New Landscape

Phillip J. Coulson, a top agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., was the quintessential American agent, one of the most trusted by former Director Nick Fury. After dedicating half his life to S.H.I.E.L.D., he finally climbed to the top position before retirement, thanks to Director Fury's appreciation.

However, the six months he spent in this position were also the most challenging of his entire career as an agent.

Back when Nick Fury wielded the full power of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was an imposing figure. S.H.I.E.L.D. was known as the foremost global intelligence agency, possessing numerous coveted super-privileges and housing a collection of dangerous equipment capable of turning the world upside down. It also boasted the most elite agents and scientists, with technological capabilities far surpassing those of the American military and government. Not to mention, Fury commanded several incredibly impressive Helicarriers, capable of space travel and deep-sea exploration, and even equipped with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s exclusive optical camouflage technology, rendering them invisible once airborne.

If there was one entity that could truly constrain the all-powerful Director Fury, it was the irritating old men of the World Security Council. They supervised and were responsible for all affairs within S.H.I.E.L.D., and in principle, they had the right to question every decision Fury made. But who was Nick Fury? A legendary agent, the head of spies, and with his accomplice Alexander Pierce constantly mediating, the Council's influence had always been quite limited.

In essence, Nick Fury had pretty much done whatever he pleased over the years, reporting to the Council only when he felt like it, and most of the time, he simply ignored them. Once Director Fury made up his mind, not even God could change it. Unless Fury had a whim to drop a nuclear bomb on Manhattan or something similar, those old men couldn't do anything to him on a normal day.

Director Fury took Agent Coulson's hand and imparted a heartfelt lecture, moving Agent Coulson to tears and deep emotion. He resolved to steadfastly uphold the faith in the S.H.I.E.L.D. name, taking over the mantle from Fury to continue his mentor's unfinished work.

But soon, the new Director, Phil Coulson, discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. was nothing like it used to be.

In the past, Fury had countless privileges, and his agents operated unhindered across the globe. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. had devolved into an international terrorist organization, often mentioned alongside their "old friends" Hydra in news reports.

Back then, Fury commanded cutting-edge technology and had eyes and ears everywhere. Now, the list of agents under Coulson could be written on a single page – and that included research staff and administrative personnel.

In the past, Fury had planes and tanks, and even if a Helicarrier was lost every week, there was no shortage of replacements the following week. Now, they were raiding a military base to steal a single Quinjet equipped with stealth technology.

It was under these circumstances of lacking personnel and weaponry, while also dealing with international pursuit, that Agent Coulson had to shoulder the responsibility of leading S.H.I.E.L.D. in their ongoing love-hate relationship with the remnants of Hydra and preventing them from destroying the world.

If there was anything that brought him solace, it was that their adversaries, Hydra, were in a similarly dire situation. Frankly speaking, Hydra seemed to be in an even worse state.

After suffering a severe blow, the Nazi remnants, known for their resilience, had finally crumbled. Hydra had lost most of its leadership, and this time, there were no signs of new heads sprouting. The only one left with any significant power was Daniel Whitehall.

However, Mr. Whitehall was in a predicament not much different from Coulson's. They were equally short on personnel, weapons, and technology. While evading international pursuit, they also had to dodge the tracking of Sky Sword – and they didn't even know the name of this mysterious new organization yet.

As the sole surviving leader of Hydra, Daniel Whitehall had inherited and perfected Hydra's excellent tradition of survival. Under immense pressure, he managed to remain hidden in the shadows for six months and successfully recovered the "Obelisk" he so desperately desired from items confiscated by the military from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Subsequently, a series of confrontations between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra revolved around this "Obelisk." Both sides knew it was powerful and dangerous but were unaware of its specific function. They only knew that direct physical contact with the Obelisk would infect and corrode the body, and everyone who had touched it so far had been petrified and confirmed dead.

After expending immense time, manpower, and resources, and with guidance from relevant experts, Whitehall finally succeeded in deciphering the secret hidden within the "Obelisk." He discovered that besides being a weapon, it had other uses. To activate this function, it seemed necessary to find a specific location – an ancient city left on Earth by aliens in ancient times. Whitehall believed that by finding this city, the Obelisk could unleash a destructive power capable of killing millions in a single act.

And now, after long and relentless efforts, Whitehall had finally found the entrance to the city he had yearned for. Hydra's experts managed to help him confirm through multispectral terrain scanning that the city was buried deep beneath Puerto Rico, with one entrance located in San Juan.

There were simply no words to describe Daniel Whitehall's excitement. He had spent his life exploring the mysteries of the "Obelisk," comparing its significance to him to the value the Tesseract held for their founder, Red Skull. His feelings, therefore, were understandable.

The only unfortunate part was that before he could descend into this ancient city, S.H.I.E.L.D. also found out.

***

"Sir, I believe Daniel Whitehall's location has been pinpointed," Sherry's voice came through the private laboratory's speaker. "According to intelligence, Whitehall seems to be trying to enter an alien city left on Earth by aliens in ancient times. He believes something in that city can unlock the Obelisk's true power."

"Finally decided to show himself?" Michael asked, his head buried in a black tome on Chaos Magic.

Setting aside everything else, Michael admired Whitehall's hide-and-seek skills. It had taken the Sky Sword agency so long to even once manage to locate Whitehall's stronghold – and on that occasion, the cunning four-eyes had slipped away before the base was captured, leaving his confidant, Sunil Bakshi, to clean up the mess.

Mr. Bakshi had sworn absolute loyalty to Whitehall and refused to divulge any information, so Michael had handed him over to Scarlet Witch as a practice subject for her telepathic abilities.

But poor Mr. Bakshi seemed to genuinely know nothing about his boss's whereabouts. Wanda had used her telepathy to extract almost every secret from him, from major confidential information he had observed during his years with Whitehall to the minutiae of his personal life, yet there was absolutely no useful intel.

When Mr. Bakshi was even about to share details about his several mistresses' jealous rivalries, Wanda finally gave up the interrogation in frustration, reporting with certainty that the man truly knew nothing.

"The location has been confirmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s team, led by Director Phil Coulson, is already in position, and an exchange of fire has occurred. Should we join in, sir?"

"Of course," Michael closed the book and stood up. "Get ready. We don't want to miss the party."