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

Chapters 560, 1036, and 1037: Fury is bewildered; who is the mole? (Part 2)

“But Talos investigated secretly for several days without finding any valuable clues. To avoid alerting the enemy, he decided not to inform you for the time being, and wanted to report to you in person after gathering more evidence…”

"I just never expected... I never expected it to happen today... Waaaaaah..."

Soren's voice choked up again, and her words struck Nick Fury's heart like a heavy hammer, creating a huge uproar!

After hearing this, Nick Fury's face was beyond ugly; it was as black as the bottom of a pot and so gloomy it was almost dripping water!
Is the bureau chief's authority invalid?
Was the command automatically rewritten and undone?

What the hell does this mean?
Does this mean that there might be a VIP user within S.H.I.E.L.D. with even higher privileges than the official director, him?
Or rather, there exists a backdoor that can bypass him and directly control the core system!

A bone-chilling cold instantly replaced the anger and self-reproach she had felt earlier about the traitor among the Skrulls.

Damn it, I never thought that the traitor within the Skrulls would still not be found, and that the S.H.I.E.L.D., which I have always considered an impregnable fortress, would be infiltrated to this extent?
Even his highest authority as the legitimate bureau chief has been quietly usurped?

And there are people right under his nose, using his ship to do things he doesn't know about, and they can even block his access in real time.

WTF? ? ?

It's not just a matter of the backyard catching fire anymore; the house in the front yard is also on fire now.
No, this isn't just a fire, it's like the whole front yard has been doused with gasoline and set on fire!
Damn it, when did my S.H.I.E.L.D. become a leaky sieve?

How could it be infiltrated so easily, like a public toilet?!
An overwhelming sense of rage and an unprecedented sense of crisis gripped Nick Fury's heart in an instant.

He suddenly felt as if he were standing on the edge of a collapsing cliff, but instead of rocks, he was standing on a fragile spider web meticulously woven from countless conspiracies.

The slightest mishap will result in a fall and death!

It must have been Karl Mara's doing!

Almost subconsciously, Nick Fury's mind popped into the image of the young man from the Subspace Corporation, who always wore a smile that Nick found extremely annoying and wielded extraordinary technological power.

Only this guy possesses this kind of strength.

But the next second, Nick Fury angrily rejected this foolish idea.

Because the style is wrong!

Such insidious methods of stealing permissions by hiding deep within the system are not the style of those arrogant and conceited individuals who prefer to crush everything head-on.

Moreover, if it were truly the other side, they would probably have turned S.H.I.E.L.D. upside down long ago, and would definitely not have just secretly controlled a satellite launch ship to carry out a secret mission.

So, who could it be?
Could they be remnants of Hydra?

Or is there some other new enemy lurking in the shadows that we don't know about?

Nick Fury felt a chill run down his spine.

He realized that the crisis lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D. might be far more profound and terrifying than he had imagined.

A massive conspiracy targeting him, or rather, targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, had already quietly unfolded, and he and Talos were merely pawns drifting along in this conspiracy.

Nick Fury narrowed his one eye, which gleamed coldly.

It seems he has to act immediately; a thorough, radical purge and investigation is now imperative.

call--

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and suppress the turmoil in his heart. He forced his face back to its usual calm and composed expression, knowing that things had to be dealt with one by one.

Now, he must try his best to stabilize the current situation.

“Sauron,” Nick Fury said gently, trying to comfort him, “I will send people back to the ‘camp’ to give Talos a proper burial and perform the rites for him that belong to your people…”

He paused briefly, glanced again at Talos's cold body on the bed, a hint of regret for his old friend's passing flashing in his single eye, and said, word by word:

"In my name Nick Fury, I swear I will not let my old friend die in vain. No matter who killed Talos, no matter where he hides in the shadows, no matter what he disguises himself as... I will find him and smash his head in with my own hands to avenge Talos!"

This is not a consolation; it is a bloody oath from the king of spies.

Soren raised his tearful eyes, looked at the undeniable ruthlessness and determination in Nick Fury's eyes, nodded vigorously, and a faint but firm hope rekindled in his eyes.

Without saying anything more, Nick Fury immediately gave Maria Hill a look, who understood and stepped forward to gently reassure Soren, while also contacting a completely safe transportation route.

Nick Fury turned and strode away from the safe house, which was filled with an atmosphere of death and sorrow. The rain was still falling outside, and the cold rain hit his face, slightly dispelling the heat and gloom on his body, but making the chill in his heart go deeper into his bones.

Moments later, Maria Hill drove her black Chevrolet Suburban silently to the side of the road.

Nick Fury bent down and got inside, the car door closed, completely shutting out the sound of the rain and the world outside.

The car interior fell into a deathly silence, with only the rhythmic scraping sound of the windshield wipers.

Maria Hill, who was driving, glanced at the silent Nick Fury in the back seat through the rearview mirror and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

Nick Fury didn't let her drive immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and seemed to be calming the turbulent emotions churning within him.

After a full five minutes of silence, he suddenly opened his one eye and pulled out an extremely old-fashioned encrypted phone with physical buttons from the inside pocket of his trench coat.

This phone is not connected to any S.H.I.E.L.D. network and is used only for a few top-priority single-line communications.

He skillfully turned on the device, the pale blue screen illuminating his somber face. No facial or fingerprint unlocking was needed; he was immediately taken to an extremely simple user interface.

The phone book only stores a handful of key numbers that have no names, only codes and encrypted frequency bands.

