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Nick Fury highly recognized Serizawa Ichiro's professional capabilities.
Although the Titan Hunter Mecha Project was a new strategy he personally planned and proposed, as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury had countless matters to worry about daily, so he had no time to personally track the progress of this project in all aspects.
Thus, he needed to find a suitable person to help him manage it.
Originally, this role had always been filled by his subordinate, Maria Hill, but her understanding of the Titan Behemoth was clearly very limited.
So, after a round of selection, Nick Fury finally set his sights on his old rival, Serizawa Ichiro.
In fact, Nick Fury's ideal candidate was originally Mark Russell, who had a more rational approach.
However, to his embarrassment, the latter was currently preoccupied with finding his missing daughter and ex-wife, with no other concerns.
Furthermore, Nick Fury discovered from his conversation with Mark Russell that not only did the latter hold no resentment towards Karl Merks, the 'culprit' who directly caused the Monarch Organization's dissolution, but he even greatly admired him.
He would never use such a 'traitor.'
So, without even thinking, he immediately passed on Mark Russell.
Now, a core requirement for Nick Fury when selecting a candidate was that the person must be filled with hatred and anger towards Karl Merks, so that they could be in sync with him.
And among the candidates who could simultaneously meet these necessary conditions, only Serizawa Ichiro seemed the most suitable.
Although Nick Fury and Serizawa Ichiro had been in a hostile and competitive relationship until a few days ago.
But as time changes, if one does not want to be eliminated, one must keep pace with the times.
Nick Fury believed that as long as the other party was a smart person with a brain, he would definitely choose to agree.
And the facts were exactly as he had guessed.
Serizawa Ichiro, shedding his previous dejected appearance, seemed to have regained his vigor, "Director Fury, I am willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
...
Pentagon.
"General Ross… ah no, it should be Secretary of State Ross, congratulations!"
"That's right, after Brother Ross gets promoted, don't forget your brother!"
"Secretary of State Ross, let me help you with such a small matter, how can the dignified Secretary of State clean up himself…"
"No problem, no problem, I'll do it myself!"
General Ross, amidst the envious gazes of others, unhurriedly packed his personal belongings, feeling utterly delighted… no, he should have been overjoyed.
Originally, when the Behemoth Crisis had just ended, he thought he would most likely gain control of the Monarch Organization this time.
But who would have thought that not long after, he heard that the Security Council had ordered the direct dissolution of the Monarch Organization, and handed over all its remaining assets and personnel to S.H.I.E.L.D. for management.
To be honest, when he first heard this news, General Ross was completely distraught.
After all, he had gone to great lengths to oust General William Stens, only to end up benefiting that black man, Nick Fury, for nothing?
Who could tolerate that?
However, just as he was feeling lost, he suddenly received a call from the White House, and the President's first secretary on the other end conveyed a huge piece of good news to him.
Due to President Matthew Ellis's heroic act of staying in the White House during the 'Great Cataclysm' and'sharing the difficulties with the people,' he won the goodwill of a large number of people across America, so his original pitifully low approval rating did not fall but rose… and it was a significant increase!
This made President Matthew Ellis almost ecstatic.
But he did not forget those who helped him; to avoid the same tragedy from happening again, President Matthew Ellis decided to directly bring General Ross into his new Cabinet, thereby indirectly clinging to Karl's big thigh and obtaining absolute protection for his personal safety.
At the same time, to show goodwill to General Ross… ah no, to be precise, to Karl behind General Ross, President Matthew Ellis also specifically authorized General Ross, the soon-to-be new Secretary of State, with full authority over the post-war urban reconstruction of America and its allies, as well as the auction of the Titan Behemoth carcasses.
One must know that this time, more than a dozen cities were affected, and even the central areas of several cities were directly reduced to ruins.
The preliminary estimated post-disaster reconstruction fund will total as much as 2 trillion U.S. dollars!
What?
You're asking why America also needs to be responsible for supervising the post-war reconstruction of its allies?
Don't ask, just assume it's 'long-arm jurisdiction.' All matters related to money and resources must go through the 'big brother' first!
What's wrong with the big brother taking some infrastructure work from you?
Do you dare not give it?
I advise you, kid, not to be ungrateful!
This is often mentioned in international society: weak nations have no diplomacy, weak nations have no sovereignty...
So, even before General Ross officially took office, his private phone had already been bombarded by major financial groups and various forces who had obtained the news through unofficial channels.
There was no way around it; who wouldn't want a bite of such a large piece of fat?
What's more, there were also the carcasses of those Titans, which were also huge investments of tens of billions of dollars...
It's no exaggeration to say that in the next four years of his term, General Ross, solely by virtue of these two projects in his hands, would be sufficient to become the most politically influential new noble in all of America, apart from President Matthew Ellis!
And so, General Ross, who had been sitting on the sidelines for more than a decade without much fanfare, once again experienced the feeling of being the center of attention, becoming the hottest commodity.
The last time he experienced this feeling was more than half a year ago when he first reached the Kong Proxy Service agreement with Karl.
Therefore, General Ross did not forget that the reason he could achieve such rapid advancement was not because of his brilliant methods or exquisite personal abilities, but simply because he clung to the right thigh and followed the right person at the right time... that's all!
General Ross kept shouting in his heart: Boss, rest assured, from now on, I will be your man in life and your ghost in death!
"Oh, isn't that General Stens?"
After packing his personal belongings, General Ross left the office that had accompanied him throughout his military career.
