I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 545 [3 Chapters Combined] Nick Fury: A Back Straight for a Lifetime Finally Broke Down

"Alright, I'm not joking with you anymore, lest you get angry again."

As Riley spoke, he descended from the air to Nick Fury's side and patted Nick Fury on the shoulder.

The force was just right, not too light, not too heavy, just enough to make Fury's wound hurt again.

But before Nick Fury, in pain, could even frown and complain to Riley, a holy white light shone from Riley's palm. A warm power surged down his shoulder into Nick Fury's body and quickly spread to every part of his limbs.

Under the influence of this force, the broken bones healed rapidly, and the torn muscles regenerated continuously. Even the eye that had been blind for many years experienced a tingling and itchy sensation.

This made Nick Fury vaguely realize something, and he quickly removed his blindfold. To his astonishment, he discovered that his eyes had regained their sight! Even the old scars on his eyes had been healed!

In just a few breaths, Fury felt his body return to its best condition, even better than when he was young!

So much so that when Nick Fury looked at Riley again, his face was filled with shock. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he said nothing.

A thousand words stuck in my throat, turning into a low sigh.

"When they used the Cosmic Cube, this space became very unstable. We can neither teleport directly into nor out of this area, nor can we track the energy fluctuations they left behind. So Max and I had to fly here ourselves, which took some time..."

Meanwhile, Riley, having finished his treatment, withdrew his hand from Nick Fury's shoulder. His tone was less teasing and more serious.

"I'll try to track down the Tesseract. I'll let you know if I find anything. In return, I'll have to trouble you to handle the cleanup here. Also, that amazing thing you're secretly developing, maybe you could talk to Tony about it?"

As he spoke, Riley gestured with his chin toward the survivors and rescue workers.

Nick Fury opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to reject Riley's suggestion, but stubbornly insisted that S.H.I.E.L.D. could handle it.

But the thought of Amora and Skorch's extraordinary powers, and the fact that most of today's active superheroes are all under the command of District 13, is striking.

Even Tony, Banner, and Steve, who were favored by Nick Fury and were once considered for inclusion in the "Avengers" plan, were all "hijacked" by District 13 due to various events.

This has resulted in me having virtually no formidable fighting power other than that pager, making me unable to cope with the current crisis.

Moreover, now that the other party knows the reason, they can completely bypass S.H.I.E.L.D. and conduct their own investigation. Even if they manage to take possession of the Tesseract during this process, Nick Fury will have no way to deal with Riley.

Saying this now is purely out of consideration for being on the same side, both working to protect Earth's safety, and to save face for S.H.I.E.L.D.

So, having run out of options, Nick Fury finally shut his mouth, nodded slightly, and agreed.

Seeing this, Riley didn't linger and turned to walk towards Max.

He had only taken a few steps when Riley heard a dry, monotonous voice behind him.

"...Thanks, Spider-Man."

"..."

The competitive spirit between men is just so inexplicable.

Upon hearing Nick Fury's thanks, Riley outwardly nodded calmly, but in reality, he was beaming from ear to ear.

Thankfully, the mask covered Riley's face well enough to conceal his true appearance. This prevented the "mature," "composed," and "reliable" image of Spider-Man from being ruined in public.

However, to avoid bursting out laughing, Riley suppressed her laughter and quickly called out to Max.

"Let's go, Little Flash, we have work to do."

"I'm coming, little spider!"

Upon hearing this, Max quickly waved his hand, signaling everyone to put him down.

Then, beaming, he squeezed through the crowd. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Riley, their bodies transformed into bolts of lightning once more, taking off together and quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.

Nick Fury stood there, gazing in the direction they had disappeared.

After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled and muttered a curse under his breath.

"...Fuck you, I should have listened to your advice..."

Clearly, Nick Fury understands which is more important: his personal reputation or the safety of the world.

Feeling deep regret for his previous stubborn decision, Nick Fury, unusually, listened to Riley's advice and began to take out his communicator to systematically arrange the further evacuation of everyone.

The commander's voice was steady and powerful, no different from usual.

But his figure seemed a few inches shorter than usual.

