Chapter 209: The Gravity Worm (Part 1)

Pierce initially didn't believe that Fury would actually release all the hidden information SHIELD had. He thought Fury was bluffing, since doing so would essentially dissolve SHIELD.

Pierce always believed that Fury would go to any lengths to protect SHIELD. As long as Fury thought that way, Hydra had a chance to rise again, even if it meant going underground for a few more decades.

He never imagined that Fury would be so decisive, just as he never thought Fury's other eye could still be functional. Fury had indeed reached the peak of cunning.

"Take him away." Without even looking at Pierce, Fury had him escorted away. Interrogating Pierce was no longer his responsibility; it would be handed over to the five major countries.

After Pierce was taken away

, the other members of the Security Council also left immediately. As individuals who usually handled affairs from the comfort of their offices, being on the front lines of such a battle made them feel very insecure.

Had it not been for Pierce, a fellow Security Council member, inviting them, they would never have come. Now, returning to a safe place was their top priority. Any subsequent matters could be handled through the internet.

"So many people here." 

Daniel Davis walked into a small, secluded villa and, upon seeing the people inside, immediately smiled and waved at Captain and Carter. 

The two, along with Hill, Natasha, and Hawkeye, filled the room; all were Fury's trusted confidants. People like Shirley were still not qualified to be part of this.

After Fury released all of SHIELD's data, everyone, including Fury himself, became targets for official capture. Until the situation was thoroughly investigated, all SHIELD personnel were suspects. 

Given the extent of Hydra's infiltration and SHIELD being such a large organization founded by the five major countries, they couldn't afford to lose face.

SHIELD's Triskelion headquarters was quickly surrounded by the USA's military after the intel leak, and everyone inside was taken captive. 

At the same time, the CIA and FBI started their investigations, finally seizing the opportunity after being suppressed by SHIELD for so long.

"Why did you call me over?" Daniel asked as he scanned the room and finally looked at Fury.

"There are some things I want to discuss with you. Please, have a seat." Fury indicated the sofa opposite him, suggesting Daniel sit down. That spot was directly facing Fury, who was holding a cat.

"I'd rather sit here." Daniel chose a seat further from Fury and his cat. 

As Daniel sat down, everyone's attention turned to the cat in Fury's lap. As elite agents, they all noticed Daniel's reaction to the cat.

Hill and the others began to speculate that perhaps Fury, under recent stress, had taken to behaving unusually, possibly due to the intense pressure he'd been under.

"Never thought I'd see it here. Quite a surprise," Daniel said, looking at the cat.

"You know it?" Fury asked.

"Of course, it's a Flerken. But I never expected to see one here." Daniel knew that Flerkens were alien creatures capable of devouring everything, with what seemed like a parallel universe inside them, theoretically able to consume planets.

In strict terms, a Flerken wasn't a significant threat to Daniel. With his dimensional magic, even if a Flerken swallowed him, escaping wouldn't be difficult. 

However, Daniel had heard that Flerkens usually had owners. He wasn't sure if it was true, so he tried to avoid interacting with the creature.

"Flerken?" Everyone turned their gaze to the seemingly ordinary cat in Fury's lap.

"What's a Flerken?" Fury asked, placing the cat on the glass table in front of him.

"It's a creature that can devour everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything, including planets. But from its appearance, it seems to be still a juvenile and can't devour planets yet."

"Devour planets?" The words drew everyone's attention to Fury. Holding such a dangerous creature as if it were a pet was indeed alarming.

Fury frowned, understanding the name Flerken and its abilities to devour people and even cosmic magic, but the notion of devouring planets was new to him. He learned about Flerkens from the Kree.

The Flerken had been living on Earth with Captain Marvel for many years without showing any unusual traits until a battle with the Kree exposed its true nature.

"No need to worry. I already said, it can't devour planets yet. Flerkens grow slowly, and by the time it can devour planets, we'll likely be long gone."

Daniel was being modest. While the others might not be around, he probably would be.

"This time, I called you here to ask about those people on Earth," Fury shifted the topic, trying to move the focus away from the Flerken.

Daniel immediately understood Fury's purpose was to inquire about the likes of Michael, Lucifer, and Mephisto, whom he had mentioned before.

"Typical double standard. If you're worried, isn't the Flerken in your hands just as concerning?" Daniel mentally grumbled but then continued to weave his story.

"Vacationing and picking up girls."

Everyone was incredulous upon hearing Daniel's explanation for Lucifer and the others.

"I've already told you their purpose before. Believe it or not, it's up to you. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

With the current tense situation outside, while Fury and his group could afford to hide here, Daniel had other matters to attend to and couldn't waste time.

"Can I meet them?" Fury asked as Daniel was about to leave.

"Sorry, I don't have that authority. I can't even meet them myself. If you want to see them, find them yourself or wait for them to come to you." 

