All for Fairness and Justice

S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to expand its forces too, but where would it find hosts? The vampires were in for a terrible time.

As a result, this operation drew the attention of many supernatural organizations.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has finally found its conscience. They're actually cracking down hard on vampires."

"Tsk, tsk. Are they planning to wipe out all vampires like the S.H.I.E.L.D. China Branch?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. China Branch had long since slaughtered every vampire in the East. With 240,000 registered superhumans and Mutants, that kind of scale was no joke. Clearing out vampires was no difficult task.

But now S.H.I.E.L.D. had begun doing the same, and many people sensed that something was off. This did not fit S.H.I.E.L.D.'s usual style.

But they would soon find out why.

"Our control over the Xenomorphs has not weakened as their numbers increased. On the contrary, it has grown stronger!"

"The Xenomorph social hierarchy is extraordinarily strict. As long as we can control the high-ranking Xenomorphs and possess enough Pheromone, we can control the entire species."

"Damn it, the chip implantation plan failed again. Their blood rejects all foreign substances!"

"Doctor Cliff, I have an idea. Drive Adamantium into their necks, then attach monitoring chips to it..."

"The mental scanners show no issues either. The Xenomorphs' mental state has remained stable. We can infer that they have not developed high-risk thoughts such as plotting or betrayal."

Fury looked down at the thousands of Xenomorphs below, a trace of wariness flashing through his single eye as he repeatedly reviewed the reports.

Yet even the most advanced cognitive instruments had failed to detect any form of malicious plotting from these Xenomorphs.

"Chief, our cognitive equipment may be far inferior to Professor X's, but it has no problem detecting the activity levels of Xenomorph brains," Hill reported.

She knew very well that Fury suspected the possibility of these Xenomorphs betraying them. Doubt everything, remain vigilant at all times—that was the quality of an outstanding intelligence chief.

"Everything has gone too smoothly. What do you think, Hill?" Fury pondered, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"We mobilized S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to rapidly expand the Xenomorph population, used the most advanced biotechnology to create Pheromone, and used technological equipment to monitor their growth."

Hill gave her assessment. "Duva is just one man. If he could accomplish it, then we can certainly do it better."

That final sentence was the key, and it was what persuaded Fury.

Fury glanced at the serious, highly capable Hill.

If Coulson had been here, he would not have merely argued that things were safe. Before Fury even asked, he would have presented a complete contingency plan for a Xenomorph loss of control.

Unfortunately, Coulson had barely escaped with his life from New Mexico and was still lying in bed.

Natasha had gone there once and returned half-dead.

It seemed that as long as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s senior agents got close to Duva, they were prone to misfortune.

"Then proceed. Send agents and Xenomorphs to fight in coordination, enter New York City, wipe out Duva, and ultimately bring him into custody," Fury said.

Xenomorphs, born weapons of war, suited Fury's tastes perfectly. They feared no sacrifice, obeyed absolutely, and could be mass-produced.

The only problem was finding hosts of sufficient quality.

To be honest, Fury had not initially intended to target vampires. He had wanted to select from prisoners around the world, among whom were quite a few people with special parasitic abilities. But time was limited, and selecting and transporting prisoners could easily cause problems, so in the end, he chose the vampires.

After all, the Vampire Empire's headquarters was in New York.

And so, the vampires collapsed in despair as they discovered that overnight—just one night—how had the whole world suddenly started drawing blades against them?! These ancient blood clans tried every possible way to use the wealth they had accumulated, along with the help of humans who had pledged themselves to vampires in pursuit of longer lives. The result... was absolutely nothing.

"Xenomorphs? Why do these agents have Xenomorphs with them too?!"

"AAAAAHHH!!"

A world where only the vampires got hurt had been achieved.

Fury went without rest for two straight days, closely monitoring every Xenomorph's movements until he formally gave the order for agents and Xenomorphs to advance toward the outskirts of the Bronx in New York.

Duva would soon feel pain.

"May, report," Fury said steadily.

"Everything is going smoothly, but strangely, we haven't encountered Duva's Xenomorphs. Something is wrong. He hasn't even deployed the most basic Xenomorph sentries to monitor the surrounding area."

