"The Hydra Gambit: Ron’s Deadly Ultimatum"

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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helipad.

Ron and his team stepped off the Quinjet when he suddenly called out to Rumlow.

"After this is over, I want to meet with Mr. Pierce. Let him know for me."

Meet with Pierce?

Why would he want to see Pierce after already meeting with Nick Fury? Did he know something?

Rumlow tensed up, his eyes fixed on Ron's back.

But Ron didn't slow down at all. He walked straight into the Triskelion with Tony.

Rumlow narrowed his eyes, trying to figure it out... and came up with nothing.

Damn it! I'm a combat specialist, not a strategist. Why am I even overthinking this?

Screw it. Instead of wasting time guessing, I'll just tell Pierce exactly what Ron said.

With that thought, he hurried toward Pierce's office.

"Killian failed. I need to act fast."

"The Red Devil is dead, his body missing... and now there's this Ron Stark, who's unbelievably strong. Damn these mutants! Why won't they just die?!"

Strucker muttered under his breath as he read the latest intel.

Killian's failure meant Rodriguez would be compromised sooner or later. Before that happened, he needed to be used as much as possible.

As for their so-called cooperation?

Strucker smirked coldly.

That was over. One-sided cancellation.

President Ellis was the target, but the one who needed to die wasn't Ellis. No, Rodriguez would have to serve one final purpose.

Once this was all over, all mutants would be dead.

No... not just mutants.

All superpowered individuals would die.

He pulled out a communicator. "Initiate the operation immediately."

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Nick Fury's Office.

"Tony, Ron." Fury nodded at them, maintaining his usual cold, unreadable expression.

"I saw the fight. Not bad—"

SCREEECH!

Ron dragged a chair across the floor before plopping down, cutting Fury off with the grating sound.

Fury frowned, clearly annoyed, while Ron raised an eyebrow.

Yep. Just like in the movies.

One look at him and you could tell he wasn't a good guy.

Colson, on the other hand, seemed a lot more approachable, smiling warmly.

Of course, Ron wasn't fooled.

Anyone Fury trusted enough to groom as his successor wasn't actually a nice guy.

If Colson were genuinely that friendly, Fury would have to be completely blind.

Ron leaned forward, planting his hands on the desk. "Let's cut the crap. Tony was attacked. I want every single piece of intel related to it."

He locked eyes with Fury and repeated slowly, "I mean all of it."

Fury's expression didn't change. "Ron, it's not that simple."

"There's a lot going on here. You don't under—"

BAM!

Ron slammed his hand on the desk. "I don't care how deep the water is. I know how to swim."

Fury glanced at Tony, who had been silent the entire time.

From the moment they walked in, Tony hadn't said a single word.

Was this a power move? A way to pressure him?

Ron might be reckless, but Tony wasn't. He had to realize how serious this was. Did he really not get it?

Fury sighed when he saw Tony's indifferent expression.

"Ron, this could impact Stark Industries on a massive—"

"Cut the bullshit!" Ron interrupted. "You think Tony dying wouldn't affect Stark Industries?"

Fury signaled to Colson, who quickly stepped forward and poured coffee for everyone.

"Mr. Ron Stark, things aren't always as simple as they seem. You—"

"Get lost." Ron shot him a glance before turning back to Fury.

"Let me say this one last time. I don't care how complicated this is. I don't start fights, but I don't back down either. Anyone who messes with me dies."

He leaned back, voice casual but firm. "So hand over the intel and stop jerking me around. Otherwise... I'll tear down this whole damn building."

"And if you can sit there calmly after I do that, I'll listen to whatever you have to say. Sound fair?"

Fury opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the door swung open.

Alexander Pierce stepped inside.

"Apologies for the interruption," he said smoothly. "I heard from my agents that Ron Stark stormed into Fury's office looking quite... intense."

"If you have any demands, you can tell Fury and me. We'll do our best to accommodate them."

Watching the tense standoff in the office, Pierce finally felt relieved.

So, this wasn't aimed at HYDRA. In fact, it seemed like Ron and Nick Fury weren't on good terms.

Perfect. This was his opportunity.

Their Insight Project was about to be executed—there could be no unexpected incidents at this stage.

With a polite smile, Pierce walked over, nodded reassuringly at Fury, then approached Ron.

Ron raised an eyebrow. Why was this old guy coming over?

His eyes narrowed slightly. Was Pierce worried about him? Afraid he'd mess with HYDRA's plans?

Ron calmly withdrew his gaze. "My request is simple—whoever helped Killian dies."

"I mean every single person involved. No exceptions."

Pierce nodded. "Fair enough. No problem. We agree."

Fury froze, staring at Pierce in disbelief. "Pierce, you—"

Pierce shook his head, cutting him off. Then he continued, "Mr. Ron Stark, according to our investigation, the one who helped Killian was Vice President Rodriguez."

After saying this, Pierce studied Ron's reaction, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Ron's expression didn't change at all.

It was as if he didn't realize the weight of that name.

Could that be possible? No way.

Either Ron had already known—unlikely.

Or... he simply didn't care. No matter who it was, they were all going to die.

Pierce leaned toward the second option. After all, Ron had just threatened S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters itself.

Compared to that, how important was one Vice President? What a joke.

Steadying himself, Pierce continued, "Just now, we received some news."

"The President was attacked by mutants. Rodriguez died protecting him."

"Mr. Ron Stark, the mastermind behind it all is already dead. Your revenge is complete. So, can we consider this matter settled?"

