In all the years since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., no one had ever seen Director Nick Fury lose his composure like that.
To the agents in the command room, the reaction was almost unbelievable. Fury was famous for his iron nerves. Even during the most catastrophic global crises, the man could remain calm as if nothing in the world could shake him.
Yet just moments ago, his expression had changed completely after seeing that blonde woman on the screen.
Was she some kind of prehistoric monster?
How else could she cause such a reaction?
Regardless of the shock spreading across the Helicarrier's command deck, events on the ground were already moving forward. One of the carrier's Harrier fighters had been dispatched toward the battlefield, while Nick Fury himself prepared to personally land nearby to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the city of Berlin looked like a war zone.
Thick smoke drifted across the streets as fires burned in scattered pockets throughout the city. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the aftermath of the alien invasion left devastation everywhere.
Chitauri corpses lay scattered across the streets.
Their floating war machines, once gliding through the air with terrifying power, were now nothing more than broken metal wreckage lying motionless on the ground.
"Clear the civilians from the area immediately."
"Recover all alien weapons and bodies as quickly as possible."
Those orders quickly spread through the field command network.
Although the Chitauri invasion had ultimately failed, the alien army clearly possessed technology far beyond Earth's current level. If S.H.I.E.L.D. could recover enough of their equipment, it would greatly accelerate humanity's scientific development.
However, not every faction remained interested in the aftermath.
The sorcerers from Kamar-Taj quietly declined S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to communicate. After witnessing Yun Chen's overwhelming power with their own eyes, the magicians exchanged silent glances.
Without another word, they opened shimmering portals in the air.
One by one, the sorcerers stepped through the gateways and returned to their sanctuaries.
Loki, on the other hand, was far less fortunate.
His hands were now locked in handcuffs.
Although ordinary human restraints were almost useless against someone like him, the gesture carried symbolic meaning. It was a clear statement that he was now a captured criminal.
Bang.
Loki was forced down onto his knees.
His hands were bound, and his face twisted with humiliation and anger. Beneath the fury in his eyes, however, there was also a trace of fear.
The reason was standing right beside him.
The Hulk.
Loki still vividly remembered the painful experience of being slammed repeatedly into the ground like a rag doll.
It had been an unforgettable lesson.
Now, with the giant green monster looming nearby, Loki behaved far more obediently than usual. He remained kneeling on the ground, unusually quiet and cooperative.
Ironically, both of them shared the same traumatic memory.
Being smashed into the ground repeatedly.
But even the Hulk seemed uneasy today.
His massive body shifted slightly as he stared toward Yun Chen in the distance. The usually fearless creature showed something extremely rare in his expression.
Fear.
Real fear.
The overwhelming power Yun Chen had displayed earlier had clearly left a deep impression.
For once, the Hulk's violent instincts retreated.
The gamma energy inside his body began to recede like a withdrawing tide.
"Whoa—!"
A moment later, the Hulk's gigantic body shrank rapidly.
Dr. Bruce Banner returned to his human form with a startled shout.
"Hey! We agreed not to change back in public!" Banner complained awkwardly.
Unfortunately, the transformation had left him wearing nothing but a pair of stretched underwear. His original clothes had long since been shredded during the battle.
"…"
Loki's eyes suddenly brightened.
The Hulk had disappeared.
Was this his chance?
But before he could attempt anything foolish, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.
"Thor!"
Loki forced himself to calm down.
"Your current appearance is truly embarrassing," he said with a mocking grin.
Thor glared at him coldly.
"Don't think I don't know what you're planning, Loki. You'll return to Asgard with me and stand trial."
Loki snorted.
"Save that arrogant tone for someone else. Where was that confidence when you were being beaten by him?"
Thor's fists tightened immediately.
"You—"
But after a moment, the thunder god fell silent.
Every time he argued with Loki, the conversation usually ended badly. And unfortunately, Loki wasn't entirely wrong this time.
Thor's heart felt like it was bleeding.
He glanced toward his beloved hammer lying on the ground. A noticeable chip had been carved out of the once-perfect weapon.
Facing Yun Chen, however, Thor could do absolutely nothing.
Perhaps only the great King Odin himself could match that terrifying strength.
Thor sighed inwardly.
Not just him—every Avenger present felt the same helplessness.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stood nearby as well, unsure what to do. They were facing a man whose power was overwhelming in every sense of the word.
Fortunately, he had shown no intention of attacking them.
"The Space Stone… is gone," Agent Phil Coulson murmured quietly.
He tried to comfort himself with that thought.
At least the situation hadn't turned into a disaster.
But then something else caught his attention.
A strange sense of familiarity stirred in his mind.
Phil Coulson rubbed his eyes and focused carefully on the group standing near Yun Chen.
There were three people.
The young man.
The short-haired woman with red eyes.
And another woman.
Coulson's breathing suddenly slowed.
That blonde woman…
Why did she look so familiar?
He searched his memory desperately until a long-forgotten recollection surfaced.
The 1990s.
A young Air Force pilot.
The realization struck him like lightning.
"Major… Carol Danvers?"
His voice nearly stopped working.
"The legendary Captain Marvel…"
"Is she back?"
Phil Coulson stood frozen in place.
Meanwhile, another figure stepped forward.
Captain America.
Steve Rogers looked directly at Yun Chen with a serious expression.
"I have to admit your strength exceeds anything we expected," he said firmly. "But there's something on Earth that matters more than strength."
"Our morals."
The words caused several nearby agents to glance at each other nervously.
Yun Chen blinked once in mild surprise.
As expected of Captain America.
Even now, the man was trying to deliver a lecture on ethics.
"Sorry," Yun Chen replied calmly. "In this world—and in this universe—power decides everything."
His gaze swept across the Avengers before returning to Steve.
"Besides," he continued, "even if I handed the Space Stone over to you… would you dare to keep it?"
The question immediately silenced everyone.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lowered their eyes awkwardly.
After all, the invasion had only happened because S.H.I.E.L.D. had been experimenting with the Tesseract. They had hoped to recreate the kind of energy weapons HYDRA once attempted to build during World War II.
Instead, the stone's cosmic energy had leaked into space.
That energy had drawn Thanos's attention.
The result was the alien invasion that nearly destroyed the city.
So Yun Chen's question was devastatingly simple.
Even if he gave the stone back…
Would they dare accept it?
The answer was obvious.
No.
Coulson forced a bitter smile.
After witnessing Thanos himself appear through that portal, none of them would dare take responsibility for the Space Stone again.
Captain America looked equally uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth as if to respond, but no words came out.
No one dared object.
More importantly, Yun Chen had already given another order.
Following his instructions, Faora walked through the ruins of a nearby building and retrieved an object buried beneath the debris.
A long metallic scepter.
The Mind Scepter.
Yun Chen had already sensed the familiar energy earlier through his perception of the Infinity Stones.
This weapon had once been given to Loki by Thanos himself.
It was supposed to guarantee Loki's success in conquering Earth.
But now the mission had completely failed.
Not only had the Space Stone been taken by Yun Chen, but the scepter containing the Mind Stone had also fallen into Faora's hands.
Loki's face turned pale.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath.
At this point, he had absolutely no idea how he would ever face Thanos again.
....
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