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"It was also inspired by Carol that I later drafted a proposal to gather various heroes to protect Earth from unconventional threats."
Nick Fury proudly glanced at the people in front of him, "You guessed it right, it's today's Avengers!!"
Everyone:???
No, what are you so hyped about? Who guessed?
However, Nick Fury obviously did not mention that the codename Avengers was also plagiarized from Carol Danvers' operational codename when she was a pilot.
After all… he also needed to save face.
While sighing with emotion, Captain America and the others couldn't help but look at Nick Fury with complicated expressions. No wonder this old schemer always liked to put on a show of arrogance; it turned out he had such a trump card hidden!
But unlike the others' reactions, Tony Stark didn't feel reassured by this. Instead, he frowned and asked,
"Fury, if you were to compare Thor and this Carol Danvers, who do you think is stronger?"
Nick Fury understood that Tony Stark wanted to accurately assess Carol's combat power to better prepare for the upcoming battle and make more detailed plans.
And this was exactly what he wanted to see.
So, after pondering for a moment, stroking his chin, he said, "If we judge solely by their performance on the battlefield, then Thor and Carol should be four-six…"
"Thor takes six?"
"No, Carol takes six!"
Nick Fury stated truthfully, "If you add in the deployment of the battle and the mastery of the battle rhythm… then Thor only accounts for at most two-tenths."
Hiss~~
Everyone was slightly shocked again, as Thor's power was evident to all.
Not to mention mjolnir, which has the ability to summon thunder and precise navigation, Thor's own immense strength alone was enough to fight Hulk, who had become a demolition expert, to a standstill.
But even such a powerful Thor was still no match for this Carol Danvers.
Is this woman a female Superhuman?
"Tony, Carol's power is beyond doubt." Nick Fury reminded him with conviction, "If it weren't for her, Earth would probably be gone by now."
"Originally, I planned to use this trump card against Kal… ahem, that bastard, but this situation is critical, so I've already contacted Carol in advance. However, whether she can arrive in time is an unknown."
"Because in the past decade or so, Carol has been upholding justice in the Universe, protecting the weak, so no one can be sure which galaxy she is currently in, or how long it will take for her to receive my distress signal."
Captain America and the others now understood Nick Fury's true purpose in gathering them: it was a temporary contingency plan devised in advance to prevent Carol Danvers from being unable to arrive in time!
To avoid any unexpected incidents that would catch everyone off guard.
However, did he just let slip that he wanted to use Carol Danvers to deal with Karl Merks?
Tsk, tsk, this one-eyed black man really loves to hold grudges…
"Fury, if this Carol you speak of cannot arrive in time, it means we will have to face Ronan the Accuser's fleet directly."
Tony Stark frowned, his expression serious as he said, "Assuming the incoming enemy this time is a more powerful interstellar fleet than the Chitauri, then we probably won't have any power to fight back!"
"What do you mean?" Nick Fury looked at him with some displeasure.
Tony Stark continued mercilessly, "Because most of us don't even have the ability to fly, let alone space combat capabilities…"
"What's more, if that lunatic Ronan doesn't plan a ground invasion but instead launches saturation missile strikes from outside the atmosphere directly onto the ground, we will be helpless!"
Captain America and the others all frowned upon hearing this, because what Tony Stark said was entirely correct.
In ground combat, these so-called superheroes could still be somewhat useful.
But once it came to aerial combat, or even space combat, most of them would become as 'useless' as ordinary people.
No, to be precise, except for Tony Stark, who possessed the ability to conduct regular combat in space, even Thor couldn't operate in space for extended periods.
What's more, Thor was currently 'lost and out of contact'…
What?
You said Human Torch could too?
Although Human Torch also possessed the ability to fly, his flames were highly dependent on oxygen for combustion.
This meant that once he entered the oxygen-free environment of space, his flames would automatically extinguish.
So the initiative in this war, even before it began, was firmly in the hands of their enemies.
"You're right…"
Nick Fury uncharacteristically did not argue, sighing helplessly, "Actually, the reason I gathered everyone this time, besides worrying that Carol might not make it back in time, is for another matter."
"That is, to my knowledge, Ronan dared to openly attack Earth again this time, despite Karl's threat, because he recently acquired a powerful weapon called the infinity stones. This has multiplied his strength, and he can use methods far beyond our imagination to destroy Earth!"
"So I'm worried that even if Carol can make it back in time, she might not be able to successfully drive away Ronan's fleet this time!"
A single sentence instantly plunged Captain America and the others' recently improved mood into the abyss.
No, Egghead, this is a bit much!
What the hell do you mean by telling us this?
If even a female Superhuman like Carol Danvers can't do anything about Ronan, then aren't we even more helpless, except to just throw ourselves at him?
"Did you really say 'far beyond our imagination' just now?"
Tony Stark seemed particularly concerned about this phrase. His face, usually meticulously maintained with expensive treatments, was now shrouded in an indescribable gloom.
Black Widow, who knew him best, immediately saw that his severe anxiety about unknown threats, a lingering effect from the Battle of New York, seemed to be on the verge of flaring up again.
Previously, to cure this 'heart ailment,' Tony Stark had secretly spent tens of millions on psychological therapy.
