The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 431, 778, and 779: Fury: Oh no, there's a mole!

"I naturally can't guess Mr. Karl's true thoughts..."

Gamora didn't explain the 'miraculous' scene she witnessed after being rescued to Star-Lord and the others, because she knew it would be pointless. So, with a solemn expression, she shook her head and said:
"However, I can say for sure that his strength is far greater than you all imagine!"

Then, her gaze swept across Star-Lord and the others' faces one by one. "If you don't have a better idea right now, then we'd better act quickly before Ronan launches a full-scale attack on Earth."

Star-Lord thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I agree."

“Me too,” Drax said blankly.

“I am Groot (I agree).” Tree Groot also agreed.

"Shet."

Seeing that the suggestion to escape had been rejected again, Rocket Raccoon shrugged, somewhat annoyed and helpless, and said:

"I really can't do anything with you bunch of brain-dead lunatics... But Gamora, you better really be able to defeat Ronan with that guardian you mentioned, or we're definitely doomed this time!!"

Upon hearing this, Gamora confidently replied, "Don't worry, this time, trust my intuition."

Immediately, the Milano went full speed ahead, heading towards Earth.

And at the same time.

Tens of thousands of kilometers above the Earth's surface, the [Sky Carrier], with its background reflection panel activated, blended completely into the surrounding sea of ​​clouds like a ghost.

Just minutes ago, when the Dark Star appeared at the Jump Point, Nick Fury used the coordinates provided by the Skrulls to successfully locate the Dark Star using satellites in the shortest possible time.

However, before Nick Fury could send peace envoys to the Dark Star as planned, the big screen showed the terrifying scene of Ronan using the Power Gem to instantly wipe out an entire Raider fleet.

To be honest, everyone present, including Nick Fury, was a little shocked by what had just happened.

They had previously envisioned that Ronan's fleet would be very powerful, and that it might even use advanced long-range ballistic missiles or energy-amplifying weapons to launch devastating attacks on important military facilities and landmarks on Earth after its arrival.

While such attacks are difficult to defend against, they are far from being enough to cause despair.

But now, having witnessed firsthand how an entire well-equipped alien fleet was utterly destroyed in an instant by a mysterious purple ray before it could even get close to Ronan's ship, even Tony Stark, with his unwavering will, couldn't help but begin to waver.

Is it even possible to fight this war?

This is like the immense psychological pressure a toddler feels when facing a strong, adult man.

Even with all his scheming and plotting, he still had no chance of winning against absolute power!

The massive bridge was immediately filled with a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

Tony Stark pointed to the frozen image on the big screen and spoke first:

“I just had Jarvis analyze it, and that purple ray doesn’t belong to any type of energy that currently exists on Earth…”

"If I'm not mistaken, it most likely originated from the Infinity Stone in Ronan's possession!!"

"What's puzzling is that the pulse frequency of this purple energy is somewhat similar to the core energy of the Loki Scepter we captured during the Battle of New York, as well as the energy released from the Tesseract!"

Reed Richards was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what he meant and said with a hint of excitement:
"Tony, do you think it's possible that inside the Loki Scepter and the Tesseract, there's a super energy entity similar to the Infinity Stones?"

Tony Stark glanced at the other man with some surprise, then stroked his mustache thoughtfully, paused for a moment, and nodded:
"Yes, that possibility certainly exists... no, it should be said that the possibility is extremely high. Perhaps there isn't just one of those special substances called the Infinity Stones."

"And this also explains why the [Loki's Scepter] and the [Cosmic Cube] possess such extraordinary and terrifying energy!"

"What did you say?"

Nick Fury's attention was instantly drawn to their conversation, especially when he heard them say that the Loki Scepter and the Tesseract might also contain an Infinity Stone similar to the one Ronan possessed. He almost regretted it deeply.

Damn it, I've said it before, all the treasures on Earth should belong to S.H.I.E.L.D., right?

Look, if the Loki Scepter and the Tesseract were still in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., wouldn't they be able to use them to deal with Ronan's fleet right now?

Eh?
Wait!
The Tesseract was indeed taken by Thor back then, but the Loki Scepter should still be lying in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault, right?

Thinking of this, Nick Fury's face lit up with joy, and he excitedly instructed Maria Hill:
"Hill, contact the logistics department immediately and have them go to the warehouse as quickly as possible to retrieve the scepter that was captured from Loki during the Battle of New York!"

"Yes."

Although Maria Hill had no idea why her superior would suddenly want to find that scepter at this time, as a competent subordinate and a trusted confidante, she knew better than anyone when it was appropriate to ask questions and when it was not.

The current situation clearly falls into the latter category.

However, just as Nick Fury was excitedly anticipating using the Loki Scepter to overcome this crisis, shocking news came from logistics... the Loki Scepter stored in the warehouse had vanished!

The investigation revealed that the last person to come into contact with the Loki Scepter was a researcher at S.H.I.E.L.D. Research and Development Department named Nicholas Cooper.

The other party was the main person in charge of the research project "Loki's Scepter," who died in a laboratory explosion two years ago, at which time the "Loki's Scepter" also disappeared.

Along with the Loki Scepter, a researcher named Mark Smith, a member of Nicholas Cooper's project team, also disappeared and remains missing.

