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Fury could even read the destination of every single byte.
Washington, Berlin, Madripoor... He was waiting.
Patiently waiting for Garrett to finish sending every word.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Letting fear spread within HYDRA, making them move, making them connect, making them expose themselves.
"Are you finished?"
Two minutes later, Fury put down his wine glass.
Garrett's wrist stopped trembling. The message had been sent.
He let out a long breath, a triumphant smile appearing on his face.
"Finished."
Garrett shrugged, acting like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
"Now, you can let that alien scum kill me. But I guarantee your alien masters will soon discover that the Earth is not so easy to swallow."
"You are wrong about two things, John."
Fury slowly walked toward Garrett.
The temperature in the air began to rise with his steps.
"First, I have no masters."
"Second..."
Fury stopped in front of Garrett and leaned down.
His skin began to peel away, and blazing flames erupted from his skull.
Within Fury's hollow eye sockets, it was as if the entirety of Hell was concealed.
"...I don't need an alien to kill you."
"...Look into my eyes!!"
Fury let out a low growl.
The voice sounded like a judge from Hell.
The expression on Garrett's face froze; he saw countless faces.
Those he had killed, those Agents he had betrayed, those innocents who had died because of his orders.
"Wha... what is this..."
Garrett wanted to close his eyes, but his eyelids seemed to be held open by an invisible force, forcing him to stare directly into the flame.
"Aaaahhhhhh—!!!"
A shrill scream echoed inside the room.
Every sin he had ever committed turned into the purest pain, biting back at him.
As his pupils turned to charcoal, his entire body slumped powerlessly to the floor, lifeless.
Fury straightened up, the flames on his head gradually extinguished, and he reverted to the appearance of a White old man.
He adjusted his collar and turned his head to ask the Skrulls.
"Is it done?"
"All captured, Officer."
The Skrulls looked at the man who had died bizarrely on the floor, reverence in his eyes.
"Our equipment has tracked the refraction paths of all signals."
"The signal just now was distributed to thirty-seven receiving terminals worldwide."
The Skrulls opened a holographic projection, on which thirty-seven red dots lit up on the World map.
"Excellent."
Fury smiled as he looked at the red dots.
"Compile the coordinates."
"Since I am the last Avenger..."
He pulled a photo from his pocket—a group picture taken on the day the Avengers was formed.
"...then I need to do what an Avenger should do."
...The Bus.
Since Nick Fury was declared a globally wanted criminal, the team atmosphere on this plane had become subtle.
Coulson sat flipping through various reports and so-called exposed documents about Nick Fury, his brow furrowed.
"I don't believe it... I don't believe Director Fury is HYDRA. Nor do I believe he is the mastermind behind that 'Secret Warriors' project."
"Indeed." Melinda May stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "I've known Fury for many years. He will conceal, he will deceive, but he won't trade children. Especially not selling them to HYDRA."
"The evidence is conclusive, May."
Simmons pointed excitedly at the photo on the screen, "That is Fury's signature, that is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s encrypted seal. And those children... we all saw them, they are suffering!"
"Evidence can be fabricated," Coulson said in a deep voice. "Especially now that the S.H.I.E.L.D. system has been infiltrated by HYDRA and turned into a sieve. HYDRA can throw any dirt onto Fury."
"So we are supposed to blindly trust a 'former' Director who is globally wanted?"
Fitz stood firmly beside Simmons. "Officer, the current situation is that S.H.I.E.L.D. has collapsed. Command authority is now in Rumlow's hands; he is the highest-ranking Officer in S.H.I.E.L.D. right now."
"Rumlow?" Coulson sneered. "That thug who only follows orders? Letting him lead S.H.I.E.L.D. is a joke."
"But he is legitimate." Skye spoke up, unconsciously stroking the watch on her wrist.
"Coulson, we are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. We swore allegiance to this organization, to the duty of protecting the World, not to Nick Fury personally."
Skye looked at Coulson, her eyes showing a calmness beyond her years. "If Fury is truly innocent, why doesn't he come out and explain? Why is he hiding?"
"He's waiting for the right moment," Coulson argued. "We need to go find him and help him clear his name. Only he can lead S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I don't think so." Grant Ward interjected. "I think Skye is right. We should first execute the mission assigned by Officer Rumlow. That obelisk is an Item 0-8-4, and if it's not controlled, it could cause a major disaster."
The two sides were at a stalemate.
However, despite the disagreements, they were comrades who had gone through life and death together.
Everyone was restraining their emotions, preventing the debate from escalating into a quarrel.
"Buzz—"
Just then, the phone in Ward's pocket suddenly vibrated.
It was a specific vibration frequency.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he stood up casually.
"I'm going to the restroom."
Ward smiled, nodded to everyone, and then turned to walk toward the rear of the cabin.
With his departure, the argument came to a temporary halt.
Simmons sighed and sat next to Skye, trying to talk about something else to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Hey, Skye." Simmons's eyes sparkled with gossip. "Didn't you notice just now? Ward kept taking your side."
"Huh?" Skye was stunned for a moment. "Was he? He was just sticking to the facts."
"Come on, his eyes were practically glued to you." Simmons winked. "I bet he has special feelings for you."
"Don't talk nonsense, Simmons."
Skye gave an awkward laugh and quickly waved her hand in denial.
"I genuinely don't have any feelings for him. Ward is my Supervising Officer. My feeling toward him is like... uh, like a strict older brother?"
"Really?" Simmons didn't quite believe it. "But last time during the mission, he risked his life to save you."
"Well, he also jumped straight out of the plane to save you before. Why don't you say he likes you."
"And besides..."
Skye turned her head, looking at the clouds outside the window. Her finger gently rubbed the watch face on her wrist.
Those deep blue eyes carried a reassuring strength, even in the most critical moments.
"...No matter where you are, as long as you press it... I will come and take you home."
"I must quickly find the answer..." Skye thought silently to herself. "Once I find that answer... I will go back and find him."
"Well, of course, it's for work. After all, he's my 'boss'." Skye told herself this, but the sweet smile that unconsciously appeared on her face betrayed her girlish heart.
"And besides what?" Simmons pressed curiously.
"Nothing."
Skye came back to her senses and covered up by running a hand through her hair.
"I just think he and May are a better match. Look, neither of them talks much, and they both like to keep a straight face when fighting. They're simply a match made in heaven."