As Thor's words fell, the battlefield's wind and clouds changed dramatically.
Everyone turned their gaze towards the direction of the voice. Besides the mysterious person who had spoken to them earlier, eleven more individuals had joined the fray.
These twelve individuals possessed magical abilities. Some were incredibly strong, capable of reducing a giant mechanical flying fish to scrap metal with a single punch. Others were lightning fast, eliminating dozens of Chitauri soldiers in the blink of an eye. Some could spew fire, while others could unleash laser beams from their eyes.
In the face of these twelve, the well-trained and impeccably equipped Chitauri soldiers were as helpless as clay dogs and decorative pottery.
Beyond these twelve, a group of devotees clad in white robes moved through the battlefield. They operated without apparent command but with clear divisions of labor. Some assisted the twelve mysterious individuals in clearing out the Chitauri forces, while the majority focused on rescuing civilians trapped in buildings and escorting them to nearby churches for safety.
This was supposed to be the Avengers' defining moment, but with Bai Qi's twelve apostles making an uninvited appearance, the Avengers seemed redundant.
Compounding the situation, a swarm of war correspondents, armed with cameras and lenses, had somehow infiltrated the battlefield. They began interviewing the followers of the Holy Dragon Church and the rescued civilians.
The followers of the Holy Dragon Church remained composed. After a brief proclamation of their faith, they rejoined the rescue efforts.
In contrast, the ordinary citizens, who had just been plucked from the brink of death, were much more emotional.
Already angered by the government's inaction, they had a reservoir of frustration waiting for an outlet. This situation provided them with the perfect opportunity to vent.
They vehemently criticized the government's lethargy. After all this time, no military forces had appeared, only a handful of New York police officers struggling to hold the line, fighting a losing battle. Forget protecting the populace; these officers were likely struggling to protect themselves.
Compared to their scathing denouncements of the government's incompetence and inaction, they showered the Holy Dragon Church members, who had saved their lives, with immense praise. Many were even considering converting their faith on the spot.
After all, people were pragmatic. Compared to a nebulous, ethereal belief, they preferred the tangible benefits offered by the Holy Dragon Church as their faith.
This was precisely what Bai Qi desired.
Following this incident, he would be able to harvest a significant number of followers.
As the twelve apostles and the followers of the Holy Dragon Church continued their desperate struggle, they managed to suppress the Chitauri legions to some extent. However, with a continuous influx of Chitauri reinforcements, if the source of the invasion couldn't be eradicated, even the twelve apostles, despite their formidable strength, would eventually tire.
Everyone understood this with crystal clarity. It was precisely because they knew this that the U.S. government had been hesitant to deploy its military.
The wealthy and influential, who contributed the lion's share of government taxes, had utilized their connections and resources to flee the city at the onset of the conflict. All that remained were the expendable ordinary citizens, and many homeless individuals who contributed nothing to the government's tax revenue.
In the eyes of the officials, these were parasites infesting the city, the root cause of social instability, living off government relief money without contributing to societal progress.
Rather than allowing these individuals to continue their meager existence, it was deemed more beneficial to use the alien invasion as an opportunity to purge them, thereby lightening the burden on the U.S.
As for Nick Fury, he too had his own agenda.
As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., could Nick Fury be unaware of the government's actions?
Of course not. The reason for deploying the Avengers was merely to build their reputation through this alien invasion, proving to those in power the wisdom of his past decisions.
However, the appearance of the Holy Dragon Church and the twelve apostles had foiled the U.S. government's and Nick Fury's plans.
The U.S. government, however, was clearly unwilling to concede.
Since they couldn't rely on the aliens to eliminate the "vermin," they would take matters into their own hands.
At worst, they could hire public relations experts to manage the media, control the narrative, and scapegoat a few imagined enemy nations or terrorist organizations. With a bit of luck, they might even bolster domestic unity.
With this thought, the military high command moved swiftly.
The first step was to temporarily suspend Nick Fury's directorship, with an appointed military officer taking command of the entire Helicarrier.
While ostensibly taking over, this officer was in reality a compliant puppet, ready to be sacrificed if the situation became unmanageable.
The officer was not foolish and knew this was no easy task, but he had no choice. His superiors, who had issued the order, held leverage over him. Failure to complete this mission would endanger not only himself but his entire family.
Thus, the officer had no choice but to accept the assignment with grim determination.
Perhaps to ensure the officer's diligence and prevent any clever maneuvering, his superiors, before his departure, made him a tempting promise: if he successfully completed the mission, his past mistakes would be forgiven, and he would receive substantial rewards.
Upon taking command of the Helicarrier, the officer's first order was to dispatch two fighter jets, armed with nuclear missiles, towards the war-torn New York.
Nick Fury, armed with a rocket launcher, raced to the takeoff runway. With a single shot, he crippled the wing of one of the departing aircraft. But as he reloaded, another fighter jet roared down a different runway.
Seeing that time was of the essence, Nick Fury discarded the rocket launcher, drew his pistol, and aimed for the fighter jet's fuel tank. However, as the plane soared away, Nick Fury hesitated and did not fire.
After the jet had disappeared from view, Nick Fury quickly turned and entered a nearby corridor. He pulled out his phone and rapidly contacted Iron Man, who was engaged in combat in New York.
"Stark, a fighter jet carrying a nuclear missile is heading your way."
Tony Stark, engaged in a dogfight with four or five Chitauri in the sky, felt a tremor of alarm at Nick Fury's words and asked, "How much time do we have?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"Understood."
As soon as Nick Fury hung up, he saw the officer who had replaced him standing nearby, flanked by several of Nick Fury's trusted confidantes.
The officer extended his hand. Nick Fury, in a show of cooperation, handed over his gun and phone.
Nick Fury knew that the officer was merely an executor, acting under duress, and saw no reason to confront him. Moreover, the fact that the officer had brought his own trusted men to apprehend him indicated a degree of sincerity.
Taking the gun and phone, the officer casually passed them to the agents behind him. With a wave of his hand, two other agents stepped forward and escorted Nick Fury away.
Everyone understood that given Nick Fury's capabilities, his suspension was temporary. After this operation, Nick Fury would undoubtedly reclaim his position as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. As the saying goes, "Leave a line of retreat, and you'll meet again in the future."
It was precisely because of this understanding that the officer treated Nick Fury with such courtesy.