Chapter 319: Please Do Rule the World
The heavy doors slowly closed, completely isolating the corridor and the reception room into two separate Worlds.
The air inside the room seemed to have frozen into a solid substance.
Although the invisible pressure weighing on Steve Rogers had dissipated, he still sat in the leather sofa, lingering without getting up.
He looked down at his palms—hands that had once gripped the shield to shatter HYDRA's defense line. Yet just now, facing Lu Chen, he had been completely stripped of even the strength to stand up.
Steve took a deep breath and picked up the canvas bag containing the round shield. He knew Lu Chen had already made up his mind, and the current Vought Tower was not a place to reason. He had to return first, clearly explain the whole story to the remaining upright Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., reorganize his thoughts, and then figure out how to save those lives that might be innocently implicated.
"Alright, stop acting like the Thinker statue here."
Tony Stark downed the remaining liquor at the bottom of his glass in one gulp, tossed the glass casually onto the table, and turned to look at the tense-bodied Colonel Rhodes beside him, his tone full of impatience:
"You heard the decision loud and clear, Rhodes. Go back to Washington and report honestly to those old men in The Pentagon with one foot in the grave. As for me, I'm going back to sleep. Tearing down The Mandarin's fake base these past few days has almost overloaded Jarvis's core algorithm."
Tony irritably pulled at his collar. Ever since Maya Hansen had been taken away early by Lu Chen's people, that mad dog Killian's vigilance had shot straight to the absolute peak, with countless boltholes like a cunning rabbit, completely vanishing from the face of the earth.
Tony had tracked down several strongholds, only to catch disabled veterans used as living bombs, without managing to touch a single hair of Killian, leaving him in an extremely foul mood to begin with.
Rhodes frowned and sighed, nodded, and turned to leave with Tony.
Coulson, Mei, and Ward silently escorted Nick Fury.
That once arrogant S.H.I.E.L.D. Director lowered his head, his single eye dim and ashen, like a shell drained of its soul, as he was propped up and dragged out of the reception room by the Agents.
Alexander Pierce stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, casting one last cold glance at Fury's dejected back, a trace of undisguised contempt curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Losers deserve to rot in the gutter."
Pierce quickly straightened the hem of his suit, walking out the door with steady, composed strides.
However, the moment he rounded the corner into the deserted fire escape, his composure as a man of high status vanished completely.
He pulled out a private encrypted satellite phone, his fingertips swiftly punching in a string of numbers.
The phone rang only once before it was answered, and Simone's crisp yet somewhat scathing voice came from the other end of the receiver:
"Yo, Director Pierce. Weren't you quite majestic back in the meeting room? Shouting about grinding aliens to dust and scattering their ashes, how is it that the moment you turned around, your call ended up at my little secretary's desk?"
Facing Simone's barbed sarcasm, Pierce did not show a shred of anger; instead, he lowered his posture to the utmost:
"Miss Simone, I know Mr. Lu Chen is extremely busy with a myriad of affairs. But I have top-secret, highly urgent matters concerning the global landscape that must be reported to him alone in person. Please be sure to pass along the message for me—just five minutes, no, three minutes will be enough."
The other end of the phone fell into a brief silence, faintly carrying the rustling sound of pages turning.
After a moment, Simone spoke indifferently: "The boss is in the top-floor office. Take the private elevator on the left to come up."
"Thank you!"
Pierce hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. He didn't even have time to steady his hurried breathing as he straightened his tie, completely casting aside the dignity of a top-tier politician. Clacking in his shiny leather shoes, he trotted toward the private elevator.
Inside the top-floor office, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the expensive carpet.
Wanda was lying against the edge of the large mahogany desk, her lower legs swinging gently in mid-air. Holding a tablet in her hands, she pointed at several dessert shops on the screen, her Eastern European accent tinged with a charming innocence:
"Boss, I heard from Pietro that the newly opened Black Forest cake shop on Seventh Avenue is amazing, and the cream isn't greasy at all. Can we go try it later?"
Lu Chen leaned back in his swivel chair, casually flipping through the compiled intelligence regarding the Skrulls' various sanctuaries. Just as he was about to speak, the heavy office door let out a soft click.
Simone led a slightly panting Pierce inside.
Hearing the commotion, Wanda immediately gave two light coughs and snapped straight up. The softness and playfulness on her face vanished completely in an instant. With her hands crossed and hanging before her, she stood solemnly behind and to the side of Lu Chen, her eyes even shimmering with a hint of dangerous crimson light.
Simone stepped back in her high heels, wearing an impeccable professional smile:
"Boss, Director Pierce has arrived."
Pierce strode forward, coming to a stop two meters in front of the desk, and bowed slightly:
"Mr. Lu Chen, good afternoon."
After finishing his greeting, Pierce subconsciously looked at Wanda beside Lu Chen, then glanced back at Simone by the door. His eyes were full of hints, clearly hoping to dismiss everyone present for a private, one-on-one conversation.
However, Lu Chen didn't even lift an eyelid. He simply tossed the intelligence onto the desk, leaning back against his chair and looking at him indifferently.
Seeing that Lu Chen remained completely unresponsive to his winking hints, Pierce's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and steel his heart.
Anyway, Simone was originally sent by HYDRA's outer circle, and Wanda was Lu Chen's trusted confidante; hiding it from them was pointless.
"Mr. Lu Chen…" Pierce took a deep breath, his expression turning unprecedentedly solemn and serious.
"Although I still don't know by what unfathomable means you managed to uncover my identity as the supreme leader of HYDRA, over this past period of time, having witnessed your methods, your tactical prowess, and that iron-fisted verdict on the continuation of civilization in the reception room just now—"
The old politician's eyes burst with a fanatic glow akin to a religious believer: "I sincerely believe that you are the only truth to lead humanity across the dark forest of the Universe and establish absolute order, and even more so, the born leader that HYDRA has bitterly sought for nearly a hundred years!"
