This incident did not contribute anything to the grand plan of the military, but it had paved a great way for the promotions of other young officers who were waiting to advance their ranks.
In the silent atmosphere, Ross took the initiative to speak: "The plan can't just end like this, otherwise we will lose even more..."
Another officer clenched his teeth and pounded the table, saying, "There must be a conspiracy in this. Someone is hindering us!"
"What about the light ring from yesterday? Didn't anyone go to recover it?" Another general asked, while the general next to him shook his head and said: "We did send someone, and we also found that Stark had retrieved the surveillance from the Mercury Base, but the light ring just vanished…"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it literally. In the surveillance, that light ring which detonated the Red Door Lan Base just disappeared instantly. It didn't leave any trace, and nobody knows where it went."
"Moreover, according to the analysis report given by Stark, the light scattered from the light ring does not conform to the optical properties of our dimension. It is very likely left by a high-dimensional visitor."
"But who can coordinate between the United Nations, Asgard, and these so-called high-dimensional visitors? If he had this ability, why didn't he just destroy our transporters directly? Why cause so many accidents?" A young officer asked baffledly.
"That is exactly the problem." Another officer tapped his finger on the table and said: "If someone is really targeting us in secret, and has the ability to launch space debris from other countries, and even liaise with Asgard and the so-called high-dimensional visitors, why didn't he let Asgard use their battleship weapons to shatter our rockets directly?"
Ross shook his head, he too could not understand this issue. Logically, if someone didn't want them to complete this plan, say the mutants, they could just send Magneto up to crush the base directly, why complicate things? Other than waste of time and energy, what was the point?
Ross knew that the military's rocket transporters and equipment were basically undefended because they were developed too long ago. Even with defense, they could not withstand modern weapons, let alone powerful mutants like Magneto.
Besides, if the mutants knew of this plan, they would certainly not be silent as they were now.
In the past, when they were hunted down by Sentinel Robots, they stirred up a storm, desperately wanting the whole world to know that they were victims.
This time, the military threatened their fundamental interests. If they knew, then excluding everyone else, Wolverine alone would definitely cause chaos everywhere to make a point.
Ross also knew that, although the mutants seemed divided, they each had their own roles. Magneto and Professor X played good cop and bad cop; Wolverine appeared reckless, but in reality, he was a bargaining chip for the mutants in any negotiation.
Among the female mutants, the relatively gentle ones like Shadow Cat would play the victim, weeping on TV, while the more aggressive ones like Storm would hold speeches everywhere, managing their own media accounts, expressing their views.
If they knew about the military's intentions, the situation would be chaotic. Except for the X-Men members who would counter-attack, the Mutant Brotherhood would surely instigate chaos everywhere, and Magneto would not be idle, as he had threatened the president before.
But now, nothing of that sort happened. All students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were attending classes as usual, the Mutant Brotherhood was quiet, and Magneto was still in the Andromeda Galaxy and hadn't returned yet. Even his daughter, Polaris, was missing. Hy seemed not at all threatened.
Besides, Ross couldn't think of anyone else who could be their enemy.
As for Stark, he did not seem to be on good terms with mutants, and knowing his temperament, if he wanted to oppose something, he would certainly go straight to Congress, possibly even hold a few press conferences. He wouldn't hide in the lab and not answer calls like he was doing now.
Asgard and the Holy Sanctuary were even more unrelated. These two were transcendent organizations, and they had no such needs in the other countries on Earth.
The Eastern countries managed only their own mutants, and they handled this issue very cleverly, without worrying about it. Therefore, they never expressed their opinions on this internationally. They would not step in to engage in this technological competition.
After thinking through it all, the military could only think of one possibility: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D, unusually, had expressed his vehement opposition in a previous secret meeting, his eloquence unwavering against all attempts of persuasion.
Just as everyone exchanged understanding glances, thinking of the same person, the conference phone in the center of the table rang. Ross reached over to press the button and Nick's voice could be heard:
"Oh, oh, oh... Look at what I see, seems like someone's spaceship exploded, huh?"
"So, you all really sent your own mother to the sun? Such a pity, she doesn't even have a gravestone. Has the proverbial cat, Aunt Susan next door, finally let the bag out of the bag about you being her illegitimate children?"
"I told you all long ago, you fuckers wouldn't succeed!!! Just like this!!! There will come a day!! When you'll be blasted off to the sun to explode with your dear mother!! Leaving not a trace behind!!"
"This is the fucking consequence of your foolish decisions!! Don't you dare think S.H.I.E.L.D will clean up your mess!!"
With the tirade of expletives erupting from Nick's mouth that needed bleeping, the faces of the generals gradually darkened.
Furthermore, Nick went to Congress with this matter the next day.
Even though Congress had previously acquiesced to the matter, it was under the prerequisite of success; there would be no consequences if successful, but failure meant misappropriation of military spending.
Moreover, the military had previously promised many anti-mutant organizations of their assured success, hence the pressure exerted by these forces and groups was immense.
Nick's uncharacteristic resolution and high-profile stance made the military firmly suspect him.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D and the military have always been competitively driven entities; the military had screwed S.H.I.E.L.D over once, it was only natural that S.H.I.E.L.D would want to retaliate. Thus, Nick indeed had a substantial motive.
At the same time, he also had the means. As a superior organization, S.H.I.E.L.D could easily bribe any country to launch space junk.
Nick had even personally contacted God King Odin, and had fostered Thor and Loki; it wouldn't be a surprise if he could enlist Asgard's help. As for the so-called higher dimensional visitors, only S.H.I.E.L.D would have such eccentric individuals.
With the motive and means determined, the suspicion on S.H.I.E.L.D had become infinitesimally large. To the military, this was an obvious trap laid out by S.H.I.E.L.D, which might have spanned five years, all to bring down the Talto faction completely.
The military was more vigilant than ever towards Nick Fury, and concurrently, S.H.I.E.L.D's face-off had officially begun.
To deflect blame and alleviate pressure, they brought the legal battles to Congress, with the issue even hitting the newspapers. Although the exact reasons were not made explicit, almost everyone knew that the two parties had become arch-enemies.
The military, feeling cornered, aimed to pin S.H.I.E.L.D down, with the mentality of "If I am suffering, you should too," intending to pressure S.H.I.E.L.D into cleaning up their mess.
The military spokesperson stepped up to the mic, lambasting the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D for his lack of action. Multiple factions and councilmen, along with the Talto faction, put pressure on S.H.I.E.L.D. Countries from the United Nations began to denounce Nick Fury for occupying an official position without actually doing anything…
One newspaper after another from all over the country landed on Shiller's desk.
And on the headline of the last newspaper, a clear picture of Nick was printed, with the title in bold black letters stating—
"Yesterday, gunfire at Congress. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, was assassinated and died on the spot."