Fury's Decision

On a highway in the suburbs of New York, a red vintage convertible stood parked. A Chinese American woman sat in the passenger seat, her face so gloomy it seemed as though water could drip from it.

"Phil, we screwed up."

"May, we did our best." Coulson slumped dejectedly in the driver's seat.

After receiving the mission, Coulson and Melinda had rushed to the target location at top speed: one of General Ross's bases for researching enhanced soldiers.

With the support Director Fury had provided, they successfully infiltrated the base. The two Level 7 agents went through tremendous trouble before finally stealing some information on the Green Giant from within. Although it was not classified data from the experiment that created the Green Giant, at least they now knew how that hulking figure, green from head to toe, had come to be.

More importantly, they had learned of Ross's plan to use the same method to create Abomination. Without question, it was an enormous discovery and a major gain.

Having obtained what they wanted, the two immediately decided to leave the base. During their escape, they had no idea how much effort they spent shaking their pursuers, but overall, the price had absolutely been worth it.

After confirming that they were safe, the triumphant Coulson and Melinda contacted Fury at once. But just as they were about to make their report, the two of them were left dumbfounded.

"What? The Qing Dynasty has fallen? After all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into getting this intelligence, before I could even send it out, Abomination and the Green Giant were already having an MMA match on the streets of New York."

Faced with something so absurd, even people with their mental fortitude were filled with a whole lot of MMP that they did not know whether they should say aloud.

"If I had been driving, we would have gotten away from those people much faster." Melinda glanced at Coulson and said coldly.

"Give me a break, May." The moment Melinda pointed the blame at him, Coulson became unhappy. He knew she was holding in her anger, but he was upset too.

"No one knows Lola better than I do. There wasn't a single mistake in my driving from start to finish. This was just an accident no one could have anticipated." As Coulson spoke, he opened the car door and walked to the front of the vehicle.

"Like right now, if I stood here and said I'd fly up into the air the next second, would you see that coming?"

The moment Coulson finished speaking, a howling gale suddenly swept in. From the woods beside the highway, an enormous black shadow tore through the trees and shrubs, streaking past Coulson at incredible speed.

Coulson only felt an irresistible blast of wind engulf him. The next moment, he was sent flying.

"Coulson!" Melinda's face changed drastically, and she hurried over.

"I'm fine!" Coulson said, struggling to climb to his feet after landing on the grass. He shook his head.

Seeing that Coulson did not appear to be injured, Melinda breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she turned her attention to the terrifying, beast-like shadow that had flashed past them in an instant.

"What the hell was that thing?"

"I don't know what it was. It was too fast. But I know it definitely wasn't anything normal." Still shaken, Coulson stared at the trail extending deep into the forest—the path left behind by that terrifying thing's movement.

That thing had been moving so fast that the airflow it generated had forcibly carved out a path, ripping apart everything in its way. Following the direction in which that trail led, Coulson saw New York City Center.

"Oh, this doesn't look good. Contact Director Fury immediately." Coulson got up and took the communicator from the car.

At that moment, Nick Fury was sitting leisurely in his office, humming a tune. Under normal circumstances, he would have already gotten off work by this hour, but today was clearly an exception.

He was naturally well aware of the Hulk fighting Abomination on the television broadcasts. In fact, he was closely monitoring the latest developments, yet he had no intention of intervening.

According to the intelligence Coulson and Melinda had sent back, both the Green Giant and Abomination were products of his "old friend," General Ross. That general had spent years obsessed with enhanced gene research, trying to replicate Captain America. After courting disaster for so many years, he had finally gone too far.

Since the mess was Ross's own doing, Fury had no intention of kindly cleaning it up for him. The forces under General Ross were not weak. And if Ross could not handle it, then honestly, Fury figured there was nothing he could do either.

That old bastard had even brought Armed Helicopters, and the Gatling Guns seemed to be loaded with Depleted Uranium Shells. The soldiers on the ground had grenade launchers too.

If that level of firepower could not deal with those two hulking monsters, what new tricks could Fury possibly come up with? It was not as if he could get a couple of Jericho Missiles from Stark Industries and give them a try. This was the crowded downtown area of New York.

Therefore, Fury was extremely cautious about the matter. If he acted rashly and made things worse, not only would S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reputation suffer, but it would be even worse if they ended up taking the blame alongside General Ross. It was better to stay out of it. Besides, had Ross not warned him long ago not to interfere?

Just as Fury reached that decision, a 3D holographic window suddenly popped up. It was a communication request from Coulson.

"Coulson, what is it?" Fury asked leisurely, reclining in his chair.

"Director Fury, here's what happened." Coulson described what he had just encountered.

"An unidentified object moving rapidly toward New York City Center." Fury frowned. Were the two demolition maniacs already in the city center not enough? Was another one coming to rebuild New York from scratch?

"Hill, pull up the surveillance feed." Fury opened another communications channel.

"Understood, Director!"

Marvel's technology was far more advanced than that of the Earth Lu Yifang had come from, so its satellite surveillance methods were naturally much more sophisticated. On top of that, this was New York, where there were plenty of other surveillance systems as well. In less than a minute, Fury had what he wanted.

A screen suddenly appeared on Fury's virtual interface. In it, a mysterious object was charging straight toward New York City Center at supersonic speed.

"My God, what is this now?" Fury's expression grew grave. Since it was nighttime and the target was moving too fast, the object could only be displayed through thermal imaging.

When Fury magnified the image, he discovered that the figure at the very center of the energy signature was humanoid.

"Hill, can you trace where it first appeared?"

"I've traced it. The location was Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Director, it is very likely a mutant with spatial abilities who can move at high speed," Hill offered her guess.

"Impossible. This type of high-speed mutant generally shares one trait: to prevent their bodies from being shattered by massive resistance, their abilities usually let them bypass the sound barrier. As a result, their high-speed movement rarely affects surrounding objects. But this guy's movement stirred up airflow almost no different from a supersonic missile. I don't know how he eliminated the sonic boom, but he clearly did not bypass the sound barrier. He tore straight through it."

Fury said this as he wiped the cold sweat from his head. Just who was this person? If even the sound barrier could not harm him, then was he not a humanoid cruise missile?

"Compare him against mutant records. Are there any Level 4 mutants with similar abilities, especially anyone connected to Professor X's Mutant Academy?"

"Director, the comparison is complete. There are several mutants with similar abilities, but none have reached the Level 4 mutant tier. In particular, none of those mutants operate in New York."

Fury fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked toward Coulson.

"Coulson, do you think it could be that newly emerged Level 4 mutant?"

"You mean Lu Yifang? I don't know, Director." Coulson shook his head.

"Lu Yifang's mutant file has not yet been completed. So far, he has only acted during the Liberty Island incident, so we still cannot determine what his ability actually is."

"Whether it is him or not, a Level 4 mutant whom we know nothing about has appeared at the Mutant Academy. Level 4 mutants already qualify as highly dangerous. Perhaps he is not an evil mutant like Magneto, but S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot afford to let its guard down. Coulson, since he has left the Mutant Academy, this is a good opportunity. Try to make contact with him."

"Oh, that's not a good assignment." Coulson's face immediately fell.

"Look on the bright side, my finest agent, Coulson. If you need any support or assistance, I will do my best to provide it." After comforting Coulson, Fury suddenly added another sentence.

"So save your complaints for when you get back. The organization has chosen you. Go, Coulson!"