Pierce suddenly stepped forward by half a pace, his hands slightly open, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "I wish to represent all the elite forces of my faction to formally implore Lu Chen to be crowned as the sole Supreme Serpent Head of HYDRA!"
"As long as you nod, I, Alexander Pierce, will immediately abdicate and step down in favor of a worthier person. I will exhaust all the experience, connections, Agent networks, and political resources of the rest of my life, willingly serving as your hound and horse, to assist you in forging a globally unified iron-and-blood empire with absolute might!"
The office instantly fell silent.
Chapter 320
Standing to the side, Simone's mouth slightly opened, and a flash of undisguised shock crossed her eyes.
She knew that Pierce was a man who could bend and stretch, but she never expected that this old fox, who had his hands in everything in Washington, would actually hand over his entire organization on a silver platter, lowering himself to such a degree.
Wanda also raised an eyebrow slightly, looking with some curiosity at the shrewd politician who was completely different from the one just moments ago in the conference room.
Only Lu Chen, sitting in his chair, remained completely unmoved.
"Pierce, if I recall correctly, your so-called HYDRA doesn't seem to be limited to just the faction you hold in your hands, does it?"
Pierce's pupils shrank sharply.
The division and factionalism within HYDRA were core secrets among core secrets; the outside World didn't even know that HYDRA was still alive, yet Lu Chen actually knew the internal structure like the back of his hand!
After a brief moment of shock, the awe and reverence Pierce felt for Lu Chen deepened even further. As expected, in front of this man, there were simply no secrets in this World.
"Mr. Lu is truly a god-like man; even such secrets are as clear as fire to you." Pierce chuckled self-deprecatingly, then his expression turned solemn, his tone carrying deep disdain and contempt:
"Indeed, as you said. The origins of HYDRA are extremely ancient, tracing back to the secret cult of the old European aristocratic Malick family. That was the original prototype of HYDRA; they worshipped some existence from another dimension in the darkness, lingering on for thousands of years."
"By World War II, Red Skull John Schmidt used the resources of that ancient cult to complete his initial accumulation, subsequently breaking away from the religion to create a fully militarized HYDRA. Since then, the organization has completely split into what are known as the Theocratic faction and the Militarist faction."
Pierce puffed out his chest and said proudly: "But in my opinion, whether it's Malick, who dreams of welcoming back ancient gods every day, or the die-hards clinging to the militarism of World War II relics, they are all primitive, ignorant, and superstitious! It's already the 21st century; only top-tier technological strength combined with unbreakable authoritarian control can forge the great cause of ruling the World! Their way of doing things should have been eliminated by history long ago!"
Lu Chen looked at the impassioned Pierce and suddenly chuckled.
"Pierce, I think you've misunderstood something."
Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced, his expression lazy: "I really have no interest in ruling the World."
The fanaticism on Pierce's face instantly froze.
"Ruling the World?" Lu Chen shook his head, a trace of distaste curling the corner of his mouth, "Reviewing endless documents every day, dealing with bickering factions, catching traitors, suppressing rebellions, preventing assassinations... it's too much trouble. If I have that spare time, I'd rather lounge on the balcony, soaking up the Sun and drinking a couple of cups of coffee."
Lu Chen pointed to Manhattan outside the window: "Dealing with the Skrulls this time was purely because this group of disgusting green-skinned lizards stretched their claws into my territory and even had designs on me. I found them an eyesore, so I crushed them by the way. So, put away your rhetoric about urging me to take the throne and get rid of that idea."
Pierce stood frozen in place, his mind completely blank.
No ambition?
A man who possessed the power to turn the clouds and rain with a flip of his hand, who could plunge the entire World into silence with a single word, and who could play S.H.I.E.L.D. in the palm of his hand, actually said he found it too troublesome and didn't want to rule the World?
This completely shattered the worldview Pierce had formed after being immersed in politics for most of his life.
Watching the dejected old fox, Lu Chen shifted the tone slightly: "However, although I have no interest in your great cause, you have indeed handled the matters I entrusted to you during this time without any faults. I said before, as long as you are obedient, the promise I made to you remains valid."
Lu Chen's gaze fell on Pierce: "I can help you do one thing; think it over carefully before you speak."
Pierce stood where he was, the muscles on his face twitching uncontrollably.
Shock, disappointment, confusion, struggle... countless emotions intertwined wildly in the eyes of this top-tier conspirator.
But he was able to climb to the peak within the dual abyss of S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, not just because of his persistence in his ideals, but because of his unparalleled decisiveness. Since he couldn't directly support the other party to the throne, he would change his approach and stack his chips to the highest level!
Pierce suddenly raised his head, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes: "Mr. Lu, I've decided!"
"Speak."
Pierce dropped his hands to his sides and bowed deeply, his voice resolute: "My request is—please have Vought Company take action to assist me in completely wiping out and unifying all of HYDRA's branch factions! Uproot both the Theocratic faction and the Militarist faction!"
After straightening up, Pierce stared burning at Lu Chen: "After unification, HYDRA will be led by me, and all members will serve as an affiliated security and intelligence department, merging into Vought International as a whole to accept your complete reorganization!"
Simone, standing behind, covered her lips again, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Is this old thing crazy?
Completely reshuffling a massive underground empire that had existed for thousands of years, and then, like a bankrupt little workshop begging to be acquired, packaging it up and handing it over to Vought without reservation?
Lu Chen also raised his eyebrows slightly and took an extra look at Pierce. He had to admit that this old spymaster's courage was indeed beyond ordinary people.
"Very well." Lu Chen tapped his fingertips on the desktop gently and agreed calmly.
