Chapter Fifty-Six: The Gathering for Discussion

Flipping through the documents in his hand, Nick Fury’s brow furrowed in deep concern. The information sent from Asgard had already been verified by S.H.I.E.L.D., and the representatives of the five major nations now waited on his display screens for a response.

“Director Fury, if this information is accurate, do you realize what it means?” The British representative spoke first, as was typical for the former empire that always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with America.

“Ms. Laura, I believe it means total war,” Fury replied, setting the file aside and gazing at the five screens before him. “The so-called Dark Servants possess abilities that are strange and formidable. Our soldiers may not be their match.”

“Compared to the alien race from the last battle in New York, which is more powerful—the Dark Servants or them?” the French representative asked with curiosity. After all, only S.H.I.E.L.D. had any real experience dealing with extraterrestrials.

“That’s hard to say, Mr. Zach. His Majesty Odin only gave a cursory description of those Servants. Without encountering them directly, I cannot make any definitive judgment,” Nick Fury admitted, feeling helpless. Humanity had almost no intelligence on this matter.

“The descriptions seem far too exaggerated—immortality, unity of the real and unreal. It all sounds like myth, far beyond reality. As far as I know, Thor isn’t quite as divine as the legends would have us believe,” the American representative remarked with disdain.

Despite the knowledge Midgardians had gained about powerful alien civilizations and beings, their longstanding faith in science and the reports on Thor led them to skepticism about these claims of immortality. Surely the so-called Servants couldn’t withstand a nuclear blast?

At the heart of a nuclear explosion, with temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees, any material would vaporize. It was unthinkable that humanity’s most powerful weapon couldn’t destroy a single Dark Servant.

“Perhaps among these races, there are beings as powerful as the entity that appeared last time,” the United Alliance representative said worriedly. For reasons unknown, all recent major events had occurred in the Western Hemisphere, far from the East. This time, would the Dark Servants break that pattern?

“That’s impossible. Such a being couldn’t possibly be just some Servant. At most, they’ll be like those Chitauri from last time. Whatever these Servants are, we’ve got plenty of nukes. I don’t believe the Chitauri couldn’t withstand gunfire, and these Servants can just ignore nuclear bombs,” the Russian representative commented, reviewing the files in his hand. For this urgent incident, he offered what he considered the optimal solution.

Nick Fury interrupted their discussion. “We cannot deploy nuclear weapons indiscriminately on our own soil. The most pressing question right now is whether we need to inform other countries and establish a unified defensive front.”

The British representative objected. “I don’t believe a bunch of laymen could offer any real assistance. Sharing intelligence would only risk leaks, inciting mass panic and economic collapse. Who would bear that responsibility?”

The American representative nodded in agreement. “Exactly. If the information gets out, society will descend into chaos. The invasion of the Dark Servants would then be truly unstoppable.”

The Russian representative maintained his stance. “I still say the same—whatever the race, Big Ivan solves everything.”

The United Alliance and French representatives remained silent. The impromptu vote passed with three in favor and two abstentions.

“Our primary task now is to strengthen oversight of Midgard. S.H.I.E.L.D. will manage this matter—capture any Servant described in the files if possible, otherwise eliminate them. We must prevent them from summoning their evil gods,” the five representatives concluded. S.H.I.E.L.D., after all, was funded and staffed precisely for such crises.

The United Alliance insisted on its own policy, so their territory would be handled by Spear Bureau. Intelligence would be shared between the agencies to a certain extent.

After the meeting, Nick Fury immediately thought of his Insight Plan. If it could be completed ahead of schedule, it would undoubtedly help in the worsening situation.

***

“They discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization—in Antarctica?” Tony asked in surprise, swiping through the screen. The news Coulson had brought him was unexpected. “And inside those ruins, a spatial rift appeared, after which they all disappeared?”

“Yes, Tony,” Coulson replied gravely. The matter was so critical that he’d come personally to Avengers Tower. “The two surviving explorers have been safely accommodated, but we still don’t know the specifics of the site. We need your help.”

“Alright, alright—another underground chamber. Why are all these ruins always built below ground?” Tony stared at the projected images, photos preserved before the signal was lost.

Steve frowned, uneasy with the snow-covered locale. “Can we still confirm any vital signs?”

“Probably not, Captain,” Natasha answered, flipping through the paper documents. “The files say S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have surrounded the entrance and sent in some team members and drones, but found no signs of life. As for the last room, it was so strange they only sent in a drone. They did find evidence that the explorers had been there.”

Dr. Banner joined the conversation. “Spatial rifts aren’t easy to open. Last time in New York, they used the energy of a nuclear plant and the Cosmic Cube to create the portal. Just based on that, this rift’s appearance is bizarre. Could an ultra-ancient civilization really exist?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Ultra-ancient or not, we’ll know once we investigate. Let’s go, Coulson. Where’s the plane?”

“Excuse me, are you heading to Antarctica?” Yizhi Qu emerged from her room. Over the past period, she had come to understand the era she now lived in, though her memory remained incomplete. Still, she had forged good relations with the Avengers, and Tony had even made her a special identification card.

“I think I might be able to help you.” In her hand, Yizhi conjured a crystal-clear snowflake, its spinning ice crystals refracting light into a rainbow.