In truth, the Avengers misunderstood one crucial point: Vought Group never intervened in this matter. This is because Vought itself is an organization formed by the alliance of various factions. Even if they wanted to frame the Avengers, they wouldn't use Vought's name to do so.
In fact, the three groups uncovered by Jarvis were all part of Vought Group in some capacity. However, they hadn't leveraged Vought's resources; instead, they acted covertly using their own means. Of course, they attempted to cover their tracks, but what they never expected was to be exposed so quickly.
The exposure of these three factions essentially marked their downfall. With the Avengers in a deeply demoralized state, Robert decided to personally take action.
Robert hadn't carried out a large-scale massacre in a long time—at least not on Earth, and certainly not against common criminals. However, this didn't mean that he had mellowed into a peaceful martial artist who disliked violence. It was simply because, until now, there hadn't been anyone on Earth worthy of his attention. Most issues could be resolved by the Avengers.
But now, the Avengers were in such a miserable state that even a carefree figure like Pietro was visibly affected, let alone Peter Parker, who had always quietly sacrificed himself to be the friendly neighborhood hero of New York.
Being condemned by nearly everyone was a terrible feeling. Sure, there were still some supporters out there, but among them were extremists who admired Homelander's loss of control and were even encouraging the Avengers to take over the Earth through brute force.
The Avengers, of course, couldn't accept such "support." In fact, these types of comments only made them feel worse. Even with their deep understanding of human nature, the stark contrast between expectation and reality left them shaken.
Thus, when Robert learned the locations of the three factions from Jarvis, he immediately disappeared before Steve or Tony could say anything.
"Do you think something might go wrong?" Tony Stark sighed lightly, his voice tinged with doubt.
"Could things really get any worse than they already are?" Steve Rogers slowly shook his head and said quietly, "The Avengers have already been labeled as an evil terrorist organization. No matter what we do against those groups, it will spark a new wave of criticism. As long as we're certain these people deserve it, then it's fine..."
"And honestly, it's better for Robert to take action. Unlike us, he won't hesitate or hold back. Besides, no one on Earth is a match for him, so there's no need to worry about his safety."
"Yeah, we're already the public's punching bag. 'Everyone wants a piece of the Avengers' doesn't even begin to describe it. Stark Industries is on the verge of bankruptcy. If it weren't for my personal savings over the years..." Tony trailed off, then forced a bitter smile and nodded. "If we take action, we'd only be shackled by concerns. The Avengers might not even be able to operate openly anymore after this, so maybe it's time to stop overthinking everything."
"You've been thinking about this too?" A glint appeared in Steve's eyes as he looked at Tony seriously. "The current state of the Avengers isn't just because of Ultron. The real problem is that we've been standing too tall, too conspicuously, even overshadowing the official human authorities..."
"Bruce Wayne might not agree with everything we do, but there's one thing he got right: we shouldn't place ourselves above all of human society. I've been thinking that we could go underground. With the Space Stone and the portal tech, our mobility wouldn't be affected anyway..."
"I don't share your perspective," Tony interrupted, shaking his head slowly. His voice was soft but firm. "I'm tired, Steve. I want to take a break."
"What do you mean, take a break?" Steve was taken aback. To him, Tony Stark had evolved from a young upstart into a comrade he deeply respected through years of fighting together. Hearing Tony speak like this caught him off guard.
"I'm not like you," Tony said with a faint sigh. "You've got the Super Soldier Serum. Even as you age, you can still hold your own in a fight. But me? My body doesn't have that kind of resilience."
It was only then that Steve noticed how old Tony looked—far older than himself. His face was lined with wrinkles, and even his once-sharp eyes now appeared somewhat clouded.
"We can't replicate a flawless, side-effect-free version of the Super Soldier Serum, nor can we create a superhuman serum with a 100% success rate. All these years, even with my specially formulated nutrient solutions, I haven't been able to stave off the exhaustion..." Tony continued.
"If it weren't for the constant crises and my sense of responsibility, I'd have collapsed long ago. But now, I'm truly at my limit. I'll shut down Stark Industries. Whether people accept it or not, I'll compensate them adequately. It's the least I can do."
