Chapter Forty-Three: Nick Fury's Brilliant Maneuver

“Wait! Loki is called the God of Mischief, be careful of his tricks. Let's test him first,” Hawkeye said, pulling an arrow from his quiver, nocking it, and preparing to fire at Loki.

Just as he was about to release the arrow, Hawkeye seemed to recall something, quickly lowering his bow. “I'm afraid I might kill him.”

“He’s a god; how could he possibly die from an arrow?” Coulson was exasperated.

“You just tried to run him over a moment ago,” Hawkeye retorted sourly, grabbing a bottle of liquor from the bar and preparing to throw it at Loki’s head.

“That’s a world-class vintage. Your lifetime salary wouldn’t cover that bottle. If you don’t want Tony Stark coming after you for compensation, go ahead and smash it!” Coulson hurriedly warned.

Hawkeye glanced at Coulson, speechless. “This won’t do, that won’t do—what should we use?”

“This! Use this stone!” Coulson suggested.

“It must weigh nearly two tons. Aren’t you worried about crushing him to death?” Hawkeye said loudly, catching Coulson’s meaningful look.

“Not at all. If he dies, that’s his bad luck. Here, there’s an even bigger one—at least five or six tons. Let’s lift it together and smash him.” Coulson replied, raising his voice even more.

“Cough… cough… I think I might still be salvageable,” Loki knew he couldn’t keep up the act any longer; if he did, he’d really end up dead.

He couldn’t stand, but Loki managed to turn himself around and, upon seeing Hawkeye and Coulson, was momentarily stunned. In an instant, Loki realized he’d been played—there was no five- or six-ton stone, just a bottle of liquor and two glasses.

Hawkeye and Coulson exchanged a smile, touching their glasses together gently.

Looking at their amused expressions, Loki could only muster an embarrassed yet polite smile. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a drink too.”

“Agent Barton, the Mind Scepter can close the spatial portal. Dr. Selvig will tell you how,” Yang Xin said.

“Understood. Panther’s speed!” Hawkeye became a blur, darting to Loki’s side, snatching the Mind Scepter with one hand and placing his drink in Loki’s hand with the other, then sprinting toward the location of the Cosmic Cube.

“You can enjoy your drink now,” Hawkeye’s voice drifted from afar.

When Hawkeye reached the spatial portal device, the corrupted Dr. Selvig blocked his way, leaving Hawkeye momentarily helpless.

At that moment, a crow with scarlet Sharingan eyes alighted on Hawkeye’s shoulder.

“Look into my eyes!” The crow spoke, and its Mangekyo Sharingan spun; Dr. Selvig instantly collapsed to the ground.

“What did you do?” Yang Xin asked.

“I merely absorbed the power of the Mind Stone from Dr. Selvig’s body. He’ll wake up shortly,” Nick Fury explained.

No sooner had Nick Fury spoken than Dr. Selvig awoke, his eyes opening to Hawkeye’s anxious face.

“Agent Barton, I just had a dream… damn it! The dream was real! I am guilty!” Dr. Selvig cried loudly.

“Guilt or innocence is for Director Fury and Consultant Yang Xin to decide. Now, teach me how to close this damned spatial portal,” Hawkeye said, slapping him twice and raising the Mind Scepter.

Perhaps Hawkeye’s slaps brought Dr. Selvig to his senses, for he began guiding Hawkeye in shutting down the portal.

“Bear’s strength!” Hawkeye summoned the power of the bear, slowly driving the Mind Scepter into the portal’s device.

“It’s over. So this is interstellar war. This is the Chitauri,” Yang Xin commented disdainfully.

“A load of crap, that’s what interstellar war is!” Nick Fury echoed, sounding furious.

“Agent Barton, wait a moment,” Nick Fury suddenly said.

“How long? I’m barely holding on,” Hawkeye replied, struggling.

“Three seconds. Three… two… one. Continue, Agent Barton!”

Within those three seconds, the anti-aircraft batteries, having fired nonstop, overheated and failed, unable to stop the Chitauri’s onslaught, and were wiped out entirely.

At the same time, a long-hidden Asgardian interstellar cruiser appeared over Manhattan, unleashing a torrent of shells on the Chitauri.

Simultaneously, Tony Stark had deciphered the Chitauri’s physiology, devising a method to destroy them without harming humans. His Iron Man suit streaked across Manhattan at supersonic speed, with Stark at the center, clapping his hands.

A resonant hum echoed as the spatial portal soaring into the sky was closed by Hawkeye.

In that instant, the Chitauri swarming the skies vanished like dust at the snap of a finger.

The world believed the Chitauri died because the spatial portal was closed, but only Yang Xin and Nick Fury knew it was Tony Stark’s doing.

“Tony did it!” Yang Xin said.

“Yes, Tony did…” Nick Fury sounded troubled.

“How you comfort Tony is up to you, Director,” Yang Xin shrugged. In the eyes of Earth’s people, Tony Stark hadn’t even shown his face in this battle. For someone who relishes the spotlight, Tony would surely be discontent, and yet Nick Fury couldn’t publicly acknowledge Tony’s contribution.

He certainly couldn’t broadcast Tony Stark’s abilities to the world. The fewer people who knew about his trump cards, the better.

“Director, what’s your plan? How will you soothe Tony’s easily wounded heart?” Yang Xin asked, curious.

Nick Fury shot Yang Xin a sour look, sighed deeply in his heart, then raised his eyepatch. The scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan began to spin.

At the top of Stark Tower, the crow perched on Hawkeye’s shoulder suddenly snatched up the Mind Scepter. Its Sharingan spun, creating rippling waves in the void, and the crow disappeared with the scepter into Kamui space.

Aboard the Helicarrier, Nick Fury extended his hand, and the Mind Scepter appeared before him through Kamui space. Seizing control of the communications, Nick Fury’s image appeared on every undamaged screen in Manhattan, drawing everyone’s attention.

In the broadcast, Nick Fury held the Mind Scepter, his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly. Yet, what the audience saw was not this scene; instead, the visuals closely resembled the events of the first Avengers film, with Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit striking a flamboyant pose, leaving an indelible impression.

“Awesome! Gotta give it another SixSixSix. Nick Fury’s move is slick, reminiscent of the memory-wiping scene in Men in Black,” Yang Xin applauded.

While Nick Fury handled the aftermath, Yang Xin quietly led Natasha to a corner of New York—a place invisible to the public eye. There, a bald man radiating a strange light smiled at Yang Xin and Natasha.