I Created a Sanctuary in Marvel

Chapter 190 S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra

Alexander Pierce’s office was shrouded in a deliberate tranquility.

Crossbones Rumlow stood in front of the desk.

"Sir, General Ross's side has failed."

Rumlow's voice was steady, but every word was carefully chosen.

Pierce didn't even look up, continuing to flip through the documents in his hands.

"I'm not surprised at all that he will fail."

"Hulk's stats on paper far surpass Rogers'. Ross thinks he can handle it with conventional forces? He's being incredibly naive."

He closed the folder.

Rumlow listened in silence.

He knew there was a hidden meaning in Pierce's words.

This Hydra leader never easily expressed his opinions; every comment he made was full of hidden meaning.

"During World War II, we almost swept across the world."

"The power of the Tesseract should have made us invincible. But a single super soldier has disrupted most of our plans."

Pierce stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Rumlow.

He turned around, his eyes sharp: "From that moment on, I understood a principle: to suppress absolute force, one needs even stronger force, and—higher power."

2

Therefore, the Insight Project must proceed, it absolutely must!

Rumlow understood what was left unsaid.

"Should we still make contact with General Ross? He still has some resources left—"

"There's no need."

"Ross is an idealist at heart. He won't understand our vision, much less agree with Hydra's path."

Pierce interrupted him and went back behind his desk.

"How's the investigation on Nick Fury going?"

He changed the subject, his tone revealing a clear wariness for the first time.

From the Tony Stark incident to the recent mission anomalies, Pierce became increasingly convinced that Fury possessed a force independent of the S.H.I.E.L.D. system.

A squad that is completely under his command.

This is very dangerous.

"There has been no progress."

"We can't find any trace of that team through any channels. Could it be—that they don't even exist?"

Rumlow frowned.

"impossible."

That power definitely exists. It's just hidden too well.

Pierce was adamant.

He recalled the day more than a decade ago when Nick Fury returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. with the Tesseract.

He should have realized then that this guy was not an easy opponent.

A small team that operates outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s oversight, yet can intervene in missions within the agency at crucial moments.

For Hydra, this is a ticking time bomb.

Once detonated, decades of infiltration and planning could be destroyed in an instant.

Now, the Insight Project is entering its most critical implementation phase.

Pierce doesn't allow any surprises.

"When necessary."

"Let the Winter Soldier handle it. Take care of Nick Fury."

His voice was icy.

"clear."

"There's one more thing—Baron Strucker's research isn't progressing well. They want to obtain the Tesseract."

Rumlow nodded, but his expression was somewhat hesitant.

"The Cosmic Cube?"

"Tell Strucker to stop dreaming. Nick Fury values ​​it more than his life. Moving the Tesseract now would be tantamount to exposing us all."

Pierce gave a cold laugh.

He sat down again, opened another document, and gestured to end the conversation: "Now is not the time. Everything should prioritize gaining insight into the plan."

Rumlow understood the signal, nodded slightly, and turned to leave the office.

After the door closed, Pierce put down his pen and rubbed his temples.

Sometimes he felt like he was playing a game of chess that would never end, with his opponent both in the open and in the shadows.

Meanwhile, several floors below.

"Chief, we have news!"

Maria Hill practically jogged into Nick Fury's office, clutching a stack of freshly printed documents.

She rarely loses her composure unless the matter is truly significant.

Fury looked up from a pile of reports, his one eye meeting hers: "What news could excite you so much?"

"The research team discovered unusual life signals beneath the glaciers of the Arctic Ocean."

"After in-depth analysis, it has been confirmed that it is Captain Steve Rogers. He is still alive, but in a deep frozen state."

Hill spread the documents on the table, pointing to a radar scan image.

Fury leaned forward noticeably.

He took the documents and quickly browsed through the data and analysis reports.

"Seventy years —"

"Frozen in ice for seventy years, how come his vital signs are still so stable?"

he murmured.

"The effects of the super soldier serum far exceeded our expectations."

"His metabolism has almost completely stopped, but his cell activity has miraculously remained at a minimum. Theoretically, he could be revived if the thawing procedure is done properly."

Hill explained.

Fury put down the file, leaned back, and tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table.

This news came at just the right time.

He opened the drawer on his right and took out a top-secret document with the Avengers Plan on the cover.

This plan had been brewing for years. From the Carol Danvers incident to his contact with that His Majesty, he became increasingly convinced that Earth needed a team capable of dealing with unconventional threats.

And now, the team is slowly being assembled.

"Notify medical and research departments to develop a detailed recovery plan."

"Captain Rogers is our WWII hero and a key figure in this plan. I must ensure everything goes perfectly."

Fury instructed.

"Preparations are already underway."

