Originally, Ethan was too lazy to concern himself with the messy affairs between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. Hydra's reputation was too notorious. They could accomplish some things from the shadows, but once exposed, they'd suffer a miserable end.
Because the Marvel Universe—even just the movie universe—is far deeper than they imagined. If their Project Insight actually succeeded, neither the Asgardians, the guardians of Earth, nor the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj would sit idly by.
If either of these two groups took action against Hydra, which was composed of ordinary humans, would the outcome even be in question?
However, just because you don't want trouble doesn't mean trouble won't find you. Ethan didn't want to get involved with those guys, but that didn't mean Hydra would leave him alone.
Since that was the case, why not just expose them to Nick Fury and let the two sides clash? Ideally, they'd beat each other to a pulp—that would be truly satisfying!
"How do I know whether what you're saying is true or false?"
"I don't care whether you believe me or not. You're going to investigate anyway. To save you from being completely fooled, I'll kindly help you one more time."
Ethan had already seen through this man's personality. As long as he was given a hint, he would definitely dig into it thoroughly. Even if Ethan had just said something in passing, Fury wouldn't dare to treat it as a joke. He had to get to the bottom of it before he could rest easy.
Besides, the fact that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to such an extent was already a reality. As long as Fury investigated in the right direction, it wouldn't be hard to find clues. To help him get there faster, Ethan gave him a lead: "Project Insight."
If Nick Fury had only been slightly suspicious before, now he was starting to believe that Ethan might be telling the truth.
"How do you know about this project?"
"I told you, S.H.I.E.L.D. has long been riddled with spies. What you think is a secret is actually known by more people than you imagine."
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal situation was a complete mess—not only were there Hydra agents, but also informants planted by other forces. Nick Fury wasn't unaware of this, but he hadn't expected the situation to be this bad.
Even an "alien" knew about their most important secret project. Was S.H.I.E.L.D. still a secret organization? Was someone handing out flyers with details about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s structure and future plans?
"You just mentioned up to the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Even in his shock, Nick Fury, being an elite agent, didn't miss a single detail. At that thought, he suddenly felt uncertain about who he could really trust.
Then he looked at Black Widow beside him. "Do you think Natasha is trustworthy? She hasn't been turned by Hydra?"
He asked this right in front of Natasha Romanoff, while carefully watching both Ethan's and Natasha's expressions.
"Besides Natasha, the people you can trust are Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, Clint Barton, Sharon Carter, Victoria Hand…" Ethan thought for a moment, then added another name.
Of course, there were more who hadn't been absorbed by Hydra, but considering Nick Fury's position, he couldn't be expected to know the status of every low-level agent. What he needed to confirm were top-tier combat personnel and high-level agents with sufficient access to resources.
"That's it?"
"Forget the rest. Even if they haven't been absorbed by Hydra, they won't be able to help you."
Nick Fury nodded, his frown deepening. "Rumlow is also one of Hydra's people?"
Ethan chuckled. "Don't count on the STRIKE team. Every one of them is loyal to Hydra."
Loyal… That was even worse than being recruited.
Nick Fury realized the situation was far more serious than he had imagined. As for why Ethan was telling him all this, he hadn't overlooked what Ethan said earlier either.
"I'm someone who hates trouble. So, when it comes, I prefer to eliminate it at the root."
Clearly, Ethan was very unhappy about Hydra trying to provoke him, and he wanted to cut them off completely. He didn't plan to act personally—he intended to use Nick as the knife to take them down.
In Ethan's view, he didn't care if S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra tore each other apart. From his earlier behavior, it was obvious he didn't like S.H.I.E.L.D. either. So to him, it was just two enemies fighting. He could sit back, snack in hand, and enjoy the show.
What was most frustrating was that Nick Fury found himself forced into being that knife. Whether due to his role as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director or his duty to protect the world from Hydra's destruction, he couldn't let Hydra grow under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cover.