He turned to look at Simone and instructed casually: "Notify everyone that, apart from the necessary personnel to maintain daily operations in the building, have Pietro select a group of experts who have taken Compound V, bring their equipment, and follow Pierce to handle this matter. If you encounter any tough problems you can't solve during the cleanup process, report to me at any time."
"Understood, Boss." Simone quickly recorded the instructions on her tactical tablet.
Wanda, standing behind Lu Chen, was suddenly unhappy.
The little Witch stepped forward half a step and tugged on Lu Chen's sleeve: "Boss, why send my brother? He's rash and impulsive; apart from running fast, he can't do anything well. I'm much stronger than him; why not let me go and help you catch those bad guys?"
Lu Chen turned around, looking at the girl's exquisite face, filled with eagerness and competitiveness, and with a chuckle, he raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of her head.
"You are my trump card, my trusted general." Lu Chen had a smile on his lips, his voice not loud, but filled with absolute trust, "Why would I need you to personally handle such dirty and tiring work as running into the sewers to clean up trash?"
As soon as the words "trusted general" were spoken, the girl felt as if a big spoonful of sweet syrup had been poured into her heart, making her feel dizzy. The dissatisfaction she felt earlier about not being sent out was thrown to the clouds, and even Pierce's old face looked much more pleasing to her.
"Well... I am also very strong..." Wanda lowered her head and muttered, then looked up in a bit of a panic, "Then, then I'll go call Pietro over first, so he doesn't slack off!"
Before she finished speaking, the little Witch, like a startled red butterfly, stepped with light, messy footsteps and fled the office.
Lu Chen laughed, then waved his hand: "Simone, take Pierce to prepare."
"Yes, Boss. Director Pierce, please." Simone turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation.
Pierce bowed respectfully to Lu Chen again, then turned and followed Simone out the door.
Walking along the empty and luxurious corridor, Pierce slowly raised his head, which had been bowed, and hid all the emotions surging deep in his eyes.
Find ruling the World too much trouble? Don't want to be an emperor?
Pierce let out a cold laugh in his heart that only he could understand.
When he was young, in order to study intelligence from the East, he had extensively read the historical classics of that ancient country. Those Jiedushi and great generals who controlled absolute military power, when faced with the support of their subordinates, which one didn't wave their hands repeatedly, declining by saying they only wanted to be loyal subjects and had no interest in the position of the supreme ruler?
Reticence, introversion, and retreating to advance—this was the habit ingrained in the bones of great figures in the East!
The so-called "too much trouble" was just because the chips weren't pure enough, and the position wasn't logical enough yet!
"Wait until I use Vought's power to send that group of god-pretending cultists under Malick to the west, and swallow up all the remnants of Red Skull..." Pierce's breathing gradually became heavy, his hands clenched into fists inside his suit pockets.
HYDRA, this behemoth with a thousand-year heritage, after being thoroughly baptized by blood and integrated with resources, would unleash energy that would be subversive!
By then, the entire Earth's political upper echelons, military-industrial complex, and intelligence networks would all be HYDRA people. And he, leading this absolute power that had already enveloped all of humanity, would, in front of the whole World, kneel neatly at Lu Chen's feet!
Just like the generals at Chenqiao Station back then, he would force the yellow robe, which symbolized the supreme order of the World, onto this young man's shoulders!
Shoving the scepter directly into your hands, with the whole World already prostrate on the ground, you would have no choice but to be the master of this Planet!
Pierce looked back at the closed office door, his deep eyes flashing with near-insane obsession and fanaticism.
"Just you wait and see, Mr. Lu..."
The old politician curled his lips into a cold, confident sneer and stepped into the elevator: "Old Pierce will personally sew this yellow robe tight for you!"
Chapter 321: Public Trial Begins
Over the Atlantic Ocean, at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
Three black-painted supersonic heavy stealth transport planes pierced through the thick clouds, their engines spitting dim blue plasma exhaust flames, racing toward Eastern European airspace at several times the speed of sound.
In the central cabin, Alexander Pierce changed out of that expensive custom suit and put on a deep black tactical windbreaker.
He stood at the front of the cabin, his gaze sweeping across the interior, his chest burning with warmth. He had not personally taken the field in many years, but this time, not only did he have overwhelmingly powerful military support,
what drove him more was that his ideal finally had a path to realization. After the Insight Project was called to a halt by Lu Chen, he had also reflected that he understood far too little about this World. Even if Lu Chen had not appeared and the Insight Project had been perfectly formed, there was no guarantee that someone like the Eternals would appear, while HYDRA's military reliance was merely the immature Centipede Serum and the Winter Soldier project. But now, everything was different.
In the spacious cabin sat over a hundred fully armed Vought security Agents.
These Agents had indifferent expressions, their muscle fibers tightened like steel under their black special tactical uniforms.
Under the modification of Compound V, everyone in the cabin had their strength, speed, endurance, and neural reactions forcibly elevated to human limits.
Looking out, what these few planes carried was equivalent to several hundred "Captain America"s who completely followed commands and obeyed discipline.
The super soldier dream that HYDRA once frantically pursued was now sitting so casually before his eyes; this battle was being fought with an absurdly wealthy hand.
"Hey, Old Pi."
Pietro, sitting diagonally across with his legs crossed, yawned: "That Baron Strucker really hiding in that broken castle? If it turns out to be empty, I won't help you clean up the mess."
"Please rest assured, Quicksilver." Pierce slightly bowed, his tone extremely polite: "That old fox Strucker has operated the underground fortress in Sokovia for more than a decade, thinking it was foolproof. As long as we take him down with thunderous means, HYDRA's military faction in Europe will be completely paralyzed."
A ruthless, fierce light flickered in Pierce's eyes.
Colleagues? Brothers?
