S.H.I.E.L.D. is expanding its forces. Where did the host come from?
The vampires have fallen into misfortune.
As a result, this operation attracted the attention of many extraordinary organizations.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to have a change of heart, actually starting to crack down on vampires."
"Tsk, tsk, looks like they're trying to do what the Spear Bureau did, eradicate all vampires."
The Spear Bureau had already wiped out the vampires in the east. With 240,000 registered superhumans and mutants, the scale wasn't something to be taken lightly, and cleaning up vampires wasn't difficult.
But now, S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing the same, which made many people sense something was wrong. This wasn't their usual style.
But they would soon find out.
"The control over the Xenomorphs has not decreased with the increase in their numbers; in fact, it's increasing!"
"In the Xenomorph social structure, the hierarchy is exceptionally strict. As long as we can control the high-level Xenomorphs and gather enough pheromones, we can control the entire group."
"Damn, the chip implantation plan failed again. The blood in their bodies rejects any foreign substances!"
"Dr. Cliff, I have an idea. What if we implant Adamantium into their necks and then fit them with monitoring chips…"
"The mental detectors are fine. The Xenomorphs' mental state has remained stable. There is no indication of planning or betrayal—no high-risk thoughts."
Fury looked down at the over a thousand Xenomorphs below, a flicker of caution passing through his single eye as he repeatedly reviewed the reports.
However, even the most advanced thought devices couldn't detect any form of scheming among these Xenomorphs.
"Director, although our thought devices are nowhere near as good as Professor X's, they should be able to detect the activity level in the Xenomorphs' brains," Hill reported.
She knew Fury was suspicious of the Xenomorphs potentially betraying them—always suspicious, always alert. This was the mark of an excellent agent leader.
"Everything has gone too smoothly. What do you think, Hill?" Fury mused, feeling something wasn't right.
"We mobilized S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to rapidly increase the Xenomorph numbers, using the most advanced biotechnology to manufacture pheromones and technological devices to monitor the Xenomorphs' growth."
Hill shared her opinion: "Duncan is just one person. If he could do it, we can definitely do better."
That last sentence was the key—it was what convinced Fury.
Fury glanced at Hill, who was serious and efficient.
If it had been Coulson here, he wouldn't have been solely focused on safety verification; instead, he would've presented a complete contingency plan for dealing with Xenomorph outbreaks before even asking.
Unfortunately, Coulson barely survived after being brought back from New Mexico and was still in bed.
Natasha had gone on a mission and returned half-dead.
It seemed that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents were prone to unfortunate encounters when getting close to Duncan.
"Then let's move. Deploy agents to work alongside the Xenomorphs, advance into the Bronx suburbs of New York City, and strike Duncan. In the end, we'll capture him," Fury ordered.
The Xenomorphs, natural weapons of war, were perfectly suited to Fury's tastes—unafraid of sacrifice, fully obedient, and capable of mass production.
The only problem was finding a suitable host.
To be honest, Fury hadn't originally planned on going after the vampires. He had considered selecting prisoners from around the world—many of them possessed special abilities. However, with limited time, the selection and transportation of prisoners posed too many problems, so in the end, he chose vampires.
After all, the vampire's headquarters was in New York.
Thus, the vampires were horrified to find, in a single night, that the entire world seemed to be turning against them!
They tried everything they could to use their accumulated wealth and the help of humans who sought immortality by aligning with vampires, but in the end... it was all useless.
"Xenomorphs? Why are there Xenomorphs with these agents too?"
"Aaahhh!!"
Only the vampires were hurt in this world.
Fury hadn't rested for two days, closely monitoring the movements of all the Xenomorphs, until he officially gave the order for agents and Xenomorphs to head toward the suburbs of the Bronx.
Duncan would soon feel the pain.
"May, report," Fury said calmly.
"Everything is going smoothly, but strangely, we haven't encountered any of Duncan's Xenomorphs. This isn't right. He hasn't even deployed any Xenomorphs to monitor the surroundings."