Melinda, a Level 7 Agent specializing in flight and one of the best in the Sky Cavalry, was serving as commander as she led the Xenomorphs and agents forward.

"The answer is simple. Duva discovered us long ago. He can control Xenomorph Pheromone, so he must have noticed the arrival of our Xenomorphs as well."

Fury said, "What interests me more is whether Duva's Xenomorphs have a certain chance of accepting our Pheromone, as Doctor Cliff said. Cliff may be crazy, but his professional skills are solid."

"The odds are low, but you'll find out soon enough."

Fury studied the footage Melinda had sent over and compared it with satellite imagery.

Xenomorphs were born assassins, far too skilled at hiding. Even he could not be sure how many were still lurking in New York City. But launching a direct surprise attack on Duva himself was undoubtedly the right decision.

At that moment, an urgent communication interrupted his thoughts.

"Alexander Pierce?" Fury frowned. It was no good sign that the current Secretary-General of the United Nations and former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was calling him at this moment.

"Nick, I don't understand what you're doing! Two days—just two short days—and you've bred so many Xenomorphs? You've even launched a military operation?" Pierce's voice rang out.

"Ha. Looks like some vampires reported this to you. They must have spent quite a bit of money, but I trust you can withstand the pressure," Fury said.

Pierce said, "This is no longer a matter of pressure. Do you know how many complaints against you I've received? It's not just the vampires! Colonel Stryker has explicitly expressed his dissatisfaction with you. He believes you should first hand over the technology for controlling and breeding Xenomorphs to him."

Fury sneered. "Stryker? He has made little progress with the Mutants, and now he wants to get his hands on the Xenomorphs?"

"His reasoning is very persuasive: Duva was able to establish a company and obtain that dilapidated building as an experimental base because he approved it. Therefore, Duva is legitimately a scientist under his command!"

"Damn it!"

Fury cursed, then said mockingly, "By Stryker's logic, should S.H.I.E.L.D. pay him some astronomical patent fee for using Xenomorphs?"

"It's worse than that. He wants to prosecute you for endangering protected national animals."

Fuck!

Fury said, "I never knew Stryker was the leader of an animal protection organization. He must be out of his mind, trying to extend his reach into S.H.I.E.L.D."

Pierce's voice was full of concern. "You made too much noise this time. Your secrecy was too effective—you controlled and produced so many Xenomorphs without anyone noticing, and that has made certain people anxious."

"So they're upset over an uneven division of the spoils. Thanks for the information, Alexander, but I suspect Stryker is just a front. The people pushing the Super Soldier Program are the ones making moves. Looks like I need to find out who took over that project after Ross died."

Fury spoke with Pierce for a few more moments before ending the communication, a trace of suspicion appearing on his face.

As the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce should not be a problem. He would not leak S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence. Of course, Fury could understand Pierce leaving behind some people within S.H.I.E.L.D. as "eyes."

But why did he ask me at a time like this, just before the surprise attack? What was he thinking? Did he want me to succeed or fail? Or had he noticed something? Fury buried the doubt in his heart. All it would take was one subtle signal for him to become suspicious of someone he had once trusted absolutely.

Before long, Melinda reported in.

"I found Duva. He's standing with Thor. Something isn't right."

Melinda stared ahead in shock.

Duva was saying something to Thor, occasionally reaching out to point at the agents and Xenomorphs.

"So this is the new army you mentioned?" Thor was somewhat bewildered. He looked into the distance, and no matter how he looked at it, these people did not seem to be here to transfer control of the Xenomorphs.

"If I say it is, it is. Thor, you need to have faith in me."

"My brother, of course I have complete faith in you. You were the only one willing to help me when I was at my lowest. It would be even better if you returned Mjolnir to me."

Thor's hand unconsciously reached out. He was always looking for an opportunity, convinced that if Duva could indirectly accomplish something through Xenomorphs, then he should be able to do it directly.

Duva remained impassive. With a lift of his other hand, Thunder God's Hammer flew over on its own, foiling Thor's scheme.

"See, Thor? This is the difference between you and me. No matter the situation, I can always focus. You can't. You're always distracted," Duva said.

