Nathaniel Richards opened his eyes with difficulty.
The dull pain in the back of his head, the cold and stiff limbs, and the nausea caused by the stench of sewage made his mind confused and unable to think effectively. He just instinctively covered his mouth and nose and slowly turned his head to look around.
He was in a large cylindrical structure made of cement, steel bars and rusty metal pipes, or rather, a sewer pipe that had been in disrepair.
The good news is that the "flow" in the sewer is not sufficient, and there is no dirt on the body for the time being. The bad news is that the smell of the sewer is very strong, and the clothes on the body have been pickled.
Richards barely regained his ability to think, but still couldn't think of anything more. He stood up with difficulty and began to check himself.
There was swelling on the back of the head, and bruises and abrasions on the limbs, but there were no obvious fractures or open wounds. It was obvious that he was knocked unconscious and left here.
Judging from the three-piece suit, which is not expensive but not cheap either, he can barely be considered a decent person. Even if this suit is rented, it at least proves that he needs to enter an occasion where formal attire is required.
All the pockets of his clothes were empty, and nothing was left behind. This was very consistent with his current situation. Even if he was knocked unconscious during a robbery instead of being framed by his enemies, the homeless people passing by would not let go of searching for him.
Perhaps he should be grateful that the stench in the sewer greatly reduced the value of his clothes, thus saving him from the embarrassment of being shirtless.
As his mind became more active, Richards began to think of other things besides his name.
He is 34 years old and single. He is a trade specialist working for "Penguin Logistics". Not long ago, he participated in a reception for negotiations between "Metropolis" and "Gotham" on the establishment of a new freight line. The negotiation went very smoothly.
He drank a lot because of this, and then...well, there was no more, he was probably hit by someone on the way home.
Since his position is not high, the company will not lose orders due to his disappearance, but he may need to compensate for the losses caused by his disappearance - I wonder if it can be justified on the grounds that "the security situation in Gotham itself is very worrying".
Get it over there.
So, the next step is to head to the surface and... huh?
When Richards looked around and tried to find a path to the surface, he found a brand new metal nameplate embedded in the wall not far away that was incompatible with the dilapidated and old sewers. It read;
[Work Code for Gotham City Sewer Cleaners]
[1. Sewers can only be cleaned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Entry into the sewers is prohibited during other times.]
[2. When cleaning, you need to wear protective clothing that isolates odors, and you need to disinfect before returning to the ground.]
[3. Cleaners have no responsibility to drive away sewer rats, so do not approach their nests.]
[4. When you hear the cry of any animal other than rats during work, immediately terminate the work and return to the ground through the nearest vertical ladder. 】
[5. If you see a huge shadow in the sewer sewage, please keep quiet and wait for it to pass, then use the communicator inside the protective suit to report your position, and stay where you are until you are notified that you can return to the ground. ]
【6. There are no giant crocodiles in the sewers.】
The rules are good and clear, but...
Charlize turned his head and looked at the other end of the sewer where he was. From the corner there was first the sound of many ducks squawking, and then a huge shadow emerged from the sewage, slowly and resolutely moving towards him.
Position wandering.
So should he run away now or stand still?
————
Earth-6308
Richards opened his eyes with difficulty.
But the extreme pain from his limbs and body almost made him faint again.
Perhaps within a few seconds, perhaps a few hours, Richards regained consciousness and began to determine his situation.
This is an interrogation room with brown and white as the main colors. One side is an iron door and a narrow iron window sealed by a chain, and the other side is a smooth huge mirror that reflects the situation in the interrogation room - there are obviously people behind it.
The other can see the room over here, but it's not sure if anyone is there.
Through the mirror, Charlize saw herself.
It was a man in a sitting position, with red hair and green eyes, a somewhat ferocious appearance, and wearing a blue-gray military uniform. However, "he" had disheveled hair, a bruised nose and a swollen face, and looked very miserable.
Richards subconsciously reached out to touch his face, but as soon as he started to move, he was interrupted by a stinging sound and a dull sound of metal collision. When he turned around and looked around, he noticed that his wrists and ankles were all fixed by strong chains.
He couldn't move on the narrow metal square table in front of him.
Are you a prisoner of a war?
Richards tried to recall his past, but there was only a blank in his mind. He could not recall anything except basic common sense and the name "Nathaniel Richards".
That's good, at least you don't have to worry about revealing any secrets.
While reaching this conclusion, Richards also confirmed that he should be a sufficiently optimistic person with firm beliefs, but the current situation remains...
Wow! Peng!
At this time, the door to the interrogation room was pushed open and slammed shut again, making two loud and ear-piercing noises.
It's not surprising. If this was an interrogation, the other party must have noticed that he was awake.
When Richards looked up, he found that it was a strong man wearing a skull mask and dark light armor with a pair of cross bones. Although he couldn't stand up to compare his height, he intuitively felt that the man was one taller than him.
Head left and right.
"[Name.]" The strong man sat down across from the metal table and asked in a loud voice.
"Nathaniel Richards." Richards replied.
Peng! The strong man punched him in the face, and then he was stunned: "[Huh? You actually answered?]"
"..." Richards, who couldn't move and failed to escape, grinned and did not answer.
He confirmed again that "he" seemed to be very durable, and such a heavy blow that could make ordinary people faint only made him dizzy for a few seconds.
"[Oh, what have you been doing?]" The strong man wiped his hands: "[Next question, which force are you from?]"
"That's not fair," Richards replied.
Peng! He got punched in the face again.
"[Tell me, what's unfair?]" The strong man stared at him.
"You have to answer the questions you asked me in the same way, otherwise, I won't say anything." Richards made a judgment based on his miserable situation. "I" is definitely a tough guy, and he didn't give any information -
Even now.
"[Oh, very good,]" the strong man seemed to grin, but he couldn't see clearly through the mask: "[I am 'Crossbones', a senior agent affiliated with 'Hydra', come here
The purpose is to get the captured thieves to confess. There are three of my direct subordinates outside this interrogation room, and there are a group of unknown guys listening on the other side of the glass. If I want to contact the Hydra headquarters, I only need to go out.
Make a call and apply—it’s your turn.]”
"..." Richards, who originally planned to delay the time through a question-and-answer conversation, quietly remove the handcuffs or shackles and then subdue the guy in front of him, was a little dumbfounded.
Buzz——
With a subtle buzzing sound, rows of words appeared on the wall behind the name "Crossbones".
[You are from the Strategic Science Corps (S.S.R), an allied soldier who has been injected with the ‘Super Soldier Serum’. 】
[The purpose of your infiltration is to find the spy who stole the 'Super Soldier Serum' information, and bring back or destroy the information. The spy himself is not important. 】
[You don’t have any teammates, and you can’t call for support.]
[Although you are now trapped in the imperial court, it is still possible to complete the mission. 】