On the road leading to the new divine throne, the stumbling blocks of the old era had only one end: being completely crushed.
At the same time, Lower Manhattan.
A low-key black Chevrolet was slowly shuttling through the crowded traffic.
Steve Rogers gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. In the passenger seat, Clint Barton was toying with an ordinary carbon fiber arrowhead, keeping his head down and saying not a word.
Natasha Romanoff sat in the back row, her elbows propped on the edge of the car window, her eyes watching the crazily scrolling news headlines on the street giant screens outside.
After the car drove past three blocks, Natasha finally broke the gloomy air.
"What do you think about tomorrow's public trial in Times Square?"
Steve slightly eased the accelerator under his foot, was silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke: "Putting aside whether Lu Chen's disposal of the Skrulls is unfair... but the decision to publicly try Nick Fury, I feel there is no problem."
Barton raised his head and glanced at Steve.
"At least he went through the procedure of a public trial." Steve took a deep breath, his tone carrying undisguised disappointment and fatigue: "For twenty years, Nick hid aliens in the heart of humanity, taking the safety and security of the entire civilization as a bargaining chip for his geopolitical balance. Even when New York was almost beaten to sinking by the Chitauri, he still clutched his life-saving trump card and refused to reveal it. He really did too many wrong things and must give the whole World an account."
His bottom line was justice and principle. Even though Fury had once been the convener of the Avengers, when those fig leaves were torn off one by one bloody by Lu Chen, Steve could not convince himself to shield someone who treats civilians as expendable supplies.
"Clint, what about you?" Natasha looked toward the passenger seat.
Barton self-deprecatingly twitched the corner of his mouth, plugged the arrowhead back into the tactical slot at his waist, and sighed: "Although Nick is my old boss, frankly speaking, I can't help with this matter. I'm just an Agent who holds a bow and arrow, and after retiring, I just want to be an ordinary farmer. I neither have official connections to apply pressure nor the stance to overturn the public trial stage set up by Vought."
He was very clear-headed.
The World of today was no longer an era where S.H.I.E.L.D. could shield everything with Agent shady dealings.
Natasha lowered her eyes. Among the three people present, her inner thoughts were the most complex.
Barton did not shoot her in Budapest back then, but instead brought her out of the Red Room; subsequently, Fury washed clean her files and gave her a second life.
These two people were as gracious as mountains to her.
But on the other side, the Compound V given by Lu Chen allowed her to awaken Shadow Walking, and had even saved the lives of her and the Avengers.
Who was right? Who was wrong?
There were never black-and-white fairy tales in the World of spies.
After pondering for a moment, Natasha straightened her body and said in a deep voice: "In that case, I will contact Deputy Director Hill and Coulson. No matter how big a crime Nick committed, when he is publicly tried by all mankind in Times Square, at least... we must help him fight for an opportunity for a public statement to open his mouth and defend himself, rather than directly pushing him onto the gallows like a beast waiting to be slaughtered."
Steve glanced at her through the rearview mirror and nodded: "Can do. This is the legal right he deserves."
Outside the car window, the neon lights of Manhattan were reflected on the windshield, flickering dimly.
The next morning, nine-thirty.
New York, Times Square.
Morning light tore through the fog, illuminating this bustling intersection usually completely filled with consumerist advertisements.
However, today, there were no noisy commercial advertisements here.
The Nasdaq giant screens around the square, the outer wall screens of the Reuters building, and the full-color screens of major department stores were all uniformly switched to the Vought corporate emblem with a pure black background.
Tens of thousands of people, like a black tide, swarmed in wildly from the major trunk roads of Manhattan.
The New York Police Department and Vought's heavily armed riot force formed several layers of heavy steel defense lines, with electromagnetic pulse networks and heavy riot armored vehicles tightly separating the core area.
Countless flashing long lenses and short cannons were set up on the broadcasting platforms, and resident reporters from hundreds of countries were speaking different languages, conducting crazy live broadcasts facing the camera.
Through the global network taken over by Yuheng, billions of people sat in front of television, computer, and mobile phone screens, staring nervously at the tall metal trial stage that had risen overnight in the dead center of Times Square.
The curtain call of the Agent king of the old era, the public establishment of prestige in the new era of hegemony.
The breath of the entire World seemed to have stalled at this moment.
Chapter 322: Sentencing and Defense
Midtown Manhattan, the top floor of Vought Tower.
Simone stepped in high heels, holding a tablet with organized data, and silently pushed open the heavy mahogany doors.
As soon as she walked into the office, she subconsciously lightened her footsteps.
Behind the desk, Lu Chen was not reviewing documents as usual, but stood with his hands behind his back in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. His tall and straight figure stood against the natural light outside the window, looking up at the azure sky above, his gaze distant, wondering what he was thinking.
Sensibly, Simone stopped three meters away without making a sound to disturb him.
A full minute later, Lu Chen slowly withdrew his gaze and turned around.
"What is it?"
Simone immediately stepped forward and slightly lowered her head to report: "Boss, Times Square is all set, and all media outlets and the public trial jury are in place. Today is the day of the public trial for Nick Fury. Do you… need to attend the scene in person?"
Lu Chen walked to the desk and sat down, his expression calm: "No need. Just proceed normally according to the established procedure."
He picked up the slightly cooled coffee on the desk and added casually: "Aside from wanting to see if he would grit his teeth and press that pager to call Carol Danvers when truly facing life and Death, Nick Fury as a person no longer has any value worth my care."
If he pressed it, it would logically lead Captain Marvel back to Earth, allowing him to weigh the strength of that binary powerhouse; if he refused to press it until Death, he would step-by-step accept the ending humanity gave him.
"Right," Lu Chen put down the cup and changed the subject, "how are the pair of sisters brought back settled in?"