"You're retiring?" Steve paused before suddenly laughing, teasing, "Even this old man hasn't retired yet. And you're giving up already?"
"Who could tell you're an old man?" Tony smiled faintly. "But seriously, we've done so much, and yet we've saved so few lives, prevented so little loss. Now that the Avengers are no longer welcomed by ordinary people, maybe it's time I try living like one of them."
"Pepper's been worried about me ever since the Avengers were formed. She's not young anymore, and she's always wanted a child. But I've never had the time—or the energy—to be there for them. Maybe now's my chance, don't you think?"
"Besides, with the Vibranium meteorite, you won't need to worry about funding the Avengers. Jarvis will stay to assist you. And if, as you suggested, the Avengers go underground, expenses might actually decrease."
"So you're serious about retiring," Steve said with a resigned shake of his head. "But if you leave, I'm sure others will follow. Maybe it's for the best, though. You've all been under too much pressure these past years."
"I'll leave behind my suits. With Jarvis helping, their combat performance won't change much even without me," Tony said, clearly resolute. "But you'll need to impose stricter controls on them to avoid another widespread issue like the current one."
"The Saiyan has already made his move," Steve said after a moment, watching the footage Jarvis displayed.
Robert had already arrived at the first facility, a hidden base. But since Jarvis had pinpointed its location, there was no hiding from Robert. Nor could anyone there stop him from entering.
The facility's production line was still manufacturing suits. Clearly, the prior attacks weren't isolated incidents. For this organization, as long as they could drag the Avengers into ruin, no amount of death was too great a price.
"Did you record everything, Jarvis?" Robert's voice came through to Steve and Tony. Without bothering to interrogate anyone or uncover more schemes, Robert had already deemed these people unnecessary.
As for the possibility of innocent employees, Robert didn't care. The workers were fully aware of what the suits they were building would be used for and the harm they would cause. By choosing to stay, they had sealed their own fate.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion tore through the base, erasing everyone and everything within it. Sensing his surroundings, Robert vanished and repeated the process at the remaining two locations, annihilating them entirely.
"Explosion? How's that possible? Were we discovered?" Cries of alarm erupted as the leaders behind these bases learned of the destruction.
While internal networks might detect Jarvis's presence, they were powerless against his and Victor Stone's comprehensive monitoring of calls and communications. Locating these people was child's play. Some who visited the sites were caught red-handed by Robert, who swiftly tracked their superiors.
"No! You can't kill me!" A rotund middle-aged man in a luxurious villa screamed in terror as Robert appeared before him. Despite being surrounded by bodyguards, he felt no sense of security and begged frantically.
"Boom!"
Robert didn't waste a single word. He didn't even bother hiding his actions. This was meant to serve as a warning. After all, these three groups weren't the only ones plotting against the Avengers. If he didn't make an example of them, others would continue their schemes.
Of course, if anyone dared to persist, Robert would simply eliminate them without hesitation.
"As if things could get any worse for us," Robert muttered, vanishing into the aftermath of another explosion. "If the Avengers can't catch a break, why should those who conspire against us expect to?"
Soon after, Jarvis publicly released footage of Robert's actions. This caught those plotting against the Avengers off guard. They had intended to use Robert's killings to further discredit the team. What they hadn't expected was for the Avengers to openly release the footage themselves.
The move backfired. While the Avengers clarified that those killed were responsible for framing them and manufacturing deadly suits, public opinion didn't shift in their favor. Instead, criticism against them continued to pour in.
The most popular comment read: "If the Avengers can execute people at will in such a brutal manner, who holds them accountable for the countless deaths caused by Ultron's rampage? Who judges the Avengers for their negligence?"
When your reputation is in ruins, everything you do is wrong. The Avengers' transparency only deepened public distrust, making their situation
even worse.
"This has gone far enough. I think it's time we strip the Avengers of their legal authority—or even disband them entirely!" With the Avengers' reputation in freefall, various government agencies saw an opportunity to act. Long at odds with the team, they eagerly seized the moment to push for drastic measures.
"No, disbanding them isn't enough. I think we should merge the Avengers into Vought Group. That way, the superheroes would be entirely under our control."
"Imagine the possibilities—if we can study their powers and abilities, we could usher in a new era!"
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