I Created a Sanctuary in Marvel

Chapter 219 The Turn of Events at S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury Retires

Top floor conference room at S.H.I.E.L.D. Tri-Wing headquarters.

The core members of the Avengers sat around a rectangular conference table, and a subtle tension filled the air.

Nick Fury sat in the head seat, his one eye sweeping over everyone present.

All six Avengers except Thor are here.

There was only one issue: Tony's "AI-powered global defense network" plan.

"I absolutely disagree with this plan."

"Entrusting the security of the entire world to a computer? That's too risky."

Fury's voice was firm and resolute.

Tony leaned back in his chair, arms crossed: "Chief, this isn't a computer, it's a new generation of AI defense system."

"It can analyze global threats, allocate resources, and take control of the situation before we even arrive."

"And then it gets out of control and wipes us all out?"

"Stark, your father thought of something similar back then, but it turned out to be a mistake."

Fury interrupted him.

"I am not my father."

Tony's face darkened.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Wanda then spoke up: "I think Tony's suggestion makes sense."

Her voice was calm, yet it drew everyone's attention.

"The Avengers have a limited number of members, and we are often overwhelmed. If there were an intelligent system that could assist us, we could save more lives."

Pietro nodded in agreement: "The supernatural events happened simultaneously in Rio and Cairo last week, and we can only choose one. If AI can assist in the coordination, at least the losses can be minimized."

Steve frowned. He wasn't very tech-savvy, but what Wanda said was a real problem.

Banner pushed up his glasses, hesitating as if to say something but then stopping himself.

As someone who had once been a monster in hiding, he actually leaned towards supporting Tony. Natasha and Clint exchanged a glance and remained silent.

Fury's face darkened. "So you all agree?"

"I think Stark's suggestion is very good."

The conference room door was pushed open, and Alexander Pierce walked in.

The representative of the World Security Council, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., was smiling and holding a document.

"Pierce?"

"This is an internal meeting of the Avengers—"

Fury stood up.

"This concerns global security; it's a matter for S.H.I.E.L.D. and also for the Council."

"Tony's ideas are perfectly aligned with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strategic direction. In fact, we have a project that has been underway for many years that coincides with his vision."

Pierce calmly walked to the conference table and placed the documents on it.

He pressed the remote control, and a holographic projection lit up in the center of the conference room.

Three massive space carriers hovered in the sky, each equipped with advanced weapon systems.

"Project Insight"

"The goal is to prevent crime and terrorism through global surveillance and rapid response. What if we combined this plan with Tony's artificial intelligence—"

Alexander Pierce said.

Tony's eyes lit up.

He walked to the projector, swiped his finger in the air, and brought up the data interface: "The computing core of the space carrier is based on technology from the 1970s. If it is upgraded to my AI system, their reaction speed can be increased by 400%."

"Moreover, it can operate online, forming a true global defense network."

Alexander Pierce, of course, wouldn't say that he used the Zola algorithm.

"etc."

"These motherships—are they targeting civilians?"

Steve finally spoke, pointing to the data on the projector.

"It's targeting potential threats."

"Through big data analysis, suspects can be identified before a crime occurs."

Pierce explained.

"So you want to judge people who haven't committed any crimes yet?"

Steve's face darkened.

"It's for crime prevention."

"Captain, I know this sounds extreme. But if it can prevent a terrorist attack and save hundreds or thousands of lives, is the price worth it?"

"To prevent crime, we need the support of the Avengers, and we also need the artificial intelligence that Tony mentioned."

Pierce corrected him, but his tone remained gentle.

Fury slammed his hand on the table: "Pierce! Project Insight is top secret!"

"It's top secret to them."

"But I think everyone on this team should know the truth. After all, they're the ones risking their lives on the front lines."

Pierce turned to the Avengers members.

Wanda timely remarked, "I think merging the two programs is a good idea. But a strict oversight mechanism is needed to ensure that AI does not abuse its power."

"certainly."

"That's what I'm going to talk about next."

Pierce nodded.

He glanced around the conference room, his gaze finally settling on Fury: "Nick, you've sacrificed a lot for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But the situation is now beyond your control alone. We need new ideas, new leadership."

Fury's one eye widened: "What do you mean?"

"I have already submitted my recommendations to the council."

"I recommend you step down as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and become a Special Advisor. As for the new Director—"

Pierce said calmly.

He paused, then uttered a name that surprised everyone: "Ye Feng."