Fury's one eye widened in shock as he turned to Pierce.

"Is this real?! When did this happen?!"

Pierce nodded. "It happened ten minutes ago. The news just came in."

"And, the White House wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to assist in capturing mutants and to make a public statement supporting the Mutant Registration Act."

Mutants attacked the President, and the Vice President ended up dead? The mastermind was gone just like that?

This development was completely unexpected for Ron.

He had planned to use this opportunity to make an example out of someone, to show the world that no one—no matter how powerful—could mess with the Starks.

But now? The culprit was already dead?

Was this how it was going to end—just like that?

What the hell?! Who the hell did this?!

Ron had the sudden urge to find out who was responsible… and kill them all.

Wait a minute… Mutant attack… followed by pushing the Mutant Registration Act?

Why did this sound so damn familiar?

"Capturing mutants?!"

Across the desk, Fury's voice shot up by two octaves.

In front of Pierce, he didn't even bother to keep up appearances—after all, they knew each other too well.

"They want our agents to hunt down mutants? Are they out of their damn minds?"

"Even if Magneto is locked up, Professor Charles, Storm, and the others are still around."

"How the hell are we supposed to capture mutants? What, with tiny little handguns? Biubiu?"

In front of Charles Xavier, no one had any secrets. You couldn't even try a sneak attack.

And don't be fooled by Charles' nice-guy persona—he had his limits.

Touch a single mutant child from his school, and it'd be an all-out war. He would fight back.

Even the Hulk could probably be controlled by Charles.

Probably.

Fury wasn't completely sure—could the Hulk resist Charles' telepathic powers when he was in a full rage?

Maybe.

But even if he could, he'd probably go berserk and attack everyone in sight.

Pierce spread his hands.

"Hey, you're the Director now, not me. Why are you asking me? This is your problem to deal with."

His tone was teasing, making Fury even more frustrated.

Mutants!

This was such a damn headache!

He had just finished dealing with Ron, and now he had to deal with this mutant mess?

And the worst part? He actually had a pretty decent relationship with Charles Xavier.

There was no way he could agree to this mutant-hunting order.

But he also couldn't outright refuse.

After all, this involved the Vice President… and the President himself.

It was best to check in with Charles first—after all, mutants were also a group he was trying to win over.

Besides, there was still a chance Ron was a mutant himself. What, were they supposed to deal with Ron too?

Nick Fury's eyes flickered as he made a silent decision.

"Ron, Tony, since Rodriguez is already dead, we'll consider this matter closed."

"Next, Tony, I need your help. I hope you can come with me to the mutant academy."

"Oh, and bring your bodyguard, Happy. I could use someone as ridiculously strong as him."

"Ron." Tony turned to Ron. As an Avenger, facing extraordinary events was inevitable.

Ron smiled and nodded. "Do whatever you need to. I'll be fine here… I still have Mr. Pierce with me."

"I'll tag along with Mr. Pierce for a bit and take a tour around S.H.I.E.L.D."

Ron glanced at Pierce, who returned the look with a slight smile.

"That's right, just leave young Stark with me. You guys go handle the mutant situation first."

Nick Fury and Tony exchanged a look and nodded. "That works."

As the two hurried off, Ron and Pierce locked eyes.

Ron flashed a strange smile at Pierce, making the older man's heart skip a beat.

He knew. Ron definitely knew who he really was!

Standing up, Ron walked out of the office. "Come on, let's find a better place to talk."

Inside Pierce's office.

The two of them stood in silence in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the towering cityscape outside.

Not gonna lie, the view was pretty damn good. The old man sure knew how to pick an office.

As he admired the scenery, Ron couldn't help but sigh internally.

Pierce, on the other hand, stole a glance at Ron's calm expression, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

A powerful, extraordinary individual who knew about Hydra's existence—Pierce had lived for so many years, but he had never faced a situation this dire.

Facing Ron… Damn it.

He couldn't kill him.

He couldn't beat him.

He felt completely restrained, like his hands were tied. He didn't even know how to start speaking.

But whether he knew how or not, he had to say something. Taking a deep breath, Pierce finally spoke.

"Mr. Ron Stark, how do you see this world?"

"I see it standing up." Ron looked down at the bustling city of Washington, D.C., his expression indifferent.

Pierce tentatively asked, "If the entire world were unified, wouldn't it be a better place?"

Ron chuckled lightly. He took a few steps, walked behind Pierce's desk, and sat down. Then, he casually gestured toward the seat across from him.

"Relax. Take a seat. Let's talk."

Pierce: "..."

Wait a minute—wasn't this his office?

A strange look flashed across Pierce's face, but he quickly concealed it and obediently sat in the guest seat.

"Mr. Ron Stark, we—"

"Stop." Ron cut him off. He leaned forward, placing both hands on the desk.

"Secretary Pierce, do you realize… we have a serious grudge?"

"A big one. So big it's almost impossible to settle."

Pierce frowned, confused. A grudge? What grudge? He had no idea what Ron was talking about.

As far as he knew, Ron had been mentally incapacitated for years. This was their first-ever meeting.

To his knowledge, neither he nor his subordinates had ever wronged Ron in any way.

Ron caught the doubt in Pierce's eyes and slowly, deliberately, enunciated his next words.

"Let me jog your memory. The deaths of Howard and Maria Stark… was it really just a car accident?"

"Who was responsible? Who was involved? Hand them over."

"Of course, you can refuse. But if you do—" Ron's voice turned icy.

"I will rip HYDRA out from its roots. Every last one of you."

"....."