Chapter Thirty-Three: Nick Fury—Motherfucker!

"Director, I have something of extreme importance to report to you!"

"What is it? Have you made progress with Stark?"

"No! It is something a thousand times more important than that!"

"Hmm???"

...

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
The Director's office.

"Motherf***er!!!"

Nick Fury slammed his hand onto the desk with a deafening thud.

"These people at the Umbrella Corporation are all complete lunatics! How dare they? How on earth do they dare do such a thing!!!"

Never before had he felt such all-consuming rage.

Before him, a video was playing, showing the interior of a laboratory. In the footage, a creature of raw, exposed flesh—looking as though it had been flayed—was hunched on the floor, feasting upon a human body. Suddenly, as if sensing something, the creature whipped its head around, staring directly into the camera lens. It was a hideous, eyeless, noseless monstrosity; its maw was filled with jagged teeth, still stained with blood and gristle.

"Roar!!"

It shrieked at the camera, looking utterly terrifying and savage.

A seasoned veteran like Nick Fury was not easily rattled by such sights, but the horrific truth hidden behind this creature—known as a 'Licker'—sent a chill down his spine.

"The T-virus!"

"It can infect all living things, including humans, and turn them into zombies!"

"The raw virus strain is even capable of airborne transmission!"

Lickers were powerful; even conventional military forces would find them difficult to eliminate. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. was no pushover; by combining various high-tech equipment and specialized weapons, they could handle these Lickers without much trouble. But the fact that the T-virus could spread through the air was a threat that forced even Nick Fury to treat the situation as an existential crisis.

"They intend to release the T-virus, wipe out all of humanity, and then re-establish a regime to rule the world!"

"This Umbrella Corporation is absolutely insane! They are nothing but cold-blooded, anti-human maniacs!"

Nick Fury cursed venomously. He had seen his fair share of ambitious people, and he had seen plenty who dreamt of world domination—their old rivals, HYDRA, were the prime example of that.

But even those fanatics in HYDRA had never considered killing billions of people just to rule over what remained. The actions of the Umbrella Corporation had completely crossed the threshold of human morality.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will not allow such a twisted organization to exist!"

Nick Fury's icy voice echoed through the office, sounding like a death sentence for the Umbrella Corporation. He grabbed his phone and dialed Phil Coulson immediately.

"Can you still reach them? Give me their contact information!"

Although he didn't specify, Coulson knew exactly who the Director was referring to.

"Director, I can no longer reach them. I just checked, and the signals across the entire Raccoon City have been cut off!"

"What?!"

Fury’s brow furrowed. He realized the Umbrella Corporation's intent instantly—they were planning to destroy all evidence through physical means!

"Those damn lunatics!" he spat.

"Issue the order immediately: recall all S.H.I.E.L.D. members currently on leave! Mobilize every available agent. Stop them at any cost!"

Even though there were numerous other missions pending, many of which were extremely important, facing a crisis that threatened the extinction of humanity meant Nick Fury had no choice but to prioritize this above all else.

The Umbrella Corporation had to be dealt with first!

Facing the enraged Nick Fury, Phil Coulson hesitated before speaking.

"Director, they suggested that we try not to do that..."

"Hmm?" Fury frowned. "Why? What did they tell you?"

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't care, but these were the people on the front lines of the biohazard incident. Their advice could not be ignored.

"It’s like this: after I sent you the video, they contacted me again and provided more information. They told me they are an Interpol agent, and this investigation into the Umbrella Corporation was an order received from their superiors."

"Interpol?" Fury was skeptical. "If they are with Interpol, why come to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

In terms of overall strength, Interpol might be slightly weaker than S.H.I.E.L.D., but not by much; they should have been capable of taking down a single corporation. If the person was truly Interpol, they should have reported to their own superiors. Why turn to S.H.I.E.L.D. for help?

"That is the crux of the problem!" Coulson took a deep breath. "According to them, their mission was just an investigation, and once it was over, Interpol was supposed to provide reinforcements. But when the investigation concluded, no support arrived..."

"Something is wrong within Interpol?!"

Nick Fury grasped the core of the issue instantly. If that was the case, then everything made sense. Interpol was no longer reliable, so they had to seek external support, and they chose S.H.I.E.L.D.

Thinking of this, Fury felt a strange sense of satisfaction. An Interpol agent didn't trust their own organization and turned to S.H.I.E.L.D. for help—could there be anything more gratifying? As fellow international government-sanctioned armed organizations, Interpol and S.H.I.E.L.D. often had overlapping jurisdictions and frequently clashed. Now that someone from Interpol was actively seeking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help, didn't that indirectly prove that S.H.I.E.L.D. was the superior agency?

"Something is indeed wrong with Interpol," Coulson said, catching the tone in Fury's voice and realizing the Director was secretly pleased.

He understood the feeling. When he first heard it, he had felt the same way. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent, he had often been at odds with Interpol. To have an Interpol agent come begging for help... that specific, sour-sweet satisfaction was something only those who had lived it could truly understand.

However...

"They suspect that besides Interpol... there is a very high probability that something has gone wrong within S.H.I.E.L.D. as well!"

"What?"

Nick Fury's voice spiked in volume.

"Something is wrong within S.H.I.E.L.D. too?! Impossible!! Absolutely impossible!!!"