Ch: 266-275
Chapter 266 Dark Gold No. 3
After a period of debate, Peter and Harry ultimately gave Liu Xiu the final choice, letting him pick someone to make his new armor.
After careful consideration, Liu Xiu finally decided to choose Harry to help him create his new armor.
Harry's earlier jibe at Peter about the red and blue armor was indeed quite damaging; every time Liu Xiu thought of choosing Peter, that phrase would pop into his mind.
Upon hearing Liu Xiu's final decision, the abandoned Peter was instantly devastated.
Seeing him slumped lifelessly in his chair, Liu Xiu had to pay the price of several sets of rare edition Lego to revive Peter.
Meng Ran, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but shake his head. Indeed, the cost of being favored was heavy.
Once they finished discussing the new armor and materials, Gwen and Mary Jane's selection process also concluded.
Ultimately, everyone voted to choose a secluded villa not far from New York City.
The villa's location was relatively remote, with no other mansions or villas nearby, which perfectly met the Six-pointed Star Alliance's standards.
Being remote generally meant less public attention, which was beneficial for Meng Ran and the others to modify the villa and for their daily comings and goings.
After selecting the location, the purchasing process didn't take much time. Approximately three days later, they had already obtained full ownership of the villa, and seven days later, the initial simple modifications to the villa were essentially complete.
After the simple modifications, new furniture was purchased, and the system network was upgraded. After a month of continuous work, the villa's renovation was finally completed.
After the renovation, the villa's exterior looked no different from before, but numerous secret rooms and a new research base had been added underground.
The adjacent mountain had also been hollowed out and reinforced to become a hangar for aircraft and an armory.
For a long time thereafter, the members of the Six-pointed Star Alliance returned to their previous normal lives.
Three months after the Ultron incident ended, at the Avengers Compound in northern New York, Meng Ran, Peter, and Harry were in the laboratory with Tony and Banner conducting research.
During this period, in addition to their daily patrols, Peter and Meng Ran often went to the new Avengers Compound to research the Iron Legion and develop a super artificial intelligence.
With the help of the Six-pointed Star Alliance members, the research speed of the experiments greatly increased.
Although the super artificial intelligence was still only in its embryonic stage, the development speed of the Iron Legion was very encouraging.
The new Iron Soldiers utilized the new materials brought by Meng Ran and his group, and after everyone's collaborative research, the performance of these new materials was further improved.
At this moment, Meng Ran was typing something on the keyboard, while the others watched intently at the laboratory across a bulletproof glass.
Inside the laboratory, an Iron Soldier made entirely of black metal stood silently on the ground.
Its overall size was essentially no different from an adult, and there were no oddly shaped devices on its limbs or torso, just like a simple humanoid robot.
"Now commencing the defensive capability test for the Dark Gold No. 3 standard Iron Soldier material," Meng Ran said, typing on the keyboard and making notes.
Dark Gold material was the name of the material Meng Ran and his group brought, named for convenience in experimentation, data recording, and comparison.
After bringing this material to the Avengers Compound, everyone upgraded it based on its characteristics.
So far, it had undergone two upgrades, Dark Gold No. 1 and Dark Gold No. 2. The Iron Soldier being tested today was made from the latest upgraded Dark Gold No. 3 material.
"Firearms test commencing." As Meng Ran pressed a button on the keyboard, corresponding changes occurred in the experimental chamber.
A mechanical arm extended from the wall opposite the all-black Iron Soldier, and at the same time, the floor below the mechanical arm opened and rose, revealing a long row of various types of firearms on a table that ascended from the floor.
After the table holding numerous firearms stabilized, the mechanical arm extending from the wall picked up a pistol from the far left and then aimed and fired at the Iron Soldier.
Although the Iron Soldier was standing motionless at this time, it had been activated, and blue light was glowing in its two mechanical eyes.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" As the mechanical arm continuously pulled the trigger, bullets shot from the gun barrel, striking the Iron Soldier's chest and various parts of its body.
Once all the bullets in the pistol were expended, the mechanical arm placed the pistol back on the far left of the long table.
Next, a small cylindrical object extended from the laboratory ceiling, emitting a blue light that scanned the slowly rotating Iron Soldier in front of it.
After the scan was complete, Jarvis's voice echoed over the laboratory's intercom.
"Zero damage. Pistol bullets cannot cause any harm to the Dark Gold No. 3 standard Iron Soldier."
Hearing Jarvis's report, Peter, standing next to Meng Ran, happily said, "It seems the strength of the Dark Gold material has improved again. I remember the Dark Gold No. 2 material standard Iron Soldier still had 0.5% damage after being shot by a pistol."
Tony, standing nearby, heard Peter's words and added, "That's true, but for the Dark Gold material, the limit we can achieve currently is Dark Gold No. 3. There shouldn't be much improvement in the material in the short term."
After hearing Peter and Tony's analysis, Meng Ran nodded and said, "This strength is already very good. Next, let's try larger caliber weapons."
"Once the Dark Gold No. 3 standard Iron Soldier test is problem-free, we can begin manufacturing other models of Iron Soldiers."
After speaking, he pressed a button on the control panel in front of him and then said to Jarvis, "Continue the test, and compile a damage report after all weapons have been tested."
"Received." After the command was received, the mechanical arm in the laboratory resumed its work, picking up firearms of different calibers from left to right and firing at the Iron Soldier.
Seeing the ongoing tests in the laboratory, Meng Ran turned to Banner and asked, "Doctor, what is Ultron's current situation?"
Chapter 267 New Ultron
Dr. Banner shrugged after hearing Meng Ran's question and said, "It's pretty much the same as before, but with noob's guidance and debugging, its growth rate has increased a bit."
"Last night, I thought of a new idea that I want to discuss with you all. If this idea succeeds, Ultron's growth rate should be able to accelerate even more."
After speaking, Dr. Banner led Meng Ran and the others out of the laboratory. They walked and talked as they headed towards the super AI research lab.
"To be honest, I still haven't gotten used to the name Ultron. Every time I hear or say it, I feel very unsafe," Tony said to Meng Ran as they walked.
Meng Ran smiled after hearing him and said, "After all, this name has caused a lot of trouble, so it's normal to have such a reaction."
"However, to a certain extent, choosing this name is also to remind us to be cautious and not make the same mistake as last time."
After speaking, he patted Tony's shoulder. "Didn't you also strongly agree with this proposal at the time? It's better to get used to it sooner."
"Otherwise, what will you do when this super AI succeeds? Are you not going to use it anymore? Or change its name again?"
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Tony sighed and said, "It's not that exaggerated. It just feels like I dug a hole for myself."