His fingers slid across the keys, his gaze sweeping over each name in the extremely brief phone number book, like a falcon scrutinizing its prey below, weighing, examining, and choosing...

Finally, his finger stopped on a name—[Glavic].

This is a relatively young name, with a certain reputation among the many young generation of 'Skrug refugees', who rose to prominence in the past for his decisiveness, toughness and absolute loyalty to Talos.

Before his death, Talos had mentioned this rising star to Nick Fury, believing he would definitely be a "promising talent," though he also seemed to subtly express some concern about his radical approach. Later, the "Harvest Plan," personally devised by Nick Fury, was secretly executed by Glavik.

Now, Talos is dead.

Gravik is clearly the most suitable person to take over from Talos to stabilize the emotions of the Skrulls and assist him in investigating internal traitors.

As for Talos's wife, Soren, Nick Fury simply passed on her.

But the question is, is this Gravik really reliable?

After all that has happened today, Nick Fury's trust in anyone has clearly plummeted to rock bottom.

However, the hesitation lasted for less than two seconds.

A resolute and ruthless glint flashed in Nick Fury's eyes.

Now is not the time for indecisiveness.

He must seize every possible opportunity to stabilize the situation.

He now needs a sharp knife, a knife that is sharp enough, ruthless enough, and can temporarily stabilize the current situation of the Skrulls.

As for whether this knife will hurt me in the future...

A cold glint flashed in Nick Fury's single eye.

That naturally depends on whether the 'knife' is smart enough.

Without further hesitation, he pressed the dial button.

The phone was answered quickly after only one ring, but there was no greeting on the other end, only a silent wait, which showed the receiver's extremely high level of counter-surveillance skills and discipline.

Nick Fury's voice was icy, devoid of any pleasantries. He spoke directly into the microphone, issuing the order, "Glavic, this is Nick Fury. Come to the safe house in Arlington immediately... alone!!"

On the other end of the phone, a young, steady male voice, with a hint of barely perceptible sharpness, responded without hesitation: "Yes, sir."

The call was immediately hung up.

The Chevrolet Suburban slowly drove out of the dark alley and soon merged into the traffic on the main street of Washington.

Outside the car window, the flashing neon lights rushed past in the rain, and the colorful lights projected distorted, elongated, and bizarrely blurry halos onto the wet glass.

Nick Fury leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes again.

But his brain was working at an unprecedented speed.

The hunt is about to begin!!

……

at the same time.

[Security Council Headquarters].

In the large conference room on the top floor.

Alexander Pierce wore an impeccable, formulaic smile as he nodded slightly to the real-time holographic images of the Security Council members before him.

These board members were of different ages and dressed differently, but each of them exuded an aura of authority as someone at the pinnacle of world power.

“Yes, Councilor Ivanov, I fully understand your concerns regarding the additional 150 billion in budget for the final phase of Project Insight…”

Alexander Pierce's voice was steady and persuasive. With one hand in his pocket and the other holding his recently removed black-rimmed glasses, he calmly stated:
"But please believe me, this additional budget is by no means a waste... The final commissioning and weapon system integration of the three brand-new [Space Carriers] will require the most outstanding engineers and the most expensive materials."

"Therefore, this investment is to ensure that when our 'Rod of God' falls, it is absolutely precise and absolutely lethal, leaving no threat even the slightest chance to breathe. I think this is the best guarantee for our future security..."

Alexander Pierce spoke sincerely and eloquently, as if he were fully engaged in this important remote meeting concerning the future of global security. His dedication immediately earned him nods of approval from the board members present.

However, just as he was about to continue his 'bluffing', his personal cell phone in his suit pocket suddenly started vibrating and showed no signs of stopping, like an annoying fly constantly disturbing his thoughts.

Alexander Pierce frowned almost imperceptibly, because very few people knew his private number, almost all of them being his close associates within the Hydra faction.

The fact that the other party chose to make this call at this time strongly suggests that something significant has happened.

Thinking of this, Alexander Pierce's smile remained unchanged. He gracefully raised his hand and gave the holographic projections a slightly apologetic smile:
"Excuse me, everyone, I have an extremely urgent internal line to connect to... Please excuse me for a moment!"

After saying that, he got up and quickly walked out of the serious atmosphere of the remote conference room.

As soon as he left the camera's surveillance range, Alexander Pierce's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, gloomy expression.

He strode through the gleaming marble corridor and returned to his private office, locking the heavy solid wood door with a click.

He then pulled out the still-vibrating encrypted phone, glanced at the caller ID, and saw it was Hitwell.

The other party was not only his confidant, but also an important member of Hydra infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.

Alexander Pierce immediately pressed the answer button, held the phone to his ear, and spoke in a voice as cold as the Siberian wind, each word laced with suppressed anger:

“Hitwell, you’d better have a reason that will convince me to punish you… I was just discussing with the council members the most critical issue of additional funding for the final stage of Project Insight. You should know what that means… If your foolish interruption causes those bureaucrats to have doubts or delays in the disbursement process… I assure you, you will pay a price for your recklessness that you will never forget!”

On the other end of the phone, Sitwell, far away at the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. New Triangular Wing, almost instinctively shrank back, as if Alexander Pierce's icy gaze could be fixed on him through the phone line.

Just from the other person's voice, he could easily imagine the expression on his boss's old face—it must be so gloomy it could drip water…

Hitwell swallowed hard, his heart pounding slightly as he reported, "Um, sir, please don't be angry. I know the importance of this meeting. If it weren't for some major emergency, I would never dare to disturb you at this time..."

(End of this chapter)