Coulson understood Nick Fury's meaning perfectly. They would turn the tables, operating from the shadows while Hydra remained in the open. The plan was to use the Chitauri invasion to drain Hydra's strength through mutual attrition, weakening them while preserving their own forces.
This was a strategy they had long discussed for resolving the Hydra problem.
Naturally, they couldn't alert Hydra prematurely. Hydra was a deeply entrenched threat, having established roots across government, business, and military sectors through S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. They also had branches in countless countries worldwide.
The results of their investigations over the years had been staggering. The sheer scale of Hydra's influence was almost unimaginable, far more complex than dealing with a single supervillain. Based on the forces they had uncovered so far, it was estimated that at least half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s factions, whether openly or covertly, belonged to Hydra.
No wonder Lin Feng had joked that this wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, but "Snake-Shield."
Lin Feng's teasing left them speechless, as he was speaking nothing but the truth.
Now was the perfect time to strike at the Chitauri. He could send Hydra's small squads to the front lines—these were technically his subordinates, and with the alien invasion, it was perfectly reasonable to deploy Hydra's special agent teams to assist.
Everything was part of the plan!
Meanwhile, the Avengers were preparing for battle, boarding Quinjets to head toward Stark Tower.
At that moment, a massive rift tore open above Stark Tower. Countless massive Leviathan ships—like monstrous whales—poured through the rift, unleashing a swarm of Chitauri soldiers in their attack.
News of the invasion spread like wildfire across the internet.
The world erupted in chaos. This was an invasion by aliens from another dimension, and it had been caught on camera in undeniable detail.
While many had come to accept the existence of superheroes, metahumans, and even gods, no one had prepared for the reality of alien invaders.
Or, more accurately, the major powers on Earth hadn't prepared their citizens for the truth about aliens, and then the aliens suddenly appeared.
A scenario once confined to science fiction films and novels was now unfolding in reality, and everyone's emotions exploded.
Countless people panicked and fled in chaos, but this instantly caused massive traffic jams. After all, New York is a global metropolis; with so many vehicles trying to escape at once, it was impossible to get away easily.
As a result, the Chitauri invasion caused a staggering number of casualties in a very short time.
The images flooding in from the front lines were devastating.
Human armies proved utterly incapable of resisting the Chitauri. Tanks and armored vehicles were blown apart in an instant.
While the Chitauri's defenses might not have been exceptional, their offensive capabilities were truly astonishing.
Against the Chitauri forces, human soldiers were completely helpless. Though Tony Stark often mocked the misguided direction of Earth's technological development, even with these flawed advancements, the Chitauri's combat power was at least a tier above that of the current American soldiers.
The governments of various nations were quickly alerted. To many countries, the United States had always seemed like a Zenithian-level superpower, but when they encountered the real Zenithians, they were beaten like dogs.
However, no one had the luxury of mocking the Americans at this moment. They all knew that if the aliens chose the United States as their first point of entry and the US couldn't hold them off, the next target would be them.
Emergency mobilization orders were swiftly issued across the globe, and humanity's various factions closely monitored the unfolding battle.
On the Helicarrier, Nick Fury watched the constantly updating battlefield footage from New York on the monitors. He knew that until the Avengers arrived, the situation wouldn't change significantly.
Or rather, even if the Avengers arrived, the outcome against the Chitauri would likely remain the same.
They were simply too few in number. This small force, this meager combat power, was utterly insignificant in the face of a civilization-level conflict.
Just then, his superior, Alexander Pierce, called. He had just learned that the Hydra agent teams under his command had been deployed to the front lines.
Filled with both shock and fury, he immediately called Nick Fury and roared, "Nick, what the hell are you doing?"
He was furious because many of the elite special ops teams being deployed had been developed from sleeper agents he had cultivated years ago—the very backbone of Hydra's elite forces.
