"An Arc Reactor? Interesting. How much are you willing to pay?"
The agent took a long drag from his cigar before standing up.
"We normally don't ask questions about our clients, but I have to admit, you've piqued my curiosity. How exactly did you find out we sell Arc Reactors here?"
"I just heard some rumors," Kagura replied casually.
"So… do you have one or not?"
"Heh, you're well-informed." The agent shot her a suspicious look but eventually pressed a hidden button beside the couch.
"Well, since you managed to pass FC's test, I suppose there's no reason to doubt you."
With a mechanical hum, the bookshelf behind him slowly slid open, revealing a concealed storage compartment.
"Cortana, what's the scan showing?"
Kagura's micro-drones had already scouted the room, slipping through ventilation shafts and into the upper levels of the underground base.
"There's a hidden door deeper inside," Cortana's voice chimed in through the augmented reality interface only visible to Kagura. "It connects directly to 21st Street. Most likely an emergency escape route."
"A backdoor, huh? Classic black market setup."
Kagura followed the agent toward the newly revealed storage, keeping her tone casual.
"Deploy Rhodes Island Industrial's combat drones near 21st Street. Cut off their escape."
"Command confirmed, Master."
The agent reached into the compartment and carefully pulled out a gleaming palladium-core Arc Reactor. With a smirk, he held it up for her to see.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I always thought Tony Stark would never let this kind of tech leak into the market," she remarked, carefully watching the agent's reaction.
"Stark? No, no, no," the agent chuckled, puffing his cigar with obvious pride.
"These reactors aren't from Stark Industries. They're leftovers from Hammer Industries—Justin Hammer's final legacy."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kagura nodded, playing along.
"By the way, do you have anything else worth checking out?"
Her true goal wasn't just to buy something—it was to investigate the black market's supply chain and trace its backers.
The more information she gathered, the better.
"Plenty of good stuff."
The agent gestured toward the storage shelves.
"We've got all sorts of Hammer Industries weapons, active-duty military gear, even some leftover advanced prototypes from Stark Industries. We also have collectibles, if that's your thing."
As he spoke, he picked up a uniquely designed sniper rifle.
"WA 2000 semi-automatic bullpup sniper rifle. Want one? Hard to find these days."
"Your supply chain is getting more and more interesting."
"Hah! Sorry, sweetheart, but that's classified information." The agent grinned.
"Every black market has its own sources, but I'll tell you this—we're the only ones who can bypass Rhodes Island Industrial's security chips and sell their weapons without triggering tracking protocols."
"…Excuse me?"
Kagura's expression darkened.
Rhodes Island Industrial's security systems were not supposed to be crackable.
"Cortana, scan for Rhodes Island Industrial weapons in the vicinity. If our security chips have truly been bypassed, we've got a serious problem."
When Kagura designing the global weapons monitoring system, she had anticipated security breaches.
That's why every Rhodes Island weapon came with an auto-self destruct failsafe—if anyone tampered with its tracking system, the weapon's internal electronics would completely fry themselves.
In short, bypassing her security should be impossible.
Only Tony Stark-level geniuses could achieve that.
Maybe Wakanda, but they were too far removed from the world to be involved.
Yet here they were—selling Rhodes Island weapons on the black market.
"This just got interesting."
But before she could think further—
[Warning! Hostile signal detected! Advanced adaptive interception system identified!"]
Cortana's alarm rang in her head.
[Evasion failed! Initiating stealth self-destruction!]
'BANG!'
A sudden arc of electricity streaked across the second floor—
"Wait… ADS?!" Kagura's eyes widened.
That was Rhodes Island Industrial's third-generation 'Hunter' active defense system—why the hell was it here?!
The air in the underground market grew tense.
"Oh dear, little lady… looks like you brought something you shouldn't have."
The agent casually pressed a button, sealing the storage compartment before turning to face her.
His hand moved to his waist—where his gun was holstered.
"You do realize, don't you? A pretty girl like you… wandering alone into a place like this? Extremely dangerous."
"Oh no~" Kagura playfully stuck out her tongue, pretending to be flustered.
"Did I mess up? Ehehe~ If I surrender now, will you let me go?"
"Drop the act. Who do you work for?"
The agent pulled his gun and aimed it directly at her forehead.
From the second floor, several heavily armed guards locked their sights onto her.
"FBI? CIA? Secret Service? You think someone coming here for a simple trade deal would bring in drones? Talk."
"Ahhh… this is getting tricky~" Kagura waved her hands playfully, flashing an innocent smile.
"Can I talk to Mr. J? If I meet him, I promise I'll tell you everything~"
"Cut the bullshit!"
The agent took a step closer, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"You're not the first agent to try and sneak in here. You have no idea how powerful the man backing us is. The FBI? CIA? None of them can touch us."
"Oho? That impressive, huh?"
Kagura kept her hands raised in mock surrender, still completely unbothered.
"Not even the Avengers can take you down?"
"Avengers?" The agent scoffed. "What kind of bullshit is that?"
He waved his gun dismissively, "J's influence spans the entire world. You have no idea who you're messing with."
"Wow, that's terrifying~" Kagura giggled, tilting her head, "With such a powerful backer, I bet he has a super badass name, right?"
"Hah! Of course!"
The agent's expression shifted into pure arrogance.
"Ever since J took over the underground markets, business has been booming. After all, we're backed by the great Ni—"
He abruptly cut himself off.
"Wait a damn minute—why the hell am I telling you this?!"
Kagura's eyes sharpened.
"Ni… what?"
She took a small step forward, "Not finishing your sentences is such a bad habit, Mr. Agent~"
"Enough!"
The agent growled, tightening his grip on his gun.
"You're not getting any more out of me. Kill her."
Kagura sighed dramatically.
"Really now…?"
She slowly reached for her hoodie's zipper and pulled it down.
"Why do people always insist on making things difficult for themselves?"
[White Moon, Activated.]