Simone's expression turned serious: "They are relatively stable for now. They have been arranged in the special care suites of the tower, and their diet and daily routines are provided according to the highest standards. That red-haired little girl named Jean Grey is relatively introverted and well-behaved, but her sister Sarah… is extremely vigilant and almost always in a state of high alert."
Lu Chen leaned back in his swivel chair and pondered.
Jean Grey.
The girl whose body ought to harbor the Phoenix Force, which was sufficient to burn down the Universe and reshape multiple dimensions.
Compared to that kind of cosmic-root-level power, the so-called Agent trial in Times Square that shook humanity's political landscape was as trivial as a game of house played by children.
"Alright." Lu Chen adjusted his slightly wrinkled collar, his tone calm:
"Bring the two sisters over; I have some things to ask them in person."
"As for Nick Fury in the square… just tell me the final outcome after the public trial ends."
Exactly ten o'clock in the morning.
The sky over Times Square, New York was covered by dark clouds, and the strong wind whipped up waste newspapers from the ground, lashing against the armor plates of heavy riot armored vehicles.
In the exact center of the square, a steel trial platform poured overnight by the Vought engineering department stood majestically.
Nine Supreme Court justices wearing black, oversized judicial robes looked solemn, standing behind the trial bench. The Chief Justice sitting in the very center had graying hair, a tightly furrowed brow, and fingertips pressing down on the hundreds of pages of the indictment dossier.
At the defendant's stand, Nick Fury wore neither handcuffs nor prison uniforms.
He was still wrapped in his signature black long leather windbreaker, standing straight behind the railing. His remaining right eye showed no ripples, and he didn't even look at the dense crowd below the stage.
There was no plaintiff's stand and no defense attorney.
Directly in front of the trial platform, tens of thousands of New York City citizens and spontaneously arrived civilians were packed tightly, with dark heads extending as far as the eye could see. On dozens of interconnected NASDAQ giant screens around the square, lines of declassified files rolled mercilessly.
All of humanity was the jury.
Inside the isolation cordon below the stage, the Avengers and the remaining high-ranking officials of S.H.I.E.L.D. gathered.
Steve crossed his arms, his jaw tight; Tony took off his sunglasses, losing his flippant smile; Rhodes' expression was cold and stiff. By their side, Deputy Director Hill looked terrible; Coulson, Melinda, and Ward stood side by side, and the surrounding gazes pierced their backs like needles.
The Chief Justice slowly adjusted the microphone, and his low voice instantly spread across the World through the global broadcasting network taken over by Yuheng.
"Based on the public petitions of the global populace and existing conclusive evidence, the collegiate bench is now reading the public prosecution charges against the defendant Nick Fury."
The image on the big screen suddenly switched, and a set of huge three-dimensional energy maps and top-secret approvals were projected onto the sky.
"First core felony: Unauthorized rebooting of Project Pegasus, secretly extracting the energy of the Tesseract to manufacture weapons of mass destruction without the complete authorization of the World Security Council. The energy beacon generated by this move directly attracted the Chitauri fleet, causing the outbreak of the Battle of New York, resulting in civilian Deaths and tens of trillions of economic losses. It is characterized as gross dereliction of duty, endangering the security of all humanity, and negligently triggering a cosmic-scale war."
An outburst of suppressed cursing and commotion suddenly erupted in the crowd.
The muscles at the corners of Steve's eyes twitched slightly, and he closed his eyes subconsciously. Even though he had long known the truth, when these black-and-white pieces of evidence were laid bare before the entire World, the ruler of justice still shook violently.
The Chief Justice turned a page of the dossier, his voice flat and waveless:
"Second core felony: Since 1995, privately sheltering and harboring the alien exile race Skrulls, concealing the fact of their long-term residence on Earth. Utilizing the Director's authority to forge a large number of official household registrations, Agent files, and Death certificates, allowing alien organisms with mimicry camouflage capabilities to infiltrate human society, posing a major potential threat to the sovereignty and national defense security of Earth's civilization."
"Third: Recruiting Superhumans individuals outside of supervision; privately deploying alien heavy firearm prototypes in the Helicarrier and unrecorded bases."
"Fourth: Without approval, cross-project misappropriation of hundreds of billions of dollars in huge defense funds, privately setting up hundreds of unrecorded safe houses and arsenals in Europe, America, and Africa."
Charge after charge was read out coldly, accompanied even by photos of Skrulls before and after changing their appearances.
Hill below the stage closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Coulson's face couldn't hold up either, a bitter smile showing at the corners of his mouth. In the past, they had fought desperately for S.H.I.E.L.D., thinking they were knights guarding the light in the darkness, but they didn't expect that under the magnifying glass of institutions and laws, their boss's underpants were already riddled with holes.
After the reading was finished, Times Square fell into dead silence.
The Chief Justice raised his head, his gaze falling on Fury through his lenses: "Defendant Nick Fury, regarding the above accusations, do you have anything to state?"
All cameras instantly zoomed in on a close-up of Fury's face.
Billions of people around the World held their breath, waiting for this fallen king of Agents to cry bitterly or beg for mercy hysterically.
Fury slowly raised his head, his falcon-like single eye sweeping over the Avengers below the stage, sweeping over the angry crowd, and finally landing on the judges' bench.
"Cosmic threats far exceed the conventional cognition of you judges and politicians sitting in ivory towers."
"The bureaucrats of the World Security Council only know how to hold meetings and argue. If we don't reserve strength in advance and study the energy of the Tesseract, the day the alien main fleet crushes the atmosphere, all of humanity won't even be able to put up a single second of resistance."
He paused, his tone without any fluctuation: "As for the Skrulls, sheltering them is a strategic investment to trade for deep-space allies. Everything I did was to protect this Planet."
After saying these few words, Fury closed his eyelids again, without a single extra word of defense.
