"I'm Carol Danvers. You can call me Captain Marvel. And what I represent is justice!"
Hearing that, Nolan did not feel angry. He simply found it ridiculous.
It was the first time he had ever heard someone claim that justice itself could be represented by a single person.
He could only feel pity for Carol Danvers and what he considered her painfully simplistic way of thinking.
Well… perhaps he was a little angry after all.
As for what Carol Danvers had said, Nolan admitted that he had indeed crossed certain lines.
Forget about a nonexistent robot regulation act. Even under existing arms control laws, he probably did not meet the requirements.
Inside the Inner Hive, he stored massive quantities of robots of all models, along with energy weapons of considerable destructive power.
Some of those weapons came from technologies Nolan had purchased through the system.
The rest were creations of the Red Queen.
Yes, the Red Queen.
Although she was only an artificial intelligence, Nolan had upgraded her through the Skynet system. Her computing power, while still incapable of true spark-level thinking, allowed her logical processing to reach an extraordinary level. Based on Locke Technologies' existing superweapon framework, she was able to conduct independent research and improvements.
Take the Titan Armor, for example. That powerful mech incorporated a large number of technologies that could not be replicated with current human capabilities.
As a result, the cost of developing the Titan Armor reached a staggering seven billion. Even so, part of its technology was theoretically achievable.
Nolan simply did not have the time to track down, refine, and industrialize those technologies himself.
The Red Queen could.
She took technologies that existed only on the Titan platform and transformed them into mass-producible military products with real economic value for Locke Technologies.
Even setting aside the technology itself, the sheer number of robots and weapons stored there was enough to ignite a large-scale war.
So what?
Who was not doing the same thing?
Or rather, who did not want to?
Nolan had merely turned that desire into reality. Could Carol Danvers really force everyone to abandon such ambitions through sheer strength?
Justice had never been absolute.
Even if Nolan's actions skirted the edges of legality, Carol Danvers had no right to claim she represented justice.
No one could represent justice.
So he laughed.
"What a terrifying threat. But sorry, the law is not your personal toy. Unless a real law is passed. And even then, it would need to be a lawful and properly enacted one, not the product of someone's personal will."
Carol Danvers' expression darkened.
At that moment, Daisy Johnson spoke up.
"I've never heard of any Captain Marvel, but I do know a hero named Nolan. So I'm sorry, but if anyone can represent justice, the only person I can think of is Nolan Locke."
Her eyes were fixed stubbornly on Carol Danvers.
Carol Danvers was undeniably powerful, but Daisy was not afraid.
Nolan coughed lightly and pulled Daisy behind him.
"Get behind me."
He did not believe Carol Danvers would attack Daisy, but he was not willing to take that risk.
Daisy obediently moved behind him, though her lips still carried a trace of defiance.
No one was allowed to speak about her boss like that.
That woman was a jerk.
At the same time, worry flickered in Daisy's eyes.
She was confident in her abilities, yet the power she considered overwhelming had failed to affect Carol Danvers in the slightest. Carol had stood within it effortlessly, as if nothing had happened at all.
That kind of strength was absurd.
Combined with the way Carol had descended like a meteor, it left Daisy deeply unsettled.
For the first time, she realized that there were humans in this world who could be that powerful.
Carol Danvers looked at Nolan. The tension on her face gradually faded.
"It seems you have no intention of accepting my advice."
"Sorry, that was not advice. If you really want me to sign this agreement, then you should at least explain what's in it and approach me with a proper attitude.
As for now, please leave. Of course, if you intend to use force, then I'm always ready."
Nolan's voice rang out, fearless.
In reality, the entire Inner Hive was already coming online.
All superweapons were activated, including the true trump cards he had placed his greatest hopes in.
But to be honest, he did not want to fight.
Out in space, he could solve many problems with his fists.
Here, he could not. He had too many concerns.
So his gaze locked onto Carol Danvers.
This time, his weapon was simple.
The law.
Was she not claiming to be justice?
Then surely she would not disregard the law.
If she dared to attack here.
What justice would she have left to claim?
Carol Danvers looked at Nolan, then frowned.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
"I can give you some time. But you should sign that agreement. It's for your own protection."
As she finished, she gave Nolan a long, penetrating look.
Protection?
Nolan said nothing.
The next second, a shockwave erupted, turning the already chaotic office into a complete mess.
The blast forced Nolan and Daisy to turn their heads away.
When they looked back, Carol Danvers was gone.
She had left.
Daisy muttered, "That woman is really overbearing."
Nolan stared into the distance and replied calmly, "That's Captain Marvel for you."
He had expected it, but seeing her in person was even worse than he imagined. Nolan added that thought silently.
Daisy glanced at the wrecked office.
"Looks like this place needs a full renovation."
Nolan looked around as well and smirked.
"Don't worry. Someone will take responsibility for this."
He had no intention of letting this go.
He was confident in his trump cards, but defeating Captain Marvel…
Honestly, he did not have enough certainty.
So avoiding a direct fight was the best option.
Captain Marvel was troublesome. This was far from over between him and Nick Fury.
Putting those thoughts aside, Nolan flicked Daisy on the head.
"Next time, stay farther away. I don't need you protecting me."
Daisy slapped his hand away and scoffed.
"Who do you think you are? Even if you're my boss, what I do is my own choice. Not even my boyfriend gets to decide that.
