Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

Russell suspected the Blue Ancient One had made a mistake.

This old bald man wasn't necessarily more serious than Supreme Tony!

He quickly changed the subject:

"Ahem, let's not talk about that... I mean, is there anything I should watch out for in this world?"

"Like any particularly strong Mutants?"

The Ancient One looked like he had an epiphany.

"Oh, that's what you meant! I thought young people like you cared more about pretty girls~"

"Actually, our female Spider-Man is quite good. Our Peter Parker died early, and the two of them never dated. You—"

"Stop."

Russell quickly cut him off.

He was beginning to doubt if this guy was really a Sorcerer Supreme or a matchmaking god!

He was here to figure out how to trigger a timeline anchor point, but this old man seemed in no hurry at all.

And why did he look... disappointed?

The Ancient One was indeed a little let down.

He'd hoped this powerful and special young man would find a wife in this timeline, which would essentially secure him an "Asgardian-level" ally.

If they couldn't have a child immediately, he'd even considered using certain methods...

"Alright, alright. We'll deal with that later," Russell said, cutting off his train of thought.

Seeing that his plan to retain Russell had failed—at least for now—the Ancient One thought for a moment and said:

"Let me think about the strong ones among the Mutants... Hmm…"

"Professor X and Magneto definitely count. The Phoenix fragment inside Jean Grey also makes her one of the top threats."

"There's also a mummified ancient Mutant under the Egyptian pyramids. That thing isn't quite dead, so it counts too."

"There's a little girl, but I won't say more about her—she's too sensitive a subject."

"And there's a powerful Mutant at the edge of Hell. Once our timeline starts flowing again, she may return."

"Fortunately, this timeline doesn't have the mechanical overlord Nimrod, so at least you don't have to worry about that."

Russell silently jotted this information down, then asked:

"What's the situation with the female Spider-Man? Is there a Venom in this world?"

That was a key question.

If there was Venom, that meant the God of the Symbiotes could exist.

While that being was weaker than the Celestials at their peak, it was still powerful enough to be worth noting—especially if things went wrong. A symbiote upgrade wasn't out of the question.

The Ancient One answered directly:

"Nope. That thing is in Supreme Tony's timeline."

"So why not get in touch with Gwen first? She's in college. I can even forge a fake student ID for you!"

"Don't worry, I have a guy inside S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

Russell sighed, expression deadpan.

"Since S.H.I.E.L.D exists in this timeline, have the Avengers changed too?"

The Ancient One scratched his shiny bald head.

"How should I put it? The roster is mostly the same, but their personalities and origins vary."

Then, for the first time, his expression turned serious.

"Actually, that's not the real issue. The problem is... our timeline has been infiltrated by Mephisto."

"I don't know what he's done, but something's definitely wrong in this world."

"Even though the dimensional barriers prevent him from fully entering, he's devious and ruthless. He doesn't need to come himself to cause chaos."

"You must be careful."

Russell blinked.

"Why I should be careful? Isn't this your job?"

The Ancient One's face suddenly turned pale. His back hunched, and he spoke in a frail voice:

"Truth is, I don't have much time left. I'm nearing the end of my life."

"That's why I didn't wait for Strange—he's the only candidate I have left."

Russell looked shocked... and then snorted with laughter.

"I'd be an idiot to believe that."

"I'm leaving."

He cast a contemptuous glance at the old bald man, opened a portal, and returned to the library outside Kamar-Taj.

Strange may be gullible, but I'm not.

Rather than wasting time arguing with this shady guy, he might as well go read some magic books.

New York Sanctum.

The Ancient One scratched his head again.

"Kids these days have no respect for their elders. Think they know everything."

After enjoying a rich and nostalgic Chinese-style meal at noon, Russell visited S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate this world's background.

Unlike the Sacred Timeline, here Nick Fury had an official connection with Kamar-Taj.

But he was the only one aware of the link. He served as the bridge between the magical world and the real world.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered a supernatural problem, Nick would contact the old bald man, and Kamar-Taj would handle it.

Afternoon. Triskelion (S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ).

In the training room, Black Widow and Captain America were sparring.

Hawkeye, Phil Coulson, Mockingbird, and the others were out on assignment.

Suddenly, Natasha Romanoff's watch vibrated.

She stopped training, glanced at it, and after a few seconds, her expression turned... odd.

Steve stopped pounding the sandbag, turned to look at her and asked:

"What's wrong? Why the weird face?"

Natasha looked up, clearly puzzled.

"Nick Fury wants me to dress up and go welcome a VIP."

Steve was stunned.

"That idiot wants a Level 10 agent to be a receptionist?"

"And he wants you to put on makeup?!"

"Even if the president was visiting, this would be overkill!"

"Did he eat too many sunflower seeds and fried chicken today or something?"

In Steve's memory, that one-eyed director always had a cold, intimidating demeanor.

Especially that single eye—it was as if he was silently judging everyone like a foreman on a cotton plantation.

He couldn't imagine anyone who could make Nick Fury act so... eager.

His curiosity piqued, Steve decided:

"I'm going with you."

"After all, I'm a national icon. My reputation alone is enough to impress people!"

"Let's see which mystery guest has Nick Fury this worked up!"

As he said that, he stretched his shoulders and cracked his knuckles.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

Steve was great in many ways—strong, loyal, a dependable leader in battle.

But his personality...

That was another story.

His mouth never stopped running.

She still remembered when they thawed him out of the ice.

After waking up, realizing what had happened, his first sentence was:

"I didn't expect my boss to be a Black man, seventy years later."

Nick Fury was livid that day.

Natasha Romanoff shrugged and said:

"Alright, as long as you're not afraid the boss will send you to Africa again, suit yourself."

