Chapter 64: The Battle of New York Ends
New York, Stark Tower, rooftop observatory.
Just as Xi Nian was about to push the scepter completely into the Tesseract's energy barrier, Black Widow's face suddenly changed. "Wait!"
"Wait for what?" Xi Nian glanced at the dangerously curvy agent.
Black Widow said quickly, "A nuclear missile launched by the military is heading straight for New York. Iron Man went to intercept it—he's planning to carry the missile into the portal above the city!"
At the same time—
From one side of New York, a black dot was rapidly approaching.
It was a nuclear missile dragging a long vapor trail behind it, and beneath it, a red and gold armored figure strained against its weight, supporting it with both arms and jet propulsion from his suit.
Iron Man was lifting the missile, forcing it toward the portal while also telling J.A.R.V.I.S. to dial Pepper Potts.
This was to be the superhero's tragic farewell.
Iron Man, with the missile in tow, drew close to Stark Tower. Just as he was about to push the warhead into the sky, the call still ringing, he suddenly froze midair.
The missile shifted on its own, veering upward, accelerating toward the portal.
"You're too old to keep gambling with your life every day…"
Below, on Stark Tower's rooftop, Xi Nian held his right hand in a claw-like grip. Green magnetic energy rippled from his palm, directing the missile upward.
Under his magnetic pull, the nuclear missile plunged into the portal and vanished.
Without pausing, Xi Nian shoved the scepter forward, breaking through the Tesseract's shield. Black Widow gasped as energy poured out like an inverted waterfall, surging upward in a violent burst.
The blue pillar of light faded, and the portal above the city shattered apart.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Whether it was the missile detonating in the alien stronghold or the destruction of the connection itself, no one could say for sure.
Within New York—
The alien army collapsed instantly. Their chariots, robotic beasts, and even massive warships all went dead, falling into wreckage and rubble.
In a heartbeat, the Chitauri invasion was annihilated from their internal bluetooth disconnection.
And so ended humanity's second great alien war. What future generations would call "The Battle of New York" had closed with finality.
As sudden as it came, just as suddenly it was gone.
In the sky—
Iron Man blinked in shock, then quickly shouted, "J.A.R.V.I.S., hang up that call to Pepper immediately!"
Damn, he had nearly recorded a farewell speech again!
On the ground—
The Hulk smashed through a building, only to find the battlefield silent. Confused, he stomped a few disabled alien machines just to be sure.
On another street—
Thor reached down, pulling Captain America back to his feet. Looking at the severe burn wound across Steve's abdomen, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Of course. I could do this all day," Steve replied, wincing but still smiling with confidence.
Atop Stark Tower—
Black Widow turned her head, only to freeze.
The mysterious powerhouse who had been standing beside her was gone.
Along with him, so were the scepter and the Tesseract.
…
Far from the city center, inside the mall where the students had once gathered—
The place was a mess of craters and wreckage, alien machines lying broken everywhere.
A silver flash appeared. Xi Nian landed, carrying Spider-Woman in his arms, stepping into the changing room of the clothing store they had used before.
He closed the door.
"Let me borrow your backpack," Xi Nian said.
Gwen pulled off her mask. Her golden hair, damp with sweat, fell loose over her face, revealing her delicate features. She handed him the empty bag after pulling her clothes out.
Xi Nian opened it and placed two metallic objects inside, both wrapped in layers of silver plating—one sphere, one cube.
The scepter and the Tesseract.
They were far too dangerous to leave lying around.
The Tesseract was sealed with a simple metal coating. The scepter was trickier—so Xi Nian twisted the metal shaft into a sphere, encasing the yellow gem inside, then plated it over.
Now they looked like nothing more than dull ornaments.
Exactly the effect he wanted.
After that came changing.
Xi Nian peeled off his metallic spider armor while Gwen changed out of her sweat-soaked suit back into her dress.
The room was narrow.
Back-to-back, Xi Nian could still feel Gwen's body brushing against him as she moved.
Normally, it wouldn't matter.
But now, with his hyper-sensitive spider-sense amplifying every touch tenfold, it was unbearable. His instincts screamed at him to turn around.
His gaze slid slightly, catching a glimpse of her pale back, the curve of her neck…
No! Not like this! For the sake of his brother, he had to hold on!
Xi Nian inhaled deeply, only to catch her soft fragrance.
Was Gwen always this intoxicating?
Heat burned through him, as if his enhanced genes were stirring on their own.
Paradise, and hell, all at once.
After two excruciating minutes, he stripped away the last thread of armor. From behind him came Gwen's voice. "I'm done."
"Finally." Xi Nian turned around with relief—only for Gwen to suddenly tackle him to the ground.
Pinned beneath her, Xi Nian didn't use his powers.
Gwen, back in her dress, straddled him, palms pressed against his chest.
Her damp golden hair clung to her flushed cheeks, her jewel-like eyes hazy with heat, her lips parting with shallow breaths.
The usually calm and mature Gwen now looked utterly undone. Like a black widow, ready to devour her mate.
"I can't hold it back anymore," she whispered, biting her lip.
"Gwen, you—" Xi Nian began, but her lips crashed against his before he could finish.
Again?
His mind went blank.
One thought flickered through his head.
The second time today…
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