S.H.I.E.L.D.
Three-wing building.
Inside the conference room, Nick Fury squinted his eyes, resting. He'd been quite overworked lately, getting less than three hours of sleep a night. While his body was at its peak thanks to various medications and technology, it didn't mean he wasn't tired.
He even created various robotic avatars to help handle complex and tedious tasks, while he himself only participated in issues requiring decision-making. Even so, the vast amount of filtered tasks still gave him a headache, especially the recent major project.
Two hazy rays of light appeared in the conference room, and then several people walked out from the aurora-like light curtain.
Luke, dressed simply, is single.
On the other side was Loki, wearing golden armor like deer antlers and holding a scepter in his hand. Next to him was Norman Osborn, who looked a little haggard.
Noticing the visitor, Nick opened his eyes and stood up from his seat. This time he was just acting as a middleman and providing a venue for communication, so after a simple greeting, he didn't say anything more.
"It's been so long, I think you should be able to come up with an answer. Tell me about the situation." Luke pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at Loki opposite and asked.
"What do you want to know?" Loki transformed his armor into ordinary clothes and sat down. His expression was grim. At this crucial juncture in the conquest of other universes, the Time Administration, under his management, had run into problems. This was undoubtedly a slap in the face. He could already imagine the tone and expression his ill-tempered sister would use to mock him upon hearing this news.
To be honest, he really didn't want to see that scene happen at all.
Although it was not the main base that was attacked, perhaps that was just because the main base was hidden well enough.
Loki was now the one most eager to find the intruder and punish him in every possible way. Because of him, all his years of hard work had almost become a joke.
Mercifully, he truly didn't resort to slacking off or indulging in pleasure this time. He had devoted immense effort and energy to the Time Management Bureau. After all, with a fierce sister constantly watching him, to say he was walking on thin ice was a bit harsh, but to say he was diligent and conscientious was truly an exaggeration. It was precisely because of this that this attack had infuriated him even more.
"Enemy," Luke asked tentatively. He didn't hold out for too long. If he had truly discovered an enemy, given Loki's temperament, he would have gathered forces and retaliated. Even if for some reason he couldn't, he would have sought help from his brother, father, or Hyborian.
However, although the other party has been active in the past few days, no news worth celebrating has been received.
"It might be related to Kang's remnants. Because the technology they used to invade is the same as that of the Time Management Bureau, and he is very familiar with the Time Management Bureau's operating rules and maps.
"He's here with a clear agenda: to rob the Time Management Bureau. I need to clarify: Time Management Bureau No. 03 hasn't fallen; it's simply been thrown into chaos by the invasion. The whole process took no more than half an hour. If he hadn't escaped so quickly, my men should have been able to capture him," Loki replied through gritted teeth.
"What about the losses?"
Luke remained noncommittal about Loki's subsequent words, while Nick Fury, on the other side, listened expressionlessly. However, neither Luke, the External Affairs and Capital officer in charge of all matters outside the Silent City, nor Nick Fury fully believed Loki's words.
Who gave Loki the priesthood of deception, the god of fraud? He was a perpetual liar. Without some technical means, no one could discern the truth from Loki's words. He was a true master of deception. One sentence might be true, but the next would be false, simply to deceive or lure you into a trap.
There is little point in Loki lying about this matter, but his words cannot be fully believed without any supporting evidence.
For example, he later glorified the response capabilities of the Time Management Bureau No. 03.
"Some technical data was lost. The other party's goal is very clear. I suspect he's here for those things." Loki pounded his fist and slammed it down on the table, instantly cracking the solid wood. Seeing this, Nick narrowed his eyes, his eyes flickering between the table and Loki. He mentally calculated the price of the table—estimated it—and began drafting a compensation list for Loki.
"Be specific!" Luke knocked on the table impatiently, interrupting Loki's long speech that was avoiding the main point. He could tell that Loki must have lost some important technology, which was why he was being so vague and evasive.
And there was no way Luke would let Loki just play dumb and get away with it.
Moreover, if Luke wanted to investigate without Loki's knowledge, it wouldn't be difficult to find out what the other party had lost, even if Loki interfered. And Loki was obviously well aware of this.
After all, the entire Time Management Bureau's system and rules were modified by Luke and then authorized to him for management. He wasn't the master, just a worker. Although he had always been reluctant to admit this.
"Some information about the manufacturing technology of new energy. Of course, what was lost were the previous generation technologies that were eliminated by Heberon and can be spread to other places." Loki rubbed his hands and threw out a piece of information that shocked Nick.
"They haven't been eliminated," Luke corrected Loki. Not wanting to speculate on his expression, he pressed the issue again, "What else?"
If he had simply discarded this technology, Loki would have been more relaxed. After all, this technology itself could be made public, and Luke Hebron was even eager to promote and spread it throughout the universe.
Why?
Because this technology, as Luke said, is not outdated or obsolete, but its hidden dangers are a little greater. When Heybollen authorized this technology to the Time Administration, he did not also authorize the corresponding solution.
This means that if someone gets hold of this technology and uses it, they can certainly develop powerful energy technology in a short period of time, or even create gods, but the drawback is that the deeper they go, the more dependent they become, and the more dependent they become, the more they cannot escape the influence of Hebolon.
