Chapter 19: You Shouldn't Wear Rings Randomly

Director Nick Fury was not currently at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Instead, he was leisurely sipping coffee alone in a small seaside cafe. Although he was feigning an appreciation for the view outside the window, anyone looking at him could tell by his long, troubled face that his mood was certainly not good.

This little shop was a safe house he had prepared years ago back when he was still an agent. He had originally thought he would never have to use this place again.

But who could have guessed that he would finally have to use it today? Nick Fury was waiting for someone; perhaps this was the only place left where he could feel safe enough to have a conversation. Unfortunately, after today, this place would likely no longer be safe either.

How ironic! Hey! If he told anyone, they probably wouldn't believe him! The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., whose very mission was to maintain Earth's security, was actually worrying about finding a single place where he could talk in safety?

Just as Nick Fury was growing impatient, a woman with a dashing, spirited aura, wearing combat-ready form-fitting attire and sporting short hair, pushed open the door and walked in. This was the person Nick Fury was waiting for today—Maria Hill, a Level 9 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent!

In Director Fury's eyes, Hill's abilities were beyond doubt; her combat skills, command, and logistical capabilities were top-tier. Otherwise, she wouldn't have reached the rank of Level 9 agent at such a young age.

Although Hill sometimes questioned his decisions and did not blindly follow his orders—strictly speaking, she wasn't part of his absolute inner circle—looking across the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury realized that she might be the only one capable of helping him deal with this current mess.

He had considered Coulson or Melinda, but first, their ranks were insufficient, and second, their skill sets were too specialized to handle this. Ultimately, he found that Maria Hill was his only choice!

"Director, what is it you need me for?" Hill scanned the environment of the shop vigilantly. Only after finding nothing unusual did she walk up and stand before Nick Fury's table. She knew that if the Director had called her here, he certainly had a clandestine mission to assign her.

"You're finally here! Sit down. Don't worry, it's safe here for now; no one is eavesdropping on us." Nick Fury waved his hand, gesturing for Hill to sit opposite him.

Seeing Hill sit upright and formal across from him, Nick Fury pushed the coffee aside, placed his hands on the table with fingers interlaced, and stared at her with his single eye, lost in thought. After a long silence, he took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Hill, can I trust you?"

"Just give the order, Director!" Hill replied noncommittally.

Since he had brought her here, there was undoubtedly an urgent mission to be handed over privately. As long as it did not violate the principles of S.H.I.E.L.D., she would do everything in her power to complete it!

"Very well!" Nick Fury nodded. He then pulled a uniquely styled diamond ring from his pocket, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it toward Hill.

"Director? What is the meaning of this!" Hill was shocked! She stood up in a panic. After the initial shock, her gaze sharpened, and she stared at Nick Fury with a cold expression.

What did he mean? To invite her to this little cafe and then present her with a diamond ring? Was he proposing to her? What a joke! When had she ever shown even a hint of interest in him? How could she possibly like this... this one-eyed, dark-skinned man?!

"Sit down first, Hill... This isn't what you think it is!"

Seeing her reaction, Director Fury was stunned for a moment before suddenly realizing the misunderstanding.

It seemed Hill had definitely misread the situation. A rare flush appeared on his face; this was incredibly awkward! If Hill had actually accepted the ring after misunderstanding his intent, that would have been a massive incident. Fortunately! Thank goodness!

"Then what are you doing?" After sitting back down, Hill frowned at the ring on the table. To suddenly invite someone here and hand over a diamond ring without a word of explanation—any woman would misunderstand! How low was his emotional intelligence?

"It goes like this..."

Nick Fury recalled the transaction he had made with Annie. After Annie used her telepathy to extract the secrets deep within Pierce's mind, she had packaged the information and used magic to transmit it all directly into Nick Fury's brain.

In that instant, Nick Fury felt as if he had become Pierce. In less than an hour, he had rapidly reviewed Pierce's entire life like a slideshow, learning everything Pierce had touched, his secrets, and his true identity. It was a name Nick Fury never wanted to remember—HYDRA!!!

At first, Nick Fury was unwilling to believe it. He couldn't believe that Pierce would be a high-ranking member of HYDRA, let alone that the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been thoroughly corrupted by them.

But upon further reflection, he found peace with it.

That little alien girl, Annie, probably hadn't even heard the word "HYDRA" before meeting Pierce, right? Combined with those vivid, real images, they couldn't have been faked. Many of the images were secret conversations between him and the former Director, Pierce, from before Fury had even taken command. At that time, little Annie was likely just a single cell! She couldn't have forged those. Therefore, the matter was likely true!

