"After all, I resigned a long time ago," Kurohane continued, his voice calm yet piercing, "and I don't remember signing a new contract with S.H.I.E.L.D. So, you can call me a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but I'm not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent now."
"If you're not an agent, why did you handcuff me?!" Nick Fury finally couldn't restrain himself, pointing at Kurohane's nose and preparing to unleash a combo. However, remembering his severely broken fingers from before, he wisely pulled his hand back, leaving only a rumble of anger.
"Acting boldly for a righteous cause." Kurohane smirked, a small, utterly irritating smile.
Nick Fury: (face angry and frustrated). This kid is really annoying when he talks!!! But what is this kid doing? He wasn't like this before! If it were the old him, he'd have already grabbed a submachine gun and started shooting!
But, even though Nick Fury racked his brain, he couldn't understand that Kurohane was merely stalling for time here. So that the portal would open quickly and transport the Chitauri army there! As for whether it would cause casualties among ordinary civilians, sorry, Kurohane truly didn't consider such things. If he really felt guilty, he wouldn't have slaughtered the entire Ten Rings camp to save Tony Stark! What he had just said was what was in his heart: rushing to close the portal wouldn't bring any benefits!
Actually, Kurohane was a little anxious now, but he didn't show it. To avoid pursuit from the Time Variance Authority (TVA), the female version of Loki, Sylvie, would only appear in a timeline that was about to be destroyed. That way, her appearance wouldn't create a new Multiverse, and the TVA wouldn't discover her existence. However, this wasn't a good thing for Kurohane and them! Either the Chitauri army would completely destroy New York, or the nuclear bomb launched by the U.S. Government would destroy New York. In short, the situation was too big, and Kurohane seemed a little overwhelmed.
The timeline he traversed was not what was called a Sacred Timeline at all, or rather, the Universe he entered was not the main Universe. None of these situations were good for him. If the upcoming events differed from the Marvel film universe he knew, his biggest advantage as a transmigrator would be gone. How could he have fun playing around in the future?!
Tony felt his phone screen wasn't big enough, so he had already projected the Stark Tower surveillance footage onto the conference room TV. Dr. Erik Selvig was operating something on the machine, and the light emitted by the Cosmic Cube was growing stronger and stronger. The instrument monitoring the gamma rays was spitting out numbers so large that they were almost impossible to record!
"Kurohane, just tell me directly. What do I need to do for you to be willing to take back that Cosmic Cube?" Nick Fury finally decided to ask directly. He no longer had time to play guessing games with Kurohane.
"That Cosmic Cube is mine from now on, and I'm taking it." Kurohane stated firmly, his eyes unblinking.
"Absolutely not!" Fury retorted, his voice rising an octave.
"Then I won't go. We'll stay here and wait. We'll discuss it when S.H.I.E.L.D. gives us law enforcement authority." Kurohane even used white magic to conjure a steaming cup of tea out of thin air—an act that further infuriated Nick Fury.
"Why are you so fixated on authorization from the U.S. Government?" Fury asked, trying to control himself.
"The day after Tony admitted he was Iron Man, the U.S. Military asked him to give them the Iron Man armor technology for free," Kurohane explained, looking at Tony. "Even though Tony is almost the richest man in the United States, in the end, he could only hand over one armor to Rhodes! If we act rashly without official authorization from the U.S. Government, Stark Industries will be flooded with emails demanding compensation tomorrow! Except for Thor, every one of us who takes action will be responsible for the losses. Can you bear it?"
Kurohane's words silenced Tony. He realized that even if he lost a building, it wasn't unacceptable, because the insurance company would still compensate him. But if he had to compensate for the entire New York, he would become the world's largest debtor!
Dr. Bruce Banner felt that Kurohane's words struck a chord with him. Precisely because he had this concern that he wanted to seal the Hulk forever and never let him appear again in this life.
Natasha didn't care, she could just change her identity if necessary. As an experienced spy, this wasn't a big deal.
Thor didn't even care. As the number one in the Nine Realms, he was happy just to go out and fight, and he had no concept of compensation.
Only Steve was deep in thought, a deep frown on his forehead. This world had changed. The world was no longer black and white, and New York was no longer Nazi Germany. The losses he caused belonged to the American people. He was confused, completely clueless about what to do.
Hawkeye? Still sleeping like a baby.
Nick Fury looked at Kurohane, and for a moment, he couldn't find a reason to refute him. Because Kurohane was right. The United States was like this now. That was the national condition, and no one could do anything about it!
"Tony, connect me to the World Security Council."
Three minutes later, the Security Council rejected Nick Fury's request, and the Avengers initiative was declared bankrupt! Nick Fury's already dark face became even darker, carefully avoiding Kurohane's playful gaze.
Just at that moment, the Cosmic Cube's energy activated, and a gigantic spatial wormhole appeared above New York! The Chitauri army, like a swarm of wasps, swarmed out of the wormhole with small flying vehicles, attacking anything that could move! Sirens wailed throughout the city, stirring mass panic.
"Kurohane! We have to go! Whatever the final outcome, I can't just watch ordinary people die like this!" Steve stood from his chair, clutching his Vibranium shield, and tightening the straps in his hands. Determination blazed in his eyes.
"Tony, are the preparations I asked you to do earlier finished?" Kurohane didn't respond to Steve, but instead looked at Tony who was operating his phone.
Tony gave Kurohane an OK gesture and nodded confidently. "Of course."
"Alright, then we can go too." Kurohane waved his hand, opening a flickering portal, and leading the way inside.
Kurohane's inexplicable actions left everyone baffled; they simply couldn't understand his line of thinking. Only Tony, wearing his Iron Man armor helmet, kindly explained to them.
"What Kurohane wants is the attitude of the Security Council." Tony's voice was slightly muffled behind his helmet. "If they allow us to act, that's the best-case scenario. If they don't allow us to take action, then we can blame the Security Council for the defeat. After all, we're defying the Security Council's decision for the sake of New York and the American people!"
"So, no matter what the Security Council decided, Kurohane planned to take action from the beginning?" Steve's eyes were filled with shock as he stared at the shimmering portal, a new understanding dawning.
Tony smiled and followed Kurohane into the portal.
"That's Kurohane. How could he let Aliens destroy Earth? The last Alien who appeared before him had a tough time! The one sitting before you is him!" Tony said, glancing at Thor.
Thor: (scratching chin, confused). Is he talking about me?
"Captain, Kurohane never disappoints. He's much sweeter than you think!" Natasha patted Steve's shoulder, then pulled out a syringe from who-knows-where, ready to inject it into Clint.
"Hurry and help Kurohane. I'll wake Clint up and be right there!"
"Okay!" Steve nodded, then rushed into the portal, his heart still churning between idealism and Kurohane's baffling pragmatism. The battle for New York had begun, and the Avengers were now moving with a dual agenda—saving the city and, perhaps, redefining their roles.
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