Chapter 201: The Falling helicarrier
In Wakanda, before dawn, Tony quietly bypassed the sky shield defense and brought Banner to Shuri's laboratory.
He had witnessed the level of technology here, and it was definitely several tiers higher than the outside World.
"My god, there is still a place like this on Earth!"
Banner lowered his voice, looking around at everything like someone entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.
"Be careful, this place does not welcome... outsiders."
The laboratory lights suddenly turned on. Shuri was holding a weapon, and even after seeing Tony, she didn't put it down.
"You are an outsider too!"
Tony sighed and explained about Ultron, and only then did Shuri's expression soften a bit.
"I can help you, but you must return Klaw. He stole so much Vibranium from Wakanda; it is impossible to let him go."
"No problem! We will take the loss." Tony smiled.
That night, the three individuals with super-high IQs worked together and quickly located Ultron's position.
"Sokovia? There is a HYDRA Base there. Damn it! We should have thought of that earlier."
Shuri chewed on a lollipop to replenish her sugar levels, looking somewhat excited. This was her first time saving the World.
"Oh, it's not just a Base; he seems to be transforming Sokovia, and he is already close to succeeding."
Tony closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly opened them, running back and forth in front of three computers, and asked: "Shuri, can we delete Ultron from the network?"
"Wait!"
Shuri's eyes lit up, and she began operating on the light screen in front of her. "It's feasible! However, you need to connect to the main body for me to operate, and there cannot be a single mechanical soldier left behind."
"Got it!" Tony turned around and shouted: "Banner, notify everyone, assemble!"
"Should I notify Sean Brooke?"
After hesitating for a moment, Tony still said: "Notify him!"
"Shuri, wait here for our news. Once we have cleared most of them out, you can delete Ultron."
"Understood!"
At this moment, another person arrived at the door, knocked politely on the doorframe, and asked: "It sounds like a very important matter. Do you need help?"
Tony smiled slightly, "Welcome, Your Highness."
"Just call me T'Challa."
Shuri turned to look at her brother and laughed even more excitedly, "Hmph, just wait to get scolded with me!"
T'Challa didn't care at all, walking in and saying casually: "We also have citizens traveling in Sokovia. As a prince, I have an obligation to save them."
"A good reason."
Putting on his Nano Suit, Tony shook his head and asked: "Are you ready, T'Challa?"
The pure Black Panther suit instantly covered T'Challa. "Let's go!"
In Sokovia, just as dawn broke, people were getting ready to wake up and greet the new day.
Tony and the others arrived around the same time as the other Avengers, and finding that Sean Brooke hadn't come was within expectations.
Without stopping, they quickly began to evacuate the civilians. This was definitely going to be a major battle, even more serious than the one in Washington.
Below the ground, Ultron also discovered that the Avengers were rushing here, so he locked Pym and his daughter in a more hidden place and sent a squad of soldiers to guard them.
As soon as the formula was ready, he would immediately relocate here and detonate the black hole bomb.
He would let the other iron soldiers crawl out to attack indiscriminately, and he himself prepared to go out to stall for time.
Ultron took one last look at the light screen, his eyes full of anticipation.
In the sky, Tony could see everyone below moving, preparing to flee the city, and he felt very uneasy.
"Friday, scan for Ultron's position."
"He is at the church. He seems to be waiting for you, too."
The female artificial intelligence's voice replied, not calling him'sir' like Jarvis did.
Tony immediately landed inside the church, where Ultron, twice his size, was waiting for him looking very relaxed.
"Do you want to confess to me?"
"Uh... haven't you noticed you've become bloated? Do you want me to beat you up and let it out?"
Man and machine chatted back and forth, both stalling for time.
Although stalling for time was more beneficial to Ultron, he didn't want the residents of Sokovia to actually escape.
As the vanguard of the evacuation was about to leave, a machine popped out in the center of the church, and Ultron waved his hand, knocking Tony away.
Ultron didn't hesitate; he turned the machine. In an instant, the ground began to tremble, and a large number of iron soldiers crawled out from everywhere, attacking everyone indiscriminately.
The Avengers could only evacuate people while fighting these robots.
Tony scanned the machine and felt something was wrong. He asked Thor to deal with Ultron while he flew outside to take a look.
One look was all it took for him to be stunned.
"Friday?"
"Sokovia... is about to fly into the sky."
The tremors of the Earth grew stronger. In front of the residents who were about to leave Sokovia, a bottomless fissure suddenly appeared, and the distance between them and the other side grew wider and wider.
The events unfolding before their eyes exceeded their comprehension. They couldn't understand how, on this ordinary day, they were all collectively going to meet God.
In the sky, the iron soldiers were still rampaging, but the fleeing crowd slowed down because they had nowhere left to run.
"Stark, find a way to bring Sokovia down. Leave the soldiers to us!" Steve shouted over the earpiece.
"Can you handle it?"
"No problem, the new team members are very effective!"
On the nearby buildings, Black Panther leaped left and right, tearing apart a soldier with every jump. The panicked civilians around were taken away by Pietro, and Wanda's magic was highly effective for both attacking and protection.
Although Bucky didn't have superpowers, relying on his mechanical arm and combat experience, he cooperated with Steve with extreme tacit understanding, raising the combat effectiveness of both by a tier.
Seeing that the mechanical soldiers were being suppressed, Tony felt a bit more relieved. He quickly circled Sokovia to inspect it, and combining it with Friday's analysis, he reached a terrifying conclusion.
Once Sokovia rose to a sufficient distance, it would act like a meteorite and smash Earth in half.
There was a solution, which was to destroy Sokovia, but everyone on it would die, including some Avengers.
When Tony told the others his conclusion, there was no response over the earpiece.
After the last incident in Washington, they couldn't accept more massive civilian casualties, even if it was to save Earth.
"I can call for ships from Wakanda, but I don't know if there's enough time."
T'Challa's expression was also grim; he hadn't expected to face such trouble in his first battle.
Suddenly, everyone heard a familiar voice over the earpiece: "I should have arrived earlier than Sean Brooke, right?"
"It's really good to hear your voice at a time like this, Fury." Steve breathed a sigh of relief.
A helicarrier suddenly appeared from the clouds. Not just the Avengers, but all the civilians poked their heads out, smiles on their faces. This represented hope.
After the rescue boats were deployed, Natasha and the others also hurried to call the citizens, preparing to board the helicarrier.
On Ultron's side, Thor and Hulk were joining forces to beat him up.