Harry, who was beside them, heard their conversation and said, "Actually, I quite like the name Ultron. It sounds full of technology and a sense of the future."
Dr. Banner laughed when he heard Harry's words, "Regarding that last super AI, the only correct thing we did was probably giving it that name."
Amidst their conversation, they quickly arrived at the super AI research laboratory.
When they pushed open the door and entered the lab, noob, who was working inside, greeted them. "Good afternoon, gentlemen."
Hearing noob's voice, Meng Ran immediately asked, "Good afternoon! How is the model building progressing now?"
Hearing Meng Ran's question, noob explained the current situation to everyone: "Currently, the construction is very stable, and the logic operation is self-consistent. Although its computing speed and learning ability are still relatively poor, it is slowly making progress."
After hearing noob's report, Tony looked at the documents on the table and said, "It seems we really need to find a way, otherwise, I don't know if my grandson will be born before it's put into use."
"Oh, if you put it that way, it might not be Ultron's problem, but whether your grandson can be born. Didn't you just argue with Ms. Pepper yesterday?" Banner teased when he heard Tony's words.
Hearing Banner's teasing, Tony waved his hand and said, "First, I need to correct you on one point: Pepper and I weren't arguing."
"That was merely a thorough discussion because we had different views on the same matter."
"And secondly, since when did you start telling jokes?"
Hearing Tony's words, Banner said, "Although you gave a long explanation trying to say that you two weren't arguing, the fact is that it was indeed an argument."
"And I've always been this humorous; you just haven't noticed it. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Meng Ran."
Seeing Tony's questioning gaze, Meng Ran shrugged and said, "I'm not really sure about the humor, but what you said about your communication with Ms. Pepper was indeed an argument. I can confirm that."
"After all, I was there yesterday when you two were on the phone."
Hearing Meng Ran's additional confirmation about the argument, Tony rolled his eyes helplessly and then said, "Alright, alright, joke time is over. We need to start working seriously."
"Bruce, what's that new idea you mentioned? We can calculate it together and see if it's feasible."
After hearing Tony's question, Dr. Banner became serious and began to explain his new idea to Meng Ran and the others.
After listening to Dr. Banner's explanation, they thoroughly discussed and calculated based on this new idea.
While Meng Ran and Tony were busy researching in the lab, Rogers was leading Natasha, Falcon, and Wanda on a mission.
Falcon and Wanda belonged to the new Avengers. After a period of training, Rogers began taking them on new missions.
Besides Falcon and Wanda, the new Avengers also included Colonel Rhodes and Pietro, but they had other missions at the moment, so they were not with Rogers and his team.
Western Africa, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Lagos City.
Wanda was currently sitting outside a cafe, drinking coffee.
Opposite the cafe was a police station, where several police officers were standing at the entrance, drinking afternoon tea and chatting.
"What do you see now?" Rogers' voice came through Wanda's headset.
Hearing Rogers' question, Wanda picked up her coffee cup and whispered, "Just a few ordinary patrol officers, a small police station. There don't seem to be many cars, so it's very easy to approach."
"There's an ATM in the south corner, and there are cameras there too."
Hearing Wanda's reply, Rogers continued, "The intersecting roads on both sides are one-way, and they also have cameras."
"That way, it should be difficult for him to escape later," Wanda said, stating her judgment.
Rogers heard her and continued, "This also shows that our target is neither afraid of being seen, nor will he hesitate to use any means to escape."
"Do you see that red Land Rover in the middle of the road?"
"I see it. It's very conspicuous and beautiful," Wanda said, glancing at the Land Rover out of the corner of her eye.
"And it's bulletproof, which means there are private bodyguards, and also more guns, making our operation more troublesome," Natasha's voice also rang in the headset.
She was sitting not far from Wanda, and after hearing Wanda's analysis, she immediately added.
Wanda heard Natasha's supplementary analysis and said, "You know I can move objects with my mind, don't you?"
Natasha heard her and continued, "That's true, but we still need to pay close attention to our surroundings when we act."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Falcon's voice rang out in the headset: "Everyone, our target has just appeared."
Chapter 268 Rumlow
Hearing Sam's report, Rogers also reminded him, "Remember not to let them discover us."
"Since Rumlow escaped, this is our only and best chance to catch him."
It turned out that Rogers and Natasha's mission target today was Rumlow, the former HYDRA agent.
Rumlow was once the captain of Pierce's special forces unit within HYDRA and was highly valued by Pierce.
When Meng Ran, Rogers, Nick Fury, and others destroyed Insight Project and the HYDRA organization, he was naturally affected.
Although he was the captain of HYDRA's special forces at the time, he was no match for Rogers.
Before Rogers encountered Bucky and got into a bitter fight, he had already knocked Rumlow to the ground, and the broken glass on the ground also cut his cheek, making his originally handsome face look terrifying.
After the battle ended, the severely injured Rumlow was taken away for treatment and placed under guard.
However, after his body recovered somewhat, he found an opportunity to escape from the hospital while the guards were not paying attention, evading S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pursuit.
After a period of silence, he suddenly resurfaced, gathering a group of desperadoes to form a terrorist organization, moving between various countries, accepting contracts to carry out terrorist activities, and trafficking various weapons and dangerous goods.
After the Ultron crisis was resolved, Rumlow's active operations also attracted the attention of the Avengers.
To eliminate this remnant of HYDRA, Rogers and his team searched through a lot of data and intelligence, finally obtaining information that Rumlow would be leading a terrorist activity here today.
This was the only chance Rogers and his team had in months to eliminate this HYDRA remnant, Rumlow, which is why he reminded Sam and his team to be careful with their concealment and not to expose their whereabouts and alert Rumlow.
"He won't run if he sees us; he hates us to death," Sam said into his earpiece while concealing himself, upon hearing Rogers's reminder.
Rogers, hidden in a hotel room, was currently looking at the street scene outside through the window and obscured curtains.
On the road outside, pedestrians and vehicles intertwined, making the already narrow street even more crowded.
Rogers looked at the vehicles on the street, analyzed the current situation, and suddenly, a red garbage truck full of trash caught his attention.
Upon seeing this garbage truck, Rogers felt a sense of alarm and abnormality; he immediately pressed his earpiece and said to Sam, "Sam, see that garbage truck? Follow it."
Just as Rogers spoke, that slowly moving red garbage truck, while passing through the narrow road, easily knocked a parked car to the side.
Seeing this scene, Rogers became even more certain of the abnormal feeling in his heart; under normal circumstances, a garbage truck moving so slowly would not have such great kinetic energy and impact.
The slowly moving garbage truck on the street below no longer looked like an ordinary garbage truck; it was like an armored ramming vehicle.
