To be honest, the temporary leader was starting to regret his decision. He realized now that suggesting the Avengers act as his bodyguards had led him down a path of no return. Not only were the Avengers unimpressed with him, but the major official agencies also held him in disdain.
Moreover, from his recent experience, it was clear that the Avengers didn't care whether he was comfortable or not during dangerous situations. As long as they could keep him alive, that was the limit of what they would do. Any injuries or trauma he might suffer along the way would be considered unintentional, and the Avengers would have plenty of reasons to justify it.
Realizing this, the temporary leader felt his future was bleak and filled with despair. However, neither the Avengers nor the official agencies paid any attention to his gloomy expression.
After seeing the official agencies fall silent, the Avengers headed to the office, ignoring a slightly dissatisfied official and taking the superhuman who had killed the bodyguard with them. Meanwhile, the official agencies were more interested in figuring out how Tony Stark's armor had won the battle.
In a pile of rubble, Nick Fury and the others arrived to find General Ross back to his normal form, still unconscious. The superhuman taken by the Avengers was also unconscious, indicating that all the superhumans had been knocked out during the fight.
"What exactly happened? Does the Avengers have methods we don't know about? We can't let our guard down!" Nick Fury looked at the still-unconscious General Ross and others, his eyes flashing with caution as he stepped forward to try and wake them.
Surprisingly, it was easier to wake them up than Fury had expected. Before long, General Ross and the others regained consciousness, but they exchanged confused looks, clearly unsure of what had just happened.
"General Ross, what happened? Is Tony Stark's armor really that powerful?" Fury couldn't help but ask, even though the plan to outmaneuver the Avengers had failed. He wasn't ready to give up. Fury wasn't the same as the original Nick Fury, who saw no hope. He believed that if they could persist long enough and infiltrate deep enough, they could eventually harness the Avengers' power once the Skrull main force arrived.
But before that, Fury needed to stay alive and gather as much intel on the Avengers and their hidden cards as possible.
"Armor?" General Ross frowned at the question. The drill had gone well initially. After the bodyguard was killed, both the other bodyguards and the temporary leader had panicked. But just as Ross and his team were about to isolate the armor and capture the leader, a blinding light forced them to close their eyes. Then, a loud noise completely deprived Ross and his team of their senses.
At that moment, Ross's heart skipped a beat, and he grew vigilant, knowing this had to be one of Stark's tricks. As Ross braced himself, a punch landed on his face, knocking him out cold until he woke up just now.
Recalling this, Ross grew even more wary. He couldn't believe that Stark's armor, which hadn't been able to break through his defenses before, had become so powerful that a single punch could knock him out.
"I was outmatched, nothing more to say. Where are the Avengers?" Ross responded calmly, not wanting to elaborate on the embarrassing truth that he had been knocked out with a single punch.
"They've already left..." Before Fury could finish, an official interrupted.
"So, we failed? Fine. Let me know when you have a new plan next time, but I won't be participating in person. I'm not putting myself through that again." Ross waved them off, turned around, and left without further explanation.
"Ross..." Fury's face darkened as he watched Ross leave, but there was nothing he could do. The operation had indeed failed. The Avengers were gone, and Stark's armor had already returned the reluctant temporary leader to his office. There was nothing left to plot, at least not in the short term.
"And you? What happened exactly?" Fury took a deep breath and turned to the remaining superhumans, especially those connected to S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and the Skrulls.
Eventually, Fury pieced together their experiences. The simplicity of their accounts shocked him. To have defeated so many superhumans so easily and in such a short time meant that the armor's strength was far beyond that of the superhumans.
But was Stark's armor really that powerful? Fury doubted it. If it was, it wouldn't have performed so poorly in previous encounters. And what was the point of blocking their vision and hearing? Was there some secret behind it? Fury's curiosity was piqued, but he wasn't an expert in mechanics, and the Skrulls' abilities had no effect on purely mechanical constructs, leaving him frustrated.
Despite his intense curiosity, Fury decided against dismantling the armor, especially after Stark's earlier warning. Even if he did, he wouldn't understand it, and there was also the risk of triggering its self-destruct mechanism.
In the end, the Avengers won this round. Was it because their strategy was better? Fury didn't think so. In his view, the difference in strength between the two sides was the real reason for the outcome.
