"Now, we will begin assigning post-battle cleanup operations for the New York battlefield. .1kanshu USA."
"Wait a minute, I have something to say."Just as the UN moderator began distributing tasks, Tony stood up and walked confidently to the podium under the gaze of everyone in the room.
"Tony…"Watching Tony take the stage alone, General Ross, the U.S. military representative, frowned. He had no idea what Tony was up to.
"May I say a few words?" Tony asked the moderator. But before anyone could reply, he had already squeezed past the crowd and taken his place at the microphone.
"Heh heh."Tony grinned when he heard his voice echo from the mic. "Sorry, I just wanted to check the mic. Seems like it's working fine."
Several representatives in the audience looked at Tony curiously, unsure of what he was planning. Still, they all knew who he was—Tony Stark, majority shareholder and CEO of Stark Industries, Iron Man, and one of the Avengers who had saved New York.
So even though they didn't understand his intentions, they tolerated his actions—because Tony, at that moment, represented the Avengers, a powerful, independent group of heroes.
"I think many of you already know me, but let me introduce myself anyway. I'm Tony Stark—Iron Man."He glanced at the audience for a reaction. But to his disappointment, there was none.
"Well then, looks like you've all known me for a while. Let's get to the point."Tony pulled a square-shaped device from his pocket and placed it on the podium.
The device emitted a soft blue light, and a holographic projection appeared above it.
Everyone could clearly see it was surveillance footage from a bank—two robbers, a man and a woman, were in the middle of a heist.
"This is footage from a bank robbery that happened yesterday. Yes, robberies are common." Tony pointed to the hologram. The screen zoomed in to show the weapon the male robber was holding.
"But what's different about this case is the weapon they used. Clearly, this isn't a conventional firearm. This is Chitauri technology—from the alien invasion not long ago. I believe you're all wondering: how did two ordinary criminals get their hands on this?"
Tony paused, giving the audience a moment to process. But only a few seconds passed before he tapped the screen, switching to another image—a contract.
"This is likely the source of those weapons. As you can see, it's a government contract—New York City delegated cleanup work to dozens of private companies."
"Some of these companies were founded just one day before the contract was signed. I don't think I need to explain what that means."
"To prevent incidents like this from happening again, I propose that Stark Industries, on behalf of the Avengers, take over cleanup operations in New York."
At this, many representatives began talking among themselves. Tony knew they didn't truly care about what he had just said or whether his proposal was sincere. He didn't care either. He was claiming the right to oversee the cleanup—in the Avengers' name.
Tony believed only he could ensure that Chitauri weapons wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. To prepare for this moment, he had already reached out to key players: Clark, Nick Fury, and even some representatives from countries that weren't officially part of the mission.
Of course, those smaller nations wouldn't get any real authority over the cleanup. But they would receive help from Stark Industries. And Stark Industries' main business was clean energy, after all.
As Tony made his declaration, Clark knew it was time to make his entrance. The reason he had come in the first place was to back up Tony—to give weight to his words and make the international elites accept his proposal, at least publicly.
So Clark adjusted his jacket and, now wearing his Superman suit, flew to Tony's side.
"I, Superman, stand with Tony Stark and the Avengers in supporting this proposal." Clark looked across the audience. "We fought on the front lines to defeat the Chitauri—for peace on Earth, and to prevent our world from being conquered by invaders.
Likewise, we do not want the weapons of our enemies falling into the hands of those who seek to use them for personal gain."
"Then what do you plan to do with the Chitauri weapons after cleanup? Will you share the technology?"One representative in the audience finally voiced what everyone was thinking.
No one really cared who did the cleanup—as long as they got a cut of the alien tech. If someone else wanted to do the work? Even better.
"We'll preserve anything useful—and destroy the rest," Clark said. He knew full well what they wanted to hear. But distribution of alien tech wasn't on the table.
"You're not sharing it?" someone else asked.
Clark let out a cold laugh. "I don't want to one day face an enemy who hasn't even attacked us yet—only to be stabbed in the back by the very people we once protected."
He turned to look directly at General Ross, seated in the front row. "General Ross, don't you think I'm making a good point? I recall during the Battle of New York, the military dropped two nuclear bombs."
At that moment, all eyes turned to Ross.
But despite being under intense scrutiny, Ross remained calm. "We did that to prevent the Chitauri from escaping Manhattan—and potentially the rest of New York. These aliens were dangerous. I think you, more than anyone else in this room, would understand that, Mr. Superman."
"Oh really?"Clark couldn't help but admire Ross's shamelessness. Then he pressed on with more questions.
"Did you also decide to ignore us Avengers, who were fighting to protect Manhattan's civilians?""Did you ignore the countless innocent people who hadn't made it out of the city yet?"
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