And they'd even developed cures for AIDS and cancer — that was the kind of achievement that put someone on the level of a deity in the scientific world.
The Umbrella Corporation's capital resources were hundreds of times greater than Oscorp's. The two simply weren't in the same league.
One could even say Umbrella had become a superpower rivaling entire nations.
Not to mention they possessed strategic-grade weapons: New Element warheads.
A corporation selling weapons on par with nuclear arms — could you even imagine such a thing?
Still, no matter what, it was worth a try. He'd talk to his father about it when he got home.
Harry made up his mind.
"Sir, we've detected anomalous energy signatures in the central Pacific Ocean. Three hours ago, there were signs of massive swells. Two cruise ships en route from Japan to the Hawaiian Islands have lost contact with ground control in that area. Additionally, unidentified magnetic fields and radio interference are affecting the nearby Hawaiian Islands. The Navy has already dispatched two submarines to investigate."
"While we don't yet have sufficient cause to suspect whether these anomalies will lead to a disaster, or if it's simply a case of the cruise ships being hijacked by Pacific pirates — though if it's the former, we're in serious trouble, and the latter would be troublesome enough in its own right."
Deputy Director Hill pushed through the door with an armful of documents, and the moment Nick Fury turned around, she hurriedly relayed all the intel they'd gathered so far.
"At the same time, to avoid triggering an international incident, I recommend you contact the Security Council first and launch a more thorough investigation."
"So, should we deploy superheroes or the Decepticons? Or activate the new Helicarrier for a covert reconnaissance mission to the location?"
"Where's the sensor data?"
The advancement of their technology had given Fury considerably more confidence. Coupled with the equipment left behind from the alien war, their analysis capabilities had accelerated dramatically — the instruments he was using now being a prime example.
Fury tapped the screen and dragged, pulling up a holographic display. Dense streams of energy reaction data materialized before his eyes. The wavelength patterns made his expression stiffen slightly — the anomalous signatures matched what they'd observed when studying the Tesseract with unsettling similarity.
"Where's Agent Romanoff?" Fury managed to keep his expression unchanged, though that was mainly because his face was already dark enough that no one could tell the difference.
"Currently executing an intelligence-gathering mission."
"Have her wrap it up in the shortest time possible. Dispatch a Quinjet to her location and fly her to India. Agent Romanoff will know what to do. You only need to tell her one thing: this incident bears similarities to the Battle of Manhattan, but the enemy this time may not be from outer space — they may come from the deep sea, which humanity has yet to fully explore."
Ever since the turn of the last century, there had been persistent rumors of underwater civilizations. The existence of a highly advanced civilization in the ocean depths had, in fact, been confirmed — after all, the Atlantean civilization had been driven ashore by the monstrous Deep-Sea Tribe and were now neighbors with Wakanda.
And then there was the subterranean world and the like. Just because something was unknown didn't mean it didn't exist.
First Asgard, then the Saiyan Raditz, then the Chitauri. If there were countless more alien entities yet to come — or various monstrous races that had always existed on Earth — Director Fury, who had suffered from anxiety disorders since early in his career and had only recently begun to recover, might well relapse into that state of perceiving everything as a threat.
In the past, he had relied on seasoned and cunning strategies to resolve problems. But ever since supernatural forces began emerging one after another, Fury's methods had gradually lost their effectiveness. If this detected anomaly turned out to be another portal-related event, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Fury might feel the urge to slam his head against a doorframe.
"Prepare to launch the new Helicarrier. Assemble the superheroes and Agent Romanoff, then head to the Hawaiian Islands."
"Understood!"
When the superheroes received the notification, their expressions were all thoroughly accustomed.
Seriously, just how highly did aliens think of Earth? Invading day after day — we're already overwhelmed just dealing with monsters, you know?
"Anomalous energy fluctuations detected in the central Pacific near the Hawaiian Islands. Based on the data readings, the signatures originate from disturbances similar to those emitted when a spatial portal opens. Inferring from the worst-case scenario, our preliminary assessment is that anomalous creatures beneath the ocean floor are preparing to launch an invasion of the surface."
Tony Stark stared at the intel, utterly baffled. Weren't the Deep-Sea Tribe supposed to have been completely wiped out? Could this be a new type of monster?
He immediately activated Stark's personal satellite network and captured the unfolding changes in the central Pacific.
"Well now... this really is a major incident..."
The footage displayed on his terminal screen showed raging, churning waves sweeping outward in all directions like a tsunami. Near the area where a whirlpool was gradually forming, a capsized cruiser was slowly sinking. When JARVIS helpfully zoomed in further, Tony could see that as the vortex currents swirled, two submarines collided violently within it.
But this was only the beginning.
The raging tsunami surged once more, and with the deafening crash of waves slamming down, a creature leapt out of the sea — its body a deep slate gray, its form vaguely reminiscent of a dinosaur.
Its forehead, shaped like a battle axe, slammed into the cruiser before it vanished back into the deep ocean beneath the churning swells. In the same waters, another creature of similar appearance burst from the sea, its head like a scythe smashing apart a submarine that had just surfaced.
"Good God, have the monsters from tokusatsu shows broken into reality?!"
That was the reaction of the superheroes who had rushed to the scene.
Zod was equally stunned when he saw the creatures. This was definitely not his doing.
But wait — did the Marvel universe even have these kinds of monsters? Or had the worldlines gotten tangled up?
Of course, Zod was aware that Marvel did have a separately designated Monster Universe, one that even featured the iconic Godzilla. But when it came to detailed knowledge, although Zod enjoyed tokusatsu shows and had some familiarity with monster franchises, these bizarre creatures were genuinely beyond his recognition.
He had no idea that this was payback from a certain Purple Titan.
"The deep sea is an uncharted domain, much like the subterranean world."
"The central Pacific near the Hawaiian Islands — our surveys show no major ocean trench in that area. Creatures of such enormous size, whether in terms of nutritional requirements or habitable range, could not possibly be confined to this region and only now be discovered..."
"Combined with the earlier reports of spatial portal-like energy signatures, it's highly probable there's a portal beneath the ocean floor — one specifically designed to transport these monsters. In other words, this is yet another alien biological invasion."
The S.W.O.R.D. report drew serious attention from nations across the globe. While every alien invasion was a grave matter, if this one was happening in the Pacific, then at least they didn't have to hold back.
/-\
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