Melinda, a Level 7 agent with expertise in aviation and a skilled member of the air force, was leading the advance alongside the Xenomorphs and other agents.
"The answer is simple. Duncan has known about us for a long time. He can control the pheromones of the Xenomorphs, so he must have sensed our arrival," Fury replied. "What interests me more is whether Duncan's Xenomorphs could, as Cliff suggested, have a chance of accepting our pheromones. Cliff might be crazy, but his professional skills are solid."
"It's unlikely, but you'll know soon enough."
Fury looked at the image Melinda sent and compared it with the satellite footage.
Xenomorphs were born assassins, perfect at stealth. Even he wasn't sure how many Xenomorphs were still hidden in New York City, but directly assaulting Duncan himself was definitely the right decision.
At that moment, an urgent communication interrupted his thoughts.
"Alexander Pierce?" Fury frowned. The current UN Secretary-General and former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director calling him at this time wasn't a good sign.
"Nick, I don't understand what you're doing! Two days—just two days—and you've created so many Xenomorphs? You've even launched a military operation?" Pierce's voice came through.
"Ha, looks like some vampires reported to you. They must have spent quite a bit of money, but I believe you can handle the pressure," Fury replied.
Pierce said, "This isn't about pressure. Do you know how many complaints I've received about you? Not just from the vampires! Colonel Stryker has explicitly expressed dissatisfaction with you. He believes the technology to control and breed Xenomorphs should be handed over to him."
Fury sneered. "Stryker? He's made little progress with the mutants. Now he wants to meddle with Xenomorphs?"
"He gave a very reasonable argument: Duncan's ability to run a company and secure a dilapidated building as a lab was because he got Stryker's approval. So Duncan is, in fact, a legitimate scientist under his command!"
"Damn!"
Fury cursed, then mocked, "By Stryker's logic, should S.H.I.E.L.D. pay him astronomical fees for the Xenomorph patents?"
"It's worse than that. He wants to sue you for harming endangered species."
"F**k!"
Fury said, "I had no idea Stryker was the leader of an animal rights organization. He must be crazy if he thinks he can extend his reach into S.H.I.E.L.D."
Pierce's voice was full of concern. "Your actions have been too bold, your security too tight. You've created so many Xenomorphs in secret, and now some people are getting restless."
"So it's my fault for not sharing the spoils. Thanks for the info, Alexander. But I suspect Stryker is just a front. It's the people pushing the super soldier program who are making moves. Looks like I'll have to investigate who took over the project after Ross's death."
Fury spoke with Pierce a bit longer before ending the communication, his face showing a trace of doubt.
As a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Pierce shouldn't have any problems—he wouldn't leak S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intel. Of course, Fury could understand leaving people inside S.H.I.E.L.D. to act as "eyes."
"But what was going through this guy's mind, asking me this right before launching a surprise attack? Was he hoping for my success or my failure? Or had he noticed something?" Fury buried this doubt deep in his heart—just one subtle signal, and he would begin to suspect someone he had once trusted completely.
Before long, Melinda reported in.
"I found Duncan. He's standing with Thor, and something's off."
Melinda stared ahead in shock.
Duncan was speaking to Thor, occasionally gesturing toward their group and the Xenomorphs.
"So this is the 'new army' you mentioned?" Thor looked confused. No matter how he looked at it, these people weren't here to transfer control of the Xenomorphs.
"If I say they are, then they are. Thor, you need to have faith in me."
"My brother, of course I have faith in you. You're the only one willing to help me in my time of need. It would be even better if you returned Mjolnir to me."
Thor's hand unconsciously reached out—he was always searching for an opportunity. If Duncan could control the Xenomorphs indirectly, then surely, Thor thought, he could do the same directly.
Duncan remained unfazed, raising his other hand. Instantly, Mjolnir flew toward him, thwarting Thor's plan.
"See, Thor? This is the difference between you and me: no matter the situation, I can always stay focused. You, on the other hand, are easily distracted."
