Chapter 49: All This for Fairness and Justice
S.H.I.E.L.D. also needed to expand its forces, but where would the hosts come from?
The vampires were in for some bad luck.
Consequently, this series of actions attracted the attention of many supernatural organizations.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. must have had a change of heart. To think they'd start cracking down so hard on vampires."
"Tsk tsk, looks like they're going to follow S.P.E.A.R.'s lead and eradicate all vampires."
S.P.E.A.R. had long since wiped out the vampires in the East. With 240,000 registered superhumans and Mutants, a force of that scale was nothing to joke about; cleaning up vampires wasn't difficult for them.
But now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was starting to do the same, many people sensed something was off. This was not in line with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s usual style.
But they would soon find out.
"Our degree of control over the xenomorphs hasn't decreased with their numbers; on the contrary, it's increasing!"
"The xenomorph social structure has an exceptionally rigid hierarchy. As long as we can control the high-level xenomorphs and a sufficient amount of pheromones, we can achieve complete control over the entire species."
"Dammit, the chip implantation plan has failed again. The blood in their bodies rejects all foreign matter!"
"Dr. Cleve, I have an idea. We could drive Adamantium alloy into their necks and then attach monitoring chips..."
"The mental detectors are clear as well. The xenomorphs' mental states have remained consistently stable. Our deduction is that no high-risk thoughts like scheming or betrayal have appeared."
Fury gazed down at the thousand-plus xenomorphs below, a trace of vigilance flashing in his single eye as he reviewed the reports over and over.
And yet, even the most advanced thought-monitoring instruments had failed to detect any form of treacherous scheming from these xenomorphs.
"Sir, although our thought-monitoring instruments are a far cry from what Professor X has, they're more than capable of detecting the activity levels in the xenomorphs' brains," Hill reported.
She knew full well that Fury was entertaining the possibility of the xenomorphs' betrayal. To suspect everything and remain ever-vigilant—that was the outstanding quality of a spymaster.
"Everything is going too smoothly. What do you think, Hill?" Fury mused, a persistent feeling that something was wrong.
"We mobilized the full power of S.H.I.E.L.D. to rapidly expand the xenomorph population, using the most advanced biotechnology to create pheromones and technological instruments to monitor their growth."
Hill offered her own perspective: "Du Wa is just one man. If he could do it, we can certainly do it better."
This last sentence was the key, the words that finally persuaded Fury.
Fury glanced at the earnest and extremely competent Hill.
If Coulson were here, he would never just provide safety assurances. Instead, even before being asked, he would have prepared a complete contingency plan for a hypothetical scenario where the xenomorphs went out of control.
Unfortunately, Coulson had barely escaped New Mexico with his life and was still laid up in bed.
Natasha had made a trip and returned half-dead.
It seemed that any high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who got too close to Du Wa was prone to misfortune.
"Then let's move out. Send the agents and xenomorphs to operate in tandem. Enter New York City, eliminate Du Wa's forces, and ultimately, bring Du Wa to justice," Fury said.
The xenomorph, a natural-born weapon of war, was perfectly suited to Fury's tastes: fearless of sacrifice, absolutely obedient, and capable of being mass-produced.
The only problem was finding enough suitable hosts.
To be honest, Fury hadn't initially wanted to target vampires. He'd wanted to select from the world's prison population, which included many individuals with special abilities, but time was limited, and selecting and transporting prisoners was prone to problems. In the end, he settled on the vampires.
After all, wasn't the Vampire Empire's headquarters right here in New York?
And so, the vampires discovered to their horror that overnight—in just a single night—the entire world seemed to be brandishing knives at them!
These ancient members of the Vampire Clan tried every means possible to leverage their accumulated wealth and the help of humans who had sought refuge with them for longevity, but the result... was utterly useless.
"Xenomorphs! Why are these agents also accompanied by xenomorphs?!"
"Aaaahhh!!"
And so, a world where only the vampires suffered was achieved.
Fury went without rest for two straight days, closely monitoring the movements of all the xenomorphs until he gave the official command for the agents and xenomorphs to advance on the outskirts of New York's Bronx Borough.
Du Wa would soon feel the pain.
"May, report," Fury's voice was steady.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly, but strangely, we haven't encountered any of Du Wa's xenomorphs. Something isn't right. He hasn't even deployed basic surveillance xenomorphs to monitor the surroundings."
