With the general direction decided, the atmosphere became less oppressive.
Tony casually toyed with the virtual projection of the Black Dragon. With a light touch of his fingertips, tiny metallic specks of light darted and danced between his fingers, quite lively.
He glanced down at the test tube containing the Skrulls's purple blood sample on the table, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone tinged with amusement.
"To be honest, my hands are itching a bit right now."
"The first time we touched real, living alien matter, it wasn't used to research new technology, but to precisely eliminate these guys. What a waste."
Banner stood to the side, adjusted his glasses, his gaze still fixed on the report, and added a sentence earnestly.
"That's not entirely true. From a biological evolutionary perspective, their physical constitution is too unique. They lack hemoglobin and rely on special chromatographs to adapt to the intense radiation environment of their home planet. Their entire physiological structure is a completely different system from that of Earth's organisms."
He shook his head slightly as he spoke, his eyes filled with a sigh.
"Being able to silently infiltrate Earth for so many years, this special physical condition alone is enough to give them an advantage; they're not afraid of routine testing at all."
Rimuru lazily against the control panel next to him, casually glancing at the densely packed report without giving it much of a second glance, and then tossed the paper aside.
What are incredibly strange alien features to others are completely unremarkable to him.
What's there to study?
To put it bluntly, it's just a byproduct of the Celestials' casual modifications back then.
His chin looks a bit like Thanos's, and his blood color is also somewhat similar.
I just don't know what the relationship is between the Deviants and the Eternals.
After a brief chat, the atmosphere gradually relaxed. Banner hesitated for a moment, then casually mentioned it.
"Speaking of which, given the Skrulls' deep-rooted entanglements across the universe, just what level of power did Captain Marvel, Carol, possess that forced them to flee in all directions?"
These words piqued everyone's interest.
Apart from Fury, almost everyone present had only heard of Carol's name, but had never actually seen her in person, let alone witnessed her strength.
The nanobots at Tony's fingertips slowly retracted, his previously nonchalant expression momentarily faltering as images from several years ago suddenly flashed into his mind.
That night was the most transformative night of his life.
He escaped death in the desert hell, dragged his wounds back to New York, and at the press conference, in front of the world's cameras, calmly uttered the words that shocked everyone—I am Iron Man.
That night, he was the star of the show, full of confidence and pride. He even thought that he had ushered in a new era of superheroes, and that he had personally started the extraordinary era of Earth.
Then Nick Fury went straight to his mansion, looking inscrutable, and casually delivered a "dimensional reduction attack" to him.
What does it mean to not be too arrogant? Don't think you're the only superhero on Earth.
What does it mean to be like you? There will be many more like you in the future.
Tony was completely bewildered at the time, secretly thinking to himself, "What's with this Black Nick Fury acting all high and mighty? Who else in the world could withstand an alien threat besides him?"
Now that all the clues were connected, Tony suddenly understood.
He chuckled, then turned and glanced at Nick Fury, who was still squatting on the ground petting the cat, his tone full of sarcasm.
"So, all that bragging you did at my house back then, that super-strong person hiding in the shadows, far beyond ordinary people, was referring to Carol, right?"
Nick Fury closed his eyes; he felt this was the most agonizing meeting he had ever attended.
Tony was even more amused, unleashing a torrent of sarcastic remarks, each one hitting the nail on the head.
"Well done, Fury, I really have to give you a shout-out."
"Back then, relying on Carol's connections, he acted all high and mighty with me, laying the groundwork for some extraordinary global strategy, making it seem like he had the world at his fingertips."
"Looking back now, isn't this mess—the entire Skrulls going into hiding and Earth almost being invaded—all caused by your connections and lingering problems as the first Avengers?"
"Good grief, you're the one who started this trouble, and we're the ones cleaning up the mess. I really don't know what you were so arrogant about back then?"
The blunt and sharp criticism came crashing down, and Nick Fury's face instantly turned red.
Even with his thick skin, he couldn't withstand those words, and his ears began to burn.
Fortunately, his skin was dark enough that his blushing wasn't noticeable. He could only maintain a blank expression, pretending nothing was wrong, and continue to play dead to hide his embarrassment.
After a brief chat, the group gradually left the command center to prepare their respective replacement and elimination plans.
Tony walked in front, having already taken a few nanobots with him. He was already thinking about how to modify and optimize them to suit this mission, muttering to himself that he was trying to at least get some enjoyment out of this troublesome situation.
Nick Fury, however, remained at the very end, not moving an inch.
Rimuru had already stopped at the doorway, muttering to himself.
Huh? What's going on?
Could it be that this Black Nick Fury really has some top-secret private matter or exclusive intelligence to reveal separately? After all, this mission involves too much, replacing hundreds of thousands of Skrulls infiltrating; even a slight oversight could cause a world-class disaster.
He paused for a moment, then became serious, waiting for the other person to speak.
The next second, Nick Fury completely ignored the top-secret documents on the table and didn't mention any mission risks. He turned around and went straight to the corner, squatted down, and started petting the orange cat with practiced ease.
Her fingertips gently traced the orange cat's fluffy fur, her movements unusually tender, a stark contrast to her usual serious, cold, and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. S. H. I. E. L. D.
Rimuru was speechless with emotion.
I really will thank you!
What time is it, bro!
Hundreds of thousands of Skrulls are lurking all over the world, with complex identities and infiltrating all walks of life. No matter how meticulous the plan is, it will be full of loopholes and hidden dangers in its execution.
Even someone like him, who was solely responsible for all the risks, couldn't help but feel immense pressure and was on edge the entire time.
Instead of reviewing the plan, making cleanup arrangements, or investigating potential problems, Nick Fury, the person directly involved, is just sitting here happily petting his cat and doing nothing?
Rimuru watched that scene, his lips twitching slightly, inwardly cursing.
Is this person just incredibly carefree and fearless, or simply a seasoned cat lover?
Little did they know, Nick Fury had already entered a state of Sage.
Rimuru was in complete control from beginning to end, and Rimuru couldn't stop his decisions at all. Moreover, Rimuru was adamant that he wouldn't allow S.H.I.E.L.D.. to interfere with the core operations, only letting them handle the follow-up cleanup and support work.
To put it bluntly, Rimuru the one who covers up all the most dangerous, most prone to mishaps, and most difficult messes.
If the operation goes wrong, and the Skrulls become desperate and cause chaos, or if any unsolvable crisis arises, Rimuru's top-tier combat power would allow him to easily overwhelm them with force, and he wouldn't even have a chance to worry about it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. at most clean up the mess; they won't bear the core risks or take the blame.
Then why should he bother worrying about it?
You're constantly on edge, racking your brains, but you end up with no real control over anything; all your worrying is for nothing.
Nick Fury stroked the soft orange cat, only one thought in his mind: I'm tired, let's destroy it.
Anyway, if the sky falls, Rimuru, the top-tier boss, will hold it up. He might as well just lie down, slack off, relax by petting his cat, and happily wait for the end to come.
Feeling comfortable being petted, the orange cat lazily stretched and rolled over, obediently letting Nick Fury rub it, completely unaware of the undercurrents swirling around it.
Rimuru stood at the doorway, watching Nick Fury idly petting his cat, and sighed helplessly.
Fine, I'll just give up then.
In the end, all the trouble will fall on your own shoulders.