The weapon Nick Fury referred to was undoubtedly the one created using the Tesseract.
These weapons were still stored in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault.
Now that they had lost the Tesseract, these weapons had become one-of-a-kind.
But there were only so many of them left.
"I'm afraid that won't work."
"After all, there's no guarantee that weapon could even hit him."
Steve Rogers shook his head.
He had fought Ronan and knew how fast Ronan really was.
If the weapon could hit, that would be great. But if it missed, it would be no better than scrap metal.
Hearing this, Nick Fury fell silent.
Steve Rogers had a point. No matter how powerful a weapon is, if it can't hit its target, it's useless.
Nick Fury remembered vividly Ronan's incredible speed.
He had seen with his own eyes how Ronan, in less than a second, moved from behind him to the couch.
That speed wasn't something any human could achieve, and even if they could, they wouldn't be invisible while doing it.
"Why not ask Tony?"
"When it comes to weapons, he's clearly the expert, right?"
Steve Rogers offered a new suggestion.
Undoubtedly, Tony Stark was the smartest among them.
In fact, there were very few people in the entire world smarter than him.
So asking Tony might yield some unexpected results.
However, Nick Fury didn't express any opinion on this.
To him, Tony Stark was ultimately just a playboy, and even as a superhero, he could never be as disciplined as Steve Rogers.
More importantly, even if Fury asked, would Tony help him?
That wasn't guaranteed.
Just then, the door to the conference room opened.
Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Alexander Pierce walked in.
"You okay, Nick?"
"I came as soon as I got the news."
Alexander Pierce quickly walked over to Nick Fury, asking with concern.
"I'm fine, just can't stand up to give you a hug."
Nick Fury smiled, pointing to his heavily bandaged leg.
Thankfully, it was a through-and-through wound and didn't hit the femoral artery. Otherwise, with that much blood loss, Fury's leg would have been completely useless.
"Glad you're okay."
"I heard about it on my way here."
"I'll recommend to the Council that we launch a global search for his whereabouts."
Alexander Pierce patted Nick Fury on the shoulder, looking every bit the gentle mentor.
Little did Fury know that beneath this mild exterior lay a viper waiting to strike.
Hearing this, Nick Fury shook his head.
"For now, we shouldn't provoke him, and we shouldn't try to investigate his identity."
"At least not now."
Nick Fury took a deep breath.
Though he was arrogant, he understood one thing clearly.
If you lack the means to deal with your opponent, provoking them recklessly is not a wise move.
Nick Fury had paid the price for this mistake before, which was why he was in his current state.
"Alright, you're the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. now; I'll listen to you."
Alexander Pierce nodded, giving Nick Fury all the respect he deserved.
Meanwhile, in secret, HYDRA had already begun to take action.
"Alexander, I need a favor."
Nick Fury took a deep breath, as if he had made some decision.
"Just say it, as long as it's within my power."
Alexander Pierce was straightforward.
"The proposal I mentioned—I've already signed it. It's in the vault."
"Help me follow up on the initial stages of the plan."
"Since, for now, I'm not in the position to do so."
The proposal Fury referred to was the Insight Initiative.
Previously, he had hesitated about it, but after this incident, he had clearly made up his mind.
Even if they couldn't deal with Ronan, they could at least nip other crises in the bud.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"I'll take care of it now; you all continue."
Alexander Pierce stood up, patted Fury on the shoulder again, and with a look of understanding from Fury, left the room.
Not only did he leave Nick Fury and the others space, but he also helped Fury with a task.
A mentor like this seemed perfect!
Once Alexander Pierce left, after a few more seconds, Nick Fury spoke up.
"How are your injuries?"
He looked at Black Widow and Hawkeye.
Black Widow shrugged. "Nothing major, at least he didn't kill me."
For Black Widow, as long as she wasn't dead, her injuries weren't that severe.
Compared to those who lay dead on the ground, she was lucky.
"I'm fine too, actually had a good nap."
Hawkeye, with his right arm in a sling, cracked a joke.
Of course, Nick Fury knew their injuries weren't as light as they made them seem.
Black Widow had taken a severe hit to her back. Although she could move around normally, she wouldn't be able to fight for at least a month.
As for Hawkeye, his right hand had been fractured in a few exchanges with the opponent.
Not to mention his other minor injuries.
In less than ten minutes, Ronan had sidelined two of Fury's best agents for at least a month.
Even Steve Rogers, the best fighter among them, had sustained numerous bruises.
If Ronan had gone all out, they would have been completely wiped out.
"Seems he wasn't lying—this was indeed just a warning."
Nick Fury took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
In his mind, he could still see Ronan's terrifying silhouette.
Facing three opponents at once, not only did he hold his ground, but he easily overpowered Fury's three best agents.
And if he wanted to, he could have quietly killed Fury before anyone else arrived.
The thought sent shivers down Fury's spine.
How many people like that were out there?
One was manageable, but what if there were ten? A hundred? A thousand?
Nick Fury dared not think any further!
Beep, beep, beep.
Just then, the sound of a phone notification broke the silence of the meeting room.
Nick Fury pulled out his phone and answered.
A projection appeared in the center of the room.
The caller was none other than Tony Stark, whom they had just mentioned.
"Oh, let me take a look at you all, looking so low-spirited."
"If I'm not mistaken, that Mr. Fantastic has already paid you a visit, hasn't he?"
"Nick... Egghead?"