However, they couldn't break the Vibranium on Ultron for the time being, and instead, due to the energy-gathering technology of the black gold Armor, they were vaguely losing the upper hand.
Ultron turned to look into the distance. Dozens of flying mechanical soldiers rushed toward the helicarrier. Hill also deployed War Machine Rhodes to handle them.
Tony also happened to circle around to this side. For them now, as long as the people were evacuated, there would be no more concerns regarding Sokovia.
But just after they two finished clearing the mechanical soldiers in the sky, a drone that could not be detected quietly landed on the helicarrier.
As a corner of Ultron's mouth curled up, the black hole bomb detonated.
The range wasn't large, but it was enough to destroy all the helicarrier's engines, and the entire helicarrier thus rapidly slid out of the sky.
Along with the people's hope, it fell down.
Chapter 202: There is no God! Only me, Homelander!
New York, Millis's home.
When Sokovia was ascending, Sean received the news. He didn't rush over immediately, but first moved the two women aside.
The slight movement still startled them. Millis and Hess opened their eyes simultaneously and saw the video Sean was watching.
"Oh my God, hurry over and help!" Millis said as she quickly got up to help Sean with his clothes.
Hess didn't move. She knew that since Sean hadn't left yet, he must have a plan.
Sean pondered for a moment, then let Millis pull him up. After a quick cleaning, she began helping him dress.
"Hess, can a live broadcast be arranged over there?"
"Um... there isn't enough time."
Sokovia was not close to New York. For Hess to arrange for her people to go there and set up live broadcast equipment, it would definitely be too late.
"Sean, do you want to do a live broadcast? I can arrange it!" Millis stood up abruptly, looking happy, as if she finally felt she could be of help.
"You?"
"Hmph, don't look down on me. I'm a sought-after host and know many colleagues; they're right in the vicinity!" She stared with wide eyes, looking for praise.
Sean patted her head. "Then this time, I'll be counting on you?"
Millis grinned. "Don't worry! Mission guaranteed!"
With that, she skipped off to get her phone and contact people.
Sean gave Hess a look, asking her to help out, and then rushed toward Sokovia.
The credit for saving a country would be a bad deal if there were only a few video clips of it.
---
The helicarrier was falling very fast. Many in the cockpit had fainted due to weightlessness. Tony and Rhodes were chasing from behind.
At the current rate of descent, even if they caught up with the carrier, they couldn't save the people inside.
In the nick of time, the carrier's descent suddenly slowed and gradually came to a halt at an altitude of about two thousand meters.
"Am I the last one to arrive?" Sean's voice came through the earpiece. Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"If Sif counts, then you're not the last. I'm going back to help!" Seeing the carrier was safe, Tony took Rhodes and headed back up.
After bringing the carrier down to the ground and seeing that the broadcast van hadn't arrived yet, Sean let out a quiet 'tch'.
"Hmm? Isn't this my secretary? I didn't know you took on part-time jobs."
Hill stumbled out of the cockpit. Seeing Sean, she felt both joy and fear.
With him there, this incident should be resolved smoothly, but she would be in trouble afterward.
On the ground in Sokovia, Steve and the others were relieved to hear the carrier was safe, but the ordinary people didn't think that way.
They only saw the carrier, which held their hope, falling down.
As one person collapsed to their knees on the ground, the rest could no longer stand and knelt down with them.
"Oh God, save us!"
"Lord! Your loyal believer is coming to see you."
Then, someone took the lead in reciting the Bible, and others stopped running and joined in. They couldn't escape anyway.
Mechanical Soldiers were attacking nearby, but they ignored them entirely, showing no intention of leaving.
Steve and the others were helpless. Without Wanda, they couldn't relocate these people at all.
In the crowd, a child broke free from his mother's embrace and shouted toward the sky at the top of his lungs:
"Homelander! Homelander! Help!"
The child's cries were quickly muffled by his mother, and several cold glares came from those nearby. In Sokovia, Superheroes were not welcome, except by these children.
They greatly admired these omnipotent Superheroes, especially the strongest one, Homelander.
Boom~
Several beams of Heat Vision fired down from the sky, taking out all the surrounding Mechanical Soldiers.
Amidst the clouds, Homelander, wearing his red and blue suit with the Stars and Stripes draped over his shoulders, slowly descended, his gaze very unfriendly.
"There is no God! Only me, Homelander!"
Everyone below, including the surviving Mechanical Soldiers, froze in place. Ultron also suddenly felt as if he had found a new way to destroy the world.
"I'll only say this once. Everyone, get to a safe place, now!"
Without needing Wanda to control them, the crowd quickly stood up and ran toward the buildings without looking back, feeling as if they had seen something more terrifying than Death.
Sean landed next to the others, his expression unchanged as he whispered, "Was I very fierce just now?"
Hearing him joking, the surrounding Avengers finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was okay, but I'll need a new pair of pants after this is over," Pietro said with a smile.
Once the civilians had left, Sean gave a slight smile. "You brat... Pietro, you go inside too. Stop running around."
"Why... alright then."
Looking at Sean's eyes, he didn't dare refuse and obediently jogged into the building. His heart was indeed beating very fast.
"Steve, after you lead them to clear out the remaining Mechanical Soldiers, you guys find a safe place too."
"Understood!"
No one objected. Right now, they could only trust Sean; otherwise, today would be Earth's Doomsday.
Glancing into the distance, Sean quickly flew toward it.
In the center of the church, Tony and the others were guarding the Core Machine, preventing Ultron from getting close. Once the button on top was twisted again, Sokovia would fall rapidly.
Falling from a height of nearly ten thousand meters, the Death toll would be counted in the hundreds of millions.
Seeing fewer and fewer robots around, Thor, who was in the heat of battle, shouted loudly:
"Is this all you've got?"
Ultron stopped outside and raised a hand, and hundreds of Mechanical Soldiers converged.
The people around looked at Thor helplessly without saying a word.
Just then, a beam of Heat Vision swept across. In less than ten seconds, more than half of the hundreds of Mechanical Soldiers were melted.
"Hah! Nicely done, Thor!" Sean said excitedly.
Thor also brushed off his awkward expression and pointed forward with a laugh. "Haha, that's exactly what I meant. Sean still understands me!"
"Heh heh." The others didn't call him out and laughed along.
Ultron also looked up at this moment, meeting Sean's gaze.
Then, he let out a defeated sigh and spread his hands. "Fine, you humans win again. Or rather, whether in reality or in stories, the winners are always humans."
Slumping on the ground, Ultron propped his chin with his hand. "Tell me, why is that?"