It's like the rules of human society: when you establish a framework in the early stages, a set of rules that people implicitly follow because of human nature, your path will be much smoother if you follow them. But that doesn't mean it's the right approach. You might think you can reshape and break these rules once you're stronger, but once you're truly strong, the rules will still constrain you, leaving you stuck in a quagmire and making every move difficult.
This is a poison. You can certainly enjoy the convenience it brings you, but it also means that you have completely tied your future to this high-speed chariot. Jumping off the chariot means being shattered to pieces.
So, while losing this technology might sound serious, it's actually not. Luke even hoped the other side would quickly master it, quickly deploying and implementing it on a large scale. Even a modified version wouldn't matter. Without changing the core, all other changes would be minor. If the core were modified, the other side would have the talent and strength to see the hidden dangers of this technology, and there would be no need to covet it.
Therefore, if Loki is in such a difficult situation, there must be some extremely bad news to follow.
"There's also some related technology." Loki opened his mouth, his eyes wandering slightly. But in his silence, he seemed to realize that his concealment was a bit ridiculous, so after calming down, he spoke directly: "It's the technology related to war that you recently handed over to the Time Administration."
"Beast?" Luke also narrowed his eyes.
"Wait a minute, can I ask, what is a beast?" Nick on the side couldn't help but ask, it has always been S.H.I.E.L.D. that has been responsible for taking over Heberon's technology and distributing it to make the best use of it, but what is a beast?
Is it the extraordinary equipment of the former beast series?
Or is it an upgraded version of the Beast series of extraordinary equipment?
"It's just a life form that relies on new energy." Seeing that Luke didn't stop him, Loki thought about it and gave an answer that he thought was appropriate.
"It's a form of energy that manifests life! It can connect with pre-civilization legends and present them. For example, these," Luke said, dropping several beads, assembled from tiny components out of thin air, onto the center of the conference table. Light emanated from the beads, and a virtual image appeared before everyone present. Even Norman Osborn, who remained silent, stared intently at the display.
On the screen, there were huge, ugly, and ferocious creatures that looked repressed and ferocious. According to the data listed on the screen, the smallest of the huge creatures was over 40 meters tall. The largest one was even the size of a small galaxy!
"What is this? A mutant creature? Or a monster created by some technical means? They don't look like energy creatures at all." Nick looked at those monsters that made people feel scared just by looking at them, calmed his heart that was beating violently due to inexplicable stimulation in his chest, and looked away.
"It's a product of the dark side. Heberon's technology is strictly speaking one and a half generations old, modified to suit needs. It can generate new energies, but again, each of these energies will seek its own host."
Intelligent civilizations like humans can collect and utilize positive energy, but they find the dark side difficult to control and can lead to loss of control and various adverse consequences. Therefore, they will try to eliminate it in every possible way, just like dealing with nuclear pollution.
But the negative aspects of darkness will not disappear. The more they gather together, the more they will undergo alternative changes and spread to the surroundings after exceeding a certain limit.
Once a living being comes into contact with and absorbs this dark energy, it will be transformed into the monsters shown on the screen. Of course, if there is no living being that can absorb them, they will transform into dark life forms similar to elemental creatures.
The new energy has just swallowed and assimilated the energy of another universe and has acquired their characteristics. These characteristics do not need to be modified and will in turn cover all the energy produced previously.
In another universe, different energies influence the transformation of life into forms unique to them. And the new energy now possesses this characteristic. Luke explained this seriously to Nick and Osborn, who listened intently.
"In other words, they are a kind of weapon that relies on psychic energy?" Nick pondered and gave an answer that he understood.
"You're not wrong to think so. Because these creatures created by the condensation of darkness are inherently difficult to communicate with if not handled properly, and they possess a strong desire for destruction. In other words, once they appear, they can be considered a natural disaster.
What's even more terrifying is that they can be destroyed, but they won't be exterminated. Unless the civilization that uses psychic energy completely abandons this energy or is exterminated.
But if exterminated, entire civilizations would be transformed by psychic energy into a ghostly dimension. As for giving up completely, can humanity abandon the internet? Can it abandon technology? Initially, it might not be difficult, but these hidden dangers won't materialize, and instead, you'll see only benefits. Most importantly, even if you give up, can you completely eradicate the psychic energy that already exists?
"Impossible. The thorny and parasitic nature of psionic energy gives even me, its creator, a headache sometimes. But after all, it's now a part of me." Luke grinned and answered with some ease.
When Luke's words were applied to human civilization, both Nick and Norman shuddered, feeling immense pressure. Nick, in particular, found it difficult to breathe when he thought of that scene.
With his experience, he could easily predict the scenario that would unfold: a constant flow of dark psychic life clashing with the civilization it inhabited. A war that would stretch endlessly, potentially for eternity, would become ingrained in this civilization like a constant. Disasters and war would only invigorate and strengthen psychic energy, particularly dark psychic energy.
Nick believed that Luke, who always liked to create a chain reaction, must have some unknown tricks in it, such as locking some psychic information, causing the civilization that obtained psychic power to make wrong judgments about dark psychic power, etc.
He alone could come up with several subtle traps in an instant. Unknowingly, the universe that spread psychic energy would automatically become a part of psychic energy step by step, whether it was willing or not, and without the need for every civilization to completely conquer it.
Is this the way Luke hunts and grows stronger, which is different from the way other dimensional demons grow?