"Nick, the only thing I'm worried about now is that the pressure might be too much for him—enough to twist his mind."
Natasha Romanoff set aside her playful tone and looked seriously at Nick Fury through the video call.
"Excessive pressure can break anyone. Even though he's not a trained agent, the psychological toll is real."
"I've been observing him all morning. Besides occasionally checking his phone, he spends most of his time lost in thought."
"And we both know what he's thinking about: guilt over failing to save his world and how to prevent ours from meeting the same fate."
"It's like he's carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders."
"If this goes on, I'm really worried…"
She didn't finish, but Nick Fury understood.
Over the years, he'd seen plenty of agents crack under pressure.
Those who became S.H.I.E.L.D. agents usually had mental fortitude far beyond ordinary people.
But when someone like that breaks, the damage can be catastrophic.
That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologists were always busy.
Every agent underwent mandatory counseling after missions—it was standard procedure.
But Su Che was different.
He'd been a superhero for over a decade and had witnessed the annihilation of his world.
The stress and anxiety he must be feeling are unimaginable.
And he didn't have a psychiatrist.
Though they didn't yet know what abilities he possessed,
if a superhero like him became unstable—paranoid, obsessive, even broken—
The harm he could cause would far exceed that of a rogue agent.
Of course, Nick Fury wasn't ready to label Su Che a potential threat.
After all, according to the diary, he'd been an Avenger who saved his world countless times.
He was a hero.
But still…
Nick Fury cut his own train of thought short.
"Natasha, don't you think we're getting off track here?"
"The premise of our entire conversation just now was that we already trust what's written in the diary."
"We've accepted that Su Che is an Avenger from a parallel world—and we're building on that."
"But our original goal was to verify whether that's true, not to plan around it."
Natasha paused, realizing he was right.
Her initial purpose was to determine whether Su Che was truly the interdimensional traveler he claimed to be—
not to sympathize with him or worry about his mental state based on preconceived notions.
And yet, after just one morning of observation and barely a dozen words exchanged,
She'd already begun to believe in him and even care about his well-being.
Looking back, she recognized that it was Su Che's expression—
the flicker of recognition and nostalgia when he saw her—
coupled with the depth and weariness in his eyes,
that had subconsciously swayed her.
The diary's content had preconditioned her perception.
Seeing her hesitation, Nick Fury smiled faintly.
"So, Natasha—what's your take now?"
After a moment of silence, Natasha recentered herself.
Stepping back into a third-person perspective, she replied:
"I'm not sure, but I stand by my initial impression."
"Throughout the interaction, I didn't sense any pretense in this young man named Su Che."
"On the contrary, the surprise and emotion he showed when he recognized me felt genuine."
"What impression?" Fury pressed.
"I think… I might really be the one from the diary—the first to die among the Avengers, not the one who retired."
"If that's true, then his reaction makes sense."
A slow smile spread across Natasha's face.
"Nick… things are starting to get interesting."
"Don't you dare," Fury said, rubbing his temple.
He knew that look—when Natasha found something "interesting."
It meant she was about to take matters into her own hands.
"Nick, there are only so many ways to relieve anxiety and stress," Natasha said lazily, leaning back in her seat.
"I like target shooting. Some people become white-collar workers. Others use suppressants, women, or alcohol."
"You can't just stare at a tree all day—not everyone is like Hawkeye."
She checked her watch.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. At the very least, I need to confirm what his ability is."
"Until then, I stand by my judgment: Su Che is a treasure waiting to be uncovered—
at least for our world, he is."