While the West may not have the exact idiom "borrowing a path to conquer Guo," war itself is the best teacher.
During World War I, Germany wanted to attack France, so they first eliminated Belgium; in World War II, the Führer attacked France, and again, he first eliminated Belgium.
Nowadays, ordinary people might not know about the Nine Realms, but for the high-level officials of various countries in the World, the Nine Realms structure is no longer a secret.
Earth is at the transportation hub of the Nine Realms, surrounded by "powerful enemies," making its situation even more awkward than Belgium's back then, so it's no wonder that Earth's high-level officials collectively suffer from "phobias."
Nick Fury ultimately failed to convince the Council, not just because he was outnumbered, but because, on a deeper level, he couldn't fully convince himself.
What if Jotunheim tried to invade Earth by "borrowing a path to conquer Guo"?
Earth's strength is too weak in front of Jotunheim; this "chain of suspicion" simply cannot be eliminated.
In utter helplessness, Nick Fury pressed the button on his pager!
An alien invasion! Even though the Council members unanimously rejected Nick Fury's proposal to borrow troops from Jotunheim, the necessary preparations still had to be made.
Even the HYDRA elements mixed in were no exception!
For a HYDRA member with ideals, World domination has always been his ultimate goal.
But if Earth were truly occupied by aliens, who would they rule?
They weren't so naive as to believe that alien rule of Earth would be better than human rule.
Nick Fury's unauthorized actions, completely disregarding their resolutions and privately forming the Avengers, certainly angered them, but the Avengers' combat power had never truly been displayed on Earth yet.
Therefore, in their eyes, the Avengers might just be an ultra-elite Super Hero team.
As for a threat, that's not really something that can be discussed at the moment!
Deploying troops, preparing supplies—everything was being carried out in secret!
Although the official word was nothing, those with keen senses still detected something amiss.
As for some of the United States' hypothetical enemies, they were even more terrified and on edge.
The Council's resolution did not come as a surprise to the Avengers; in fact, they were already mentally prepared.
Not only that, but they also quite understood the reasons given by the Council.
But understanding is one thing; saying they weren't disappointed is impossible!
Even if this matter were fully revealed, it's believed that more people would support the Council.
However, what does the Council's disapproval have to do with the Avengers?
They just do what they believe is right, nothing more!
Through Military satellites and his good friend Colonel Rhodes, Tony Stark was well aware of the Military's various arrangements.
From Tony Stark's genius mind, the Military's various arrangements actually had no major problems; in fact, every aspect was considered.
But the core problem before them was that Earthlings knew too little about the Chitauri!
Their arrangements might be very effective against attacks from human enemy nations, but when facing aliens...
Tony Stark ultimately didn't say much, just focused on making preparations.
Dr. Banner also joined in, identifying omissions and suggesting various improvements for Tony's own defense system.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Looking at Nick Fury, who had just ended the video call, Maria Hill was unusually curious and couldn't help but ask, "Director, you and the Avengers, did you seem a bit too calm about the Council rejecting your plan to borrow troops?"
Nick Fury looked out at the Sun and asked, "Hill, how much do you know about Rimuru?"
Hill thought for a moment and said, "I'd say I have a basic understanding. She's quite casual in her actions. She's called a Super Hero, but she's very different from typical superhero!"
Nick Fury: "Then how much do you know about the other Avengers?"
Hill: "..."
To Agent Hill, the Avengers were a group of troublemakers.
Tony Stark, cynical, disorganized, and undisciplined. Pull him into an organization and expect him to obey orders?
It's more likely he'd be giving orders to others!
Dr. Banner himself is a genius. But once he turns into Hulk, he's a human-shaped beast.
New York has suffered at his hands twice already!
Captain, a soldier through and through, there's no problem with him obeying orders.
But he's definitely not the kind of soldier who blindly follows commands; all his actions are based on his own judgment and principles.
If the matter aligns with his beliefs, it's fine, but if it doesn't align with his ideals, the Captain might be the first to go against the higher-ups!
Natasha and Barton are the most normal, but their combat power compared to those monsters is not worth mentioning!
Nick Fury looked out at the Sun and said profoundly, "What do the Council's resolutions have to do with the Avengers? They will only do what they believe is right!"
Hill was surprised.
Is the Director and the Avengers planning to act first and report later again?
Isn't that too... Doesn't the Director fear being completely stripped of his position?
If it were before, Hill might have had some thoughts about the Director's position.
But now, she had long since given up that idea. With "gods" and "aliens" and such, she feared her little heart couldn't handle being the Director.
Hill: "Director, others are fine to talk about, but how can you be sure Rimuru will still come after Earth rejected the plan to borrow troops? She's the King of a powerful Universe nation now!"
The Middle Ages have passed, and there are almost no kings on Earth who have absolute authority.
But even a king of a constitutional monarchy is the face of a nation.
To slap a king's face, one must be prepared to face the king's wrath!
Nick Fury: "How would I know Rimuru's thoughts? But Earth needs her!"
Hill: "..."
Earth needs Rimuru, so she'll appear?
What kind of logic is that?
Isn't it a bit too wishful thinking?
Long Island Villa area.
An RV was parked there. Inside the RV, a mixed-race girl was typing furiously on a keyboard.
"It's clearly a private residence, but the network firewall is so strong. With my hacking skills, it actually takes this long to break through. There's definitely something fishy!"
"Tsk tsk, around this private residence, in the past three years, five houses have quietly changed owners, and their identity information even shows signs of being falsified. Good heavens, who exactly is the owner of this Villa?"
"That organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. is heavily guarding this place but dares not show any signs. It seems I've caught a big fish this time!"
The mixed-race girl was named Skye, a member of an organization called "Rising Tide."
The core philosophy of the organization was to protect the public's freedom and right to know, and the organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. was their number one target for investigation.
Since S.H.I.E.L.D. attached such importance to the owner of this private residence, hiding all discoverable information about the owner.
Then the secrets hidden within would definitely not be small!
The more Skye imagined, the more excited she became, and the faster her fingers typed on the keyboard.
Who was she? A World-renowned genius hacker!
No matter how mysterious the owner of this Villa was, and no matter how high-end the network firewall was designed, how could it stop her?
"Done!"
After hacking all the surveillance cameras inside the Villa, Skye quickly sneaked into the Villa.
However, the moment she stepped into the Villa, after a flash of electricity, Skye's vision went black, and she knew nothing more.
"How is this possible?"
Before losing consciousness, Skye still couldn't believe it.