City

Many places have ancient families that might pass down similar legends, such as "blue angels falling from heaven" or "they brought blessings to humanity."

Including the descendants of those families, many people just dismissed these as nonsense from the older generation, merely another story like "Prometheus bringing fire to humanity." Most who heard them didn't take it seriously.

But the most interesting thing about stories and legends is that sometimes, they're true.

This is a story that truly happened. In an era unimaginably distant from our own, a group of visitors from beyond the stars did indeed visit Earth, but they were by no means angels. They were the Kree, a race that was cold, warlike, and possessed a highly developed civilization. They had top-tier spacefaring and mechanical technology, and their weapon technology was renowned throughout the galaxy. The empire established by the Kree spanned ten galaxies; it was a force to be reckoned with in the entire universe.

The Kree had been engaged in constant warfare across the cosmos, suffering heavy casualties among their own warriors. To replenish their forces and acquire more powerful warriors to fight for them, they dispatched teams to planets in various star systems to conduct biological modification experiments, attempting to create superpowered killers through genetic manipulation and recruit them into their ranks.

Earth was one of the Kree's ancient testing grounds.

The experiments were forcibly halted due to internal conflicts within the Kree themselves, and they withdrew from Earth. However, the mutated genes they had engineered remained, spreading through generations over the long years, persisting to this day without disappearing. But this gene was recessive; in its unactivated state, carriers were indistinguishable from normal people. The only thing that could activate this gene was the Terrigen Crystal—a crystal of immense power native to the Kree homeworld. It could activate the carrier's mutated genes and grant the subject extraordinary abilities. Those who gained abilities through this mutation were known as "Inhumans."

And the Obelisk happened to store this crystal within it.

Daniel Whitehall dedicated his life to exploring the secrets of the Obelisk but never knew its true purpose. He believed the Obelisk was a weapon, a switch for destruction. In reality, the Obelisk was merely a container, holding the key to activating the Inhumans' special abilities.

But no matter what, Whitehall was now closer than ever to the secret hidden within the Obelisk. This ancient alien city buried beneath San Juan would soon reveal everything to them. Annoyingly, at this critical juncture, that persistent nuisance Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. had appeared once again.

Director Coulson personally led a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. elite agents to corner Hydra at the abandoned Ponce de Leon Theater. The two teams were trapped on opposite sides of the lobby, using cover to exchange heavy fire. The dense gunfire crackled incessantly like a string of endless firecrackers, sparks and shell casings flying freely in the empty hall. No one could even take half a step out of cover.

Coulson fired two shots outwards, then quickly ducked back behind the pillar he was using for cover just before a barrage of suppressing fire rained down. Gritting his teeth, he turned to Agent Melinda May, who was hiding behind a pillar opposite him, and shouted, doing his best to overcome the deafening gunfire, "This isn't working! Cover me! I'm going to make a break for it!"

"What? Are you crazy?" Agent May's expression was one of disbelief. "The second you pop your head out from there, you'll be turned into a pincushion!"

"I have to try," Coulson expertly and swiftly changed his magazine. "Skye is down there in that damn alien city with that 'Obelisk.' If Whitehall's guess is correct, that alien artifact might trigger a weapon of mass destruction. I need to get her out, and then we can use explosives to level the city below, ensuring no one can ever get in again."

Skye was a young agent personally recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. by Coulson, a girl of Chinese and American descent. Initially, she was a hacker in an organization called "Rising Tide," but after joining Coulson's team, she proved herself through countless missions, eventually earning her S.H.I.E.L.D. agent badge—though she hadn't even had a chance to savor it before S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed.

To Coulson, Skye was more than just his most capable subordinate; she was like the daughter he never had.

Agent May tilted her head back and let out a long sigh. "I'm going to regret letting you do this."

The frequency of gunfire outside had slightly decreased, and the intensity of the fire seemed to have weakened. Agent May looked at Coulson. "Ready?"

"To be honest? Not at all. But what choice do I have?" Coulson crouched down, preparing to sprint. "On my count. Three, two..."

BOOM!

Flames erupted from above, blasting into the hall. The ceiling cracked, and heavy debris rumbled down onto the ground. Black armor descended vertically amidst the dust and fragments, a classic "superhero" landing kicking up a large cloud of choking dust.

Coulson and Agent May were stunned.

From the moment he landed, Michael drew at least half the firepower in the area. The Hydra agents hiding behind cover unleashed a relentless barrage at him. Countless fragments pinged and scattered off his black armor, yet he seemed completely unfazed.

Without turning his head, Michael casually unleashed a pulse cannon, blasting through cover and killing several Hydra agents. Simultaneously, he said to Sherry, "Scan the building structure."

"Already on it."

The artificial intelligence was incredibly efficient. In the blink of an eye, the detailed structure of the abandoned theater appeared as a 3D image in Michael's view. Sherry even intelligently highlighted an office ahead, explaining, "Daniel Whitehall should be in there. I suspect you might want to pay him a visit."

"Good girl."

Michael strode forward into the hail of bullets. His pulse cannon blasted several people away, and his Vulcan cannon, aided by system auto-aim, fired armor-piercing rounds that instantly killed another dozen agents. The drastic change in numbers immediately reversed the situation, and S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly gained control. Michael, without looking back, had already proceeded deeper into the theater.

Michael kicked open the door and walked into Whitehall's office. His two personal bodyguards in black suits had their heads blown off by the Vulcan cannon before they could even raise their guns.

Daniel Whitehall sat expressionlessly behind his desk, his fingers interlaced and resting naturally on the surface. He wore a light gray suit, a neat tie, and a pair of scholarly round glasses. His expression was calm and composed, exuding an aura of a mastermind pulling the strings, the quintessential behind-the-scenes big boss.

Whitehall spoke slowly, "Finally, we meet, Dr. Norton."

Michael raised his palm repulsor, cutting him off unceremoniously. "No time for small talk, Whitehall. The entrance to the alien city. Tell me how to get in."

"Building scans indicate an ion drill is operating in the basement, sir," Sherry's voice chimed in. "I believe Mr. Whitehall's plan is to use the ion drill to bore through hundreds of feet of volcanic rock and create an artificial entrance."

"Excellent, then we don't need him."

Before the words even left his mouth, a pulse beam shot out, blasting Whitehall and his chair to the ground, leaving a charred hole in his chest.

Poor Whitehall, after all, was a leader of Hydra, once a powerful figure who commanded respect and influence. Yet, now he met his end without even finishing a single line of dialogue.

"Give me a partial 3D map of the alien city, Sherry," Michael said as he left the office. "We're going down to explore."