Tony looked around and immediately said, "He's stalling for time!"
The person who understood Ultron best was him; conversely, Ultron understood him very well too.
After saying this, Tony and the others pinned Ultron to the ground. He placed his hand on Ultron's head, and the Nanobots began to act.
"Shuri!"
"Thirty seconds!"
Over in Wakanda, Shuri acted quickly, deleting every trace of Ultron from the network without exception.
Chapter 203: The Act of God
After struggling symbolically for a moment, Ultron stopped moving and instead burst into laughter.
"Smart. To think you could actually kick me off the internet. Heh, but do I care?"
His words weighed heavily on Tony, but all the mechanical soldiers around had been cleared out. What other trump card could he possibly have?
Suddenly, Hulk exerted force with his hands and tore Ultron in two, before Tony even had a chance to stop him.
Tony looked up and asked: "What about Sokovia! The air is getting thinner!"
"Shut down the machine."
"What!"
Not only Tony, but even Ultron was stunned.
Weren't they just fighting tooth and nail here specifically to stop the core machine?
"Find a safe place, then shut down the machine. Hurry!" Sean said for the second time, sounding a bit impatient.
This time, the group didn't hesitate and scattered.
Tony walked up to the core machine, cold sweat pouring down uncontrollably, his hands trembling. When he looked up again, Sean was nowhere to be seen.
"F**K!"
Cursing loudly, Tony turned the core machine.
Suddenly, all of Sokovia stopped rising, paused for a few seconds, and then plummeted rapidly—even faster than it had been rising!
"Ah!"
Screams erupted on the ground; everyone understood that this was the moment it was going to crash.
A strong sense of weightlessness filled them with fear; even Steve and the others felt terrible.
Natasha wanted to fly away with him, but Steve refused; he was determined to live or die with these people.
The ground was falling quickly; in just a few dozen seconds, it had dropped over a hundred meters—much faster than a drop tower ride.
But after these few dozen seconds, the speed of Sokovia's descent slowed significantly, and the sense of weightlessness eased quite a bit. They could even look up and see their surroundings.
Before the people above could relax, another wave of weightlessness hit, though it was clearly not as severe as before. While still very uncomfortable, it was within acceptable limits.
Tony's face was filled with shock as he quickly flew to the underside of Sokovia. Sure enough, there was someone there.
"Do... do you need help?"
Even seeing it with his own eyes, Tony could hardly believe it; his voice trembled as he spoke.
"I want my heroic posture to be seen... by the whole World!" Sean gritted his teeth. Clearly, holding up the entire Sokovia was not easy for him either.
Tony was stunned for a long moment before quickly saying: "I understand! Of course, I'll do it right now!"
Returning to the church, Tony retracted his faceplate, his relaxed expression helping the others calm down significantly.
"Sean is holding up Sokovia. It's handled."
"..."
The group looked at the ground, all falling silent. Even Hulk was wondering how he had managed to fight Sean to a draw earlier.
Tony checked on the others; only a few had fainted from fear, while the rest were fine.
Then, he had Friday connect to the satellites, preparing to act as a camera himself to livestream for Sean.
It was also while connecting to the satellites that Tony suddenly noticed two thermal signatures beneath the ground, along with a few mechanical soldiers. Ultron wasn't dead yet.
"Who are those two? Ultron's trump card, or hostages?"
Tony thought for a moment and decided that after the ground landed, he would go and clear out the remaining bodies; it shouldn't be a problem.
On the ground, many people had gathered, all looking up at the sky or down into the deep crater. A question arose in their minds.
Was the country of Sokovia just... gone like this?
The reporters who rushed to the scene were bewildered. Millis had told them to come and livestream, saying Homelander was here, but other than a giant crater, there was nothing.
They couldn't exactly fly up into the sky to interview Homelander, unless Sokovia fell down right now.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd, and those looking up at the sky scrambled to run backward for their lives.
A massive dark shadow appeared within the clouds. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't anything good.
But soon, some people stopped in their tracks. Given the size of the shadow, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they ran until their legs broke.
"Homelander... it's Homelander!"
As someone with sharp eyes excitedly pointed at the sky and shouted, others stopped and looked up. Those with poor eyesight looked at the cameras of the people next to them.
After seeing it, they all started cheering excitedly too, though they felt something was off.
"Is... is Homelander holding up a country?"
The crowd's cheering gradually died down, stunned by the sight before them, especially as Sean got closer and closer.
The massive Sokovia slowly descended toward the ground. Even though it wasn't landing on the crowd, they still instinctively backed away several steps.
When Sean was a dozen meters from the ground, he slowed down and put on an expression of exhaustion.
Seeing his state, the people below finally realized: this was an entire country! Even Homelander was exhausted.
They didn't hesitate any longer and shouted at the sky: "Go! Homelander!"
"You can do it! Homelander! You are the greatest Superhero!"
The cheers of thousands at the scene rose and fell, echoing through the sky! It also startled the people above.
Through the livestream that Natasha pulled up, the residents of Sokovia realized they hadn't fallen to their deaths because Homelander was holding up the entire landmass!
The shock in their hearts was completely beyond words, only able to be expressed in one phrase: "Homelander! Go!"
When Tony broadcasted the footage, the audience in front of their TVs were stunned.
At first, they only saw Homelander struggling to hold up a rock, and were very confused—what kind of rock was so heavy that even Homelander struggled to hold it?
But as the camera gradually zoomed out, their mouths and pupils widened.
That wasn't a rock; it was an entire piece of land!
That wasn't just Homelander; that was a living God!
The Act of God instantly went viral globally. Without a moment's hesitation, everyone wanted to know if it was real.
Previously, Homelander was famous, but it was limited to America, as that was where he usually saved people, fought aliens, and so on.
But now, he was slowly descending from the sky holding a country, which changed everything entirely.
With Sean intentionally slowing down, it took three minutes for him to descend the final dozen meters and settle below the horizon.
When the ground reconnected, Homelander was pressed underneath. The scene was deathly quiet; even the medical teams nearby dared not move forward.
*Whoosh!*
A large hole appeared in the ground as Sean flew out from within. Although he was a bit covered in dust, at this moment, his image was incredibly glorious and imposing!
Sean puffed out his chest, took a deep breath, and slowly spread his arms.
Without him needing to say a word, tens of thousands of people began to cheer. The chaotic, noisy sounds were continuous, eventually coalescing into only three words.
"Homelander!"
Chapter 204: Tony... Dead?
Without alerting the crowd, Tony said a word to Steve and flew towards the depths of the forest, where Ultron's mechanical soldiers and the last black hole bomb were.
