Chapter 325: Chapter 325: S.W.O.R.D.
The meeting between Oaks and Nick Fury took place in... Hawaii.
When Oaks saw Nick Fury wearing sunglasses, sipping on an acorn drink with a straw, lying in a beach chair with his big shorts, and ogling at bikini-clad women on the beach, he almost kicked him in the face.
"Aren't you supposed to be in hiding? This is how you are hiding?"
When Oaks saw his location on the Hawaii beach, he flew straight over.
As for clothes, he could change them with magic at any time.
Now, he was wearing big shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and a big straw hat, revealing his muscular upper body—
There is no way around it, it's for blending in.
"Hmm? Isn't retirement all about being carefree?"
Nick Fury grinned, showing his big white teeth, and glanced at Oaks with his one eye.
"This place is great, isn't it? It's the closest to your Arch ship."
"Well, this place is indeed more convenient."
Oaks casually took out an acorn drink and drank from it using a straw.
"Why did you come looking for me? Instead of watching over your agents, you came here for vacation. Do Barton and Coulson know how comfortable you are?"
"Now it's the end of the year, and you want this lonely old man to endure the piercing sea breeze on the streets of New York without a place to live?"
Nick Fury rolled his eyes dramatically.
"In New York, no, in the entire United States, or even the whole world, there are countless people who want me dead. But there is hardly anyone who thinks that way about me on this beach."
"Is that so? If you don't get to the point, there will be one more person who thinks that way about you, and I guarantee that he's more of a threat than all the American agents combined."
Oaks chuckled and lazily buried more than half of his body in the sand, enjoying the cool sensation.
"Especially after dealing with that rich guy recently."
"Hmph, it's not easy to deal with you. You've become more impatient during the time we haven't seen each other."
Nick Fury pondered for a moment but couldn't figure out which great compatriot could have dealt with Oaks. Finally, he sat up a bit straighter.
"Alright, I absolutely didn't expect that you would grow from a small shop owner to this level... Okay, okay, let's get down to business."
He put down the empty acorn drink and casually picked up another one from the side.
"While I was missing, Coulson has done a great job gathering the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has made a lot of progress. The public is no longer alarmed when they hear about S.H.I.E.L.D.—
He is an excellent director, and I can completely trust him now."
"I try not to have direct contact with the Avengers to avoid interfering with their operations, you guys are currently playing a leading role—
I have to say, many of your actions have shown great foresight. Many things you did that seemed unnecessary at the time have allowed the Avengers to develop steadily to where they are now—
It's incredible. Based on the temperament of the U.S. government and the United Nations, they should have been unable to tolerate a group of unregulated human nuclear weapons like you."
Nick Fury nodded again:
"So, it can be said that I ,the former director, was indeed wise and far-sighted.
The reputation system and operational guidelines you created for the Benevolence Society have had a tangible effect, and they will only get better—
This way, I can also focus on my own affairs with peace of mind."
He looked at Oaks, who was sipping juice, with some anticipation and his face was showing a "hurry up and ask me" expression.
"Oh."
Oaks uttered a syllable, and then... there was no "and then."
"..."
Nick Fury's eye twitched and he cursed inwardly, but after all, he had come to Oaks on his own initiative.
"Cough... anyway, I found Hill yesterday, and she should have resigned by now. I will go with her on a secret mission.
But since you are now a top authority in life sciences, or rather in magic, or in both, there is something I need your help with."
He put on a serious face, prompting Oaks to reluctantly shift his gaze in his direction.
"You... How many alien species do you know?"
"Alien species?"
Oaks was taken aback, but became interested in Nick Fury's question. At the same time, he quickly recalled this guy's dark history.
"Well... I've seen quite a few from the Nine Realms of Asgard—Asgardians, Vanir, Frost Giants, Light Elves, Dark Elves, Dwarves, and I know about Fire Giants even though I haven't seen them.
Outside the Nine Realms, let's not talk about the Chitauri. I know about the Kree, and according to the records of Asgard, there are also the Xandarians and the Sovereign..."
Oaks glanced at the slightly bewildered Nick Fury and decided not to mention the Eternals and the Celestials to scare him:
"And there were the extinct Skrulls."
"You know about the Skrulls too?"
Nick Fury's eyes lit up. He finally heard something he could continue the conversation with.
"How are they described in the records?"
