After the incident involving the extraterrestrial lifeform and the Life Foundation, orchestrated by Carlton Drake and promptly resolved by SHIELD in San Francisco, Eddie found himself temporarily returning to his normal life under SHIELD’s surveillance.
However, the extent of Eddie’s transformation back to a seemingly ordinary life remained known only to him.
Upon his return to New York, Coulson, who had been sent on the mission to San Francisco, reported the entire mission process to Captain Rogers.
Rogers was not particularly concerned about the capture of Riot and the resolution of the turmoil caused by the Life Foundation, as their primary target was Venom and the entire colony of extraterrestrial lifeforms in hibernation near Mars. For now, Riot could remain contained.
“So, Mr. Eddie Brock, who was temporarily returning to his life as an unemployed wanderer under the parasitic grip of an extraterrestrial lifeform, is contemplating joining us?” Captain Rogers asked calmly while standing by the panoramic window of SHIELD’s headquarters, with a view that stretched far and wide.
Although it was phrased as a question, it was evident that Rogers did not require an answer to this query.
“Based on my observations of Eddie Brock and the analysis conducted by the team, the likelihood of him eventually choosing to join SHIELD is quite high,” Coulson responded.
He wasn’t naive; he knew that becoming an idle bachelor and wanderer or joining SHIELD to enjoy various benefits was an excellent choice for Eddie. For someone like Eddie, the decision wasn’t difficult to make; he simply needed some time.
“Well, can we ensure that Venom, the extraterrestrial lifeform parasitizing him, is under control?” Captain Rogers nodded in agreement with Coulson’s assessment.
Although SHIELD did indeed need individuals with superhuman abilities now, it was also crucial to ensure that their powers were manageable. In comparison to other superhumans, SHIELD was currently recruiting, the combination of Eddie and Venom was unique and rather unusual.
This time, Coulson didn’t immediately respond to Captain Rogers’s question. Instead, he took a moment to contemplate. “As a sentient lifeform with independent thoughts, I believe Venom should be capable of making the right decisions. Besides, the information provided by Phantom Knight indicates…”
Although Coulson had personally witnessed Riot and Venom, there had been limited communication between them. Riot had been captured and wasn’t much of a talker.
Since Rogers had assigned Coulson the mission to recruit Eddie, Coulson had primarily spoken with Eddie. In Coulson’s perspective, Venom was simply Eddie’s superhuman ability, and he hadn’t paid much attention to Venom’s autonomy.
“According to your mission report and the information from Phantom Knight, Venom does appear to be quite reliable. However, he remains an extraterrestrial lifeform, and there may still be risks if he poses no threat. Therefore, even if Eddie Brock chooses to accept our recruitment in the end, we should exercise caution,” Rogers said.
“Understood, Captain,” Coulson answered.
After a brief conversation, the topic regarding Eddie and Venom came to a temporary conclusion. Like Lin Rui, both Rogers and Coulson didn’t place too much emphasis on Venom’s displayed abilities. However, Eddie and Venom were the first superhumans they had recruited, so they paid a bit more attention to them.
Indeed, Captain Rogers hadn’t recruited only Eddie and Venom. As the Earth Federation began its formal establishment, SHIELD’s existing forces were starting to seem insufficient. Here, “forces” didn’t refer to high-tech firepower but to superpowered individuals who could complete specialized missions on their own.
Therefore, with the Avengers initiative in mind, Captain Rogers swiftly devised a plan to recruit superpowered individuals. This recruitment plan targeted individuals worldwide who possessed extraordinary powers, with the aim of integrating all superpowered individuals globally and fortifying the Earth Federation from within.
With SHIELD’s collaboration with the various major nations and powerhouses that were already starting to unite, Captain Rogers had access to the world’s most potent intelligence resources. Hence, they monitored and selectively recruited superhumans globally, paying attention to those who were previously unknown.
This recruitment plan, undoubtedly, had been entrusted to Coulson, as he was already well-versed in the process.
“Captain, there’s one more matter…” After standing beside Rogers and admiring the view outside for a while, Coulson hesitated before speaking.
“It’s about the assistance program for the reconstruction of Asgard…”
When Coulson suddenly brought up the assistance program for the reconstruction of Asgard, Rogers raised an eyebrow in response. He then turned to Coulson with a smile.
“What’s this? You want to go to Asgard as well?”
Coulson’s intentions were not difficult to decipher. After all, Asgard was the only extraterrestrial civilization Earth had established friendly relations with.
Not too long ago, Asgard had just emerged from internal strife, and it was with Earth’s assistance, especially Thor’s, that stability had been restored to the realm, securing his position as the Crown Prince.
Therefore, when Thor sought Earth’s help again for the reconstruction of Asgard, Earth readily agreed. Recently, numerous Bifrost beams had descended from the sky, taking away substantial supplies and personnel from Earth during each visit.
As a bona fide Earthling, Coulson had witnessed all sorts of miraculous and mysterious occurrences but was still intrigued by the prospect of visiting an extraterrestrial civilization. So, after completing a recruitment mission, Coulson couldn’t resist making this request to Captain Rogers.
“Exactly, I’d love to see Asgard!”
“In that case, you can go with the next relief mission. By the way, I haven’t been there myself yet!”
Without much hesitation, Captain Rogers readily agreed to Coulson’s request. As for the other superhumans they were planning to recruit, they could be introduced to the situation by other agents; there was no rush.
Moreover, the young agent who had recently been promoted seemed to have been having good luck, and it was time to give him a new mission.
Upon receiving Captain Rogers’s approval, Coulson, who usually maintained a composed demeanor, couldn’t help but crack a rare smile before bidding his farewell. He needed to attend to matters on hand before the next mission.
After Coulson’s departure, Rogers turned back to face the panoramic window, gazing at the nighttime view of Washington outside. His gaze gradually drifted afar.
“Earth, we will propel you into the cosmos with our hands!…
However, Phantom Knight, or should I say, Jackson Lin, the driving force behind all this— where have you gone now?”
As Rogers contemplated these thoughts, a streak of fire rapidly ascended into the sky from a distance, disappearing into Earth’s atmosphere. It was the departure of the E-Grade Spaceship, and their mission this time was to confront the dormant Venom colony near Mars!
…
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