As Sam heard Rogers's order, he immediately manipulated the armored backpack on his back, and with a series of mechanical clicks, a flat drone flew out of his armored backpack.
He controlled the drone's flight via the touchscreen on his left arm; the drone silently glided over the street, then quickly moved behind the garbage truck and attached itself to its undercarriage.
"Activate X-ray," Sam said, inputting the command verbally while controlling the drone.
Following his command input, the drone's camera released invisible X-rays, quickly scanning the entire compartment of the garbage truck.
"Weight analysis: maximum vehicle load 14,000 kilograms, currently at maximum load."
Looking at the various data and information scanned by the drone, Sam quickly understood the true situation of the garbage truck.
He pressed his earpiece and quickly said to the others in the communication channel, "There's something wrong with this truck; it's already at maximum load, and the driver and co-driver inside are fully armed."
Hearing Sam's report, Natasha and Rogers quickly reacted.
"Damn it, this is a ramming vehicle," Natasha said with a serious expression.
At the same time, Rogers also said in the communication channel, "We need to go now; their target isn't the police station."
After speaking, they quickly set off and rushed towards the direction the garbage truck was heading.
At the other end of the street, the garbage truck was now almost at the entrance of an infectious disease research institute.
The guards at the institute's entrance were basking in the sun and daydreaming; upon hearing the sound of a car approaching, they quickly turned their heads to look.
They saw a red garbage truck accelerating towards the main gate; the driver, after reaching maximum speed, quickly pulled open the driver's door and jumped out.
Seeing the heavy garbage truck rushing directly towards them, the guards scattered to take cover.
With the kinetic energy provided by its immense weight, the garbage truck directly ran over the guardrail and barriers at the entrance, then overturned onto the grounds inside the research institute's gate.
After the garbage truck crashed through the institute's gate, several yellow trucks then rushed directly from a nearby street.
They drove straight through the shattered walls and iron gate, directly entering the interior of the laboratory.
Once these two large yellow trucks came to a stop, the container doors on their rear opened, revealing not precious cargo, but fully armed terrorists.
They wore gas masks and black combat suits; after jumping out of the trucks, they immediately raised their handguns, clearing out the security forces at the research institute.
"Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!"
Intense gunfire erupted like firecrackers, and accompanying these sounds were the falling of vivid lives.
After dealing with the few guards outside, the terrorists arrived in front of the office building.
They raised their guns at the windows upstairs and fired several toxic gas canisters.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The canister ammunition containing toxic gas shattered the windowpanes, then fell into the building and began releasing its dark green poisonous gas.
After leaving a few people to guard outside, the leader took the rest of the terrorists into the building, searching for their target.
Just a few seconds after they entered the building, a strong figure rushed in from outside.
Along with this figure came a round shield; this shield completely defied the laws of physics, as after hitting a terrorist in the chest, it actually returned to the figure's hand.
Chapter 269 Human Bomb
After Captain America rushed in, he knocked away a terrorist, then reached out and caught his returning shield, and used it to block the bullets fired by the terrorists who had already reacted.
After this round of gunfire, Rogers quickly started moving again, throwing his shield as he ran, taking down two terrorists.
"They are wearing bulletproof vests and AR-15 assault rifles. Besides the few already on the ground, there are still 7 fully armed enemies here." After dealing with these enemies, Rogers quickly reported the enemy's situation through the comms channel.
As Rogers spoke, Sam also descended rapidly from the air. He folded his wings and landed quickly, directly kicking a terrorist unconscious.
Then he quickly drew the pistol from his waist and, with a "bang!", took care of the other soldier on the rooftop who was on alert and hadn't had time to react.
"Now there are 5 left," Sam said in the comms channel after dealing with the two.
As soon as he finished speaking, a graceful figure enveloped in red energy suddenly flew up behind him.
Wanda controlled these red energies to slowly descend to the ground. Seeing her land, a terrorist opposite her hurriedly raised his pistol, then pulled the trigger hard and fired at her.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Accompanied by several gunshots, the bullets that should have hit Wanda were enveloped by a red energy in front of her, and then remained suspended in mid-air.
"Clink! Clank!" These bullets quickly fell to the ground after losing their kinetic energy. Then Wandamanipulated the red energy, enveloped the terrorist, and lifted him up.
"Sam," Wanda said while waving her hands, then threw the terrorist behind her with the red energy.
Upon seeing the floating terrorist, Sam understood. He swooped down and landed, simultaneously kicking the terrorist unconscious to the ground.
"Now there are 4 left."
At this moment, the drone that had been scouting the garbage truck earlier also flew in from outside.
Its front emitted a red light, scanning for terrorists inside the building with infrared.
"The leader is on the 3rd floor," Sam said to Rogers.
Rogers nodded upon hearing this, then said to Wanda, "Wanda, just like in practice, send me directly to the 3rd floor in a moment."
"OK, what about the gas inside?" Wanda asked after hearing Rogers' instruction.
Rogers immediately replied, "Just get rid of it."
After speaking, Rogers flipped onto the roof of a car. Under Wanda's control, his lower body was being lifted by a red energy, directly sending him to the third floor.
Rogers held his round shield in front of him, then directly broke through the 3rd-floor glass, flipping and standing in the hallway inside.
At this time, the hallway was still filled with green poisonous gas, and he couldn't breathe, so he could only hold his breath temporarily.
A terrorist, seeing Rogers fly in through the window, quickly sprayed him with the machine gun in his hand.
Rogers held up his round shield to block the bullets, while simultaneously moving quickly towards the terrorist.
After getting close to the terrorist, Rogers directly yanked off his gas mask, exposing him directly to the dense poisonous gas.
"Cough, cough, cough." A few seconds after inhaling the poisonous gas, the terrorist coughed and fainted on the ground.
At this point, only three terrorists remained. Of the remaining three, one was guarding outside, and two had already gone deep into the innermost laboratory and obtained the biochemical reagents they wanted.
At the same time, Wanda was also manipulating red energy to clear the poisonous gas inside the building. She enveloped all the green gas in red energy, then lifted them all high into the sky, allowing them to drift with the wind and disperse.
Captain America inside the building also took down the terrorist guarding the laboratory door, but the two who had gone deep into the laboratory had already escaped with the biological reagents.
Many of their accomplices were waiting for them on the street outside. Natasha quickly followed them after they ran out of the institute.
She fought with those who tried to hinder her while quickly chasing the terrorist holding the biochemical reagents.
Realizing they wanted to escape, Rogers, Wanda, and Sam quickly moved to the street.
Rogers sent Sam to help Natasha chase the terrorist with the biochemical reagents, while he and Wanda pursued the terrorist leader.
If nothing unexpected happened, the leader of these terrorists should be Rumlow, who was their most important target for this operation.