These were the core of Hydra's influence within S.H.I.E.L.D. While other civilian officials could be recruited in large numbers, these elite soldiers were a different matter entirely—incredibly difficult to cultivate.
Of course, Hydra's power extended far beyond this. They had even seized complete control over governments and militaries in countries like Sokovia. But none of that concerned him, so far away in New York.
Hydra had multiple leaders, and Alexander Pierce was merely one of them. Even the legendary Red Skull of World War II had only been a faction within Hydra.
Otherwise, Hydra couldn't have recovered so quickly. The faction eliminated was merely the strongest and most outspoken—not the entire organization.
Hydra's multi-headed leadership structure was the key to its survival over the years, allowing it to weather countless storms.
For Alexander Pierce, these agent teams were his true strength. He had spent years cultivating them, and a devastating loss could directly jeopardize his position within S.H.I.E.L.D.
His continued influence within S.H.I.E.L.D. after being promoted to Secretary-General wasn't solely due to his past favors to Nick Fury. It stemmed from his genuine power within the organization, with most of S.H.I.E.L.D. still obeying his commands.
All of this depended on these elites. Now, they were being sent into battle. How could he not be anxious?
To build such a network, he had walked on thin ice for years. Each of these elites was hard-won. And now they were all being sent to fight aliens?
*Is this madness?*
In a conflict of this scale, these elite teams would be of little use.
It was like special forces soldiers on a battlefield—they might look impressive, but they could only handle specific missions. They couldn't replace the role of regular troops.
The aliens unleashed a barrage of destruction, killing agents and elite special forces alike.
"Pierce, New York is under attack. Aliens are invading, as you've seen. S.H.I.E.L.D. was established by the five major powers to protect humanity. I don't think this is outside our purview, do you?" Nick Fury said calmly.
He felt a chill in his heart. The investigation had traced all the threads back to Alexander Pierce, the man he considered his mentor.
The source of Hydra's power was his own mentor.
Though he didn't understand why Alexander Pierce had recommended him as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., it didn't change the fact that Pierce was one of Hydra's leaders.
"That's the job of the regular army. Don't forget, we're not a regular agency. We're just agents. Do you understand what that means?" Alexander Pierce was almost apoplectic.
Unfazed by Pierce's fury, Fury replied, "Humanity is at the brink of extinction. If these aliens conquer Earth, what use will our agent teams serve then?"
"No, you're overstepping your bounds and violating S.H.I.E.L.D. regulations!" Alexander Pierce roared, his face contorted with rage.
"Alexander, remember this: I'm still the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. You've been promoted, so I make the decisions now," Nick Fury stated calmly.
He was exploiting the fact that Pierce could no longer directly interfere with S.H.I.E.L.D. operations, having been promoted to Council Secretary without any official authority over the agency.
Pierce was seething, but he couldn't show it. Drawing Fury's attention would be disastrous. He knew all too well how suspicious his black protégé was.
Even the slightest slip-up could trigger major problems.
What he didn't realize was that Fury wasn't just suspicious of him—he already knew Pierce was a problem and had been plotting to eliminate him for a long time.
"No, I disagree! This is tyranny! Do you even know what tyranny is? The Council will never approve of you sacrificing our precious resources on the battlefield as cannon fodder!" Pierce roared, his voice hoarse with fury.
"The Council will naturally agree," Nick Fury said dismissively. "After all, I'm fighting for all of humanity."
"Nick, don't forget how cheap it is to train those soldiers compared to how much we spend on each of our agents!" Alexander Pierce interjected urgently. "What kind of trash are those troops? Xd, criminals, illiterates, all sorts of riff-raff can get in! But our agents? Each one is handpicked and trained at a cost of over a hundred thousand dollars. Do you know how difficult that is?"
The current American military had devolved into a rabble of mercenaries. With so many illiterates, there weren't even enough qualified candidates to promote to junior officer positions. They could only tokenistically promote Asian faces to fill the ranks.
After all, those black soldiers couldn't even read or fill out a form.
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