If the official agencies had more cards to play, they might have been able to deal with Stark's armor. But now, they could only return home and wait for the next opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Avengers were in high spirits, despite the unfortunate death of a bodyguard. It didn't dampen their mood.
As for the superhuman, the Avengers didn't pay him much attention. They simply threw him into their underground prison, where they held several others—not all superhumans, but also some ordinary people or super-criminals with dangerous tendencies.
Most of those imprisoned were on death row, and after Martian Manhunter finished boasting about his flawless cooperation with Stark, he would read the superhuman's mind and deal with him accordingly.
And so, a conspiracy against the Avengers was foiled. After a few more flights in the armor, the temporary leader calmed down. He wasn't ready to help the Avengers against the official agencies, but at least he would stay neutral and not meddle in their affairs.
With things settling down, the Avengers returned to their usual routines. With Reed Richards and others joining, Tony Stark finally had time to focus on developing his new armor.
Though Steve had once suggested that Stark step back and command his armors from behind the scenes, Stark still enjoyed being Iron Man and fighting on the front lines. He didn't feel the need to retire just yet. Maybe he would consider it when he was truly tired, but not now.
It's worth noting that Stark's new armor design was heavily influenced by the Nth metal from the Animal Warriors incident. After barely surviving the explosion, Carter Hall had also recovered, but it seemed the blast had affected his mind, possibly due to previous brainwashing. He had lost all his memories.
Martian Manhunter confirmed that Carter had indeed lost his memories, and it was almost as if he had been reborn after the explosion.
Seeing Carter's strength and the Nth metal on him, Stark had no intention of letting him go. Carter, still dazed, ended up joining the Avengers, even more confused than Bruce Banner or Doctor Octopus.
The Nth metal gave Stark significant inspiration, combined with ideas from L.C. Simons, Robert's suit, and vibranium. Stark was finally about to create his most perfect armor yet.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sun, out of Earth's view, a spaceship remained in position, always aligned with the sun. Inside the ship were eleven people. The leader, a man, stared excitedly toward the sun and said, "So this is the power of the sun? No! This is the power of a god! To think we had such strength in our genes, and I never felt it before…"
"Unfortunately, we've reached our limit. I wonder if this power can match our kin on Earth," a woman beside him sighed, sounding a bit regretful. "He's lived on Earth for so long; his strength must be incredible by now."
"No matter how strong he is, there's a limit! Even I have limits, so why wouldn't he?" The leader's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Besides, Earth is still some distance from the sun. The sunlight is weakened by the time it reaches him. His strength might not be as great as yours!"
"General, when do we strike?" the woman asked respectfully, addressing him as General.
It turned out these two were none other than General Zod and his second-in-command, Faora, who had been exiled before Krypton's destruction.
When Clark found the Kryptonian ship and brought it to the wild island to activate it, General Zod and his crew had detected it.
After being exiled to the Phantom Zone, Zod and his followers had escaped when Krypton was destroyed. Initially, they didn't know about Clark or the Codex. They were just focused on surviving in the universe and rebuilding Krypton's glory.
But Zod knew how difficult it was to rebuild a civilization, especially with no resources or people. However, when Clark activated the ship, Zod found his direction.
Incredibly, Jor-El's son was still alive, meaning the Codex was also intact. The Codex contained the genetic blueprint of the Kryptonian race, offering infinite possibilities and the potential to create new Kryptonians.
Except for rare individuals like Clark, most Kryptonians were born through the Codex and advanced technology. Having the Codex meant having the future of Krypton.
Upon receiving the signal, Zod and his crew rushed to Earth, but they encountered a mad Titan and his Black Order along the way, who offered them a deal.
At first
, Zod didn't want to listen. Despite Krypton's destruction, Zod's pride remained intact, and with their powerful tech suits, he didn't take Thanos seriously.
Then, Zod and his men were swiftly taught a lesson. Fortunately, Thanos didn't destroy them. Instead, he reiterated his offer, revealing the secret of the connection between Kryptonians and the sun, leading to Zod and his crew sunbathing in space.
"No rush. I'm just wondering if we still need his cooperation with our new strength..." Zod said, his mindset clearly shifting after gaining his newfound power. He recalled their earlier encounter, his eyes flashing with displeasure. "With the Codex and our current strength, we could easily transform Earth into Krypton. So why should we bother working with him?"
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