"You crippled S.H.I.E.L.D., let Hydra make its move, and used that entire incident to dismantle the organization completely. Then you come to me with this invitation. Tell me, when did you start setting this all in motion?" Fury asked as he looked straight at the man across from him.
"When?" Reid repeated with a calm smile.
With Fury no longer posing any real threat, he didn't mind revealing a little truth to gain his cooperation.
"Probably around the time LexCorp replaced Oscorp."
Even though he had braced himself for an answer like that, the response still caught Fury off guard.
When LexCorp had first taken Oscorp's place, it was only beginning to rise in power. Back then, the company was not even close to rivaling S.H.I.E.L.D. And yet, Reid had already started planning the agency's complete dismantling.
"You know exactly what LexCorp intends to do, don't you?" Reid continued smoothly. "Just like you guessed, our goal is to rule the world."
"As I thought!" Fury clenched his fists. This time, it wasn't speculation. The man had openly admitted the ambition behind it all.
The words "rule the world" triggered an instinctive resistance in him, an urge to stop it at all costs. But before his emotions could boil over, Reid spoke again.
"Why do you assume our ruling the world is a bad thing? Do you honestly believe that Luthor and I are worse than the guy sitting in the White House right now?"
Fury had no answer. For a moment, he simply sat there in silence, lost in thought.
Why, exactly? Why did he reject the idea of anyone ruling the world?
Reid and Luthor, without question, were far more capable than any U.S. president in history. If they controlled the country, it would undoubtedly lead to greater progress than ever before.
"Truth is, it's because of that so-called sense of justice in your heart," Reid said, his tone unwavering. "It's pulled you away from the people who truly make up this nation."
As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had always been driven by that ideal: justice. It kept him on constant alert and made him worry that this person might cause harm someday, or that that person might become a criminal.
But S.H.I.E.L.D. had no authority to enforce the law. It did not fight current crime. Instead, they focused on the future, on what could go wrong.
The problem was, predictions are only predictions because they carry uncertainty. Everything had the possibility of both good and bad. Fury always tried to prevent the bad side from happening, not realizing that doing so could also close off the path to a better outcome.
He rejected anyone who sought to rule the world because the last person with that ambition was the Red Skull of Hydra. He was a man who had launched a war for power and thrust the world into chaos and suffering.
Fury feared history repeating itself. That's why he instinctively resisted LexCorp, whose vision sounded so much like Hydra's.
"You need to understand something, Fury. We will rule the world, yes, but what we rule will be a world of man, not a world of hell."
Reid did not deny that some might prioritize their own power over the world's well-being. Hydra was a perfect example of that.
In some parallel universes, the heroes had fallen to that organization, allowing them to seize control of the world. And when that happened, everything Hydra did was for their own domination, turning the entire world into something close to hell.
But he was clearly not that kind of person.
There was no need to explain that in detail to Fury, though.
He just delivered his final message.
"So, Fury, make your choice. Will you join us and use your own hands to build the future, or will you sit in this nicely decorated little house of yours, pounding your chest in frustration?"
The answer to that was obvious.
Fury was never the type to sit idle. As long as there was a chance, he would always try to do something for the world.
"Can I recommend someone? Coulson. My best man."
"I heard he retired before you announced the dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D. Probably wanted to take a break, and maybe a trip around the world to collect Captain America's autograph."
"Yeah. But that's fine. He'll come back to work."
Seeing Fury's matter-of-fact expression, Reid couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"I have a feeling he won't thank you for finding him a new job."
"Doesn't matter. I'll thank him enough for the both of us."
* * *
The Hero Association was quickly established under the strong push of Vought International and the U.S. government. Unlike the one in One Punch Man world, this association didn't rank heroes by combat power, since doing so would only make them chase fame and fortune.
Heroes were still free to use their identity for personal gain if they wished; that was their choice. But the system itself could not be designed to lure people into becoming heroes for money.
That was the fundamental difference.
And so, the Hero Association became an organization with official backing, responsible for managing and supporting heroes. Any act of stopping criminals outside of legitimate self-defense could only be carried out by law enforcement or registered heroes.
Even local police departments were considering joining the association as units. After all, police officers were heroes in their own way.
When a crime occurred, the association would contact the most suitable hero in terms of distance and ability, deploying them to take action. At the same time, they partnered with advanced tech companies to provide cutting-edge equipment and intelligence support for hero operations.
Vought International was at the forefront of this effort.
Heroes who joined the association could choose to collaborate with Vought for additional resources. Some could even step into the spotlight as celebrities, turning their popularity into profit.
With that, a complete and functional system took shape.
Fury, as the global president of the Hero Association, managed directors in every country and oversaw hero qualifications. He acted swiftly and decisively when someone's actions made them unworthy of being called a hero.
And for newcomers who showed exceptional potential in both character and strength, the association paid close attention.
The world had changed drastically.
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