"The expedition team is setting up a temporary base and is expected to begin a safe transfer within 48 hours."

Hill nodded.

After Hill left, the office fell silent again.

Fury opened the Avengers plan file, his gaze sweeping over several names: ————

There is also a special pair of twins.

Fury's expression became complicated as he thought of Wanda and Pietro.

Over the past decade, these two young men have helped him solve too many thorny problems.

Especially after they comprehended that mysterious power known as the microcosm, their mission success rate reached 100%.

Of course, hiring them comes at a high price.

Every time a mission was settled, the conditions set by that lord made Fury wince.

But it must be admitted that it's great value for money.

He rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a faint star tattoo on his upper arm. It was a mark left by Ye Feng many years ago, saying it could be used when needed.

Like the pager Carroll left behind, this was one of his deepest secrets.

Fury still remembers the first time he witnessed the power of the cosmos: five years ago, during a special mission raid, Wanda simply raised her hand and pushed, and an invisible wave overturned three heavy armored vehicles like toys.

That power—it simply doesn't belong to this world.

He knew of the existence of the microcosm, and he also knew that it was a special power that Ye Feng had given to him as a divine messenger.

However, during his later conversation with Wanda, he learned that this was a power that could be cultivated and had universal applicability!

If the Avengers could master this power, Earth's defenses would be elevated to an unimaginable level.

"Gods—"

Fury sighed.

Having known Ye Feng for over ten years, this mysterious figure mostly behaved like an ordinary human being.

Walking the cat, shopping, drinking coffee, reading a book on a park bench.

If Fury hadn't witnessed those supernatural phenomena firsthand, he would never have believed that this was a god.

Because of Ye Feng's existence, Fury firmly believes that there are many more supernatural individuals hidden on Earth.

To this end, he secretly pushed forward the prototype of Project Insight, a system designed to monitor potential extraordinary threats around the world.

But what he didn't know was that this plan played right into Hydra's hands, turning it into a weapon to purge opponents.

To some extent, it was Fury's curiosity and vigilance toward people like Ye Feng that inadvertently provided fertile ground for Hydra's conspiracy.

The red telephone on his desk suddenly rang, interrupting Fury's thoughts.

This is an emergency communication line, usually indicating an emergency.

"speak."

"Chief, an unusual weather event has occurred in New Mexico."

"A sudden thunderstorm occurred, with high-intensity energy readings detected in the central area. After the storm subsided, we found a hammer in the impact crater."

The voice from the technical department came through.

"A hammer?"

"Yes, sir. But this hammer—it's unusual. It's ridiculously heavy, and our equipment can't move it at all."

""

"Material analysis shows that the metal that makes it up does not belong to any known elements on the periodic table. Preliminary judgment is that it may be an extraterrestrial creation."

Fury narrowed his one eye.

First it was Captain America frozen in ice, and now it's an alien hammer? Things are starting to pile up.

"Send Coulson to the scene."

"Establish an isolation zone at the highest alert level. Report all discoveries to me immediately."

He commanded.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the city, on the second floor of an unassuming bookstore, Ye Feng was gently stroking the orange cat on his lap, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls, seeing everything that was happening inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. building.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"It's getting windy."

The orange cat meowed, shifted to a more comfortable position on his lap, and continued to nap.

The first star has just lit up the night sky outside the window.

On the edge of the desert in New Mexico, Phil Coulson stands outside the safety zone, looking at the impact crater that is more than 20 meters in diameter.

In the center of the pit, a simple, square-headed hammer is half-buried in the soil, surrounded by charred marks.

Have you tried moving it?

He asked the researchers next to him.

"We've tried everything, sir."

"Crane, hydraulic devices, even small-yield explosives were tried. But the hammer wouldn't budge."

A researcher wipes away sweat.

Coulson seemed thoughtful. He had seen many strange things, but this hammer was truly unique.

"What about the energy reading?"

"It continues to fluctuate, but the overall trend is downward. It seems to be adapting to the environment here."

Adapt to the environment. Colson noted this down.

He picked up the binoculars and carefully examined the texture on the surface of the hammer.

The patterns were ancient and complex, resembling some kind of writing, yet also purely decorative.

"Notify headquarters that we need more linguists and semiotics experts."

"Also, increase security. If this really is alien material, there's no guarantee that someone won't come to take it—"

He turned to his assistant and said.

Before the words were finished, a muffled rumble of thunder came from the distant sky.

Coulson looked up and saw the clouds beginning to gather again, and through a gap in the clouds, he seemed to glimpse a rainbow-like halo.

In just a moment, the halo disappeared.

But he was certain he had seen it.

Coulson pressed the communicator: "Chief, this is Coulson. In New Mexico—the situation may be more complicated than we thought."