He couldn't be mistaken.
At that distance, at that altitude..
There was definitely a massive explosion in the direction of New York.
Even from this far away, he could feel the violent tremor, and the clouds overhead had been blown apart.
Aside from another Avengers-level threat, he couldn't think of anyone who would cause a "nuclear-level explosion" on U.S. soil.
It couldn't possibly be the United States itself… could it?
Wooom—wooom—!!
A rhythmic alarm echoed through the Triskelion.
Rapid footsteps approached from outside the door.
"Fury, a meteorite strike has been confirmed near Crystal Lake Town, New York!"
"According to the satellite's final analysis… the meteorite appears to be connected to this group of people."
Agent Hill handed over a document, her expression grave.
Nick Fury glanced at it—and instantly froze.
Staring at the blurry figure on the screen, a familiar man immediately surfaced in his mind.
Crystal Lake… Luke Rowling and Madison!
So Luke had created that meteor just to deal with that terrifying evil spirit?
You bastard—I really underestimated you. You actually gave me this big of a surprise!
Nick Fury's eyelid twitched.
While he was irritated that Luke had caused such an enormous disturbance, he was also secretly relieved that he hadn't taken any coercive measures against him earlier.
Power like that…
What if Luke ever got angry?
If he targeted the Triskelion—or even the White House—
Who could possibly withstand it?!
Just then, Coulson knocked and walked in.
"Director, I—"
"No need to say anything. I already know."
Nick Fury's single remaining eye stared intently at Luke Rowling's image, blurred into a mosaic on the screen.
"Effective immediately, elevate Luke Rowling's threat level to the highest classification."
"And list his file as 084."
"The same level as the Hulk?"
"No—above the Hulk!"
After saying that, Nick Fury added, "Note it down: Extremely dangerous. Do not provoke unless absolutely necessary."
"Also, get Barton and Natasha on the line."
Coulson hesitated. "But they're currently on vacation."
"New York's practically been blown to hell, and they're still on vacation?"
Nick Fury showed no panic, issuing orders with forced composure. "You personally go to Crystal Lake Town and gather intelligence."
"And check on Jason's situation while you're there."
Jason was also classified as an 084.
Ever since Jason first appeared, he had been under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance.
When Jason was killed by ordinary people in the past, S.H.I.E.L.D. would simply send someone to verify the outcome and file a routine report.
But after Jason repeatedly resurrected and continued committing murders, his file was upgraded to high priority.
To date, S.H.I.E.L.D. had mobilized forces five separate times in attempts to neutralize Jason.
However, they eventually discovered that there was no more effective way to deal with Jason than sealing him within Crystal Lake.
What made matters worse was that Jason continued to evolve.
Over a decade ago, he awakened the ability to influence human minds and even annihilated three consecutive S.H.I.E.L.D. teams sent to deal with him.
In the end, they had no choice but to seal him in Crystal Lake and station personnel there permanently to monitor the situation.
For years, the surveillance teams reported that everything had remained stable.
Until Luke Rowling went to Crystal Lake.
And then—the meteor fell.
Nick Fury didn't need to think to know that Jason had revived yet again and gone to provoke Luke.
Well, now it was settled.
Before a meteor, all beings were equal.
Nick Fury was already considering how to send people to gather more intelligence on Luke.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. failed to find a proper way to handle such a dangerous individual… what if he launched an attack in downtown New York?
The image was too ...beautiful. He didn't dare think about it.
Just as Nick Fury was deep in thought,
his mentor—the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.—Alexander Pierce, walked in.
"Nick Fury, I've heard about the Crystal Lake meteorite incident," Pierce said calmly. "I want to know how you plan to handle that anomaly."
Facing his mentor, Nick Fury lowered his voice. "I plan to observe the situation for a while before deciding how to handle it."
"Observe?"
Pierce's voice suddenly rose. "You're telling me that a dangerous terrorist, who even might be an alien or an Asgardian, drops a meteor on New York, walks away without consequences, and the superhuman control agency funded by our taxpayers chooses to do nothing?"
"Nick, as someone who's been through this before, I think I'm qualified to give you some advice."
"Immediately summon the Avengers. Dispatch your most elite agents. Make that anomaly understand that Earth, and specifically, the United States, is not a place where he can act recklessly." Pierce snorted coldly. "Wherever our military goes, even the strongest enemy is nothing more than a babbling baboon. We are truly invincible and unconquerable!"
"How dare some out-of-town nobody trample all over us?"
Nick Fury fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "He really is different. He's from the UK… You've even read his grand-aunt's books—"
Pierce paused mid-speech, ignored Fury's words entirely, and slammed his hand on the table. "Enough! Just tell me—what should be done?"
Nick Fury hesitated, recalling the footage of the meteor falling, then answered honestly, "My position is to wait and observe. As for your suggestion… perhaps next time."
"Fury!!"
"That's enough, Alexander. I am the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Nick Fury kept his composure and said calmly, "If there's nothing else, you may leave."
Pierce's expression stiffened as he shot back angrily, "Hmph! Nick, you'll regret this!"
Bang!
Nick Fury silently watched Pierce's retreating figure.
As a politician, Pierce only needed to posture and make speeches. But as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had far more to consider.
Dealing every day with dangerous superhumans and terrifying, malevolent entities… he was the one truly walking the line.
Nick Fury's gaze returned to the large screen, frozen at the exact moment the meteor struck, and he sank into deep thought.
"My whole life has been like walking on thin ice… can I really make it safely to the other side?"
…
New York.
After an eventful vacation, Maria left, her heart still unsettled.
And yet, when she departed, there was an inexplicable flush on her cheeks.
As for Yulinka and Jenny, they temporarily stayed with Luke Rowling.
Luke's house was fairly large, with five rooms spread across both floors.
Aside from his own bedroom, he rarely cleaned the others on weekdays, and a fair amount of dust had built up over time.
After Jenny arrived, she immediately began cleaning diligently, moving through the rooms as if she were the lady of the house.
Yulinka also thoughtfully brought black tea to Luke and Madison.
Luke was a little surprised. Looking at the well-behaved Yulinka, he asked, "Thank you. How did you know I like drinking this?"
Yulinka smiled sweetly. "My teacher once mentioned that people from Great Britain like to drink plain black tea. So I prepared two cups of black tea and one cup of milk tea. Here are the sugar cubes.. If you like to add sugar, you can add it."
Luke raised an eyebrow. Damn....
Madison's mouth twitched slightly as her gaze flicked back and forth between Luke and Yulinka.
Suddenly, she felt a faint sense of unease..
She was starting to worry that Luke might make a mistake... ehm..
__
And I have a card to un-summon FBI, thus the nameHornyFBI...💀💀 [img]
Just Kidding! Just Kidding! Just Kidding!