Daniel left as he spoke. With SHIELD disbanded, even though Fury still had considerable influence, it was a far cry from the power he wielded before. 

Perhaps that was why Fury would later venture into space to find Captain Marvel.

"That was fast. This is a direct slap in the face."

After leaving the secret villa, Daniel quickly received the latest intel: Alexander Pierce, who had been taken away by the USA military, was ambushed mid-transport by unidentified armed forces. The fifty fully-armed soldiers were annihilated, and Pierce was rescued.

Hail Hydra had sent the message. It was their operatives hidden within the USA government and military who had carried out the rescue.

Hydra's extensive network didn't only infiltrate SHIELD; they had people among government officials, military generals, and even within the CIA and FBI.

Modern society's transparency meant that while Hydra had high-ranking individuals, they couldn't act with complete impunity.

Even if the President were a Hydra member, Hydra still couldn't do as they pleased.

In today's world, every policy requires more than just one person's command. Like a general in the army, if they ordered troops to act against their government, the soldiers might eliminate the general themselves.

"Malik disappeared? He really fled quickly, not trusting even his own people. No wonder he was one of the last active Hydra members." With Hydra's massive data leak, its leaders immediately started fleeing.

The world launched a massive operation to capture Hydra members, though some efforts were mere formalities. In the West, while many publicly condemned Hydra, there were also those who sympathized with them.

"Stepping into the light with such a slogan, but it lasted only a moment."

Due to Pierce's orders, all Hydra agents within SHIELD revealed themselves, leading to intense battles with loyal SHIELD members.

The SHIELD Academy was the first to fall. Its students were all top-notch talents, unlike Hydra's academy, which was more underground.

SHIELD Academy operated openly, while Hydra's academy was clandestine.

"Hand really is impressive. Even in such a situation, she managed to repel Hydra's attack." Hand, an eighth-level agent, was in charge of SHIELD's central hub, the true core of SHIELD. The Triskelion was merely a façade.

Hydra placed great importance on SHIELD's central hub, sending a large force there. But Hand's strategies led to Hydra's failure.

Initially captured by Hydra, Hand claimed to be one of them, deceiving the real Hydra members and seizing an opportunity to counterattack.

SHIELD's decentralized management allowed Hydra to infiltrate. Ironically, Pierce's faction used the same system, with high-ranking agents in Hydra holding significant power, like Garrett.

Without Garrett and Ward, Hand survived and was soon taken into custody by the USA Air Force, awaiting further investigation.

"The legal team should get involved." One of the greatest advantages in the USA is the power of lawyers. They can access almost any place, even classified departments. If exposed, lawyers can use their rights to intervene.

In the original work, Fitz used this tactic to escape a secret military base.

With Daniel's wealth, the Fei Fei Group naturally had its legal team, no longer sharing one with Stark Industries.

In the USA, beyond owning mansions, luxury cars, yachts, and private jets, having a strong legal team truly showcases one's wealth.

Especially for a corporation, this is essential.

"The military's efficiency is impressive. Now it's either Sandbox or Icebox." SHIELD had many bases worldwide, including training, medical, and containment facilities for various criminals and dangerous items, known as Slingshot, Sandbox, and Icebox.

"Ian Quinn is in Icebox. Looks like that's the place to go."

Sandbox stored mainly hazardous items, primarily biological weapons, while Icebox held various criminals, especially Inhumans, and dangerous technological items.

"What perfect timing." Arriving at Icebox, Daniel saw Hydra agents killing the guards and breaking in.

At this moment, SHIELD's major bases were under Hydra's attack. These places housed dangerous items, and the military was rushing to respond.

The Hydra operatives were sacrificial pawns, meant to divert the military's attention while Hydra's leaders escaped. Hydra never lacked combatants, whether hired or brainwashed.

High-level members were irreplaceable, unlike the easily replenished foot soldiers.

"Quick action." After Hydra freed the prisoners and took many dangerous items, Daniel didn't stop them. Instead, he went to the lowest level of Icebox, opened the ground, and pulled Ian Quinn out.

Icebox was a hundred-story building, but it actually had a hidden 101st floor, similar to Impel Down's sixth level, holding extremely dangerous criminals.

This secret was known only to SHIELD's or Hydra's top brass. The

 attacking Hydra agents were unaware of it.

Ian Quinn wasn't particularly dangerous, but he and another had discovered the Gravity Worm, a highly dangerous entity.

The old professor who discovered it initially was willing to do anything to destroy it, yet Ian still wanted to profit from it.

The Gravity Worm wasn't just valuable on Earth; it was priceless in the universe, a coveted resource among the Ravagers.

Whitehall had a peculiar idea early on, aiming to create artificial superhumans and even built a machine for this purpose, capable of absorbing the Gravity Worm's abilities.

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