Rogers and Wanda followed the leader to a bustling market. Because there were so many people, the two of them temporarily split up to search the market.
Rogers was searching the market for traces of Rumlow when suddenly a small device flew from somewhere and directly attached itself to his shield.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" Hearing the urgent sound coming from the device, Rogers immediately felt a sense of unease.
He decisively threw the shield in his hand into the air. The moment the shield flew into the air, the bomb attached to it exploded with a "bang!"
Just as Rogers' attention was distracted by the explosion on the shield, the terrorist leader suddenly darted out from the crowd nearby.
Taking advantage of Rogers' distraction, the leader directly kicked him away.
After rolling twice on the ground, Rogers quickly stood up, ready for battle.
"You can't escape, Rumlow. Surrender."
Upon hearing his plea for surrender, the leader remained silent, merely continuing to charge at him, swinging his fists.
No matter how experienced this leader was, he was no match for Rogers, so after only a few rounds, he was knocked to the ground.
Then Rogers ripped off his mask, preparing to arrest him, but the face beneath the mask was not their intended target.
"Hahaha, this is a surprise, Captain," the leader said with a happy laugh upon seeing Rogers' stunned expression.
"Oh, and my leader asked me to tell you something."
"He told me that your good brother Bucky misses you very much, hahaha."
Hearing the leader's words, the usually calm and composed Rogers couldn't help but be distracted.
Just then, the leader pulled the pin, detonating the high explosives hidden on his body.
"Bang!" Intense flames instantly exploded from the leader's body.
Chapter 270 Fermentation
But just as this 'firework' bloomed, a red energy enveloped it.
Rogers quickly looked back and realized that Wanda had arrived just in time, temporarily suppressing the energy.
Intense firelight expanded rapidly within the red energy, and Wanda was giving her all to suppress this force.
"Ah!" With a low cry, Wanda waved her hands, pushing the expanding flame towards the sky.
The expanding flame, still encased, shot up from the ground. Wanda wanted this flame to explode high in the sky after leaving the ground, so it wouldn't harm the nearby civilians.
However, things rarely go as planned. Just as she was fully exerting herself to suppress the flame and send it halfway up into the sky...
The explosive energy, still wrapped in red energy, underwent several more 'fermentations,' tearing open the red energy's containment and wantonly unleashing its violent power.
The nearby tall buildings were also impacted by this energy. All the glass windows shattered instantly, and firelight spread from the outside in. Several floors of offices in the middle of the building immediately caught fire.
"Ah!" The violent explosion caused the surrounding crowd to instantly panic. They screamed and scattered, fleeing the area.
Rogers and Wanda, standing on the ground, were stunned by this sudden turn of events, remaining rooted to the spot.
Wanda's hands were still in a waving posture. Seeing the tragedy unfold in the office building, she widened her eyes in disbelief. She had never imagined such a situation would occur.
"Sam, the south side of the building needs fire support," Rogers said urgently into his earpiece to Sam.
He knew that the situation had escalated to a point where it would be difficult to resolve, but the immediate priority was still to save people.
"We need to hurry and save people," Rogers told Wanda, then led her towards the building.
Wanda, at this moment, was also distraught, following Rogers, her mind a chaotic mess, unsure of what she was even thinking.
Her original intention was to save people, but she had never anticipated that her actions would lead to such a result.
Wanda quickly followed Rogers into the smoke-filled building. Seeing the people groaning on the ground, the dazed Wanda snapped out of her stupor.
She quickly suppressed the complex emotions in her heart and the chaotic thoughts in her mind, then immediately began rescuing the civilians in the building with Rogers.
Northern New York, at the Avengers' new base.
Meng Ran and the others had just finished a targeted experiment based on Banner's new idea.
The result was very successful; Banner's new idea further accelerated the development of Ultron.
For the arduous work of developing super AI, any progress is worth celebrating.
"Sir, the test for the Dark Gold Mark 3 standard Iron Soldier has just been completed. Here is his data report."
As Tony, Meng Ran, and the others were relaxing and having drinks in the hall, Jarvis reported to Tony.
Hearing Jarvis's report, Tony picked up his phone and projected the holographic data report into the middle of the hall for everyone to see.
"Wow, the new data is pretty good. It seems Dark Gold Mark 3 is stronger than Dark Gold Mark 2 in all aspects," Peter exclaimed, looking at the data report.
Tony nodded in agreement, then continued, "Based on the strength shown in the data, this guy can even withstand a few tank shells. It seems it's time for mass production."
"And since there's no way to further upgrade the Dark Gold Mark 3 material at this stage, we can indeed start manufacturing," Banner said, taking a sip of his drink and nodding.
"Then we can proceed with mass production of the Dark Gold Mark 3 standard Iron Soldiers while simultaneously developing special types of Iron Soldiers," Meng Ran added, listening to their discussion.
"As we planned before, the special models now include light, heavy, naval, and aerial types, as well as their various composite forms."
"These types are now sufficient to cover our current needs, and it's estimated that the classification of special models won't undergo major changes for a short period."
After discussing these issues, they began to discuss the paint schemes and more minor details of the Iron Soldiers.
Indeed, no man could resist the charm of Iron Soldiers. Even the usually calm and easygoing Bannerbegan to argue with Tony about the Iron Soldiers' color scheme.
He believed that Tony's proposed gold and red paint scheme, similar to Iron Man's, was too flashy. If batches of Iron Soldiers went out on missions looking like that, people would surely laugh their heads off.
Upon hearing Banner's complaint, Tony began to righteously question him about why gold and red would make people laugh their heads off, asking if his Iron Man armor was ridiculous.
Just as they were in the thick of their heated discussion, Jarvis's voice echoed through the hall's broadcast.
"Gentlemen, it seems there's been an incident with Captain Rogers' mission."
"What kind of incident? Bring up the mission data and related reports." Hearing Jarvis's voice, everyone stopped their chatter and instantly became serious.
After receiving Tony's command, Jarvis brought up all the news related to Rogers and his team.
Meng Ran and the others looked intently, only to see that all the current news and headlines were about the Avengers' operation resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
This news was extremely popular. Besides reports from major newspapers, there was already a large number of netizens commenting and debating under the news pushes on various social networks and communication platforms.
Many people expressed regret and apologies for such news, then condemned and questioned, and even cursed, the Avengers' actions.
Seeing the specific content of the news and the current trend of online fermentation and spread, Meng Ran and the others immediately became serious.
They all understood what kind of impact such public opinion would have on the Avengers.
After learning about the current situation and the details of Rogers' operation, Tony walked out while speaking to Meng Ran and the others.
"Things are a bit bad right now. I need to make arrangements immediately to prevent things from spiraling out of our control."