It wasn't that Riley failed to heal his injury, nor that his leg suddenly became lame...

Instead, Nick Fury realized...

Before doing something to remedy this avoidable crisis...

He'll probably never be able to stand up straight in front of Riley.

……

Washington, D.C., S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

The conference room was dark in the dead of night, with only the huge holographic screen emitting a cold blue light.

Nick Fury stood in front of the holographic screen, his expression solemn.

On the screen, the faces of five people lit up one by one.

Those were representatives of the United Nations Security Council, the five permanent members.

The U.S. representative, Alexander Pierce, was also Nick Fury's former boss. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping over Nick Fury's face, clearly displeased with Fury's performance.

The British representative was Holly Meghan, a smart and capable female MP, with her short, silver-grey hair perfectly styled and her gaze sharp as a knife.

The French representative, Alain de Boissiere, always spoke with a heavy French accent. At this moment, he stood with his arms crossed, looking at Nick Fury with a cold expression.

The Russian representative, Singh, had thick eyebrows furrowed and a gloomy expression.

Wang Guangya, the Chinese representative, had a calm expression and deep gaze. Among everyone present, besides Alexander Pierce, he was the most composed upon hearing the news.

Behind each of their names lies a power capable of shaking the international landscape.

"Director Fury, could you explain in detail why S.H.I.E.L.D.'s core research facility was reduced to ruins overnight?"

Boissiere spoke first, his tone unhurried and exuding the elegance of a French gentleman.

"And the Cosmic Cube, it was just stolen right under your noses?"

The burly Singh exuded the rugged style typical of the Russian people. Almost as soon as Boissiere finished speaking, he followed up with an aggressive and questioning relentless inquiry.

"I told you from the beginning that this thing should be entrusted to us for safekeeping, but you insisted on keeping it for yourselves. Now look what's happened, all that money spent on research yielded no results, and we've just given it away to someone else for nothing!"

Before Nick Fury could even speak, Alexander Pierce's fingers had already stopped tapping on the table.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze turned cold, and he retorted to Singh without backing down.

"Singer, are you questioning the Security Council's decision from back then?"

"Don't try to pull your malicious slander tricks, Pierce! I'm just stating the facts!"

Singh was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, realizing he had misspoke in his haste. But under the watchful eyes of others, unwilling to lose face, Singh chose to stand his ground and retort without backing down.

"Then let me state the facts for you... The ownership of the Tesseract was decided by a collective vote of the Security Council. If I remember correctly, you also voted in favor back then, Representative Singer. What, now that things have gone wrong, you want to shift all the blame onto S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

But Alexander Pierce had no intention of indulging Singh. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority as he continued, enunciating each word clearly.

"Moreover, it was Howard Stark, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., who searched for it relentlessly for many years in the icy Arctic Ocean before finally retrieving it... Logically and morally, S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly has the right to safeguard it, doesn't it?"

Singh's expression darkened further, but he did not refute it.

Because every word Alexander Pierce said was reasonable.

Holly leaned back in her chair, her short, silver-gray hair gleaming coldly in the blue light of the screen.

She didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth even turned up slightly.

Clearly, she was prepared to stand aside and watch the show.

After all, it's not uncommon for these two representatives to argue whenever they meet in the International Security Council.

Boissiere crossed his arms, his gaze shifting back and forth between Pierce and Singh, without saying a word.

Only Wang Guangya sighed and gently tapped the table.

"Everyone, please calm down."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a steady strength that slightly reduced the tension in the conference room.

"The Tesseract has been stolen, that's a done deal. Will sitting here blaming each other solve anything?"

As he spoke, Wang Guangya's gaze swept across every face, carrying an imposing and authoritative aura.

"The most urgent task is to find a way to retrieve the Cosmic Cube, not to argue about it pointlessly here."

Holly raised an eyebrow and finally spoke. But her tone was full of sarcasm.

"So, what do you think we should do now, Mr. Wang, who is quite astute?"

Unfortunately, Wang Guangya's emotions were not affected by Holly's words at all.

He even ignored Holly and didn't answer the question directly, but instead looked at Nick Fury and asked meaningfully.

