C187(1)

"Fury, I need an explanation for this. Regarding this 084 item, four agents have been lost, and now it's just being shelved?"

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Victoria Hand, a Level 7 agent, confronted Nick Fury. The mission had failed, four subordinates were dead, and now she wasn't even allowed to access intelligence on the other party involved. 

This was unacceptable. A failure like this had no place on her record.

"The explanation is that I don't know the full truth," Fury replied. "What I do know is that there's a third party involved—one neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor Wakanda is aware of. Agent Hand, focus on your own tasks."

With that, Fury dismissed her, refusing to reveal anything further.

Though Wakanda had provided an explanation, Fury remained skeptical. He suspected a third-party intervention, but he also couldn't rule out the possibility that Wakanda was orchestrating the situation for its own purposes. 

As a highly advanced yet isolationist nation, Wakanda was nearly impenetrable—even for S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, Fury had only learned of its existence when Wakanda itself chose to make contact with the outside world.

Not long after Victoria Hand left, Fury received a message from Alexander Pierce, requesting his presence in his office.

Pierce, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., now served as the liaison between the World Security Council and the agency. 

Alongside Malick—one of the council's key figures—he had been involved in overseeing the operation concerning Wakanda. 

Between the two of them, they wielded enough authority that Fury had little choice but to take them seriously.

Upon entering Pierce's office, Fury got straight to the point. "What is it, Pierce?"

Pierce activated a projector, displaying news footage. "Haven't you seen the reports? Two U.S. military fighter jets crashed here during a routine patrol. No known cause. Now, general Blake is pushing for a full investigation."

Fury's eyes narrowed as he recognized the crash site. "Wakanda. Some of Agent Hand's people had an incident there too…" A bad feeling settled in his gut.

He turned to Pierce. "Pierce, there's a conspiracy here. We need to investigate first."

Pierce shook his head. "It's out of my hands. I'd support you, but the military has already gone to the council for authorization, and they've approved it unanimously."

He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I can buy you two days to investigate. After that, I'll have to compile a full report on Wakanda—including Hand's operation."

"Pierce—"

"Fury, this is the council's decision. You have two days."

Fury studied Pierce's expression and knew there was no room for negotiation.

General Blake was known for his aggressive stance. Buying two days was already a favor to S.H.I.E.L.D. 

But uncovering the truth in that short time? Almost impossible—unless Wakanda was willing to cooperate.

But from Wakanda's stance, it was clear that such a decision was impossible for them to make.

This nation had yet to join any unions or international communities—not even the United Nations. 

Nick Fury knew that countries led by the United States would never tolerate an unknown, highly advanced nation suddenly emerging on the world stage. 

If Wakanda was exposed, war would be inevitable.

But now, he couldn't stop it.

In two days, he wouldn't even have time to convince T'Chaka. The agent's body that had been returned had already decomposed beyond recognition, reduced to little more than a bottle of foul liquid. 

Meanwhile, the two downed U.S. fighter jets had been completely destroyed, leaving no trace behind. S.H.I.E.L.D. had no leads, no evidence—nothing to work with.

"Sorry, honey… I'm exhausted."

Betty's face was flushed, a mix of fatigue and lingering pleasure. With her ordinary constitution, lasting through three rounds in a single night was already pushing her limits after a long day.

"Betty, I really think you should consider taking the serum," Kain said as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open. "If you keep going like this, you'll wear yourself out."

Between dealing with external threats and keeping up with the physical demands of their relationship, Betty needed to strengthen her body. 

However, the super soldier serum had to be carefully modified—she was already tall, and he didn't want her turning into a full-fledged warrior.

"You figure it out… I'm going to sleep…" Betty mumbled before drifting off almost instantly.

She had been completely exhausted lately.

Back in Sokovia, managing charitable donations was easy—she only had to give orders, and her assistants would take care of the rest. But now, after returning to the U.S., the workload had multiplied. 

Merging the Biological Research Center with Ugene Biotech, handling Umbrella's military contracts, and overseeing countless other matters had drained her energy.

In Kain's world, Laura managed his financial empire, but Betty was responsible for his military assets and connections. 

Thankfully, things were smoother now. With the help of the Red Queen AI, Betty was under far less pressure than before.

Recently, Umbrella had been making major moves. Its business expansion had paused, but a private mercenary force of 300 operatives had been assembled—ready for the inevitable war with Wakanda.

After a detailed discussion with General Ross, Kain had also begun working with his allies to push for full-scale military action. If necessary, every kind of strike short of nuclear weapons was on the table.

Ross needed war credits, and he was preparing a squad of super soldiers while rapidly training troops to master the advanced weapons Kain had supplied. 

The weapons would be delivered in three months, but they needed to be combat-ready far sooner.

Kain wasn't going to miss out on the spoils of Wakanda's downfall. If the nation could be toppled, the first to move in would feast—the rest would only get scraps.

As the fastest-growing private military company in the United States, Umbrella was more than qualified for a direct military contract with the U.S. government. 

…

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