He prepared to go over and stall Ultron, letting Friday quietly connect to the drone and fly it away; after all, it was the last black hole bomb and was quite precious.
"Tony! Be careful." Steve shouted behind him, not knowing if he had heard.
On the other side, the corners of Ultron's mouth curled up wildly. Dr. Pym's expression changed; he knew this robot had already successfully researched Pym Particles.
If no one came in to stop him right now, then this World would be finished.
Perhaps having heard his cry for help, Tony burst in.
When he saw everything inside, he instantly felt something was wrong. Ultron definitely had another trick up his sleeve!
He might not have known what the jumping numbers meant, but he recognized the drone on the table; it was loaded with the last black hole bomb.
Without much hesitation, Tony immediately rushed forward, used his palm lasers to beat back a few mechanical soldiers, and reached out to grab the black hole bomb.
Ultron's eyes narrowed, and he rushed over to stop him.
Pym Particles were being synthesized; in just two minutes, he would be able to create a super-sized black hole bomb!
The two Armors instantly grappled together. Relying on the superior performance of his Nano Suit, Tonygained the upper hand. Ultron's current body was relatively ordinary, with nothing too special about it.
However, stalling Tony for two minutes was not a problem.
At this moment, Dr. Pym in the distance forcefully knocked out the object in his mouth, even losing two teeth in the process, with a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Stark! He is researching Pym Particles, and he has already succeeded!"
Tony's expression changed, and he instantly understood Ultron's plan. He raised his hand to attack the crimson canister behind, but was blocked by Ultron using his last two soldiers. There was no time left.
Pym Particles were slowly flowing through the pipe toward the drone, while Tony was being desperately pinned down by Ultron. Even if he broke free, he wouldn't be able to stop the black hole bomb from expanding.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket, Stark, haha!"
Ultron's body was already mostly destroyed, yet he was still using his last bit of energy to grab Tony, his face full of relief.
"My mission is about to be completed... for peace... for our peace!"
Suddenly, Tony stopped struggling, his eyes filled with determination.
This look made Ultron, who understood him best, widen his pupils, realizing what he wanted to do at this moment.
"Friday, have you connected to the drone?"
"Three more seconds."
"Detonate immediately!"
"... You are currently within the black hole's range..."
"Detonate immediately! Hurry!"
"It has been a pleasure working with you, sir, even if it was only for one day."
The drone, which had just grown a small circle, instantly detonated. Black and white energy intertwined, and an incredibly pitch-black hole appeared, sucking everything around it inside.
Including Tony and Ultron.
Dr. Pym and his daughter were a little further away and were unharmed.
The black hole lasted for dozens of seconds. A semi-circular crater with a diameter of several dozen meters appeared on the ground before finally turning into a gust of wind and disappearing.
The opening began to collapse. The Pym father and daughter were still tied up by their limbs and could not move.
Above, Sean was still accepting applause and cheers. The Avengers also walked out slowly, with smiles on their faces.
Boom!
The ground in the distance began to collapse, startling everyone present.
"Tony?"
Steve recognized that it was the direction Tony had just gone. He whispered a name, then hurried forward.
Sean also listened carefully. Below the ground, there were indeed the sounds of two people—one was a young woman, and the other was an old man, but...
No Tony!
Feeling that something was wrong, Sean rushed over, heading straight for the two people underground.
A large rock above Pym's head was about to come loose. At the moment of Death, he looked at his daughter, regretting that he had been on such bad terms with her all these years and that he shouldn't have hidden those things from her.
The rock came loose and fell rapidly!
The two closed their eyes, waiting for Death.
But they didn't wait for the pain they had imagined; instead, they felt a pair of strong, powerful hands. Hope even felt that these hands were very warm.
"Who are you two? Where is Tony?"
The two, seeing sunlight again, gasped for air. Pym spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes slightly despondent.
"Hank Pym, and beside me is my daughter Hope. Stark, he... he was sucked into a black hole... sigh."
Mentioning the name Stark, Pym sighed heavily.
Back in the day, when he was working with Howard, Howard had stolen a few vials of Pym Particlesfrom him. In a fit of anger, he quit S.H.I.E.L.D. to prevent Stark from using Pym Particles to create weapons.
Unexpectedly, Stark ended up dying to protect Earth. Truly, life is unpredictable~
This sentence was also transmitted to the public channel and heard by the Avengers.
By the edge of the pit, everyone gathered in a circle, looking down, and remained silent for a long time.
The reporters on the perimeter were all blocked by Hill and her team. She didn't let outsiders disturb this moment; even she was heartbroken.
Whether in terms of ability or character, Tony was the best Avenger, bar none.
Sean, who was stronger than him, had bigger character flaws than anyone; Steve, who had a better personality, was far inferior in ability; and the others went without saying.
Losing such an Avenger was not just their loss, but also the World's loss.
Banner, having returned to his normal state, frowned, thinking about many things. Suddenly, he looked at everyone and said somewhat excitedly:
"Is it possible that Tony isn't dead?"
"A black hole doesn't have direct lethality; it connects to other parts of the Universe. Perhaps Tony just happened to land on some life-bearing Planet?"
"It... it's also possible that he is just nearby in the Solar System and will return soon!"
"And, and! He is wearing his Nano Suit, so even if he fell into space, he could survive for a long time. Sean! Can't you fly into space? Hurry up and go find him! And Carol, call her back to go together too!"
Banner, the more he spoke, the more excited he became. In the past, at a time like this, Hulk would have come out, but this time, Hulk chose to leave the anger to Banner himself.
If Hulk's confidant was Sean, then Banner's best friend was definitely Tony.
Only the two of them could talk to each other, do experiments together, and study the Hulkbuster Armor, Black Hole Grenades, Mind Stone, and a whole series of things together.
It could be said that without Tony, Banner wouldn't have been able to integrate into this World so quickly.
"I..." Thor hesitated, "I asked Heimdall, and in the Nine Realms, there is no Tony."
Banner turned his head and stared angrily at Thor, "Heimdall couldn't even see the Dark Elves' spaceship, and the suit Tony is wearing is the latest model! It has stealth technology!"
No one spoke. This point wasn't actually critical, because no one believed Tony was still alive, not even Sean.
Even people who don't understand know how strong a black hole's compression ability is, let alone a scientist like Dr. Banner.
Just as he was about to continue trying to persuade everyone to go find Tony, Sean backhanded him on the back of his neck, causing him to fall asleep.
"Let's go back."