Arrogant, stubborn, not thinking he did anything wrong even until Death.
A fierce wave of boos instantly rose in the crowd, and some angry citizens even smashed mineral water bottles in their hands against the steel railing.
"Since the defendant has waived substantive defense, the collegiate bench enters the adjudication stage…"
"Wait! Your Honor!"
Chapter 323: The Fall of the King of Agents
A gentle yet clear voice rang out through the loudspeaker, interrupting the judge's actions.
At Hill's signal, Phil Coulson adjusted his suit collar and walked briskly to the witness stand.
Facing tens of thousands of scrutinizing and hostile gazes, Coulson stood in front of the microphone, his face usually adorned with a gentle smile now full of solemnity.
"I am a Level 8 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson."
Coulson took a deep breath. Without using any superpowers, relying purely on his natural good-guy demeanor that naturally inspired trust, he spoke sincerely:
"I am not here to whitewash Director Fury's faults. Unauthorized research on the Tesseract did indeed bring about a disaster, but every penny he embezzled—not even a single cent went into his own pocket—was entirely used for the secret armed research and development to deal with supernatural crises."
Coulson brought up a classified S.H.I.E.L.D. log and projected it onto the side screen.
"Over the past five years, S.H.I.E.L.D. has quietly handled 461 dangerous alien artifacts and extreme experiments worldwide. In New Mexico, when the Destroyer armor and Mjolnir descended from the sky, it was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents who used their flesh and blood to draw a defense line in the town, preventing even larger-scale casualties."
Coulson looked at the citizens off the stage, a hint of entreaty in his tone: "He is guilty of serious dereliction of duty, but he is not a traitor to humanity. He is just a madman who thought he could catch everyone at the edge of a cliff single-handedly. He is guilty, but his initial intentions were not bad, and his crimes do not warrant death."
As his voice fell, the commotion off the stage gradually subsided.
Many citizens who had originally shouted for hanging looked at the live reports on the big screen of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents sacrificing themselves in front of unknown anomalies, and the anger in their eyes quietly receded a bit.
Coulson stepped down from the podium and exchanged a glance with Hill; both of their palms were slick with cold sweat.
On the trial bench, the nine Supreme Court justices whispered to each other, looking troubled.
Supported by Yuheng's computing power, real-time public opinion data from billions of people around the globe were rapidly aggregated and projected onto the encrypted tablet in front of the judges.
The support rate for the death penalty slipped from the initial 82 percent to 54 percent.
What made the white-haired justices even more troubled was the Vought opinion column onangkan the tablet that remained blank.
Lu Chen did not give any sentencing instructions.
This was the most fatal part.
The young man wielding power failing to express a stance meant that the law had to give an answer that was most precise, best fit the interests of that powerful entity, and could simultaneously account for human public opinion.
The deliberation lasted for a full fifteen minutes.
Tony down below whispered to Steve beside him: "If it were you, how would you sentence him?"
Steve looked at Fury on the stage and shook his head: "What he has done makes it impossible for him to stand under the sunlight of this Planet ever again."
At this moment, the whispering on the trial bench finally ceased.
The Chief Justice picked up the gavel.
Just a second before the gavel was about to fall, Fury, who had kept his eyes tightly closed all along, suddenly moved.
He slowly withdrew his right hand tucked into his coat pocket.
The fully armed Vought riot Agents around instantly pulled their bolt actions, and the pitch-black gun muzzles simultaneously aimed straight at Fury's chest.
Fury ignored the firearms. Lying in the palm of his hand was a small pager with an old-fashioned style, its corners even worn and chipped of paint.
In the past twenty-four hours, in the dim cell, Fury had countless times stroked the raised button on it with his thumb.
As long as he pressed it, that woman possessing the great might to destroy interstellar warships and having absorbed the energy of the Space Stone would know and warp back to Earth.
But... then what?
Call Carol back and let her and Lu Chen start a war over Manhattan? Turn Earth into scorched Earth where the two of them bite at each other?
Fury self-deprecatingly twitched the corner of his mouth.
He had spent his entire life scheming, treating everyone as chess pieces, but at the very last moment, this king of spies ultimately did not take that step to completely destroy humanity's homeland.
Turning around, across the three-meter-wide guardrail, he gently tossed the old pager toward Hill down below.
With quick eyes and swift hands, Hill caught the pager in her hands, her expression stunned.
"Keep it safe, Maria." Fury's single eye drooped slightly, and his deep voice could only be heard clearly by the few people closest to him: "This is Earth's last trump card. Until the day civilization perishes, do not touch it."
Having said this, Fury seemed to have aged ten years all at once, his back slightly hunched as he faced the trial bench once again.
Bang!
The gavel finally fell heavily.
The Chief Justice stood up and read out all humanity's final verdict on this king of Agents of the old era:
"Synthesizing the facts and public opinion from all sides, according to the Vought Special Defense Regulations, the panel of judges hereby rules as follows:"
"Strip Nick Fury of all citizenship status and political rights on Earth."
"Due to his long-term deep involvement in the internal affairs of the Skrulls, Nick Fury is sentenced to be escorted immediately to the polar stronghold in northern Norway, board an alien assault ship, and serve as the navigation officer of the moderate Skrull pioneer fleet."
The Chief Justice's voice echoed over Times Square, resolute and decisive:
"The defendant will lead the Skrull survivors to venture deep into the unknown Universe for Earth civilization to explore star fields, map star charts, and screen the movements of hostile civilizations. This sentence is for life. From the day the warship ignites, Nick Fury shall never step foot into Earth's atmosphere by even half a step!"
Exiled into deep space.
Stripped of his identity, acting as a doomed pathfinder extending humanity's reach into the dark Universe.
