Maria Hill fell into silence.
She knew that beyond the stars, dangers were lurking—but to Earth's level of technology, that threat still felt impossibly distant.
"Hill, I went to Hala. I've seen Kree technology with my own eyes."
"You're all drowning in internal power struggles while ignoring the real threat outside."
"Not just you—Nick Fury too."
"You're clinging to a naïve fantasy… believing those beings will never invade Earth."
"If a Kree warship enters the solar system, one planetary annihilation cannon is enough to reduce Earth to cosmic dust."
"This is the gap between civilizations."
Through Android 21, Renjie projected the images from his mind into a three-dimensional hologram.
A vast Kree armada filled the underground lab.
The sheer scale made Hill's heart seize.
She crushed the coffee can in her hand.
Cold liquid splashed across her face—but she didn't even think to wipe it away.
"Our power… is still far from enough."
"That's why I created the Injustice League."
Renjie stood and walked toward her.
He took the towel handed to him by a mechanical arm and gently wiped the stains from her clothes.
"We shouldn't limit ourselves to being mere 'Avengers.'"
"Fury's vision is too small…"
After tossing the towel aside, Renjie lifted Hill's chin with his warm palm, gently tilting her delicate face upward.
"I need a capable partner."
"An interstellar fleet commander."
"A wartime supreme strategist."
"This position… belongs to you."
Renjie smiled. He knew her worth.
That was why he wanted to give Maria Hill a chance—
a chance to stand by his side.
"I… I'll think about it…"
Hill didn't resist. She lifted her head and met his gaze.
After spending the night with him, she knew just how exceptional he was.
More perfect than any man she had ever known.
This man carried a strange kind of power—
one that made her feel as though her body and soul were already falling under his control.
"An answer I expected. And one I don't dislike."
"Last night made me realize how small humanity truly is before superhumans."
"So I spent the entire morning creating this—for you."
Renjie pulled a delicate black case from his pocket.
He opened it in front of Hill, revealing a deep-blue ring.
Her lips parted in shock.
"This… this is…"
She looked at him in confusion.
"I made this for you—a Nanotech Combat Suit."
"After fingerprint authentication, a single thought will activate it."
"For aesthetics and concealment, I designed it as a ring—don't get the wrong idea."
Renjie explained gently, watching every shift in her expression.
Hill was completely speechless.
To any woman, a ring carries special meaning.
Renjie took it from the box and personally slid it onto her left index finger.
Hill instinctively tried to retreat.
But her weakened body could not break free from his grasp.
She could only let him finish.
"Mr. Renjie… I… I'll seriously consider your offer."
"And thank you for the gift. May I… leave now?"
She stared at the ring, her cheeks flushing red.
She didn't dare remove it in front of him—and she knew very well how valuable this Nanotech Suit was.
It could save her life.
And if she accepted his proposal…
She would no longer have to live in constant fear of being manipulated.
Higher pay.
Higher status.
A safer future.
A new life.
This ring was Renjie's sincerity—
a key to a new world.
"Anytime."
"By the way—help me pass a message to Fury."
"Tell him I'm pulling some strings. He'll be released soon."
Renjie closed the box and placed it on the coffee table between them.
"I… I'll tell him."
Hearing she was allowed to leave, Hill rose hurriedly.
After hesitating, she still picked up the ring case and clutched it tightly.
"Thank you."
Her tone was far more sincere this time.
Under Renjie's gaze, Maria Hill left the underground lab.
The smile on his face never faded.
This wasn't kindness.
It was another move on the board.
The ring—combined with last night's "misunderstanding"—
would form the perfect illusion.
And that illusion would tear apart the last thread of trust between Nick Fury and Maria Hill.
Leaving the former director completely isolated.
Now,
all Renjie had to do… was wait for victory.
Meanwhile
The hospital.
High-security intensive care ward.
Nick Fury's expression was grim as he stared at the ceiling.
Heart failure.
Blood clots.
In one night, he had aged ten years.
He had refused the medical nanobots, convinced they would control his mind.
Even on the edge of death, he still clung to his last shred of freedom.
That was Nick Fury—
a tragic, fallen man.
He hadn't slept all night.
No one had come to see him.
It felt as if he had already been forgotten.
Or perhaps
those clever people were afraid of offending that man for the sake of their careers.
Coulson.
Natasha.
Even Maria Hill—his most trusted deputy.
They were all the same.
Nick Fury let out a hollow sigh.
But just then
voices came from outside the ward.
It was Maria Hill.
She had come to see him.
END OF CHAPTER
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