Putting down the phone, Peter was still in a state of shock. At that moment, Natasha walked in, tossed a set of keys on the table and said, "Peter Parker, the car to pick you up is outside. To avoid conflict of interest, I can't go with you. Take your yellow rodent friend and get to your new post."
"Wait, this is too sudden... why would I... I can't... How could I possibly become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Are you guys playing some kind of joke?!" Peter took a few steps back, "This is ridiculous, how could they let me be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?!"
Natasha crossed her arms, smiled and said, "Could it be possible that you're the only one left?"
"The only one left? You mean, everyone else is gone?"
"No, think about it carefully, is anyone else really more suitable than you?"
As Peter pondered this, the reality that mirrored the scenes in his mind happened just two days ago.
Nick Fury was dead, at least after multiple confirmations, it wasn't a fake death. The DNA testing from multiple samples matched perfectly, the autopsy confirmed that he was indeed Nick Fury, and he was indeed dead.
Yet, his death did not mean the end of the turmoil; instead, it meant a greater storm was approaching.
First of all, who killed him?
Everyone thought it was the military, even the military themselves. They all believed the Tartu faction was responsible, and everyone in the Tartu faction believed it was one of their colleagues.
While complaining that the hothead acted recklessly, they also thanked him for his rashness. With S.H.I.E.L.D. gone, the balancing power against the military was further diminished.
Congress knew this too, they couldn't let this situation continue. The Tartu faction was known to be radical; they strongly disagreed with the separation of powers system and were always ready to wage war to elevate their status. Congress wouldn't allow that.
Once war broke out, the entire political system was bound to reshuffle, and no one wanted to be swept out. Thus, Congress's goal was to maintain stability.
Therefore, the position of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. became critical.
Congress hoped to have Nick Fury's direct descendants inherit the position to continue balancing the military. They did have the capacity to support such a person to the position, but the only problem was that Nick Fury's direct descendants were unable to take the position.
Coulson was sacrificed, Hill disappeared with intelligence, and Natasha, she's Natasha, who would dare let her be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
The later emerging Ward and Mark, one was a cold-blooded killer, a typical sniper with little to no leadership abilities. His position in S.H.I.E.L.D. was not very high, and his sudden promotion would seem too abrupt.
Mark was not bad, an old agent, adept, experienced, and with a good record. The only problem was he was a former CIA agent. Allowing the CIA to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. would have the same consequences as the military taking over S.H.I.E.L.D.
There were also a few mutants, but the problem lied with mutants themselves. Congress would never immediately promote a mutant to the position after such an incident. This wasn't extinguishing fire, but fanning the flames.
In their search, Congress eventually set their sights on the members of The Avengers.
In their eyes, these superheroes wouldn't actually lead S.H.I.E.L.D., just having the title was enough, as long as they could maintain temporary stability, they would have enough time to select a suitable successor.
However, not everyone in The Avengers was suitable. First was Captain America, Steve was quite suitable. People in Congress knew him; although he wouldn't side with Congress, at least he wouldn't side with the military, and could remain impartial, relatively unbiased.
At the same time, he was quite capable, especially in terms of publicity, which was perfect for the current state of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The only problem was, he was extremely reluctant.
Steve announced that as long as the truth about Nick Fury's death wasn't discovered, he would never take over S.H.I.E.L.D., moreover, he said that if he did take over S.H.I.E.L.D., he would definitely find out the truth.
Nick Fury's left-hand man for so many years, not everyone was blind to the situation. Even if they didn't know the situation was this severe, they could still hear something.
If Captain America took over, being fair and having credibility, many people having grown up listening to his tales, could not guarantee that they wouldn't be influenced by him, making intelligence work impossible.
As for Stark, he was already in charge of the Stark Group and Solar System Development Plan. If he took over S.H.I.E.L.D. as well, then he would definitely have too much power, going against the idea of balance of Congress.
Blade Runner Eric was a vampire, Matt was blind, the remaining members were either mutants or associated with the gooey Symbiont, basically no use at all.
At this time, someone appeared in their scope, and that was Spider Man.
If the congress wanted to investigate, they couldn't hide the fact that Spider Man was Peter Parker. Once they investigated, they found this kid had a good background and abilities.
Orphaned at a young age, raised by his aunt and uncle, an average American wage-earning family, he even was a local New Yorker. His grades were good in high school, and he even got into New York University.
