" Blaine was slightly surprised, then chuckled lightly. "If it's about a job, just say so. If not, goodbye."
"There is, definitely. Sothing happened recently and we want to hire you for a job," Coulson replied awkwardly.
"Who's the target?"
"Loki. He's said to be from Asgard."
Loki?
Blaine narrowed his eyes. Looks like the story had progressed to the point of the Avengers forming.
So the Tesseract had already been stolen, and now they were coming to him to deal with Loki?
"Paynt?" he asked calmly.
"One billion USD," Coulson said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"A billion?" Blaine sneered. "Agent Phil Coulson, have your boss talk to
directly. A few days ago, you guys tricked Thor and the others to trouble . And now you want
to deal with another 'god' for just a billion? What kind of joke is this?"
"Um…"
Just as Coulson was about to say sothing, there was so commotion on the other end of the call, and a different voice ca on.
"I'm here." Nick Fury said from other side.
"Nick Fury," Blaine said with a sarcastic smile. "I rember being attacked by unknown individuals not long ago—one of them turned out to be Thor. Say, shouldn't the bounty fee go up this ti? One and a half billion?"
"…No problem," Fury replied without hesitation.
"Two billion," Blaine raised the price again.
"…No problem," Fury responded after a brief silence.
"Great!" Blaine suddenly laughed. "Two and a half billion!"
"Khh…" Fury held back his anger and said as calmly as he could, "Most of our funds are already tied up in another project. We really can't co up with 2.5 billion."
"Can't co up with it? Are you kidding ?"
Blaine scoffed. "Fine. Then three billion. No credit. Give
an answer by this evening. Otherwise, deal with the consequences."
He hung up without waiting for a reply.
Blaine had been wondering how to trick Nick Fury.
Now that Fury had co to him—wasn't that the perfect opportunity?
And that last line? Yes, it was a direct threat.
If Nick Fury didn't want to add a new enemy and that too a Bounty Hunter to his enemies list, he'd have to co up with the money.
Nick Fury had already wronged Blaine once.
And though he had thick skin and wasn't too bothered by being sched against, this situation wasn't just about past grievances anymore.
First ca Loki from Asgard. Now a powerful Bounty Hunter.
If both beca enemies, it wasn't just a matter of fighting or not—it was a matter of survival. The pressure on S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't just double. It would rise exponentially.
This money had to be paid. No alternatives.
That's why Blaine confidently added another 500 million.
Nick Fury stared at the silent phone with a grim expression.
It took a long while before he finally put it down.
As Blaine had predicted, Nick Fury didn't dare to gamble.
If it had been earlier, he might have considered holding back the funds. But now?
Forget it.
Loki from Asgard was watching Earth.
Nick Fury would have to be a complete fool to ss up at such a critical ti.
Damn it.
Fury's frown deepened.
If he'd known things would turn out like this, he wouldn't have played smart back then.
All for a bit of cleverness… and now, what could've cost just one billion had ballooned to three billion.
"Three billion, huh?" Nick Fury gritted his teeth.
S.H.I.E.L.D. only had a bit over a billion in available funds. The rest was immovable. A single mistake could cause the whole organization to collapse.
This wasn't like Tony Stark's situation. Tony had his own company. He could spend however he wanted. Nick Fury, as director, had real power, but still had to answer to upper managent. If sothing went wrong, he'd be the one held accountable.
So now, only one option remained…
Ti for a video conference.
Fury really didn't want to deal with those so-called "World Council mbers" again, but what choice did he have?
They might not be as rich as Tony Stark, but pooling two billion between them? Doable.
The question was what to offer in exchange, and how to persuade them.
Complaints were inevitable.
Later that evening...
Blaine glanced at Gali, rubbed the girl's head, and said, "I have to go out for a few days. Stay ho, watch so TV, play gas, okay?"
Gali pouted. "I want to co too."
"What would you do there?" Blaine rolled his eyes. "Be good. I'll be back soon. Just going to catch soone."
If Gali went along, wouldn't that ruin everything?
How could he keep milking money then?
Besides, he, Blaine, wasn't so man living off a woman. Gali being strong was her business—not his.
He snorted to himself.
Seeing this, Gali had no choice but to reluctantly nod.
She was just a bit clingy and liked to follow him around. But she could be surprisingly sensible at tis.
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