Thor reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Unsure how to respond, he could only stiffly change the subject. "Then these people are giving off murderous intent, and they're standing with Xenomorphs. I didn't know the Xenomorph species had pledged themselves to two masters at once."

Over the thousands of years of his campaigns, he had encountered all sorts of races. He had seen this sort of thing plenty of times and did not think much of it.

But what happened next overturned Thor's understanding.

"Strictly speaking, before I issue an order, these Xenomorphs belong to no one... on the surface."

A series of faint sounds arose as waves of Xenomorphs began to emerge. Even the Xenomorphs that had existed solely underground since birth appeared at this moment.

Their numbers rapidly surpassed a thousand and continued to rise.

Duva's powerful vision pierced through the darkness and settled on Melinda and the others. That single glance made every hair on Melinda's body stand on end.

She had only felt this way once before, when she had observed the Xenomorph Matriarch up close.

"Just as Natasha mentioned, these Xenomorphs include massive specimens that appear to have been born from parasitizing Hulk derivatives... No need to negotiate with him. Attack immediately." Melinda gave the order to everyone.

Under normal circumstances, the agents would lead varying numbers of Xenomorphs in rapid maneuvers, use all kinds of high-tech weapons at range to destroy Duva's defensive forces, then send the Xenomorphs in for close combat.

If this had not been the outskirts, and thus not entirely uninhabited land, they could have sent in a group of armed helicopters to launch a missile bombardment first.

Many people observing the situation from various organizations thought the same. No matter how they looked at it, Duva's side was at a disadvantage in numbers.

The Xenomorphs moved.

Rip!

Melinda's eyes widened, her mind roaring blankly, because she could clearly hear the sound of flesh being torn apart and shrill screams coming from behind her.

The Sky Cavalry agent spun around, staring in disbelief at the incomparably bloody scene.

Every Xenomorph had attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the first possible moment. Every agent struck was instantly maimed. Those who died on the spot were the fortunate ones.

Gunfire erupted everywhere, but it was clearly too late, even if it could inflict some damage on the Xenomorphs.

Melinda gritted her teeth and flipped backward, avoiding the tail thrust of a Xenomorph. She pulled a grenade from her waist, bit off the pin, and accurately hurled it into the creature's mouth.

With a boom, the Xenomorph's mouth was blown apart. But Melinda's expression did not improve in the slightest. She knew that damage of this degree was nothing to a Xenomorph. It would soon regenerate completely.

She possessed such skill, but the other agents did not. No matter how elite they were, at this moment, they were being slaughtered by the "comrades" who had supposedly been at their side day and night.

Worse still, Duva's Xenomorphs had already rapidly closed in and joined the battle.

Especially those massive Xenomorphs. Every one of them possessed astonishing strength, their tough exoskeletal armor seeming to be made of muscle, its density horrifying. They ignored gunfire entirely. Once they charged into the battlefield, a single punch was enough to reduce an agent to pulp.

Melinda struggled to fend them off, but as an ordinary human, she could only desperately hold on amid the chaos, constantly evading.

"Beautiful moves. You'd be very popular as a circus performer," Duva's voice pierced precisely through the battlefield. His face flickered in and out of view in the dimness, and to Melinda, he was clearly a demon wearing human skin. "You knew all along. You knew from the very beginning that this would happen. You did it on purpose!!" Melinda's voice was incredibly shrill.

The next second, several Xenomorphs pounced on her and pinned her to the ground.

"Yes, I knew every move you would make. I also knew exactly what you did to my Xenomorphs. So what? I was short on troops, and thanks to you, I replenished them in just a few days. If I had done it all myself, the commotion would have been far too great. By now, I might have become New York's public enemy."

Duva tore off Melinda's earpiece and watched as the Xenomorphs ripped her to pieces.

"Nick Fury, it seems Natasha did not fully convey my meaning to you. Or perhaps you knew and simply wanted to test whether I was lying? A Level 9 Agent—you really are generous. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is completely useless to me. I'll be taking these Xenomorphs."

Duva then turned to Thor.

"Thor, contact Heimdall now. Activate the Bifrost and transport these Xenomorphs to Asgard in batches. At the same time, tell your people that powerful, brave, righteous, fearless reinforcements have arrived."