He had no bad records in school. Though he didn't actively participate in club activities, he made quite impressive achievements in scientific research, proving to be a valuable intellectual talent.
Meanwhile, Spider Man is also a relatively positive heroic figure, well-liked by teenagers. He doesn't wield as much political influence as Captain America, nor does he have the ability to control public opinion.
On the whole, Spider Man is well-received but he's not universally acclaimed. He is competent, but he's not omnipotent. Despite his humble background, it proves to be his greatest advantage. Given these conditions, he seems to be the right choice.
Indeed, in the eyes of Congress, this rookie cannot comprehend the complicated relationships and extensive intelligence work in S.H.I.E.L.D. However, that is exactly what they want. Spider Man is merely a transition, a means to prevent the military from taking control. As long as he can hold his ground for a while, someone else can take over in due course.
Most importantly, assigning Spider Man as the director won't provoke strong opposition from the military.
Because the military also knows that a youth with no significant record or experience in intelligence work could never unify S.H.I.E.L.D. In essence, it would be like leaving the treasure piled up, temporarily guarded by someone else. When he can no longer hold on, it will be every man for himself.
Peter, being used as a temporary solution, is completely bewildered and doesn't understand how he became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially when he hasn't even graduated from university.
Pikachu, held in his arms, wriggled its nose and said, "I smell a conspiracy. Do you think you might face a hundred and eighty black gun barrels, or all kinds of traps?"
Peter absentmindedly stroked Pikachu's ears, saying "I'm not afraid of guns or traps. I have spider-sense to avoid them. What I'm afraid of is…"
Peter took a deep breath and said, "I refused to join any group in college, because I'm not good at reading between the lines. I don't understand their hinting and I don't want to try…"
"If even college groups are like that, then what about S.H.I.E.L.D., the world's largest intelligence agency... My God, I think I'm about to enter another universe, where the way of thinking and speaking is completely different from mine…"
With such apprehension, Peter still went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.
He thought he would face a multitude of stern faces and endless problems, but to his surprise, as soon as he left the elevator, lines of neatly arranged special agents greeted him. The receptionist said with a beaming smile, "Director, please follow me."
Peter widened his eyes and hesitated before taking his first step, making sure his spider-sense wasn't tingling.
The receptionist, a female agent, led Peter to an office. Standing at the door, she smiled and said, "This is your office. You can wait here, and then the work report for this week will be delivered…"
Peter nodded in a state of confusion, entered the room, and took a seat. He paused, then said, "Alright, since things have come to this, let's just do our best…"
Then, he grimaced and said, "I hope these documents won't be more difficult to understand than my thesis research…"
He picked up a stack of documents from his left, opened it to look at the long list of names and various strange places. Peter immediately covered his forehead and said, "What am I supposed to do? Match them? But how do I know who should go where?"
"Here is the work report for this week," another agent entered the room, handing Peter a stack of thin documents. Peter opened it to see just a few lines:
"All work for this week has been completed smoothly, all personnel are in place, all projects are progressing well, with no anomalies occurring."
Peter raised an eyebrow and said, "Is this a work report? It's too simple, isn't it?"
"Yes, Director, it's not supposed to be difficult. You'll get the hang of it soon," the agent gave a small smile before adding, "What you have to do next is wait here and sign each document."
"But how do I determine whether the document should be signed?" Peter asked.
"That's the job of the deputy director. The documents sent to you must be signed," the agent replied sternly.
"What about the enemies lurking here? I mean, Hydra and the like, should we capture them? And, didn't Hill and the others get chased before…"
At the mentioning of Hydra, the agent's smile twitched slightly, but he quickly replied:
"If you want to arrest Hydra, we will launch a special operation. All you need to do is sign on the document…"
Peter looked troubled, but he didn't know what else he could do instead. After all, even though he's intelligent, the intricate intelligence work cannot be managed in a short span of time.
So, for the next two weeks, Peter's job was to sign his name on every document and receive a brief, problem-free weekly report.
Spider Man was at the center of the whirlpool, observing the hustle and bustle of hard-working people around him. He seemed to have joined them, but also felt isolated.
Peter sat in the cockpit, repeatedly pressing a button which set the large machine in motion. He had no idea whether the machine was operating smoothly, or if its smooth operation had anything to do with him.
Meanwhile, in the halls of Congress and the military meeting room, two voices echoed simultaneously, filled with confusion and shock:
"S.H.I.E.L.D! How did they suddenly become so efficient?!!"