Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 273 Quack Quack Quack (Second Update)

Nick Fury had recently started wearing a hood, not wanting anyone to see what was underneath. Rabbit ears, Agent Maria Hill thought ruthlessly to herself, trying her best to avoid looking at her boss's ridiculous head. Somehow, anything associated with Salomon Damonette seemed shrouded in absurdity, even the renowned King of Spies was no exception, and that was what Agent Hill couldn't understand most—why did her boss insist on wearing those rabbit ears?

Her boss didn't seem inclined to answer the question, as Nick Fury was already incredibly busy. S.H.I.E.L.D. was not only investigating the relationship between the Mandarin, the terrorist who hijacked the television signal, and Killian, but also searching for Pepper Potts, president of Stark Industries, and biologist Maya Hansen. Stark was far from calm after learning his girlfriend had been kidnapped, so S.H.I.E.L.D. had to speed things up to prevent the billionaire from unleashing his fury in his Iron Man suit.

To make matters worse for S.H.I.E.L.D., Asgard itself came to the rescue. Somehow, the Asgardian rainbow bridge descended from the sky and arrived at several of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret bases. To put it more politely—these bases housed the most dangerous items and imprisoned the most dangerous criminals; the Asgardian rainbow bridge, without a word, smashed through the ceilings of these bases and carried away some item stored inside.

This infuriated the World Security Council, but Nick Fury abandoned the investigation after reviewing the list of missing items. Firstly, these items belonged to someone else, and it was perfectly normal for Asgard to take them back; secondly, S.H.I.E.L.D. lacked a channel for complaints against Asgard, and even if they did, Asgard wouldn't care about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence—these gods simply didn't respect mortals.

"Are you really going to let S.H.I.E.L.D. hold Asgard accountable just to satisfy your own pathetic and shallow egos?" Nick Fury, hooded and scornful, questioned the World Security Council officials. "Ladies and gentlemen, do you really think Earth can withstand an interstellar war? We couldn't even handle the aliens that landed in New York, and now you're thinking of challenging Asgard's cosmic dominance?"

"But we must show our stance. We can announce sanctions against Asgardian officials, like Thor and Odin. We must demonstrate a firm commitment to Earth's sovereignty!"

"Leaving aside whether your sanctions will be effective, what if Asgard retaliates?"

"Don't you still have those superheroes under your command? We still have Hulk, we can fight back! Even that knight can! They are Earthlings, and they have a duty to stand up against the invaders."

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you've made a decision, take responsibility for it. My special forces team isn't here to deal with these pointless political issues. I guarantee that if you persist, Asgard can pinpoint your addresses via the Rainbow Bridge and Heimdall, then launch a surprise attack and decapitation strike. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't do anything, nor does it want to, because S.H.I.E.L.D. protects the safety of Earth, not a few politicians." Nick Fury prepared to leave the meeting room. "You'll bear the consequences yourselves; there's no need to drag the entire planet down with you. I'm busy right now; I have terrorists waiting for me to deal with."

"You've gotten quite tough now, Fury," Alexander Pierce said to Nick Fury, turning off the hologram. "Is that Mandarin really that troublesome?"

"It would be strange if you didn't try to persuade me to accept the World Security Council's explanation, Pierce." The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. still refused to remove his hood, downing a glass of whiskey in one gulp, appearing extremely agitated. "That Mandarin... S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find any trace of him. However, I do have some leads regarding the Extremis virus that appeared in those terrorist attacks. Pierce, why does S.H.I.E.L.D. always have to clean up the messes the military makes? Don't they know their research is being used by others?"

"Of course they know," Pierce said nonchalantly, "but they absolutely cannot admit that they are involved. Since the Battle of New York, the credibility of the US government has plummeted. President Ellis even introduced universal healthcare, but that policy failed to revive his approval rating. All Americans have lost their sense of security—the National Guard's poor performance has further eroded public trust in the military. Under pressure from your Avengers, the military leadership is desperate to produce results, or they'll be out of funding next year."

"It all comes down to money. It's a miracle if half the military budget goes to defense each year," Nick Fury said, setting down his cup. "Someone told me that since the abolition of the gold standard, the human economy has been built on bubbles, especially the dollar. Paper money is meaningless; currency is merely a tool for resource exchange between human societies. Connecting it to the universe is absolutely impossible. Pierce, tell me, are those high-ranking officials hoarding dollars or gold?"

"Of course, it's US dollars."

"Then they'll soon be worthless," Nick Fury said with a sneer. "Now, the age of the universe has arrived, and only those idiots are still stuck in the same place, dragged down by a pile of worthless paper. Including those bluffing idiots just now, I even doubt whether they have the intelligence of a normal person."

"This is politics, Fury," Pierce said helplessly to his friend. "You hate this stuff anyway, which is why I'm handling this for you. Let them issue the announcement; Asgard doesn't care, does it?"

"That's because Asgard doesn't take them seriously. In Asgard's eyes, we don't represent Earth; we're just mortals." Fury stood up, looking unwilling to discuss the matter further. "Compared to these things, I'm more concerned about the security measures around the president right now. Who exactly suggested using Patriot armor?"

"What? The president? You're saying the president's been kidnapped?" Salomon sat on the sofa, one foot draped in a pink slipper, crossed over his shoulder. "What does that have to do with me? Seriously, I'm not American. My nationality says I'm British, my ancestry says I'm Jewish, and none of that has anything to do with the president of the United States. After the Boston Tea Party, all the crabs in Boston Harbor are British. Are you expecting crabs to save the president of the United States? What? You're saying you're talking to me on a public phone right now? Can't you afford a cell phone?"

The sorcerer rubbed the lazy, chubby cat beside him and even buried his face in the cat's belly for a sniff.

"No, I didn't do drugs. This isn't cocaine. I was petting a cat," he said into the phone. "Stark, I really wasn't concerned about your situation. I just gave S.H.I.E.L.D. a prophecy. Your girlfriend is fine; she's unharmed. Listen, I really can't help you. I won't expose magic to the public for the sake of the President of the United States. Anyway, if this president dies, another one can take his place. There are countless tycoon puppets who want to be president. On the contrary, you are more important than the president. Your contribution to human development far exceeds that of an idiot who can only sign documents and press buttons. If you were going to die, I would definitely help, but the President of the United States is out of the question."

"Besides, I haven't even sorted out my own troubles yet. Goodbye, Stark, this is your own mess, so you'll have to deal with it yourself."

"Boya, come quick! The fish is burning!"

"I'm coming right now, Bayonetta. Hurry, hurry, lift the pot up, or we'll be eating charcoal for dinner!"

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(End of this chapter)