After hearing so many hidden truths, Nick Fury fell silent.
Having powerful factions protecting Earth was undoubtedly a good thing—it meant humanity was safe from enslavement or annihilation.
But for someone who had always seen humans as the pinnacle of existence, the reality of being protected—while having no say in the matter—was a bitter pill to swallow.
For the first time, Fury desperately wanted to see his Avengers Initiative come to life.
The universe was too dangerous, and humanity's technology wouldn't catch up in time.
That meant their only option was to unite Earth's superhumans to defend against future alien threats.
Who knew when those Asgardians—who hadn't shown themselves in centuries—might simply forget about Earth?
If they only remembered their "protector" role after catastrophe struck, it would be far too late.
Besides, no self-respecting person would ever put their safety in the hands of an indifferent guardian.
With this realization, Fury suddenly saw an opportunity.
Talos and the Skrulls were heading to Earth, and they were about to test William Devonshire's strength firsthand.
That meant Fury could sit back and observe—using them as an indirect probe.
So in their next discussion, Fury intentionally exaggerated William's threat.
"I'm still worried that Devonshire wants you to go to Mars," Fury said.
"What if his spaceship isn't as slow as intelligence claims?
What if, instead of taking 33 hours, it's just as fast as ours—or even capable of interstellar jumps?"
"That's impossible," Talos immediately shook his head.
"If humanity had to figure out space jumps on their own, it would take hundreds of years.
And real jump technology doesn't use nuclear power or electricity."
No nuclear power? No electricity?
Fury was this close to learning something critical, but—as always—Talos refused to reveal the actual energy source needed for space travel.
Fury forced himself to act as if he hadn't noticed, but in his heart, he was more certain than ever—Earth needed a dedicated superhuman team.
Talos, after a moment of silence, finally said, "Let's wait until we reach the solar system. Once we gather intel, we can decide our next move."
Fury had no objections.
Regardless of whether the confrontation happened on Mars or in London,
if things went south, someone was going to start a fight.
If William was the one who couldn't hold his own, Fury would step in to de-escalate—no matter what, humanity needed him alive.
If the Skrulls were the ones to lose, Fury could spin the situation—reminding William that the Kree were a bigger threat.
And if all else failed, he still had Captain Marvel as his ace in the hole.
With their plan settled, the Skrulls either went to sleep or gathered for casual conversation, while Fury leaned back in his seat—plotting his next move.
Meanwhile, back in London, William was bidding farewell to Philip and his family before stepping into a Rolls-Royce Phantom, provided by the royal family, to head home.
The moment they were inside, William took Abigail's hand and asked,
"Why does it feel like Aston Martin's Phantom has completely taken over London's luxury transport market?"
"Hehe," Abigail leaned on his shoulder, whispering in his ear,
"Well, it's because you came back safely.
Lady Lena immediately donated 50 top-tier, bulletproof Phantoms to key government departments that support us.
She even sent ten directly to the royal family—just those alone were worth 12 million pounds."
"Sixty million pounds, just given away like that?"
William was momentarily speechless as he looked at the car's lavish interior.
But before he could really feel the pain of that expense, Abigail giggled, patting his chest.
"Don't dwell on it, dear. As long as you're back, everything else is minor."
Then, covering her mouth, she laughed again.
"And if that makes you upset, you should probably not hear about how Lady Lena also donated 100 million pounds to the London Space Center."
"…Forget it."
William sighed and leaned back.
On paper, he had suffered on Mars, so it was natural that Lena and Abigail had been worried.
Spending money to secure their influence while he was away was expected.
Before long, the car arrived at his estate.
Even before stepping out, William could see Lena, Jesse, Selina, and Nissa standing outside the manor's main entrance—waiting for him.
The moment he got out, he embraced Lena, then immediately lifted Jesse into a hug.
To his surprise, the young woman refused to let go.
She clung tightly to him, burying her face in his neck as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Seeing this, Lena didn't pry Jesse away.
Instead, her own eyes reddened, and she joined in, wrapping her arms around both of them—whispering comforting words to Jesse.
Standing to the side, Nissa rolled her eyes.
Unlike the others, she knew the entire truth—this entire ordeal was a self-directed performance by the man currently hugging his sobbing family.
And now, that very man was winking at her.
Nissa's eyes narrowed.
Taking advantage of the moment, she subtly mouthed a demand—return the diamond-cut red gemstone she had her eyes on, or else she'd spill the truth.
William, still holding his mother and Jesse, knew perfectly well that Nissa wouldn't actually betray him.
But if Abigail or Lena caught even a hint of deception, it would be a hassle to deal with.
Still, if Nissa thought she could blackmail him so easily, she was far too naïve.
William simply stared at her—holding eye contact for a full five or six seconds.
Nissa's initial confidence crumbled.
Her eyes darted away in frustration before she huffed, shot him a glare, and turned away.
Their touching reunion was soon interrupted by the flashing lights of cameras—journalists capturing the moment.
Realizing they were being watched, Lena quickly pulled William and Jesse inside the house.
Inside, they all sat in the living room, listening as William casually recounted his "experience" on Mars.
By the time midnight rolled around, Lena finally said she was heading to bed and left.
The moment she was gone, William grabbed both Abigail and Jesse by the hand, leading them toward the elevator.
As he walked, he turned to Selina and Nissa with a mischievous grin.
"You two are welcome to join the workout session."
Selina rolled her eyes, but Nissa hesitated for a few seconds before whispering to her,
"If even both of us together couldn't handle him,
what happens if it's just Abigail and Jesse fighting one-on-one against William?
Could they get… hurt?"
Selina groaned.
"For hell's sake, Nissa, what happened to you?!"
Grabbing Nissa's chin, she warned,
"If you get too excited and end up bitingAbigail or Jesse instead of William,
you're definitely getting kicked out.
So behave yourself and go to bed."
"…Fine."
Recalling her own unfortunate biting incident—where Selina had been the victim—Nissa muttered under her breath before swatting Selina's hand away and heading to her room.
(End of Chapter)
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