Chapter 205: The Election Ends
One month later... Tony had not returned.
Tony's death had a massive impact, far greater than the last Civil War.
After several major battles, the Avengers all needed to calm down for a while and needed to stay quiet for a bit.
Steve took Bucky to get familiar with this World, and by the way, they went to Siberia, where a group of Winter Soldiers were waiting for them to rescue them.
Banner stayed at Stark Tower and didn't let anyone sell it; he knew that if Tony returned, he would definitely come here first.
Barton continued his retirement life, occasionally stepping out to act as a Superhero, for instance, showing up outside during his child's birthday.
Thor had been restless lately; he left Earth, and no one knew where he went.
Natasha left alone and went to Norway to clear her mind.
Wanda and Pietro stayed in New York. After Sean announced that they had officially become Avengers, they often worked as Superheroes outside. Now, Wanda's popularity was rivaling Natasha's.
Fury served as the leader at the new S.H.I.E.L.D. Base built by Tony and recruited new Avengers: War Machine Rhodes and Falcon Sam Wilson.
During the last reception, Sam had expressed his deep admiration for the Avengers, then found Fury, explained his situation, obtained the Falcon wings, and successfully joined.
Sean also hadn't shown his face, as if he had forgotten about the presidential election, spending his days wearing glasses and wandering among them.
Sean was indeed a bit sad about Tony's death; after all, he really was a very good friend, and his support, whether financial or material, had been extremely helpful.
The main reason for not appearing was also because he was too lazy to go out and save himself the trouble of explaining why almost all the Superheroes had disappeared.
Sean hadn't thought of a reason yet.
Until this day, the presidential election day.
In Washington, inside the Capitol building, a group of congressmen dressed in sharp suits were seated below, while reporters and some invited guests sat on the perimeter.
The Senate, the Council, and other decision-makers sat on the second floor, with only one seat in the center reserved for the speaker.
In the past, such days were always very grand; at least to outsiders, today was the day that would determine the future direction of America, so it was naturally supposed to be lively.
However, because there was a Superhero among the candidates, coupled with some recent signs, everyone had a feeling that a storm was coming.
Perhaps it was because General Ross's recent heart-to-heart talks with them had been effective, but the Council and others increasingly felt that choosing Homelander as President was not a good idea.
This was also the reason why he still dared to stand here even though his approval rating was only two percent.
General Ross believed that this group of politicians would absolutely not entrust their lives to someone who could not be controlled.
After a long time, everyone arrived, except for Sean. Everyone came, including Hill from his team, who arrived at the scene.
Hill had been trying to contact Sean, but had never succeeded.
There was some commotion at the scene, and a voice came from above: "General Ross, you may begin first."
"Alright, everyone."
General Ross walked onto the stage with confidence and began the speech he had prepared for a long time.
How should one put it? The effect was very good; everyone present was very surprised, though, of course, mostly they were scared by him.
Especially when they heard that he still wanted the Avengers to accept government regulation under their real names, the people above were terrified.
You must know, the last time they wanted to do this, they were interrupted by Homelander, and this time... it was the same.
Just as General Ross was still holding forth on the podium, Sean walked in through the main entrance.
With just a simple entrance, he attracted everyone's attention. The fans who had wanted to cheer for him, upon seeing Homelander's grim expression, choked on their words and didn't make a sound.
Only the sound of Sean's footsteps could be heard at the scene; in this quiet occasion, it was extremely loud.
General Ross, who was still speaking, gradually stopped his voice. He had thought that he wouldn't be affected, but unfortunately, he was wrong.
Every step Homelander took didn't seem like walking on the ground, but rather stepping on his face.
"Move aside."
"It is my turn now... well, never mind." General Ross still couldn't withstand the suppressive power of Homelander at close range, and by the time he went down, he was already drenched in sweat.
Sean picked up the microphone and scanned everyone in front of him... without using Heat Vision.
"Today, actually, I didn't want to come, because that day, when I said I wanted to be President, it was just to simply scare the people above." Sean made a gesture in the air.
"What's so good about being President? Dealing with endless political affairs every day, engaging in power struggles with them—isn't it tiring? It's not as practical as going out and saving a few people, right?"
Sean walked gracefully on the stage, making it obvious to people that he was feigning relaxation, even though the expression on his face looked like he was about to cry.
"You all know about the incident in Sokovia; a super villain attempted to destroy the World by lifting the entire Sokovia into the sky and then dropping it to crush us."
Hearing this, murmurs began in the front.
They had indeed heard about this from Fury, and even now, they were still a bit fearful.
"Of course, you know the outcome; just like in movies or comics, the Superheroes defeated the villain and saved the World once again."
At this point, there was some scattered applause. They didn't dare to clap too loudly because Homelander obviously had more to say.
Sure enough, the applause stopped abruptly after Sean's next sentence.
"But why didn't the comics say what we should do after a Superhero sacrifices themselves? Can we just wait for them to return, like a 'to be continued' sign?"
Obviously, no one could answer this question; let alone answer it, the people at the scene didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The outside World had indeed guessed a little, for instance, that a certain Superhero had sacrificed himself, but it was all hearsay without evidence.
Now, it was confirmed; Homelander had directly revealed that during the process of saving the World, more Superheroes had sacrificed themselves, just like the previous Brave Guardian.
Sean took a deep breath, quickly glanced to the side, and saw the sign held up by Hess.
"Max! Lightning Max and Iron Man Tony have left us, sacrificing themselves to save the World!"
"From now on, when there is thunder, children don't need to be afraid, because that is Max turning into bolts of lightning, guarding you."
"On the road, if you see an unfamiliar Iron Armor, you can rely on it with peace of mind, because that is Iron Man's final legacy."
While the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive and sorrowful, the familiar suit reappeared on Sean, and he flew into the air, looking down at everyone from above.
"And I, in order to inherit their final wish, will guard this World well, starting from America, starting from becoming President!"
Chapter 206: Becoming President, My Character Persona Collapses at Will
Sean Brooke did not pay attention to the final election results; after saying those words, he flew away.
However, he was confident that the final choice would definitely be him. Why? Because Wanda was also present.
With this insurance policy, Sean Brooke was able to leave with peace of mind. Although, this insurance policy didn't end up being needed.
Needless to say, Sean Brooke successfully became the first Superhero President, and likely the last.
Outside the White House, numerous reporters surrounded a small podium, with photos of Sean Brooke and many American flags standing nearby.
