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Ch. 305 Manipulating Public Opinion
🕑 Added 2024-02-25 16:00:05 +0000 UTCRussell was currently leisurely enjoying the spectacle of Kara taking on the entire Hawaii base on her own at the Justice League headquarters. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military were in a headache-inducing situation.
Especially Nick Fury, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury had just arranged for reinforcements to stop Grendel when he learned that Grendel had engaged in a battle with Captain Marvel, Carol, right in the city of Washington, D.C.
Furthermore, this battle was taking place in the city, without any concern for collateral damage.
In terms of raw power, Grendel was not on par with Captain Marvel, Carol. But relying on his size advantage and his fearless combat attitude, Grendel held his ground against her.
Grendel didn't care whether the battle would cause severe destruction to Washington, D.C., but Captain Marvel couldn't afford that luxury. She not only had to avoid excessive damage caused by Grendel but also protect the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the ordinary citizens in Washington, D.C.
Moreover, there was a significant change in Grendel compared to before.
Due to his extended possession of Godzilla, Grendel had copied Godzilla's signature ability, the atomic breath. While Grendel didn't feed on nuclear radiation like Godzilla, his control over his own body had reached an unbelievable level as the first-generation symbiote king.
If regular symbiote could only mimic the outward appearance and some organs of other creatures, Grendel could now perfectly mimic any creature he desired. Of course, this was contingent on him having enough time to possess the target and learn every detail and secret of their body.
With the powerful ability of atomic breath and the copied Godzilla physiology, Grendel was now essentially a native-born Earth Titan creature, or more accurately, a dragon-like version of Godzilla.
Utilizing the atomic breath, Grendel displayed exceptional aerial combat capabilities and engaged Captain Marvel in long-range combat. Due to the need to protect S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the civilians of Washington, D.C., Captain Marvel couldn't fully utilize her true strength. She found herself being led around by Grendel.
Aside from Captain Marvel, Phil Coulson, who was the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division, was also facing a major headache. After leaving the Justice League headquarters, Skye, Hulk, and the others had effortlessly reached the streets near the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division.
Hulk led the charge and rampaged into the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division building, treating it as his training ground since Russell had given the green light for full-scale engagement.
Now, he finally had the chance to release his pent-up frustration and didn't intend to waste it.
Despite Hulk often appearing simple-minded, he was far from stupid. He just wasn't good at social interactions.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and the government's relentless pursuit of the Justice League for the past half-year had fueled Hulk's anger.
If not for Diana, Kara, and others, Hulk would have already "gone all out" against the Triskelion Headquarters.
Now, he finally had the opportunity to release his pent-up anger and wasn't going to waste it.
Soon after Hulk's group stormed the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division building, Nick Fury received a distress call from Phil Coulson.
Just like Kara, there was only one person in S.H.I.E.L.D. who could stand a chance against Hulk, and that was Captain Marvel, Carol.
And now, Captain Marvel was tied up with Grendel.
After receiving Coulson's call for reinforcements, Nick Fury had a thought that quickly crossed his mind.
Washington, D.C., Hawaii military bases, S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division...
Is this your retaliation plan? Nick Fury's already grim expression became even darker.
He initially thought that Russell's retaliation would involve opening three fronts simultaneously, leaving Captain Marvel, their most formidable force, unable to handle all three at once, forcing her to deal with just one of the fronts.
However, he then received a distress call from the European division.
Almost simultaneously, every major S.H.I.E.L.D. base in Europe was under heavy attack by HYDRA.
This...
As the phone on his desk continued to ring, Nick Fury's face, which was already dark, became even more menacing.
It was clear that Russell intended to thoroughly crush S.H.I.E.L.D. in one fell swoop.
Although the attack was currently targeting the military bases in Hawaii, Kara single-handedly taking on the entire Hawaii military base was a strong response to the government's previous suppression of the Justice League.
As for why the attack was directed at military bases rather than government agencies, it was clear that Russell had left a way out for himself.
Except for law enforcement agencies like the police and the FBI, most government institutions were filled with ordinary people. Moreover, many government employees were not involved in any wrongdoing.
The attack on the Hawaii military bases allowed the government to witness the Justice League formidable power. One Supergirl, Kara, had the ability to completely annihilate the military bases in Hawaii.
If you added the even more powerful Russell and Diana into the equation, the Justice League could wipe out all of the United States' armed forces.
The news received was so astonishing that both Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence department overlooked the rapidly spreading "List of Officials Hiring Hitmen" circulating on the internet.
In reality, Russell had No. 3 spread this manipulated "List of Officials Hiring Hitmen" on the internet as Kara began her mission to stop Grendel.
Strictly speaking, this was not just a list; it included detailed transaction records and various proofs of completed assassinations.
Of course, Russell, with his background as an assassin, didn't expose the parts of the information that would reveal the true identities of his former colleagues. In the exposed information, there were quite a few of his former employers.
Although betraying his former employers was considered unprofessional, at this point in time, Russell no longer cared about such things.
The U.S. government had already officially labeled the Justice League as a terrorist organization. What did he have to fear now?
Apart from exposing his former employers, he was now unafraid to march into the White House single-handedly when the time came.
However, when that time came, he would have to relocate. Everything he had built in New York, including the Justice League headquarters and the Octopus Monster Industries, would become targets that the government would need to destroy.
Whether it was the Justice League headquarters and the Octopus Monster Industries as physical assets or the reputation he had built for himself and other League members, Russell had little left to lose.
Now that the government had officially declared the Justice League a terrorist organization, their reputation had taken a significant hit.
As time passed, half an hour later, Hulk's team, responsible for attacking the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division, completed their mission first.
Although there were elite agents within the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division, they were like helpless babies in the face of Hulk's team.
