Chapter 402: Invasion of Earth? (Part Two)

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*****

"Done!"

On the floating island, George carved the final rune onto a yellow school bus and turned to Blonsky beside him.

"Emil, this bus is yours from now on. I'll show you the basic controls in a moment."

Blonsky—also known as Abomination—had previously served as the school's gatekeeper.

Now that the school had been relocated to a floating island, there was no longer any need for a gatekeeper, so he was reassigned as the school bus driver.

This yellow school bus was no ordinary vehicle—it was a magical bus George had just finished modifying.

Equipped with flight, invisibility, expanded internal space, and external magical defenses, the bus could safely transport teachers and students between the floating island and the city below.

George had actually created a number of Portkeys and scattered them across major cities around the world to enable instant travel. However, these Portkeys were only used in emergencies. On normal days, staff and students would rely on the school bus or other magical transportation he had developed.

This was a precautionary measure.

If they were to use Portkeys for everyday travel, it would render the island's magical defenses nearly useless—enemies could potentially gain access through the Portkeys as well.

But magical vehicles were a different story.

The entire island was protected by a Loyalty Charm. Without George's explicit permission, no one could even perceive the island's existence.

And even if someone did try to sneak aboard the school bus, they'd have to get past Abomination first.

As George was instructing Blonsky on how to operate the magical school bus, a classic red vintage sports car—its flames shooting out from behind—soared through the air and landed beside the school's courtyard.

"Good morning, Director Coulson of our new S.H.I.E.L.D. What brings you here today?"

George paused his instructions to greet Coulson with a wave.

Aside from teachers and students, George had granted only a select few the right to access the floating school grounds. One of them was Coulson, now the director of the newly restructured S.H.I.E.L.D.

This "new S.H.I.E.L.D." had been formed after the Washington incident as an international agency.

The original S.H.I.E.L.D., after Nick Fury's death and the Hydra infiltration, had fallen from being a global security powerhouse to a national intelligence agency resembling the CIA.

However, the Washington incident had been a wake-up call for world leaders.

If high-ranking officials in Washington could be crushed by a falling city, they realized they were no safer.

So after much deliberation, the global leadership unanimously agreed to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. as a globally backed organization dedicated to identifying and responding to extraordinary threats.

Thus, the new S.H.I.E.L.D. was born.

Originally, Coulson wasn't supposed to be its director. But ultimately, no one else could get in contact with George.

And only George and his Superpower Academy had the ability to handle disasters on the scale of the one caused by Kur.

Even with full support from every country, the new S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't hope to accomplish much in the short term. Its main function was to identify potential global threats early—and then beg George for help.

After all, George hadn't founded the school to fight crime across the world. The teachers and students were there to teach and learn, not to act as global enforcers.

If something like the new S.H.I.E.L.D. had existed earlier and noticed the unusual activity in Sokovia in time, they might have been able to ask George to deal with Kur, and the Washington incident could have been avoided.

So in the end, the unanimous decision was to appoint Coulson as director of the new S.H.I.E.L.D.

In fact, this was all part of George's plan. Coulson was someone with principles—and he understood George's temperament.

If someone else had been appointed—a bureaucrat who clung to outdated hierarchy, enjoyed moral grandstanding, and lacked clear thinking—George might have wiped out the entire organization before the next crisis even hit.

"George, something big has happened! Earth is being invaded by aliens!"

Coulson hadn't even come to a full stop before flinging open the car door and sprinting toward George in panic.

George looked stunned.

"Coulson, calm down and explain properly. What do you mean by 'aliens invading Earth'?"

Loki has been crowned king of Jotunheim, reconciled with Thor, and never fell into Thanos's grasp—and the Cosmic Cube is safely in his possession. So there's no way we're seeing a movie-style Chitauri invasion. Besides, the floating island is parked right over New York; if an armada had shown up, I'd have detected it already.

"It's like this." Coulson took a steadying breath, then shared everything he'd just learned.

Half an hour ago, satellites picked up a swarm of alien vessels in Earth's orbit. Some ships cloaked themselves instantly; others made bold, unannounced landings on the surface. Governments scrambled to intercept every visible craft—after all, you have to assume the worst, because if it really is an alien invasion and you let them land unchallenged, you might as well invite occupation.

Unfortunately, only a few ships were shot down by the major powers. Most managed to touch down, and many vanished afterward—no doubt using technology far beyond our detection systems. Even worse, civilians in numerous countries have witnessed these landings, and journalists are already reporting them. Panic, once it starts, will spread faster than any virus.

With every head of state on edge, Coulson had no choice but to come to George. They needed to locate these alien newcomers and discover their intentions before fear spiraled out of control. If an actual war is brewing, Earth's current technology would stand little chance—and the consequences of defeat would be catastrophic.

"Hundreds of ships, scattered across multiple continents, and they're not even the same model," Coulson concluded, anxiety etched on his face.

George considered this for a moment, then smiled and patted Coulson reassuringly on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It's nothing I can't handle. But you'll need to speed up the plan to set up those recruitment offices in every country."

According to Coulson's briefing, these invaders probably aren't Thanos's Black Order, the Nova Empire, or the Kree Collective—just a ragtag bunch of Ravagers and bounty hunters. Even if it were Thanos or the major empires, my current power is more than enough to repel them. As for why so many Ravagers and hunters are descending on Earth…well, a few quick interrogations—or a simple mind-read—will clear that right up. It's not a crisis worthy of real concern.

Honestly, it would take something like a dimensional demon incursion to make me break a sweat.

(End of Chapter)