It should be noted that the skies were not only filled with the mechas and fighter jets from the official organizations but also with a large number of Tony Stark's own mechas. He could easily dominate the airspace, and after bombing the official organization's fighter jets, Tony Stark calmly said, "I've recorded everything that happened here. If you want to go after our allies and heroes, then go ahead and start a war..."
"Do you really think that just because we've been through a tough battle, you can swoop in and take the spoils? Not to be condescending, but have you forgotten how badly your lousy mechas lost in our last encounter?"
"Tony Stark! They are obviously aliens! Are you planning to betray humanity?" The official representatives quickly tried to smear Tony Stark with accusations of treason.
"Aliens? I could say you're the ones disrupting Earth's peace! These people are also natives of Earth. They played a significant role in defending the planet this time. You want to take advantage of them just for some profit? Why bother with all the talk? If you have the strength, go ahead and fight! I didn't even get my fill of fighting the Chitauri!" Johnny Storm, now a fiery figure, flew up, gathering flames in his hand as he spoke disdainfully.
"Their technology is completely different from ours. Don't you realize how much it could help humanity? With their technology and the invaders' tech, we could finally hope to enter the interstellar age!" The official representative's heart quivered upon seeing Johnny Storm's flames, but they stubbornly pressed on.
This official knew full well that even their entire organization combined couldn't stand against the Avengers. However, the potential gains were too significant to ignore. So much so that they were willing to take a gamble.
As the saying goes, once there is sufficient profit, the capitalist becomes daring. At 50% profit, they'll risk it; at 100%, they'll trample all laws; at 300%, they'll commit any crime, even risking execution. And now, an opportunity to usher in a new era was right in front of them. How could they not be tempted, even if it meant challenging the Avengers?
Of course, the official organization's willingness to take this risk was also heavily influenced by the presence of the Avengers and Robert.
Ever since the Avengers emerged, these official organizations dealing with extraordinary events had lost much of their relevance. But if they could kickstart the interstellar age, they could leave Earth behind and start anew in the cosmos, leaving the Earth and its troubles to the Avengers. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about Robert reducing Earth to space dust.
In other words, they feared Robert far more than they feared the Avengers. While they merely had to tread carefully around the Avengers, they were genuinely terrified of Robert.
As a result, this official organization quickly backed down, retreating to control their remaining mechas and fighter jets to clean up the Chitauri debris, fearing they'd miss out on any benefits.
The other official organizations, who had been watching closely, also wanted a piece of the Atlantean technology but refrained from acting, waiting to see how the Avengers and Atlanteans would react.
Unfortunately, the first organization to act not only failed but also suffered significant losses, retreating in disgrace. This prevented the other organizations from taking action now.
However, this didn't mean they were giving up on the Atlanteans. They decided to track the Atlanteans once they returned to the ocean.
Previously, humanity's exploration of the oceans had been limited, partly due to technological constraints. But these official organizations had access to more advanced technology than what was publicly known. They believed that tracking the Atlanteans to their home base would be no problem.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury was feeling particularly excited as he contacted one ally after another.
Fury never imagined that Earth, this small planet, harbored two entirely different civilizations. The oceanic civilization was of great interest to the Skrulls as well.
After all, most life-bearing planets in the universe have water. While aquatic technology might not be suited for space, it was still highly advanced on life-bearing planets.
Fury wanted to infiltrate Atlantis by having some of his allies pose as Atlanteans, replacing them and gaining all their technology and power.
Unfortunately, the Skrulls were scarce, and none had participated in the New York battle against the Chitauri remnants, meaning they couldn't even try to replicate the Atlanteans. This left Fury feeling deeply regretful.
"Get in touch with our home base as soon as possible and have them send more of our people. Earth's civilization may be backward, but it's a stage with unique opportunities. There's power here that can't be found anywhere else in the universe. If we can fully conquer and absorb Earth, the Skrulls will rise to dominate the cosmos!" Fury's eyes flashed with determination as he spoke.
"Understood, I'll report your intel immediately," the voice on the other end of the communication replied calmly.
"Apologies for the situation on the ground. It's not ideal, and there are a lot of complications," Steve Rogers said apologetically as he approached Mera and the others, looking at Mera. "You should return home quickly. The Saiyan might return at any time, and when he does, I'll have him contact you."
