Self-preservation?! That was indeed a very reasonable reason.
Coulson neither agreed nor disagreed after hearing it, but Melinda, standing beside him, nodded. She fully agreed with it. She felt that what S.H.I.E.L.D. needed most right now was also self-preservation.
To be honest, Melinda had recently developed some strategic differences with Coulson. She believed that S.H.I.E.L.D. should decisively pull back its already limited remaining forces, completely cut off contact with every faction, consolidate its personnel, keep a low profile, and wait for circumstances to change before making further plans.
Though her idea seemed overly cautious and conservative, it was still an optimal solution. At least, that was what her extensive combat experience told her. When an operation suffered setbacks, one should swiftly relocate—preferably vanish directly from the enemy's sight—then circle around to strike at the enemy's weak point, rather than foolishly charging headlong into their sniper fire. Otherwise, never mind whether the mission could be completed; even if they succeeded by sheer luck, the losses would certainly be severe. And now was precisely the time for S.H.I.E.L.D. to make a strategic withdrawal.
After all, given the current international situation, S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually in a more unfavorable position than Hydra. The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. S.H.I.E.L.D. had once carried the world's high expectations, consumed vast sums of funding, recruited outstanding talent from every country, and enjoyed the world's most cutting-edge technology. Some had even believed that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s purpose had long surpassed its original duties. Within such an organization, all the world's major countries could communicate fully and secretly, speak directly without excessive hints or euphemisms, avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and confrontations, and, most importantly, avoid having to deal with reporters and press conferences.
Such talks were beneficial, so quite a few international analysts believed that S.H.I.E.L.D. would become an important