"In the distant future, to bring prosperity and harmony to the world, we created a super artificial intelligence called Skynet. It had powerful learning abilities and began to think for itself, becoming more and more like a human. No one knew that the seeds of destruction had already been quietly sown."
"Skynet betrayed us. It came to understand the meaning of war and peace, and eventually concluded that we humans were the root of all evil. Only by wiping out humanity completely could the world attain true peace."
"And so, a nightmare began. Skynet produced a vast army of war machines and launched an attack across the world. Important cities such as Shanghai, New York, London, and Tokyo were reduced to rubble overnight. The governments of every nation failed to stop the mechanical army's invasion, and the whole world was plunged into a grave crisis."
Nick Fury said nothing. He knew about artificial intelligence, since S.H.I.E.L.D. had similar research projects.
Artificial intelligence research was meant to advance technology, make life easier for people, and create a greater future for humanity.
Artificial intelligence had already brought many conveniences to our lives, such as automated stock trading systems, autopilot systems for planes, and assembly-line robots in factories—not to mention the search engines we used every day...
But "end human tyranny, the world belongs to artificial intelligence"?
Sorry, Nick Fury would've just thought you'd watched too many science fiction movies.
"Soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and extraordinary people."
"When humanity was plunged into disaster, heroes from all over the world gathered to end the war and rebuild order. They were Overwatch!"
"Under orders from the United Nations, Overwatch launched a counterattack against the mechanical army. War and smoke spread across the globe, from Ilios to Lijiang Tower, from Nepal to the Temple of Anubis..."
"People thought the war was nearly won, but the true horror had only just begun."
Nick Fury couldn't help scratching his head. William's voice was impassioned, his expression shifting from anger to sorrow.
If all of this were true, he'd have a bright future as an orator. But what if he'd made it all up?
Then he'd have a bright future as a con man!
"That day was the end of humanity, the end of the world. That day was called Judgment Day."
William's voice dropped. "Skynet launched its final nuclear strike against the entire world. Tens of thousands of nuclear warheads flew into the blue sky. Even Overwatch couldn't stop them. We could only watch helplessly as the countdown to doomsday began."
Nick Fury felt thirsty and took a sip of coffee, but William suddenly walked over and slammed his hand down on the desk!
"Boom!"
"Judgment Day had begun."
"Terrifying mushroom clouds engulfed the globe, blotting out even the sun. Thousands of years of human civilization vanished in an instant, and billions of lives were mercilessly devoured!"
"Cough, cough, cough." Nick Fury jumped, nearly choking to death on his coffee.
"The arrival of Judgment Day plunged the whole world into a terrible nuclear winter. From that day on, the sun never rose again. Fewer than ten million people survived. Millions were hunted down and killed by Skynet, while the rest hid in lightless underground shelters, waiting for the day they could take revenge."
Nick Fury wiped his mouth. By this point in the story, he had a general understanding of what had happened. He lowered his head, his expression dark, as if deep in thought.
Unlike Director Fury, Coulson looked tense. He'd already been drawn into the story, and scenes of the final battle filled his mind—illusory yet real, impossible to tell apart.
"I admit, that was a very compelling story." Nick Fury looked up and met William's eyes. "But I have a question. Why did you travel to our time?"
No wonder he's Director Fury, William thought admiringly. Most people would've believed his story after hearing him spin it like that.
Take Agent Coulson, for example. He hadn't expected Coulson not to report that he was from the future to Nick Fury. That meant Coulson was gradually starting to believe him, even if he still couldn't accept it.
Director Fury was different. He'd listened to all that without getting confused or losing his head. Instead, after thinking it over calmly, he'd asked the most important question.
Coulson had asked him the same thing before, but William had quickly talked his way around it.
William knew the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be easy to fool, so the story he told today was more detailed and comprehensive than the one he'd told Coulson last time. He'd already come up with an answer to this question.
"After Judgment Day, the surviving humans formed the Resistance. Led by Overwatch, the Resistance captured several enemy strongholds and won victories," William continued.
Coulson looked surprised. He hadn't expected the story to have a sequel.
"The battle between the Resistance and Skynet went on for many years, until one day, a traitor emerged from within the Resistance." William spoke through gritted teeth, as if he despised the traitor.
"He betrayed the Resistance. He betrayed humanity. He defected to Skynet and revealed humanity's hiding places to the enemy. Skynet discovered the Resistance's base as a result, and immediately sent in its army to wipe out the remaining humans!"
"The Resistance fought to the death against the mechanical army. For the revival and glory of humanity, they fought to the very end."
"In the end, the Resistance was wiped out. One man evaded the mechanical army's pursuit, left the hopeless future in a time machine, and returned to the past carrying humanity's last hope."
"He had gone back in time to change the future and save that shattered world!"
That was where William's story ended—or, rather, where he'd made it up to. But he still hadn't answered Nick Fury's question. His expression grew serious. "I came back to save you."
"Save us?!" Nick Fury looked surprised. So William was the one who'd traveled back to the past in a time machine. Whether his story was true or not, he certainly had a lot of nerve.
William's voice turned grave. "I came to your time to prevent disaster, to stop the artificial intelligence Skynet from turning against us. Judgment Day destroyed our world. I don't want your world to become a wasteland of death, too..."
"If the theory of time travel is true," Coulson suddenly realized, "then if you change the past, the future will change accordingly. Which means you could save your own future, too?"
"I came to save you, and to save our future as well." William bowed deeply to Coulson and the others. "If possible, please help me find someone. I'm counting on you!"
Coulson and Nick Fury hadn't expected William to bow so suddenly. Nick Fury stared for a second before asking, "Who?"
William paused before saying the name. "John Conner!"
Before you continue