"That was also a misunderstanding. My subordinates saw a werewolf attacking and thought it was an enemy. We didn't know about Joslin's relationship with the werewolf!" Nick Fury quickly regained his composure and continued to explain. After all, Joslin's choice of partner wasn't as important as his own safety.
"Do you really have no ill intent?" Carol looked at Nick Fury, her eyebrows furrowed in seriousness.
"Truly, I have no ill intent. I admit, I had my own motives. I just wanted to get in touch with Joslin to see if I could find a group of superhumans who could serve the country," Nick Fury earnestly told Carol. "After all, you've seen the capabilities of my subordinates. They're not strong enough to face real threats. We can't always rely on superheroes or Saiyans, whose appearances are unpredictable, can we?"
"Plus, Joslin is my sister. Even though I haven't had much contact with her family over the years, I wouldn't persecute them, right?"
"What do you plan to do now?" Carol's expression softened slightly. Seeing that Robert didn't interrupt, she continued to address Nick Fury.
"I will help that werewolf get treatment..." Nick Fury knew Carol wasn't asking for her own sake, but for Claire's. He sincerely looked at Claire as he made his offer.
"No need! I hope you can continue as before and keep no contact with our family!" Claire coldly cut Nick Fury off.
"Alright!" Nick Fury was taken aback for a moment, then took a deep breath and solemnly promised Claire, "You have my word, I won't disturb you again, just like in the past years..."
"Saiyan, shall we go?" Hearing Nick Fury's response, Claire turned to Robert and softly asked.
"Not yet, I want to know what that blue cube is all about. I'm still very interested in it..." Robert waved his hand and smiled at Nick Fury.
"Absolutely not!" Nick Fury's face darkened. Even with Carol nearby, he showed no intention of changing his stance.
"Blue cube?" Carol raised an eyebrow, seemingly realizing something. She softly said to Robert, "We'll meet later, and I'll tell you about that item. The situation here?"
"Don't worry, I'll respect your presence!" Robert chuckled, nodded to Claire and the rather idle Constantine, and said, "Let's go back..."
"Phew!" Watching Robert leave with Constantine and Claire holding Joslin, Nick Fury finally relaxed. He quickly ordered his subordinates, "Take the wounded for treatment, bury the dead, and provide the highest standard of compensation. Also, check on Barton..."
"Director!" Just as Nick Fury finished speaking, Hawkeye Barton finally regained his freedom and ran out from the central control room. Relieved to see Robert gone, he said, "I don't know why, but I lost the ability to move, sorry, Director, I let you down..."
"That was a Saiyan. Didn't you fight him last time? Being alive after that is lucky enough!" Nick Fury shook his head, somewhat emotionally.
"So it was him! Last time, he knocked me out with a single blow. I managed to inject the Super Soldier Serum, but it seems it wasn't enough compared to last time..." Hawkeye Barton paused, then ruefully added, "Director, why did you provoke him? Could it be that inviting Joslin back was your real purpose?"
"Go rest now. Let's not talk about Joslin anymore," Nick Fury replied, his expression darkening. If he had known earlier that Joslin's daughter, Claire, could contact a Saiyan, he would have personally visited to forge a closer relationship rather than forcibly inviting Joslin.
"You really haven't contacted your family all these years? So you haven't secretly looked after my family?" After Hawkeye left, Carol looked at Nick Fury, her gaze flickering. Initially skeptical of Fury's claim of minimal contact with his family, she now believed it, seeing his relationship with Joslin's family.
"When you left, I did look after your family, including mine. But as my position rose, I gradually cut off contact with them. Not just me at this level, even Coulson can barely contact his own family," Nick Fury explained, shaking his head somberly.
"As the head of a governmental intelligence organization, I can't afford to have such vulnerabilities. I can hide my ties with them, but too many interactions would surely be noticed by those with ill intentions."
"I guess I misunderstood you before..." Carol sighed softly.
"Where have you been? I couldn't contact you. And how do you know the Saiyan? Why is he different from before?" Nick Fury regained his focus, turning the conversation back to Carol and Robert.
Because of Carol's disappearance, Fury had been forced to lower his standards to contact Joslin in
hopes of finding weaker superhumans to recruit. But unexpectedly, this contact brought both Robert and Carol to him.
"It seems that in the world of superhumans, whether strong or weak, they are all intricately connected. Otherwise, how could you have met Robert just after returning to Earth?" Fury speculated.