Melinda May, a Level Seven agent specializing in flight, was an expert in the air cavalry. At this moment, she served as the commander, leading the xenomorphs and a team of agents forward.
"The answer is simple. Du Wa has already detected us. Since he can control xenomorph pheromones, he must have sensed the arrival of our xenomorphs."
Fury said, "What I'm more interested in is whether Du Wa's xenomorphs might, as Dr. Cliff suggested, have a certain probability of accepting our pheromones. Dr. Cliff may be insane, but his professional skills are solid."
"The probability is low, but you're about to find out."
Fury watched the images transmitted by Melinda May, comparing them with footage from the satellite.
The xenomorph creature was a natural-born assassin, too adept at stealth. Even he couldn't be sure how many xenomorphs were lurking in New York City, but launching a direct assault on Du Wa himself was undoubtedly the correct decision.
Just then, an urgent communication interrupted his thoughts.
"Alexander Pierce?" Fury frowned. A call at this moment from the current UN Secretary-General and former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was not a good omen.
"Nick, I don't understand what you're doing! Two days, in just two short days, you've actually cultivated this many xenomorphs? And launched a military operation?" Pierce's voice rang out.
"Ha, it seems some vampires have reported to you. Looks like they spared no expense, but I'm confident you can handle the pressure," Fury said.
Pierce said, "This isn't about pressure anymore. Do you have any idea how many complaints I've received about you? And not just from vampires! Colonel Stryker has explicitly expressed his dissatisfaction. He believes the technology to control and cultivate xenomorphs should be handed over to him first."
Fury sneered, "Stryker? He's made little progress with the Mutants, and now he wants to get his hands on the xenomorphs?"
"His reasoning is quite compelling: Du Wa was able to open a company and acquire a dilapidated building for his experimental base because he received Stryker's approval. Therefore, Du Wa is a legitimate scientist under his command!"
"Damn it!"
Fury cursed, then said sarcastically, "Following Stryker's logic, should S.H.I.E.L.D. be paying him an astronomical patent fee for using the xenomorphs?"
"It's more trouble than that. He wants to sue you on charges of endangering a nationally protected animal."
Fuck!
Fury said, "I never knew Stryker was the leader of an animal rights organization. He must be insane, trying to extend his reach into S.H.I.E.L.D."
Pierce's voice was full of concern. "It's just that you've made too big a move this time, and your secrecy was too good. You quietly took control and created so many xenomorphs, making some people anxious."
"So, they're blaming me for not sharing the spoils. Thanks for the information, Alexander. However, I suspect Stryker is just a front for those pushing the Super-Soldier program. Looks like I'll have to investigate who took charge of that project after Ross's death."
Fury chatted with Pierce for a few more sentences before ending the call, a hint of doubt on his face.
As the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce shouldn't be a problem; he wouldn't go so far as to leak S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence. Of course, Fury could understand him leaving behind a few people in S.H.I.E.L.D. to act as his "eyes."
"But why would he call me right before we launch the assault? What's his motive? Does he want me to succeed or fail? Or has he discovered something?" Fury suppressed this doubt deep down. It only took a subtle signal for him to become suspicious of someone he once trusted implicitly.
A moment later, Melinda May reported in.
"I've found Du Wa. He's standing with Thor. The situation doesn't look right."
Melinda May stared ahead in astonishment.
Du Wa was talking to Thor, occasionally extending a hand to point at them and their xenomorphs.
"Is this the new army you mentioned?" Thor was a bit dazed. He looked into the distance; no matter how he looked at it, these people didn't seem to be here to hand over control of the xenomorphs.
"If I say they are, they are. Thor, you need to have faith in me."
"My brother, of course I have full faith in you. You were the only one willing to help me in my most difficult time. It would be even better if you could return Mjolnir to me."
Thor's hand unconsciously reached out. He was always looking for an opportunity, feeling that anything Du Wa could do indirectly with the xenomorphs, he should be able to do directly.
Unflustered, Du Wa raised his other hand, and the Thunder God's hammer flew over on its own, foiling Thor's trick.
"See, Thor, this is the difference between you and me: I can always focus my attention, no matter the situation. You can't. You're always distracted," Du Wa said.
