Nick Fury heard those words and his expression twitched slightly. He didn't respond immediately, but a sudden sense of unease crept into his chest. Even the hand gripping the metal box tightened unconsciously.
He had believed he was acting flawlessly, carefully controlling every detail of the situation. Yet he had no idea that every subtle reaction had already been noticed by Ethan. Watching Fury's minute changes in expression, Ethan suddenly chuckled.
"In the end, you're still someone who built his career on careful scheming," Ethan said casually. "Even in a moment like this, you can still think that fast. Among ordinary people, that level of awareness already makes you exceptional."
His tone was calm, but the faint amusement in his voice made the words sound almost mocking.
"Unfortunately," Ethan continued, folding his arms while leaning slightly to the side, "it seems you never really took my warning seriously."
"I told you before that S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been infiltrated like a sieve by Hydra," he added slowly. "So why didn't you conduct a full internal purge? Were you really that confident the person carrying the real Cube was loyal to you?"
Ethan's smile widened faintly.
"What if that person just happens to be one of Hydra's agents?"
He stood there with his arms folded, looking completely relaxed, as if time itself didn't matter to him at all.
Nick Fury's face finally changed.
An ominous feeling rose in his chest, and his instincts told him something was wrong. Just as that thought crossed his mind, the communicator at his waist suddenly rang.
He immediately picked it up and pressed it to his ear.
Within seconds, Fury's face darkened dramatically.
"So," Ethan said with a grin, "did I guess correctly?"
The smile on Ethan's face became more and more obvious.
To Fury, that expression looked like naked ridicule.
"Damn it," Fury muttered under his breath.
He immediately turned toward the agents beside him.
"Go after the man who just left," Fury ordered sharply. "He's Hydra. Don't let him escape."
"But Director, what about your safety here—"
"Forget about me," Fury snapped. "Do what I said. Go now."
"Yes, Director!"
The agents reacted instantly.
Without hesitation, the entire group rushed back the way they had come, running toward the facility to pursue the fleeing operative. Within seconds, the once-crowded parking lot fell silent.
Now only two people remained standing there.
Ethan Cole.
And Nick Fury.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Ethan still wore the same calm smile, his posture relaxed as if he were merely enjoying a casual conversation. Fury, on the other hand, looked grim and tense, his expression dark and unpleasant.
After several seconds of silence, Fury finally broke it.
"What exactly do you want the Cosmic Cube for?"
Ethan shrugged casually.
"Maybe I'll hang it from my ceiling as a chandelier," he said with a faint grin. "Or maybe I'll use it to develop superweapons. Maybe I'll just use it to study the structure of the universe."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But honestly… who knows?"
Hearing that answer only made Fury more uneasy.
"That thing absolutely cannot fall into your hands," Fury said firmly. "If you really use it to develop superweapons, it could become a disaster for all humanity."
Ethan didn't look offended in the slightest.
Instead, he simply smiled again.
"You shouldn't say that with such certainty," he replied calmly. "Human beings are a strange species. Sometimes they quietly accept whatever fate throws at them. Other times they suddenly unite because of an external threat."
His eyes drifted toward the distant research facility behind them.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. already knows about the existence of aliens," Ethan continued. "Compared to me, those civilizations out there are the real threats. Yet look at human society right now. Everything is still the same."
"When aliens eventually arrive, what exactly are you planning to use to resist them?" he asked. "The experimental weapons being built in that lab underground?"
Nick Fury's face shifted slightly.
What troubled him wasn't just Ethan's words, but the fact that Ethan clearly knew far more than he should.
Ethan continued speaking calmly.
"Instead of waiting for alien forces to threaten you," he said, "it might actually be better to let someone like me threaten you instead."
He gave a faint smile.
"At least my threat is visible. My existence would keep humanity alert, like a clock that's constantly wound tight. Every second you'd be motivated to grow stronger."
"So if you think about it that way," Ethan added lightly, "the Cosmic Cube might actually be safest in my hands."
Nick Fury naturally had no intention of accepting such twisted reasoning.
In fact, by this point he had already lost interest in arguing.
"The Cosmic Cube cannot be given to you," Fury said flatly. "I suggest you abandon any other ideas. If you continue to threaten national security like this, then—"
"Then what?" Ethan interrupted.
His smile became even brighter.
"Are you planning to use force against me?" he asked. "Honestly, I'd love to see that."
Nick Fury's words suddenly caught in his throat.
For a moment he couldn't say anything at all.
Just then, another sound echoed through the empty parking lot.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The sharp rhythm of high heels striking concrete approached from the distance.
The sound grew closer and closer until a figure appeared at the entrance to the parking area.
A tall, slender woman walked in calmly.
She wore high heels and a fitted combat suit that accentuated her full, graceful figure. A long cape hung from her shoulders, swaying gently as she moved. Her face, however, remained expressionless.
Most importantly, she carried a metal box identical to the one in Fury's hand.
The moment Fury saw it, his pupils shrank.
Even his body trembled slightly.
The woman was Jean Grey.
Jean walked straight toward Ethan without speaking. Her face showed no emotion at all as she stopped beside him and handed him the box.
Ethan took it casually.
He opened the container.
Inside lay a quiet blue cube.
The Cosmic Cube.
Ethan reached out and gently touched it.
The surface felt warm, almost like smooth jade. The moment his fingers made contact, he sensed an immense ocean of energy hidden inside.
With a simple thought, his consciousness brushed against that power.
For a brief instant, it felt as though he could glimpse a tiny corner of the vast universe itself.
"Good," Ethan said softly.
He closed the box again.
Turning toward Fury, he smiled faintly and lifted the container slightly.
"See?" he said.
"I didn't take it from you."
He gave the box a small shake.
"I took it from Hydra."
"And that makes it my spoils of war."
"So don't go accusing me of threatening national security again."
.....
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