It neither chopped off Fury's head in public to trigger a do-or-die clash with old-faction Agents, nor did it fail to thoroughly squeeze out the remaining value of his understanding of cosmic civilizations; furthermore, it solidly implemented Lu Chen's previous strategy of exiling the Skrulls.
Fury stood on the stage, his body pausing slightly.
Immediately afterward, the old Agent's mouth hooked into a self-deprecating arc, and he slowly nodded.
"Court dismissed."
Chapter 324: Deformed Outcasts
At the top floor of Vought Tower, Simone pushed open the door, bringing along the two sisters, Sara and Jean Grey.
Having washed away the grime and decadence from their first encounter days ago, both sisters had now changed into clean casual clothes.
Sara was wearing a soft light beige hoodie, her light blonde long hair combed into a low ponytail, giving her a gentle and warm aura; following closely behind her was the red-haired girl, Jean, who wore a loose dark blue pullover, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her clear blue eyes scanning the ultra-luxurious office.
Simone walked quickly to the desk and handed a newly transmitted briefing to Lu Chen.
"Boss, the public trial in Times Square has just ended," Simone reported in a low voice, "The Chief Justice sentenced Nick Fury to the deprivation of all political rights and citizenship, exiling him for life to the Skrulls' vanguard warship to serve as a deep space pathfinder navigator. Before the gavel fell, he threw that old pager to Hill."
Lu Chen leaned back in the spacious leather chair and flipped through the briefing.
"Exiled to deep space?" Lu Chen let out a low chuckle. "It seems that this old fellow has worked hard in S.H.I.E.L.D.for so many years; his connections and lingering prestige really haven't completely rotted away yet."
As for that pager which Fury regarded as his lifeline and threw to Hill, Lu Chen didn't care about it at all.
If Captain Marvel knew what was good for her and stayed deep in the Universe, they would be safe for the time being. If one day she really didn't know what was good for her and followed the signal to jump back to Earth to make trouble, it would simply mean spending a bit more effort, and by the way, testing whether his current body could head-on crush the Binary form.
"Since the pager is in Hill's hands, just let her keep it."
Simone bowed and stepped back. "Understood."
Only then did Lu Chen move his gaze away from the document and land on the uneasy sisters.
Having rested for a few days, their complexions were noticeably rosier, but the wariness formed by years at the bottom of society and being ostracized by the world was still engraved in their bones. Sara quietly blocked half her body in front of her sister, meeting Lu Chen's deep gaze.
Lu Chen looked them over for a moment and, without beating around the bush, asked straightforwardly, "During your wandering days, or even earlier, have you ever seen other people with peculiar abilities?"
Sara was slightly stunned, shaking her head in puzzlement.
Lu Chen tapped his fingertip lightly against the edge of the table and described specifically, "For example... a kind-looking old man in a wheelchair who is bald? Or a weirdo who has to wear red sunglasses every day even indoors? Or perhaps, an extremist who wears a metal helmet all day and proclaims everywhere that only special humans deserve to rule the world?"
Jean poked half her head out from behind her sister, blinking, her freckled little face filled with blank bewilderment.
Sara thought back carefully, her tone gentle and resolute, "Sir, we've never heard of such people. Whether it was at the foster center or anywhere we've been, we've never seen the ones you mentioned."
Lu Chen's expression was calm, but a trace of contemplation flashed deep within his eyes.
There was no Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, no Charles Xavier, and no Eric Lensherr.
It seemed this wasn't a mechanical patchwork hodgepodge of different movie Universes, but rather that within the evolution of this Universe itself, indigenous mutant genes were naturally conceived.
And the small, thin red-haired girl in front of him was still that Jean Grey who might bear the multiverse Phoenix Force.
Reining in his thoughts, Lu Chen glanced at the sisters once more.
"Since there are no kindred spirits, I'm quite curious about another matter." Lu Chen changed into a more comfortable sitting posture, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny. "When I brought you back, you were obviously not doing well. Both of you possess the superpower of Telepathy. In this worldfull of ordinary people, you surely wouldn't have fallen to the point of being even worse off than ordinary people, right?"
Possessing mental-level psionic abilities, even the most rudimentary mind control—going for a spin at a casino to win a little, or suggesting a few wealthy businessmen show great benevolence and do some charity—would be enough to live a stable life.
Hearing this, Jean, who was hiding behind, suddenly curled her lips, stubbornly lowered her head, and rubbed her two toes back and forth on the expensive carpet.
Sara's expression dimmed, her eyes revealing an unshakable exhaustion and bitterness.
She took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Sir, Jean and I... were abandoned by our mother when we were very young."
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow without interrupting.
"I am a few years older than Jean, and my ability awakened a bit earlier." Sara smiled bitterly, the corners of her eyes shimmering with a faint light. "At first, I could only vaguely perceive adults' emotions. Later, Jean also awakened, and her talent was much stronger than mine. Once at home, Jean even made the surrounding furniture float."
Sara's voice trembled slightly. "Mother was frightened out of her wits. She couldn't accept that she had given birth to two so-called monsters in her belly; she didn't take us to the hospital, nor did she call the police. In her eyes, such supernatural things were a demon's curse."
"Out of fear and avoidance, she sent us into the state foster care system overnight, then completely cancelled her contact information and completely vanished from our world."
Speaking of this, Sara's eye rims turned slightly red, but her back remained straight. "Ever since then, Jean and I have depended on each other for survival. We drifted through several foster families, but every single time, as long as the slightest abnormality was noticed, we would be sent away as lunatics. In the end, we could only escape to the streets, barely surviving by picking up expired food from convenience stores and doing odd jobs."
Lu Chen rubbed the space between his eyebrows and sighed inwardly.
Another damned dysfunctional family childhood trauma.
For these super individuals gifted with world-destroying talents, their childhood template seemed forever unable to escape the tragic vicious circle of being rejected by loved ones and bullied by society.
