Nick Fury and Black Widow currently found no flaws in Iron Man's analysis; it was well-reasoned, well-supported, and logical.
They both agreed with it so far.
"So, the Chitauri snatched the Tesseract from Loki?" Nick Fury took over Iron Man's topic and continued with the next step of the analysis.
"That possibility is also slim."
"If Loki and the Chitauri had fought on Earth over the Tesseract, we wouldn't have just stood by!"
"With Loki, our various Earth armed forces, and the Avengers, given the Chitauri's combat strength, there's no way they could have stolen the Tesseract!"
An alien race that could be swept aside by a single Iron Man suit—how could they possibly steal the Tesseract while being attacked by Loki and Earth's armed forces?
"As for Loki finishing his business on Earth, taking the Tesseract back to Asgard, and then the Chitauri invading Asgard to reclaim the cube..."
Nick Fury didn't even finish that sentence because it was too absurd; it simply couldn't happen.
Although they didn't fully understand Asgard, it was, after all, the mythical realm of gods—how could the Chitauri possibly invade it?
If the Chitauri were truly that formidable, how could they have been wiped out by a single nuclear bomb?
Could it be that Earth's nuclear bombs are the most advanced power in the universe?
Then wouldn't Earthlings dominate the entire universe?
"So, Director, the possibility of Loki being unrelated to the Chitauri invasion of Earth is small," Black Widow concluded.
"It seems, for now, that Loki must have helped the Chitauri open the portal," Nick Fury nodded solemnly.
This was the conclusion reached after a relatively meticulous analysis by the three of them, eliminating various possibilities.
Not only that, but it also held up logically and aligned with some of the clues and intelligence currently available.
It possessed a considerable degree of credibility.
"So, Loki's purpose in taking Dr. Selvig and Barton was to use the Tesseract to open a wormhole?"
Black Widow raised an eyebrow and spoke seriously to Nick Fury and Iron Man.
"It's highly possible. In the footage, the wormhole opened by the Tesseract caused the entire base to explode due to instability, which indicates that opening a wormhole is not an easy task."
Nick Fury's eyes gleamed, "So, the key issue is still the Tesseract."
"Exactly. No matter what, Loki must not be allowed to steal it in the future!" Iron Man said emphatically, with a hint of warning. "Also, stop researching the Tesseract! It's very dangerous."
"First, I am not currently researching the Tesseract. As I said, it's an alien object, and no one can fully understand it."
"And right now, I don't even know that a Dr. Selvig exists on Earth."
Nick Fury explained to Iron Man with a serious expression.
Indeed, Nick Fury did want to research the Tesseract, but he hadn't found a suitable scientist yet.
So, research on the Tesseract had actually been stagnant; although there was a plan, it had never officially moved forward.
"Secondly, Loki opened the portal from another side; it has nothing to do with me."
"No, that only proves you didn't open the door; it doesn't mean there's no connection."
Iron Man solemnly corrected Nick Fury, "This Tesseract was salvaged by my father. It's been seventy years now. Why didn't Loki come to Earth during these seventy years, but only when you started researching it?"
"And before my father, the Tesseract had obviously been on Earth for who knows how long without incident.
Why only when you started researching it?"
"That question, I think only God knows," Nick Fury said, unperturbed, but he did give it more thought.
Such a temporal correlation could indeed be very telling.
Although there wasn't enough evidence to prove it, there should indeed be a connection between Loki's arrival on Earth and his research.
"You plan to draw energy from the universe in the future! It's very possible that during this process, the Tesseract sent out certain signals into the universe, thereby attracting Loki!"
Iron Man shouted at Nick Fury.
"Stark, easy!" Nick Fury raised both hands, pressing them down in front of Iron Man.
"When I was young, there were two alien races, one called the Kree, and one called the Skrulls."
"These two alien races fought a war over the Tesseract, and at one point, Earth was dragged into it."
"I was even captured by the Kree. If I hadn't raised a cat and met a pilot, I would have long since turned into a speck of dust in the vast cosmos."
"But guess what? The Tesseract wasn't even on Earth back then!"
"Are you saying this isn't your responsibility?" Iron Man raised an eyebrow; he didn't get Nick Fury's point.
"I'm saying, threats, challenges, and dangers are everywhere! This world is inherently full of all kinds of dangers!"
"And I, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., my duty is to prepare for these dangers and challenges!"
"I cannot stop moving forward because of a little risk! As a scientist, you should understand this even more!"
"Whether you admit it or not, Earth is part of the universe and can face threats from the universe."
"And the Tesseract is the only thing that allows us to understand cosmic civilizations and deal with them! So, Stark, tell me, what should I do?"
"At least this time, we already know what the risk is! What do you think, Stark?"
Nick Fury questioned Iron Man righteously.
Iron Man opened his mouth, speechless for the first time by Nick Fury's question. From Nick Fury's perspective, his actions were indeed beyond reproach.
"Please answer the question: What was the reason for Thor's first active descent to Earth?"
"A. Failed in the struggle for the throne, self-exile"
"B. To retrieve the Tesseract placed on Earth"
"C. To stop Loki's conspiracy to invade Earth"
"D. To find his father Odin, who was wandering among humans"
"Friendly reminder: Correct answer will receive a set of Nano Black Panther Armor as a reward;"
"Incorrect answer will result in a random deduction of one personal attribute, including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc..."
As the few of them spoke to this point, the system's voice sounded again.
A new question appeared.