Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Lich King's Schemes [New Book—Please Add to Favorites and Recommend]

In the conference room at Trident Headquarters, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Nick Fury hadn’t received any good news lately. Or rather, since Tony’s abduction, every incident that had landed on his desk had been nothing but trouble. Whether it was the unsettling rumors about Hydra and its supposed eight other branches possibly rising from the ashes, or the sudden emergence of the organization calling itself the “Four Horsemen of Apocalypse,” all of it left him deeply irked.

To Fury’s mind, any power that could not be controlled posed a tremendous threat. But S.H.I.E.L.D. had been hamstrung of late, and he found himself powerless. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. could not yet afford to lose the support of conventional power structures—more importantly, he was painfully aware that the trump cards in his hand were still too few.

If only the Hulk were under his command, if only he possessed forces capable of breaking the mold, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s predicament would be very different.

Riddle after riddle had cast a pall over him, his emotions churning restlessly.

“Director, I think we need to pull back—no need to get overly involved with other departments. We should focus all our attention on the possible emergence of ‘Chaos’ and ‘Pestilence.’ We don’t know when they’ll show, but we must be ready to defend ourselves.”

“There’s more. The military holds a deep grudge against us. Even though we have top-tier agents, their skills aren’t enough against mysterious forces. Even if we find the military’s lab and the Hulk, we can’t extract him.”

“Where’s Romanoff? Send her to provoke the Hulk, make him angry enough to break out of the military lab himself. As long as he gets out, once he’s beyond the military’s reach, the rest is up to us!”

Fury’s anger had driven him to abandon all scruples.

As a high-level agent, his bottom line was ever shifting—no one could ever truly gauge where Nick Fury drew the line. Not even Coulson knew the depths of Fury’s audacity and cunning.

“Agent Romanoff has already returned from the secret base. She’s at headquarters now, and the Captain is with her.”

Hearing that Captain America was awake, Fury felt it was the only good news he’d had in days.

“Bring them both in at once. We’ll convene immediately!”

Soon, Coulson reappeared, this time followed by four people.

Fury looked up and saw the Captain, Natasha, Barton, and his deputy, Hill. Only Tony Stark was missing.

Fury turned to Hill. “Where’s Stark?”

Ever since Tony had declared himself Iron Man, Fury had tried to recruit him under the Avengers’ banner, even invoking his father’s name.

Hill could only set her dossier down in exasperation.

“Director, I notified Stark ages ago—even before I went looking for the Captain. He said he was in the middle of an experiment, and that he absolutely hates your habit of invoking other people’s names…”

Fury’s one good eye narrowed, his lips twitching in growing irritation. Not only had he failed to recruit Spider-Man, now Stark was rebuffing him too! He could let Spider-Man go, but Stark—considering his status and his financial “superpower”—was another matter entirely. Fury picked up the phone.

“This is Nick Fury. Tony, I need to talk to you. It’s important—this concerns your father. The Avengers Initiative was your father’s lifelong dream. Today’s meeting is crucial for you as well…”

Without waiting for a reply or a tirade from Tony, Fury hung up at once.

Given Tony’s temperament, being hung up on like that, he’d definitely call back to reclaim the upper hand.

Fury felt he had Tony right where he wanted him.

Phone set aside, Fury looked at the five who were waiting for him, and sighed deeply.

“All right, let’s put Stark aside for now. Let’s assess our current situation.”

“Director, I’d like to know why you’ve called me here. This isn’t my era anymore. I don’t think I need to fight again,” the Captain said, puzzled by Fury’s urgency.

“Captain, Hydra has resurfaced…” Fury composed his expression and spoke.

No one knew Hydra better than Captain America, after all his battles with them. Hearing that his old enemy had returned, the Captain shot to his feet.

“That’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible, Captain. I regret to inform you that although you sacrificed yourself to destroy Hydra, they have returned, stronger and more unified than before. I believe the branch you wiped out was only one of several. There are others.”

“In addition, you need to be aware of the imminent threats of Chaos and Pestilence, and of an organization that dates back to the fifth century.”

“What organization?”

“You can call them the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, much like in the Book of Revelation—but with some differences,” Coulson explained.

The Captain’s worldview was shaken to its core. Had the world changed so much in the time he’d been asleep?

“From what intel we have, their motives are unknown, but one thing is clear: they wield powers beyond our control. That’s a massive threat to the public.”

“To think, after all these years, not only has Hydra returned, but so many new evil forces have emerged.”

Anything related to Hydra caught the Captain’s full attention.

“So what do you want from me? As you can see, this era isn’t mine; I don’t think I have much to contribute, or that I could handle all these supernatural threats you mentioned.”

“We believe in you. The people of this nation believe in you. Because you are Captain America, you are the symbol. You have to step forward.”

As an agent whose principles and limits were ever adaptable, Fury knew exactly what to say and when. Invoking the nation and its people, he ensured the Captain’s willingness to fight.

“This nation faces threats. Captain, you can take up your shield again and fight for the world’s peace.”

“If it’s to deal with Hydra, I’ll help,” the Captain replied, leaving himself some room. He still didn’t quite trust Fury.

No matter—so long as the Captain agreed, Fury felt he had room to maneuver. He just dreaded that the Captain would be as unyielding as Tony Stark.

“And you, Ms. Natasha?”

“Honestly, Director, do I have a choice?” Natasha replied, hands spread. “Would you stop assigning me missions if I said no?”

As a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D., she knew exactly what Fury was up to. The so-called request for opinions was just a way of emphasizing that this was an order.

With the Captain on board, Natasha joined the team, and as for Coulson, Hill, and Barton, their agreement went without saying. Fury didn’t think they had a choice.

Very soon, Fury’s phone rang. He picked up immediately.

“Tony, have you decided to join my team? I think—”

“Don’t even think about it! Okay? I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. I have zero interest in your little playgroup.”

No matter how dark Fury’s face grew at these words, at that moment, Rhoades was in high spirits. Not only had he acquired blood from the Hulk in his rage, but Natasha had also revealed the location of the Cosmic Cube.