The Quinjet spiraled downward onto the road, but Barton managed to stabilize it enough to ensure a horizontal landing. Thanks to the specialized materials of the jet, it didn't disintegrate or explode upon impact.
Barton immediately opened the hatch, and Natasha, Chen Haoran, Brock Rumlow, and Barton himself quickly exited the jet.
Watching the convoy speeding away, Natasha said, "Chase them. There's an interception team at the next block; they won't get far."
The four immediately sprinted at full speed, with Barton, having used physical enhancers from the Charles Agency, running even faster than the rest.
Carrying his longbow, Barton kept glancing at the sky as he ran but saw nothing.
"Who just shot us down?" he asked.
Natasha replied, "I didn't see, but the attack method resembles the Chitauri army's weapons. Maybe someone got hold of their laser weapons and activated them."
Chen Haoran and Brock Rumlow added, "We were inside the cabin and didn't notice the attack."
Barton shook his head. "No, the attack didn't come from the ground. It was fired from the air."
Hearing this, everyone looked up at the sky but saw nothing.
Natasha, thinking for a moment, said, "When we catch up with the target, be on guard against aerial attacks."
"Understood!"
…
Meanwhile, T'Challa had witnessed SHIELD's jet trying to intercept him. Despite his disdain for SHIELD's outdated technology, their use of a jet showed they were serious about eliminating him.
Inside his Black Panther helmet, T'Challa's expression was grim. Even though the jet had been shot down, he couldn't understand why SHIELD was so relentless, first sending a large force to attack him and now deploying a jet.
What was SHIELD's objective?
As T'Challa pondered, Okoye reported, "Prince, Doraka says there's a roadblock ahead. Our cars might not be able to break through."
Hearing Okoye's report, T'Challa's face darkened further inside his helmet. After a brief silence, he said, "Have the airborne unit destroy the roadblock and checkpoint. I don't believe they can stop us after a bombardment."
"Understood!"
At the intersection, SHIELD agents had laid down spike strips and net barriers, with three cars positioned as a secondary blockade. Additionally, two armored vehicles with heavy machine guns were stationed by the roadside, gunners ready and aiming at the approaching Maybach convoy.
A team was on the way to provide backup, ensuring the convoy had no escape.
One agent, holding a loudspeaker, stood in the middle of the road. Soon, he spotted the approaching Maybachs.
"This is your final warning. Stop your vehicles immediately and submit to inspection. This is your final warning. Stop your vehicles immediately and submit to inspection. This is your final warning. Stop your vehicles immediately and submit to inspection."
As the SHIELD agent prepared to give further orders, the Maybach convoy ahead surprisingly came to a halt as ordered.
Seeing this, the SHIELD agents breathed a sigh of relief. However, in that moment, multiple laser beams shot down from the sky.
"Zing! Zing! Zing!"
Several blue lasers rained down, and the agents saw a flash of blue light before losing consciousness.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The lasers, relentless, struck with precision. Armored vehicles were blasted away, and the ground interception equipment was vaporized, leaving nothing behind. The cars used as barriers were also obliterated.
The SHIELD agents and task force members who had prepared to attack were nearly all killed or incapacitated in the assault.
Wakanda's invisible aircraft bombarded the area for a full minute, ensuring all threats were neutralized before halting the attack and disappearing once more.
Seeing that the enemies were eliminated, Doraka started the vehicle and ordered, "Move out!"
The convoy continued towards their safehouse, now only three blocks away. As the convoy sped away, Barton and his team arrived at the intersection.
The sight before them was devastating, causing them to stop in their tracks.
Chen Haoran exclaimed, "What kind of enemy did they face?"
Brock Rumlow, after a moment of silence, said, "It took us less than three minutes to get here. The battle ended too quickly."
Barton ran ahead, calling out, "Check if anyone's still alive." The three began inspecting the scene for survivors.
Meanwhile, Natasha contacted SHIELD headquarters to report the situation and ask for further instructions.
…
At SHIELD's Triskelion-
In the operations room, the team watched the final moments of the interception team's footage in silence. Hill spoke up, "Have we identified the owners of those five Maybachs?"
An agent at a computer responded, "Ma'am, the vehicle information is untraceable; the plates are likely fake. We're currently tracking the history of those plates to find any leads."
Hill frowned and ordered, "Access nearby street cameras. I want to know where they're headed. Where's the support team? Tell them to hurry up. Also, dispatch ten Quinjets for interception support."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As Hill issued commands, Nick Fury entered the room, glanced at the team, and asked, "What's the status?"
Hill played the previous footage and explained, "The situation is dire. The enemy has weapons similar to the Chitauri army's lasers. From the angles of the shots, it seems they're attacking from the sky. However, our intel and radar have detected nothing. I suspect they have cloaking technology, possibly more advanced than ours."
Nick Fury watched the video, silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Can the Helicarrier take off now?"
Hill shook her head. "The Helicarrier is still under repair, and the other units aren't operational yet. Natasha's Quinjet was shot down, and we've lost track of the target."
Nick Fury's expression grew serious. He had always believed that superpowered entities on Earth were individually stronger than SHIELD but hadn't anticipated encountering technologically superior adversaries.
The Black Panther's capabilities were beyond his expectations.
Reflecting on the mysterious disappearance of their previous target, Fury realized that the enemy must have used invisible aircraft for their escape.