American comic: Checking in, Gwen in black stockings rolls her eyes.

"Yes, boss."

Matt accepted the order, and although he still had some concerns, he chose to trust Lin Feng's judgment.

.

On the other side of the world, a special meeting of the World Security Council is underway.

The five council representatives are from the world's five major powers.

They jointly manage global security affairs, and S.H.I.E.L.D. operates under their authorization.

Alexander Pierce, representing the United States, stood in the center of the conference room, explaining the necessity of the "Insight Project" to the other board members.

"Distinguished council members, with the increasing number of people with superpowers, traditional defense methods are no longer sufficient to meet the world's security needs."

Pierce’s tone was steady and forceful.

.....

153: Natasha is missing?!

"The Insight Project will give us the ability to preemptively eliminate threats before they even emerge."

"This sounds more like a threat than a protection."

A female board member countered.

Are you suggesting that we decide people's life and death based on algorithms and predictions?

Pierce remained unfazed.

"I'm just suggesting that we take the necessary precautions. Think about the losses from the Battle of New York, and think about how many lives we could have saved if we could have prevented similar events in advance."

The debate lasted for several hours, and in the end, Pierce's proposal passed by a narrow majority.

The Insights Initiative has received formal authorization from the Council and will be well-funded.

After the meeting, Pierce immediately went to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and met with Director Nick Fury.

Fury’s office is spacious and simple, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire Washington, D.C.

"Congratulations, Nick."

Pierce walked into the office with a victorious smile on his face.

"The council has approved our proposal."

Nick Fury, the one-eyed black police chief, did not show much joy on his face.

"What's the specific situation?"

"It took me a lot of persuasion to convince those people."

Pierce shook his head, took two glasses of whiskey from his assistant, and handed one to Fury.

"But eventually they realized the importance of the plan. The funds would be in place within three days, enough to complete the final commissioning of the three motherships."

Fury took the glass and clinked it with Pierce.

"For the future of S.H.I.E.L.D., for humanity."

"For a better world."

Pierce echoed.

The two had a few drinks and briefly exchanged some work details.

A moment later, Pierce got up to say goodbye.

"I have other meetings, so I'll be going now. Keep up the good work, Nick. I have high hopes for you."

As Fury watched Pierce's departing figure, his expression gradually turned serious.

He was not excited by the council's approval; on the contrary, his eyes were filled with vigilance and contemplation.

Although the two are outwardly partners.

But Fury knew all too well that in the intelligence community, there were no true friends, only temporary allies and eternal interests.

0 ······Requesting flowers··· ·······

Once he was certain that Pierce had completely left, Fury quickly made his way through a secret passage to the S.H.I.E.L.D. secret base located under the Potomac River.

This is the true core of S.H.I.E.L.D., and only a very few high-ranking agents know of its existence.

In the base's main control room, Agent Phil Coulson was reviewing the latest data report.

Upon seeing Fury arrive, he immediately went to greet him.

0 .. 0

"Director."

Colson gave a brief greeting.

Fury got straight to the point.

"How is the progress of the space carrier?"

Coulson led him toward a huge holographic projection showing the construction status of three massive space carriers.

"It's basically complete. We're currently doing final debugging and testing. At the current pace, we should be able to finish all the finishing touches within three days, and the plan can proceed smoothly."

Fury nodded, looking at the advanced weapon systems with satisfaction.

“Very good. As planned, we will officially launch the Insight Project in three days.”

He paused and asked:

"Where is Natasha? I have a task for her."

....superior.

154: Hydra? Natasha was stunned!

Coulson's expression became somewhat confused.

“Actually, we haven’t been able to contact her for two days. According to regulations, she should report every 48 hours, but this time she’s out of contact.”

Fury frowned.

"Send people to find her whereabouts, set to the highest priority."

"It's already underway, sir."

Colson answered.

"But there are no clues at the moment. She's like... vanished into thin air."

Fury's brow furrowed even more.

As an experienced agent and leader, he knew that at this critical moment, any anomaly could be a sign of danger.

Natasha is no ordinary agent; she is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most elite agents, codenamed "Black Widow."

Her disappearance was no accident.

"Continue the search, and notify me immediately if you find anything."

Fury gave the order, then turned and left.

Coulson watched Fury's departing figure, his unease growing stronger.

He immediately summoned several trusted agents and intensified the search for Natasha.

His intuition told him that something was strange about this matter, and that it was far more complicated than it appeared.

What they didn't know was...

In some corner of Washington, a pair of eyes calmly observes all of this unfolding through surveillance footage.

The game has only just begun, and the real competition is about to unfold.

Meanwhile, at a secret base.

Natasha Romanov walked cautiously down the dimly lit corridor, dressed in a dark gray work uniform.

He was wearing the pass he had just "borrowed" hanging around his neck.

This was her third day infiltrating the base, and things were far more complicated than she had imagined.

Initially, this was just a routine reconnaissance mission.

She received a secret order from Fury to investigate suspicious cargo transport routes appearing on the Virginia border.

But by following the clues, she discovered this massive base hidden inside the mountain.

Even more shockingly, she discovered the Hydra symbol in the secretly filmed materials—

That terrorist organization that should have been eliminated after World War II.

"It's even more heavily guarded here than the Pentagon."

Natasha thought to herself, and gently slid through an electronic access control gate.

"The personnel strength is at least two thousand, all fully armed and highly trained..."

She pretended to be a technician performing a routine check, holding a tablet computer and pausing frequently in front of the various control panels.

Her years of experience as a secret agent made her appear natural and aroused no suspicion.

But the shock she felt was hard to shake off—

The base was much larger than expected, with all kinds of advanced equipment and weapons, and some of the technologies that even S.H.I.E.L.D. did not have.

As she turned a corner, Natasha heard two men talking coming from the lounge not far away.

She deliberately slowed her pace and pricked up her ears.

"I heard that Project Insight has already begun."

A deep male voice said.

"The final launch date is in three days."

3.7

"Yes, once Hydra controls the world, we will all become the elite of the new world."

Another voice responded excitedly.

"Think about it, those who once looked down on us will soon be groveling at our feet."

Natasha paused, almost losing control of her expression.

.....

155: Hydra's Counterattack!

Hydra? Project Insight?

Isn't that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan to fight aliens?

How did it become part of Hydra's plan to control the world?

She leaned quietly against the wall, continuing to eavesdrop.

“Pierce is a genius.”

The first voice continued.

"Using S.H.I.E.L.D. resources, we'll build a space-based helicarrier, then seize control at a crucial moment. Once the helicarrier is airborne, its onboard algorithms will identify all potential rebels worldwide and eliminate them all at once. No Avengers, no mutants, no superpowered beings—a perfect new world order."

"Shh—keep your voice down, the walls have ears." 06

A second voice warned.

"Remember, secrecy is the highest principle."

Natasha felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be... that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been used?