"Chief Fury, you've specifically called this meeting, so you must have a solution ready, right?"

Upon hearing this, Nick Fury, who was already standing upright, subtly tensed up a bit.

He didn't rush to speak, but first glanced at Alexander Pierce.

Until the latter nodded slightly, giving a tacit approval.

Nick Fury then spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice steady and powerful, as if he were reading a speech he had carefully prepared for a long time.

"The Avengers Project".

Meanwhile, Nick Fury used a computer to send the detailed plans for "The Avengers" to the computers of the five board members.

There was a moment of silence in the conference room as everyone began to read Nick Fury's plan.

After a moment, Holly raised an eyebrow: "This is the so-called Avengers? To me, the team you've described in your plan sounds more like the name of a group of vigilantes who operate outside the law."

"To be precise, it is a rapid response team composed of extraordinary individuals."

Nick Fury did not rush to refute, but waited patiently.

Only when everyone's attention was refocused on Nick Fury, indicating that they had roughly reviewed the contents of the Avengers plan, did Nick Fury speak again, speaking eloquently.

"In my vision, when a country or organization in the world faces a terrible crisis that it cannot handle on its own, this team can assemble in the shortest possible time and intervene swiftly. By leveraging their combined strengths, they can minimize the damage."

Holly sneered, "That sounds nice, but to me, your plan is more like a legally binding warrant for someone like Spider-Man who breaks the law and doesn't follow orders."

"No."

This time, however, Nick Fury didn't continue to ignore Holly. Instead, he turned his head slightly, met Holly's gaze without flinching, and continued speaking, word by word.

"This plan is tailor-made for all those who are willing to protect this world. It is designed to ensure that when a crisis strikes, they can act without hesitation and fully utilize their strengths."

Boissiere lowered his arms, leaned forward slightly, seemingly intrigued by Nick Fury's promises, and asked curiously.

"In that case...who do you plan to add to this 'Avengers' team?"

"Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and... Riley Parker."

"Spider-Man again."

Upon hearing this, Singh's brows furrowed even more.

Clearly, for beings of their caliber, the true identity of Spider-Man had already been thoroughly investigated.

So when they heard Nick Fury mention "Rie Parker," a name that had almost no external influence, they immediately realized who Nick Fury was recommending.

This only made Singh more and more dissatisfied, and he couldn't help but mock Nick Fury.

"Director Fury, if I may be so bold, aren't you being a little too obsessed with him? Or has S.H.I.E.L.D. fallen so low after the Skrull invasion and Hydra infiltration that you're now at his mercy?"

"I share that view."

Holly's voice followed closely behind, her short, silver-gray hair gleaming coldly in the blue light of the screen. Her tone was unhurried, yet carried a sense of relentless pressure.

"Fury, everyone on your list of recommended personnel, except for Agent Natasha, is from Section 13. Even if they agree to the plan, let alone whether they will, why are we wasting our breath talking to you? Why not just contact the sheriff of Section 13 directly?"

She paused, her gaze becoming even sharper.

"After all, while Agent Natasha is highly professional, she is still just a 'human.' She's completely dispensable on your list of recommended personnel."

Boissiere didn't speak, but he hugged his arms tighter.

That was a silent endorsement.

Pierce tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, not rushing to express his opinion.

Wang Guangya remained calm and composed, showing no signs of emotional fluctuation.

Nick Fury listened quietly to everyone's questions without any displeasure on his face. In fact, when he responded, there was a hint of... relief.

"Have you all finished speaking?"

Singh snorted but didn't reply.

Holly leaned back in her chair, waiting for his reply.

"You're all right, the main fighting force of this Avengers team all comes from District 13. But this isn't because S.H.I.E.L.D. is incompetent, but because we're facing reality."

Fury took half a step forward, getting a little closer to the holographic screen.

"I think you've already received the news... This morning, Spider-Man, in Japan, single-handedly repelled a 53-meter-tall behemoth. That monster could crush a building with a single stomp and send half a city block flying with a single slap. Regular troops wouldn't even be cannon fodder in front of that thing. Yet, they were utterly defeated by Spider-Man."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each person's face.

