95: We are responsible for this leak!

Agent K transmitted the live footage through an encrypted channel to the Men in Black's internal satellite.

Within the aerial fortress, Mary—also known as Agent M—encrypted the footage further and uploaded it to a darknet site.

At the top of the website, the title read: Tide Rising.

The Tide Rising organization was a freedom-oriented group similar to a hacker alliance.

They valued information transparency and freedom of speech, with members scattered worldwide, many of whom barely knew each other.

Their goal was to uncover classified information from various countries, moving through the web like the digital Zorro of the online world.

Their mission was to give everyone the right to know.

A number of freelancers in the organization often browsed the site for interesting posts when they had free time.

Agent M's recent post soon garnered responses.

[M]: Did everyone catch Tony Stark's press conference live just now? I hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network to find a few things (video link).

[Skye]: Just watched it, was about to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D. myself—you're fast!

[Anonymous 1]: M, did you just post a video?

[Miles]: Skye! Your hacking skills can easily be tracked right now. Don't just hack into classified organizations without my support!

[Skye]: Got it, got it, noted, mentor.

[Anonymous 2]: Are you guys still chatting? God, the video M posted is the most shocking thing I've seen this year!

[Anonymous 3]: What the heck! That Black guy in the video, isn't he the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? We saw him when we hacked the files before. Is he being defeated by Hydra?

[Anonymous 1]: Hydra really still exists! They've even taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. just like Stark said! Damn, we have to do something!

[Miles]: We're just a bunch of hackers; what can we do?

[Skye]: We can make this video public and put it on the front page of every major website! Everyone deserves to know the truth!

[Anonymous 1]: Skye's right! This is what the Tide Rising organization is all about! Let's get moving and take down the servers of those network companies!

[Anonymous 2]: But I think some of those social platforms are owned by Stark Industries. If I remember right, their firewall is tough to break.

[M]: Leave it to me; Tide Rising will handle this!

[Skye]: Awesome! Make sure to watermark it with the Tide Rising logo!

[M]: Got it!

...

Ten minutes later.

All websites and apps under Stark Industries displayed a large banner link on their homepages.

The banner read:

[EXPOSED! The Truth About Hydra! Another Worldwide Government Cover-Up, Guaranteed Authenticity by the Tide Rising Organization!]

Clicking the link led to a video showing everything that had just taken place on the Helicarrier.

It documented Nick Fury's team infiltrating the carrier, the intense battle, and their eventual defeat—all captured on camera.

The footage of the infiltration and fight, lasting several hours, had been edited down to a few minutes. The video had a fast-paced rhythm, with thrilling music during key moments that pumped up the adrenaline.

It was unclear whether the editing was done by Agent M or enhanced by Jarvis's post-production skills, kuku.

With every major portal site promoting it on their homepage, the video's reach spread to the maximum.

Within minutes, millions of netizens had clicked the link, and soon, the video was covered in comments from beginning to end.

The comment section was in an uproar.

"Holy moly! Tony Stark was telling the truth? Hydra's still alive!"

"I can't believe it; watching this video feels like someone just told me that my WWII vet grandpa crawled out of his grave!"

"What are all those officials doing, just sitting around? And this so-called S.H.I.E.L.D.—they're all useless!"

"That Baldy is the director? He got taken down in one move. Looks like even I could do better."

"Hey, did anyone notice that guy who turned all green on the floor? Is that some new cloning tech or something?"

"So what's going on now? The guy kept yelling about destruction and salvation or whatever—does this mean World War III is starting?"

Online, speculation spread wildly.

However, a large part of the public didn't take it seriously, treating it as mere drama.

...

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

The reactions here from international representatives were the complete opposite of those online.

Previously, Pierce had gathered over a hundred representatives, cheerfully awaiting good news from the front.

To avoid boredom, he'd even arranged entertainment for the officials.

Pierce personally acted as the guide, showing everyone around S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to observe the agents' diligent and responsible work ethic.

After the tour, he led the representatives to a nice lunch.

During the meal, Pierce even made a point of connecting with Agent Sitwell on the front lines in front of everyone.

Sitwell reported back with a steady yet pleased expression, confirming that everything in the operation was progressing smoothly.

Hearing this, the representatives breathed a collective sigh of relief, exchanging words of praise.

Everything should have started smoothly and ended without a hitch.

But at this moment, fate played a trick on Pierce.

Suddenly, a representative's phone began ringing.

Then a second, and then a third—soon, every device in the room was vibrating with incoming calls.

Hundreds of vastly different ringtones blended into a chaotic symphony.

It was as if someone had intentionally coordinated a phone barrage while the international representatives were all gathered together.

But within moments of answering, their expressions shifted drastically.

Their faces displayed shock, confusion, and disbelief.

The representative from Canada was the first to hang up his call.

He used his phone's projection function to connect to the meeting room's holographic screen, displaying Tony Stark's press conference recording.

Then, he tapped his phone again to play the video uploaded by the "Tide Rising" organization, which had been pinned to the top of various websites.

The room was dead silent.

The representatives, who had just learned a rough outline from their phone calls, eagerly absorbed the information the video presented.

Pierce watched the screen, his warm smile gradually disappearing. His expression darkened, then slowly transformed into a cold smirk.

Once the video finished, the representatives turned to Pierce with looks of suspicion and anger.

"Is there anything you'd like to explain, Director Pierce?" The representative from Russia even took off his suit jacket, revealing a solid, muscular build.

It looked like he was ready to start a brawl.

The other representatives began to see things clearly.

From the content of the video, it was almost certain that Pierce was a part of Hydra.

If even the former Director was Hydra, how many trustworthy people could still be left in S.H.I.E.L.D.?

The over one hundred national representatives were now, without a doubt, trapped deep in enemy territory—far more dangerous than any frontline battlefield.

Their choices were either to resist or to wait for their countries to negotiate for their release.

A large portion of the representatives stood up, positioning themselves beside the Russian representative.

They chose to resist Hydra.

But Pierce found the scene almost laughable.

He shook his head, turned toward the door, and pressed the earpiece in his ear. "Subdue them."

Bang!

The conference room doors were suddenly kicked open.

Dozens of heavily armed agents tossed tear gas canisters behind Pierce, then charged into the room with guns drawn.

"Tide Rising, Tony Stark," Pierce muttered as he brushed past the agents, his expression cold in the shadows. "You'd better have written your wills by now."

___________

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