West 47th Avenue, New York.
Fury, Hill, Natasha, Barton (Hawkeye), and Coulson were gathered around a round table.
They looked at one another.
These were the advanced agents Fury trusted the most.
Most of the other trustworthy agents were executing missions elsewhere. Only these few were near New York.
Moreover, these matters were not convenient to reveal to more people.
Natasha said with some emotion, "Director, I just applied for a day off. Can I request to swap my vacation day to tomorrow?"
Fury shook his head.
Coulson rubbed his head. "Director, I just drank all night with Thor yesterday evening. My mind is unclear right now. Can I rest for one night first?"
Fury frowned.
He had almost forgotten about this matter.
"Did you gain anything?"
Coulson sighed, realizing he wouldn't get a vacation tonight.
"Yes, I already know the relationship between Aaron and Asgard."
Hill, Natasha, Barton, and the others immediately became serious.
Especially Natasha. Hearing that Aaron had become a God King made her the most displeased.
Why did such an ill-tempered person rise a step every few days?
In less than a month, he went from being the CEO of Osborn Industries to the king of the gods. She didn't understand where exactly she had lost.
Coulson continued to explain, "According to Thor, Aaron is the son of Bor, wielding the Divine Power of Asgard. At the same time, he is also the son of a Celestial, possessing the strength of a Celestial."
"Based on his identity, he is Odin's brother, and the uncle of Thor and Loki."
"Therefore, during the Mjolnir incident, Odin invited Aaron to return to Asgard and share Asgard, as well as the Nine Realms, with him."
"..."
Coulson relayed what Thor had said in a more concise manner.
Finally, he hesitated and added one more sentence, "However, I noticed that Loki seemed quite dismissive of this claim, yet his level of respect for Aaron even surpassed that for Thor."
Fury let out a cold laugh. "Odin's brother? The son of Bor? I heard Odin has lived for nearly five thousand years, hasn't he? Thor is also over fifteen hundred years old."
"Looking at it that way, Bor has been dead for at least three thousand years, and Aaron is only twenty-two. Is he really Odin's brother?"
"Did Bor crawl out of his grave to give birth to him?"
Fury shook his head.
He didn't understand how capable those so-called Gods truly were. But based on basic deduction, Odin's words didn't hold up at all.
This was probably just Odin's excuse.
As for his true intentions?
Fury didn't dwell on it, because it wasn't important.
At least to outsiders, Aaron was the king of Asgard, the ruler of the Nine Realms.
Wait a minute!
Could it be that Odin valued Aaron's strength and wanted to use his power to deter others?
Odin... seems very old?
Can Gods also die?
Thinking of this possibility, Fury was secretly alarmed. Wouldn't that mean Aaron's strength was even greater than Odin's?
It seems they need to raise Aaron's threat level again.
Damn it, why is that guy such a monster?
The others, hearing this, had varying thoughts.
"Alright, we should discuss some serious business." Fury tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention.
This surprised everyone.
What could be more important than Aaron and Asgard?
Those were the legendary deities.
Fury understood their thoughts, but there was no helping it. Although Asgard was important, the S.H.I.E.L.D. crisis was imminent.
He selectively revealed a portion of the intel Aaron had provided.
Instantly, the entire room became exceptionally quiet.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Seeing that they had mostly processed the information, Fury spoke.
Hill was silent, Coulson's head was no longer fuzzy, Natasha's brows were furrowed, and Barton, who had been looking at his hands, also fell into deep thought.
Coulson patted his still somewhat red face and said, "Director, when do we divide the assets and go our separate ways?"
Fury stared at him with a stern expression.
Coulson spread his hands. "Director, if the situation is truly as serious as you say, S.H.I.E.L.D. is already a terminally ill patient, beyond cure."
His meaning was clear: S.H.I.E.L.D. was finished. Before Hydra made its move, everyone should divide the assets and return home.
However, under Fury's glare, Coulson touched his dangerously receding hairline and said with a wry smile, "Alright, I just saw the atmosphere was heavy, so I made a little joke."
"Natasha?"
"I'm thinking about where I should sleep tonight." Natasha sighed.
Oh well, the vacation is gone.
Even if she had one, she wouldn't dare relax and enjoy herself.
Who knows if there's a Hydra agent watching her nearby?
"Barton?" Fury asked.
Seeing that Barton was still in thought, he looked towards Hill, who was busy taking out the paper and pen she carried with her.
Fury's eyes lit up at the sight. "Hill, do you have a plan?"
Hill didn't speak.
Coulson leaned over to look, and his eyes widened.
"A resume?"
Hill looked up and said, "I plan to apply for a job at Osborn Industries tomorrow."
Everyone: !!!
"As things stand, only Osborn Industries is safe. I need to find a new employer in advance."
Fury's lips twitched. You have to be kidding me, right?
I just shared some information with you, and every single one of you is thinking about running away?
Coulson and Barton looked thoughtful.
The former was considering continuing to foster a good relationship with Thor, while the latter was pondering what special skills he had that could help him successfully apply for a job.
Natasha felt a pang of resentment. Everyone else could choose Osborn Industries, but she couldn't.
Fury said, "Alright, this is not the time for jokes. We need to think about what we should do."
No one spoke.
No matter how they looked at it, this problem was unsolvable.
How many Hydra members were actually inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Did they exceed half?
What was the proportion among administrative staff and field agents?
How could they determine if the person next to them was friend or foe?
They couldn't even completely guarantee whether, within this small space, the five of them could fully trust each other.
Hydra has been lurking in ambush for at least several decades. They had likely completed their infiltration long before they even joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
Looking at it this way, everyone present is a suspect.