"So, you came to see me because of him?"
Lucas asked indifferently.
He turned and took a cup of iced cola from Elaine's hand, gulping down several mouthfuls in one go.
"Thanks, Elaine."
Nick Fury accepted a glass of iced orange juice from Elaine and nodded in thanks.
After taking a sip, he set the glass down and said, "Yes. We need your help."
Lucas finished the cola in one breath and let out a satisfied burp.
"So you're saying that the all-powerful S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find him either?" Lucas asked with a hint of mockery.
"In desert regions, visual searches are basically all we have," Fury replied helplessly.
"We need manpower to comb the area, but that takes far too much time."
Elaine poured Lucas another glass of orange juice and added calmly,
"Satellite imaging relies on light and radar waves, both of which are affected by atmospheric dust and moisture."
"That makes it extremely difficult for satellites to accurately locate a person in the desert—especially after a sandstorm."
Both Lucas and Fury looked at her in surprise.
Elaine, however, remained expressionless as she sat back down and resumed reading the newspaper.
"Ahem… so, may we request your assistance?" Fury asked after clearing his throat.
"I'm afraid not right now, Fury," Lucas shook his head.
"Why not?" Fury asked, confused.
"Because something far more important may happen at any moment. Everyone here is currently on standby for that."
Lucas looked at Fury with a grave expression.
"So unless you have an exact location, I can't afford to waste time searching for Tony Stark."
Fury's expression changed immediately.
He wasn't stupid.
If something was serious enough to make Lucas this cautious, then its scale was unimaginable.
He glanced at the Eternals in the room and asked,
"Does it have something to do with them?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes. And I strongly advise you not to provoke them."
Fury frowned and immediately went into analytical mode.
"They each possess special abilities, don't they?" he asked slowly. "Mind control, for example?"
Lucas couldn't help but admire him—truly the king of spies, deducing so much from scattered clues.
"How else do you think they've lived on Earth for nearly ten thousand years?" Lucas said, not bothering to hide it.
For intelligence agencies, nothing was more terrifying than infiltration through mind control—it was a nightmare scenario.
"Alright," Fury sighed and shrugged. "I give up."
Then he asked, "So this matter… does it involve a massive loss of human life?"
Lucas let out a cold laugh.
"Nick Fury, people disappear or die unnaturally every single day in every country on Earth."
"I'm not a saint, and I won't deal with those things—so don't try to probe my moral boundaries."
"Because—"
Lucas leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with Fury.
"You have no idea how terrifying it would be if I had no bottom line."
A crushing pressure settled in Fury's chest.
The man before him felt like a humanoid tyrannosaurus wrapped in human skin—one misstep, and he would go berserk.
"And I can also tell you this," Lucas continued calmly,
"If this goes wrong, the Earth beneath your feet could disappear entirely—let alone humanity."
Cold sweat formed on Fury's forehead.
"You're not joking with me, are you?"
Lucas leaned back against the sofa nonchalantly.
"You can choose to believe that. After all, before coming here, you didn't even know such a possibility existed."
"So now, do you still think Tony Stark's life is worth pulling me away for?"
Fury shook his head immediately.
"If you have time and want to save him, then save him. If you need anything on your end, notify us immediately. S.H.I.E.L.D. should still be able to help a little."
Lucas finally smiled.
"Good. Monitor all volcanic activity worldwide for me. If earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur simultaneously, notify me immediately."
Fury swallowed hard.
"All volcanoes? Including the supervolcanoes?"
Lucas nodded.
"Fuck…" Fury rubbed his temples.
"No swearing in my house," Lucas frowned. "There's a child here."
"My apologies," Fury said quickly, standing up. "I'll go make arrangements immediately."
Once outside, Fury immediately pulled out his phone.
"Now. Immediately. Route all global volcano surveillance data and live feeds to headquarters. Monitor seismic and volcanic activity in real time."
"What? Not enough manpower?"
"Oh fuck—listen to me! I don't care what the reason is. Follow my orders!"
"They're searching for Tony? To hell with that—leave ten percent of the personnel on that task and redirect the rest!"
"Goddammit, I don't want to hear any more questions or objections. Either you leave, or I leave!"
"This is an order. Do you understand?!"
"And if the World Security Council refuses to cooperate, tell their higher-ups that this request came from Mr. Lucas himself!"
After hanging up, Fury took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
"Fuck… fuck...."
Still unable to settle down, he began cursing loudly in the street, drawing curious stares from passersby.
He never once doubted that Lucas was exaggerating—there was neither motive nor reason for him to do so.
After venting his frustration, Fury finally felt somewhat better.
He straightened his coat and walked back toward his car.
---
Inside the house, Lucas tapped the tabletop three times.
In the next instant, the solid surface transformed into a virtual display.
This was advanced technology obtained from Lex—similar to the holographic projection system in Tony Stark's workshop in Iron Man.
A call was placed.
Less than three seconds after connecting, a virtual figure appeared in the air before Lucas.
"Johnny, are you ready?" Lucas asked.
On the screen, Johnny—a seasoned, sharp-featured Wall Street elite in his prime—frowned.
"Boss, are you sure about this?"
"With my twenty-seven years of experience as a stockbroker, I can tell you this is extremely risky. You could lose everything."
Lucas waved his hand dismissively.
"Johnny, how much savings do you have?"
Johnny hesitated, confused—but facing a young man who already controlled astonishing wealth, he didn't dare posture.
"If I mortgage my house, car, and yacht… probably a little over five million dollars."
Lucas shook his head.
"You really don't have a habit of saving."
Johnny spread his hands helplessly.
"Boss, you know American lifestyle habits. That's not a fair reason to look down on me."
Lucas nodded—it was true. Americans believed money was meant to be spent.
"Alright," Lucas said calmly.
"Johnny—do you want to get rich?"
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $4 — a perfect opportunity to access 30+ advanced chapters and support.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon