◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones. or 500 Collections
◇ You can read 90 chapter ahead on P@treon of which 10 are free Chapters. if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
------------------------------------------------
"Motherfucker?!"
Nick Fury was almost stunned. He couldn't understand how John Jameson had gotten this information, and immediately cursed:
"This solidifies it, there must be an insider in S.H.I.E.L.D.! Otherwise, how could this damn old loudmouth know about this?"
However, his heart quickly jumped into his throat.
Nick Fury couldn't even bother to think about where John Jameson had learned the top-secret information that Ronan had previously invaded Earth.
Instead, he was extremely afraid that this guy would expose the identity of Captain Marvel, whom he regarded as his strongest trump card, in front of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of viewers in the live broadcast room.
Because anyone who knew about Ronan's invasion of Earth would very likely also know that Captain Marvel had stopped Ronan's invasion at that time.
After all, these two events are inextricably linked.
If Carol Danvers' existence and identity were truly exposed in public, then Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. would undoubtedly fall into an extremely passive and awkward situation.
It's even possible that all the effort he had put into cultivating his image and making arrangements over the past decade or so would go to waste.
This was definitely not an exaggeration.
Not to mention whether the Security Council, upon learning this news, would force Nick Fury to hand over the pager that could call Captain Marvel for rescue at any time, and initiate corresponding investigations into dereliction of duty and accountability.
The mere existence of Captain Marvel alone would be enough to trigger an unprecedented wave of public opinion among global citizens.
If the global public and various countries truly knew that Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. had always held Captain Marvel, this'strongest trump card,' in their hands.
But when faced with various disasters and large-scale alien invasions, they still chose to 'turn a blind eye,' allowing the lives and property of people in various countries to suffer huge losses and destruction in one disaster after another...
Not only would S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reputation plummet, instantly becoming the target of public criticism, and even becoming an outlet for people to vent negative emotions and inner fears!
Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who usually liked to put on a high and mighty appearance, would most likely be asked by the Security Council to step down immediately.
Even if he and S.H.I.E.L.D. had made considerable contributions in responding to various disasters before, it would be of no avail.
Not only that.
It is very likely that as subsequent events continue to escalate, the awakened global public will not remember Nick Fury's 'goodness' because of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s so-called achievements over the years.
Instead, they will regard each and every one of these incidents as 'ironclad proof' that Nick Fury embezzled hundreds of billions of dollars in annual funds.
Public: He could have directly called Captain Marvel to quickly resolve the disaster, but he insisted on putting on a 'melodramatic show' of united and difficult resistance in front of the World.
Who the hell are you acting for?
So, at this moment, Nick Fury truly couldn't remain calm. He was a little panicked and kept praying in his heart that John Jameson would not reveal any information related to Carol Danvers.
He even wanted to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich when it encounters danger, choosing to close the video to deceive himself.
However, just when everyone in the live broadcast room thought John Jameson would next explain the details of the previous Earth invasion.
Who would have thought that this guy, who always liked to play by his own rules, for some unknown reason, actually skipped the part about Carol Danvers directly.
Then, putting on a righteous expression, he continued, "According to that reliable source, Ronan's purpose for this trip is to seize the Tesseract, which previously directly triggered the Battle of New York…"
Upon hearing this, Nick Fury instantly looked like someone who had survived a catastrophe, his face filled with inexpressible joy. He let out a long sigh of relief in his heart and jokingly said to Maria Hill, who was looking bewildered beside him:
"Hmph, it seems I worried too much. This old loudmouth probably doesn't know anything about Carol, otherwise, with his style, he would have said it on the spot."
However, before Maria Hill could speak, John Jameson continued:
"And that Tesseract is currently in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, which means… as long as S.H.I.E.L.D. proactively hands over that Tesseract, which has caused disasters multiple times, Earth might successfully avoid this crisis!!"
Σ(°△°|||)︴
WTF???
The smile on Nick Fury's face instantly froze. No, what the hell are you talking about?
The Tesseract has clearly been taken back to Asgard by Thor, hasn't it?
If you don't know, don't talk nonsense!
Wait a minute!
Something's not right, let me sort this out properly.
Nick Fury quickly realized that John Jameson said that not because he didn't know that the Tesseract was no longer in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands.
On the contrary, this guy must have already learned from other sources (specifically from Karl) that the Tesseract had been taken back to Asgard by Thor.
So the question is.
Since John Jameson clearly knew that the Tesseract was not in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, why did he deliberately say that just now?
There is only one truth, and that is... this guy was simply taking the opportunity to throw dirt on S.H.I.E.L.D. and himself.
"Motherfucker, I can guarantee on my honor that this old loudmouth has no good intentions."
Nick Fury cursed at the tablet, "He's trying to put me and S.H.I.E.L.D. on the hot seat!"
"Hmm, what does that mean?" Maria Hill looked at her boss with a blank expression. The latter, seeing this, said angrily:
"The public only knows that the Tesseract was recovered by our S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Battle of New York, but almost no one knows that the Tesseract was ultimately taken back to Asgard by Thor."
"So, in the public's eyes, the Tesseract is still in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands…"
"And now, after this shameless old loudmouth's deliberate guidance, all the blame will undoubtedly be directed at S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing us to hand over the Tesseract."
