No wonder!
Tony Stark's eyes suddenly cleared, a wave of understanding washing over him.
No wonder Nick Fury, the king of spies, valued the Skrulls so highly—and even developed a network of Skrull operatives to act as his powerful right hand.
Turns out, the Skrulls possessed abilities far beyond what he had imagined.
It was, in every sense, a perfect match with a mastermind like Fury.
"Secret Invasion… so that's what it really is!"
Tony's mind raced. He had read multiple mentions of the Secret Invasion in the journal before, but previously, all he knew was that it was initiated by the Skrulls. Nothing more.
Now?
Now it all made sense.
The so-called Secret Invasion involved the Skrulls using their perfect shape-shifting abilities to silently replace key figures.
No smoke, no explosions, no disturbance—completely covert.
Everything completed in absolute secrecy.
It was a war without a single sound.
"This race is… terrifying."
Tony whispered to himself, his awe and fear of the Skrulls suddenly peaking.
Though the Secret Invasion was a silent war, its threat far surpassed that of nuclear weapons.
A nuke might destroy a city, but the Secret Invasion? It could silently replace an entire nation's leadership.
Imagine if all the people in positions of power were Skrulls. To put it bluntly: if the ruling class were Skrulls, would the country still be human-run?
The journal had once mentioned that the Skrulls almost replaced the rulers of Earth. At the time, Tony thought it exaggerated—but now, he realized it was frighteningly accurate.
Another pressing question gnawed at Tony: the Nick Fury everyone sees—was he really Fury, or a Skrull in disguise?
"Something's off…"
Fury himself frowned slightly as he studied the journal. He already knew Skrulls inside out, so he had anticipated the mechanics of a Secret Invasion.
The journal now confirmed his suspicions—but it also deepened the mystery.
With only a handful of Skrulls, how could they make such an impact? Yet the journal described them replacing enough people to almost "change Earth's ruler."
The math didn't add up—unless…
Could it be that Earth had more Skrulls than just Talos and his group? Could there be many more?
Only then would the events in the journal make sense. Fury resolved to find a time to talk with Talos.
[One thing is certain: Fury left Earth after the Infinity War.]
[During that war, Purple Spud snapped his fingers, affecting Fury along with billions of others.]
[Before turning to ash, Fury used Captain Marvel's pager.]
[Something this crucial would certainly be carried on him.]
[So the Fury who turned to ash must have been the real Fury.]
[As for the exact timing after the Infinity War… only Fury himself knew.]
Snap.
Tony's pupils contracted sharply.
The journal had repeatedly mentioned this word: "snap"—a term shrouded in mystery.
Tony knew it was a magical act, capable of saving lives under certain circumstances. He himself had analyzed it during the final battle, fearing he might die from it.
But now?
He realized he had completely misunderstood. The snap—Purple Spud's snap—was a tool for mass killing.
Through the journal, Tony learned that Purple Spud had eradicated half the universe's life during the Infinity War, including billions on Earth.
And the method? A snap of the fingers.
This… this was insane. One snap, and billions vanished. Not metaphorically—literally turned to ash.
The journal had previously claimed snaps were for saving lives… so what the hell was going on?
Tony's mind raced, but no solution emerged. The true secret of the snap would have to be revealed in the journal itself.
He and Fury focused their attention back on the journal—yet, once again, it stopped abruptly at the most critical moment.
"This journal really knows how to leave you hanging."
Fury muttered, closing it with a snap of his fingers, and took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee, reflecting on the revelations.
There was no doubt—the journal had delivered a wealth of critical information this time.
And the most crucial insight? The sheer terror of the "Celestial Group."
Fury hadn't known just how extreme their power was—so much so that even Odin, All-Father and King of the Nine Realms, couldn't defeat them.
Though the journal didn't fully detail the Prehistoric Avengers or their battle with the Celestial Group, it was clear: the Prehistoric Avengers were crushed.
If that was the case, what hope did the current Avengers on Earth have? Even with Scarlet Witch, Vision, Doctor Strange, and the peak team assembled…
The journal implied that the embryonic Celestial Group would rise shortly after Odin's death.
And Odin himself wouldn't survive long.
This meant Earth would soon face the emergence of a Celestial Group. Fury's head ached at the thought.
But for now, he couldn't deal with them directly. His only option was to consult Thor for more information.
Before that, he had other actionable tasks to handle.
"Coulson!"
Fury called the ever-reliable agent.
"Check if any top-tier scientists have run into difficulties recently. For instance, projects with no funding."
Coulson frowned, puzzled by Fury's increasingly inscrutable orders. Yet, he obeyed.
"How top-tier?" he asked.
"On par with Stark," Fury replied immediately.
Coulson knew exactly the level of genius he was dealing with. Stark-level scientists were rare, but if one lacked funding, finding them was simple.
Could Fury be planning to fund this scientist himself? Coulson guessed correctly: Fury aimed to recruit someone at least as brilliant as Tony Stark.
"I understand, sir!" Coulson nodded and left to carry out the task.
Fury, after a moment's pause, dialed a secure line and contacted Tony Stark.
"Fury!"
"Not surprised to hear from you," Tony replied, as calm and confident as ever.
They had already collaborated extensively to root out Hydra. With the latest journal revelations, Tony knew exactly why Fury was calling: to investigate Pierce's identity, confirm once and for all if the SHIELD Director was Hydra.
"Hide-and-seek's over. Wait for my signal," Fury said.
Tony responded promptly and cut the line. Fury could relax—if Pierce were Hydra, Tony would uncover it quickly.
Next on his agenda: consulting Thor. Not only about the Celestial Group, but also to see Thor's "hammer training" progress.
Fury wasted no time, donning his signature coat and setting out.
-----------------------
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