"So, what's your plan?"
Nick Fury crossed his arms, resting his chin on his hands, as if lost in thought.
Tony Stark was right.
If they couldn't eliminate this mysterious figure, they at least needed some way to fight back, rather than just being at his mercy.
The "wonderful" Christmas night they had endured yesterday was one that Fury would probably recall with a cold sweat even years from now.
Just a little bit more...
If the opponent had truly wanted to kill him, Fury would have had no way to resist.
Even if he had pressed the button to contact Captain Marvel before dying... what good would that do?
He would already be dead, and they wouldn't even know the identity of their opponent.
Captain Marvel, no matter how powerful, wouldn't know who to avenge him against without an identity.
Thinking of this, Fury felt increasingly uneasy.
He couldn't let things continue this way!
"According to my idea, we actually have two choices."
"First, we solve the immediate issue and identify our weaknesses."
"For example, the fact that we know nothing about him."
Tony Stark pressed a button, switching Ronan's image onto the screen.
Of course, it was the one where he was "wearing" the iconic Iron Man suit.
Every time Tony saw this picture, his heart would clench painfully.
This suit was pieced together from various Iron Man suits Tony had created.
And because of that, many Iron Man suits ended up in pieces.
"So, do you want me to investigate him again?"
Fury's face darkened. Tony was pressing the exact button he shouldn't.
Did he not realize this was triggering some serious PTSD?
"Of course, I didn't mean for you to do it. That's why I did."
"He left a coffee cup at my house with a straw in it, so I hacked into the criminal database and matched the DNA."
"Unfortunately, he doesn't have a criminal record."
Tony shrugged, but his gaze moved to Fury.
Clearly, Fury had no reaction to this.
It seemed that Tony's behavior was something he was already used to.
"If I'm not mistaken, S.H.I.E.L.D. has also been secretly collecting citizens' DNA."
"So, I also hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network and conducted a comparison."
"Unfortunately, you don't have a match either."
Fury felt his eyelids twitch, and he suddenly remembered when Tony had hacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. database on the Helicarrier a while ago.
Now, it seemed Tony had made it a habit!
"So, you're not going to lecture us about over-collecting DNA like those reporters, are you?"
Fury's face looked slightly annoyed.
"That's for reporters to worry about; it has nothing to do with me."
"But can't we deduce something from this?"
"At the very least, the person we're dealing with has no criminal record, hasn't been flagged by S.H.I.E.L.D., and hasn't even left a blood sample in any national hospitals."
"Given this, what are the possible explanations?"
Tony laid out his final thought.
Upon hearing this, Fury narrowed his eyes, as if he had an idea.
"In our database, aside from some very conservative states, we've established partnerships everywhere."
"Whether they're students, teachers, researchers—if they've been to a hospital, their DNA is recorded."
"So there are only two possibilities."
"Either this person left school, government work, and healthcare facilities after S.H.I.E.L.D. was established..."
"Or he's simply a foreign national."
Fury didn't hide S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dark history.
And why should he? These people knew better than anyone that these so-called "dark histories" didn't amount to much.
After all, everyone's DNA was already in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database—albeit with very high security.
"So, the first possibility is almost impossible?"
"He's probably a foreigner?"
Steve Rogers, who had been silent, spoke up.
However, Fury shook his head.
"There are people in this country who still don't trust science. They believe technology is corrupting our future and that divine punishment is inevitable."
"When the aliens invaded recently, these people claimed it was our technological advancements that attracted extraterrestrial greed."
"And this theory has gained support."
"These people refuse medical help, refuse all technology, and live as if they're still in the old days."
"We can't collect their DNA."
Fury shook his head and continued, "Including them and the conservative states, that's millions of people."
"Just based on this, it's tough to identify him through DNA."
What had initially seemed like a hopeful idea quickly evaporated.
But Tony showed no signs of disappointment.
"But something else happened tonight."
"That explosion in New York—you guys know about it, right?"
"I ran into him there."
Tony took a deep breath, recalling the scene he had witnessed at the explosion site.
Besides Ronan, there was the recently famous Spider-Man.
"You mean..."
"The explosion had something to do with him?"
Fury frowned.
If that were true, things would get very complicated.
A mysterious person, plus a terrorist—that sounded like an unbeatable combination.
"No, what happened was, he got a call, immediately stopped fighting me, went to the explosion site, and saved an entire floor of people."
"So I can infer that someone at the explosion site has a close connection to him."
"Possibly very close."
"If we find that person, we might get new leads on his identity!"
The more Tony spoke, the more excited he became.
Because they had found a crucial clue.
"You mean his DNA might match someone at the site—possibly a relative or close friend?"
Fury's eyes lit up.
If Mr. Fantastic really had ties to someone at the blast site, then cross-referencing DNA could reveal his identity.
Even if they weren't related, it would at least prove there was someone he deeply cared about among those people.
With that thought, Fury couldn't help but stand up.
But at that moment, Steve Rogers spoke again.
"Aren't you afraid that any clues left during the investigation might tip him off?"
"Then he'll come after you again."
"And if I'm right, next time, it won't just be a warning."
"He's not an ordinary person—not someone we can handle."
"And most importantly..."
"He can kill!"