And besides, you're not."
She turned and walked away, leaving Nolan behind with a helpless expression.
With a wry smile, Nolan sighed.
"She's getting less and less adorable."
Then he called Nick Fury.
This was not over.
Elsewhere, after hanging up the phone, Nick Fury's already dark face grew even darker.
He had indeed asked Carol Danvers to talk to Nolan Locke.
Preferably to demonstrate a bit of strength and rein in some of Nolan's more dangerous ideas.
But he had never imagined that Carol would storm into Locke's home base and practically tear it apart.
Heavens above, while he did intend to keep Nolan in check, that was for balance and control. He did not want to push Nolan Locke into becoming an outright enemy.
A large portion of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s equipment came from Locke Technologies.
If he completely offended Nolan, how were they supposed to cooperate in the future?
It seemed he would have to clean up Carol Danvers' mess himself.
After negotiating compensation with Locke Technologies, Nick Fury sought out Carol Danvers.
"Danvers, your methods were a bit too aggressive."
Carol frowned.
"You mean the Locke Technologies incident?
No. If anything, I think I wasn't aggressive enough.
What he's doing goes far beyond what a businessman should be doing. That's a dangerous signal."
Nick Fury frowned. "Locke Technologies is extremely important to us. You could even say Nolan's existence is vital to the entire Earth."
Carol glanced at him.
"Precisely because of that, people like him need to be controlled."
She continued firmly, "I've seen countless civilizations across the universe destroyed because of this exact issue.
Now that the warning signs are here, they should be crushed completely.
Justice does not need blurred boundaries."
Just as Nick Fury was about to respond, Carol shot him a look.
"You can rest easy. Once I deal with a few other matters, I'll go see him again. This time, I'll make him agree."
She turned and left without giving Nick Fury a chance to speak, leaving him standing there in stunned silence.
For the first time, he truly wondered if he had made a mistake.
Nolan Locke was dangerous, but Earth was not facing an unsolvable crisis.
Perhaps he should never have brought Captain Marvel back.
But what was done was done, and now he had no idea how to resolve it.
While Nick Fury wrestled with his thoughts, Carol Danvers arrived at Stark Industries with a second copy of the agreement.
This time, she did not barge in.
She entered through the lobby with what she considered proper courtesy.
"I want to see Tony Stark," she said matter-of-factly.
The receptionist froze for a moment. "Do you have an appointment?"
"Appointment? What's that? Just tell me where Tony Stark is."
"I'm sorry, but without an appointment, you can't go in."
Hearing this, Carol walked straight inside.
"Ma'am, you can't do that."
The receptionist hurried to stop her.
Happy Hogan arrived shortly afterward.
"Ma'am, you don't have an appointment. I'm afraid we can't let you through."
Carol frowned and grabbed Happy, tossing him aside with ease.
The scene left many onlookers stunned.
That was Happy, the head of security.
Moments later, Carol was standing in front of Tony Stark.
After glancing at the document she handed him, Tony immediately burst out in curses.
"Hey, you lunatic. Take this to my lawyers. Now get out of here."
Carol Danvers' eyes turned dangerous.
…
That night, Nolan visited Tony Stark.
Not at Stark Tower, but at the best hospital in downtown New York.
"Damn it. After I got those shrapnel pieces removed from my chest, I swore I'd never step into a hospital again," Tony complained.
Looking at Tony's bruised and swollen face, Nolan burst out laughing.
"Looks like you really did get beaten up by a woman."
Tony's face darkened.
"I swear, you wouldn't have fared any better.
I activated multiple suits, but in her hands, they were nothing but toys.
Believe me, unless you bring out the Titan Armor, you won't do much better."
Nolan chuckled.
"Good thing I didn't push her into fighting."
Tony clenched his teeth, clearly furious.
"I need a suit that won't get torn apart so easily."
Even his hardest alloys had felt like tofu in her hands.
Nolan shrugged. "We're in trouble."
"I'm not signing that damn agreement," Tony said without hesitation.
There was even disdain on his face.
That woman thought she could force him into submission with brute strength. He would prove her wrong.
After visiting four defense contractors on her list, Carol Danvers finally realized the problem.
Not a single one had signed the agreement.
Clearly, this approach was not working.
After a moment of thought, she decided to go see Nolan Locke again.
Nolan had just returned home from Locke Technologies when he discovered a woman already inside his house.
Unlucky.
Nolan sighed.
"Ms. Danvers, I already told you. Your power may be overwhelming, but this world has its own rules.
If you intend to force me into submission with strength, then I'm afraid I can't comply."
Carol Danvers looked at him.
"Power?
No. I've never relied on power alone. I'm here to talk.
What you're doing has no real meaning.
I've traveled across countless worlds. On every healthy planet, individual power is restrained, not allowed to run wild.
If you don't want Earth to face the same fate, then you should take the lead and sign that agreement."
Nolan let out a short laugh.
"Ms. Danvers, the more you speak, the more absurd you sound.
Justice is something others must acknowledge. It's not built on excuses like yours."
He smiled faintly.
"Tony Stark got beaten up by you, didn't he?
I won't deny that it was satisfying to hear, but your methods are truly repulsive."
Carol Danvers stared at him.
Her gaze grew increasingly hostile.
At that moment, the entire villa began to tremble.
Nolan's expression remained calm.
It seemed they really did need to have a proper talk.
…