Thor reluctantly looked away, unsure how to respond. Instead, he awkwardly changed the subject.
"These guys are radiating killing intent… and they're standing alongside the Xenomorphs. I wasn't aware that this species could serve two masters at once."
After a thousand years of war, Thor had seen all kinds of species and situations like this. It wasn't anything new to him.
But what happened next shattered his understanding.
"Strictly speaking, until I give the order, these Xenomorphs belong to no one… officially, at least."
A faint rustling noise arose as a massive swarm of Xenomorphs emerged. Even those that had never seen the light of day since their birth now surfaced.
Their numbers quickly surpassed a thousand—and were still increasing.
Duncan's sharp eyes pierced through the darkness, landing on Melinda and her team. Just that single gaze made her hair stand on end.
She had only felt this way once before—when she had observed a Xenomorph Queen up close.
"Just as Natasha mentioned, there are now larger Xenomorphs among them, likely parasitized from Hulk-derivative organisms. No need to negotiate—engage immediately." Melinda issued the order to her team.
Under normal circumstances, the agents would maneuver strategically, using a combination of advanced weaponry to break through Duncan's defenses before sending in the Xenomorphs for close combat.
If this had been a true no-man's-land rather than just a remote area, they could have called in a fleet of attack helicopters for missile bombardment.
Many observers from various organizations were watching the situation unfold, and they all assumed the same thing—Duncan's forces were at a disadvantage in terms of scale.
Then, the Xenomorphs moved.
Squelch!
Melinda's eyes widened, her mind ringing with shock. She had heard it clearly—the sound of flesh being torn apart, accompanied by agonized screams.
From behind her.
The veteran warrior spun around abruptly, her expression frozen in disbelief at the gruesome sight.
The Xenomorphs had turned on S.H.I.E.L.D. agents the moment the battle began. Those caught in the initial onslaught lost limbs in an instant—dying immediately was the best fate they could hope for.
Gunfire erupted, but it was too late. Even if they managed to inflict some damage, the Xenomorphs had already done their work.
Melinda gritted her teeth, flipping backward to evade a stabbing Xenomorph tail. She grabbed a grenade from her waist, bit off the pin, and hurled it precisely into the creature's mouth.
Boom!
The explosion shredded the Xenomorph's face, but Melinda's expression remained grim. She knew—this level of damage was meaningless. It would regenerate soon enough.
She had the skills to survive, but the other agents weren't as lucky. No matter how elite they were, in this moment, they were being slaughtered by what should have been their own allies.
To make matters worse, Duncan's Xenomorphs had joined the fray as well.
The larger ones, in particular, were terrifying—immensely strong, their dense, nearly indestructible exoskeletons shrugging off bullets. When they reached the battlefield, one punch was all it took to reduce an agent to pulp.
Melinda fought desperately, using the chaos to stay alive, dodging attacks whenever possible.
"Impressive agility. You'd make a great circus performer."
Duncan's voice rang clear through the battlefield, his face barely visible in the dim light. To Melinda, he looked like a demon wearing human skin.
"You knew. You knew this would happen from the very beginning! You did this on purpose!" Melinda's voice was sharp with fury.
The next second, multiple Xenomorphs tackled her to the ground.
"That's right. I knew your every move. I also know exactly what you've done to my Xenomorphs. So what? I needed more soldiers, and thanks to you, I got them in just a few days. If I had done it myself, it would've caused too much of a stir—I might have ended up as New York's public enemy."
Duncan ripped the earpiece from Melinda's head, watching as the Xenomorphs tore her apart.
"Nicholas Fury, it seems Natasha didn't relay my message in full. Or maybe you knew and just wanted to test whether I was lying? You're quite generous, sacrificing a Level 9 agent. Unfortunately for you, that means nothing to me. These Xenomorphs are mine now."
Duncan then turned to Thor.
"Thor, contact Heimdall. Activate the Bifrost. Send these Xenomorphs to Asgard in batches. And let your people know—strong, brave, righteous, and fearless reinforcements have arrived."