The agents who weren't frozen arrived at the square with their weapons drawn. When they saw their colleagues in a similar state, they couldn't help but tremble.
This scene seemed a little familiar.
Isn't this what Professor X usually does?
During X-Men missions, the mutant leader would use his mental powers to freeze groups of people, sometimes even an entire airport. Although the people were frozen and had no memory of the event, time still passed. The X-Men were able to solve the problem while the people were frozen.
This situation was observed through surveillance.
Is this happening again? And it's happening at their headquarters?
But why weren't they frozen by these mental powers?
Although confused, the agents still rushed to Area 1 and surrounded it. Armed helicopters hovered in the sky, and armed vehicles were positioned on the ground.
The leader was a slightly older, short-haired white female agent with a professional demeanor. She was an elite, high-level agent, holding a pistol.
She glanced at Ophelia, who was at the center of the circle, then at the slumped Pierce, and finally set her sights on Nick Fury, saying coldly, "Director Nick Fury, I need an explanation."
As she spoke, her finger slightly moved on the grip of her pistol.
Unfortunately, this subtle gesture didn't escape Ophelia's notice, but she just smiled and said nothing.
Fury shook his head. "She's not an enemy, Ceria."
Ceria pursed her lips.
Her words had been a unique code between agents, a way to hint at a decision in a critical moment.
But Fury had not responded. "Then what about Senator Pierce?"
"That's what we're going to discuss now."
Fury scanned the room with his single eye and said in a cold voice, "Tell me, do any of you still remember HYDRA?"
"HYDRA? Wasn't our original purpose to fight against HYDRA's power?"
"The academy has records of this. Why are you suddenly mentioning HYDRA, Director?"
The agents looked at each other. As agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who wouldn't know about HYDRA?
"Director Nick Fury, what are you trying to say? Is this related to what just happened?" As the highest-level agent in the room besides Fury, Ceria asked.
Fury said expressionlessly, "Including Alexander Pierce, whom we once respected, all those agents who are currently frozen... are from HYDRA."
Fury's words were like thunder in everyone's ears.
The agents' eyes widened, and they looked at Fury in disbelief.
Even a senior agent like Ceria failed to control her expression. She lost her voice and said, "How is this possible? Director Nick Fury, you know you will be held responsible for saying this."
"I will take full responsibility for what I said, Ceria. But now I order all of you, as Director, to quickly mobilize all your forces to remove the weapons and equipment from all the frozen agents and place them in medical custody."
"I need you to interrogate these agents as quickly and efficiently as possible. I want to find out the identities of everyone. You know what this means, Ceria."
"We need to race against time."
"Otherwise, we will face a terrible disaster."
"Yes, Director." Looking at Fury's solemn order, Ceria's heart tightened, but an order was an order. As agents, she and her colleagues had to execute Fury's commands unconditionally.
So Ceria immediately summoned all agents to remove the equipment from all the frozen agents and take them away.
Her style was swift and decisive. Soon, the entire square was completely under control.
Fury then said to Ophelia, "The Tesseract is in a secret base in California. I need some time."
"You only have three days to bring the item to Madripoor, and someone will take over. But if it's more than three days..."
He didn't need to finish his sentence; Nick Fury understood the implication perfectly.
"I understand. After my Lord arrives, I will personally go to Madripoor with the Tesseract."
Ophelia smiled lightly and snapped her fingers. Pierce's body automatically floated up. She carried him to her side, and as she took her first step, a golden vortex appeared in front of her. The energy within the vortex made Fury tremble.
He watched Ophelia and Pierce disappear into the vortex. Finally, the golden vortex closed automatically and returned to its original state.
Fury stood there with an uncertain expression. Ophelia's brief appearance had pulled back a corner of the veil behind Madripoor in Fury's eyes, and that corner revealed its terrifying and mysterious nature.
Whether it was her strength, her tone, her movements, or her subtle expression, she exuded a kind of high and mighty aura.
The threat of the world's strongest country was like a child's joke in her eyes.
"Does this world really have a god?"
"And what does this god think of this world? Are they good or bad?"
Fury's heart was churning, and he felt a sense of powerlessness he hadn't felt since he became Director. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, he knew that his past assumptions had been too self-righteous.
Controlling the world and maintaining a stable balance were just lies and deceptions.
HYDRA had grown stronger by parasitizing S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury didn't need to think too hard to know how much HYDRA had done in secret with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help.
How many HYDRA agents were lurking in the military? In politics?
How many high-ranking government officials were from HYDRA? He didn't know. Just thinking about it made Fury's back cold.
But Fury wasn't defeated, and he didn't think of giving up. Instead, this time, Fury saw an opportunity—an opportunity to completely clean up and take control of S.H.I.E.L.D.
He knew he couldn't control Madripoor, and he didn't have the courage to try.
But at the very least, he needed a clean S.H.I.E.L.D. that belonged to him.
Fury turned around and strode toward the Trident Building.
(End of Chapter)
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