Miserable S.H.I.E.L.D.

He knew that because of what happened five years ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost its credibility in the eyes of all the superheroes. Now, everyone was instinctively wary of S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organization. But he hadn't expected the situation to become this severe.

Even in the face of a global crisis, these people were still unwilling to cooperate with him. Actually, the superheroes' reasoning was quite understandable. They simply didn't want to be screwed over by S.H.I.E.L.D. again.

You claim it's a global crisis, but anyone can make empty statements like that! Five years ago, you also said you could get rid of Zane, assuring us it was foolproof. And what happened? Yeah, right.

Even if what you're saying is true, can't I handle it on my own? Why should I care about S.H.I.E.L.D., especially since you don't even have the combat strength to contribute to the fight?

This was the thought process of everyone, including the ever-benevolent Professor X. 

As the saying goes, one misstep leads to many. No one was willing to give a second chance to an organization that had previously led them to ruin. Life isn't a rehearsal, and they were already grateful for a second chance at life after dying once.

Some superheroes had even given up their costumes and returned to normal lives after the war five years ago and their subsequent resurrection. Unless you've faced death, you can never truly understand the terror of losing everything and the preciousness of life.

Lying in his hospital bed, Nick Fury furrowed his brow, repeatedly scanning the documents in his hands. He was pondering which superpowered individuals might be willing to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. again.

Magneto was out of the question. Who knows if that old man might seize the opportunity to wipe out humanity and realize his dream of mutant supremacy? Professor X was also a no-go since Loki's scepter could control minds. If Professor X were controlled, humanity would be doomed given his abilities.

Maybe Dr. Pym could work, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had no idea where to find him. Ever since his resurrection five years ago, he and his daughter had vanished without a trace.

In the end, Nick Fury found only a few useful leads among the large stack of files. 

First was Dr. Banner, now living in seclusion as a volunteer doctor in a border area. Nick Fury decided to persuade him by claiming he needed his gamma radiation knowledge to locate the Tesseract. Once Banner was on board, Fury was confident he could get him to transform into the Hulk when necessary.

Next was Iron Man, Tony Stark. Given Tony's overwhelming sense of responsibility, Fury was sure that once he understood the gravity of the situation, he'd step in to help.

There was also the newly awakened Captain America, Steve Rogers. No need to explain further—no matter how impressive or renowned he was, he was still just a soldier. And a soldier's duty is to follow orders.

As Nick Fury looked at the file on Captain America, he was making deeper plans in his mind. He intended to make Cap the leader of the new team, hoping his spirit would inspire the others, ultimately bringing everyone under his command.

It's clear that Nick Fury's rise to the top of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't undeserved. Not only was he tough, but he was also cunning. Even in such dire circumstances, he was still scheming. Given the mess he was in now, it was his just deserts!

Following Nick Fury's new orders, all agents stationed abroad were recalled. They then began focusing on persuading a few specific individuals.

As expected by Nick Fury, the first to agree was the ever-reliable Dr. Banner, followed by Iron Man, Tony Stark. Although Tony's attitude was somewhat hostile, he ultimately agreed. As for Captain America, he didn't need much convincing. Still lost and unsure of his place in the world, he jumped at the chance when Nick Fury offered him a mission to save the world.

With that, the initial lineup of the Avengers was finally, albeit temporarily, assembled. Although they only had the Hulk as their high-level combat power, and he was uncontrollable, they at least had some form of resistance now.

Meanwhile, Loki made a public appearance. The subsequent events unfolded similarly to the original story. After a brief skirmish, Loki, with a mysterious smile, declared his surrender. On the way back, he was hijacked mid-air by Thor, who had come from Asgard.

Tony and Cap couldn't just stand by and watch their prisoner get whisked away by a burly newcomer. So, they jumped out of the plane, ready to beat Thor and reclaim Loki.

On a cliff, Thor roughly threw Loki to the ground and began questioning him, hoping to use their brotherly bond to persuade him to hand over the Tesseract. However, Loki's sharp tongue left Thor speechless.

Unable to out-argue Loki, Thor decided to let his hammer do the talking, ready to make Loki repent with tears. Just as Thor raised his repaired Mjölnir to teach Loki a lesson, Tony, in his armor, slammed into Thor like a shooting star, knocking him away.

Loki, left unattended, showed no intention of escaping. Instead, he watched the fight between Iron Man and Thor with great interest.

In New York City, at Zane's villa, Zane looked up at the stormy sky, sensing the familiar presence that had suddenly arrived on Earth. He smiled and turned to Lorna beside him.

"Hey, want to go out for a bit and see some old acquaintances?"

Lorna glanced at the gloomy sky, then at the tablet in her hand playing a TV show. She shook her head without hesitation. "I'll pass. Have fun, and come back soon."

"Alright, I'll be back soon," Zane said, kissing Lorna's forehead. In the next moment, he teleported in the direction he sensed.

Appearing thousands of meters above the ground, Zane's glowing eyes instantly spotted Iron Man and Thor battling below. He also saw Loki on the cliff, arms crossed, watching the show.

"Nice swing with that hammer. Thor is still so stupid, using Mjölnir to charge that tin man. Look, now he's getting beaten up. Serves him right!"

"Hey, is that Captain America? Doesn't he find that outfit tight?"

Amused by the battle below, Loki made snarky comments, almost as if he were munching on popcorn.

"You're right, that soldier's outfit does look uncomfortable," Zane said.

"Yeah, wearing that thing must pinch down there," Loki laughed, his malicious glee mirroring Zane's.

But the next moment, Loki's laughter was abruptly cut off, as if someone had gripped his throat.

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