"So," Lu Chen lifted his eyes to look at Sara, "didn't you ever think of relying on your own power to make your lives a little more decent? With your abilities, even if you took some money from a bank, no one could catch you."
"We couldn't use it."
Sara shook her head vigorously, her delicate face filled with lingering fear and awe. "Both Jean and I were abandoned because of this power. I've told Jean since she was little that once this power is exposed, what awaits us is definitely not wealth, but a more thorough destruction, being sliced up for research, or the gallows. We usually hid it carefully, and even if we were close to starving to death, as long as we weren't about to be beaten to death, we never dared to use even a fraction of it."
"Before meeting you, we even thought that the two of us were the only deformed outcasts in the entire world."
Sara lowered her head, her voice gradually fading away.
The entire office fell into a brief silence.
Chapter 325: Chaos in the Left Hand, Phoenix in the Right
Simone stood to the side, watching these two ill-fated girls, a trace of sympathy flashing in her eyes. Having god-like potential but only being able to live in the darkest, dampest sewers, how ironic.
"Deformed freaks?"
Lu Chen suddenly let out a soft chuckle, his laughter echoing in the empty room.
"Broaden your horizons, girls." Lu Chen stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked down at the steel forest of Manhattan. "You've come to the right place now. The Vought Company standing before you is the largest base for Supes on this planet."
Sara and Jean raised their heads at the same time, staring blankly at the tall, upright figure with his back to the sunlight.
"The danger of this world is far beyond your imagination." Lu Chen turned around, looking down at them. "You've seen the Skrulls broadcasted live all over the internet. Alien civilizations are already sharpening their blades in the dark, and fleets from the depths of the Universe could crush Earth into dust at any moment. Hiding in the sewers like rats before true destruction arrives won't keep you alive any longer."
Lu Chen pointed at the sofa in front of him, gesturing for them to sit.
"Put away your self-pitying weakness. Since you've come to Vought, stop treating your abilities as a curse." Lu Chen's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable dominance. "I have the world's top laboratories, the most complete training grounds, and the most massive resources here. I will arrange top-tier treatment for you, customized diets, exclusive tutors—everything you lacked in material life, Vought can provide."
Lu Chen's gaze fell on Jean's red hair, which appeared dry and frizzy due to years of malnutrition, and his tone softened slightly:
"Eat better, take good care of your body and hair. Then, do your best to develop the potential in your minds."
"As for the price, it's simple—one day in the future, when you are strong enough, you will work for me."
Sara's heart trembled.
She knew all too well that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The man before her possessed the immense power to turn clouds into rain; whatever he wanted them to do would definitely be accompanied by bottomless danger and a storm of blood.
Sara pursed her lips, instinctively wanting to politely decline: "Mr. Lu, we are very grateful to you for taking us in, but we just want to be ordinary..."
"Sara."
Lu Chen interrupted her directly, raising his hand to point at the little red-haired girl beside her.
"Don't hold back your sister's talent for the sake of your ridiculous, small-minded desire for peace." Lu Chen's eyes were sharp as knives, piercing straight into Sara's heart. "Are you content to let her spend her entire life in fear and low self-esteem? If you won't think of yourself, you should think of your sister."
Sara's entire body stiffened, the rest of her words catching in her throat.
She turned her head to look at Jean.
She saw that the little girl, who had always hidden behind her, had now stood straight, her immature spine erect.
Deep within Jean's crystal-clear blue eyes, a highly restrained crimson glimmer seemed to be quietly swirling. Biting her lip, all cowardice faded from her pale little face, leaving only a near-obsessive stubbornness and fierceness.
It was the gaze of a lone wolf who had been abandoned by the world for too long, finally grasping its last saving straw.
Jean raised her head, meeting Lu Chen's oppressive gaze without a trace of fear, and said word by word:
"As long as you can protect my sister and me, as long as you can make me not afraid anymore..."
The young girl clenched her small fists. "I will definitely repay you."
Looking at her sister's resolute posture, as if she had become a completely different person, Sara's heart clenched violently.
She understood that the fledgling she had protected for so many years had finally, instinctively, chosen a thorny path that would allow her to master her own destiny.
In the end, Sara let out a long breath, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She slowly lowered her head, offering no more resistance, and bowed respectfully to Lu Chen:
"Mr. Lu... from today on, my sister and I will serve you."
The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curved up slightly.
He snapped his fingers and looked at the secretary beside him. "Simone, take them down to settle in. Clear out a suite on the top floor and send the best nutritionist there. Also, have the medical department establish the highest level of confidential health records. No one is to access Jean's data without my written order."
"Yes, boss," Simone agreed with a nod, then smiled and gestured toward the door. "You two, please follow me."
Sara took Jean's hand and followed Simone toward the door.
Before leaving, the red-haired little girl suddenly stopped. She turned and took a deep look at Lu Chen sitting in his chair, his figure reflected in her blue eyes, before walking into the corridor with firm steps.
As the heavy alloy doors slowly closed, the spacious top-floor office returned to silence once again.
Lu Chen stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked down at the Manhattan traffic, which seemed as tiny as ants beneath him.
On this planet, Hydra was being integrated into obedient dogs and horses by Pierce, the Skrulls were being driven to deep space to act as cannon fodder, and the host of the Phoenix, which carried one of the highest-tier powers in the multiverse, had also safely fallen into his hands.
The pieces on the chessboard were carrying more and more weight.
(I've been locked in the dark room. I've written 300 chapters, and now they tell me that the first dozen chapters had the same plot progression as the TV show 'The Boys'. What the hell, they say a fanfic writer isn't allowed to write the TV show's plot. I'm frantically revising the text right now, please let me out quickly!!!)
Waiting for more chapters on WTR-Lab