My years as a superhero in Marvel

"What do you mean?" After hearing Frank's question, Nick stared at Frank meaningfully with his only remaining eye.

"Do you still trust the government and your superiors, the ones in control, so wholeheartedly?" Frank said without any sign of inferiority in the eye contact.

"Are you doubting the government? This is not the idea of a good soldier." Although Nick said this, his eyes were fixed on the wine in his glass.

Watching the wine in the glass constantly forming new ripples as I slightly shake it.

"You know what kind of predicament I faced in Vietnam?" Frank's eyes revealed a look of reminiscence.

"Everyone started to evacuate that damn place. No one wanted to stay in that hot rain forest for another day."

"Our troops were scheduled to evacuate last, and our commander is a complete scumbag." Frank's words were calm, without much fluctuation in tone.

"My platoon was assigned to be the last to be evacuated, but the evacuation helicopter was twelve hours later than scheduled."

"We were abandoned in the camp, and as time went by, everyone started to feel scared." Frank took a sip of mint cane liquor.

"Nick, you were so lucky at that time. You were transferred to other companies instead of staying with us until the last moment." Frank smiled lightly, not knowing what the real meaning of this smile was.

Is it envy of Nick's luck, or is there a sense of sarcasm, or sometimes there is some irony.

"In the eighth hour before the evacuation, some people in our platoon had already begun to collapse. Everyone thought that the higher-ups had abandoned us. I kept motivating them."

"Various reasons, such as weather reasons which are often used in flights. Ha!" There was a hint of bitterness in Frank's smile.

"Seven hours before the evacuation, two companies, about 300 Vietnamese soldiers, began to attack us."

"They seem to have known that the US military company originally stationed here has already evacuated, and only a dozen insignificant people are left inside."

Nick couldn't help but frown when he heard this. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Don't be anxious Nick, just listen to me." Frank waved his hand, signaling Nick Fury not to interrupt his story.

"There were three hundred Vietnamese soldiers attacking, and we only had one damn platoon of fifteen soldiers, and fourteen of them had peed their pants out of fear."

"The only good news is that the cowardly company commander left a large amount of weapons and ammunition in the camp in order to speed up the retreat."

Frank was no longer drinking, so he took out a cigar and handed it to Nick Fury, while also lighting one for himself.

"There was a soldier who had a severe fear of war. He was an Ivy League student. His job was supposed to be in a high-rise building in Manhattan, New York, and be a good manager."

"But out of his passion for his country, he decided to do two years of military service after graduating from university before going to work."

A lit cigar emits thick smoke with the smell of burning spices, which people who are not used to it will find very pungent and unacceptable.

But those who like it enjoy it.

In the smoke, Frank's story continued. Nick Fury looked at Frank through the smoke and felt unreal.

It seemed as if at some point, this old friend had already died, and the one in front of him was just his soul.

"This college student soldier died in a very ugly way. It was not heroic or glorious at all. It was not like the hero he had imagined he would become on the battlefield."

"He was killed by the enemy in fear without any fight back. I still remember how he died. The bullet entered from here." Frank pointed to his cheek with his finger.

"Then it pierced through the back of his head and cut off half of his skull. I still remember the temperature of his blood and brains splattering on my face."

The spark of the cigar was faintly visible in the smoke.

"Everyone is dead, the porcupine, the college student and everyone else, they are all dead." Frank spoke calmly, seemingly not describing his true experience.

Instead, it feels more like telling other people's stories, and makes the story that should have been thrilling become dull.

"In the end, I was the only one who survived. When the helicopter arrived, they only saw me with 27 bullets in my body and more than 300 bodies."

"I know I can't always be so lucky. The miracle of a person killing hundreds of Vietnamese soldiers and surviving 27 bullets doesn't happen to me every day."

"And our willingness to be delayed is ridiculous, you want to know?" There was a terrible feeling in Frank's smile.

"Because that cowardly company commander deliberately forgot about us so that he could board the ship back home earlier. And everyone chose to turn a blind eye."

