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"???"
It was as if three question marks appeared above Darian's head.
What the heck?
Director Fury betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Darian suspected he had misheard and couldn't help but ask, "What did you just say?"
Coulson's tone was unusually serious: "It's true, Director Fury has betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D., and I guarantee the information is absolutely accurate."
"The Director actually betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D.? No, what's in it for him?"
Darian felt an extreme sense of absurdity.
This was practically the S.H.I.E.L.D. version of 'Why did His Majesty rebel?'
Could it be that Director Fury finally realized he was a hidden HYDRA mole, which is why he betrayed our great S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"I can't explain the specifics over the phone; I need you to come over immediately," Coulson said urgently.
[NPC Coulson has issued you a new quest]
[Quest: The Reason for Director Fury's Betrayal]
[Objective: Meet with Coulson as soon as possible to understand the reason for Director Fury's betrayal]
[Reward: EXP + 500, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation + 10, Random Item * 1]
[Player has triggered a main story quest!]
[After completing the prerequisite quest, the next quest will be unlocked!]
Darian didn't expect that the first person to issue him a quest upon his return would be Coulson.
And it was a main story quest, which he hadn't seen in a long time!
The last main story quest, after all, was when he saved Tony, and since then, no main story quests had appeared.
Darian couldn't help but exclaim, "Village Chief, I truly didn't misjudge you; you really have the potential to be a Director!"
Coulson: "?"
Following the coordinates provided by Coulson, Darian took a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet and arrived in U.S. airspace.
Before even approaching the destination, the air ahead suddenly rippled faintly, like Water, and then a colossal object gradually materialized.
This was the S.H.I.E.L.D. special division Darian had heard about before, and also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strategic equipment: a Helicarrier capable of sea, land, and air operations.
The Quinjet slowly landed on the deck. As Darian stepped out of the cabin, he saw Coulson already waiting.
With a solemn expression, he hurried over and directly handed Darian a document marked 'Top Secret.'
"Things are complicated; you should read this file first."
Normally, when faced with situations requiring extensive background reading, Darian would likely choose to skip the cutscene.
But this time was completely different.
After all, this involved Director Fury betraying S.H.I.E.L.D.
Such a huge spectacle truly piqued his immense curiosity.
Darian took the document and began to read.
This was a detailed file about 'Project Pegasus.' The core of the project was to study a mysterious object called the 'Tesseract.' According to the document, the Tesseract was not of Earth origin but came from an alien civilization and was said to possess infinite energy.
The file mentioned that the Tesseract was first discovered and researched by the HYDRA organization.
Back then, HYDRA's top leader, Red Skull, tried to use its energy to create a superweapon to rule the World, but unfortunately, he was later stopped by the evil Steve, and the Tesseract, along with him, fell into the Arctic Ocean.
It wasn't until the 20th century, when Tony's father salvaged it, that it resurfaced.
"Is the Director's betrayal related to this Tesseract?" Darian asked curiously.
Coulson nodded gravely: "Just one day ago, the Joint Dark Energy Mission Research Institute, responsible for studying the Tesseract, was attacked. The attacker was Loki, whom we encountered in New Mexico."
Loki?
Darian was a bit surprised.
Didn't the young brother escape from an Asgard dungeon a few days ago? Why did he suddenly come to Earth?
"You can watch this video for the specifics."
As Coulson spoke, he handed over an electronic tablet, and a video played on the screen.
In a laboratory, the Tesseract suddenly activated on its own, shooting out a beam of energy that formed a spatial portal, and a black figure emerged from it.
"Is this Loki?"
It took Darian a while to recognize the figure as Loki.
But what was wrong with his skin color? It was as if he had gotten a tan, looking several shades darker than even Director Fury.
The Black Loki, holding a scepter glowing with blue light, attacked the personnel in the laboratory. Hawkeye, Clint Barton, the strongest person on the scene, immediately moved to stop the Black Loki.
But Clint forgot his identity as an ADC; he encountered Loki, an assassin, in close combat and immediately fell.
After defeating Clint, Loki used his scepter to touch Clint's chest, as well as Dr. Selvig's, whom Darian had seen before. The two then stood beside Loki expressionlessly, like controlled puppets.
Darian was very familiar with this scene; it was exactly like Kilgrave using his abilities to control others.
Could it be that Loki was also a trainer?
Afterward, Loki ordered Clint to attack Director Fury. Clint decisively shot Director Fury in the leg, then rushed forward and punched Director Fury a dozen times. If Loki hadn't stopped him in time, Director Fury would have been beaten to a pulp.
It's hard to tell if this was a personal grudge; perhaps Clint was retaliating against Director Fury for taking away his vacation and making him work overtime.
Immediately after, Loki controlled Director Fury using the same method. Director Fury, limping, followed behind him, becoming one of Loki's loyal henchmen.
At this point, Loki's'starter Pokémon' were basically assembled, though the lineup was somewhat weaker than Kilgrave's.
"So, the Director was controlled by Loki, which is why he betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Darian finally understood why it was an 8-level incident warning.
A Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. being controlled by someone—who knew how much top-secret information the opponent would reveal? The thought alone was terrifying.
[Quest 'The Reason for Director Fury's Betrayal' has been completed!]
[Rewards obtained: 500 EXP, 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, Item'Speed Mushroom']
[Item: Speed Mushroom (Use on a vehicle to provide a one-time speed boost)]
Upon learning the truth, Darian's quest was completed.
"It seems that's the case."
Coulson nodded, gravely stating: "They disappeared afterward. We are still investigating, but the Director activated the Avengers Initiative at the last moment."
"This initiative was personally formulated by the Director, aimed at forming an emergency response team composed of individuals with special abilities. Its goal is to protect Earth from global threats that cannot be resolved with conventional weapons or exceed conventional military operational capabilities."
As he spoke, Coulson handed over another document and led Darian to the Helicarrier's command center.
Darian took the document and checked it. The members of the Avengers Initiative were all people he knew, including Tony Stark.
What ability did Tony Stark have?
The ability of money?
However, Darian found that he was not on the Avengers Initiative list.
He looked at Coulson with an unfriendly gaze: "Why am I not on this list? Does that mean I'm weaker than someone who plays with a bow and arrow?"
Clint: "....."
Coulson hesitated: "Uh, perhaps the Director has his own thoughts and reasons."
In fact, Director Fury felt that Darian was even harder to control than the Hulk.
If he became an Avenger, he might cause even greater trouble; then it wouldn't be the Avengers but the Destroyers.
But in Darian's eyes, he had been rejected by the Avengers.
Even someone who plays with a bow could get in, but he couldn't. Wasn't that looking down on him?
Clint: "....."
Darian nodded: "Alright, I completely understand now."
Coulson breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you understand."
Darian pulled out two Golden Desert Eagles and said expressionlessly: "So my current mission is to save the Earth by taking down the evil Director Fury, right?"
Coulson: "....."
No, what exactly did you understand?