He had no choice but to fight Hydra to the bitter end. It was truly frustrating. Looking at Ethan again, he realized that being a sorcerer probably required a high level of intelligence. He shouldn't have provoked this man from the start.
"I'll look into this thoroughly."
He didn't say anything about asking Ethan for help. He knew Ethan wouldn't agree, so there was no point humiliating himself.
Compared to Ethan, he had a more suitable person to ask for help. Although they didn't get along well, since the opponent was Hydra, he believed that person would definitely lend a hand.
Just as Nick Fury was about to leave, Ethan seemed to remember something and said, "Tell Maria Hill that if S.H.I.E.L.D. dissolves and she can't find a job, I'm willing to hire her."
Nick, halfway turned around, stopped and stared at Ethan with his one eye, then replied word by word, "I'll convey your generosity to Hill."
Ethan waved his hand, dispelling the illusion. Fury turned and left with a dark expression, not even calling Phil Coulson to go with him.
That look perfectly matched the illusion Ethan had created—it seemed like they had argued and parted on bad terms.
Nick Fury's departure didn't cause anything noteworthy to happen. In the following days, no one from Hydra made any moves against Ethan.
Although he didn't know when Nick would take action, Ethan didn't plan to stick around just to watch the two groups fight.
He felt this was a perfect opportunity to leave. By the time he returned, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra would have either reached a conclusion or destroyed each other.
In his estimation, Nick Fury would definitely go to Steve Rogers. Since this was about Hydra, Captain America would undoubtedly get involved.
Compared to the passive defense shown in the original storyline—where even the first move was within the enemy's calculations—this time Nick was taking the initiative. Maybe the advantage would be on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side?
"Who cares? Best if they're both crippled."
Each day, Ethan brewed potions and taught Tony. Once Tony had finished most of the foundational lessons, Ethan also decided it was time to head into the universe.
"Thor and Jane have been together long enough. If they don't take a break, they'll probably start arguing."
Tony had experience in this regard. After checking on his parents and confirming there wouldn't be any unusual events in the next few months, and after explaining things to Pepper, he called Thor over.
As expected, both Thor and Jane wanted to spend some time apart and do their own things.
Plus, Thor had a mission and couldn't just laze around on Earth.
"Are you ready to go?"
Seeing the large group around him, Thor knew Ethan had the Space Stone and could teleport freely, but suddenly transporting a group this large to an advanced civilization could easily cause problems.
If they landed on a planet inhabited by a sensitive species, it might spark a conflict.
"Considering the number of people, and that some may not adapt well to harsh environments, it's better to choose a peaceful planet with conditions similar to Earth."
After thinking it over, Thor offered a suggestion.
"Xandar is a good option. The Nova Corps are strong, but they won't start a fight. They're a peace-loving civilization."
"In that case, our first stop will be Xandar!"
Ethan was about to teleport everyone there but suddenly realized he didn't know the planet's coordinates. He had to ask Thor.
Though Thor couldn't distinguish most Earth locations, he was very familiar with many places in the universe. For a well-known planet like Xandar, he had the coordinates memorized and provided them before Ethan even asked.
The teleportation was successfully activated. Although Ethan had chosen a relatively remote area to land, the sudden appearance of such a large group still attracted the Nova Corps' attention.
This was when Thor's presence proved useful. Asgardians had a strong reputation in the universe, and Thor, as Odin's eldest son, was well known among many advanced civilizations.
After confirming Thor's identity, the Nova Corps didn't make things difficult. Instead, they politely arranged accommodations and stated that as long as Ethan's group didn't break any laws, there would be no trouble.
However, most of the group ran into a major problem.
Except for Thor, who was fluent in several galactic languages, the others couldn't understand a single word. In that state, they couldn't even shop.
But on a planet with a highly advanced civilization, this issue was easily solved. The friendly Xandarians provided each of them with a language translator. Once the device was placed behind the ear, they could communicate normally with most races in the universe.
(To be continued.)