At the other end of the red carpet, a black car pulled up and stopped. A pair of long, black-stockinged legs stretched out from the passenger seat first, then Isa leaned out to get off the car, opened the back door, and Sean Brooke slowly walked out.
Flashes went off continuously all around, and some gossip magazines had already posted pictures of the two.
"Shock! The long-legged beauty in black stockings acting as Homelander's bodyguard is actually her!"
Sean Brooke walked slowly to the center of the podium and raised a hand; the surrounding noise gradually faded away, leaving only the soft sound of the wind.
"Today is my first day in office, and it should be quite busy, so I will only say one thing."
"Innocence Day is set for seven days from now. I hope that on that day, any bad guys who want to commit crimes will honestly stay at home; I and the other Superheroes will not show mercy.
Additionally, New York City is huge, so I also hope everyone can work together to make our lives even better.
I have reason to believe that in the future, I will extend Innocence Day to two days, three days, or even longer.
It is even more likely that it will no longer be limited to New York, but expanded to an entire state, or even all of America!
On the day of Innocence Day, we are all heroes!"
After saying this, Sean Brooke calmly spread his arms to welcome the baptism of the flashes.
That day, this photo of Sean Brooke was placed alongside his previous feat in Sokovia, and it was called the Embrace of God.
After enjoying the moment, Sean Brooke led them into the White House. Inside, a group of politicians had been waiting for a long time; they were ministers of various departments, as well as the Deans of both houses, and so on.
Seeing Sean Brooke walk in, they applauded with some enthusiasm, and then, Hill walked up with a nervous heart, pretending that nothing had happened, and handed him some documents.
"These are the proposals that have accumulated and require your signature."
Sean Brooke did not look at her, reached out to push the files away, and continued walking toward the inner office.
The others exchanged glances, frowned, and then looked at Hill and Fury, who was hiding in the crowd; this was not what had been agreed upon.
There was no other way; the President had already walked inside, so they could only follow him first to see what the situation was.
When everyone entered the Oval Office, Sean Brooke was already leaning back in his chair, with Isafeeding him fruit.
If people outside saw this scene, they would certainly be shocked; it was simply too far from the Homelander who had just delivered the declaration of justice, not looking like the same person at all.
But after seeing this, the group breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed quite a bit.
Homelander hadn't changed; not bad, very not bad!
Sure enough, after kissing Isa, Sean Brooke looked at everyone and said with a smile: "Don't just stand there, sit down. From now on, you don't need to be constrained when you're with me."
The people opposite looked at each other and began to take their seats according to their rank. When the sofas were full, someone brought a few stools from outside.
After everyone was seated, Sean Brooke continued to speak:
"This time, it's just to get familiar with everyone and get to know each other; there isn't anything else."
"Right, let me introduce the person beside me, Ms. Isa. From now on, she will be responsible for the security work here. Move all the original guards to other places."
Isa turned her head and glanced at everyone opposite her, as if looking at dead people, without any ripples in her expression.
When she continued peeling fruit to feed Sean Brooke, her eyes became gentle and doting.
Everyone's eyes were a bit strange, but they didn't say anything.
After all, with Homelander here, security was just a formality, and there wouldn't be anyone foolish enough to attack this place.
Since Homelander wanted to replace all the guards with beautiful young ladies to be responsible for his personal safety, no one had any objections; on the contrary, they were quite happy.
This meant that he really had no intention of interfering in other areas.
Of course, except for a few stubborn old guys.
This group of old guys had always taken pride in the White House; how could such a sacred and solemn place be polluted by women?
But they had been mentally prepared before coming, so they just snorted coldly and didn't speak.
But they didn't expect that what Sean Brooke wanted to do was far more than that.
"There should be a wine cellar here, right?"
A middle-aged man in his forties stood up. One look and you could tell he had a very good capacity for alcohol; when he spoke, his belly could shake three times.
"Mr. President, yes there is. There are fine wines shipped from all over the World here. If you have a preference, you can notify me at any time."
Sean Brooke's eyes revealed approval. "Not bad. Who are you?"
"Oh, I am the Minister of the Interior, Good Morning." Good said with a smile.
"Not a bad name, very easy to remember. Good Morning!"
"..."
Sean Brooke naturally wouldn't care what they thought, and said with some excitement:
"Later, put a button on my desk. As soon as I press it, a maid in uniform should bring up red wine. It's best to arrange a few more people; if you don't know how to choose, you can ask Isa."
"O-okay."
Good originally wanted to ask whether to choose red wine or choose... cough, no need to ask; it was very clear at a glance.
"Hmm... when I came in, I noticed there were a few too few servants. Add a few more, it's best..."
"Don't go too far! This is the Presidential Palace, not a place for you to keep mistresses!"
Before Sean Brooke finished speaking, an elderly man with gray hair stood up. The people next to him hurriedly supported him, looking like he held a high status.
"Oh? And you are?" Sean Brooke grinned.
"White House Chief of Staff, Kalman!" Kalman stood up, looked directly at Sean Brooke, and said solemnly.
Sean Brooke showed a puzzled expression and looked at the others with confusion.
This expression—perhaps the others didn't know what it meant, but Fury knew it very well!
"Mr. Kalman has assisted three Presidents, each of whom trusted him very much, and his grandfather was also a certain founding father."
"Oh~ is that so?" Sean Brooke pretended to understand.
He wondered who it was. If he were a relative of Tony, he might let him go.
Judging by that tone, Fury didn't need to think to know he was doomed!
Sure enough, Sean Brooke turned to look at Isa beside him and pointed at Kalman:
"This is a HYDRA agent who has been lurking for a long time. Take people to arrest him, and make sure to find out exactly how much information he has stolen!"
"Understood!" Isa replied with a smile, then placed her hand by her ear and said coldly: "Bring people in."
Before long, several screams and gunshots rang out outside the door.
"What are you... Ah!"
Listening to the commotion outside the door, the people inside were a bit nervous.
Knock, knock! A knock on the door sounded. After Isa gave the word, Feifei led people in.
The two women exchanged glances and let the previous underlings take Kalman away directly.
Kalman just wanted to curse a couple of times but was slapped unconscious by a big slap to the face.
"Hmph, I could tell at a glance that this old guy wanted to curse." A burly man with a full beard said proudly.
Then he turned to look at Sean Brooke, with a fawning expression, bowed and said: "Boss! We'll be heading down first!"
Before Sean Brooke could speak, Isa scolded: "If you bring your old habits here again, I'll drag you off to feed the fish! From now on, you must call him Mr. President!"
