Nick Fury believed he hadn't done anything wrong at that time.
If he hadn't stopped that S.H.I.E.L.D. Fighter from taking off, if he hadn't informed Tony Stark, a nuclear bomb would have exploded over New York City.
If that nuclear bomb had exploded, what would New York City have looked like?
A ruined city?
Or a ghost town?
But...
The Security Council doesn't care about this or that.
It's the same old line.
I issued an order, but you didn't obey, and even led others in defiance. Although the result was good, the violation of the order remains a fact.
So from the Security Council's perspective, merely freezing Nick Fury's operational authority, without firing him and kicking him out, was already considered lenient.
But Nick Fury didn't see it that way.
He was trying to find a way to unfreeze his operational authority.
Now he saw an opportunity.
The Hulk was a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Avengers. By killing the Hulk, Hawk had disrespected S.H.I.E.L.D., and disrespecting S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a slap to the Security Council.
Although the Security Council might not attend to this issue right now.
But that's only because the matter hasn't gotten out of hand. If it does, when the time comes, will the Security Council support Maria Hill, who advocates for peaceful contact, or will they support his stance for strict supervision?
The answer is obvious.
As for who to let escalate this situation, once he learned Hawk was likely the person who caused the commotion at the Quantico Military Base, he already had a perfect candidate in mind.
Thaddeus Ross.
This is a tough guy, and one with extremely strong backing.
If it were any other general, after the mess with the Hulk and Abomination in New York City, they'd definitely be put on the back burner, even if they survived.
But General Ross?
While he wasn't entirely unaffected, you could say he even got promoted.
Here's a joke.
Local squid mostly support the Democrats, while Middle Eastern squid mostly support the Republicans.
And General Ross is an absolute hawk within the Republican Party.
His stance is to solve problems by military means.
How does the saying go?
Gentlemen, I love war!
This phrase fits General Ross perfectly. Therefore, while others might not dare escalate things, General Ross dares.
Soon.
The call connected.
"Fury, I am now…"
"The culprit behind the attack on your military base, interested in making a deal?"
"..."
General Ross, who was at home on high alert, preventing his daughter from sneaking out, listened to Nick Fury's words with surprise and then adopted a serious expression.
"You found out who the culprit is?"
"Yes, interested?"
"...Terms."
General Ross didn't immediately agree to Nick Fury's proposal.
Nick Fury sat back down, his one eye glinting with wisdom as if he were pondering: "My operational authority is frozen."
General Ross smiled upon hearing this.
He also knew about this matter, but wasn't surprised. If this were his subordinate, Nick Fury would have already been court-martialed and executed for disobedience.
So...
"Sorry..."
"Latest news, he killed the Hulk."
"...Wait."
Just as General Ross was about to mock that the bargaining chip wasn't enough, he was stunned by the statement.
The smile on his face vanished.
"What?"
"You heard me, the Hulk is dead, he killed the Hulk."
"..."
Nick Fury listened to the breathing on the other end, knowing that even though General Ross wasn't speaking, he had taken the bait. So he straightforwardly said, "Help me unfreeze my operational authority, and I'll tell you the culprit's identity. We can conduct a joint operation, and upon capture, he can be under our joint supervision, just like Abomination. What do you think?"
General Ross alone couldn't help him regain his operational authority.
But the supporters behind General Ross could, and for them, it might just be a matter of a word.
Moreover, he wasn't losing anything.
With joint supervision, after a successful capture, General Ross could conduct research, and S.H.I.E.L.D. could as well.
Nick Fury mused.
General Ross, upon hearing Nick Fury's terms, considered it rapidly.
Absorb gamma radiation.
Kill the Hulk.
If the information is accurate, it could only mean one thing.
The culprit who attacked the military base was stronger than the Hulk, even more capable of controlling his power, unlike Bruce Banner when he becomes the Hulk, devoid of any rationality.
And if they manage to capture him and conduct research...
Well...
The more General Ross thought about it, the more excited he got, but the more he restrained his excitement.
"Name."
"No no no."
Nick Fury chuckled: "That's not how a deal works, unfreeze my operational authority, and then we can conduct a joint operation."
General Ross snorted.
"Does Maria Hill know this information?"
"She does."
"Then why wouldn't I collaborate with Maria Hill?"
"Because you won't."
Nick Fury wasn't worried about General Ross's thought: "You and Maria Hill aren't on the same path, neither am I with her."
