Chapter 169: Dreykov

Natasha piloted the Quinjet forward through the sky, carrying Yelena, Melina, Alexei, and Arthur.

This aircraft belonged to the Red Room, capable of directly locking onto the coordinates of the Red Room headquarters. The reason the secretive organization managed to elude the Avengers' sight was because its base was not located on the ground, but rather floating high up in the sky.

"No wonder no one ever knew where the Red Room was," Natasha murmured in awe, gazing at the strange structure hidden within the clouds ahead.

That was the base of the Red Room. The entire installation resembled a massive satellite, enormous in scale, with four landing pads forming a cross shape, exuding a strong sense of high technology.

"There's no need to land. I can just shoot it down from the sky and be done with it," Arthur said, looking at the Red Room base before them.

"Please, there are still many young girls in there. They are only being controlled by Dreykov. We need to rescue them, just like you saved those prisoners in the penitentiary," Natasha told Arthur.

"Alright, though Dreykov probably wants to run away the moment he realizes I'm here," Arthur replied.

"Arthur and I will go inside to rescue people. You guys stay behind and watch the planes, and don't let Dreykov escape!" Natasha said, looking at the trio of Yelena, Melina, and Alexei.

"Can the two of you handle them?" Yelena asked, taking the antidote vials out of her backpack and handing them to Arthur.

"We don't need these. My abilities are far more powerful than this serum, and you should never underestimate an Avenger!" Arthur waved his hand dismissively.

Natasha landed the Quinjet steadily onto the runway. She changed into a sleek black tactical outfit, while Arthur's white combat suit transformed back into golden armor.

Though Arthur's armor was still covered in cracks, after a period of nurturing by Arthur, it had healed significantly. The fissures had become extremely fine, no longer looking as conspicuously battered as before.

"Seeing your armor makes me finally believe what you told me about the battle in Hong Kong," Natasha remarked, looking at Arthur's golden armor. This armor had never sustained such severe damage even during the fight against Ultron, giving her some idea of the kind of battle Arthur had endured.

"This is already after I've repaired it. The previous fight almost cost both Wanda and me our lives!" Arthur said as he walked toward the main gate.

Boom!

Arthur produced his trident, unleashing a beam of blue energy that blasted the heavy gates of the Red Room. In an instant, the massive steel doors were blown open with a huge hole, and the alarms across the entire base instantly blared, alerting every enemy that intruders had arrived.

"You really are reckless. Weren't you the type who preferred covert infiltration?" Natasha asked, speechless at Arthur's overwhelmingly domineering attack. In the past, Arthur always carried out his missions stealthily; why was he being so violent this time?

"When facing an absolute disparity in power, there's no need to be cautious. I'm not the same as I used to be," Arthur boasted.

"I can tell. You're getting more and more arrogant. What's your plan now?" Natasha asked, eyeing the increasing number of armed enemies gathering inside the doorway.

Arthur did not answer Natasha's question. He walked straight toward the blown-open gates, and Natasha followed closely behind him.

More than thirty female operatives took up positions, guarding the entrance and firing upon the two of them. A blue energy shield materialized, enveloping both Arthur and Natasha, while the dense barrage of bullets only sent ripples across the surface of the shield.

Arthur and Natasha walked toward them at a leisurely pace. With a flash of yellow light from Arthur's right hand, all the female operatives abruptly stopped firing, standing frozen in place.

"Go on. Board the transport ships and leave this place!" Arthur commanded. The female operatives formed an orderly line and marched toward the transport aircraft on the tarmac.

"Let's go find Dreykov," Arthur said, glancing at Natasha.

"Being with you is always so effortless. All the difficult missions from now on should be handed over to you." Natasha smiled and said.

"Don't! Spare me, please. The Avengers have plenty of capable people; I'm not the only one." Arthur led Natasha to an elevator that provided direct access to the top floor and Dreykov's office.

"You just like being lazy!" Natasha teased as they stood inside the elevator.

Suddenly, all the lights in the elevator went out, and the car ground to a halt, as if there had been a power outage.

"It seems Dreykov knows we're here and wants to trap us in the elevator so he can escape." Natasha showed no panic at all as she spoke to Arthur.

"Utterly pointless..." The red gem on Arthur's right hand glowed, and the elevator instantly restored its power, resuming its ascent toward Dreykov's top-floor office.

Up on the top floor, Dreykov was indeed fully aware that Arthur Pendragon, the Sea King of the Avengers, along with Natasha whom he had trained years ago, had come looking for him.

Ever since Melina transmitted the signal indicating the appearance of Arthur and Natasha, he had decisively dispatched an assault team to eliminate the pair, issuing orders to eradicate Melina along with them.

However, when the strike team went silent and lost contact, Dreykov felt that something was terribly wrong. He hadn't expected them to track him down so quickly.

Dreykov had originally counted on his operatives to stall them for a while, but he never imagined they would clear out all the agents so effortlessly and take the elevator straight to his office.

Dreykov panicked slightly. He operated his computer to cut off power to the elevator, then began gathering his belongings to flee. Yet, to his horror, the elevator inexplicably regained power and continued its journey upward.

"Damn it! Damn it! Stop!" Dreykov hammered away at his keyboard in exasperation, trying to halt the elevator, but not only did it refuse to stop, it had already reached the top floor.

Dreykov raised his head to look at his office door as Natasha, dressed in black tactical gear and holding a pistol, and Arthur, clad in golden armor and wielding his trident, walked in from outside.

"Are you Dreykov?" Arthur asked, looking at the middle-aged, plump man with white hair and wire-rimmed glasses who looked like a petroleum tycoon.

"Sea King Arthur Pendragon! It is truly an honor to meet you," Dreykov said, regaining his composure as he remained seated in his chair.

"Ah, and my child, Natasha. You're still as beautiful as ever," Dreykov added, looking at Natasha.

"I never expected you to still be alive, Dreykov! But today, don't even think about escaping again," Natasha said, pointing her gun directly at him.

"I didn't expect your ambitions to be quite this grand, hiding in such a secluded place while trying to control every spy in the world. Impressive!" Arthur remarked, breaking into a round of applause.

"I am not like you Avengers, making a spectacle of yourselves everywhere. True power comes from invisible influence. The world's leaders and great figures all answer to my Widows. With a single command from me, a quarter of the people on Earth will go hungry. My Widows can start and end wars. They can create kings, and they can destroy kingdoms!" Dreykov spoke with a proud expression, as if entirely oblivious to his current plight.

"Such ambition of yours is truly pitifully ignorant. A frog at the bottom of a well has no idea how vast the sky is. If I wanted to, I could make everyone on Earth bow before me, but what would that even get me? Treatment superior to others and looks of adoration?" Arthur curled his lip in utter disdain.