Chapter 207: Hill's "Sacrifice" for the World
The subordinates escorted Kalman out, and no guards outside dared to stop them again.
Just now, the long coats with black and red dragon scales on their bodies had already explained everything.
Inside the room, facing Sean's sudden outburst, the politicians all acted very panicked and afraid.
But Sean could clearly hear that their heartbeats were steady, which didn't match their expressions at all.
After a bit of thought, combined with Fury's expression, Sean understood that this person had just jumped out to be a sacrificial lamb; he probably wasn't well-liked here either.
The facts were just as Sean expected; this Kalman was indeed quite detestable, relying on his ancestral glory and usually never looking others in the eye.
Additionally, several previous Presidents liked using him to balance the factions within, so he had never been moved from his position.
One must know that the position of Chief of Staff is the number two spot, with no small amount of power.
However, this group of politicians was indeed somewhat terrified because they hadn't expected Homelander to use HYDRA as an excuse to directly arrest Kalman. They had thought he would add a splash of red to the White House.
Sean leaned back in his chair, enjoying being fed by Isa, not caring at all about their little schemes as long as they were obedient.
"Now, there shouldn't be any HYDRA left here, right?"
"Uh, haha, no more, no more."
"That's good. If there's nothing else, get out; don't disturb my work." After saying that, Sean waved them away.
This group of people hadn't wanted to stay for a long time anyway; after all, being with a moody boss was indeed very uncomfortable, especially when he could decide your life or death at will.
Once they had retreated and only Sean and Isa were left in the room, Hill secretly walked back in.
She took a deep breath, walking to Sean's side with the conviction of someone facing death, and then... slowly knelt down, looking up at him:
"Give me a chance."
From Sean's attitude toward her today, Hill understood very well that he was making things difficult because of her unauthorized trip to the helicarrier that day.
Even though she wasn't wrong in that matter, in Sean's eyes, it was a mistake.
If she had been of help that day and saved the residents of Sokovia, it would have been fine, but the final result was that they held him back, causing Sean to be distracted to save them, leaving Hill with no confidence at all.
They had already agreed over there to let her assist Sean, helping to handle White House affairs, ensuring America didn't lose face on important occasions, and trying to keep Sean from acting recklessly.
But now, because of the Sokovia incident, Sean's favorability toward her was very low, and there was no way for her to stay by his side.
After thinking it over, for the peace of the World, Hill could only choose to sacrifice herself.
Sean turned his head, placing his hand on her face and stroking it continuously. Isa, beside him, also understood something and prepared to walk out to watch the door, not letting anyone in to disturb them.
Seeing her prepare to leave, Sean pulled her hand and whispered something. Isa's lips curled into a smile, indicating she understood.
A minute later, Isa finally walked to the door, her fair legs very alluring, only slightly less so than the black-clad look from before.
Inside the room, a black, silky rope was wrapped around Hill's neck, her face flushed red... from anger.
Sean gripped the other end of the rope and smiled. "Of course. I love giving people chances the most."
"But, as you know, this chance is very hard to grasp. Are you ready?"
Hill swallowed hard, her pupils trembling slightly; the 'chance' was so big that it made her lose confidence in herself for the first time.
As the former Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., in terms of power, she was actually on the same level as Fury, and in terms of combat ability, she was confident she was no worse than Natasha Romanoff.
It could be said that all the achievements she had obtained were fought for by herself; Hill was very confident in herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to give Sean attitude when she first became his secretary.
Because she believed back then that Sean needed her help, not that she needed Sean.
Only, what she hadn't expected was that the tables would turn so quickly.
"I'm ready... Mmm! Cough!"
...
The next day, Sean woke up in the White House, wearing comfortable pajamas and preparing to go to the office next door for work. After all, today was effectively his first day, and it wouldn't be good to be late.
When Feifei saw him outside the door, she hurried forward and asked, "Master, should I prepare lunch?"
"..."
Sean looked up to find the time.
14:29
Not long after bringing Feifei to the office, Hill walked in with small steps and sat in front of Sean. Today, it was not easy for her to stand for long.
"Oh, you've come at just the right time. From now on, office hours are changed to three in the afternoon."
Sean had a serious expression; since he said he couldn't be late, then he absolutely could not be late.
Hill simply nodded; she had no time to waste on such trivial matters. Because of some sudden circumstances yesterday, she had been unconscious for a long time, and a lot of documents had piled up without being processed.
She flipped through a thick folder and began to read: "Sokovia wants to..."
*Slurp~*
The sound of sneaking a snack coming from under the desk made her brow furrow. She looked up and said, "Sean, these are all important proposals, so you..."
Then, she gestured toward the space under the desk with her eyes.
Sean thought about it and felt Hill had a point. He looked down and said gently, "Sorry, you guys go out first and come back later."
"Mmm~"
After the hum, two people in maid outfits crawled out from under the desk, lifted their skirts, and ran out.
Just as the third person was about to leave, Sean pressed her back down.
"Oof, Feifei, you don't have to go. Hill, continue."
Watching Feifei squat back down, Hill sighed helplessly and continued:
"Sokovia wants to build a stone statue of 'The Act of God' for you, and they intend to join the World Security Council and follow our arrangements."
"The statue is fine; you arrange the rest yourself," Sean said.
"Then the next item is about Innocence Day. I've projected the results, and they aren't ideal. Achieving zero cases is almost impossible unless we... hide them."
Hill looked up at Sean, knowing he was capable of such a thing. But Sean's answer was somewhat unexpected.
"This time, we won't hide it. In six days, send out all the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel for me, increase the police patrol rounds, and get the plainclothes officers onto the streets too!"
"I don't believe it. The crime rate of a mere New York—I can't control it?!"
These words actually made Hill think a bit more highly of Sean, but even so, it would likely be very difficult to achieve zero.
Without continuing to dampen his spirits, Hill prepared to skip this topic; they would just do their best on Innocence Day.
But a sudden cough came from below, and coupled with Sean's sharp gaze, Hill understood that she probably wouldn't be able to say anything else useful. She could only try her best to ensure this time... she didn't faint.
Sure enough, three seconds later, she was pressed onto the desk by Sean, unable to move.
Glancing at the Innocence Day data Hill had compiled, Sean smiled disdainfully.
There was no need to worry about Hells Kitchen; Dice would control it. Even if people died, it wouldn't be exposed. The main concern was other places.
Tsk, there are still too few Superheroes; I need to add some more people.
Chapter 208: The Chatty Little Spider
Queens, New York.
As the largest borough in New York by area, it is home to all kinds of people, and public security is a bit more chaotic than elsewhere.
