"The word 'monster' can sometimes be a compliment in Chinese," Shen He shook his head.
"You're right. A lot of my colleagues call me a monster, too," Tony sat down on the sofa next to Shen He, crossing his legs. "I take it as a compliment."
"You are indeed a monster," Shen He agreed, nodding. "How's the Iron Legion coming along?"
Lately, Tony had been primarily occupied with his Iron Legion production factory. It was a fully automated production base, even completely sealed, and entirely controlled by Jarvis.
This not only minimized the risk of technology leaks but also significantly increased efficiency.
"One production line is already up and running, but the production materials are a big problem," Tony became more serious when discussing business. "My Iron Legion needs a lot of restricted military-grade alloys. Stark Weapons had some channels before, but those channels are gone since I shut it down."
For small quantities, he could still obtain them based on his reputation, but without the Stark Weapons division, Stark Industries had lost access to a large portion of the supply.
"Secretly acquire some alloy manufacturing factories. I'll have Lelouch help you," Shen He thought for a moment, and that was the only solution for now.
He actually wanted to go to Wakanda. The Vibranium there was definitely the most suitable metal in the world for making weapons, but this required a long-term plan because Wakanda was still in a secluded state. Shen He didn't know much about the current king of Wakanda.
"Okay." Tony agreed. "There's a saying in China, something like, 'extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.'"
He even said that last sentence in standard Mandarin. Because Shen He was a true Chinese person, Tony had specifically learned some Mandarin.
He had already seen that Shen He's methods of doing things were deeply influenced by Chinese culture.
At this moment, the others had also walked over with Coulson.
Skye looked a little restrained, but after seeing Tony, this restraint immediately vanished without a trace.
"Mr. Stark." Skye strode over and reached out to Tony, the excitement on her face plain to see. "I'm your fan. Can you sign something for me? Sign it on my clothes. Oh my god, I didn't bring a pen. Coulson didn't tell me I was coming to see you."
"Of course, no problem." Tony patted Skye's arm, gesturing for her to sit on the sofa opposite him. "After the meeting, I think we can have lunch together."
"Really?"
Skye was acting like a total fangirl right now.
"Mr. Stark, Pepper asked me to remind you to go over there soon," Coulson suddenly chimed in.
He didn't want to see his subordinate, whom he regarded as a daughter, be easily taken in by Tony, the playboy.
"I mean," Tony spread his hands, "let's all have lunch together."
Black Widow had already gracefully taken her seat, watching everyone.
"Alright, sit down, everyone."
Shen He coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention to him.
As the true leader of Chaldea, Shen He's words held weight, and everyone quieted down, waiting for him to speak.
"The reason I've called you all here today is indeed because of something," Shen He organized his thoughts slightly. "You should all be aware of the incident that occurred in India. While the root cause stems from some hidden rats, it also reveals a problem. The fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. has brought about a negative impact on this world."
These words as an opening brought a touch of gravity to the atmosphere.
The events in India were, after all, a disaster.
"With the loss of control over enhanced individuals and the removal of constraints on organized crime, the number of criminal incidents is gradually increasing. The incident in India is merely a microcosm of these changes." Shen He paused, then surveyed everyone present. "Although the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a necessary course of action, it was, after all, done by Chaldea. Therefore, I believe Chaldea has a responsibility to curb the current trend of chaos."
Steve, Natasha, and Coulson remained silent.
Their age and experiences allowed them to view the situation more comprehensively.
Skye and the twins, on the other hand, hadn't thought so deeply about it.
"What should we do?" Skye was rather excited. "Arrest those superpowered criminals?"
"Yes and no," Shen He chuckled. "If we had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global reach, it wouldn't be a problem. But as you know, we're limited in personnel right now, and our logistical support isn't what it used to be. So, what we need to do is, besides preventing crimes as much as possible, is to spread fear."
"Spread fear?" Wanda seemed to realize something.
She'd heard those words many times during her time with HYDRA. Sometimes, fear could forge order.
"You all possess extraordinary talents." Shen He looked at the three young people before him, suddenly changing the subject. "Regardless of where these talents come from, they will set you apart from ordinary people. However, with great power comes great responsibility. So, I hope you can use your abilities to do something meaningful, like helping those in need."