However, while waiting for the elevator, he unexpectedly ran into General William Stens, who was also carrying a large cardboard box, his face ashen, looking like he had just suffered a major defeat.
So, with a mischievous smile, he knowingly asked, "What a coincidence, you're also leaving today?"
General William Stens's face instantly darkened, and he wanted to explode in anger, but in the end, for some reason, he forcibly held it back.
There was no other way; the situation was pressing, and he had to bow his head!
Although both he and General Ross were leaving their positions, the latter directly ascended to the position of the all-powerful Secretary of State.
As for him, he was completely stripped of his rank, even discharged from the military, and nearly sent to a military court for trial.
So, even though General William Stens had already cursed all the female ancestors of General Ross's eighteen generations in his heart, in the end, he could only manage to squeeze out, "The wheel of fortune turns; I advise you not to be too overbearing!"
"The wheel of fortune turns?"
General Ross glanced at the other party and couldn't help but taunt, "I say, you've lived for so long, why do you still like to daydream?"
"Since you're leaving, I'll kindly give you a tip..."
"For a person to turn their luck around and reach a higher level, the most important thing is not how ambitious or courageous you are, but... whether you can follow the right person!"
With that, General Ross had said enough. He laughed and walked into the elevator, leaving the humiliated General William Stens standing alone in a daze.
...
...
Nine Realms, Alfheim.
This is where the elves live... that's right, the Elf race with long ears, exquisite beauty for both males and females, and also possessing first-class archery skills and excellent magical power.
Therefore, this World is also known as the 'Realm of the Light Elves.'
And in the forest in the central area of the Elf Kingdom, a huge Tree of Life stood quietly like a giant pillar spanning between heaven and earth.
Its trunk was extremely wide, requiring at least hundreds or even thousands of elves holding hands to encircle it.
The towering canopy reached into the clouds, and golden light flowed slowly between the lush green branches and leaves, which was the Tree of Life absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.
A spiral staircase was artificially carved on one side of the trunk, leading upwards to the elves' dwellings...
These simple wooden houses, built from branches and leaves, were all distributed on the thick trunk of the Tree of Life, looking from afar like fruits borne by the Tree of Life, perfectly integrated with the great tree.
And on the walls and roofs of the treehouses,'singing' symbiotic vines crawled, and whenever someone or a bird passed by, they would play crisp notes, as if singing praises to nature and life.
At the base of the Tree of Life, a clear spring gurgled out, which was the Tree of Life's selfless care and gift to the entire Elf race...
And all of the above descriptions were the scene from three days ago.
Of course, if the man who called himself the King of Asgard had not appeared, this World might have forever maintained its original beauty and prosperity.
However, the arrival of that man brought war and death to the Elf Kingdom, as well as... eternal destruction!
Drip—
Drip—
A series of fresh red blood dripped from the bodies of twelve Elf Elders, who were chained and hung upside down on the trunk of the Tree of Life, then fell like raindrops onto the dark red grass below, which was already piled high with countless corpses.
On the bodies of these twelve Elf Elders, intricate and obscure runes were carved with daggers—they were Chaos Sacrificial Texts written with blood and life force!
And the person who brought slaughter to the Elf race and carved runes on these Elders was Loki, the 'second prince' who had previously escaped from Asgard amidst the chaos.
However, this time, Loki did not come to the Elf Kingdom alone, but led a group of Frost Giants with deep blue skin.
As the biological son of the former Frost Giant King Laufey, Loki's first stop after escaping was Jotunheim to gather forces.
Although he encountered great resistance in this process, he appeared as a 'savior' by virtue of his royal bloodline and... the psychic power of Tzeentch's Blessing, successfully defeating the current Frost Giant King and unifying the Frost Giant race of Jotunheim.
As for the Elf Kingdom, Alfheim, it was his second stop.
But in a sense, it was Loki's most important stop, and a crucial link in his grand plan!
Because he planned to forcibly open a Warp Rift here that would never close—the Eye of Fear—by sacrificing the Tree of Life, which possessed nearly infinite life force, and the souls of the entire Elf race!
In this way, as a reward, he would receive the complete blessing from the Chaos Gods and use the demon army emerging from the Warp to complete his revenge against his father Odin... no, to be precise, his adoptive father, complete his revenge against Odin, ascend to the coveted throne of Asgard, and become the true King of the Gods!
At least, that's what Tzeentch told him...
And at this moment, on the grass, a group of Frost Giants with deep blue skin and bare torsos were piling up the corpses of the Elf race around the Tree of Life according to Loki's special arrangement.
"Whew... finally done!"
When Loki used a dagger inlaid with a magic gem to cut open the chest of the last female Elf Elder and carved circles of complex and obscure Chaos runes around the bloody wound, the originally clear and cloudless sky of Alfheim was suddenly enveloped by a blood-colored haze.
Immediately after, twisted, vortex-shaped blood-colored spirals appeared in the sky, as if an unknown abyss gate was about to open.
"Loki, your trick will surely end in failure, and My Lord Odin will definitely avenge us..." the dying female Elf Elder said in a faint voice.
"Save your breath, that old man is already struggling to protect himself," Loki said with a sinister smile, "Once I successfully obtain the power blessing of the Four Gods, the first person I'll kill is him!"
With that, he no longer paid attention to the female Elf Elder, followed the spiral staircase down to the base of the Tree of Life, then took a torch from one of his Frost Giant subordinates, looked at the sky-obscuring Tree of Life before him, and muttered slyly:
"Next, there's only one last step..."