There was silence in the conference room.

"Ye Feng??"

"Wait, are you talking about...?"

Tony thought of the woman he had met in the Manhattan apartment.

He thought Alexander Pierce was joking—a god, coming to be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

"Wait, does Mr. Ye Feng have an affiliation with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Natasha asked in surprise.

"That's a good question."

"Over the past six months, His Excellency Ye Feng has participated in seven important S.H.I.E.L.D. operations as an advisor. Based on his contributions, I have promoted him to Level 9 Agent within my authority."

Pierce opened another document.

The document unfolded on the holographic projection, displaying Ye Feng's ID photo, number, and a dense list of access permissions.

Pierce added all of these later using his authority as the chief, but they looked perfectly legitimate in the system.

Natasha and Clint exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

They had no idea about this.

"Your Majesty Ye Feng's strength and wisdom are evident to all present."

Pierce continued.

He looked at Wanda and Pietro: "He has earned the trust of the core members of the Avengers."

Wanda nodded: "I believe that His Majesty Ye Feng can lead S.H.I.E.L.D. in a better direction."

Pietro also said, "He saved our lives and taught us how to control our power. I support him."

Fury's face went from ashen to pale.

He realized that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a meticulously planned coup.

Pierce, Tony, and Wanda—they had already reached some kind of tacit understanding.

He just couldn't understand why a god would want to take over S.H.I.E.L.D.

"The council cannot agree to this."

"Ye Feng is not American, he is not even a native of this planet —"

Fury makes a final stand.

"The council looks at competence and results."

"Furthermore, according to the founding bylaws of S.H.I.E.L.D., the director can be nominated by the current director and voted on by the Board of Governors. As the former director and the current representative of the Board of Governors, my recommendation carries sufficient weight."

Pierce interrupted him.

He walked up to Fury and lowered his voice: "Nick, make your exit gracefully."

"You've made too many enemies over the years. Continuing to sit in this position is not good for you or for S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury stared at Pierce, a hint of doubt flashing in his single eye.

This old colleague is behaving very strangely today.

But before he could think about it, the conference room door opened again.

Several men in suits walked in—they were representatives of the World Security Council.

Nick Fury.

"The Council has received Alexander Pierce's proposal. After urgent discussion, we agree with his recommendations."

"From this moment forward, you are stepping down as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and will become a Special Advisor."

The elderly man with white hair at the head of the group spoke.

The old man turned to Ye Feng's photo on the holographic projection: "The council will vote on the appointment of Ye Feng as the new director in twenty-four hours. In the meantime, Alexander Pierce will temporarily serve as director."

Fury opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

He knew that the situation was hopeless.

Three hours later, in the S.H.I.E.L.D. underground laboratory.

Tony and Banner stood in front of a huge holographic workbench, with countless lines of code and data flowing across the screen.

The structural diagram of the three space carriers of Project Insight is suspended on the left, while the AI core architecture designed by Tony is on the right.

"There are no technical problems in integrating these two systems."

"But as Wanda said, we need regulatory mechanisms. We can't let artificial intelligence have complete autonomy."

Tony slid his finger quickly, connecting the modules of the two systems.

Banner adjusted his glasses: "I propose a three-tiered protocol. First, all strike orders must be confirmed by a human commander."

"The second layer is that the AI's decision-making process must be completely transparent and traceable. The third layer—we need an emergency shutdown procedure."

"It's already being done."

"A peacekeeper AI based on my Jarvis system. Its first core protocol is: no harm to humans."

All offensive commands require authorization from at least two Level 9 agents.

Tony brought up another interface.

Banner carefully examined the code and nodded. "Very rigorous. But Stark, are you sure you want to use Jarvis's core code here? What if the system gets hacked—"

"So I also prepared this."

"Blockchain-style distributed verification. Every decision the AI makes is recorded on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global servers, and any tampering will be detected immediately. And—"

Tony popped up one last window, which contained a complex encryption protocol.

He smiled and said, "The real control key isn't in the system, but in the hands of a god."

Banner raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty Ye Feng?"

"That's right."

"Your Majesty's own strength is enough to destroy a planet; the key is completely useless to him."

"No one can coerce His Majesty into handing over the key; it's absolutely safe!"

Tony nodded.

As the two were talking, the laboratory door slid open.

Alexander Pierce walked in, followed by Wanda.

"How's it going?"

Pierce asked.

"The integration progress is 70% complete."