"It's true that we can't blame Johnny. No matter who killed that man, the result would have been the same..." Steve quickly stepped in to defend Johnny Storm, seeing how upset he was. After all, Johnny had acted to save him by attacking Baron Strucker.
"Something's wrong!" Tony Stark, who had just nodded in agreement, suddenly paled and urgently asked, "JARVIS! Is Martian Manhunter okay?"
"I'm fine. As long as you guys are okay, that's what matters..." Before Tony could finish, Martian Manhunter appeared, visibly relieved to see the Avengers safe.
"Good to hear!" Tony exhaled in relief, then continued, "What about those beastmen you brought back? Did they explode?"
"They did. Luckily, I didn't take them straight to Reed's lab. If I had, even if I survived, Reed and the others wouldn't have even left behind ashes..." Martian Manhunter sighed, speaking softly. "But the most powerful one, the one with the strongest will, is still barely hanging on. I've placed him in a nutrient tank, but I don't know if he'll survive."
"The most powerful one? Isn't the strongest the one I killed? He died, and all these beastmen blew up. He must have been the leader!" Johnny Storm interrupted, clearly eager to claim the credit for defeating the strongest enemy.
Although killing Baron Strucker had almost caused a disaster, Johnny wasn't willing to let go of the honor of defeating the most formidable foe, especially after nearly taking the blame.
"Well..." Martian Manhunter hesitated. From the way Baron Strucker had died, it was clear that he was the leader of the animal warriors. However, Martian Manhunter was certain that Carter Hall had been the most powerful of them all.
Moreover, there was another crucial point: while all the others wore replicas, only Carter Hall had genuine N-metal gear. It was likely due to this authentic equipment that Carter Hall had managed to survive, albeit barely.
"Alright, you killed their leader, but we're talking about the sole surviving beastman now..." Seeing Martian Manhunter unsure how to respond, Tony Stark cut off Johnny's gloating and turned back to Martian Manhunter. "Too bad the Saiyan isn't here. Do you know where he took the Hulk?"
"I don't know." Martian Manhunter quickly shook his head, feigning ignorance of the island's existence.
"And what about Superman? This is a major incident—Mister Mind is involved, the Statue of Liberty and the White House were destroyed... Where is he?" Tony asked, frowning in doubt.
"Well... Superman was busy earlier. There was a train derailment in Porodo, and you know how overcrowded those trains can get. For Superman, saving lives takes precedence over any monument or figurehead!" Martian Manhunter said seriously, meeting Tony's gaze.
"We Avengers might theoretically handle global supernatural events, but in practice, we're mostly focused on America's concerns. We've even become an official American institution, so it's our duty to deal with issues like Mister Mind and the Statue of Liberty."
"But Superman is different. Although he first appeared in America, his focus has always been global. Now that we Avengers can handle many American crises, Superman dedicates more of his efforts to the rest of the world..."
"Sorry, that's on me. It's just been a while since I've seen Superman, and I'm not quite used to it," Tony admitted, understanding the point Martian Manhunter was trying to make. He took a deep breath and spoke sincerely.
"Well, this issue seems to be settled. Let's head back. Steve, you'll handle the negotiations with the officials. I've got some research to do."
"Sure, Bucky and I are pretty much only suited for that these days. The fighting will be up to you guys from now on..." Steve agreed, a touch of melancholy in his voice.
"Actually, once I finish upgrading my armor, I could design custom suits for you two..." Tony suggested, feeling a pang of sympathy for the aging Steve.
"It's no use. Old is old. Even if you design custom armor for us, how is that any different from JARVIS controlling the suits in battle? If you don't tailor them for us, they might even perform better..." Steve shook his head with a smile, gently refusing Tony's offer.
"That's not fair. By that logic, I'm useless too. Why should I even bother getting in the suit? I might as well stay at the Avengers base and control the armor remotely," Tony retorted with a chuckle, trying to convince Steve.
Martian Manhunter, standing nearby, seemed to want to say something to Tony but ultimately remained silent.
"Honestly, I do think you should consider that. Even with upgraded armor, you're still relying on JARVIS to assist you. As our enemies grow stronger, there may come a time when not even JARVIS's algorithms can keep up. Can you really maintain peak reaction speed indefinitely?" Steve spoke up, voicing what Martian Manhunter hadn't.
