The atmosphere in the Avengers office was silent and tense. Tony sat in a chair, chewing on dried blueberries and occasionally glancing at Steve on the opposite sofa. They both remained silent, with only the sound of Tony chewing.
The fallout from the incident in Germany was growing, and the official pressure was getting worse. The solution Cassius proposed was good, but the current situation made it impossible to implement. The public image of the Avengers and Wanda would not be repaired without a good opportunity.
"Are you just going to sit there?" Tony slammed the dried blueberries on the table and looked at Steve, who was looking at his phone.
"What else can I do? The only thing that can change this is if Ross changes his mind!" Steve looked at Tony with a cold expression.
Ross's goal was to control the Avengers, so these opinions were definitely his doing. Otherwise, the media alone couldn't have had this much influence.
"Talking to Wanda about this is better than just sitting here!" Tony walked in front of Steve, suppressing his anger. "Don't forget, you were the one who organized the mission in Germany!"
"I organized it, but did you do nothing wrong?!" Steve Rogers frowned and stared at Tony Stark. He admitted that the incident was an accident, but it wasn't his intention. Besides, he never thought it would be so serious!
"Me? I've been trying to clean up your mess!" Tony clenched his fists and growled. "Do you know how many media outlets I've contacted? I've been trying to find a way!"
And what was Captain America doing? He was just sitting there, clinging to his illusory ideals! It would be a lie to say he wasn't angry. He had so much time, he could have at least tried to talk to Wanda!
"You weren't like this in Sokovia." Steve clenched his fists. "Countless people died because of that! No! They died because of you!"
"You think I..." Tony was about to argue when he heard the office door open behind him. He turned and saw Natasha Romanoff frozen at the door.
"Looks like I came at the wrong time." Natasha shrugged with a teasing tone, making the atmosphere in the office a little less tense.
"What's wrong?" Tony picked up the dried blueberries and started chewing again.
"I think you guys should see this." Natasha turned on the TV.
The screen showed Wanda putting out the fire. The crowd was surrounding Wanda, cheering and shouting.
"Today at 1:41 p.m., Avengers member the Scarlet Witch stopped a fire from spreading in the city center..." a reporter's voice came from the TV.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Wanda awakened a new ability?" If he remembered correctly, Wanda could suppress fire, but she couldn't turn it into frost. That was the only thing that could explain what they were seeing.
"I can't believe we didn't notice," Steve Rogers said, looking surprised. They were all in the Avengers compound, so they should have known if she had a new ability. But she had quietly awakened a new ability and even used it to save so many people.
"It must have just awakened, because Wanda's expression still looks a little strained." Natasha rattled the remote control in her hand, thinking aloud. "But what's more important is that this incident is changing how the media reports on Wanda!"
After being witnessed by so many people, the media couldn't just change the story. This was a great opportunity for them. If they handled it well, they might be able to repair the damage from the German incident.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to make it work and change people's minds." Tony tapped his earbud. "Call Pepper."
When the call connected, he got right to the point. "Pepper, arrange for some PR and go pick up Wanda."
After all these years in business, he was an expert in these things. The most important thing now was to strike while the iron was hot and use this opportunity to restore their reputation.
"But Wanda looks pretty happy." Natasha Romanoff said, looking at Wanda's smiling face on the screen. She hadn't seen Wanda smile in a long time.
"How did Wanda suddenly figure it all out?" Steve Rogers leaned back on the sofa, looking confused at the screen. A few days ago, she was still so depressed. But now, she was like a different person, and her powers had become even stronger.
"Maybe she finally came to a realization," Natasha Romanoff said, smiling, infected by Wanda's happiness. Things seemed to be getting better.
Tony let out a small smile and said, "We'll know when she gets back."
.....
Meanwhile, in Queens, New York.
Ding!
[You have helped Wanda overcome her inner demons and restored her reputation!]
[Reward: Kabuto Zecter (Kabuto)!]
Cassius leaned against a wall, watching Wanda being interviewed, when the system notification popped into his head.
[Kabuto Zecter]: Use this zecter to transform into Kabuto. Requires zecter approval.
"A Kabuto Zecter!"
"Wanda is a real treasure trove! Every reward is top-tier!" Cassius was thrilled; he didn't expect to get a reward for this.
The Kabuto Zecter was the transformation device for Kamen Rider Kabuto. Yes, that arrogant guy who walks the path of heaven and rules over all. Not many people would turn down his transformation device, and Cassius had often fantasized about having a Rider belt when he was a kid.
"Mr. Cassius, since everything's over, I'm going to go. I hope we can work together again in the future. Tell Wanda goodbye for me." Gwen said, seeing the media crowd growing. She didn't want to deal with all the annoying questions.
"Goodbye." Cassius waved, watching the girl's figure disappear between the tall buildings. He thought to himself, It looks like I'll have to get to know her better later.
Just then, a line of black luxury cars drove up in the distance.
"I should go back too." Cassius saw the Stark Industries car and prepared to leave. He knew Tony would use this opportunity to restore the Avengers' reputation and thwart Secretary Ross's plan against the organization. As he left, he didn't forget to send a message using his telepathy.
[Cassius]: See you later. Enjoy your moment of glory.
[Wanda]: Thank you.
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