New York.
Fury hadn't planned on returning to this city for at least a year. It held places that saddened him, and more significantly, that damned Lane kid who upset him. But it's necessary for the job. Fury comforted himself.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Mobile Command Center.
On the main screen, multiple surveillance feeds displayed the real-time aftermath of the 'Iron Curtain' operation's first phase: scenes of wreckage—twisted metal, crumbled concrete, extinguished electrical sparks, and scattered around the edges of the main blast zone, strange fragments that flickered with an eerie light.
"Sir!" A technical analysis supervisor in a Hazmat suit urgently called Fury via encrypted comms, his voice tinged with disbelieving excitement. His eyes, behind his goggles, were fixed on a palm-sized compound of bizarre metallic and biological materials inside an isolation box; it was emitting a faint, unstable purple fluorescence.
"While clearing the periphery of the main damage zone, we discovered a batch of... anomalous residues."
Fury's image appeared in a corner of the supervisor's helmet display: "Anomalous? Clarify."
"It's not any known technology or product." The supervisor spoke quickly. "The material can't be immediately categorized. It's a fusion of never-before-seen biopolymers and energy-conducting alloys. Initial scans show its internal structure... is alive? Or rather, it possesses highly adaptive biological activity. More critically, near some fragments, we found the destroyed baseplates of equipment. The energy residue spectrum... points to an extremely efficient, yet completely outside our cognitive framework, spatial phase modulation technology!"
The supervisor transmitted a real-time, multi-dimensional spectral analysis chart and high-definition fragment scans.
"The 'Alpha' scanners on site nearly overloaded. The energy signature doesn't match any known record in our database—no country, no organization, not even suspected alien technology. Its... design logic, sir, it simply doesn't look like human technology."
Fury's breath seemed to hitch for half a second on the other end of the line. His sole eye was locked on the strange spectrum and the fragment images on the screen.
"Location?"
"Sealed off. All fragments and associated equipment debris have been tagged, executed with maximum sterile and radiation-free isolation by Ostrich Team, and are being transported by Ghost transport to 'The Cube'." The supervisor's answer was firm and precise.
"Excellent." Fury's voice lowered, its weight making the supervisor's heart tighten. "Highest priority, highest security clearance. I want to see them in 'The Cube.'" The communication cut off.
Hours later, in the deepest sub-level analysis room of 'The Cube.'
Fury stood outside the thick, multi-layered blast-proof glass, watching researchers in the highest level of biohazard suits meticulously operate precision instruments to analyze the fragments that gave off an ominous, faint glow.
The Chief Scientist reported via internal comms, his voice trembling with excitement:
"Director, the preliminary reverse-engineering results... it's a treasure trove!" The scientist called up complex holographic models:
"The genetic editing blueprints and biological tissue synthesis protocols contained in these fragments far surpass our current Super-Soldier projects!"
"They point to extreme environmental adaptability modifications, such as vacuum, deep sea, high radiation, ultra-high-speed biological tissue regeneration, and even... energy-symbiote interfaces!"
"Imagine implanting our deep-space agents with temporary organs that could let them survive for hours in a vacuum! Or creating multifunctional biogels for battlefield emergency aid!"
"And on the spatial technology front, this is the real game-changer!" The scientist zoomed in on a model of a spatial phase module. "Though the Foot Clan's application was primitive, the core principle involves microscopic-scale spatial folding and stable sub-dimensional tunnel generation! Director Fury, what does this mean? It means we have the chance to develop a truly practical short-range tactical spatial jump drive for the Quinjets, or even build instant deployment capabilities for future Helicarriers!"
Fury silently watched the stream of flashing data and models, his finger unconsciously and rhythmically tapping the edge of the control panel. The alien civilization providing this technology instantly crystallized in his mind from a vague notion into an entity with terrifying technical might.
The Foot Clan? A bunch of fools with a gold mine who only know how to smash rocks!
"Project codename, 'Shatter-Shell'," Fury's voice broke the silence, carrying undeniable authority. "Unlimited resources, clearance elevated to 'Omega'. But remember two points: First, complete stripping. Any code, structure, or biological sample potentially contaminated by the Foot Clan or an underlying alien will must be purified by incineration! We will establish an entirely 'clean' S.H.I.E.L.D. technology tree. Second, security multiplied tenfold. This location is now the front line of Earth's defense. If a fly gets in, I want its entire lineage traced back eighteen generations!"
Looking at the technological blueprints on the screen, which defied imagination, Fury picked up his coffee cup, inhaled deeply, then, seeming to recall something, turned to the doctor in front of him and asked, "The Tesseract—if we were to proceed with its energy weaponization now, I mean, in combination with the alien technology we've acquired, could it speed up the progress, or even result in a leap in development?"
The Chief Scientist lowered his head in contemplation, apparently recalling the energy parameters released by the miraculous Tesseract. He finally nodded: "Director, I believe it will accelerate progress, but whether it will significantly enhance it still requires validation."
Upon hearing this, Fury broke into a rare smile: "Then, simultaneously activate the weaponization of the Tesseract's energy. And, at the same time, figure out what deeper uses this stone might have."
The scientist nodded and then left.
At this moment, Fury picked up the eternally bitter liquid in the cup before him. Now, it seemed to carry an unusual significance. The sheer elation brought by this "garbage" from an alien ruin coursed through the nerves of the old strategist like an electric current.
The feeling was a hundred times more thrilling than discovering a whole, unopened case of the supposedly extinct Montecristo No. 1 cigars in an underground vault.
And the possibility of rediscovering the Tesseract's capabilities through this alien tech!
At this moment, Fury felt the scales of luck tilting in his favor!
"Project Shatter-Shell"—Fury felt the name he chose was perfectly apt. Crack open the hard shell of this alien technology, and S.H.I.E.L.D. would gain an overwhelming advantage.
The Foot Clan?
A pathetic group of monkeys using a nuclear weapon as a hammer!
Behind them, there must be a powerful alien entity—an unknown civilization that is highly aggressive, or at the very least, extremely generous. Of course, he leaned toward the former.
Fury's voice rang out in the quiet analysis room, carrying an undeniable decisiveness:
"Launch a black-ops investigation into the Foot Clan, activate the 'Looking Glass' network. Target: all known and potential leaders of the Foot Clan. Expand the search radius to all their abnormal contact points, financial flows, technological sources, and communication records from the last five years... I need to know how they got hooked up with this alien connection!"
"Yes, sir." Hill immediately responded, her fingers flying across the control console.
Just then, Natasha Romanoff, standing in the shadows behind Fury, felt an extremely faint vibration on her specialized communicator, like a mosquito bite. Without changing her expression, she used the moment of adjusting her stance to quickly glance at the micro-display hidden on the inside of her wrist guard.
An encrypted message from Hawk, containing only a few simple characters and a preset code word.
[Delay the investigation into the Foot Clan.]
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