Cold… pain…
Ebony Maw forced his eyes open. His entire body ached as if it had been torn apart.
As those deep, eerie, azure eyes finally focused, he saw his situation clearly—his entire body was locked inside a cage constructed from vibranium.
"Master, I obey your command."
Ebony Maw looked at the man in front of him and spoke with extreme reverence, his words shocking everyone present.
Stark stared at the scepter embedded with the Mind Stone in his hand and thought to himself: This scepter is way too useful. In terms of brainwashing, it's even better than Professor X's methods. Just one tap and someone becomes loyal.
Lifting his head, Stark gave Ebony Maw an order:"We already know you came from Thanos, planning to invade Earth and steal the Infinity Stones. Now I command you to carry out your original plan—open the portal, and fully unlock the other side."
Completely controlled by the Mind Stone, Ebony Maw replied without hesitation:"No problem. But out of goodwill, I must remind you—Lord Thanos' armies are endless. With Earth's strength, I am pessimistic about your chances."
"That… is not your concern," Stark and the others all laughed sinisterly.
They had Bai Ye on their side. Numbers meant nothing. And it wasn't like the enemy was the only one with numbers.
Earth had been under Bai Ye's control for so long—wasn't it about time other civilizations in the universe enjoyed the radiant glory of freedom and democracy?
Stark looked at the immobilized Ebony Maw, then turned to Magneto and said:"Let him go. And as long as he doesn't hit his head and break the brainwashing, he shouldn't recover for the rest of his life."
Magneto nodded. With a sweep of his hands, the vibranium cage began to shift and twist violently.
Countless thumb-sized pieces of vibranium moved, releasing one restriction after another.
When the restraints were fully undone, Ebony Maw stumbled before barely managing to stand. He lifted his head and said:"According to Earth's methods, creating a portal requires a large amount of iridium."
"Give him what he wants. When everything is ready, notify me." Stark waved casually to his subordinates and turned to leave.
Kingpin followed beside him and sighed emotionally, "I never thought there'd be a day when I'd be able to kill aliens."
"Ha, forget killing aliens—you might even get to plant flags on various planets and become President of the Universe."Rodriguez said easily, not the least bit anxious about the upcoming war.
Leaving the holding room, Stark glanced at his schedule and said to the two:"Next is the nationwide vote. I need to make some arrangements."
"What nationwide vote? Why don't I know about this… Eh, whatever, do what you want."
Kingpin and Rodriguez both waved dismissively. They had completely checked out of government affairs and left everything to Stark. It's not like they had to worry about losing their positions anyway—so why not relax?
"Oh right, I remember today's nationwide vote includes Bai Ye giving a speech."Stark suddenly grinned.
The other two jolted as if struck by lightning and immediately turned to stare at Stark, shouting:"Why didn't you say something this important earlier?! Anything related to Mr. Bai cannot be trivial!"
I must arrive immediately to show my loyalty!Both Kingpin and Rodriguez thought at the same time.
7 PM, New York time.
Although Bai Ye had said to keep everything simple, no one dared take it lightly.
Except for essential workers, from ICU patients in vegetative states all the way to newborn babies—whether they could hear or understand didn't matter—every citizen was arranged to sit before a TV or computer to listen to Bai Ye's holy voice.
Even before the broadcast began, various government agencies repeatedly emphasized the extreme importance of this meeting.
They also issued a strict order:As long as you can still move, you must handwrite a reflection essay of 100 × (age – 10) characters within five days of watching the video.
You must submit a screenshot taken during the broadcast, along with your name and ID number, to prove you truly watched and understood the Emperor's central message.
Of course, ordinary people assumed the age unit meant "years."Academic overachievers assumed it meant "months."Ultra-competitive maniacs changed the unit to "days"!
Under such intense pressure, Bai Ye's gospel was guaranteed to reach every corner of Earth.
At the start of the broadcast, everyone stared at their screens.
In the video, Bai Ye sat casually in a chair, wearing simple clothing, no airs at all. He looked directly into the camera and said:"Skipping the nonsense—today's meeting has one big matter and one small matter."
"First, we will soon finish developing a superpower awakening machine. When the time comes, anyone who wants to can awaken a superpower." Bai Ye said.
Instantly, everyone watching the livestream felt their hearts tremble.Everyone could have superpowers?There was actually such a good thing?!
Thinking about the unique abilities of mutant minorities, countless viewers felt a surge of excitement.
But before they could fantasize, Bai Ye poured a bucket of cold water on all of them.
"Of course, this isn't perfect. Due to genetic differences, the awakened abilities vary in strength—and the process may cause physical mutation. You might become what you once called a mutant freak."
"The probability of physical mutation is about 34%. And without special methods, mutations are likely permanent."
His words immediately cooled the enthusiasm of those watching.
At home, the Thing stared gloomily at the screen, then lowered his gaze to the rock-like plates covering his body, falling into silence.
"So, after this video ends, I will initiate a vote."
"Anyone willing can click the agree button and come awaken superpowers for free. The vote ends in three days. You only get one chance. If you don't vote, that means you're unwilling—and you'll never awaken superpowers in this lifetime." Bai Ye said.
At this moment, the host asked sincerely:"Your Majesty, may I ask—do you personally recommend universal awakening, or do you oppose it?"
"Me? Of course I recommend it. It's an opportunity, after all. Everyone should give it a try." Bai Ye said with meaning.
Easy for you to say… what if we turn into freaks? And what if our powers are useless?Countless people complained silently.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. After hearing your recommendation, I will go awaken my powers immediately after the meeting."The female host gazed at Bai Ye with starry-eyed devotion. Then she asked:"Oh, and Your Majesty—what is the small matter you mentioned?"
"The small matter? In a few days, we'll be going to war with an alien civilization. The portal will be set up in New York, so before that, New York residents should evacuate." Bai Ye said casually.
Viewers before their screens:"…Wang Defa???"(Equivalent to: What the hell?!)
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