"So, the Captain means..." Skye had already guessed. "We should be superheroes?"
"No." Shen He smiled and shook his head, no longer playing coy. "Being a hero isn't easy. You know what Steve paid for that glory. What I mean is, I want you to be Volunteer Vigilantes, as Chaldea trainee members."
This was originally one of the preliminary preparation plans targeting extraterrestrials.
To save the world, you need an identity that can actually save the world. Chaldea is an outsider. If they don't want to get stabbed in the back by countries around the world, they need to firmly control the hearts and minds of the people.
This is also why Captain America had to be at the forefront when S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed.
The word "hero" has a magical charm.
"Volunteer Vigilantes."
Skye murmured the name, not quite understanding the difference between that and being a hero, but Shen He quickly explained.
"First of all, you cannot do anything that violates the law." Shen He's expression became serious. "This is very important because you cannot control the scale of 'righteous violence'. If you accidentally cause damage while helping others, the Virtual Reality Company will help you compensate. But if you violate the law and are charged with a legal offense..."
Shen He didn't need to say the rest; these people knew what would happen.
Of course, they would fight the lawsuits they could win, but there would also be lawsuits they couldn't win.
"Wait, wait a minute." Skye stood up abruptly. "Aren't we supposed to hide our identities?"
In her mind, weren't all the heroes in those comics and movies supposed to hide their identities?
"Hide identities?" Shen He raised an eyebrow. "Does Steve hide his identity? Does Tony hide his identity? You're acting under the name of Chaldea, of course, if you don't want to be noticed, you can cover your faces, but the Virtual Reality Company will publicly stand out and be your 'agents,' because Steve will be your captain."
The meaning was clear at this point.
Shen He wanted them to become a "superhero" team under the name of the Virtual Reality Company.
And to promote the name of "Chaldea."
"This is a pretty cool job." Tony already knew about this, and suddenly spoke up, "Although it's under the name of Volunteer Vigilantes, people will still see you as superheroes. You'll know once you start helping others, it's addictive. I'm even a little envious that you have this time. But, I'll also make an appearance, can't let you hog all the spotlight."
"When do we start?" Skye was immediately swayed by Tony.
As a fan of Tony, apart from her admiration for his technology, she also yearned for the way he helped others so effortlessly.
Wanda and Pietro looked at Tony, and after seeing his encouraging gaze, they also agreed.
"First, you need to understand the law, and then accept Steve's training." Shen He stood up. "During the first few missions, I'll also have Jeanne and the others secretly protect you. Now, you can think about your respective titles, and then get to know each other. This is very important."
Skye looked at Natasha, and seeing that they didn't intend to leave, she knew they had something else to discuss and planned to avoid them.
"Thank you, sir."
However, she finally stood up and left with the twins.
"Is this really okay? They're still just children."
After the others had left, Steve spoke for the first time.
He didn't know the full details of the plan, but he had a general idea of Shen He's intentions: to use these people to promote Chaldea's reputation and simultaneously boost the Virtual Reality Company's prestige.
The first company to own a superhero team.
"But they also have a lot of potential, there's no doubt about that." Shen He walked over and picked up a watermelon seed-sized monitoring device from under Skye's sofa. "Except for that Skye, she's been too deeply influenced by those free information arguments, and she's audacious enough to try to eavesdrop on her superiors' meetings. Steve, you might have a headache."
After saying that, Shen He crushed the monitoring device directly.
It wasn't without reason that Quake was ostracized by her foster families from childhood. This personality of wanting to know everything was indeed annoying.
"Sir." Coulson was a little worried. "I will correct her on this."
"Alright." Shen He waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind. "In the next period of time, Chaldea's name needs to be spread. We need to focus on public relations. Natasha, you are also one of their instructors. Steve's style is too righteous; you need to teach them some more tactful things."
"It seems you really see me as your subordinate." Natasha crossed her long, slender legs. "Do you trust me that much?"
"There's no need to ask such a question," Shen He chuckled lightly. "It just depends on how much you trust me."
-----------------------
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