In 2001, many countries around the world already had social media. Naturally, many pictures taken at the time were circulated. The pictures were blurry and emotional, but through them, one could still see the miraculous scene.
The sky was painted gold like a long river, and the city of Madripoor was bathed in this golden holy light.
In the streets and alleys, countless residents knelt on the ground, offering devout prayers and thanks with fanaticism and reverence on their faces. Their previously numb and lifeless eyes were now filled with spirit.
Many painters who were there at the time perfectly restored the memories in their paintings: the black-haired boy in sacred, noble golden armor; the countless sinners burning in the holy flames; the miracles of broken limbs being restored.
This set the internet ablaze.
"Oh my god, is this really not a Hollywood movie promotional video?"
"If it is a promo, I'll definitely go see it. It's so cool."
"It's really great—letting hundreds of thousands of sinners bathe in the golden river and turn to ashes in the holy flame. Those damned sinners should all die. They don't deserve to live in this world; they don't even have the qualifications to go to hell."
"Is this an April Fool's joke?"
"I knew there must be a God in this world! God, burn all the Mutants and black people to death. Their blood is full of filth; they pollute the purity of the world."
"God has descended to Earth and came to Madripoor. I want to immigrate there. My body is flawed, and I hope God can heal me."
People were frantically and intensely surfing the internet, posting their thoughts on social media. There was curiosity, excitement, longing, suspicion, and disdain. All kinds of people were focused on this event.
Moreover, senior officials in many countries held emergency meetings, using various means to confirm the authenticity of the incident in Madripoor.
God. What a sacred word.
God represents omnipotence, like instantly burning hundreds of thousands of sinners to death and healing countless people with illnesses and physical defects.
Such power, such ability—no one would not be tempted.
But for those in high positions, the greed, suspicion, and arrogance of human nature made these powerful people want to contact and understand this "God," and then try their best to win it over, or even try to master this power.
In a Triskelion building in Long Island, New York, in a top-secret conference room, a one-eyed bald black man wearing a black trench coat and an eye patch pushed open the door and walked in. The door closed automatically behind him.
A middle-aged white man in a silver suit came forward. "The President's office hopes you can send an agent to Madripoor. They hope to obtain the most accurate intelligence, Fury."
The bald, one-eyed black man, Fury, took the document handed to him and flipped through it. It was a formal order from the President's office.
He threw the document on the conference table with disdain. "I won't let my people die. You know that well, Pierce."
"But none of us can refuse an order from the President's office," the man named Pierce said helplessly.
"Damn the order," Fury retorted coldly. "Madripoor is now a stagnant pool. No one knows what kind of monsters are there. If this is real, I can guarantee that my people will be discovered the moment they set foot on that land. I don't want my agents to be burned to death like witches."
Madripoor was now in an extreme situation.
If it was just a lie, the person who caused this farce would pay a heavy price.
But if it was real, no matter who was behind it—whether God, a powerful Mutant, or a person with superpowers—they could easily make anyone who entered Madripoor with bad intentions disappear.
Based on intelligence analysis, the individual had terrible mental power, capable of affecting the minds of millions of people in Madripoor and connecting them together. Fury believed that the only person in this world who could do that was an old guy with a bald head just like him.
Not to mention, in an instant, over 100,000 people were burned to death, and countless more with illnesses, limb defects, and hunger were cured. A terrible, disastrous storm was started and calmed down.
To be honest, even Fury, who had seen many major events, felt his heart tremble. If he were to anger a person of that level, he would have to consider using his last trump card and calling back the friend he met a few years ago.
He also wanted to find out the whole story and who caused the turmoil, but the premise was not to act recklessly and to be cautious. If he wasn't careful, he would get burned.
"The President's office? I think some people have an idea," Fury said. "Those guys who are afraid of death, who want to prolong their lives and reactivate the super-soldier gene serum project by conducting human experiments on Mutants, have now set their sights on Madripoor. And you want me to send my people to charge forward?"
"Let them go to hell," Fury cursed without hesitation, unafraid that his words would be heard by certain people and lead to revenge. He fully trusted that Pierce, who had promoted him and was a teacher and friend, would not leak it.
Did he truly care about the safety of his men? Not entirely. As long as he could complete the task, gain benefits, and make some sacrifices, he would issue the order. But knowing that this kind of order was completely disproportionate to the benefits and risks, Fury would be crazy to carry it out.
Pierce leaned on the conference table, crossed his arms, and glared at Fury. "Those guys pushed us to the front to take risks, but Madripoor involves supernatural phenomena, and they seized on that point. Fury, don't forget the responsibilities our department was created to bear."
"The funds allocated to us every year come from Capitol Hill. If we openly refuse, they will take the opportunity to reduce our funding."
"You mean?" Fury narrowed his eyes.
"Accept the task. The order is to investigate it thoroughly, but there is no time limit," Pierce said with a smile.
After a moment of thought, Fury nodded. "Okay. In fact, I also want to know whether it's a person or a god who is causing all this turmoil."
(End of Chapter)
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