Maria Hill also reacted at this moment, her eyes wide with shock, exclaiming, "So, if we can't produce the Tesseract before Ronan's fleet arrives, no matter the outcome, S.H.I.E.L.D. will become a scapegoat blamed by thousands?!"
"Exactly."
Nick Fury said fiercely, "Needless to say, such a malicious scheme must have been ordered by Karl Merks to this old loudmouth."
"Officer, then… what should we do next?"
Maria Hill said nervously, "Should we immediately issue a public clarification, or directly ask the Security Council to come forward to refute the rumors and warn The Daily Bugle?"
Ever since General Ross became Secretary of State, S.H.I.E.L.D. had completely lost its ability to sanction The Daily Bugle.
To be precise, ever since The Daily Bugle joined Hyperspace Group, Nick Fury had already been hesitant to act against The Daily Bugle at will.
However, at that time, he could still pull some disgusting little tricks behind the scenes.
But as The Daily Bugle's popularity and fan base grew, Nick Fury had to be more cautious when dealing with related issues.
There was no way around it. Even if he didn't care about being 'cursed at' by hundreds of thousands of people, he had to consider whether the Security Council would cut the next quarter's funding if it faced public pressure!
So, in fact, for a long time, Nick Fury had already been lenient with The Daily Bugle for the sake of 'money'.
But who would have thought that the other party would go even further this time.
A somewhat provoked Nick Fury chuckled and shook his head, "No need to issue an announcement yet, and no need to involve the Security Council. Let this old loudmouth gloat for a while, shall we?"
"Huh?" Maria Hill was instantly dumbfounded. "Then won't the public quickly turn their attention to us?"
"It's alright, we don't need to pay attention to him for now."
Nick Fury waved his hand indifferently, confidently stating, "As long as Carol can return in time tomorrow, not only can this crisis be successfully resolved, but it can also be used as an opportunity to severely damage The Daily Bugle's momentum and ruin John Jameson's reputation."
"What if… what if Carol doesn't make it back in time?" Maria Hill asked cautiously.
"Uh?"
Nick Fury's mouth twitched slightly, and he gave his capable deputy a somewhat displeased glare. She really knew how to bring up sensitive topics.
After a pause, he said domineeringly, "Don't worry, Hill, if that unfortunate situation really does occur… I will take action!!"
"Huh???"
Maria Hill looked at Nick Fury, who seemed possessed by a domineering aura, and really wanted to ask, are you going to take action to see who dies faster?
However, she only dared to think such thoughts in her heart and did not dare to ask them aloud.
But what she didn't know was that Nick Fury had some confidence in saying this.
If Carol really couldn't make it back at the critical moment, he would directly negotiate with Ronan and tell him without hesitation... the Tesseract had indeed been taken back to Asgard by Thor!
Yes.
Nick Fury's so-called 'I will take action' was actually just a lightning-fast surrender...
Of course, he would never let the people on Earth see this scene, after all, it wasn't something glorious.
...
Meanwhile, in Subspace.
A giant Celestials head floated in mid-air.
The desperate residents who originally lived in Nowhere were now trembling with fear at the bizarre sights in Subspace.
The'sky' was filled with the shimmering, varying-sized light of soul reflections, like stars, while below were vast, partitioned areas.
Among them were enchanting realms surrounded by six concentric circular palaces.
There were also massive fortresses standing in fields filled with boiling rivers of blood and piles of bloody corpses.
There was also the Crystal Labyrinth, completely covered by a magical mist, and a green garden overgrown with weeds...
But all of the above were still somewhat normal. What truly terrified and chilled everyone was that in the vast open area at the center of this dimension, there were countless demons.
"Damn it, what the hell is this place, why are there demons here?"
"It must be the doing of the owner of that voice from before…"
"Never mind that, this eerie place looks abnormal, we should hurry and find a way to escape."
"There's a dimensional rift over there, we should be able to escape through it…"
It was only then that everyone remembered Karl's earlier warning, but it was all too late.
Before everyone could escape Subspace aboard their flying vehicles through the Eye of Terror Rift, which spanned across the heavens and Earth in the distance, Tzeentch appeared before them.
"Welcome to Subspace. Since you ignored Boss's kind reminder earlier, it means you voluntarily joined Subspace."
Tzeentch adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and pointed to the several huge factories in the public area below, saying, "Now, let your new life begin!!"
Then, he shifted his gaze to the giant head, and couldn't help but marvel, "I never thought such a rare species existed in this Universe. It would be great if I could find a living specimen someday."
...
Sokovia.
In the grand exhibition hall.
"Boss, this Sovereign Birthing Pod is a defective product…"
Carina, the new curator, introduced to Karl, who was standing in front of a display case containing a golden, cocoon-shaped mysterious device:
"Tiwan bought this discarded item from Lady Ayesha, the High Priestess of Sovereign Star, for a billion currency a few years ago. I heard they've already developed a more perfect new generation!"
"So it's a piece of junk?!"
A hint of disappointment flashed in Karl's eyes.
However, it made sense. With the arrogant and conceited personality of the Sovereign High Priestess, who would even pay a hefty price to hire the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight off Invaders rather than see a Sovereign die, how could she possibly sell the new birthing pod containing Adam Warlock to The Collector?
After all, Adam Warlock was a 'perfect artificial human' created by the Enclave organization, just like her, and was regarded by Ayesha as the key to the next evolution of the Sovereign people.
But just thinking of Adam Warlock made Karl Can't help it want to laugh.