Even Skye, who had not awakened any superpowers, could easily defeat an entire special forces team with White Zetsu's power, let alone Hulk and Wanda.
Following Russell's orders, they left behind Kree Empire standard weapons at the scene and had no intention of concealing their presence. They headed straight back to the Justice League headquarters.
When they returned, reports of S.H.I.E.L.D. bases being destroyed kept coming in from Bakshi and Malick's side.
With the assistance of White Zetsu soldiers, HYDRA effortlessly destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. bases across Europe.
After seven of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s European bases were destroyed, Kara, who was responsible for attacking the Hawaii military bases, also completed her mission.
Due to being alone, Kara didn't carry out a full-scale destruction of the base. After destroying aircraft carriers, battleships, and fighter jets inside the base one by one, Kara left Hawaii and began to return to the Justice League headquarters.
As for Grendel, who struck first, he ended up being the last to complete his mission. Or rather, he was the only one who didn't complete his mission.
The reason was simple: with Captain Marvel present, both storming the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., with arrogance and destroying the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters had become highly unlikely events.
If it weren't for the need to protect S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and innocent civilians, Grendel would not have been entangled with Captain Marvel for so long.
Even with the atomic breath, Grendel wasn't a match for Captain Marvel. Although Grendel now possessed Godzilla's signature ability, he still couldn't contend with Captain Marvel.
While Grendel didn't complete his mission, Russell was a very understanding boss. He didn't force Grendel to complete his mission and instead issued an order for him to retreat.
Upon receiving the command through their mental connection, Grendel didn't hesitate at all. He flapped his enormous black wings and headed straight for the underwater temple in the Atlantic Ocean without looking back.
Seeing Grendel's retreat, Captain Marvel, Carol, didn't chase after him but returned to the Triskelion Headquarters.
As soon as she returned to the director's office at the Triskelion Headquarters, Captain Marvel, Carol, learned from Nick Fury about the reports of the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division and European bases.
This...
Captain Marvel, Carol, had never dealt with Russell before. Although she had read some information about him, she hadn't expected Russell to go to such extreme lengths.
Did he intend to completely destroy S.H.I.E.L.D.?
While Captain Marvel, Carol, was pondering what Russell's intentions were with a gloomy expression, Black Widow Natasha finally arrived at the Justice League headquarters.
Although the Justice League headquarters appeared completely unguarded, Natasha had no plans to infiltrate secretly.
When they initially attempted to suppress the Justice League, Nick Fury had tried to send S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to infiltrate the Justice League headquarters to gather intelligence.
However, these agents who attempted to infiltrate the Justice League headquarters, without exception, had their necks snapped and were discarded like trash near the Justice League headquarters gate.
After losing several experienced senior agents, Nick Fury finally gave up on the idea of sending agents to infiltrate the Justice League headquarters in secret.
Now, standing in front of the Justice League headquarters gate, Natasha got out of the black Chevrolet SUV with the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem. She pressed the doorbell next to the gate.
"Sir, Agent Romanoff is currently outside the main gate. Should I let her in?" No. 3's voice sounded in the study.
"Ask her why she's here. If she's here to see me, tell her I'm not in."
Russell calmly responded.
If Natasha's brainwashing effects hadn't worn off, he wouldn't mind seeing her again. However, at this moment, he had no intention of doing so.
If it weren't for the enjoyable experience Natasha had once brought him, he would have treated her as an enemy long ago.
"All right, sir!"
Afterward, No. 3 immediately operated the communicator and inquired about Natasha's purpose for coming. As Russell suspected, Natasha had come specifically to find him.
Upon hearing Natasha's response, No. 3 didn't hesitate and conveyed Russell's response to Natasha, then promptly ended the call.
After being rejected by No. 3, Natasha didn't leave immediately. Instead, she remained at the Justice Leagues headquarters gate, used lip-reading to say a few words while looking at the surveillance cameras.
Although No. 3 had clearly stated that Russell was not present, Natasha evidently didn't believe No. 3's words.
She was very certain that Russell was currently inside the Justice League headquarters and was watching her through the surveillance cameras.
It had to be said that sometimes, women's intuition could be quite annoying.
Especially the intuition of top female agents like Natasha.
Russell was indeed watching Natasha through the surveillance cameras in his study.
Furthermore, he had immediately understood Natasha's lip-reading.
"I know you're inside. Let's meet, while things are still salvageable."
Natasha had already learned about the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York division and the European bases, and she understood Russell's intentions.
While Russell had collaborated with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past, Natasha knew that he had never liked S.H.I.E.L.D. He had only cooperated with them once to utilize S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to search for the Cosmic Cube.
So, Natasha wasn't surprised that Russell, now that the Justice League was being suppressed, would display such a determined attitude to completely annihilate S.H.I.E.L.D.
Watching Natasha's pitiful appearance, with a pleading expression, Russell slightly furrowed his brows.
Then, he still had no intention of meeting Natasha and simply turned off the holographic projection screen in front of him.
"In the name of the Justice League, post announcements on various major platforms, describing all the recent actions as a collusion between S.H.I.E.L.D. and extraterrestrial terrorist forces, intending to unite with these extraterrestrial terrorists to conquer Earth. The Justice League has uncovered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s conspiracy, and thus, sent its personnel to thwart S.H.I.E.L.D."
"At the same time, find some online influencers to boost the visibility of the announcements and the hit list of hired hitmen."
"When necessary, directly infiltrate the backends of these platforms, modify data, manipulate comments, and control the narrative."
Russell instructed No. 3.
"Understood, sir!" No. 3 responded promptly.
While this method of covertly controlling the direction of public opinion may not be entirely transparent, it is a characteristic of the digital age.
What you see is what others want you to see!