"Hmph! The surface dwellers are so disunited. The external threat is barely dealt with, and they're already attacking us..." Orm grumbled, his face full of displeasure.
"Enough! This isn't the Avengers' or the Saiyan's fault. The Saiyan is my friend, and I helped protect Earth this time. As for the others, we won't associate with them anymore. If they dare attack again, they'll find that Atlantis isn't easily trifled with!" Mera interrupted Orm, her voice resonating as she spoke.
Mera wanted to laugh at Orm's words, knowing that the underwater civilizations weren't united either. Before Mera united them, the underwater kingdoms had alliances and rivalries.
Orm, when he still had a shot at the throne, had considered conquering all the underwater kingdoms to make them vassals of Atlantis. But it was Mera who ultimately unified the underwater kingdoms, dashing Orm's hopes of ascending to the throne.
Now Orm was criticizing the surface dwellers for their disunity, relying on their ignorance of underwater politics. Of course, Mera wouldn't share this with the Avengers. Instead, she tightened her grip on her trident, releasing her full aura to intimidate those with ill intentions.
Mera knew that with Atlantis now exposed to the surface world, the oceanic civilization would inevitably attract more attention. Her display of power might not deter everyone.
When Krypton's transformation of Earth affected the oceans, Mera couldn't ignore it. And even without the Kryptonians, the Chitauri invasion would have had a significant impact on Earth's environment. So Mera had no choice but to lead the Atlantean forces into battle. However, she never imagined Robert's power would be so overwhelming, making it seem like Atlantis's participation was almost unnecessary.
"I sincerely apologize. On behalf of the ordinary people of the surface, thank you for your support, and I apologize again for the attack," Steve sighed and said to Mera after she retracted her aura.
"No worries. If fate allows, we may work together again. The Saiyan doesn't need to contact us if he's busy. Besides, we're not exactly in a position to leave any contact information or addresses..." Mera shook her head and raised her trident. "Let's go! Return home!"
With a hum, as Mera finished speaking, a stream of clear water emerged from her trident, enveloping each Atlantean and lifting them into the air, quickly flying toward the Hudson River.
The official organizations were clearly watching the Atlantean forces, with surveillance equipment ready and even pre-arranged setups along the Hudson River.
But their efforts were in vain. As soon as the Atlantean forces entered the water, the Hudson River's currents surged and roiled, becoming murky in an instant, rendering all surveillance equipment useless. The river's surface remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
By the time the Hudson River returned to its normal state, the Atlantean forces had vanished, seemingly back to their home, leaving the official organizations with no trace of them.
"When do you think the surface civilizations will ever be as united as the oceanic ones?" Pietro muttered, watching where the Atlanteans had disappeared.
"Do you really think any civilization can be completely united?" J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, who had rushed over after sensing the conflict, smiled at Pietro's words, teasing him.
"Hmm? What do you mean? You sound like you know a lot of secrets," Tony Stark's eyes lit up as he looked at J'onn J'onzz. "You don't have to reveal our secrets, but could you at least share a bit about the Atlanteans?"
"There's no big secret. The underwater civilizations weren't united either. It was only after Queen Mera's rise that they became a unified civilization..." J'onn shook his head with a smile. "And the Atlantean who just criticized the official organizations was the former Atlantean prince. He even planned to conquer the other underwater kingdoms by force."
"Wow, so he was just all talk?" Johnny Storm's mouth twitched, feeling a bit speechless. "I thought he was genuinely righteous..."
"We were indeed in the wrong, not stopping those official organizations in time!" Steve sighed, looking resigned. "But we may never see the day when the world is fully united..."
"Don't even mention global unity. There are hardly any truly unified civilizations in the universe
. Every civilization has its own issues; it's just that Earth's problems are more extreme..." Star-Lord raised his hand, sharing his observations. "And those official organization politicians are shameless! They're far greedier than any officials I've seen in the cosmic civilizations..."
"Thanks for coming back to help. I'm Steve," Steve said, snapping back to reality, as he reached out to Star-Lord.
"I know you! Captain America! You were my idol when I was a kid... I mean, I used to be a fan of yours!" Star-Lord grinned as he shook Steve's hand excitedly.
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