"What!!!"

As soon as those words were uttered, everyone in the room was dumbfounded. Was Tony out of his mind?

According to Thor’s description, the Infinity Stones were artifacts from the dawn of the universe, possessing supreme fundamental power. Most people would be satisfied just holding one; the idea of absorbing it was utterly insane.

However, if it were that madman Jason, it might actually be possible. Carrying a gem on your person meant a constant risk of theft; it would be much safer to integrate it directly into one’s body. Most importantly, Jason’s superpower happened to be Energy Absorption—it was a perfect match.

After the initial shock, Natasha gave a helpless shrug. "You two really are lunatics."

"Lunatic? I’m a genius!" Tony waved his hands frantically in protest. "No, no, no, there’s a difference. I’m not that crazy. At least I wouldn’t dare experiment on my own body."

Banner suddenly asked with curiosity, "Then if it were you, how would you handle it?"

Tony thought seriously for a moment. "If I held an Infinity Stone, I’d create an absolutely loyal artificial intelligence entity and embed the Mind Stone into its physical form."

Banner’s eyes lit up. "Now that is a brilliant idea." Tony couldn’t help but reach out and shake his hand, as if he had finally found a lost friend.

Fury interjected, "Thor, if Jason actually succeeds in absorbing the Mind Stone, what would happen?"

Thor shook his head. "I do not know, but in all likelihood, he would die a horrific death. The Mind Stone contains infinite energy and the fundamental laws of the cosmos. Forget swallowing it—a normal person would be reduced to ash just by trying to wield its full power. That is why the Stone is set into the Scepter."

Natasha looked relieved. "Then Jason is as good as dead."

Tony’s smile faded. "Hard to say. He’s not exactly a normal person. But regardless, this is our best chance to kill him. If we miss this window, he might become even more powerful."

"So, Loki leaked this to us hoping we’d go off to siege the Joker organization, diverting our attention from the alien invasion so he can carry out his own plans," Banner said, the realization hitting him.

When two fight, a third one wins. This was Loki’s true endgame. The God of Mischief had played everyone—including himself—into his calculations.

Fury’s expression turned troubled, his mind locked in an agonizing dilemma. Which path should he choose?

If they followed Loki’s lead to wipe out the Joker organization, they would be blind to the impending alien invasion. By the time the Chitauri fleet opened fire, the world would be a scorched wasteland. Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. would be branded as national failures, forever pinned to the pillar of shame.

But if they stuck to the original plan to stop the invasion, they might miss the only chance to ever eliminate Jason. The strength of the Joker organization was already gargantuan; if left to develop any further, the world would have no future anyway.

Two paths, two catastrophic outcomes. The choice for the future rested solely in Fury’s hands.

"Sigh..." Fury let out a heavy, hollow breath. The weight of this decision felt like it was going to make his heart explode. Loki, you bastard. Thor said he was good at schemes, but this open conspiracy was even more devious. No matter which road he took, there would be a mountain of corpses at the end of it.

"Stark..." Fury turned to Tony, seeking an opinion. He couldn’t carry this burden alone.

"I... you know where I stand," Tony said with a bitter smile. Not only did Jason and he have a blood feud, but purely in terms of volatility, the Joker organization was clearly the more immediate threat to the status quo.

"What about you two? Tell me what you’re thinking." Fury bypassed Thor—who, as an Asgardian, had no vote in human affairs—and addressed Natasha and Banner.

Natasha didn’t hesitate. "I believe we should deal with the Joker organization first!"

Banner followed suit. "I agree."

It was rare for a S.H.I.E.L.D. internal meeting to reach such a unanimous conclusion.

Fury finally spoke. "Very well. I’m of the same mind." Without removing the Joker organization, there was no future for the world to save anyway. It looked like a choice between two options, but to any strategist, it was a logic puzzle with only one logical answer.

Seeing them reach a decision, Thor asked urgently, "If you all go to hunt Jason, what about the Chitauri army?"

Fury had his answer ready. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will continue to track the Tesseract. The ideal scenario is that we retrieve the Cube before they can open the portal."

Thor: "And if that fails? If the Chitauri enter Earth?"

Fury: "I will report this to the World Security Council and declare a state of global war. If the aliens come... the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines will be mobilized in full. We won’t let them take this world without a fight."

Thor looked at his confidence and shook his head. "I told you, your military strength is no match for the Chitauri."

"Excuse me, have you seen our actual military strength? Humans don’t exactly walk around carrying their biggest sticks in the open." Tony couldn’t resist snapping back. As a former weapons tycoon, being told Earth’s weaponry was weak felt like a personal insult to his life’s work.

Fury backed Tony up. "Because of the Joker organization, global military budgets have increased every year. We’ve developed weapons you haven’t seen. We are not lambs to the slaughter. Besides, the Chitauri haven’t mastered wormhole tech—they need the Tesseract. That tells me their technology isn’t as far beyond us as you think. Earth is our home turf; if we fight, the outcome is far from certain."

Thor was silenced. You’re the boss; you call the shots. Just don’t come crying to me when it all goes south.

"Since the target is set, the next step is to locate Jason and confirm if he’s actually compromised," Natasha analyzed.

Fury nodded. "Correct. Since the Cube and the Scepter both house Infinity Stones, they should share a signature. Banner, start with the Gamma readings."

"On it," Banner replied, heading for the workstation.

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You can read advance Chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.

pat reon.com/GreenBlue17

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