Just like last year, it was thanks to the warnings from the Phantom that the small-town residents were spared from casualties.
Nick Fury understood that the Phantom wanted him to speak with honesty, so he stopped hiding anything and began to explain: "Alright, I'll explain everything in detail."
He then recounted the full story of the current crisis.
Meng Ran listened quietly beside him. He wasn't unaware of the events—he merely wanted to nudge Fury, reminding both sides to maintain a candid attitude for cooperation.
It was a subtle way of warning Fury not to make any underhanded moves, since Meng Ran's knowledge of secrets was just as extensive as Fury's.
After Fury finished, Meng Ran nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good. Honesty is the foundation of cooperation. I want our collaboration to start on the right foot. After all, danger is already upon us. If we don't unite, the entire world will face a crisis."
Fury nodded. It seemed cooperation with the Hexagram Alliance could proceed smoothly.
While Fury was contemplating this, the Phantom suddenly spoke again: "By the way, to celebrate the start of our collaboration, I'll give you some free intelligence."
The Phantom gestured for Fury to remove his earpiece.
Once Fury did, he heard information that left him stunned. His one eye widened as he struggled to hide his shock, asking Meng Ran gravely, "Is this information true?"
Meng Ran chuckled lightly. "Believe it or not, that's up to you. I'm just giving a friendly reminder."
"Once you've gathered enough people, we'll reconnect. I'll have my team start preparing as well."
He then handed Fury a small communication device and vanished before Fury could respond.
Fury held the device, contemplating the accuracy of the Phantom's intelligence. Meng Ran had told him about HYDRA—that the current S.H.I.E.L.D. could be considered a new HYDRA, thriving in the shadows of this vast organization.
Fury initially found it hard to believe, but upon reflection, he realized there might indeed be truth to it. He had vaguely sensed some irregularities within S.H.I.E.L.D., though he had never suspected the connection to the HYDRA from World War II.
With this revelation, many previously inexplicable events started to make sense.
Pocketing the communicator, Fury disappeared into the darkness.
Back at the Hexagram Alliance base, Meng Ran and his team discussed various matters, the most important being the safety and placement of their family members.
"Why not have them win a lottery or something and go on a trip?" Harry suggested.
The others nodded; it was a good idea.
After discussing details, they finalized the plan. Peter and Mary Jane's families could be sent on a trip to avoid the conflict, but Gwen and Meng Ran's families posed more of a challenge.
Gwen's father, George, was particularly difficult since he was the NYPD Commissioner, too busy for travel. Meng Ran's mother was similarly occupied and unlikely to go even if given a chance.
Harry solved the dilemma. As the head of Oscorp with extensive political and business connections, he could arrange for George and Zhao Li to go on a "business trip," keeping them out of New York.
Gwen's mother and siblings could follow the trip plan, while Meng Ran's father, Meng Huo, would accompany Zhao Li on a work trip. Even though he was essentially a "supporting player," he accepted it with understanding.
With these arrangements finalized, the team waited for an unexpected event to trigger their actions.
While Fury was meeting with Meng Ran, the other Avengers were being contacted. Natasha Romanoff was recalled from her mission to meet Bruce Banner in India. Coulson went to find Tony Stark.
Steve Rogers, Captain America, was also contacted by Fury after the meeting with Meng Ran.
The team gathered, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission was clear: locate Loki and retrieve the Tesseract. No matter what schemes he had, they couldn't let him succeed.
The next day, Banner and Captain America were already aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier. After exchanging greetings, Steve observed the facilities while digging into his pockets.
Fury turned from the control console and approached Steve and Banner. He took the ten dollars Steve had lost to him in a bet, then explained the mission.
Steve had joked about adapting to the modern era and had bet Fury ten dollars, which he now owed. The Helicarrier's advanced technology certainly impressed him.
After hearing the briefing, Banner shared his thoughts. "How many spectrometers can you gather?"
"How many do you need?" Fury replied.
"Call every lab, get all the spectrometers on the rooftops, calibrated to gamma rays. I'll set up a tracking algorithm to identify the sources. At least we can filter out some targets."
He paused, then added, "Also, find me a proper workspace."
Fury nodded. "Agent Romanoff, take Dr. Banner to his lab."
Natasha led Banner into the lab.
Steve watched the agents work below, with Coulson standing beside him.
Slightly nervous, Coulson spoke: "Uh… if it's not too much trouble…"
Steve nodded, assuming it was mission-related.
Coulson clasped his hands and continued: "This is a collector's edition. It took me years to gather them. Very new, just minor wear on the edges, but…"
"Found a lead! 67% match!"
Before he could finish, a bald agent's voice interrupted. Coulson had to swallow the rest of his words, saving them for next time when he could get Steve to sign his cards.
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(End of Chapter)