The man who had just been shoved through the seal by Captain Marvel glanced at Adrian and Hela with a helpless expression.
Then he casually picked up a small hamburger from the ground.
"I haven't had lunch yet," he said.
"Mind if I take one?"
"Suit yourself."
Adrian shrugged indifferently.
Carol frowned slightly.
"You still don't believe what they said?"
"If I didn't believe it at all," the man replied calmly, "I wouldn't have brought half a dozen agents and a truck full of equipment here."
He took a bite of the hamburger.
His face immediately twisted.
"Damn—!"
He spat it out instantly.
"This thing's spoiled!"
"Why does it smell like a chemical weapon?!"
Carol ignored the food disaster and continued questioning him.
"So what's your conclusion?"
The agents outside the seal were already laying down cables and testing signal equipment.
It looked ridiculous—
Trying to connect the internet to a magical prison.
"You're still young."
The man smiled faintly.
Then he walked toward Adrian and extended his hand.
"Hello."
"Nick Fury."
Nick Fury.
"Now tell me something I'm curious about."
He studied Adrian carefully.
"A man sealed inside a mystical prison for who knows how long…"
"…how exactly does he know about the internet?"
The question came out casually.
But the trap inside it was obvious.
Carol had only briefly explained the situation earlier.
And Fury had already found a logical flaw.
If Adrian had truly been sealed here for years—
How could he possibly know about modern technology?
But Adrian did not seem surprised.
"You don't think she's the only one who can leave the seal, do you?"
Nick Fury's confident smile froze.
"…Meaning?"
Carol suddenly blinked.
"Wait."
"When I first landed here…"
"You asked whether I was the woman who could rival Odin."
"And you said no."
She slowly pointed toward Hela.
"Which means…"
Carol's words instantly destroyed Fury's logical trap.
If another being inside the seal could leave temporarily—
Then Adrian's knowledge of the outside world was no longer suspicious.
Nick Fury sighed.
"Well played."
"I apologize."
He admitted the mistake easily.
Though the doubts in his mind had not fully disappeared.
After all—
The world had already changed dramatically.
First aliens.
Then interstellar wars.
Now ancient mythology seemed to be real too.
"Setting that aside," Fury said,
"It'll take some time before your internet experiment is ready."
Carol had already dragged several sofas into the sealed area.
She sat down and looked at Adrian expectantly.
"So…"
"Why don't you start explaining your story?"
Adrian stared at the sofas.
Then at the tea set someone had brought in.
"…Are we hosting a talk show now?"
Nick Fury raised his hand politely.
"May I sit in?"
Carol quickly spoke.
"He's a friend—an intelligence agent who handles external matters—"
"Nick Fury can stay."
Adrian answered immediately.
Carol blinked.
"…What?"
The answer sounded strangely specific.
"What he means," Hela said calmly,
"is that you can step outside…"
"…and let your real self come in."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You inferior shapeshifting creature."
Before anyone could react—
Hela appeared directly in front of Fury.
She grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Carol jumped up instantly.
"Stop!"
But something unexpected happened.
The man in Hela's hand suddenly changed.
His skin turned green.
His facial structure shifted.
"Talos?!"
Carol froze.
"What are you doing disguised as Nick Fury?!"
The green-skinned alien coughed helplessly.
This was Talos.
A member of the shapeshifting Skrulls.
"He made me do it," Talos wheezed.
He pulled off a small communicator and handed it to Carol.
A familiar voice came through the device.
"Carol…"
"Mind stepping outside for a second?"
Nick Fury's voice sounded exhausted.
Click.
Carol crushed the communicator in her hand.
Without saying anything, she grabbed the disguised Skrull and flew back out through the seal.
A few seconds later—
She returned.
This time carrying a soot-faced man holding an orange cat.
This one—
Was clearly the real Nick Fury.
Because Adrian's system triggered instantly.
[Flerken Questline — Debt Repayment]
Stuff any major part of your body into the mouth of the Flerken.
[Motherf— Quest Series: The Skeptic's Trust]
Increase Nick Fury's trust level above 50%.
Adrian stared at the mission panel.
"…How exactly am I supposed to get Nick Fury to trust me halfway?"
If the target had been anyone else—
It would have been easy.
But Nick Fury?
The man who would eventually become director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
After surviving both the Kree–Skrull conflict and multiple alien encounters—
The man had practically turned paranoia into an art form.
This was someone who didn't even fully trust Carol.
Getting his trust to fifty percent?
That basically meant earning the confidence of the most suspicious man on Earth.
"…Still."
"It's not impossible."
Adrian suddenly remembered something.
Nick Fury had already begun considering the formation of a team.
A group capable of protecting Earth from extraordinary threats.
Something like—
The Avengers.
As for the other mission…
Putting a body part into a Flerken's mouth?
That sounded suspiciously like suicide.
"Hello."
The real Nick Fury shook Adrian's hand again.
Then he glanced toward Hela, who had already walked away.
"She's not joining the conversation?"
"She doesn't want to talk to you."
Adrian answered casually.
"Why?"
"Can you have a conversation with ants?"
"…Fair enough."
Nick Fury sat down on the sofa.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"You said I could listen."
"So tell me."
"Who exactly are you…"
"…Mr. 'Mortal'?"