"So, what do you need?" Max asked after laughing his ass off.
"Already told you. Can your game track down the Hydra and help me find info about Hydra within my organization?" Fury asked as Max looked at him.
"I also said I can't do that," Max replied.
"Can't or wouldn't?" Fury asked, narrowing his eye.
"Can't. I have no control over my own game. That's why it's fun and exciting—it's a self-evolving world based on how players interact with it. They shape its course, not me. There's no set ending, just an blank sheet filled with stories painted by the players," Max explained.
Fury stared at him, processing his words.
Fury crossed his arms, clearly not satisfied with Max's answer. "So you're telling me that you created a game so advanced that even you, its creator, have no control over it?"
Max smirked and leaned back on his chair. "Exactly. That's what makes it different from any other game. It's not just some pre-programmed world—it's alive, constantly evolving based on player actions. Even I can't predict what will happen next."
Fury exhaled sharply. "That's a load of crap, kid. Every system has a backdoor. Every program has an override."
Max chuckled. "Maybe, but not this one. The game's core is based on an evolving AI that adapts beyond my input. If I tried to interfere now, it could collapse the entire structure. The only thing I can do is shut it down completely—and trust me, neither you nor the millions of players would want that."
Fury rubbed his temples in frustration. "So what you're saying is, Hydra might already be inside your game, and we have no way of tracking them?"
Max shrugged. "If they're playing, then yeah, they're just like everyone else. No special treatment. If you really want to take them down, you'll have to play the game yourself and find them like everyone else does."
Fury scoffed. "You expect me to waste time playing a damn video game to hunt down terrorists?"
Max smirked. "Hey, I thought you were a man of strategy, Director. Adapt and overcome, right?"
Fury narrowed his eye at Max. He hated the idea, but he knew the kid was right. If Hydra was using the game to communicate, recruit, or hide their movements, then the best way to catch them was to dive in himself.
"...Fine. Get me an account."
Max grinned. "Now that's the spirit. Welcome to the new battlefield, Director."
"And as for an account, just go buy a set and log in," Max said as Fury glared at him.
"Don't give me that. Provide me with a developer account with the best class and overpowered abilities," Fury demanded.
Max let out a laugh. "What are you, a kid?" he asked mockingly.
Fury scowled. "I'm serious, kid. I don't have time to grind levels and unlock hidden classes like some basement-dwelling gamer."
Max smirked, leaning back in his chair. "And I'm serious too. No special treatment. If you want power in my game, you earn it like everyone else."
Fury clicked his tongue in irritation. "Dammit, kid. Do you realize how much of a pain this is? I need to root out Hydra agents hiding within SHIELD, and your game has somehow become the perfect tool for it. If I can get the right abilities, I can track them down faster."
Max sighed. "I told you, the game has its own evolving system. I don't control it. Even I have to play fair inside it."
Fury narrowed his eye. "So you really can't interfere?"
Max shook his head. "Nope. The game's core mechanics are beyond my reach. I can shut it down entirely, but that's the only real control I have over it now."
Fury crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Tch… Fine. Then I'll play it your way."
Max grinned. "Good. Now, go buy your own game set like a normal person. And don't come crying to me when you die to level-one mobs."
Fury groaned, rubbing his temples. "I hate you, kid."
Max simply chuckled. "Love you too, Uncle Fury."
"Are other Avengers playing it too?" Fury asked, a glint of interest in his eye.
Max smirked. "Plenty. Even Captain America has been secretly enjoying it from time to time."
Fury nodded. "So I guess I can delegate this task..."
Max raised an eyebrow, leaning back with a knowing smirk. "You were about to ask me to do all the work, weren't you?"
Fury scoffed. "You're a pain in the ass, kid."
Max chuckled. "And yet, you keep coming back to me."
Fury sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. If you're not going to help directly, at least point me in the right direction."
Max smirked. "You already have the tools, Fury. If Hydra is using my game to recruit or communicate, that means they're either exploiting the market system or running operations through guilds. Track the transactions, check for unusual guild activities, and boom—you've got your leads."
Fury narrowed his eyes. "You make it sound so easy."
Max shrugged. "It is easy… for someone with SHIELD's resources. I designed the game to be self-evolving, but it still operates within logic. Follow the data."
Fury grunted. "And if I need something more direct?"
Max leaned back with a smug grin. "Then buy an account, log in, and play like the rest of us."
Fury scowled. "Not happening."
Max laughed. "Come on, wouldn't you like to be a shadowy mastermind in-game too?"
Fury groaned, shaking his head. "I'm too old for this shit."
Max smirked but didn't press further. He already knew Fury would have his agents running full-scale investigations inside the game soon.
"Alright, kid. You've given me enough. But don't think this conversation is over," Fury said, turning to leave.
Max watched him go with an amused expression. "It never is."
Max watched Fury leave as Phil nodded at him before following.
"Phil has gotten stronger," Max mumbled, watching Phil's back. The last time they met, Max had turned him into a vampire, and now Phil seemed quite sturdy.
"He must have learned to control his powers," Max mused as he shook his head and went back inside to get ready for the day.
***
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