"You can continue your research with Banner, or you can go do your own things. I have to go first."
After speaking, he grabbed his coat and instructed Jarvis, "If Rogers and Wanda return, remember to notify me immediately."
Then he hurried out the door.
Watching the news on TV and Tony rushing out, Meng Ran knew that a similar story was about to unfold once again.
With such an incident, no one had the mind to continue their research. Meng Ran also took Peter and the others back to the Six-pointed Star Alliance.
They constantly monitored online developments and did their best to help the Avengers suppress malicious guidance.
The incident's widespread reach and significant impact made it unrealistic to completely cover it up online, so they could only minimize its negative effects as much as possible.
Chapter 271 Responsibility
Under the glare of countless flashbulbs, Tony finally shook off the persistent reporters and stepped down from the press conference podium, entering the internal corridor behind it.
As soon as he exited the Avengers' base, he immediately began contacting people to arrange this press conference.
As Iron Man, he had to provide an official response and explanation for the Avengers' actions right away; otherwise, the malicious speculation and deliberate slandering alone would quickly bury them.
Looking at the empty internal corridor, Tony closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, wanting to rest. Dealing with reporters who constantly dug traps for him and deliberately made things difficult truly left him exhausted.
After resting for a moment, he opened his eyes again, then walked to the end of the corridor, turned a corner, and headed towards the internal elevator.
In the quiet hallway, only Tony's footsteps echoed. As he approached the elevator, he noticed that a well-dressed middle-aged woman was standing by the wall.
Seeing Tony approach, the middle-aged woman made no move. She didn't even turn her head to look at Tony, simply staring silently at the elevator in front of her.
Though Tony found it strange, he didn't say anything. He just assumed she was waiting for the elevator, like him.
The two of them stood there, waiting for the elevator to arrive. In the empty hallway, only the sound of their breathing slowly echoed.
A moment later, Tony finally sensed something was wrong. He hadn't noticed it when he first arrived, but the elevator button hadn't been pressed at all.
He had been a bit tired earlier, so he hadn't paid attention to the button, just stood there waiting for the elevator. But now that he had come to his senses, he immediately became alert.
Tony slowly turned sideways, facing the middle-aged woman, then extended a hand to press the elevator button in front of them.
"Click!" The usually very faint sound of the elevator button being pressed seemed to be amplified in the empty hallway.
Tony pressed the elevator button, then asked the middle-aged woman beside him, "Are you going up?"
Hearing his question, the middle-aged woman finally broke her silence.
With a somewhat cold expression, she turned her head to look at Tony's face, then softly said, "I'm not going up. I'm just staying where I'm supposed to be."
After speaking, she lowered her head and reached into her handbag.
Seeing her dangerous movement, Tony quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. "OK, hey! Don't do anything foolish."
After her arm was gripped, the middle-aged woman struggled to break free, but Tony, seeing this, also increased his strength, firmly restraining her right hand.
After realizing she couldn't break free, the middle-aged woman stopped struggling. At the same time, Tony saw from the edge of her handbag that there was nothing dangerous inside.
"Sorry, it's an occupational hazard," Tony said, slowly releasing his grip on the middle-aged woman's arm.
Just as Tony released his hand, the middle-aged woman looked at him with a cold expression, then introduced herself in a deep voice. "I work for the Department of State, Human Resources."
Hearing the middle-aged woman's words, Tony gave a slightly awkward smile and nodded.
Then the middle-aged woman continued, "I know this job is boring, but with this job, I can support my son."
"I am very proud to have such a son." As she said this, the middle-aged woman's face finally lost its blank expression.
When she spoke of her son, a smile would involuntarily appear at the corners of her mouth, but at the same time, her eyes began to redden, and the fleeting smile transformed into a grimace of clenched teeth.
"His name was Charlie Spencer, a very excellent young man, but you killed him, in Wilhemnia."
The middle-aged woman said, slamming the photo she had taken from her bag against Tony's chest.
Tony could only stand there blankly, hearing the middle-aged woman's words. He, of course, knew Wilhemnia; it was the name of the small town that Ultron had lifted into the sky along with the mountain range.
"Perhaps to you, this is nothing, the great Tony Stark," the middle-aged woman continued, looking at Tony, her eyes filled with pain and anger.
"You think you're fighting for us? No! You're only fighting for yourself."
"You're an excellent Avenger, Stark. You tell me, who will avenge my son?"
"He was my everything, but now he's dead, all because of your mistake."
"You don't need to know who I am, you just need to remember that you are an executioner."
"Though you constantly claim to fight to protect us, you have no idea how many people like my son there are."
After speaking, the middle-aged woman turned and left. She gently put her son's photo back into her handbag, her movements so delicate as if it were not a photo but a small infant.
Although the middle-aged woman had walked away and the elevator had opened, Tony still stood blankly in the hallway.
The middle-aged woman's sudden appearance and her words were completely unexpected for Tony.
He took a few steps back, leaning against the hallway wall, then stared blankly with empty eyes.
After hearing the middle-aged woman's words, Tony's heart was a mix of emotions, extremely complex.
He had never intended to harm anyone; on the contrary, all his efforts up to that point had been for protection.
Protecting those he loved, protecting all innocent civilians, and protecting this fragile planet.
His initial concept for Ultron was also to better protect Earth against alien invasion.
Although he didn't want to see the resulting disaster when it went out of control, he also couldn't escape responsibility for it all.
Just as that middle-aged woman said, he had no idea how many people like her son there were.
The disaster caused by Ultron was a responsibility he had to bear, like a scar on his cheek; though it would heal, it could never be ignored or forgotten.
Tony stood there with his head down, leaning against the wall, then slid weakly to the floor.
Although the elevator had come and gone, he just wanted to sit there for now.
Chapter 272 Public Opinion Storm
In northern New York, at the new Avengers Compound, Rogers, Wanda, and the others had all returned to the compound.
After their mission and rescuing the civilians, they flew back to the compound in a Quinjet.
After several hours of flying, they finally returned to New York.
During their several-hour journey home, news of the terrorist attack in Lagos and the Avengers' actions had already spread online, with overwhelming reports and news all about the Avengers.
It was already late evening when Rogers and the others returned to New York, and several days had passed since then.
The headlines during this period were, without a doubt, all about this operation.
Meng Ran was also at the Avengers Compound at this time, with Harry standing beside him.
Originally, he had planned to come alone to check on the situation, but for some reason, Harry also strongly insisted on coming along.
"Rogers and the others are our comrades-in-arms, no matter what. Now that they're in trouble, it's perfectly reasonable for me to go and see, isn't it?"
