"Alright. Every few days from now on, I'll send you the relevant intelligence I gather, including each of their locations."
Seeing Hawking agree, Nick Fury also let out a sigh of relief.
If the Security Council members had not been so shortsighted, he had planned to use a conciliatory approach to stabilize Hawking first, then slowly figure out a way forward.
But now, the Security Council members had issued a dead order: Hawking had to be dealt with, or S.H.I.E.L.D.'s funding would be cut off.
And he knew that even if everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. was deployed, they would be no match for Hawking and the X-Men in a direct confrontation.
Given what he knew about Hawking, S.H.I.E.L.D. might very well be wiped out in the end.
With no other choice, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided that rather than let things reach that point, it would be better to work directly with Hawking—get rid of those troublesome Security Council members and remove the obstacles that had always kept S.H.I.E.L.D. in check.
This would leave Hawking's side without restraints, but it would also free S.H.I.E.L.D. from its shackles, allowing it to enter an era of rapid development.
It was also for the safety of humanity and the Earth. Trading the lives of a few selfish, arrogant politicians for the security and stability of all humanity and the planet was worth it. Otherwise, starting a war with Hawking now offered not even the slightest chance of victory.
Once S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed for a few more years and the Avengers Initiative had borne fruit, then they might have a chance to test their strength against Hawking again.
This incident could also make the upper echelons of every nation understand just how important S.H.I.E.L.D. truly was. In the end, only S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intervention