I Became a Knockoff Arms Dealer in the Marvel World

Umbrella Corporation is still aggressively—or rather recklessly—expanding its share of the international arms market.

Even though its arms business has nearly hit its ceiling, every 0.1% increase in market share now requires tremendous effort.

Could it be that Carl simply loves money?

That explanation didn't seem likely to Nick Fury.

But then, how could he explain Umbrella's obsession with selling arms?

In Nick Fury's opinion, if all other possibilities are ruled out, then the only explanation left is:

Selling arms must grant Carl some additional benefit!

Although Nick Fury couldn't yet determine the exact reason behind Carl's enthusiasm for arms sales, he did know one thing for certain:

Once someone has a weakness, it can be exploited.

If Carl refused to cooperate—or even if he did agree—Nick Fury would leverage all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to suppress Umbrella's global arms sales.

He was determined to teach Carl, that lawless bastard, that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't something to be trifled with!

After putting Carl in his place and making him understand that his weakness had been exposed, Nick Fury would then approach him from a position of power to negotiate peace.

Nick Fury could already picture the scene in his head:

"Standing confidently in front of Carl, who, upon realizing his vulnerability, would be so enraged he'd want to kill someone, but would have no choice but to put on a submissive and 'interesting' expression, grudgingly following my lead."

Unaware of Fury's daydreaming, Coulson had no idea what his boss was plotting. In fact, he didn't fully agree with the director's approach—or at least, part of it.

If they handed over a billion dollars to Carl, wouldn't that amount to admitting that S.H.I.E.L.D. had paid a billion dollars to buy back Captain America?

Aside from the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D., which had always operated domineeringly and refused to compromise, would now be bending over backward for Umbrella, the idea of treating Captain America like a commodity was something Coulson found absolutely unacceptable.

As a die-hard fan of Captain America, Coulson knew he couldn't bear the thought of doing something so humiliating—it would haunt him for the rest of his life!

Even though Coulson was deeply dissatisfied, he couldn't directly question his superior's decision. He carefully considered his words before speaking:

"Director Fury, is this really necessary? A billion dollars—just to hand it over to that bastard Carl?

Maybe we could approach this with a tougher stance.

Even without giving him the billion dollars, we could simply crack down on Umbrella's arms business. Wouldn't that achieve the same goal?"

Hearing his trusted Coulson hesitate instead of immediately accepting the mission, and even suggesting a tougher approach, Nick Fury realized that this was Coulson's way of expressing dissatisfaction indirectly.

Given Coulson's importance, Fury decided to explain patiently:

"If we crack down on Umbrella's arms business without first sending a message, what if Carl snaps and starts a nuclear war? Could you bear the consequences of such a disaster?

Umbrella's power has grown too rapidly. Without absolute certainty, no one dares to provoke a war lightly.

Because a second war wouldn't end as anticlimactically as the first one did.

Once it starts, it will be a fight to the death. The consequences of such a conflict are impossible to predict.

It could escalate into a world war—this is no exaggeration.

That's why every move S.H.I.E.L.D. makes has to be extremely cautious, making sure not to touch Carl's sensitive nerves.

If nuclear war erupts, chances are no one will come out a winner. It'll be a war with no victors, only losers.

To prevent Carl from making an irreversible decision, I need you to talk to him first.

This billion dollars is just a sweetener—to make him see S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength and understand the current reality.

Once Carl realizes the situation, he'll be forced to accept 'cooperation'."

This impassioned explanation convinced Coulson that there was no way to avoid taking on this mission.

Even though Coulson knew deep down that this was the right course of action, he still felt a thorn in his heart—not fatal, but deeply uncomfortable.

"Fine, Director. I'll go talk to Carl," Coulson finally agreed, though his face darkened as he left the meeting room.

Fury noticed Coulson's reluctance but didn't dwell on it, assuming it was just resentment over having to hand over the money to Carl.

For now, Fury had more important matters to attend to.

He pressed his earpiece and used the encrypted internal channel to call: "Agent Sharon, report to the conference room."

Three minutes later, Sharon Carter, her short hair neatly styled, strode briskly into the room.

Fury was deeply curious about what Sharon had experienced during her months of disappearance.

His psychologists and doctors had already confirmed that Sharon hadn't been subjected to torture, assault, or any form of physical tampering like implanted devices.

"It's good to have you back safe, Agent Sharon. I almost thought I'd lost one of my finest agents forever," Fury said, putting on a show of genuine concern for his subordinate.

Sharon Carter replied flatly, "Thank you for your concern, Director. My experiences over the past few months have helped me realize something important."

Hearing this, Fury's expression shifted, dropping all pretense. His single eye locked onto her, his tone sharp:

"What important realization? Is it about Carl? You must've had close contact with him. What kind of person is he? Did he do anything to you during that time?"

Fury fired off a barrage of questions, both to test Sharon's loyalty and to satisfy his own curiosity.

"Do anything? If Carl didn't already have a woman by his side, I'd almost think he was into men!" Sharon joked sarcastically, adding, "Or maybe I'm just too unattractive for him."

She then straightened her face and continued:

"Carl let something slip—he belongs to some ancient and powerful organization. I suspect Umbrella may have been propped up by Hydra."

"Hydra?" Fury's expression remained unchanged as he pressed further:

"What makes you so sure of this intel's accuracy? Do you have any proof?"

Sharon responded, "No direct evidence, but I heard it from Carl himself. Based on my instincts, I'd say the intel is 80% accurate!"

Fury, ever the skeptic, maintained his critical mindset—a fundamental quality for any agent.

Even though the idea sounded far-fetched, he was inclined to trust Sharon's intuition.

Still, even if it was confirmed that Carl was tied to Hydra, it wouldn't make the current situation any easier to handle.

If Carl truly was Hydra, it would only make S.H.I.E.L.D.'s problems worse.

Hydra's notorious legacy was infamous. Dealing with an organization like Hydra, which could easily rise from the ashes, was a monumental headache.

This ambiguous piece of intel only made Nick Fury even more apprehensive about Umbrella!

***

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