"Based on this alone, I think it's enough to prove to the world that Spider-Man is the strongest superhero today, bar none."

After he finished speaking, even the aggressive Holly fell silent and stopped arguing.

Because they had all seen those news footage.

That mountain-sized demon, and the black figure standing atop its head, hands behind its back, herding it back to the sealed land like livestock…

This striking and contrasting image has already spread throughout the world.

"You say he's not a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., that he might not follow orders, that he might have embezzled the Tesseract. Well then, I'd like to ask you all a question."

It was at this moment that Nick Fury spoke again. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and forceful.

"Given Spider-Man's power, if he wanted to rule the world... do you guys think we could stop him?"

The meeting room fell completely silent.

Holly's finger remained on the table, not moving.

Boissiere crossed his arms, but the posture had shifted from defensive to thoughtful.

Singh's lips twitched a few times, but he ultimately said nothing.

Only Wang Guangya, though he seemed thoughtful after hearing these words, still maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

"We can't stop him. At least, we can't stop him until we're willing to use nuclear weapons, detonate the entire Earth, and perish together with him."

In the end, Holly had to lower her proud head and, after Nick Fury broke the ice, face the answer that everyone already knew but had always refused to confront.

Nick Fury nodded, but did not elaborate further. With Spider-Man's abilities, even launching a nuclear missile and staging a coexistence with the universe might be a pipe dream.

This is, after all, the last resort to appease politicians and give them a sense of security.

If even this is lost, who knows what absurd plans these brainless idiots will come up with.

"So, save your conspiracy theories. You should be thankful that he chose to become a superhero the day he gained his superpowers and has never changed his mind. Instead of constantly using the worst-case scenario to maliciously speculate about his motives and forcibly pushing him towards becoming a villain."

As he spoke, Nick Fury suddenly realized that this was no different from a self-introduction, and his old face turned slightly red.

Thanks to his natural skin color, Nick Fury managed to hide his embarrassment and continued speaking in a serious tone.

"As for your concerns... Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers do have close ties to District 13. But that's precisely why they're more likely to respond to this plan."

"If the people I recommend are mainly S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, why would they agree to participate?"

Even if they're willing to participate given the current crisis, will they be willing to lower themselves and follow S.H.I.E.L.D.'s orders?

"They won't, because they have their own pride."

"But they'll listen to Spider-Man because they trust him."

"And this trust was earned through his actions on countless life-or-death occasions."

"Therefore, Spider-Man must be a member of the Avengers. Only Spider-Man can transform the Avengers, who were fighting their own battles, into a united steel plate!"

His words, delivered with resounding force, left Holly and the others speechless.

Only Wang Guangya pondered for a moment before slowly nodding.

"I agree with Director Fury's logic. We have no doubt about Spider-Man's abilities and stance. But I have one more question... Does Spider-Man himself know about this plan and agree to lead this special team?"

Fury paused for a second, but recalling how Riley had disregarded past grievances and promptly offered his help earlier that day, he took a deep breath and responded earnestly.

"Not yet... but I will contact him as soon as possible, ask for his opinion, and try my best to persuade him to agree."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guangya nodded slightly. After glancing at the other four people out of the corner of his eye, he added.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Retrieving the Tesseract is the top priority, and the Avengers can be pursued concurrently as a long-term plan. However, given the gravity of the situation, the Security Council needs to retain oversight of this team."

Of course, given the power Spider-Man has demonstrated...

This so-called supervisory power is also dispensable.

But for politicians, this is something that allows them to save face and comfort themselves, assuring them that their subordinates are still their subordinates, their positions have not been shaken or threatened, and reducing the possibility of them interfering.

"No problem, I'll contact Sheriff Black later. S.H.I.E.L.D. and District 13 will then report to the Security Council regularly."

Nick Fury clearly understood this as well, and almost as soon as Wang Guangya finished speaking, he agreed without hesitation and immediately gave his assurance.

"Then it's settled."

It was at this moment that Alexander Pierce, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, his voice calm and measured, which was considered the final word on the plan.

"Fury, I want to see the Tesseract within a week. As for how to execute the 'Avengers Plan,' you know what to do."

"clear."