Seeing Harry's righteous words and dignified expression, Meng Ran was speechless, so he brought him along to the Avengers Compound.
He estimated that once they arrived, Harry's true intentions would become clear, and Meng Ran was eager to see what he was planning.
When Meng Ran and Harry arrived at the Avengers Compound, Natasha and Rogers were sitting at the dining table, drinking coffee and eating sandwiches.
Although the scene looked relaxed and pleasant, their furrowed brows indicated that neither of them was in a particularly good mood.
"Would you like some sandwiches and coffee?" Natasha asked them as she saw Meng Ran and Harrywalk in.
"Oh, thank you, no need. We've already eaten on our way here," Meng Ran replied to Natasha's greeting while waving his hand at the frowning Rogers.
Harry also briefly greeted the two of them, then asked, "Are the others not here?"
Rogers responded, "Sam went out to exercise. Rhode and Pietro's missions aren't finished yet. Wandashould be in her room."
"As you know, this incident has had a significant impact on all of us, especially Wanda."
After Rogers finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Meng Ran and Harry both understood what he meant; after all, for Rogers and Natasha, they were both battle-hardened veterans and seasoned agents.
Incidents like Lagos were not new to them, so while they were saddened, they weren't entirely unable to accept it.
What bothered them more and proved more difficult to handle was the continuous escalation of the issue online.
"This is the information age; any problem will be rapidly spread and amplified, especially for a team like the Avengers," Meng Ran said, comforting Rogers and Natasha after a moment of silence.
Rogers sighed upon hearing Meng Ran's words and said, "This is my fault. I should have noticed that he was carrying high explosives sooner."
"That terrorist mentioned Bucky to me. When I heard it, I was instantly stunned, like I was back to sixteen, turning into that scrawny, pitiful Brooklyn kid again."
"Actually, I've always known the risks and significance of this job. We always try to save as many people as possible, but sometimes we can't save everyone."
"I've always understood this principle, because if I hesitated, then next time I might not be able to save anyone at all."
"This incident is all my responsibility, not only causing so many people to lose their lives but also dragging the team into this public opinion storm."
Hearing Rogers' words, Meng Ran said, "Actually, as long as the Avengers exist, such public opinion storms are bound to happen sooner or later."
"Because whether it's the government, the public, or the various media outlets, they always demand that you complete every mission to the most perfect standards and with the most stringent requirements."
"But we all know that nothing can be perfect, just as you said, we can't save everyone."
"Since it's impossible to save everyone, then there will always be people who lose their lives in various accidents, and someone will always have to be responsible for these people."
"The deceased enemies can no longer be blamed, so only you become the target."
"This matter will always happen and must be faced. For you, this incident is both a crisis and an opportunity. If handled properly, you might not be a target anymore in the future."
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Rogers and Natasha pondered and nodded.
After a moment, Natasha also sighed and said, "Wanda, that child is very self-reproaching. She's deeply bothered by her inability to control that explosion, compounded by the media's accountability."
Before Meng Ran could say anything more, Harry, who was standing beside him, stood up and said, "I'll go up and check on her."
Rogers and Natasha nodded in agreement; they also hoped someone could talk to Wanda.
After spending this time together, the Avengers had gotten to know Wanda and Pietro, the siblings.
Although they were now eighteen or nineteen, their prolonged lives in the laboratory had caused some personality issues, and they weren't as mature as one might expect.
This was evident from their strained yet naive hatred for Tony and Pietro's act of taking candy when they went with Ultron to find Vibranium.
(Although Quicksilver had a full beard in the movie, according to Marvel's set up, their ages were indeed not very old, only about two years older than the high-school-aged Spider-Man played by Tom Holland at the time.)
Rogers and Natasha didn't find anything unusual about Harry wanting to go up and talk to Wanda, but Meng Ran, who was with Harry, finally understood his insistence on coming along.
"Good kid, so that's what he was planning. It seems our domineering CEO finally has a target of interest," Meng Ran thought to himself, watching Harry go upstairs.
"I hope he succeeds. After eating so much dog food for so long, it's time he found his own love."
"If Harry doesn't find a girlfriend, then there shouldn't be any single dogs left in our Six-pointed Star Alliance."
Meng Ran thought this while nodding with satisfaction, completely forgetting the existence of another single dog named Liu Xiu.
Chapter 273: Acknowledge Your Imperfections
Upstairs in the Avengers Compound, in Wanda's room, a television was showing news footage.
The room, which should have been filled with sunlight, was now somewhat dim because the curtains were drawn.
Wanda was sitting cross-legged on the soft, large bed, her arm resting on her fair right leg, watching the TV news intently.
"A few days ago in Lagos, Nigeria, the Avengers engaged in a confrontation with a group of mercenaries."
"Among the innocent civilians who died in this confrontation were eleven Wakandans. These Wakandans, who had previously been isolated from the world, were conducting diplomatic outreach in Lagos at the time of the attack."
"In response, King T'Chaka of Wakanda demanded accountability from the Avengers at the United Nations."
The scene on the television changed, and a white-haired, dark-skinned old man was speaking at a United Nations press conference.
"Our people died tragically on this foreign soil, and their deaths were caused not only by criminal acts but also by the indifference of those who claimed to stop crime."
"A victory achieved at the cost of innocent lives cannot be called a victory at all."
After these few sentences, the screen cut back to the female news anchor.
She looked ahead sternly and concluded with righteous indignation: "All parties currently express strong condemnation of the Avengers' actions."
"They believe that the Avengers' actions completely override international law, and if no measures are taken against similar actions, such tragedies will continue to unfold."
"What legal right does a Inhumans like Wanda Maximoff have to act this way in Nigeria?"
"Her actions not only violated Nigeria's sovereignty and laws but also directly led to the deaths of dozens of innocent people and injuries to hundreds."
"Turn off the TV." Harry, who was walking to the door, immediately used a voice command to turn off the television after hearing the news report.
"It's all my fault." Although the television had been turned off, Wanda still stared fixedly at the black screen and said.
Hearing Wanda's self-blame, Harry said directly, "No, it's not your fault."
"But they've already said my name, accusing my actions," Wanda continued.
Hearing this, Harry also walked into the room and sat next to Wanda.
He and Wanda had many conversations during this time and could be considered good friends.
Rogers had even invited several members of the Six-pointed Star Alliance to be their instructors when training the new Avengers, and Wanda and Harry became acquainted during that time.
After their initial training ended, Harry also took Wanda and Pietro on night patrols.
Although both of their abilities were very powerful, their combat experience, as well as their intuition and judgment during battle, were still lacking, and this was what Harry needed to teach them.