"HYDRA? How is that possible? Weren't they wiped out long ago?" Hill, of course, knew what HYDRA was and what the name signified. Her expression turned grave. She finally understood why the Director had summoned her here in secret: because S.H.I.E.L.D. could likely no longer be called S.H.I.E.L.D.!

"This ring was made for me by Annie. It's a... strange magical tool. There are only two in existence, and I am giving one to you. It can determine if a person belongs to HYDRA within a ten-meter radius! If they do, it will emit a faint, multicolored glow, just like the refraction of a real diamond! If they don't, it won't react at all!"

Nick Fury was very satisfied with this simple and practical detection tool. Although it could only identify HYDRA members and not other factions, it was enough! Moreover, the method was highly discreet. After all, who would suspect a diamond ring on someone's finger? Isn't it normal for a diamond to reflect multicolored light?

This magic was truly practical. He had been wondering whether he should have Coulson and the others trick little Annie into training a few mages for S.H.I.E.L.D. or writing a few spellbooks.

Tsk! That idea probably wouldn't be easy to implement. After all, that little rascal Annie was hard to handle; without enough incentives to tempt her, she wouldn't submit easily.

He just wondered what else she liked besides aircraft. He would have to have Coulson and the others find time to ask her. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a massive organization; surely there must be something she liked?

"You mean this ring can identify HYDRA?" Hill picked up the diamond ring with skepticism and held it up to the sunlight.

What amazed her was that, even in this light, it didn't refract a single hint of multicolored light! What was it made of? Even glass would refract beautiful colors in the sun. It seemed this thing was indeed a miraculous object!

"Since it can distinguish HYDRA, why don't you just take decisive action and wipe them out in one go?" Hill felt that if the tool was this useful, what was the wait for? Mobilize the forces and clear out those damn HYDRA agents immediately!

"I can't, Hill... At least half the people at headquarters are HYDRA members! In this situation, how can I dare to act rashly?" Nick Fury shook his head.

He had thought the same thing initially, but after wandering through headquarters under the guise of an inspection, he had completely abandoned the idea.

Because he discovered that as he moved through various departments, the multicolored light on his ring never stopped flashing. What did that mean? It meant HYDRA was everywhere in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters! Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it HYDRA headquarters now.

Furthermore, the ring could only detect HYDRA within a ten-meter range. With so many S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel and so many global branches, was he expected to identify them one by one?

Setting aside whether he had the time, even if he did, were the HYDRA members all fools? Would they give him the chance? The moment he acted rashly and showed his hand, they would likely revolt immediately.

At that point, S.H.I.E.L.D. would collapse in an instant, and Nick Fury would become the criminal of S.H.I.E.L.D.—perhaps even the criminal of all humanity!

"To think it's actually like this..." Hill could hardly imagine that half of the comrades she fought and worked alongside were actually HYDRA.

The sheer horror of the situation made her shudder. She would rather fight an enemy face-to-face than have to watch her back for a bullet that could come at any moment. It was terrifying. If that were the case, who could she trust? She finally understood the Director's predicament.

"Director, give the order! What do you need me to do?" After a moment of thought, Hill couldn't come up with a perfect solution. However, looking at the ring in her hand, she suddenly understood something... perhaps this thing was the key to breaking the deadlock!

"Very well! It seems you understand. I will transfer you to the New York branch to serve as the commanding officer tomorrow. You know what to do, right?"

Nick Fury felt that since S.H.I.E.L.D. was already riddled with holes, he might as well send Hill to take over one branch first. She could slowly purge the HYDRA members there, and then use that branch as a base—either through a direct assault or a "slow boil" approach—to gradually pull HYDRA out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s body!

"Understood, Director! I understand." Hill nodded. With this magical ring in hand, identifying and cleaning up a branch would be incredibly easy!

The only thing she needed to be careful about was her methods. Before the Director completed his grand plan, she had to take over the entire New York branch without HYDRA noticing. This would require careful deliberation, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

"Alright, you may go. I will sign your transfer orders tomorrow." With the matter settled, Nick Fury nodded, took a sip of his coffee, and signaled that Hill could leave.

Without further ado, Hill slipped the ring onto her ring finger and walked straight out of the shop. Once outside, she realized something—hadn't she just seen an identical ring on the Director's hand? After all, the design was so unique that an outsider would recognize them as a pair at a glance.

If she, an unmarried woman, wore an identical ring to him, what would others in S.H.I.E.L.D. think? *Agent Hill has hooked up with the dark-skinned Director? They've had a secret flash marriage?*

Oh! My God! That was much scarier than HYDRA!

Hill hurriedly pulled the ring off her finger, feeling momentarily lost. Why did it have to be in the style of a ring? That dark-skinned man must have done it on purpose! No! She would never wear a ring identical to his. She'd find a jewelry store first and have them cover it with something else. Regardless, she would never wear the same style as that man. Never!