Ch. 246 The Threat from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Opening a large and stable enough portal with the Cosmic Cube was not an easy task.

If it were easy, Loki from the movie universe wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.

Putting aside the matter of the Cosmic Cube and the portal for now, Russell went about his daily duties as the Chairman.

As he enjoyed a massage from his blonde secretary, Ellie, while reviewing the documents that had been submitted, the voice of No. 3 suddenly sounded.

"Sir, someone is infiltrating the building's security system, and we are currently tracing them in reverse."

Upon hearing No. 3's words, Russell shifted his gaze away from the documents and gestured for Ellie to leave the office.

Once his enticing blonde secretary, Ellie, swayed her alluring figure out of the office, he turned to No.  3 and said, "After you locate them, send White Outsiders to deal with them."

As the fame of the Justice League and the Octopus Monster Industries grew, hackers attempting to infiltrate both the Justice League Headquarters and the Octopus Monster Headquarters were popping up like weeds.

Although no hacker or hacker group had successfully breached No. 3's carefully set-up firewall so far, it was still annoying to be constantly targeted.

Initially, Russell didn't pay too much attention to these hackers.

However, as the number of hacking attempts increased, he had to make it clear to these hackers that there were certain secrets they shouldn't try to uncover.

"Sir, the intruder has voluntarily disclosed their IP address, and it belongs to the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Branch."

S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Russell furrowed his brow slightly.

At a time like this, S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to be searching for the stolen Cosmic Cube, not infiltrating the Octopus Monster's security system. Something didn't add up.

As he was considering whether to have No. 3 send a warning to S.H.I.E.L.D., his office phone suddenly rang.

"Sir, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Coulson is looking for you. He says he's the Director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Branch."

Ellie's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Where is he?"

Russell asked.

"He's right in front of the office door, and he's accompanied by a team of soldiers."

"Let him in!"

Russell said and hung up the phone.

A few seconds later, Coulson, dressed in a sharp suit with a receding hairline, appeared in front of him.

He was accompanied by a fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Forces team.

"Coulson, what's the meaning of this?"

Russell didn't stand up and calmly asked.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to have a chat with Mr. Bradley here."

Coulson wore a flawless professional smile as he spoke.

"Bringing a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Forces to chat with me?"

Russell asked.

"No, please don't misunderstand. They are here solely for my personal security."

Coulson said as he approached Russell.

Then, he took a seat directly.

After taking a glance at Coulson and his Special Forces team, Russell didn't waste any time and asked directly, "I wonder, Coulson, what do you want to discuss with me?"

"A month ago, the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Branch was infiltrated by an unknown hacker who copied some data from our classified database."

"Only today did we finally track down that hacker."

Coulson said calmly.

"What does that have to do with me?"

Russell used his years of honed skills as an assassin to maintain a calm expression as he asked.

"Of course, it's related to you because that hacker is your AI assistant, No. 3!"

Coulson said with great seriousness.

"Coulson, you're a government official, you should know that without evidence, accusing me of aiding and abetting an illegal intrusion by an AI assistant into an official organization could be considered slander."

Seemingly prepared for Russell's response, Coulson placed a tablet computer on the table.

"Evidence, I just received it. Mr. Bradley, if you don't mind, you can take a look."

Coulson said with a smile.

Although Coulson appeared confident, Russell didn't believe he had any evidence. If they had evidence, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have taken action long before today.

In Russell's eyes, Coulson was like those police officers who claimed to have all the evidence but actually had none.

"Since you claim to have evidence, why don't you show it to me directly?"

Russell said to Coulson.

"The evidence is on the computer. Since you're unwilling to open it, I'll explain it briefly."

"Mr. Bradley, don't you find the recent hacking attempts a bit suspicious?"

Coulson said calmly.

Russell quickly caught on.

So, that's the game S.H.I.E.L.D. is playing!

"Don't underestimate me, Coulson."

"This is not a threat, just a request. If you're willing to help, what data do you need? As long as it's in our database, we can provide it to you."

Coulson lowered his posture and spoke in a friendly manner.

Seeing Coulson's current expression, Russell couldn't help but feel that he was hypocritical.

Using his newfound superhero fame or the good reputation he had built with the Justice League to manipulate him—Coulson clearly had some unconventional plans.

"Your request for help sounds more like a veiled threat to me. Do you think my reputation can be used against me?"

Russell's tone became less polite.

"Of course not, you've misunderstood."

"This is not a threat, just a request. If you're willing to help, we'll provide you with whatever data you need. You know, it's all about maintaining world security."

"Isn't it more about maintaining world peace? You know it."

"Enough, I and the Justice League will join this mission."

Russell said quietly.

Although he said that, he had no intention of handing over the Cosmic Cube to S.H.I.E.L.D.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. found out that Hydra had also offered him a reward to join the mission but ended up with nothing, they would surely reconsider their decision.

Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. would never have the chance to know about this.

Or rather, they would only realize how foolish their decision was after the mission was over.

"Very well, thank you for your support. We will contact you again before the operation."

Coulson said, and then he left the office.

Once Coulson left, Russell said to No. 3, "In the future, when you infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., don't use the same methods as before."

"Understood, sir!"

No. 3 replied promptly.

After reminding No. 3, Russell quickly thought about his next steps.

This time, he didn't intend to bring too many people along.

Peter and Gwen were the first to be excluded.

Their abilities were not particularly strong, and their time was limited as they needed to maintain their student identities.

After excluding Peter and Gwen, Kara was also excluded.

Kara was currently busy with filming, and there was no need for her to travel around with them.

After Kara, Godzilla and Grendel were also excluded.

Although Godzilla and Grendel had formidable combat abilities, this mission was clearly not suitable for them.

After excluding Kara and the others, the remaining options were Hulk and Diana.

After some consideration, he decided to bring both of them along.

Since Diana was about to make her debut as Wonder Woman, he might as well have her participate in the mission from start to finish.

Having made his decision, he picked up the phone and called Diana, briefly explaining the situation to her.

After listening to his explanation, Diana didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.

Once he had informed Diana, Russell had No. 3 notify Hulk at the Justice League Headquarters to prepare for departure.

As No. 3 relayed the message to Hulk, Russell leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, and felt a sense of anticipation growing within him.

The Battle of New York was an excellent opportunity to obtain the Space Stone and the Mind Stone.

If luck was on his side, he could not only obtain both Stones simultaneously but also have a good sparring match with Thanos, known as the "Mad Titan."

In addition to Thanos, Thor and Loki, who had yet to make an appearance, might also show up.

If Thor and Loki appeared, the Battle of New York would undoubtedly become the world's focal point.

Because Thor and Loki were not just aliens, they were also gods from Norse mythology. Their presence would make humanity reevaluate the various myths passed down through the ages.