"They can mimic the appearance of any creature they see, change their own appearance at will, and have some of the memories of the creature they imitate.
What's even more twisted is that they can even mimic the DNA. In most cases, Skrulls' imitations are impossible to recognize—
But it seems that they were wiped out because of the war with the Kree Empire."
Oaks looked meaningfully at Nick Fury:
"You're not saying...that you are a Skrull, right??"
"How is that possible!"
Nick Fury quickly waved his hand. In that instant, he felt a chill.
"You don't have a good impression of Skrulls?"
"Of course not. Facing a bizarre race that can secretly replace your loved ones, friends, or even opponents, and in the end, maybe even replace you, it's hard for me to have a good impression."
Oaks responded naturally.
"Well... they are aliens after all. There should be ways to distinguish them."
"..."
Nick Fury recalled the information he obtained from Barton and the deductions made by Oaks about the forces behind the Chitauri and their preparations to deal with aliens. He nodded slightly.
"So... if a Skrull appears on Earth, can you find them?"
"I can try— but are you sure you can find a Skrull who is willing to cooperate?"
Oaks put down the acorn drink.
"In theory, there shouldn't be a problem, but in practice, we won't know until we try."
"As a matter of fact, I do know some Skrulls... They appeared on Earth over twenty years ago."
This time, Nick Fury didn't beat around the bush. He seemed very interested in seeing through the Skrulls' shapeshifting abilities.
"Although I have been through some experiences and have become quite good friends with a few of them, no one, except themselves, has been able to recognize their shapeshifting abilities so far."
"Well, that suits your style of doing things."
Oaks snorted and bluntly revealed Nick Fury's intentions.
"No one to be trusted, huh? So now you hope that I can identify your 'friend's' shapeshifting abilities, leaving a backdoor for you, making it convenient to backstab when they're not being honest?"
"Emergency plans are necessary for everything."
Nick Fury didn't feel embarrassed at all. On the contrary, he considered it praise.
"Just like how you don't trust them, I started working with them because of other friends. But from a cosmic perspective, as they say...
People with different origins have different hearts?"
Oaks shrugged.
"A while ago, someone told me about the 'Community of Shared Future for Humanity.'"
"Very well..."
Nick Fury pointed at himself.
"I, being a human, have never forgotten my identity for over twenty years. So even though my relationship with them is good, as you said, their abilities are too unpredictable."
He then pointed upwards.
"In these years, they have been on an invisible spaceship, and their population has grown a bit. So even with the support from the surface, the spaceship's environment is struggling to sustain their existence.
One of my friends has been trying to find a suitable habitat for them, but so far, there haven't been any solid leads—
There are very few unclaimed life-bearing planets in the universe."
Nick Fury had a somewhat nostalgic look on his face, and Oaks keenly sensed it—
This guy is trying to show off to him!
You have a background in space and a wide network!?
Well, do you know that I've marked 1,024 life-bearing planets on my radar?!
"In another year or two, I will be able to successfully simulate the data of planetary ecosystems and start building artificial ecosystems."
After a moment of silence, Oaks nodded thoughtfully.
"If Skrulls can adapt well to Earth's environment, perhaps I can help them create an ecological dome on an uninhabited planet.
Since this race has some connection to you and Earth, if they are far away from Earth, I can lend them a hand."
"Oh? That's really good news!"
A faint smile appeared on Nick Fury's stern face. This kid is indeed stubborn but soft-hearted...
"However, as you have worried about, my old friend and I share the same view on extraterrestrial civilizations. We must establish an effective warning and defense system for them."
"Your methods need to be effective within an ecosystem, but many times, if external threats enter the ecosystem, it's already considered infiltrating our home—
Therefore, we must also take action in observing and exploring beyond the ecosystem."
Nick Fury paused for a moment and said solemnly:
"The Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division (S.W.O.R.D.). That's what my old friend and I have been preparing recently.
Completely breaking away from the framework and operating rules of S.H.I.E.L.D., the S.W.O.R.D. is dedicated to all information regarding extraterrestrial civilizations.
Although its headquarters is officially on Earth, in reality..."
"In reality, the true headquarters of the S.W.O.R.D is on the Skrull spaceship?"
Oaks understood.
"So that's why you want to ensure there are means to counterbalance the Skrulls..."
"That's right. So, the next time I appear in front of you, don't mention any of this to him."
"...I'm looking forward to it."
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