Shamelessness and Courage

"I’m telling you two, that’s enough."

Tony’s face darkened as he said irritably, "Can you be serious for once?"

"Why not go into both fields?"

"Produce industrial robots for factories and tree planting, and household robots for domestic services. You can make money from both sides. Isn’t that great?"

Although he knew Tony was just joking around, Tony’s eye for making money was genuinely impressive.

So Chen Mu and Bruce Banner both gave him a thumbs-up.

When it came to making money, you were still the best!

"Alright, enough nonsense. Someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here."

Tony checked the surveillance footage Jarvis had sent over and stared expressionlessly at the screen.

On the screen, a dark-faced man was riding the elevator: Nick Fury.

Well, his face was dark to begin with.

"You got here pretty fast."

Tony sipped his red wine and leaned back on the couch, watching Nick Fury approach with obvious displeasure.

"Looks like I need to thoroughly search my office. You people must have planted bugs or something."

S.H.I.E.L.D. really couldn’t change its ways. No matter where they went, they loved planting listening devices and surveillance equipment.

"…"

Nick Fury’s face was full of dark lines—though no one could really tell. He directly ignored Tony and looked at Chen Mu.

"Chen Mu, look at the trouble your China has caused."

"?"

The three of them were utterly baffled as they stared at Nick Fury. None of them spoke, wanting to see what shocking nonsense he would say next.

"Didn’t you establish diplomatic relations with Asgard? Now Loki, who came from Asgard, has stolen something from America."

Nick Fury’s thick skin allowed him to ignore the way the three men were looking at him like he was an idiot. He continued, "This is Asgard provoking Earth. And China, as its ally, must have had a hand in this as well, right?"

What a guy. His skill at throwing mud was truly unmatched.

"First of all, does Loki represent Asgard?"

Chen Mu looked at Nick Fury mockingly, his face full of disdain. He continued, "And secondly, can S.H.I.E.L.D. represent Earth?"

You sure think highly of yourself. Loki stole something from you, and you immediately defined it as Asgard invading Earth?

Who gave you the confidence to have such an absurd misunderstanding?

"Never mind whether Loki represents Asgard or not. Your God Spear Bureau claims to protect Earth. Now that aliens have invaded Earth, shouldn’t the God Spear Bureau set an example?"

After being shot down by Chen Mu, Nick Fury really couldn’t keep pressing that point, so he immediately changed his approach.

Loki had personally stated that he did not represent Asgard. If he kept arguing over that point and word got back to Asgard, it would truly become troublesome.

"So?"

Chen Mu found it highly amusing. He wanted to hear what else Nick Fury had to say.

"Your God Spear Bureau’s failures have left us potentially facing an alien invasion. We now need strength to protect this Earth."

"…"

"You should make the Kirin Armor technology public, allowing the entire world to manufacture it and resist future alien threats!"

What a righteous appearance. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was truly that selfless.

Tony and Banner, who knew the truth, had the corners of their eyes twitching. Damn it, I’m about to throw up!

When it came to shamelessness, Nick Fury undoubtedly ranked first in the world!

"Moreover, the Kirin Armor is technology from Asgard. Studying it would help us understand its weaknesses when we face Asgard’s armies in the future."

"…"

Even Chen Mu was dumbfounded now.

What the hell are you talking about?

How did the Kirin Armor become something from Asgard?

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

Chen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at Nick Fury with utter speechlessness and said, "First, you claim the God Spear Bureau’s mistakes caused an alien invasion? Don’t think I don’t know that some people were researching the Tesseract and opened a portal, allowing Loki to teleport to Earth. Honestly, if we’re assigning blame, certain people probably can’t escape responsibility, can they?"

"Also, what the hell does the Kirin Armor have to do with Asgard?"

Chen Mu found this utterly baffling. When had the Kirin Armor he created become connected to Asgard? How did he not know about that?

"…"

Could it be that the Kirin Armor really had nothing to do with Asgard?

"We have ample evidence proving that the weapon Loki used is connected to your China."

Nick Fury’s breathing hitched. He felt deeply frustrated. How had this matter been leaked?

That shouldn’t have been possible. No one else on Earth should have known that S.H.I.E.L.D. was researching the Tesseract. How could Chen Mu reveal it the moment he walked in?

This was awkward. It looked like the mudslinging plan was no longer going to work.

"You think no one noticed what you did?"

Chen Mu looked at him contemptuously and said, "The Tesseract contains supreme power. The moment you began trying to use it to create weapons, every sufficiently powerful nation in the universe could sense and detect it. So you thought you were being secretive, but the entire world—the entire universe—was watching you."

"…"

Chen Mu showed no mercy at all, directly exposing Nick Fury’s lie.

"Also, tell me, what evidence do you have that we’re connected to Loki?"

Chen Mu leaned back leisurely on the couch, admiring Nick Fury’s clownish performance.

"The weapon Loki used."

Nick Fury took a deep breath and opened a photograph. In it, Loki wore his signature Bambi outfit and held Thor’s Spear, looking down upon the world with an incredibly smug expression.

"It is identical to the standard-issue weapons used by the God Spear Bureau. Isn’t that enough to prove that China and Loki have some unknown connection?"

As he spoke, Nick Fury also brought out a stack of photos. They had all been taken secretly, showing God Spear Bureau warriors holding Thor’s Spear.

Combined with their current lightning talents, Thor’s Spear could unleash exceptionally powerful strength. As for its appearance compared to the spear in Loki’s hand, it wasn’t merely seventy or eighty percent similar—it was completely identical.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Nick Fury looked at Chen Mu calmly, his gaze full of accusation.

"Oh, this?"

Looking at the spear in Loki’s hand, Chen Mu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "That thing really does belong to China. Loki stole it, so it looks like this is the perfect chance to take it back."

Well, Loki had returned to Earth with the Mind Stone and had even embedded it into Thor’s Spear?

Wasn’t this the perfect excuse for Chen Mu to reclaim the Mind Stone?

P.S. Digging his own pit and burying himself in it—reclaiming his own weapon—was perfectly reasonable, right?