On the interstate highway in Virginia, the night was deep.
"Boom—"
A massive engine roar tore through the silence.
A ball of fire sped down the highway at a speed unlike any ground vehicle. At the center of the flames was a burning Skull riding a harley that was also enveloped in fire, leaving a charred trail on the asphalt wherever he passed.
High-speed surveillance cameras along the route recorded this scene, and the footage was immediately transmitted to the command center at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters.
"It's him... that damn burning Skull!"
Alexander Pierce stared intently at the screen, his teeth gritting together. He couldn't forget how, a few months ago, Rumlow, the Commander of his elite STRIKE Team, was burned to ashes in the street by this Monster.
"Why is he coming toward Washington?" The muscles on Pierce's face twitched slightly.
"Officer, according to heat signature and speed analysis, he... he is the legendary Ghost Rider," a HYDRA Agent reported in a trembling voice.
"I don't care what he is!" Pierce roared. "Last time we were ill-prepared and let him escape. This time, I won't make the same mistake!"
He turned to Rollins in the Shadow, his tone cold.
"Rollins! Take the energy weapons prepared for him and take your team! Don't think about capturing him alive; kill him! Erase him from this World!"
"Understood."
...Meanwhile, at the Georgetown safehouse.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Steve was wiping his shield, Natasha was maintaining her weapons, and Bucky sat quietly to the side, staring blankly at his metal arm.
The door was pushed open, and Sam Wilson, the Falcon, walked in carrying a metal case, a hint of gravity on his face.
"Guys, guess what I saw? That legendary Ghost Rider is coming toward Washington."
Sam opened the tactical computer on his wrist and pulled up a blurry surveillance screenshot.
"A friend I planted inside S.H.I.E.L.D. just sent an encrypted message. An hour ago, the Ghost Rider appeared in Virginia and is heading our way at full speed. Pierce has already sent the STRIKE Team to intercept him with orders to... kill on sight."
Steve and Natasha exchanged a look.
"Lin, the snake catcher you mentioned is Johnny. When did you contact him?"
Only Lin Huai showed no surprise when he saw the screenshot.
He slowly stood up, walked to the screen, and stared at the blurry ball of Fire, saying with a strange expression:
"This episode... I seem to have seen it before."
"What?" Sam didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing." Lin Huai suddenly snapped back to reality and slapped his thigh. "Our 'snake catcher' is here, but it looks like he's about to be bitten by the snake. We need to go meet him."
He immediately pulled several pieces of White paper from his pocket, his fingers flying as he picked up scissors. With a few snips, he created several paper effigy with wings on their backs in seconds.
"Let's go, we're going to watch a great show."
...Half an hour later, at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Washington.
A black SUV parked silently on a distant hill. Several crooked paper effigy were stuck to the vehicle, emitting a faint light that hid the entire car along with the heat signatures inside.
Inside the car, Steve, Natasha, and Sam each held high-powered binoculars, staring intently at the factory in the distance.
"My god... it's really him..." Sam's voice was trembling. "The Ghost Rider is actually your companion? Is he really the one you mentioned before... Johnny?"
In the factory clearing, the Ghost Rider was surrounded by a dozen fully armed STRIKE Team members. The energy rifles in the soldiers' hands flickered with blue light, clearly specialized weapons.
"Fire!"
At the Commander's order, dozens of high-energy beams interlaced, instantly engulfing the Ghost Rider.
"Is it over?" one member asked uncertainly.
The dust cleared, and the Ghost Rider was still standing where he was, without a single scratch on him (though the hem of his clothes was slightly dirty). His burning Skull tilted slightly.
"Roar—!"
He opened his jaw and let out a roar.
In the next second, he instantly charged into the crowd. burning chains danced in his hands; with every swing came the scream of a HYDRA Agent. Their energy weapons melted into molten iron the moment they touched the Hellfire.
One Agent tried to sneak attack from behind, but the Ghost Rider suddenly looked back. The Agent's body froze instantly as countless images were reflected in his eyes. Then, his body ignited from the inside out with pale flames, turning into a charred skeleton in seconds.
In the car, Sam watched, dumbfounded.
In less than a minute, the entire STRIKE Team was wiped out.
The Ghost Rider stood amidst the wreckage, the flames on his body gradually dying out as he reverted to the form of Johnny Blaze. He knelt on the ground exhausted, gasping for air.
"The performance is over; it's our turn to take the stage."
Lin Huai pushed open the car door and stepped out.
Johnny heard footsteps and looked up warily, seeing a familiar face looking at him with a hint of a smile.
"Good job, Johnny." Lin Huai walked up to him and opened his arms.
Johnny stunned for a moment, then stood up and gave Lin Huai a powerful hug.
"I'm here."
"Welcome back to the Tough Guy Squad." Lin Huai patted him on the back. "Let's go. We'll change locations; we have a lot to talk about."
...Triskelion Headquarters, secret command center.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
Alexander Pierce smashed an antique vase onto the floor, shards flying everywhere. He looked at the charred battlefield on the screen, his whole body trembling.
His elite squad, along with the specially developed equipment, hadn't even lasted five minutes against a Monster.
"Sitwell!"
"Here, Officer."
"Go search! Pull out all the secret files Fury left about the Ghost Rider! All the myths, legends, sighting reports, and weakness analyses! I must find a way to deal with this thing!" Pierce was acting like a madman.
Just then, the light in the room seemed to dim for a moment.
The shadow Pierce cast on the floor began to twist and stretch unnaturally.
An old gentleman in a three-piece suit, with his hair combed meticulously and leaning on a silver-headed cane, slowly rose from Pierce's shadow.
He had a warm smile on his face, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable.
Pierce looked nervously at the impeccably dressed white gentleman before him, his hand silently reaching for his drawer.
"You seem to have encountered a little difficulty, mortal."
The old gentleman's voice was very gentle, yet it caused the temperature in the room to drop by several degrees.
"Perhaps we can cooperate."
He opened a mouth filled with sharp teeth, and with a light tap of his cane on the floor, the desk in front of Pierce was instantly turned to ash.
"Don't be nervous!"