Tony Stark's Office
Tony stared grimly at the newly released Superhuman Registration Act displayed on the screen.
"Sir, the government has ordered the formation of a special task force to cooperate with the Superhuman Squad in carrying out registration operations," JARVIS reported.
"Well, that's thoughtful of them."
Tony rolled his eyes as his fingers rapidly tapped across the holographic keyboard.
"Pull up the profiles of every member of the Superhuman Squad. I want to know their weaknesses."
"Already attempted, sir. However, their data is not on record."
Tony narrowed his eyes.
"Then contact some other people first. Let's see what their attitude is."
Xavier's Institute
Professor X's Meditation Room
Charles Xavier sat with his eyes closed, concentrating deeply as the Cerebro-like brainwave amplifier beside him flickered faintly.
"Charles, have you seen this?"
Erik stood by the window.
"Humans are trying to control us once again."
"I've seen it, Erik."
Professor X slowly opened his eyes.
"But responding with violence will only make the situation worse."
"Then what? We just obediently register?"
"Let them lock us in cages?"
"No."
Professor X shook his head.
"But we need to handle this more carefully."
Hell's Kitchen
An Apartment
Matt Murdock's fingers moved across a Braille newspaper as his brows furrowed.
"Do they really think they can control everyone with a single superhuman squad?"
Karen Page looked at him worriedly.
"Matt, you're not thinking about…"
"We're not registering."
Daredevil stood up.
His red-and-black suit was barely visible in the shadows.
"But we need to join forces with the others."
The next morning, sunlight bathed the streets of New York.
Yet the atmosphere throughout the city was completely different from usual.
On the enormous screens in Times Square, news reports about the United States President signing the Superhuman Registration Act played repeatedly.
A caption beneath the broadcast emphasized:
[All superhumans must complete registration within 72 hours. Failure to do so will be considered a violation of the law!]
Crowds of protesters filled the streets, holding signs above their heads.
"Reject Registration!"
"Superhumans Are People Too!"
They shouted slogans like these.
But before long, riot police advanced in formation.
Tear gas canisters exploded among the crowd, and screams and coughing filled the streets.
Peter Parker stood at a street corner holding a bouquet of flowers, his brows tightly furrowed.
He wasn't wearing his Spider-Man suit.
Aunt May had specifically warned him the previous night not to go outside for the next few days.
But he couldn't resist taking a look at what was happening outside.
"This is insane…"
He muttered under his breath.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion came from across the street!
The crowd instantly erupted into chaos.
Screams rang out everywhere.
Peter suddenly raised his head.
A man who had looked like an ordinary office worker moments earlier suddenly began twisting and swelling.
His muscles rapidly expanded.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a three-meter-tall giant.
His skin had taken on an unnatural bluish-gray color.
"I don't want to register!"
"I don't want to be locked up!"
He roared as he slammed his fist into a fire hydrant beside the road.
The hydrant shattered, sending a towering column of water into the sky!
The crowd frantically fled in all directions.
Peter instinctively raised his hand.
But before he could do anything—
Whoosh!
A black fighter jet swept low over the street.
Its hatch opened.
A powerful figure leaped from the aircraft and descended from the sky!
It was Power Princess.
Her silver armor gleamed beneath the sunlight.
She drew her longsword.
The ground trembled slightly when she landed.
"Foolish."
She coldly stared at the mutated superhuman.
"Those who resist the Act shall be punished."
The superhuman roared and charged toward her.
His enormous fist came crashing down with a howling gust of wind!
Power Princess merely shifted slightly to the side.
A flash of sword light followed.
Slash!
The superhuman's arm was severed at the shoulder.
Blood gushed forth as the giant screamed and collapsed to his knees.
Power Princess had already stepped onto his back.
Her longsword was pressed against the back of his neck.
"Your final chance."
Her voice echoed throughout the entire street.
"Register…"
"Or die?"
The superhuman trembled.
He finally broke down.
"I—I'll register!"
Power Princess smiled.
She raised her hand and tapped her communicator.
"Target subdued. Prepare for containment."
She looked around.
Her gaze swept across the terrified crowd before finally settling on several smartphones that were recording everything.
"Remember this, civilians."
Her voice was cold and clear.
"The existence of the Superhuman Squad is to protect you."
"Any superhuman who refuses to comply with the Act is a potential criminal."
"And criminals…"
"Must be eliminated."
With that, she grabbed the weakened superhuman and leaped back toward the fighter jet.
