Changes in S.H.I.E.L.D.

The night passed quickly.

Hydra's affairs brought no impact to Ryan's life whatsoever; his days were still spent wandering about, and his nights were spent engaging in activities with Albedo that benefited both mind and body, followed by staying up late to study.

Yet compared to the peace over on his side, S.H.I.E.L.D., or rather, the dark side of the entire world, had sparked a massive earthquake.

Ever since Annie notified Natasha and briefly explained Hydra's purpose in approaching her along with some countermeasures regarding Nazarick, the ensuing movements could be described as nothing less than earth-shattering.

Once Natasha informed Nick of Hydra's intent to defect and station themselves under Nazarick out in the open, he decisively ordered the arrest of all suspicious personnel in his grasp. Using his authority as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he contacted the highest levels of various nations, laid everything bare, and requested military reinforcement.

This would have been impossible in the past, and former versions of S.H.I.E.L.D. lacked the standing for it.

Things were different now, however. The appearance of aliens, the fact that Nick was the very first person to unearth Ryan's identity, coupled with Nick's lack of obvious political bias... and various other factors meant that in this short span of time, the influence and privileges of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the man himself had multiplied severalfold.

This had already aroused the wariness of quite a few countries, with many even plotting in secret.

Yet with the request sent by Nick, the plans originally made to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D., or at the very least restrict its continued growth, were all swept straight into the trash can.

Hydra's sudden leap into the open was far better than their original schemes. Although they couldn't strip Nick of his position as S.H.I.E.L.D. director because they couldn't find a