Choose: Live or Die?

The Helicarrier hovered silently in the night sky, like a sleeping steel behemoth.

The silver deck reflected the moonlight, and the twinkling lights showcased humanity's most advanced technological prowess.

However, deep within the heart of this steel behemoth, there was a sense of anxiety and oppression.

Inside S.H.I.E.L.D..'s top-secret laboratory, dozens of scientists were busy around a blue cube isolated by a thick alloy.

That cube was the Tesseract that fell into the hands of the Allied forces during World War II.

The Rubik's Cube's energy sometimes surges like a tide, and sometimes remains as still as Shisui.

Its mysterious blue light illuminated every weary face, yet no one could truly understand its secrets.

"The energy output data remains unstable; it could spiral out of control in three seconds at most."

"Frequency adjustments are useless; it's like a force is resisting us."

"This thing isn't an energy source; it's more like a door..."

A cacophony of discussions arose, and reports were submitted to the command post one after another.

Nick Fury stood there, his face ashen.

He looks exactly like a certain Konoha scapegoat.

His one eye was fixed on the Rubik's Cube, his voice low but filled with suppressed anger.

"Why?!"

He slammed his fist on the table, startling the scientists.

"Why were the Nazis able to manufacture weapons of mass production in just a few years, while you've spent decades and still can't even achieve stable basic energy extraction?!"

"They have Red Skull, you have plenty of budget! They have mad scientists, you have Nobel Prize candidates! And what's the result? You can't even handle a single Energy Cube?!"

His voice grew louder and louder, a deafening roar, until it finally shrunk to one sentence:

"OMG Fuck!!"

The laboratory was deathly silent. No one dared to speak.

The anxiety and anger in Fury's eyes were not only due to the progress of scientific research, but also because he knew that this blue cube was not just an energy source; behind it lay a deeper secret of the universe.

If S.H.I.E.L.D.. cannot master it, they will forever fall behind foreign, even alien, forces.

He had seen how advanced the technology of aliens from other planets was.

Once the other side comes knocking, Earth will truly be at their mercy.

This is something Fury cannot accept.

Of course, he also had his own selfish motives.

He had seen aliens, and even witnessed supernatural power. If he could truly master such power, wouldn't Earth be...?

At that moment, the heavy metal door suddenly trembled.

--boom!

The alloy door suddenly dented, then was torn into pieces by an indescribable force, scattering across the floor. Blue light surged into the entire hall from the crack, like a raging tide.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

A figure dressed in black slowly emerged from the light.

His gaze was indifferent, his demeanor composed, as if he were not an intruder, but the rightful owner.

Behind him, a man with snake-like eyes moved with light steps, a sinister smile playing on his lips. It was Orochimaru.

The moment the two appeared, the air seemed to freeze.

"Enemy?"

"Alien?"

"Intruder?"

Countless thoughts raced through everyone's minds.

"Stop him!" Fury roared almost instinctively.

Dozens of armed agents immediately raised their guns and opened fire.

A flash of Kakkō flash, and a hail of bullets shot through the air.

However, as they flew into the air, they seemed to hit an invisible barrier—they all came to a stop. Hundreds of bullets hovered in the air, then gently fell to the ground with a clanging sound, like a prelude to death.

"Varied--"

Before Fury could even gasp, he met the man's eyes.

Cold, indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

--flutter!

The Bloody Mist exploded in an instant.

Fury, along with his chair, was crushed by some invisible force, turning into a spray of Bloody Mist, without even having time to scream.

A bureau chief who had dominated the battlefield for decades and represented the highest human authority was thus rendered powerless to resist in front of everyone.

The laboratory fell into dead silence.

The man in black— Lin Ye —slowly withdrew his gaze.

His voice was cold and flat, as if stating an unquestionable truth:

"This color doesn't deserve to be in my sight."

A simple sentence, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine.

This wasn't the fury of killing, but a contempt that seeped from the very core of one's being.

That's a cold, calculating logic derived from looking down from a higher dimension.

No one dared to breathe; the hall was so quiet that only the sound of heartbeats could be heard.

"Who are you?"

A calm female voice broke the silence.

Natasha – the Black Widow – emerges from the shadows, her eyes cold and piercing.

Her heart pounded wildly, but she controlled her breathing and voice. She knew that in the face of an existence of this caliber, any unnecessary movement would be tantamount to suicide.

Lin Ye glanced at her indifferently, his eyes devoid of warmth.

He raised his hand, and the blue cube appeared in the void. The Tesseract automatically broke free from its energy restraints and flew into his palm, as if submitting.

"Who I am?"

Lin Ye said calmly, "I am Lin Ye."

Blue light flowed from his fingertips, and a phantom World Tree appeared behind him, with the outlines of nine realms faintly visible among its branches and leaves.

"This gem rightfully belongs to the Nine Realms. I've only come to reclaim what is rightfully mine."

"You can't control him."

"S.H.I.E.L.D..? You're just a bunch of agents used by politicians, deceiving yourselves with so-called rules and secrets. You can't protect Earth, much less the Nine Realms."

The blue light illuminated his face, and the indifference and contempt he exuded were chilling.

"Nine Realms?"

Natasha frowned slightly; she had never heard of such a claim before. Her mind raced, trying to find clues from the available information, but to no avail.

"What is that?" she asked in a low voice, her tone calm, as if she were setting a trap during an interrogation.

Lin Ye glanced at her indifferently, his gaze as if he were looking at an uncivilized creature.

You'll find out soon enough.

This statement was like a sharp blade, cutting off any possibility of further inquiry.

Natasha felt a chill run through her, but her expression remained calm. She knew she couldn't press the issue, so she changed her approach. "And you? What exactly do you want?"

Lin Ye simply looked down at the Tesseract in his palm. Blue energy danced between his fingers, like indifferent starlight.

The bridge was deathly silent, save for the hum of the power generator.

Just when everyone thought the silence was about to turn into destruction, a cold voice suddenly came from the side:

"Heh heh heh... You are not worthy of Lord Ye's explanation."

Orochimaru slowly emerged from the shadows, his snake-like eyes scanning the entire scene. A sickly smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Compliance allows one to prolong their life and continue to be a pawn on his chessboard."

"Resist—" he hissed, his eyes cold and sharp, "Then go keep your dead chief company."

He extended a pale finger, pointing to the ashes of Nick Fury on the ground, and smiled sinisterly.

"Choose: to live, or to die?"