Nick Fury shook his head, not sure whether he was expressing disbelief or difficulty accepting it.

"It was not until the Vietnamese attacked us and the peace was broken by the loud gunfire and fighting that our superiors sent people down to investigate everything, and I was able to save my life."

"When I boarded the ship back home, I found the captain. In the Pacific Ocean, I took advantage of a gap at night, knocked him unconscious and pushed him into the sea, pretending that he had fallen into the water accidentally."

"No one knew what happened in the quiet night, but from that moment on I knew that Frank Castle, the sergeant, was dead."

"Answer the question you asked me before, why didn't I tell you this." Frank had smoked a lot of cigars.

The whole room was a little filled with cigar smoke.

"Because dragging another person down to hell doesn't provide any relief to the person who's already in hell. It just adds another evil ghost to compete with him for food."

Frank said this with a smile, but that smile was indescribably dark.

"So you're going to arrest me now, Director of SHIELD?"

"No, SHIELD doesn't handle criminal cases." Nick Fury said expressionlessly.

"Then I should thank you," Frank said. "My trust in government and authority collapsed at that moment."

"So you chose to leave the front-line troops and become an instructor?" Nick now understood a little bit why Frank chose to retire when he was about to be promoted.

Although he later became a special warfare instructor in the Marine Corps, Frank still insisted on fighting in the front-line combat units.

Then the position he can get will be much higher than being an instructor, and Nick can even become a brigadier general.

"The reason I became an instructor is that I still have a love for this country. I love this country. Frank Castle didn't really die until my family was killed and I still couldn't get justice after appealing to the law."

Frank's words became unusually gloomy at this moment. "The man standing before you is the Punisher. He lives to punish the evils of the world."

"That's why I'm counting on your help, you and your two apprentices." Nick Fury brought up the subject again. "We have many evils to fight, many dangers to deal with."

"We need special methods to deal with those problems that ordinary police and soldiers cannot handle."

Frank shook his head and said, "You still don't understand Nick. Let me ask you one more question, do you think everything is still under your control?"

Before the Washington meeting, Nick Fury would probably say confidently that everything was under control.

But after the Washington meeting, Nick realized that his control over SHIELD was not as solid as he had imagined.

Countless undercurrents lurk beneath this huge organization, and the complexity within is enough to trouble any outstanding spy agency chief.

"So what do you think?" Nick Fury asked a little confused.

"I trust you, Nick." Frank put out his nearly finished cigar on the high-end redwood furniture. "But I don't trust the government."

"And you can't even guarantee that SHIELD is completely under your control."

"So you mean no?" Nick said uncomfortably.

"It's not as simple as a rejection." Frank shook his head. "There's a saying in business investment that makes sense: don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Nick laughed out loud. "Business? How come I didn't know you had a business mind?"

"It's not important, Nick Fury." Frank shook his head to indicate that this was not the point. "The key is that you need to understand that we need a backup plan, both for you and me."

"Backup plan?" Nick Fury became a little interested.

"What kind of team did you say you wanted to form? The Avengers or something?" Frank asked.

"It's the Avengers," Nick corrected Frank.

"Okay, the Avengers." Frank waved his hand dismissively. "So what do you think of a secret Avengers alliance?"

"It's not under the control of the government, and you may not be able to truly control this team, but believe me, this team will be more efficient than under the supervision of SHIELD."

"Because the people in this team have more faith, as long as they are guided correctly, they will unleash amazing potential!"

"You want me to give up trusting the government and choose a ragtag army?"

"Because they are more passionate and more likely to fight for justice. What do you think of them as a backup plan?" Frank finally said, looking into Nick Fury's eyes.

Nick smiled, and the corners of his mouth began to rise. Maybe Frank was right, eggs should not be put in one basket, and the backup plan is always important.

A veteran who has experienced many battles should plan for the worst-case scenario. Even if the consequence is what he least wants to happen, he still has to face it.

Secret Avengers? Maybe not a great choice, but not a bad one.

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