However, what truly alarmed Nick Fury was not the loss of Loki's Scepter.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never heard of this matter in the past two years!

Whether it was the death of the main person in charge of the Loki Scepter Project or the loss of the Loki Scepter, these should have been reported directly to him, but he was kept in the dark all along!
If he hadn't overheard Tony Stark and Reed Richards discussing the potential connection between the Infinity Stones and Loki's Scepter today, and hadn't impulsively decided to retrieve the Scepter, he probably still wouldn't have known about this. Damn it, there's a mole!

There's definitely a mole within S.H.I.E.L.D.!!
Nick Fury instinctively cast a wary glance at Maria Hill, clearly beginning to suspect his second-in-command.

If there's one link in the chain most prone to errors, it's definitely her!
Because almost all the information collected by S.H.I.E.L.D. is first sent to Maria Hill, his deputy, who then selects the key events to report to Nick Fury.

Therefore, it would be very easy for Maria Hill to deliberately deceive Nick Fury.

Furthermore, based on his trust in his deputy, Nick Fury is unlikely to notice anything unusual about events other than core secrets on his own.

After all, he didn't understand the importance of Loki's Scepter at the time!
"Sir, I just heard about this too."

Maria Hill clearly understood the skepticism and wariness in Nick Fury's eyes, and quickly explained:

"I swear on my integrity that my subordinates have absolutely not reported to me any information related to the disappearance of the Loki Scepter or the death of the researcher..."

However, before she could finish speaking, Nick Fury feigned concern and smiled consolingly:
“Hill, there’s no need to say anything more. We’ve worked together for years, how could I not trust you? Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes and deliberately keeping this from us.”

"Once this crisis is resolved, we must thoroughly investigate this matter and find out the whereabouts of the [Loki's Scepter]!!"

"Yes."

Maria Hill breathed a sigh of relief, but little did she know that Nick Fury's belief was just empty talk.

Next, unless strong evidence is finally found to prove that Maria Hill is not involved, Nick Fury will absolutely not allow her to access any more key information, even if it is out of suspicion.

However, although Nick Fury suspected that there was a spy within S.H.I.E.L.D., he was unaware that S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been thoroughly infiltrated by Hydra, and he was even less aware that the disappearance of Loki's Scepter was very close to the time when Carl rose to power.

Just as Nick Fury was considering whether to use his Skrull agents to replace Maria Hill to ensure his own safety, the voice of the Human Torch suddenly came through the communicator.

The Human Torch, who had been sent by Nick Fury to monitor the nearby airspace, said, "Commander Fury, I've spotted a small aircraft heading towards the ground at full speed. Should I shoot it down now?"

"Aircraft?"

Nick Fury frowned, then looked at his staff and ordered, "Get me the relevant footage immediately."

"Yes."

The staff quickly pulled up the footage of the area where the Human Torch was located. In the footage, the Milano, where Star-Lord and the others were, was breaking through the atmosphere and flying towards the ground at full speed.

"Sir, judging from the flight path, this aircraft did not fly from the direction of Ronan's fleet."

A staff member in charge of the track panel reported this.

"So that means the people on this spaceship aren't Ronan's men?"

Just as Nick Fury was hesitating whether to shoot down the Milano or guide it onto the Helicarrier, Captain America suddenly raised his hand and said:

“Fury, do you think… the people on this ship might be Star-Lord, the one who gave us the warning before?”

"Ok?"

Nick Fury nodded slightly upon hearing this, then gave the order to Human Torch: "Human Torch, don't make a move for now. Go and bring them to the Helicarrier... If they refuse or open fire on you, you can shoot them down!"

"Yes Sir!!"

Thunderbolt answered excitedly, then flew rapidly towards the [Milano].

Before long, the Milano followed behind the Human Torch and slowly docked on the deck of the Helicarrier. Then, Star-Lord, Gamora, and Drax made their way to the combat command room where Nick Fury and the others were.

As for Rocket Raccoon and Groot, they remained on the spaceship and did not come down.

This was done for safety reasons, as this was their first official interaction with Earthlings, and who knows what might happen.

If there is any disturbance, whether internal or external, Rocket Raccoon and Groot can react immediately... They can either 'advance' to rescue Star-Lord and his two companions, or 'retreat' to escape directly in their spaceship.

"Are you Ronan's envoys?"

Nick Fury glanced warily at the three Star-Lords in front of him, and asked the question knowingly.

"What?"

Star-Lord exchanged an exaggerated glance with Gamora, then pointed at Nick Fury opposite him and quipped, "This dark-skinned guy actually mistook us for Ronan's men?"

Drax patted Star-Lord on the shoulder and said seriously, "Quill, I'm finally sure you're from Earth now... because they're just as stupid as you."

Upon hearing this, Star-Lord quickly retorted, "No, I'm actually different from them. I left here when I was very young... so I'm a little smarter than them!"

"Enough, both of you shut up."

After Gamora stopped the two men from fooling around, she looked at Nick Fury with a stern expression and said, "My name is Gamora, and we are the Guardians of the Galaxy... cough cough."

Even though Gamora had prepared herself mentally, she still found it somewhat difficult to say the name of the group that Star-Lord had come up with on the spur of the moment.

"If you had received our warning before, you should understand that we are not Ronan's messengers, but rather people who have come to help you resist Ronan's invasion..."

(End of this chapter)