Chapter 273

Although Nick Fury usually stayed in the command center, he had his own private office aboard this enormous Helicarrier—the captain’s quarters. He was currently standing in the room, gazing gravely out through the huge glass window, building up an imposing presence.

When he heard the door open, Nick Fury suddenly turned around and barked, "You bastard, you still dare—" But he had only shouted half the sentence before he swallowed the rest as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. His entire body froze. After his expression changed several times, he finally asked in an awkward tone, "I’m very sorry. I didn’t expect you to come as well, Ms. Carter."

He had originally planned to give Evenson, who had been causing chaos, a good scare. But he had not expected Peggy Carter to come along too. It would not do to lose his composure too badly in front of this elder…

"Don’t swear, Nick, especially in front of your elders." Carter sounded as though she were scolding her own son.

"I’ll be mindful of it, ma’am." Nick Fury humbly accepted the criticism. What else could he do? When your old leader taught you a lesson, were you going to talk back?

"It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Carter." At that moment, someone suddenly rushed over from a corner of the office.

"You are?" Carter looked through her sunglasses at the unusually attentive man. He wore a black suit, the standard attire of an agent, though his hairline was rather distinctive.

"Phil Coulson, currently a Level Seven Agent." This was none other than Coulson, the model agent. He had originally come to report on the progress of the search for the Cosmic Cube, but now he was unusually enthusiastic and a little excited.

"It’s nice to meet you, Agent." Though she did not quite understand his enthusiasm, Carter politely extended her hand.

"Captain America’s deeds, along with yours, inspired an entire generation to grow up." Coulson immediately clasped her hand with both of his.

"Thank you for the compliment." Carter’s expression had already grown a little unnatural. Why was he talking to her but insisting on mentioning Steve before her? And should he not let go of her hand by now? Was she a frying pan? Why was he shaking her like that?

Evenson, standing nearby, nearly burst out laughing. Coulson’s true aim was not the wine at all. But he was practically pushing Captain America into a fire pit.

"I truly admire Captain America… and you." Coulson’s final addition sounded as though he were patching a hole.

"Thank you, Agent." Carter’s voice had become somewhat stiff. Damn it, so I’m just an add-on? Steve, just you wait. One fan could probably equal ten haters—that was likely how it happened.

Yet Coulson had no idea that he had already brought undeserved disaster upon his idol. He continued eagerly, "Would you like coffee? Or perhaps a cup of black tea?"

"Black tea." Carter took a deep breath before answering.

"Yes, ma’am." Coulson immediately turned and left.

"I’ll have a cup of—" Nick Fury called after Coulson’s back, but before he could finish, Coulson had already shut the door. Damn it, no bonus for you at the end of the year.

Nick Fury spread his hands and shot the other two an awkward look. "Let’s talk business." I should have checked the almanac before coming out today. What the hell is all this? Not only did I fail to establish my authority, I got lectured instead. And why did my trusted subordinate instantly turn into someone else’s lackey? Don’t tell me this ship is going to explode too?

"Then let’s talk business." Evenson found a seat and sprawled into it. "You were far too impatient this time. You actually sent people to surround and attack me."

Hey, this brat was actually turning the tables on him! "Impatient?" Nick Fury said viciously. "The fact that I didn’t send fighter jets to flatten your location means I was patient enough."

"But I think you didn’t do that because Ms. Carter was there." Evenson leaned back.

"Yes, that was indeed an important factor." Nick Fury glanced at Carter, who was seated beside him, and admitted it. "But don’t you think you went too far this time?"

"Too far?" Evenson was unconcerned. "Haven’t you always hoped that someone who truly belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., someone whose background you knew inside and out, could obtain power similar to mine? You sent me a long list of candidates. Wasn’t that your purpose?"

"Then why Ms. Carter?" Nick Fury thought. I asked you to train an agent, not invite the Empress Dowager of the West over. Who exactly is listening to whom now?

Of course, he did not dare say that aloud. "Ms. Carter has devoted her entire life to world peace. Don’t you think it’s too much to pull her back into battle when she should be enjoying her retirement?"

"Youth given to the world, yet still no family of her own." Evenson smiled. "I don’t think restoring her youth is excessive. Besides…"

"The young people made a mess of things, so this old woman had no choice but to come out and clean it up." Carter suddenly spoke. She was deeply dissatisfied with Nick Fury now. Hydra had hollowed out S.H.I.E.L.D. from within. Even if it was not his fault, he still had to bear the blame. Who told him to be the director?