Speaking of Wanda and Pietro's abilities, Meng Ran had secretly possessed them during this period, but after only possessing Pietro, Meng Ran realized that he seemed unable to gain abilities from these two Inhumanss who had undergone multiple mutations.
Perhaps the mutation induced by the Mind Stone led to strange changes in their abilities. Meng Ranwas very puzzled by this but had no solution.
"Wanda, you need to understand that this is not your fault; you did the utmost you could," Harry gently comforted Wanda.
"The news on TV says that because they need someone to bear the responsibility and be a target for people's accusations and curses."
"They will never be able to and do not want to understand such things. You don't need to care about their opinions at all; what we do is good as long as our conscience is clear."
"But I clearly could have prevented anyone from getting hurt," Wanda continued, hearing what Harrysaid to her.
She always felt that if she could have suppressed that explosion for just one more second, perhaps those people wouldn't have died.
"If you hadn't interfered, what would have been the result if that explosive had detonated in the dense crowd on the ground?"
"You suppressed an already occurring explosion and then found a way to send it into the air; this was originally your method to save them."
"If you had the ability but allowed that bomb to explode, then you truly should feel guilty and responsible."
"But you did your best, yet the explosion still harmed some people, then this outcome is not a responsibility you should bear or feel guilty about."
"What we need to do is not regret why we couldn't have done better after every such incident, and then wallow in that pain."
"What we should do is continue to hone our abilities and strive to save more people next time."
After speaking, Harry looked into Wanda's eyes and then solemnly said to her, "Wanda, you need to know that no one is perfect, and no one can achieve absolute perfection."
"Perhaps we are superheroes, that's true, but we are neither God nor gods."
"We always try to save as many people as possible, but sometimes we cannot save everyone."
"If you cannot accept this, then next time such a thing happens, you might not be able to save anyone at all."
Hearing Harry's words, Wanda lowered her head and fell into deep thought. During this time, she had been dwelling on her own thoughts, always unable to break out of that cycle.
Harry's words today also made her start to think from a different perspective, accepting one's imperfections is also a compulsory lesson for every superhero's growth.
Seeing that Wanda seemed to have broken out of her mental rut, Harry nodded with relief.
It was good that it had an effect; it wasn't in vain that he had spent so long talking, even borrowing some of what Rogers had said downstairs just now.
That's right, it was borrowing. After all, how could a scholar's actions be called plagiarism? Some words, as long as they can inspire people, are good, and it doesn't matter who said them or where they came from.
After Harry finished speaking, Rogers, who was drinking coffee downstairs, suddenly sneezed.
"Am I getting a cold? That shouldn't be possible."
This sneeze made Rogers himself feel very strange, because ever since he became a super soldier, he had rarely been sick.
The only times he had been in the hospital were due to injuries he sustained during battles or fights with criminals.
And so, Rogers and the others downstairs drank coffee and chatted with Meng Ran, while upstairs, Wanda gradually resolved her inner turmoil under Harry's guidance.
Chapter 274 The Remaining Snakes and Beasts
In a small, unknown country in Northern Europe, a secret underground base was hidden beneath an abandoned building.
Rumlow was sitting in the underground base, watching various news reports about the Avengers on the screen, a pleased smile playing on his lips.
He picked up the glass next to him and brought it to his mouth; with the clinking sound of ice, the cool, amber liquid flowed into his mouth.
The room was incredibly dim, with the only light source being the reflection from the computer screen.
"Rogers, the Avengers." Rumlow looked at Rogers in the news on the screen, his expression gradually twisting into one of ferocity.
His once handsome and stylish face was now broken and ugly, as if it had been slashed countless times by a knife—this was the gift Rogers had given him.
Perhaps Rogers himself didn't know he had left so many scars on Rumlow's face.
The day he and Meng Ran broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. building, Rumlow, as the special forces captain, immediately led his team to stop them.
But unfortunately, even with all the special forces members together, they were no match for Rogers; they were all knocked to the ground before Bucky even appeared.
Rumlow, as the captain, was kicked away by Rogers, and after smashing through several glass panels, he was severely injured and unable to get up.
The last precarious glass wall fell directly onto his face, transforming him into his current terrifying appearance.
After Pierce's power was dismantled, he went through immense hardship to escape from the heavily guarded hospital, and then barely survived until now.
Otherwise, once his life-threatening injuries were over, he would undoubtedly face severe interrogation and other tortures from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"Although it didn't directly blow you up, the current outcome seems even more interesting," Rumlowmuttered, looking at Rogers on the TV screen.
He designed that trap and arranged a suicide bomber to impersonate him, all to lure Rogers and his team into it.
According to his initial plan, the human bomb should have detonated while the Avengers were transporting them back to base, or even at the base, to cause greater casualties.
But unfortunately, plans rarely go as expected; in the end, the closest people to the human bomb were only Rogers and the new Avengers member.
Originally, that bomb should have killed both of them instantly, but unexpectedly, the new Avenger possessed a special ability that temporarily suppressed the explosion, saving Rogers' life.
This outcome should have declared Rumlow's bomb attack plan a failure, but after seeing the news fermenting online, Rumlow felt that the current situation might not be a bad thing after all.
Although he didn't directly eliminate Rogers, judging by the current momentum, the once universally admired superhero was now on the verge of becoming an object of public disgust.
Moreover, various countries also had strong opinions about their actions; he might be able to use this incident to spark greater conflict among them.
As Rumlow was pondering this matter, a knock suddenly came from outside.
"Leader, a few strange people have found us here. They said they have something they want to cooperate with you on."
Hearing his subordinate's voice from outside, Rumlow impatiently roared, "How is your security? Why did you so easily let some unknown people find us here?"
"I'm not seeing anyone. Tell them to get lost! If they don't, I'll make sure they stay here forever."
After Rumlow finished speaking, there was no reply from his subordinate outside the door; instead, a strange man's voice was heard.
"No need to be so irritable, Mr. Rumlow, we mean no harm. We are here to discuss cooperation with you." The strange man spoke while directly opening the door to the room.
Just as the stranger fully pushed open the door, a flurry of gunshots suddenly erupted from the room.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Rumlow showed no mercy; he was hidden in the corner of the room, directly unleashing a torrent of bullets towards the open doorway.
The anticipated screams did not come; after the bullets were fired towards the door, they vanished without a trace, like mud oxen entering the sea.
Soon, Rumlow had fired all his bullets. He remained hidden in the darkness, wearing a mask and staring intently at the doorway.
The once noisy space suddenly fell silent after the gunshots ceased.
After a moment of silence, the strange man's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway again.
"What a unique greeting, Mr. Rumlow. I'll forgive your sudden visit this time. If there's a next time, I promise I'll make you experience the feeling of having the scars on your face carved open again, one by one."