She returned to the women's locker room to shower and apply makeup—this time, with extra care.

Half an hour later.

Natasha and Steve Rogers arrived at the lobby on the first floor.

All the agents and staff passing by looked surprised.

It was the first time they'd seen the famous Black Widow wearing a blue dress and red high heels.

As for Captain America... well, he always liked to show off a little. Today, he just looked a bit more polished than usual.

But the question on everyone's mind: Who were these two Level 10 agents waiting for?

Curiosity spread quickly through the building.

At that moment, the elevator doors in the hall opened.

Everyone turned—and was shocked.

Nick Fury stepped out.

This SHIELD Director, who never took the front elevator and always used a private entrance, actually came down to the lobby in person.

"Sir!"

"Hello, Director!"

People greeted him all along the way as Fury strode over to Natasha.

He glanced at her makeup and nodded.

"Not bad. Even though you don't need to do seduction ops anymore, your makeup skills are still sharp."

Then, turning to Steve, his expression shifted into a frown.

"Why are you down here too?"

"We don't need you for the reception."

Steve, dressed in an impractical but sharply tailored agent outfit, tilted his chin with confidence.

"Since it's a VIP reception, I thought having a bodyguard was appropriate."

"And, sir—don't you think I bring a certain... prestige to the role?"

Nick Fury let out a dry chuckle, almost like he'd just heard a joke:

"You? Protect him?"

He looked Steve up and down, then shook his head.

"You better hope it never comes to that. If something does happen, you'll be kissing your fanbase goodbye—assuming you survive."

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

She caught the underlying meaning in Fury's words.

Sure, Steve was formidable—if fully equipped, he could probably take down most Mutants. He even had that strange 50/50 win buff going for him.

So was Fury just annoyed with him, or...?

Surely the person they were waiting for couldn't be stronger than Magneto or Professor X, right?

Steve didn't believe it either.

This one-eyed man rarely said anything nice, so Steve just chalked it up as more typical Fury grumbling.

Nick Fury didn't elaborate. He turned and walked toward the front entrance.

Natasha gave Steve a helpless look.

When will this guy learn not to mouth off to the boss?

Then she followed.

Outside the Triskelion, the three of them stood beneath the massive SHIELD emblem, waiting.

Time passed, and SHIELD staff walking by couldn't help but throw surprised glances at them.

Three top-ranking agents—one being the director himself—standing out front like greeters?

Who were they waiting for?

Another hour passed.

Steve was already starting to regret tagging along. This hour could've been spent talking to ten fans about his World War II glory days.

But Natasha... she was getting more nervous by the second.

What kind of person could make Nick Fury wait under the sun for an hour without showing the slightest impatience?

Her initial relaxed attitude had shifted to unease.

Ten minutes later.

A yellow New York City taxi screeched to a stop in front of the building.

The rear door opened, and out stepped a man wearing:

A Hawaiian straw hat

Pink-rimmed sunglasses

SpongeBob-themed yellow shorts

Flip-flops

A Coke in one hand

Steve blinked and said:

"What is this? A tourist heading to Hawaii?"

"Did he get dropped off at the wrong place?"

But before he could say anything else, he saw something that stunned him:

Nick Fury—who never smiles—actually curved his lips into a grin, bent forward slightly, and walked over with enthusiasm.

Natasha shot Steve a look and silently mouthed:

"That's who we're waiting for."

Then she quickly followed Fury.

Steve stood there, baffled, but followed anyway.

The taxi drove off.

Fury stepped forward, stretched out both hands, and said with an uncharacteristically warm smile:

"Mr. Russell, I'm Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. It's an honor to meet you!"

Russell nodded and shook his hand.

Fury beamed even more.

"The Ancient One told me you've surpassed him in magical skill."

"I didn't expect someone so young!"

Clearly, Fury had been thoroughly briefed on Russell—and maybe even shown his image.

But none of that stopped him from laying on the flattery.

This was the future Sorcerer Supreme after all.

An ally of this caliber was worth any effort.

Fury turned and gestured toward Natasha:

"This is Agent Natasha Romanoff. She'll accompany you while you review our database."

"Your clearance has been approved. Except for core SHIELD internal operations, you can access anything."

Natasha smiled brightly and stepped forward, offering her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Russell."

She didn't judge him based on his eccentric clothes—in fact, she was even more shocked by Fury's attitude.

This guy had to be a serious heavyweight.

Russell shook her hand politely.

It was the first time he'd seen Black Widow dressed like this. Elegant. Graceful. Not at all like the deadly assassin he was expecting.

Then again, the Ancient One had mentioned the Avengers here had different personalities and origins.

So he wasn't too surprised.

Russell turned to look at Steve, who was standing stiffly, his jaw tight.

This guy looked like he was forged from stainless steel.

Even his obsidian blade looked like it would shatter on contact.

Fury continued with a smile:

"This is Agent Steve Rogers. He'll be your personal bodyguard during your stay. Feel free to use him however you'd like. Errands. Escort. Anything."

"He's durable. He can go a whole day without food or water."

Steve nearly exploded.

What am I, a camel?!

Even slaves back in the day got meals and water!

But he forced a smile—it was an official reception, and the orders came from the top.

"Hello, Mr. Russell," he said through gritted teeth.

"I'm Captain America. If anything dangerous happens, I'll stand in front."

Russell grinned.

"Trust me—you should pray it doesn't come to that."

He patted Steve on the shoulder and casually walked toward the Triskelion.

Off in the distance, several curious SHIELD agents watched them go and couldn't help but whisper:

"Are they... glowing?"

"Why does it feel like even gravity is tilting toward that guy?"

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