"You mentioned Saiyans and Superman before. After seeing my family, I met them both. Superman is even stronger than me, a top-tier power in the universe. You need to change your perspective," Carol said seriously, choosing not to reveal her personal connections with Clark and Robert.
Hearing Carol admit her loss to Clark, a sense of crisis enveloped Fury again, triggering his paranoia. However, as Carol continued, Fury instinctively objected, "My perspective? What's wrong with it? We can't be sure of their intentions. With such destructive power, who could stop them if they meant harm?"
"They are protecting the Earth in their own way, just as you are," Carol reasoned, trying to calm an agitated Fury. "If everyone is guarding the Earth in their own way, why can't they cooperate?"
"Why don't they come forward if they really have no ulterior motives? Why don't they interact with us?"
"Why do you think? Because they don't want to break ties with you, to avoid disrupting their normal lives..." Carol looked deeply at Fury, "You think they need to obey your commands to feel secure. Why not consider supporting them instead, following their lead?"
"Fury, I know you want to protect this planet. It's because you've seen powerful beings in the universe that could threaten Earth. But let me tell you, with Superman's strength, he can resist 99% of threats..."
"And if Superman and the Saiyan really had any ulterior motives you fear, you couldn't stop them anyway. Their power is such that they could destroy the Earth without much effort..."
"Instead of scheming against them, thinking about how to control them, imagine how to improve relations, help them with aftercare. That way, you're both working to protect the Earth, not wasting energy on meaningless internal conflicts."
"I've seen too many civilizations in the universe destroy themselves through internal strife. I don't want Earth to follow in those footsteps. Think about it..."
After speaking, Carol disappeared in a flash, leaving Fury to ponder her words. As a former comrade, she hoped Fury would take some of her advice to heart, although she knew it might be difficult.
"Trusting the safety of Earth to their whims, honestly, I can't do it. I might trust you, but them? I don't even know who they are. How can I trust them?" Fury sighed, his heart heavy.
Despite realizing the reasonableness of Carol's words, changing his mindset wasn't easy. His position made it difficult to truly alter his attitude.
To Fury, superhumans like Superman and the Saiyan, whose backgrounds were unknown, would never earn his complete trust. They could not reveal their true identities or cooperate with official commands...
In the magic base, Robert, Claire, and Constantine returned together. The teleportation gate, unaffected by the proximity to Fury's secret base, increased Robert's interest in the blue energy cube, especially since he knew from Hawkeye Barton's memories that the blue cube's power was immense.
Despite his curiosity, Robert wasn't in a hurry; Carol had promised to discuss the blue cube with him. When the time came, he could simply visit her at Savage Island or at home.
"Joslin!" Luke, seeing Claire return with Joslin, rushed over despite his injuries not being fully healed, his face filled with concern. "What happened to her?"
"Is my mom really okay? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Claire also turned to Robert and asked softly.
"Don't worry, she's really fine." Robert waved his hand, casting a healing spell that enveloped not only Joslin but also Luke, who had unhealed injuries.
"Hmm?" Joslin soon woke up, somewhat bewildered. As she regained consciousness, she began to panic, "Where is this? Claire?"
"Mom, it's okay, you're safe!" Claire embraced Joslin, reassuring her.
"Luke... Luke is..." Joslin paused after being embraced by Claire, then spoke anxiously.
"I'm here, I'm fine!" Luke held Joslin's hand, comforting her softly.
"Even though it's not the first time I've seen you use it, I still think your ability is too overpowered. If hell or some deities knew about it, they might not leave you alone!" Constantine commented somewhat sentimentally, "I really don't know how you got such a power. It's enviable..."
"You don't think that using abilities comes without a cost, do you? Look at Claire and her lineage of Shadow Hunters; they'll tell you that gaining and using abilities comes with a price..." Robert looked at Constantine, exagger
ating slightly. He was concerned that if he didn't make it sound serious enough, Constantine might soon dramatically inform him that he needed healing, "It's just that the Shadow Hunters don't realize their power must be repaid, while I've always known the cost of my abilities!"
"I thought so! There's no such thing as a free lunch, especially not from those heartless big shots. How could they possibly make a losing deal?" Constantine nodded in understanding, knowing well that using such a BUG-level ability couldn't come without a price. Robert's power wasn't so great as to destroy worlds or defy the dimensions of hell and death.
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