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After Coulson left, Fury remained seated in the barbecue restaurant. He had originally come to discuss other mattersâparticularly the handling strategy for the Tesseract and Loki's scepterâbut instead received troubling news: Empress Semiramis. It wasn't that Fury had run out of cards to play against Chaldea; he still had assets like the reclusive Captain Marvel, but if things escalated, the damage to the world would be catastrophic. More importantly, his influence in the World Council was far weaker than before, and with the global appetite for Chaldea's territory growing stronger by the day, there was little hope of reversing the trend.
By the next day, following the "private talk," Coulson realized he had overestimated his former superior's abilities because the first wave of pressure had already arrived. China held a high-profile press conference, publicly inviting collaboration with Chaldea to develop the virtual reality world into a comprehensive second world to drive innovation in science, medicine, and education. Dubbed the "New Era Plan," it quickly attracted other nations. Most experts hailed it as a transformative step for civilization, clearly signaling a battle over control of virtual realityâand China, Shen He's homeland, was taking the lead.
"It won't be easy to say noâŠ" Shen He frowned when he heard the news. In the MCU, China, as a WWII victor, was a peripheral stakeholder in the World Council, but his presence had changed that dynamic. "Their proposals really do benefit humanity as a whole," Coulson said. "Technology, healthcare, educationâvirtual reality could change everything. But alone, we can't realize its full potential." Shen He narrowed his eyes, understanding the logic but knowing that opening the gates could mean losing control entirely. For Sky Garden to grow, they had to retain ownership of the world's largest vaultâvirtual realityâwhere hardware sales alone could generate astronomical profits.
Coulson reminded him that the World Council controlled the global narrative, and even Chaldea's early VR customers were requesting more diverse worlds. After all, buying a VR pod the price of a small car just for a "combat simulator" was underwhelming. Shen He asked how long it would take to develop the full VR architecture themselves; with Jarvis running backend operations and Sri Lanka handling design, a core-function virtual world could be built quickly. But when Coulson cautioned that a single company controlling everything might violate antitrust laws, Shen He fell silent, torn between monopoly profits and public approval. "Let me think on it," he finally said, realizing that Sky Garden had awakened in him a desire to build a divine realm greater than Asgard.
Coulson noticed this shift. Since founding the VR company, Shen He hadn't cared much for profit or even interfered with Chaldea's intelligence division, but now Semiramis had changed him. "By the way, the materials I asked forâhow's the collection?" Shen He asked. Coulson confirmed they'd arrive tomorrow, puzzled by the strange mix of construction supplies and worthless antiques like bricks, soil samples, and underground water. Shen He only smiled mysteriously, promising answers in a few days. As Coulson turned to leave, Shen He added, "Semiramis wants to understand this world better. Help guide her, and if she behaves⊠unconventionally, bear with it. She was once an empress." Coulson agreed, though he suspected she wanted to study global power structures.
Once alone, Shen He contemplated VR's futureâsecuring Chaldea's interests while balancing humanity's development. If Sky Garden succeeded, the power dynamics would shift forever, perhaps creating a second divine domain. Thinking of Jiang Lihua in seclusion, he resolved to perfect his plans and hoped Semiramis and Lelouch would soon assist. But just before logging off for the day, an urgent message came from Coulson: Black Bolt and his party had been ambushed in Los Angeles, sparking massive street damage. Jarvis displayed footage of Gorgon crashing through a hotel wall and shattering the street with a stomp under gunfire.
"Any leads on the attackers?" Shen He asked. Coulson reported no captures but suspected professional ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Shen He considered Hydra, noting that many missing agents after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fall were Hydra operatives, though they'd been quiet lately. Deciding to send Natasha, he said, "If it's former agents, she's the best for the job." Before Coulson could respond, Semiramis' voice cut in: "Allow me to go too. I'm intrigued." She reasoned that, as the incident involved Chaldea's allies, an official representative could prevent misunderstandings. Coulson hesitated but admitted her point was valid. Shen He agreed on the condition she follow Coulson's lead and avoid solo actions, warning of punishment if she disobeyed. She surprised him with rare seriousness, agreeing she wasn't reckless.
After the call, Semiramis turned to Coulson with narrowed eyes. "Were you trying to get the Master to assign someone else?" she asked. He forced a smile, denying it, but she cut through his charm with a sharper gaze. "Opposing me helps no one. When I first claimed the throne, many resisted, but they all submitted. Do you know why? Because I achieved what no man ever could." Coulson fell silent, knowing his hesitation wasn't about doubting her achievements but about the danger she represented.
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