Thor reluctantly withdrew his gaze, not knowing how to respond. He could only awkwardly change the subject. "Well, these guys are radiating killing intent and are standing with xenomorphs. I wasn't aware that the xenomorph race could pledge allegiance to two masters at the same time?"
In his thousand years of war, he had encountered all sorts of races. He had seen situations like this many times and didn't think it was a big deal.
But what happened next completely upended Thor's understanding of the world.
"Strictly speaking, until I give the command, these xenomorphs don't belong to anyone... at least, that's how it appears on the surface."
A rustling sound arose as a massive wave of xenomorphs began to appear. Even those that had existed only underground since their birth now emerged.
Their numbers quickly surpassed a thousand and were still growing.
Du Wa's powerful vision pierced the darkness and fell upon Melinda May and her team. A single gaze was enough to make her hair stand on end.
She had only felt this sensation once before, when she had observed a xenomorph matriarch up close.
"Just as Natasha mentioned, among these xenomorphs are burly ones, likely born from using a Hulk derivative as a host... No need to negotiate. Attack directly," Melinda May commanded everyone.
According to normal logic, the agents on site would lead varying numbers of xenomorphs to quickly weave through the area, using various high-tech weapons from a distance to destroy Du Wa's defenses, then send their xenomorphs to charge in for melee combat.
If they weren't on the outskirts of the city, which was not an uninhabited area, they could have easily sent in a squadron of armed helicopters to launch a preliminary missile bombardment.
Many people from various organizations who were observing the situation thought the same. No matter how you looked at it, Du Wa's side was at a disadvantage in terms of scale.
The xenomorphs moved.
*Squelch!*
Melinda May's eyes widened, her brain roaring, because she clearly heard the sound of tearing flesh and blood and shrill cries coming from behind her.
The air cavalry specialist spun around, staring in disbelief at the incredibly bloody scene.
Every single xenomorph had turned on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the first possible moment. All the attacked agents instantly lost limbs; those who died on the spot could be considered the lucky ones.
Gunshots erupted, but it was obvious that even if they could inflict some minor damage on the xenomorphs, it was already too late.
Melinda May gritted her teeth, flipped backward to evade the piercing tail of a xenomorph, pulled a grenade from her belt, bit the pin, and precisely tossed it into the creature's mouth.
With a *boom*, the xenomorph's mouth was blown apart, but the expression on Melinda May's face didn't improve in the slightest. She knew that this level of damage was nothing to a xenomorph; it would soon regenerate as if new.
She might have the skills to pull this off, but the other agents did not. No matter how elite these warriors were, in this moment, they were being slaughtered by the very "comrades" they were supposed to have been living and fighting alongside.
What was worse, Du Wa's own xenomorphs had already swarmed in to join the battle.
This was especially true for the burly xenomorphs. Each one possessed astonishing strength, and their incredibly tough exoskeleton armor, which seemed to be made of muscle, was so dense it was horrifying. They could ignore damage from firearms, and after charging onto the battlefield, a single punch was enough to pulp an agent.
Melinda May resisted with difficulty, but as an ordinary person, she could only take advantage of the current chaos to desperately hold on, constantly dodging.
"Beautiful moves. You'd be very popular as a circus performer." Du Wa's voice cut through the battlefield with precision. His face, flickering in the dim light, appeared in Melinda May's vision as nothing less than a demon wearing human skin!
"You knew all along! You knew this would be the result from the very beginning! You did this on purpose!!" Melinda May's voice was exceptionally shrill.
The next second, she was tackled to the ground by several xenomorphs.
"Yes, I knew about all your actions, and I knew exactly what you did to my xenomorphs. So what? I was short on military force, and thanks to you, I've replenished it in just a few short days. If I had to do it all myself, the commotion would have been too great. By now, I might have already become New York's public enemy number one."
Du Wa ripped off Melinda May's earpiece and watched as the xenomorphs tore her to pieces.
"Nick Fury, it seems Natasha didn't fully convey my meaning to you. Or perhaps you knew, and just had to test if I was lying? A Level Nine agent... you truly are generous. A pity that they're completely useless to me. I'll be taking these xenomorphs now."
Du Wa then turned to look at Thor.
"Thor, contact Heimdall now. Activate the Rainbow Bridge and send these xenomorphs to Asgard in batches. And while you're at it, tell your compatriots that their powerful, brave, just, and fearless reinforcements have arrived."
(end of chapter)