Chapter 157

Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict.

Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish! 

"That's not a cat!"

"That's a Flerken!"

"Do you understand? A Flerken!"

Nick Fury's already hard-boiled face became as black as the bottom of a pot.

He really wanted to give Satan a call and tell him not to half-talk things.

This is misleading!

Is this not psyching people out?

What cat?

It's the dangerous and terrifying Flerken, for goodness' sake!

Although it looked just like a big ginger cat, and even before it swallowed the Tesseract, Fury for a moment thought it was actually a big ginger.

But you can't just write in the diary that Fury's eye was scratched out by a cat!

By saying this, you're leading Tony and Natasha to misunderstand.

And right now, Fury could only imagine how surprised and bewildered Tony and Natasha must be at this moment.

Especially Tony, he'd definitely mock without restraint!

Fury had become an utter joke.

Oh no!

This is really terrible.

How is Fury supposed to face these diary owners in the future?

Even if he later explains to these two that the creature resembling a big ginger cat is not a cat at all but the universe's most ferocious creature, they would never believe it.

Satan has led me astray!

Satan has led me astray, indeed!

How frustrated Fury must be.

His sole eye began fixating on the diary, hoping that the following spoilers would clarify things.

Otherwise, he'd really be incapable of facing the Starks and the others.

[But then again, that cat is no ordinary feline; it's a Flerken that even the Kree fear!]

[It looks adorably dumb on the outside, but can be vicious and even swallow the Tesseract whole!]

[How such an abnormal universal creature came to resemble a big ginger cat, the world is truly full of wonders.]

[By the way, where did the Flerken go after spitting out the Tesseract? It seems to have disappeared without a trace!]

[It's said that the Flerken stayed safely on Earth, survived the snap, and even had offspring, though the truth of this is uncertain.]

[Hasn't it been kept as a pet just like before?]

[That would be really interesting.]

"So it's not a cat, huh?"

"I knew something was off with Nick Fury."

Tony Stark finally realized the truth.

To be honest, he was really shocked upon learning Fury's eye was scratched out by a cat, and he almost burst out laughing.

The 'King of Spies' defeated by a mere cat?

It's more absurd than a joke.

Turns out it was all a misunderstanding; the so-called cat is actually a "Flerken."

Of course, Tony had never heard of a "Flerken" before, but this creature could swallow the Tesseract, which contains the Space Stone?

That meant the Flerken could consume even an Infinity Stone!

What kind of extraordinary beast is this? Absolutely monstrous!

No wonder even the diary's owner called it a "universal beast".

If it can swallow the Tesseract, what else could such a dreaded universal beast not consume?

From the name "Flerken," it's apparent this creature can devour anything and everything.

Tony never expected that such a powerful entity would be hidden on Earth.

But why would such a terrifying creature look exactly like a cat?

"What a pity!"

Nick Fury couldn't help shaking his head in secret regret, a look of uncontainable sorrow on his face.

A super-weapon like the Flerken lost under his watch!

This must be one of Fury's biggest regrets in recent years.

If the Flerken were still around, there's no doubt that it would be a major trump card for SHIELD.

Although Fury hadn't figured out how to control the Flerken, its sheer presence would be reassuring.

Fury even wondered if the Flerken would have simply devoured Loki during his Earth invasion.

But unfortunately, the Flerken was gone!

Fury had put some effort into searching for the Flerken after it disappeared, but to no avail.

How could he find a creature indistinguishable from an ordinary big ginger cat?

It's not feasible to capture all ginger cats in America, obviously.

Despite his reluctance, Fury ultimately had to accept the fact: the Flerken was completely lost.

But the news of the Flerken having offspring was something Fury hadn't expected.

So now were there two Flerkens on Earth?

No, not necessarily just two — at least two.

After all, who knows how many offspring the Flerken had produced?

Considering the Flerken's god-like power, Fury was unsure whether this was a good or bad thing.

After these thoughts swiftly crossed his mind, Fury refocused on the diary, waiting for it to continue spoiling.

But after a few more minutes, the diary remained still.

Fury knew that Satan had whimsically stopped updating once more.

"Enough!"

With a sigh, Fury shut the diary and carefully locked it in his drawer.

Although current intelligence suggested that nobody but the diary owners could see the diary, let alone take it away,

as a top agent, Fury's caution was deep-rooted.

After completing all these precautions, Fury picked up his coat and left the Triskelion, dragging his exhausted body.

After dealing with so many matters, Nick Fury was genuinely tired.

He could deal with the diary's spoilers and other related issues tomorrow.

...

"Director, there's something I think you should know."

The next day, in the Triskelion, Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, appeared before Nick Fury with a serious expression.

Engrossed in his work, Fury put aside his paperwork and glanced at Barton with his remaining eye.

"Go on."

"Captain America is missing."

Hawkeye immediately reported, and after pausing, he added, "The older Captain America, along with Peggy Carter, they've both disappeared, moved away."

Both of them gone?

