"The Avengers can't maintain this pace much longer!"
"This is full-scale warfare! It's far beyond what any one or two individuals can handle!"
"They're still fighting, but how long can they realistically last? We can never eliminate all these alien forces!"
"No matter how heroically they fight, it's still not enough!"
"Oh! Now I suddenly understand why the government would authorize a nuclear strike - they genuinely can't stop the Chitauri invasion, so they're resorting to a scorched earth policy!"
"But if we don't close that portal, launching a nuclear weapon will be completely useless, right?"
"For the leadership, this is undoubtedly their last desperate option. Even the Hulk is being overwhelmed by enemy fire."
"How much military firepower did they deploy in New York previously? In the end, weren't they completely vulnerable to these aliens? And the National Guard doesn't even have heavy weapons!"
General Ross could easily imagine the tremendous pressure from public opinion. It had only been a few months since the Dark Elf invasion, and now the sky screen was broadcasting footage of the Battle of New York again.
This would undoubtedly put him back in the spotlight once more. He had already received word that Congress was considering replacing him as commander. Fortunately, the White House was still supporting him and had suppressed the proposal for now.
Tony buried his face in his hands. He could see that everyone in the sky screen was at the absolute limit of their endurance, which only strengthened his resolve to build a comprehensive global defense system.
War was never something that could be resolved by one or two individuals. Perhaps Captain Marvel and Thor could eliminate large numbers of enemies individually.
But Captain Marvel's energy reserves would eventually be exhausted, and how long could Thor continue channeling lightning?
In the face of large-scale cosmic warfare with countless enemy forces, individual heroics meant nothing.
Tony firmly believed that to win such conflicts, you needed overwhelming firepower superiority - it wasn't as simple as "working together" as Captain America had suggested.
There had been significant progress in the Ultron research, and Tony was confident that in the near future, a completely new version of Ultron that would never betray humanity would emerge.
Additionally, Maya Hansen and Dr. Helen Cho had achieved breakthrough results in their research on the Extremis virus and nanotechnology integration.
Tony had checked on their progress recently. The current Extremis virus could now utilize nanotechnology to regulate temperature spikes in real-time, thus preventing the explosive failures that had plagued earlier versions.
This was made possible by the nanorobots Tony had constructed using advanced nanomaterials. They were more convenient than regeneration cradles and could repair tissue damage at incredible speed when directly injected into the bloodstream.
Combined with the self-healing properties of the Extremis virus, the system could repair any incidental damage caused by the nanorobots operating within the body. As long as the brain remained intact, subjects would be virtually indestructible!
The only remaining challenges were figuring out how to recharge the nanorobots and ensuring they weren't destroyed or disabled by electromagnetic pulse attacks.
Even in their current state, the Extremis virus applications were already viable. Maya had calculated that unless more than half the body was severely damaged, the nanorobots would be able to stabilize temperature during the self-healing process.
However, no one had volunteered to be the first test subject. Although Bucky was extremely satisfied with his new prosthetic arm, Captain America didn't want his best friend taking unnecessary risks.
["Director Fury has been relieved of command! Execute Order 7A11!"]
[A fighter aircraft slowly rose to the flight deck of the helicarrier, and the pilot responded: "7A11 confirmed. We are prepared for takeoff!"]
[In the command center]
[Agent Hill detected the unauthorized launch: "Sir! We have a rogue bird on the deck! All personnel, we have an unauthorized takeoff! Shoot it down! I repeat, that takeoff was not authorized!"]
[Director Fury didn't hesitate for even a second and sprinted toward the exit.]
[The scene shifted to show Nick Fury bursting onto the flight deck carrying a rocket launcher. The fighter was just beginning its takeoff roll when Fury pulled the trigger without hesitation, scoring a direct hit.]
[The damaged aircraft skidded across the deck for several hundred feet before coming to rest just short of sliding off the edge.]
[Just when Fury thought he had prevented the nuclear strike, a second fighter aircraft streaked away from the carrier at maximum speed. Fury immediately discarded the launcher and drew his sidearm, attempting to shoot down the escaping plane.]
[Unfortunately, it was too late. The fighter had already departed with its nuclear payload. Fury had no choice but to return to the command center to warn Tony.]
["Stark! You copy? We have a bogey with a nuke headed straight for the city!"]
[Tony struggled to his feet and shouted back: "How long?"]
["Three minutes at most! The payload will level everything from the financial district to midtown!"]
[Tony had barely gotten upright when he was knocked down again by a Chitauri warrior using its weapon as a club. Tony eliminated the enemy with his repulsors while rapidly calculating the number of hostiles surrounding his position.]
[Realizing he couldn't eliminate all these threats quickly enough, he changed tactics: "JARVIS! Put everything we got into the thrusters!"]
["I just did!" Tony fired his repulsors rapidly to clear a path and launched himself skyward. One Chitauri attempted to grab him and prevent his escape, but was eventually shaken off as Tony gained altitude.]
[The fighter aircraft had already reached the coastline area. As the pilot engaged the release mechanism, a nuclear warhead separated from the aircraft and began its terminal approach toward the city.]
["Nuclear release confirmed! Detonation in two minutes and thirty seconds! Over!"]
[Thor and Captain America were still unaware of the nuclear threat, continuing to fight desperately against the alien forces. But due to a tactical miscalculation by Captain America, an energy blast struck him in the abdomen.]
[Captain America collapsed from the intense pain, and his shield clattered to the pavement beside him.]
[Several Chitauri warriors continued their assault on Thor, who deflected their energy blasts with Mjolnir, then seized an opportunity to hammer a parked car into them, knocking them down.]
[After eliminating the immediate threats, Thor extended his hand to Captain America, who was kneeling on the ground in pain, and helped him back to his feet.]
["You ready for another bout?"]
[Captain America managed a weak smile: "What, you getting sleepy?"]
[Seeing that Captain America still had enough spirit to joke, Thor felt reassured and raised his hand to recall Mjolnir.]
"Nick Fury was incredibly decisive! He tried to stop the launch without any hesitation."
Hearing 2nd Generation Spider-Man's observation, Uncle Ben nodded in agreement: "Absolutely! He immediately understood what the Council was planning to do, but unfortunately he didn't anticipate they'd send two fighters instead of just one!"
"Thank God Tony Stark managed to redirect that nuclear weapon into the wormhole in the end, otherwise New York would have become a living hell - though it's pretty close to that already."
While peeling an apple for 2nd Generation Peter, Aunt May watched the Avengers and soldiers fighting desperately with obvious heartache.
"It looks like the situation is completely one-sided everywhere except where the Avengers are fighting!"
Although it felt like watching a movie, 2nd Generation Spider-Man couldn't help but wonder: if this scenario happened in his reality one day, what would he do?
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