"That wasn’t what I meant," Evenson hurriedly explained. After Carter said that, Nick Fury stared at him with bulging eyes. He could not withstand the gaze of an Unlucky Person. "What I was going to say was that Captain America has returned now, so there’s nothing wrong with letting them renew their old relationship."

"Evenson!" Carter reproached him. Then she turned to Nick Fury. "I learned about the situation on the way here. You lost the Cosmic Cube, didn’t you, Nick?"

At the mention of that, Nick Fury’s face immediately darkened to a purplish black. Captain America had nearly lost his life retrieving the Cosmic Cube, and Ms. Carter had endured more than sixty years of emptiness, loneliness, and cold because of it. Yet this treasure had vanished while in his hands. What could he possibly say?

"After Howard recovered it, he gave an assessment: no reckless research into the Cosmic Cube was permitted," Peggy Carter said sternly.

"Ma’am, we gave serious thought to researching the Cosmic Cube." Even before an old predecessor, Nick Fury would not yield on a matter of principle. "We also had reasons why we had no choice but to conduct that research…"

"I know. Aliens have come to Earth." Carter turned her head from side to side. "There’s even one aboard this ship."

"Sif?" Evenson asked. "You brought her here too?"

"Yes. She’s an Asgardian, and the one who stole the Cube is also an Asgardian. I thought bringing her along might help with this matter," Nick Fury admitted. Then he asked in confusion, "Ms. Carter, how did you know there was an alien aboard this ship?"

"I… saw it." Carter slowly removed her sunglasses, revealing eyes blazing with fierce demonic fire.

"What did you do to her, Evenson?" It was Nick Fury’s first time seeing eyes like those. Even with his composure, he was utterly shocked.

"He made me see more clearly. These eyes make it easier for me to see the true nature of things." In every sense, Carter and Evenson were now allies, so she naturally defended him somewhat.

"Fine." After a long while, Nick Fury finally said, "At least I’m no longer the only one with strange eyes."

"Her eyes see more clearly. Yours are just crippled. How are they the same?" Evenson muttered softly.

"What did you say? I didn’t hear you. Say that again?" Nick Fury asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Gentlemen." Carter sighed. "Can we talk about the Cosmic Cube first?"

"I know the sudden arrival of aliens on Earth has put you under tremendous pressure," Carter said. "I don’t object to activating research on the Cosmic Cube because of that, but…" Her voice turned stern. "You should have made sufficient preparations instead of letting an alien Mussolini steal it like this. You allowed our presumed enemy to seize our secret weapon. Do you know what that means, Nick?"

"I’ve already activated the emergency plan." Carter’s words made Nick Fury feel ashamed. Though the course of events had been unbelievably absurd, he still had to take the blame. He felt like he was the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Pot Bureau now. "I’ve gathered Earth’s finest warriors and scientists. We’ll recover the Cosmic Cube soon."

"Recover it?" Evenson suddenly said. "In fact, we’ve already lost it forever. You still don’t seem to realize what it means for Loki to have taken the Cube."

"Has Loki already taken it off Earth?" Nick Fury pressed.

"If that were the case, I’d thank him." Evenson curled his lip.

"The Cosmic Cube, the Space Stone, the Key to All Worlds." Evenson recited those names. "We kept it three kilometers underground and researched it under ample protective measures. As long as we didn’t activate it normally, the outside world could barely detect its signal."

"But if Loki correctly uses the Cosmic Cube’s functions without any concealment…" Evenson shook his head. "Its energy radiation could spread across several star systems. It would stand out as clearly as your teeth."

"What comes next, heh… Not every civilization in the universe likes peaceful coexistence." Evenson gave a sinister smile. "Some of them are terrifyingly cruel. They’ll swarm over like sharks that smell blood."

Hearing that, Carter’s heart suddenly tightened. She did not know whether the terrifying Burning Legion she had seen would also be drawn here.

"So, once Loki uses the Cosmic Cube on Earth, even if we manage to take it back in the end, we can only send it away from Earth," Evenson said helplessly. "Otherwise, those sharks will tear us to pieces."

Question: if the boss always drops an orange item, what will the ending be?

"That is also why I suddenly held a promotion ceremony for director Carter." Evenson spoke meaningfully. "This world needs more heroes now."