Thor Odinson stepped forward with heavy strides.
Even without his hammer, the pride of a god refused to let him be treated like dead weight.
"I am a god of Asgard. I can—"
"You have a more important mission, Thor."
Antony looked directly at him.
"Midgard is one of the Nine Realms, correct?"
"Yes." Thor nodded.
"And Asgard has a duty to protect Midgard, correct?"
"Of course!" Thor puffed out his chest proudly. "That is Odin's oath!"
"Good."
Antony walked over and clapped a heavy hand onto Thor's broad shoulder.
"If the seed on Earth erupts, it will be difficult for these mortals to hold the line alone."
"I need you to go back to Asgard and call for reinforcements."
Then Antony leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Even if it's just for Miss Foster…"
"You wouldn't want to see her tangled up by some tentacle monster, would you?"
Thor froze.
His imagination immediately produced the horrifying image.
His eyes widened.
"NEVER!!"
He slammed his fist against his chest with thunderous force.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
"Don't worry, Homelander!"
"I swear in the name of Odin's son!"
"I'll have Heimdall send the Destroyer if necessary!"
"No creature will lay a hand on Jane!"
"Good man," Antony said with a satisfied smile.
Then he turned toward the rest of the room.
"Steve, you handle ground command."
"Tony, technical support."
"Natasha, intelligence networks."
"The Seven—maintain order and calm the public."
"If panic spreads, you're the sedative."
"That's the division of responsibilities."
"Maximum efficiency."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Even though they weren't completely happy about it, they understood.
It was the most logical plan.
"Alright…" Steve sighed, lowering his shield.
"You're the boss."
"But promise me one thing."
"Come back alive."
"I never break my promises."
Antony smiled confidently.
Just as everyone began to accept the plan and prepare to leave—
"I'm going."
A cool female voice suddenly cut through the room.
Jessica Jones stepped forward from the back of the crowd.
"Jessica."
Antony rubbed his forehead in mild frustration.
"Did you not hear what I just said?"
"I'm not deaf."
Jessica walked straight up to him and lifted her chin.
"I still have to go."
"Give me a reason."
Antony crossed his arms.
"If it's because you can't live without me, that excuse is rejected."
"Ha!"
Jessica rolled her eyes.
"As if I can't live without you, you bastard."
Then she casually stepped sideways.
WHOOSH—
There was no sound.
No ripple in the air.
Her body vanished instantly.
A split second later—
She appeared behind Antony.
"Look at me now."
Her voice whispered beside his ear.
Antony spun around.
Jessica vanished again.
This time she appeared directly in front of him.
She took out a small disc-shaped device and attached it to her chest.
HUMMMM—
A blue light membrane spread across her entire body.
"This is Yondu's holographic spacesuit."
"It has life-support systems."
"It can withstand vacuum and radiation."
"Last night I ran a test."
Jessica pointed toward the sky outside the window.
"I stared at the Moon for a while while wearing this suit."
"Then—whoosh."
"I was standing on a crater on the Moon's surface."
The entire room erupted in shock.
Tony Stark's eyes widened.
"You teleported from Earth to the Moon?!"
"That… that's not scientifically possible!"
"I dropped out of high school, Stark," Jessica shrugged.
"Don't talk science to me."
"I just know that when I want to go somewhere…"
"I go."
"As long as I can see it, I can reach it."
She walked up to Antony and poked a finger into his chest.
"On that planet, I'll be harder to catch than you."
"Even if the whole planet explodes, I can jump to a safe distance instantly."
"So you don't need to worry about protecting me."
Antony looked at her carefully.
He had to admit—
Her growth had surpassed his expectations.
That kind of unrestricted spatial movement really did provide reliable self-defense.
"Even if that's true," Antony said with folded arms.
"What exactly are you going to do there?"
"Scratch the planet for me?"
"Or are you hoping to recreate last night in space—?"
"Go to hell!"
Jessica blushed slightly and shot him a glare.
"I'm going to work."
Then suddenly she grinned.
A sly smile.
"I know you, Antony."
"If you save the world and nobody sees it…"
"You'll feel worse than dying."
She pulled out her phone and turned on the camera.
"And I can record every cool moment from any angle."
"Imagine it."
"When you blow that planet apart."
"Standing in the explosion, bathed in cosmic fire."
"That glorious heroic shot."
"If we don't film it and send it back to Earth…"
"If billions of fans can't worship the moment…"
"Look me in the eye and tell me you could sleep peacefully that night."
Antony's throat moved.
He stared at Jessica, the light in his eyes flickering.
Where did this girl learn psychological manipulation like this?
But he had to admit—
The argument had hit perfectly.
Right on his weak spot.
He was tempted.
It was genius.
Without witnesses…
A hero's greatest moment meant nothing.
And Jessica's powers ensured she could survive.
Bringing her along actually maximized the operation's value.
Antony struggled to suppress the smile creeping onto his face.
He cleared his throat.
"Ridiculous!"
He straightened his posture and scolded her righteously.
"I'm going to save the world!"
"I'm risking my life!"
"You think this is some Hollywood movie shoot?!"
"This is war!"
"A life-and-death battle!"
"Take it seriously!"
The heroes around them nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
Bringing a camerawoman to a planetary battle sounded absurd.
"However…"
Antony suddenly changed his tone.
"…considering that you were my first partner…"
"And that our coordination on the battlefield has been… very effective…"
"And considering that documenting the battle could provide valuable scientific data for Earth…"
He sighed dramatically.
"As if I have no choice."
"So…"
"I guess we can add one more person."
"YES!"
Jessica threw up a victory sign.
Her face lit up with triumph.
"That excuse was terrible," Tony muttered.
"If that's the case, why not bring Skynet?"
"Her body is made of vibranium."
"She wouldn't even need a spacesuit."
"She has to stay here."
Antony shook his head.
"Earth's network operations rely on her."
"And she has a new job now."
"Handling the global broadcast."
Since they were bringing a "war correspondent," they might as well do it properly.
"You can come, Jessica."
"But that two-megapixel piece of junk in your hand can go."
Antony looked toward the back of the room.
"Rocket, my friend."
The raccoon was currently circling a Vought security guard, examining him curiously.
He was even trying to poke the man's eyeball with a claw.
Antony called out to him.
"We need a camera upgrade."
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T/N:
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