"Mr. Cloud," Fury struck while the iron was hot, "since you're interested in these things, I think we could pursue a deeper level of cooperation..."
"Cooperation? I'll pass." Cloud waved him off before he could finish. "I told you, I'm retired. No overtime."
"However..." His tone shifted, and that cunning old fox smile spread across his face.
"Seeing as you've been so sincere, if you ever run into problems you can't handle—like aliens coming back for another round of urban renewal, or some dimensional demon god deciding Earth looks like an all-you-can-eat buffet..."
"You can come find me."
"Of course," he pointed at the hot dogs on the table and the tablet computer, "appearance fees are extra."
With that, he turned away from Fury entirely, waving at Wanda and Natasha, both of whom stood frozen in shock.
"Come on, come on, don't just stand there."
"These hot dogs are delicious. Try some."
"After we eat, we need to decide whether to hit up Times Square for the night views or catch a show on Broadway."
Fury watched this heartwarming scene—a god and two stunning beauties happily sharing hot dogs together.
Then he glanced at his own head, which seemed to have gotten noticeably shinier over the past few days.
He let out a deep, weary sigh.
He knew that from this day forward, the first page of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations manual would permanently bear a new directive of the highest classification:
—"No matter what happens, never let Mr. Cloud go hungry."
...
Ever since Nick Fury had successfully placated Cloud's hot-dog-deprived, restless heart with "unlimited research access to the Infinity Stones," S.H.I.E.L.D. and this living god had reached an unspoken cooperative arrangement.
Simply put:
S.H.I.E.L.D. provided any toys and services that caught Cloud's interest.
Cloud, in return, refrained from causing trouble when he was in a good mood.
And so, five days after the Battle of New York.
A top-spec stealth Quinjet touched down on the roof of Stark Tower.
Cloud—the man internally classified as "Omega-level" in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives—accompanied by Natasha, embarked on his first journey to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most core, most classified research facility.
This massive complex, buried deep beneath the Mojave Desert, was the most advanced Tesseract research center on the entire planet. It housed the world's top physicists, astronomers, and engineers.
When Cloud stepped into that circular laboratory, brimming with futuristic technology, every eye in the room locked onto him.
Those gazes held curiosity, awe, and that particular fervor scientists get when witnessing "unknown theory made manifest."
They'd all seen the footage of "Sunlight's Blessing."
They knew that this seemingly harmless young man contained power so overwhelming it could overturn everything they understood about physics.
At the center of the laboratory, a massive reactor-like apparatus hummed as it slowly operated.
And at its core, a perfect cube radiating ethereal blue light floated serenely.
—The Tesseract.
—The Space Stone.
"So this is your toy?"
Cloud circled the enormous apparatus, his expression one of mild disdain.
"You've got an energy source this powerful, and you cage it in something this crude, clunky, and horrifically inefficient?"
"It's like using a burlap sack to carry a priceless diamond."
"What a waste! An absolute travesty!"
His pained tone made every self-proclaimed genius scientist in the room hang their head in shame.
Including Dr. Erik Selvig and Dr. Bruce Banner, whom Fury had specifically invited as escorts.
"Mr. Cloud," Dr. Banner pushed up his glasses and summoned his courage, "in your opinion, how should it be utilized?"
"Utilized?" Cloud laughed, his smile carrying more than a hint of looking-down-on-primitive-man superiority.
"Something this beautiful—a pure embodiment of the rules of reality—why would you use such a vulgar word as 'utilize'?"
"You should feel it, understand it, and... play with it."
As he spoke, before the horrified, want-to-stop-him-but-don't-dare gazes of everyone present—
He ignored the high-energy gamma ray barrier surrounding the device, the kind that could vaporize a person instantly, and walked straight through.
He reached out and gently touched the cold Tesseract as it emitted its ethereal blue glow.
THRUMMM—!
The instant his fingertip made contact with the cube!
The entire facility shuddered violently!
Every instrument in the lab erupted with piercing alarm sounds before simultaneously going dark!
And inside Cloud's body, earth-shattering changes were taking place!
His "Dimensional Sovereign" divine soul, upon contact with this complete, pure "Source of Spatial Law," resonated intensely—like rain after a long drought!
The space of the KOF world, the space of the Marvel world—two completely different systems of law began rapidly verifying, analyzing, and fusing with each other through the bridge of the Tesseract!
[Warning! High-purity law source detected! System initiating forced upgrade!]
[Synchronizing laws with Space Stone...]
[World Law Analysis Progress... 15%... 18%... 21%...]
[Congratulations, Master! Law Analysis Progress has broken through 25%! You have unlocked partial Spatial Sovereignty permissions!]
A clear understanding of space flooded into Cloud's mind.
He felt as if he'd become a programmer with maximum administrative privileges.
The entire universe's space, in his eyes, was no longer three-dimensional and solid.
It was lines of base code that could be modified, copied, and pasted at will!
...
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