But the final results were all somewhat unsatisfactory.
However, thanks to Pepper's thoughtful companionship and the advent of the Iron Legion, Tony's symptoms were successfully alleviated, helping him emerge from the shadow of anxiety.
Who would have thought that Nick Fury's words today would once again bring back the 'anxiety' that Tony Stark had suppressed deep within him.
"Yes, that's what my informant told me." Nick Fury looked deeply at him, "This time, it will be an extremely severe test for all of us."
"And the reason I'm telling you this is not to pressure you, but just to see how strong your resolve to defend Earth truly is!"
"Excuse me, did you just say 'resolve to defend Earth'?"
Tony Stark sneered, "If you truly think that, then you should proactively call the Vought Corporation, or even the Hyperspace Group… and do your best to persuade Homelander, Karl Merks, and everyone else capable of resisting Ronan's army with us. Only then might we gain a sliver more chance of winning this unequal war!"
"Impossible."
Nick Fury stood up abruptly without thinking, yelling at Tony in exasperation:
"Whether it's Homelander or that bastard Karl Merks, in my eyes, they are no different from Ronan. They are all the root cause of evil, and I absolutely cannot tolerate such individuals becoming heroes to protect Earth… Absolutely not!!"
"Fury, don't you understand yet? Your personal preferences and the grievances between you two don't matter."
Tony Stark exposed him mercilessly on the spot, "What matters is that when facing a life-or-death event, we must learn to be flexible."
Hiss~~
Everyone present secretly broke out in a cold sweat for Tony.
You're truly brave, kid, to dare to speak to that petty black man like that. Aren't you afraid he'll get back at you later?
However, no one dared to speak up for Tony at that moment.
Because everyone, including Captain America, was completely under Nick Fury's thumb.
In other words…
They had no standing whatsoever in front of Nick Fury!
"Other things might be possible…"
Nick Fury remained unmoved, his attitude firm as he roared, "But only on this matter, my principle will not change in the slightest."
"Heh heh…"
Tony Stark laughed in anger, letting out a contemptuous snort from his nostrils, "So that means you'd rather watch Earth be destroyed by Ronan's army than put aside your pride and cooperate with Karl Merks, huh?"
"You…"
Nick Fury's face was exceptionally distorted with extreme anger, his bloodshot single eye glaring fiercely at Tony Stark. He didn't directly answer the question but instead evaded it, saying:
"If even we cannot protect the safety of Earth, protect our cherished family and friends, then the Avengers will have no reason to exist!"
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Nick Fury's words were a final ultimatum. However, Tony Stark slowly stood up and retorted accusingly:
"Listen, a super villain is about to destroy Earth. It doesn't matter who you're willing to ask for help now, I just hope you can still stick to your principles after everyone is dead!"
With that, he ignored Nick Fury's murderous gaze and walked out of the conference room first without looking back.
"Who else wants to defy me like him?"
Nick Fury's single eye widened as he scanned everyone in the conference room. If he had some reservations when facing Tony Stark, the wealthy benefactor who provided money, technology, and people, he had no such concerns when facing Captain America and the others.
If anyone dared to 'jump out' now, he would not hesitate to order them to be locked up in the Raft, the highest security prison, ensuring they would never see the Sun again until the day they died of old age.
"Since no one objects, everyone can go prepare."
Nick Fury, having regained his 'dignity' among the others, waved his hand impatiently. Captain America and the others, seeing this, glumly exited the conference room and headed to the S.H.I.E.L.D. armory specifically prepared for them to select weapons and equipment they might need in the upcoming battle.
"Officer, that…"
After all the Avengers had left, Maria Hill secretly glanced at her boss's face, then cautiously said,
"Should we inform the public about Ronan's arrival on Earth so they can prepare for evacuation?"
"Motherfucker, do you not have a brain?!"
Nick Fury, still in a fit of rage, immediately unleashed a torrent of abuse, "Telling those commoners in advance will only cause widespread panic, and it will serve no other purpose… What's more, compared to Earth's imminent danger, who cares about the lives of these ants right now?!"
"Yes, I… I understand."
Maria Hill nodded timidly, about to quietly exit the conference room, when her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. Taking it out, her expression instantly became complicated.
"Ahem, Officer, it seems something has happened."
"Damn it, didn't I tell you I hate riddles? Can't you just say what happened?"
"Okay." Maria Hill swallowed, then bravely said, "Just now, The Daily Bugle issued a warning that Ronan's fleet is about to attack Earth!"
"What did you say?!"
Nick Fury's voice became extremely sharp with anger. He abruptly stood up, snatched the tablet from Maria Hill's hand, and looked at the live broadcast playing on it.
In the video, John Jameson was speaking volubly to the camera: "Dear viewers, just now, we received a very astonishing piece of news from an insider: an alien fleet is currently heading towards Earth!"
"This Kree Empire interstellar fleet, led by Ronan the Accuser, is expected to arrive on Earth in one day and will likely launch a direct attack on Earth."
"And this is not Ronan the Accuser's first attack on Earth; in fact, he personally led a fleet to invade Earth more than a decade ago…"