Chapter 79: The Lich King Remains Firmly Behind the Scenes

“Rogers, do you think it’s about time for me to retire?”
Sitting in his own office, Nick Fury gazed at the chaos Tony Stark had left behind in the conference room and let out a long sigh.

He couldn’t for the life of him figure out how Tony Stark had learned about his parents and the videotape—or, more importantly, how he had managed to let Rogers know that Bucky was still alive.

In an instant, Fury felt as if he had aged a decade.

The known forces at play included Hydra, the Eight-Limbed Spider, the Seven Cities of Heaven, Asgard, and the mysterious Four Horsemen of Apocalypse...

All these organizations seemed to have surfaced one after another following Tony Stark’s abduction, each nested inside the next like Russian dolls. Clearly, the smaller the code number, the more enigmatic the group. With nine, eight, seven, and four, would there soon be a six, five, three, two, and one?

He had always thought Hydra was their greatest foe, but now he realized they were merely the lowest rung—there were many others even more troublesome than Hydra.

He had finally managed to acquire the Space Stone, only for his most trusted subordinate to steal it. Now he faced not only the reckoning of Asgard but also an endless series of calamities with no time to prepare or to process them. The internal divisions within S.H.I.E.L.D. only made things worse; if not for Rogers and Coulson, Fury would have had no one left to rely on.

He was considering recruiting Matt and his companions, and seeking out the Punisher as well.

“Captain, what do you think of those people? You know, I’m running out of good men,” Fury said, gesturing toward Matt and his group.

“I need subordinates. I need personnel. The first thing is to track down those damned Hydra agents and wipe them out, every last one!”

Fury’s words made even the elite agents, busy cleaning up the conference room, perk up their ears.

These were all handpicked by Fury himself—people he could absolutely trust.

“So, Fury, what’s the next step? I’ll go look for Stark. What about you?” Rogers asked.

“Why are you going after Stark? Do you think that playboy cares about you, the old iceman? He doesn’t even care about his own father’s legacy.”

“Don’t be like that, Fury. Yes, we’re in a crisis, but Stark, from any perspective, is a New Yorker. To truly confront the external threats, we need his power. And more importantly, regarding Bucky, I owe him an explanation.”

Settle internal disputes first, then unite against the outside.

“If that’s settled, then go ahead. You find Stark; Matt and I will find the others. Coulson has his own assignment. It’s decided.”

...

Somewhere in Mexico.

Outside an ordinary apartment building, Coulson, Jessica, and Luke Cage had arrived.

They were here to find the Ghost Rider.

In order to save Danny, or rather to uncover the secrets of the Seven Cities, Fury had successfully persuaded Matt to form an alliance. He and Matt would seek out the Punisher, while Jessica and Coulson would try to recruit Ghost Rider.

Jessica, holding a business card with the address, walked up to a wooden door and knocked.

Bang—bang bang!

A bit anxious, she rapped the door, the sound muffled, her face frozen in an awkward smile.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, just a second!”
A voice called from inside. With a creak, the door opened to reveal a man in his thirties or forties, a flat flask in hand, who took a swig before looking at them.

“Jessica?” he slurred, eyeing Coulson suspiciously.

“And who’s he?”

“Mr. Cage...”
Coulson stepped forward with a smile.

“I’m Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Pleased to meet you.”

“I’m not pleased at all, sir!”
Johnny could feel the other personality within him growing stronger, more violent, dangerously destructive. He had half a mind to punch Coulson right then and there.

“Is your organization’s codename long just to sound cool, like a biker’s nickname?”

Suppressing his violent urges, Johnny looked at Jessica, his gaze turning dangerous.

“Jessica. You again... What do you want?”

“Sir, the world needs you, needs your power,”
Coulson stepped in front of Jessica, shielding her.

“I believe an enemy will come from far away...”

“That’s why we’re looking for special warriors...”

“To form an alliance to defend this planet...”

Coulson reluctantly delivered the speech Fury had prepared for him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Johnny asked Jessica. “Still that self-important kid lost in hero fantasies. Oh, it looks cool, but he’s like a child begging for candy, and I don’t even know him.”

“Johnny.” Jessica looked at the Ghost Rider. “Evil must be punished. We need your strength.”

...

“Evil... What do you mean?”

“Do you remember the strange events at Rand Tower? A group bent on destroying the world, an organization said to date back to the fifth century, and they just might bring about the world’s end... Have you heard of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse?”

Jessica spoke quietly, handing Johnny her laptop.

On the screen played a video of Kel’Thuzad.

A sharp pain stabbed Johnny’s heart, and a vision flashed before his eyes.

Under thick, stormy clouds, an armored figure loomed, eyes blazing with an eerie blue glow, sword poised to plunge into his chest.

“This world is on the edge of ruin. We must stand up and fight back against these demons...”

Coulson extended a hand, his face wearing a practiced smile as he watched Johnny deep in thought.

In the next instant, a red phantom flickered around Johnny, and flames ignited over his body.

“No... I refuse.”

In the roar of a heavy motorcycle, Jessica and the others stepped back from the ring of fire, catching only the smoldering tire tracks the bike left behind.

Coulson froze for a moment, then managed an awkward but polite smile at Jessica.

“Should we give chase?”

“Of course. He’s indispensable,” Jessica replied, striding briskly to the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle and slipping into the driver’s seat.

“Hey, sweetheart, wasn’t I supposed to be driving?”
Luke Cage was dragged out of the driver’s seat.

“With the way you drive—like you’re pushing a baby stroller—there’s no way you’ll catch him. Let me. This is a nice car. I bet I can hit 300 on these Mexican highways.”

“Ms. Jessica, I hate to be a killjoy, but as an agent, it’s my duty to say: if you speed, I’ll still have to file a report, and you’ll get fined and docked points all the same.”

“Relax. I don’t even have a license. I don’t care about that.”

“Oh, that’s the second saddest thing I’ve heard today.”

...

In his mind, Roald sensed several points of light and began his hundredth lecture of the day.

“Do you crave power?”