General Ross fell silent.
After a while.
"I need to think it over."
"Go ahead, but it's best to do it quickly, because we don't have much time. Once Maria Hill makes contact..."
"Give me thirty minutes."
After General Ross said these words, he hung up the phone, closed his eyes, and entered a state of quick thinking.
Nick Fury also smiled and hung up the phone after hearing the busy signal.
Ross will agree.
He's not worried at all.
But...
You can't put all your eggs in one basket.
Nick Fury's single eye once again emitted a bizarre gleam of foolish wisdom. He brainstormed quickly, and then seemed to think of something, opened the computer in front of him, and reviewed Gwen Stacy's information.
Upon first glance.
He stared at the picture of Gwen Stacy displayed on the computer screen, the glow in his single eye becoming even more peculiar and... reckless.
Meanwhile.
At this moment, Gwen was also helping Hawk return to their apartment located at Queensboro Bridge Park.
Thud!
After laying the weak Hawk on the sofa, Gwen couldn't help but straighten her back, grimace, and use her small fist to punch her lower back.
Hawk, leaning on the sofa, watched this scene and couldn't help but chuckle.
Gwen, who was stretching her back to relieve her soreness, froze as she heard the hearty laugh behind her.
Uh-oh.
Seeing this, Hawk's heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough.
Gwen slowly turned around, her expression suspicious, her gaze landing on Hawk who appeared weak but whose face had already gained a hint of rosiness.
Gwen's eyes now looked a bit odd and dangerous: "Hawk?"
Hawk coughed, his voice once again becoming weak: "Cough... cough cough, what's wrong?"
Gwen's eyebrows raised.
Her voice suddenly increased in pitch!
"Hawk!"
If it weren't just Hawk without a last name, her outburst would surely have included his full name.
Gwen's face became very serious.
"You're already better, you're just pretending now!"
"I didn't, I'm not, stop saying that."
Hawk instinctively denied and shook his head, instantly going into a triple denial.
But...
The tone of this rebuttal was very confident.
Gwen laughed.
But it was the kind of smile that didn't reach her eyes.
The next second.
Gwen turned and walked out the door.
Without hesitation.
Shit!
Went too far.
Leaning on the sofa, Hawk upon seeing this, muttered inwardly, and his figure instantly vanished from the sofa, appearing at the doorway just in the blink of an eye, blocking the door to the apartment.
Gwen was momentarily stunned, then looked at Hawk standing in her way.
"Move!"
"No way."
Though perhaps not high on overall emotional intelligence, Hawk swiftly shook his head, showing his small emotional intelligence is intact.
What a joke.
If he doesn't let her go now, he can still try to appease her.
But if he lets her go this instant, the time needed to make up for it could be immeasurable.
Gwen's face was now frosted over.
"It's fun to lie to me, Hawk?"
"It's not fun, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Hawk admitted his mistake promptly and continued: "But I'm really not lying to you. When we were coming back, I was genuinely weak."
That's the truth.
Indeed, when Hawk had just emerged from the lake, let alone Hulk, even a Chitauri Soldier could have knocked him into a program of rebirth.
Hawk explained to Gwen: "But I took a nap in the car and recovered a bit. I intended to tell you, but seeing how worried you were and helped me upstairs, I was happy, so..."
Listening to Hawk's explanation, the frost on Gwen's face gradually melted, she glanced at Hawk.
"So what?"
"I didn't want you to let go of me."
Hawk explained earnestly.
Gwen listened to Hawk's explanation, and the frost on her face completely disappeared, her cheeks slightly reddened, then she seemed to think of something, rolled her eyes at Hawk.
"Boring."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you."
"Are you still weak now?"
"Not weak..."
"Hm?"
"Weak? Weak!"
Hawk watched Gwen's face, correctly interpreting her expression while nodding and expressing his weakness, simultaneously his voice grew weak again.
Seeing this, Gwen wanted to laugh but kept a straight face, rolling her eyes once more at the weak Hawk, stepping forward and supporting Hawk who seemed about to collapse any second.
"If you're weak, lie down properly. Come on, I'll help you to bed."
"Okay."
"Be careful, take off your shoes."
"Gwen."
"Hm."
"Can you lie down with me for a while?"
"What?"
"Just lie down for a while, you know, I'm very weak now."
"Just lie down for a while?"
"Yeah."
"...Okay."
"Wait, what are you doing..."
"Ah!"
"..."