Nick Fury, a bald African-American man who prefers wearing a black leather trench coat and sports an eye patch over his left eye, was deeply engrossed in paperwork when he heard Coulson’s words and looked up in surprise, setting aside his work.
"Explain the situation."
"Our agents discovered a month ago that George, the police chief of the Queens precinct, was acting unusually. They learned that George had been inquiring about me and Natasha from Simon. Following up, they found that George had been near the target's home and had asked the neighbors about the target."
"He's also gathering this information."
"After they reported to me, I went to the police station today and bumped into George. After a brief conversation, I confirmed that he was suspicious of me and Natasha."
"How did he determine the target’s identity?"
"That is currently unknown, but it seems to be just an accident, and he is likely still just suspicious," Coulson replied.
"If that's the case, I'd assume he would submit these clues to the joint investigation team and then start a comprehensive investigation of the target, wouldn’t he?" Nick Fury, with his hands crossed under his chin, pointed out the doubts.
After pondering for a moment, Coulson answered, "Perhaps he doesn't trust it, after all, the way the target has been raised is still untraceable to us. If Natasha hadn't observed him firsthand, we probably wouldn't believe it either."
"Or maybe deep down he doesn't want the boy to be caught; clearly, he subconsciously approves of the boy's actions," Fury affirmed confidently.
Coulson's gaze shifted, recalling his interactions with George. He knew George as a family man who loathed criminals and was extremely compassionate.
"He is undoubtedly a good man."
Such a person would behave irrationally as the chief had described.
Then recalling his previous encounters with George, from his determined gaze, Coulson realized, "He plans to take the information he's gathered home, submit it to the joint investigation team, and officially start the investigation of the target."
George is a good person and also a good cop. He has the awareness of a policeman, believing that crimes should be adjudicated by law. His subconscious may approve of Bi Xiao's actions, and he might hesitate, but ultimately, his police duty overcomes any hesitation.
"Trust your own judgment, Coulson, go do your work, and Natasha will cooperate with you."
"We need the target to remain stable enough to continue observing him, analyzing the logic and thinking behind all his actions; I want to get the most accurate assessment of his character," Fury replied without hesitation.
"Do you want to recruit him?" Coulson hesitated but finally asked.
Although this action contradicts the principles of an agent, he was still concerned.
Fury has always maintained trust in his old partner, although this trust is relatively more compared to other agents as his nature is to be skeptical of everyone around him, keeping his subordinates close.
But he understood Coulson's character and his concerns.
Fury pondered for a moment, hummed at the desk, and the highest authority privacy function in the office was activated. He then said to Coulson, "Both of us have lived through the events of 1995, which taught us that Earth is not alone."
"There are civilizations, technologies, and races far beyond our era in the universe."
"This also means that crises have never left us, Coulson."
"We need more support; we need a last line of defense when a crisis hits."
"The document you once submitted to the Security Council?" Coulson realized.
Two years after that incident erupted, Nick Fury had submitted a document to the United Nations Security Council named 'The Avengers,' detailing the Avengers' situation and the need for a powerful force to counteract future massive crises or wars.
That is, the Avengers.
But it was rejected, and despite Fury's repeated submissions, it never gained support, so the document was archived, and Coulson had since forgotten it.
Now, the words Fury was speaking to him were clearly preparations for establishing the Avengers.
"Its establishment requires the right candidates, but all these years I've been searching and haven't found anyone..." Nick Fury said meaningfully, then stopped.
But Coulson clearly knew what was to follow.
The Rainy Night Butcher had been on the chief's watch list from the beginning, initially considered for recruitment into the department, but after Natasha's observation and contact, the chief's thinking had clearly changed.
The power demonstrated by the target was not within the ordinary human scope.
Someone with such abilities had already been quietly included in the Avengers' candidate list by the chief, which is why the chief had decided to use resources and power to keep everything about that boy hidden.
This was also to prepare for continued observation and recruitment.
In fact, many agents followed this process.
But Coulson had never thought the chief would plan to restart the Avengers, much less that he would tell him so.
Nick Fury did not elaborate further but turned off the device and let Coulson leave.
After Coulson left.
Nick Fury stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the night scene below, a deep glint in his one eye.
He could speak these words to Coulson because Coulson would also be part of this plan, not as a member of the Avengers, but as a liaison with the department.
Fury was unsure whether the Avengers could be successfully established, but once established, he could not let the Avengers be under government control, nor could he let them run free.
He needed a trusted person to participate fully in the establishment of the Avengers, to replace him in overseeing and fulfilling other duties.
"John Shaw."
Fury murmured, and after a while, there was a knock at the door.