Fury's Doubts

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Nick Fury didn't say anything, but it was obvious that although he didn't want to admit it, he still acknowledged the fact that Kai and Tony conducted the research first. He then moved on to another topic:

"You just heard what Kai said. Do you think it's true that we are not the only SHIELD protecting the Earth?"

Nick Fury asked directly what he wanted to know most, then continued:

"Besides, he also told me to take care of internal affairs first. Does he know something? You can ask me later, Kai, what does he mean by what he said? It would be best if you can find out what he wants to say."

Then, without waiting for Coulson to ask why, Nick Fury hung up the phone.

Coulson was left staring at the phone in his hand in a daze.

In the big pit, Kai and Tony got close to the hammer. Tony tried it first, and sure enough, the hammer didn't move at all—he couldn't lift it.

Seeing this, Tony got frustrated. He put on the Iron Man suit and prepared to try again, using the suit's power to assist him.

Tony activated the thrusters on his suit's arms to increase his strength, but the hammer still wouldn't budge.

Watching Tony's repeated attempts, Kai said:

"Tony, you should take a break. You probably won't be able to lift this hammer now or in the future."

Tony was obviously surprised to hear Kai say this.

"Kai, are you serious? Even you can't lift it?"

"There are only a handful of people who can lift this hammer. I can't lift it now, but I'll wait a little longer. Who knows what might happen in the future?"

Kai didn't give Tony a chance to ask further questions and quickly provided some scientific information.

"This hammer is called Mjolnir, or Thor's Hammer. It was forged by dwarves. Odin, the king of Asgard. He found the core of a dying star and gave it to the dwarves to forge. It's incredibly powerful, mostly used by Thor for destruction and battle. Because of this, Odin used it as a symbol of the new king and planned to pass the throne to Thor..."

At this point, Kai suddenly stopped his explanation. He looked behind him and found Coulson trying to eavesdrop. Seeing he had been discovered, Coulson quickly turned around and started walking away.

Kai called out, "Okay, you don't have to leave, Coulson. You've been listening for so long, so I won't stop you from hearing the rest."

Then Kai continued:

"But Thor angered Odin by being reckless, so Odin cast him down to Earth—and he also placed a spell on the hammer."

Hearing Kai pause, Coulson couldn't help but ask, "What spell?"

"Whoever holds this hammer, as long as they are worthy, will have the power of Thor."

Tony frowned. "The power of Thor? Isn't Thor the God of Thunder?"

Kai chuckled. "Exactly. This is just Odin playing a lesson on Thor. Odin's goal is to temper Thor's character. In the end, only Thor can truly become the God of Thunder—he won't let just anyone control the power of thunder."

After hearing Kai's explanation, Tony and Coulson understood Odin's intentions. Their first impression of Odin wasn't very good.

"So, is there really no way to pick up this hammer?" Tony still refused to give up and wanted more information from Kai.

Kai replied, "Actually, there is a way."

"Oh?" Tony and Coulson both became alert.

"The easiest way is to have the right qualities. If someone aligns with the hammer's enchantment, they can lift it easily."

"What's the second method?"

"The second method is brute strength—if your power is strong enough, you can forcefully lift the hammer. However, to do that, you'd need strength close to Odin's."

"Haha." Tony let out a dry laugh, acknowledging that he definitely wasn't at that level.

At this point, Coulson finally remembered to ask Kai:

"Mr. Kai, earlier you said Earth isn't only protected by SHIELD. So, who else is protecting it?"

Kai knew that Nick Fury had told Coulson to ask this. But then he remembered the wizards of Kamar-Taj, who followed the Ancient One's rule of staying out of worldly affairs. They didn't want to be known to the public.

So, Kai wasn't going to tell Coulson. That meant SHIELD, the world's largest intelligence agency, wouldn't learn about Kamar-Taj's existence.

Kai smiled and said, "Of course, we are the ones protecting Earth."

As he spoke, he pointed at Tony, implying that the two of them were responsible for Earth's safety.

Coulson saw Kai's expression and realized he wouldn't get any more information. So, he didn't press further.

"Mr. Kai, you also mentioned that we should take care of our internal affairs. Is there something wrong within SHIELD?"

Kai thought about it. He knew now wasn't the time to reveal Hydra's infiltration. He planned to bring it up at the right moment to get Nick Fury's attention.

So, he answered casually, "No, I just meant you should focus on discipline. Nothing more."

When Kai and Tony turned their attention back to the hammer, Coulson stepped away and called Nick Fury.

"What? Are you sure he said he was protecting the Earth?"

On the other end of the phone, Nick Fury clearly didn't expect this answer.

"That's right, sir. And Mr. Kai not only said that he was protecting Earth, but he also included Tony Stark. Mr. Stark didn't deny it either."

Hearing this, Nick Fury sat up straight. He thought, *It seems both Kai and Tony know the truth about Earth's real defenders. Maybe I can get some real information from Tony in the future.*

"And what about our internal issues?"

"Mr. Kai was dismissive about that topic."

"Oh? That means he definitely knows there's a problem inside SHIELD, but he doesn't want to say it." Nick Fury's expression darkened. "Okay. Keep following them and gather intel."

After hanging up, Nick Fury thought for a long time. He couldn't pinpoint any major problems within SHIELD. But he also felt that someone like Kai wouldn't bother lying about something that didn't concern him.

For the first time, Nick Fury started to doubt SHIELD itself.

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