The aircraft roared away, leaving behind nothing but a wrecked street and a silent crowd.
Peter Parker remained standing where he was.
His fists unconsciously clenched.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
An anonymous text message had arrived.
[Tonight. Fifth Street, Queens. We need to talk.]
Peter stared at the screen, his brows tightly furrowed.
The anonymous message was suspicious.
But his instincts told him that it was probably connected to today's crackdown on superhumans.
He quickly looked around, making sure no suspicious individuals were watching him.
Then he immediately slipped into a nearby alley.
"Jane, I'm going to study at a classmate's house tonight. I probably won't be able to join you for dinner."
Peter quickly typed the message while remaining alert to the activity on the street.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Command Center
Holographic projections constantly flickered with emergency reports coming in from across the country.
Tony Stark stood before the flowing streams of data.
His expression was grim as his fingers rapidly scrolled through the information displayed on the screen.
Coulson hurried over, carrying an encrypted file.
"Director, the situation isn't looking good."
Coulson lowered his voice.
"More than 87 superhumans across the United States have already been forcibly registered."
"Another 23 have been arrested on suspicion of resisting the registration by the Superhuman Squad."
Tony stared at the constantly updating data streams projected in the air.
The numbers and maps on the screen marked superhumans across the United States who had either been forcibly registered or arrested.
The efficiency of the Superhuman Squad's operations was deeply unsettling.
Coulson stood nearby and quietly reported:
"The government has designated S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organization providing sanctuary to superhumans. All of our operations are being restricted."
"If this continues, we may eventually be officially classified as criminals ourselves."
Tony remained silent for a moment.
Then he suddenly spoke.
"JARVIS."
JARVIS immediately responded from within the room.
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"Contact Xiao Han."
A few seconds later, the communication link connected.
Xiao Han's figure appeared in the holographic projection.
He was sitting calmly on the sofa of his Long Island mansion.
Wanda and Kara were also visible in the background, seemingly having just finished some kind of training.
"Tony."
Xiao Han spoke calmly.
"Looks like you've run into some trouble."
Tony didn't waste any time.
"The situation is worse than we imagined."
"The Superhuman Squad has taken control of the White House. The Act is being forcibly enforced."
"Superhumans either register or get arrested."
"And now S.H.I.E.L.D. is being targeted as well."
Xiao Han raised an eyebrow.
"So?"
"I need your advice."
Tony hesitated slightly.
"If we resist now, we'll be directly opposing the government."
"But if we do nothing…"
"I suggest we directly become the next Injustice League."
Xiao Han finished his sentence for him.
Wanda walked over, holding a plate of fruit.
"What are you waiting for? They've already started arresting people!"
Kara glanced at Tony and shook her head.
"Are the heroes of your world really only capable of sitting around and discussing things?"
Tony smiled bitterly.
"Not everyone can act as recklessly as you two."
"We have laws, civilians, and international relations to consider."
Xiao Han stood up.
His golden eyes stared directly at Tony.
"So what is your choice?"
"Continue compromising…"
"Or fight back?"
Tony remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, he took a deep breath.
"You know, Stark Industries…"
Xiao Han didn't answer directly.
Instead, he asked:
"Who do you think the Superhuman Squad's next target will be?"
Tony's eyes sharpened.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Or the Avengers?"
"No."
Xiao Han shook his head.
"Me."
"They know I'm the greatest threat, so they'll definitely deal with me first."
"And you, Tony…"
"There is only one thing you need to do right now."
The communication ended.
The holographic projection disappeared.
Silence filled the command center.
Coulson looked toward Tony.
"Sir, what should we do?"
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he suddenly opened them.
His gaze was firm and resolute.
"Activate the final protocol."
"Contact every ally we can still reach."
"Tell the world!"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. stands on the side of freedom."
Tony suddenly remembered something.
"JARVIS, are there any unregistered heroes still in New York?"
"Sir, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and several others remain unregistered."
"According to the information I've intercepted, they plan to meet in Queens tonight."
Tony took a deep breath.
He turned toward Coulson.
His voice was resolute.
"Notify the Avengers."
"Prepare for battle!"
-------------------
The fully completed English PDF of this fanfic is available on my Patreon shop for readers who want to support me and own the full story at once.Just grab the PDF and binge-read the entire fanfic from start to finish without waiting for updates.
I've also uploaded some new fanfics based on reader requests.If you're interested and would like to support my work, feel free to check them out and grab a copy on Patreon.
Patreon.com /Ramzane