With that voice, a slender shadow gradually approached the room's doorway from outside.
Rumlow looked closely and saw a handsome man in a white suit with a meticulously styled haircut standing there.
The man immediately spotted Rumlow hiding in the darkness. He smiled, stared at Rumlow, then spread his palm and dropped all the bullets Rumlow had just fired onto the floor.
"I have come to visit you very politely, so I hope you can show me the same respect. Isn't that the proper way to treat a guest for a polite person, Mr. Rumlow?"
The man spoke while wiping his hands with a handkerchief, as if the recent bullets had left a lot of dirt on them.
Hearing the man's words, Rumlow said in a deep voice, "Since when is silently infiltrating someone else's territory considered polite?"
"And my name isn't Rumlow anymore. I'm Crossbones."
Rumlow spoke as he stepped towards the man in the doorway.
The light from outside the room shone into the door and also illuminated Rumlow's mask.
He wore a black iron mask and was fully armed, with a distinctive large white 'X' painted on both his iron mask and chest armor.
The man at the door nodded when he saw Crossbones approaching him and said, "Nice attire, very handsome."
"Well then, Mr. Crossbones, I'm here to discuss cooperation with you." After speaking, the man tossed the handkerchief he had just used to wipe his hands onto the floor.
He stood with his hands in his pants pockets, calmly looking at Crossbones, seemingly waiting for his answer.
Crossbones looked at the man's demeanor and scoffed, "So you don't have a name?"
The man heard Crossbones' question, thought seriously for a moment, and then said, "That lord never gave me a name before."
"However, for convenience of action, I have given myself a commemorative codename. My codename is Beast."
Chapter 275 Secretary of State
"Monster?" Crossbones asked, surprised, after hearing the man's self-introduction.
"That's right, Monster. We should be considered colleagues because we are both members of HYDRA," the man nodded and continued. "It's just that you belong to Pierce's faction of HYDRA, and I belong to HYDRA's special department—Monster."
"Although we had some minor conflicts and unpleasantness internally before, HYDRA has already been destroyed. I don't think these things will hinder our cooperation, especially since we now have a common goal."
Hearing the man's words, Crossbones narrowed his eyes. No wonder this person could block his bullet; he was a Inhumans.
"Are you saying our common goal is the Avengers?"
Hearing Crossbones's words, Monster also nodded: "More or less. Your goal is the Avengers, and my goal is the Six-pointed Star Alliance."
"We can cooperate and destroy both of these damned organizations, restoring HYDRA's glory."
Hearing Monster's words, Crossbones immediately responded: "I think if you're not crazy, you should know that the two of us alone can't take down these two organizations."
"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, the Avengers are truly powerful."
"I don't know much about the Six-pointed Star Alliance, but they seem to be just some masked heroes in New York. Perhaps we can start with them."
After hearing Crossbones's analysis and plan, Monster looked at him strangely. He was starting to wonder if he should find a different partner.
"Your intelligence might be a bit outdated, or perhaps the Six-pointed Star Alliance is just too good at hiding."
"Do you really think it's just a third-rate organization formed by some masked heroes in New York?"
"Monster was destroyed because of them, and the destruction of the entire HYDRA organization is also inextricably linked to them."
"Although everyone publicly sees the Avengers taking the credit, this organization is actually the deepest hidden mastermind."
Hearing Monster's words, Crossbones was startled. He indeed knew nothing about the Six-pointed Star Alliance.
He hadn't seen Meng Ran take down the three Helicarriers at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters because he had already passed out by then.
"Then, according to you, we have no chance of winning at all. So why did you come to me for cooperation? To make fun of me?" After hearing Monster's intelligence, Crossbones truly couldn't understand what courage this person had to tell him that they would destroy these two powerful organizations.
Hearing Crossbones's complaint, Monster showed a mysterious smile and said lightly: "No, no, no, this matter is not as complicated as you think."
"You should know that the more powerful an organization is, the more easily it can collapse from within, just like HYDRA and Monster before. The Avengers and the Six-pointed Star Alliance are like that now."
"You might not even know that you hold a crucial card. As long as this card is played well, they will fight each other to the death without us even lifting a finger."
Hearing Monster's explanation, Crossbones was a bit confused. How did he not know that he had such a powerful card in his hand?
Seeing Crossbones's bewildered expression, Monster smiled and slowly uttered a few words: "Winter Soldier - Barnes."
Northern New York, Avengers Compound.
After her heart-to-heart with Harry, Wanda was feeling much better.
Although Harry wanted to continue talking, Tony Stark had already returned to the Compound, so Meng Ran could only go upstairs and interrupt their conversation.
"Sorry to interrupt your pleasant conversation, but Wanda, you need to go downstairs because Tony is back, and you might need to have a meeting," Meng Ran knocked on the door and said to the two who were chatting happily inside.
"Oh, okay, I'll be right down," Wanda quickly stood up after hearing Meng Ran's words.
Perhaps because Meng Ran had left such a deep impression on her at the time, even though they were all teammates now and had spent time together, Wanda still felt a bit reserved and nervous when facing him.
After Wanda stood up, Harry also stood up, and they walked out together.
Although he wanted to chat a bit longer, he knew the situation was special, and his good brother wouldn't have come up to disturb him unless something important was happening.
"Oh, by the way, a reminder: you'd best be mentally prepared, because Tony brought the Secretary of State back with him, so the discussion should also be related to the Lagos incident."
Meng Ran walked downstairs with them, reminding Wanda. He thought it would be better for Wandato be mentally prepared.
Wanda nodded at his reminder. She was already prepared to accept accountability and take responsibility.
Going downstairs and past the lobby, they walked into a conference room.
The conference room was already full of people. All the Avengers members were present. Aside from Hawkeye Barton, who had retired, and Thor, who was traveling the universe, the old Avengers like Rogers and the new Avengers like Pietro were all in position.
The white-haired Secretary of State stood in front of the large screen in the conference room, preparing for the upcoming meeting.
The Secretary of State was an old acquaintance of Meng Ran's. He was General Ross, who had previously been obsessed with capturing Banner. Without a doubt, he had been promoted in these past few years.
It was unclear what Banner felt sitting there, looking at his old acquaintance, or what the Secretary of State felt seeing the target he had always been dedicated to capturing sitting right in front of him.
Wanda sat next to Pietro. The siblings whispered a few words to each other. Although the Avengershad been embroiled in public controversy recently, Pietro and Rhode still had some missions to complete.
They had just arrived at the Compound by plane and were immediately pulled into the conference room before they even had a chance to greet everyone.
Tony did not sit at the large conference table. He sat alone in a corner by the wall of the conference room, his face solemn, lost in thought.