"Your greatest strength isn't your reaction speed; you're not primarily a fighter. Many of your combat maneuvers rely on data from JARVIS. In my opinion, your mind is your most valuable asset. So why not control the armor from behind the scenes, with maybe a portable suit for protection?"
Tony fell silent, surprised to hear such advice from Steve. It was clear that Steve was getting older, and his thoughts had grown more cautious.
Perhaps today's battle had something to do with it. Steve had given his all, yet barely managed to hold off Baron Strucker. If not for Johnny Storm's intervention, both Steve and Bucky might have died.
The explosion triggered by Johnny after killing Baron Strucker further drove home the point that sometimes caution was necessary, especially for someone like Tony, who was, at the end of the day, just a regular human.
The current Avengers could manage without Steve and Bucky handling administration, but they couldn't afford to lose Tony Stark. His connections, financial backing, and contributions to the Avengers' development and technology were indispensable. Without Tony, the Avengers might not even function properly...
So, after another brush with death, Steve couldn't help but think more carefully. He knew that if the Avengers ever fell apart, it would lead to many new problems.
"If the whale falls, countless creatures will rise," as the saying goes. But in this context, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. If the Avengers were to disband, their replacement might not be as straightforward and well-intentioned as the current team...
"Let's leave this discussion for later. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll be too old to fight on the front lines. After all, I'm not like you, able to hold out for so long after taking the super soldier serum..." Tony eventually responded, deflecting the suggestion with a lighthearted tone, choosing to shelve the idea for now.
Soon, the Avengers left the scene without further cleaning up, knowing that other official agencies were already sending in reinforcements. There was no need for them to stick around. Steve would handle any necessary negotiations later.
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, Nick Fury watched from a distance as the animal warriors unleashed their power. Fury's interest was piqued—such strength was comparable to that of Gamma warriors. If he could harness this power, it would give him the leverage to make a comeback...
But his hopes were quickly dashed as the Avengers demonstrated their overwhelming strength, swiftly dealing with the animal warriors. Fury lost all his frontline data in a devastating explosion, and while he tried to contact the frontlines and send reinforcements, he was left feeling powerless.
This Avengers team was stronger than anything Fury had envisioned when he first conceived of the idea. Their very existence left Fury feeling hopeless, especially now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was in turmoil.
Not only had a massive amount of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data been leaked, but the destruction of the Statue of Liberty and the assassination of Mister Mind were enough to put the agency in hot water...
"Superhuman power is uncontrollable, and official power cannot be unified. Is such a powerful Avengers team really a good thing for the world? If disaster strikes, I could do nothing but watch helplessly like an ant before a towering catastrophe..." Fury mused, staring out of the already-repaired window at the endless sky.
"And what if the Avengers, unchecked, develop bad intentions? Who could stop them then? An unrestrained superhuman force will inevitably lead to bloated ambition..."
"But what does it matter to me? Heh, I can't even secure S.H.I.E.L.D. now, let alone dream of controlling the Avengers!"
"When the Avengers were just forming, when Steve first came back, I could still stand tall and face him as an equal, unaffected by his years of accumulated authority. But now? Heh..."
The more Fury thought about it, the more disheartened he became. Eventually, he turned away from the window, pressing a hidden button under his desk. His figure vanished from the office.
However, Fury was unaware that outside his office, a man was watching the office intently. When Fury disappeared, the man knocked on the office door and said, "Director, the support team is ready... Director?"
Receiving no response, the man seemed puzzled. He opened the door and entered the office, only to find it empty. His expression remained unchanged as he approached the desk and pressed a button underneath it. As his finger touched the button, its color seemed to shift...
"Click! Click!"
With two soft clicks, the man also disappeared from the office. Moments later, another man, identical to the first, knocked on the office door: "Director, the support team is ready..."
This time, however, the man did not enter when he received no response. Instead, he stood outside the door, waiting patiently...
Else
where, in a secret base, Nick Fury appeared, his expression markedly different from before, as if he had made an important decision.
"Click! Click!" Not long after, with some swift work at a computer, a section of the wall opened up, revealing a row of nutrient tanks behind it, each containing a duplicate of Nick Fury!
"I'll have to send out one of these androids as a decoy. If it doesn't die, it can keep dealing with the authorities while I go underground," Fury sighed softly, staring at one of the tanks.
"I don't think going underground is such a good idea..." Just as Fury was about to release one of his androids, a soft, laughing voice spoke up.
Fury's face instantly changed. The voice that spoke was identical to his own, and he couldn't tell any difference at all!
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