Nick stood in front of the window of his Skyship Office, scratching his bald head, confusedly saying, "How is it thundering on such a sunny day?"
Natasha walked into the office, placed a stack of files on the table, and said, "Bad news, Director. Key figures are not all in New York. Agent Carter is on annual leave lately, and the Captain is on vacation with her in Hawaii."
"Stark Group's business center has been moved from New York to all over America. Obadiah is left to guard the headquarters, Pepper has gone to other regions for business expansion, and Tony Stark has somehow followed."
"Peter went to Los Angeles with his good friend, Harry Osborn, and Matt went home with Erica."
Nick helplessly picked up the data and placed it on the desk, saying, "Either they all squeeze into New York, or they all disappear. Did they agree on this? ...Wait, they couldn't have truly decided this in advance, right?"
Nick began to pace on the spot, thinking and saying, "All the important superheroes leave New York at the same time for some reason. This doesn't seem like a coincidence."
"The last time this happened was when Shiller established United Heaven. All the important superheroes, including myself, died once, one of the purposes being to let the Skrulls hiding among us think that important positions are vacant, exposing them, transforming the hidden into the visible."
"So, the same situation has occurred this time, what fish does Shiller want to catch?" Nick frowned and stopped by the window, looking out of the window and slowly saying, "What issues in New York have not been resolved? Are any enemies still lurking in the dark?"
"So, should we investigate whether the superheroes who left New York had been in contact with Shiller beforehand?" Natasha asked.
Nick shook his head, holding his chin between his forefinger and thumb, and said, "When Shiller guides people to act, he leaves no trace. Even the actors who play various roles in the plan are unaware that they are deeply involved."
"If you call or send an agent to ask now, they will only say they are visiting relatives or traveling. They are not lying intentionally, they really just know that much."
"However, the current situation is different from the last United Heaven plan." Natasha keenly said, "Last time, you and Shiller were in cahoots, and you were the first to disappear, but this time, everyone else has disappeared and you're still here."
Nick suddenly widened his eyes, looking at Natasha and saying, "Have you noticed that the superheroes who left New York for various reasons all have high moral standards within their superhero teams?"
"No need to mention Peter, he is the most moral wherever he is. Captain America has the strongest sense of justice within The Avengers. Iron Man could be considered the last conscience in the Luminous Alliance, and Night Devil is the moral benchmark in the field of youth superhero training."
"Shiller sent them away, but kept me here." Nick squinted and said, "He doesn't want me to take action, does he?"
Natasha immediately looked serious. She stood by the table without a word while Nick's expression remained unchanged. He just sighed lightly, sat down at the table and pressed the ballpoint pen, saying, "There are enough fools who can't see the situation, enough to fill the entire Hudson River."
"Some people are bad, some are fools, and some are both bad and foolish. In my mind, I already have enough names for a book of those who deserve to die. I know I can't just take action because having an agent assassinate an important person would definitely exceed the acceptance range of all the superheroes I just mentioned."
"So you're saying, Shiller did this to provide S.H.I.E.L.D. with space to take action?"
The fingertips of Nick lightly tapped on the table, producing rhythmic sounds like funeral bells. After a while, he finally said,
"Not S.H.I.E.L.D., but me."
Natasha frowned heavily. Nick looked at the empty table and said, "Now S.H.I.E.L.D. is the coordinator and supervisor of the solar system development plan, always playing a positive role, an official institution. How can an official institution engage in assassination?"
"Shiller knows, in recent years, I have been continuously diverting funds to create my own power, but with New York seemingly peaceful on the surface, those 'final measures' have no use."
"But that does not mean that peace can be maintained forever." Nick cocked his head to one side, then lowered it and said, "How did Spiderman's reputation develop to become what it is today? How did the riots in the Bronx develop so quickly? Who is pushing for Iron Man and Captain America to become enemies?"
"I have the answers, but there's no need to tell anyone until I can completely erase them from this world."
Natasha sat down in the chair across from him, looking at Nick and saying, "But you need to know, if this is your personal action, then once you are held accountable, what you will get will be personal revenge, rather than official accountability."
"The official pressure can be borne by the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. network, both Stark Group and Osborn Group will stand on your side. But if it comes out that you, Nick Fury, ordered the assassination of politicians, no one will stand by you."