"Authorization to enter and exit Stark Building at will?" Alex's sudden, low voice startled Tony.
Stark Building was basically Tony's home, but lately he'd been staying at the Avengers base, and Pepper had flown off as well. There was no one at Stark Building now. Why did Alex suddenly want to go there alone?However, Tony didn't suspect anything. After all, Jarvis managed Stark Building, and Tony could monitor everything there remotely at any time. So, Tony just nodded slightly and authorized Jarvis directly.
Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor escorted Loki back to the Avengers base together. As for Alex? Naturally, he headed for Stark Building.
Alex's plan was simple. Now that Loki had been captured, everything seemed to have fallen mostly back in line with the original timeline.
Alex knew that if Loki really escaped, he would most likely come back to Stark Building to finish what he started — to show off his so-called glory in this iconic tower.
So Alex wanted to make some arrangements at Stark Tower in advance — to turn it into a trap, just in case…
Of course, these precautions were just a backup. Alex's main goal was to check out the Avengers base.
If possible, he'd love to get his hands on Loki's Mind Scepter. That would not only give him a powerful treasure but might also prevent the massive alien invasion during the Battle of New York.
When Alex arrived at Stark Tower, Jarvis, as the building's ever-reliable steward, opened the door for him without hesitation.
Then, following Alex's idea of transforming the place into a trap, Jarvis carried out every instruction exactly as Alex ordered.
It had to be said — with such an advanced artificial intelligence assistant, everything really was so convenient.
Alex's ideas didn't need to be carried out by him personally. As long as he told Jarvis what he wanted, Jarvis could immediately grasp his intentions and quickly draft a plan.
Then, under Stark's name, Jarvis posted a project request online. Soon, a large number of engineers and construction workers entered Stark Building and got busy, working quickly according to the blueprints Jarvis had drawn up.
Jarvis, of course, wasn't the only artificial intelligence around. At the very least, there was Jarvis managing Stark Building — and another instance of Jarvis installed in Tony's Iron Man suits.
Through Jarvis's network, Alex could easily find out what was happening at the Avengers base through Tony. Naturally, Tony could also see everything happening at Stark Building.
"Hey, Alex, my building's been turned into a giant trap by you. Are you planning to start a fight in my tower? That's not gonna fly…"
One day, while Alex was chatting with Tony, Tony's face darkened slightly when he found out Alex was transforming Stark Building so extensively.
Perhaps to Tony, an ordinary building wasn't worth fussing over — but Stark Building was different. It meant something more.
"Relax, you'll understand soon enough…" Alex didn't answer Tony's question directly.
He only said this and then steered the conversation back to what was happening at the base.
As in the original timeline, Loki had been locked up. At the same time, Fury finally had his hands free and began investigating the congressman who had been controlled by the Mind Scepter. He believed that once the investigation was complete, Alex would be able to clear his name.
Alex nodded at this point — he, too, was waiting for that day.
With plenty of money behind him, the construction work at Stark Tower moved quickly. In just four or five days, the preparations were nearly finished…
On this day, Alex stood up right after completing his practice of the Sacred Heart Jue.
Standing up, Alex could clearly feel that his internal strength had become much stronger. The Sacred Heart Jue was a technique that was easy to pick up but difficult to master. In the beginning, progress came quickly, but as one went deeper, it grew slower and slower.
Beep, beep!He checked the number of crystal points in his body with the crystal measuring device. The digits flashed a few times before pausing: 245!
Seeing the number on the device, Alex nodded to himself.
As expected, his crystal points were increasing quickly — much faster than when he had practised the Yijin Jing.
"Mr. Alex!" Just then, Jarvis's voice suddenly rang out. "There's news from the Avengers base — there's been an intruder. You asked to be notified immediately if anything happened there."
"An intruder? Looks like Agent Barton and the others have made their move," Alex thought to himself, eyes sharpening.
Without delay, a private plane he'd prepared in advance took off and flew straight toward the Avengers base.
As he approached the Avengers' flying base, Alex told the plane not to get too close. He opened the cabin door and leapt out into the open air.
Once inside the floating base, Alex immediately activated stealth mode and moved swiftly toward the area where Tony and Dr. Banner were working.
Alex's goal was simple — to steal the Mind Scepter without anyone noticing. Now was the perfect chance.
When Loki had been captured earlier, the Mind Scepter had become a shared trophy. Back then, Alex couldn't possibly have claimed it all for himself.
As he moved through the corridors, Alex could see that the entire base was in chaos. From a distance, he could hear the howl of a wild beast — Alex knew that roar belonged to the Hulk.
Elsewhere, Tony had already suited up in his Iron Man armor, while Captain America and the others were holding off the invading soldiers.
Moving like a hidden assassin cloaked in shadows, Alex silently slipped through the chaotic battlefield and slipped into the lab where Tony and Dr. Banner usually worked.
But the Mind Scepter, which was supposed to be here according to the original timeline, was gone.
This made Alex's heart jolt. Could it be…? Had Loki already taken the scepter?
Thinking of this, Alex's expression turned serious. He quickly moved toward the glass cage where Loki had been imprisoned.
In the original timeline, Agent Phil had been killed by Loki right about now. He wondered if there was still time to save him.
After all, Alex did have a bit of friendship with Phil. If he could help him survive, he wouldn't mind doing so.
Staying completely silent in stealth mode, Alex arrived at the glass cage just in time to see its door sliding open. Thor lunged forward with a shout, trying to stop Loki.
But unfortunately, Loki was only a projection — an illusion — and Thor fell right for it.
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly. In Loki's real hand, he could clearly see the Mind Scepter.