Fury, of course, knew that this was the future Captain America intentionally avoiding him, so he wouldn't be a nuisance to him anymore.

Fury maintained his composure, but inside, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

It seems that this Captain has firmly decided not to disclose any information about the future. 

After some time studying Captain America in my own universe, I'm not surprised by his reticence.

"Boss, what should we do now?"

"Should we continue to find him?"

Hawkeye Barton's voice kept ringing out, as he solemnly sought Nick Fury's opinion.

"No need."

After some thinking, I made such a decision, "Barton, your mission is over."

Since the Captain has made his stance clear, Nick Fury eventually decided not to press the issue.

After all, he already had a diary.

Though the spoilers about the future were fragmented and random, they were sufficient for me.

This was, after all, foresight into the future!

Having a diary was already good, so why desire more?

Of course.

Here, only Barton's mission was concluded, but it didn't mean I wasn't concerned about the future Captain America.

Considering Nick Fury's temperament, even a grey-haired elderly Captain America who possessed extraordinary powers represented a potential threat.

I would not let such a threat exist unmonitored.

Even if, from a rational standpoint, an elderly Captain America shouldn't cause any trouble, I didn't plan to further pursue him.

But some details about his situation and movements had to be under my control.

Just like in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," if not for a mishap, the assassination attempt on me wouldn't have happened.

Would Captain America have ever learned that his neighbor was a SHIELD agent?

However, there was no need to waste a trump card like Barton on such matters.

After sending Barton away, Nick Fury called Coulson back.

I tasked the reliable Coulson with the assignment.

In Coulson's case, Nick Fury did not reveal the true identity of Captain America.

He simply instructed them to investigate Harrison Hymar and to secretly infiltrate Hymar's surroundings, nothing more.

"Oh, by the way."

Aside from the case of the elderly Captain, after a moment of contemplation, Nick Fury handed Coulson another task.

What mission?

Naturally, it involved investigating Helen Cho.

That future genius scientist who would invent the Regeneration Cradle was someone I took seriously.

"Understood, Boss!"

Reliable Coulson took the order and hurried off.

He addressed a few other matters, then used a secure line to communicate with the newly "appointed" "new Pierce."

Once he confirmed everything was OK, he could finally relax.

Skrulls were indeed naturally cut out for espionage, not to mention that the preparation for this operation on my part was quite sufficient.

The individual adapted smoothly to their role and exposed no flaws.

So it's true; from now on, Hydra's boss had become Nick Fury's subordinate.

In other words, Nick Fury had officially begun to control Hydra.

The significant issue that had been troubling Nick Fury for a long time was finally resolved.

The remaining significant issue that plagued Nick Fury was the Skrulls! Based on the spoilers from his diary, he had developed serious suspicions that Talos had deceived him. The number of Skrulls on Earth definitely exceeded the known handful. 

This situation stuck in his craw, sat uneasily, like a thorn in his side, and he could not rest until all was clarified. But investigating the Skrulls was anything but easy. On one hand, the Skrulls were his secret weapon; if he arranged for another force to investigate the Skrulls, that could expose his secret. 

That wasn't Nick Fury's preferred move. On the other hand, Skrulls were no ordinary creatures, especially the ones under his command. Having been spies under his command for a long time, they were well-versed in the ways of espionage. Their counterintelligence capabilities were in no way inferior to regular agents. Coupled with their physical abilities far exceeding that of humans, it made the task exponentially more challenging. Even he had to proceed with caution. 

Considering all these factors, after much thought, Nick Fury made a decision. Tony Stark! The candidate for this task, undoubtedly, was Tony Stark, who, like him, also possessed a diary. First and foremost, Tony already knew about his relationship with the Skrulls through the diary. So this matter wasn't a risk of exposure to him. Of course, that was just one of the reasons. What he valued most was JARVIS. 

Considering this long-term, silent surveillance task, was there anything more efficient and safer than JARVIS? If Talos's people made contact with other Skrulls in secret, unless they intentionally avoided all cameras, recording devices, etc., JARVIS would not miss it. 

But would they do so? He thought it was highly unlikely. After all, those Skrulls didn't know they were suspected by him, did they? Thus, Nick Fury met up with Tony Stark again in an inconspicuous place, quite cheerfully. "I never thought I'd become a spy one day." Iron Man said languidly, sitting casually opposite him, making his point. 

"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" he said, shrugging with a tone of mystery. "Alright, pleasantries aside, let's get straight to the point!" Tony didn't want to chat or shoot the breeze with an old man like Nick Fury, preferring to get to the heart of the matter. 

He didn't mince words. He told Tony straightforwardly about his plan to have Iron Man investigate the Skrulls. And the outcome was exactly as Nick Fury expected; Tony agreed almost without hesitation. 

After all, Tony couldn't ignore the matter of a secret invasion. "You must really have me figured out, huh? I hate this feeling." Tony complained just a bit. Snap! Nick Fury, confident in his blueprint, presented a document to Tony. On it were the details of the Skrulls that he had in his possession.