"What's the problem? Tell me!"
Howard smiled while sipping his tea, and Fury beside him wore the same relaxed expression.
"You don't seem to be on guard against the Skrulls. Don't forget they're aliens," Marcus said.
The two of them appeared to have little defense against the Skrulls, which wasn't good news.
Hearing Marcus's concern, Howard and Fury exchanged glances and couldn't help laughing.
"Hahaha... you..." Howard laughed and shook his head at Marcus.
After a moment, Howard finally composed himself and looked at Marcus with an amused smile. "Of course we're taking precautions against the Skrulls. As the old saying goes, 'people who aren't my kind must have different hearts.' How could we possibly not be wary of an alien race that can become anyone?"
They had already formulated a defense plan against the Skrulls, though this plan had never been activated. The small group led by Talos consisted mostly of Skrull civilians sheltered by Carol, and they couldn't cause much trouble anyway.
As for Talos and his people, Howard and Fury had created a contingency plan. If Talos and the others ever stepped out of line, their plan would activate, and all these Skrulls would be eliminated.
They were humans, not Skrulls. Although they had a good impression of these particular aliens, it didn't mean they trusted them without reservation.
"You don't need to worry about us," Fury said. "When it comes to the Skrulls, no one knows them better than we do—except themselves."
Seeing their confidence, Marcus stopped worrying. He just didn't want them trusting aliens unconditionally.
He knew that even humans couldn't fully believe in each other. If they trusted aliens without reservation, they wouldn't be far from death.
However, Marcus had nothing negative to say about the group of Skrulls who were being hunted by the Kree. As long as Fury and Howard remained vigilant, these Skrulls—who were only slightly stronger than ordinary humans—weren't anything to fear.
Relieved, Marcus picked up his teacup again, and the group chatted in the room about future developments.
Both Howard and Maria had decided to stay in space. The couple didn't want to get involved in Earth's problems anymore.
For his part, Fury had his own plans.
After Carol and Marcus left, he began searching for talented individuals, especially those with special powers. All of them became his targets.
He kept these people under surveillance, planning to gather them together to protect Earth during any critical period.
"Ha~ Half your targets are old men," Marcus said with a teasing smile.
Marcus wasn't surprised by Fury's Avengers plan. He was even more certain about who would be on the team than Fury himself.
"I'd like to find more candidates," Fury admitted, "but while they might be effective against ordinary threats, facing an alien invasion? Their combat effectiveness wouldn't match even a small military unit. Besides, I'm not sure these people meet my requirements."
Besides Bruce, a guy with amazing destructive power, Fury had identified several potential targets in recent years.
But these individuals were either dead or disappointingly weak, their combat abilities hardly worth considering. He kept these targets as backup options, but that was the best he could do.
"Actually, I had another candidate not long ago."
"Hmm... let me guess. You want Thor, right?"
Among all the targets Fury had just listed, Thor wasn't included. As a super-agent who understood people well, Fury couldn't possibly forget Thor.
"That's right, it's him—the God of Thunder from Norse mythology."
When talking about Thor, Fury looked uncomfortable.
After confirming Thor was actually the Thunder God from Norse legends, he began suspecting all the world's myths might be real—just aliens who had once visited Earth.
Howard and Maria perked up at the news that Thor had appeared on Earth.
"What does the Norse Thunder God look like? Why did he come to Earth?"
Seeing the couple's curiosity, Marcus smiled and explained, "Don't overthink the 'god' part. Thor is just a hot-blooded, reckless man, no different from the Vikings of Northern Europe."
"As for why he appeared on Earth—the guy was too impulsive. He led his friends into a Frost Giant lair and got himself exiled by Odin."
Everyone listened like it was just a story, gaining a basic understanding of Asgard and Thor.
"However, Fury," Marcus added, "you should definitely keep Thor on your list. Don't forget he has a scientist girlfriend on Earth."
At Marcus's reminder, Fury thought about Jane, who was researching with Professor Selvig.
Jane's astronomical research had nearly caught up with Professor Selvig's. If it weren't for the need to keep this research secret, he would definitely have invited Jane to join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s astronomy department.
...
They chatted for quite a while before Marcus finally boarded his spacecraft again, preparing to head back to Earth.
Originally, Fury wanted to ride back together, but Marcus declined. He wasn't planning to return to New York—he wanted to visit Kamar-Taj.
With Howard's guidance, Marcus could easily pilot the ship. After starting it up, he flew toward Earth along the runway of the hangar.
The spacecraft's engines flashed two blue lights in the air as Marcus piloted it toward Asia.
"I hope everything Odin promised has arrived. Don't disappoint me!"
Full of anticipation, he guided the ship, drawing a blue streak across the sky.
With a deep whirring sound, the spacecraft landed successfully. As Marcus activated a special device, the ship gradually blended into its surroundings.
"Oh, this is quite convenient."
The cloaking technology worked well, preventing the spacecraft's location from being exposed.
After disembarking, Marcus walked toward Kamar-Taj following the address Ancient One had given him.
He had to admit that although Kamar-Taj was a sacred place for sorcerers, it looked remarkably like a Buddhist temple.
Standing before Kamar-Taj's entrance, Marcus couldn't help but sigh.
"No wonder not many people can find Kamar-Taj. Without someone guiding you, it would be really difficult."
A spell was engraved on Kamar-Taj's gate that caused ordinary people to unconsciously leave the area. If it weren't for the energy fluctuations emanating from the gate, he probably would have needed to search much longer.
Marcus walked forward and knocked lightly on the door. It suddenly opened automatically, revealing a passage for him to enter.
As soon as he stepped through, a heavyset man approached him. The sling ring on his hand confirmed his identity.
"Mr. Marcus, right? My name is Wong. You can call me Wong. The Sorcerer Supreme asked me to receive you."
"Look at that—is the Ancient One very busy these days?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme is always busy." Though surprised by Marcus's casual attitude, Wong still answered truthfully.
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