For instance, right now in this alley, five disheveled thugs have gathered together, preparing to rob something on the upcoming Innocence Day.
They'll steal anything, even if it's just a bag of fries, as long as it makes that high-and-mighty Homelander lose face once.
Yes, ever since Sean announced the proposal for Innocence Day, all of America has been in an uproar. You know, if a previous President said he wanted to lower the crime rate, that would already be quite remarkable.
But the current President, Brooke, wants to turn the crime rate directly to zero. To be honest, even his die-hard fans find it hard to believe, except for some younger fans in whose hearts Homelanderrepresents God!
However, although this group of people doesn't believe him, in their hearts, they all hope Sean succeeds. Who doesn't want the environment they live in to be a bit safer, right?
This has led to a group of guys whose lives aren't going well wanting to cause a stir on that day. Even if it's just a small matter, it could turn Innocence Day into a laughingstock.
"Boss, are you sure we want to go against Homelander?"
"Hmph, what are you afraid of! We'll just go to the supermarket and steal stuff. After we steal it, we'll let the security guards catch us. We'll be out in a week at most."
The middle-aged man with the dirtiest and longest beard grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth as he laughed:
"Trading seven days of our time to make Homelander lose face is a huge win!"
In fact, it wasn't just them thinking this. With the development of video sites like YouTube, many vloggers intended to grab attention on that day.
"Uh-oh, I heard your evil plan. The righteous Spider-Man is about to save the World!"
"Who's there!"
The five thugs looked up and saw a person in a red and blue hoodie. He wasn't very big and looked quite young.
They exchanged glances, breathed a sigh of relief, and pointed up, shouting: "Go home, kid! Hahaha!"
Peter acted as if he hadn't heard them, instead stroking his chin in a thoughtful pose, but he kept speaking his inner thoughts aloud.
"Hmm... Righteous... Spider-Man, tsk, doesn't sound very catchy. I'll have to change the phrase next time. Super? Not good either. Invincible? No, hmm..."
The few below were ready to leave after they finished laughing. Anyway, they hadn't done anything yet, so it was useless for this kid to call the police.
But just as they took two steps, a mass of white spider webs shot down from the air, sticking them to the ground and making them unable to move. Just as they started swearing, their mouths were also blocked by webs.
"Aha, Spider-Man has struck against criminals once again! A grand success!"
Peter jumped down lightly, flicked a web from his right hand, and pulled the old cell phone from their pockets toward him.
"Uh, hello, behind Thirty-fourth Street, there are five criminals. Send someone to arrest them."
While speaking, Peter deliberately lowered his voice. Although it was useless, he saw it done this way in movies; heroes who catch bad guys never reveal their information for fear of being targeted by villains.
"Huh? You're asking what crime they committed? Uh... they were planning to rob a bag of fries from the supermarket, and... *beep beep*—"
Hearing the dial tone on the other end, Peter was a bit at a loss. Looking at the few people on the ground, he felt a wave of difficulty in his heart.
"Ya~ what should I do? Leave them tied up here? No, they'll starve to death. Oh, oh, oh! I've got it, I'll just come and feed them every day!"
Thinking he had found a good solution, Peter clapped his hands excitedly and turned to count the number of people with his fingers.
"Let's see, one, two, three, four, five. Five people, three meals a day, two pieces of bread plus water per meal. Eighty cents per piece of bread... my allowance... my allowance!"
Suddenly realizing the math, Peter wailed toward the sky, scratching his head incessantly.
If he wanted to feed them, he'd have to break his piggy bank. Dammit, being a Superhero is so hard!
Just as Peter was grieving over his allowance, he suddenly froze.
Literally. His whole body couldn't move because a voice roared from the depths of his heart, telling him he absolutely must not move!
Peter called this voice the 'Peter-Tingle,' which helped him avoid many dangers, such as bullets, sneak attacks, traps, and so on.
But now, the Peter-Tingle was telling him not to move, which meant that this danger was something he couldn't avoid even if he gave it his all.
Three seconds later, the sensation of danger vanished, but Peter's clothes were soaked in cold sweat.
"Not bad."
Peter, who had just slumped to the ground, twitched his ears. He felt the voice was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it many times. He looked up, and in an instant, the emotion of almost being scared to death was completely forgotten.
"Oh, oh! Hom... Homelander! I'm Spider-Man, your super fan!"
Peter gesticulated wildly with excitement. He looked at Sean, then at the five thugs, and pointed at them, saying: "That's right! These are..."
"Alright, no need to say it," Sean interrupted, raising a hand. "I've been watching from above the whole time. I was just testing your reactions earlier. Very impressive."
"Thank you for the compliment!" Peter scratched his head shyly.
Sean landed and beckoned to him. Peter was stunned for a long moment before reacting, quickly handing over the phone in his hand.
"Mr. Homelander, I tried, but..."
Without waiting for Peter to finish, Sean dialed the number and put it on speaker.
The same operator answered the call. Hearing the operator's vastly different attitude on the other end, Peter felt a bit dejected.
When making the call, Homelander didn't even identify himself, yet the female operator recognized his voice and immediately followed his instructions. Peter even vaguely felt that this had nothing to do with his status as President; it was entirely because he was Homelander!
"Did you feel anything?" Sean asked.
A dejected Peter responded in a low voice: "I understand. You're trying to say that since I haven't made a contribution yet, I can't be recognized by the public. Even if I've awakened superpowers, they won't respect me for that alone. You want me to see that after gaining recognition..."
Sean's eyelids twitched. Before coming, he knew how strong Spider-Man's chatterbox ability was, but he had still greatly underestimated it.
After five minutes of non-stop talking, Peter finally looked up and asked: "Am I right?"
Sean slapped his forehead and said helplessly:
"What I mean is, keep it simple. Your way of speaking, keep it simple!"
"Like just now, the operators have been very busy these past few days. You only needed to say that these five people intended to commit a crime on Innocence Day, and the police station would have come to handle it. Understand?"
"...?"
Peter was stunned for a moment, tilting his head with three big question marks over it.
"For instance, right now, I want to invite you to become a Superhero. I wonder if you're interested?"
"You only need to answer: YES/NO."
Chapter 209: A Qualified Hero
Atop the skyscraper, a cold wind blew past.
Peter hesitated.
To be honest, ever since he was bitten by a spider and gained superpowers, he had fantasized that one day, Homelander or someone else would invite him to join the Avengers, but this day had come much sooner than expected.
It had only been half a month since he gained his powers, and he hadn't done anything noteworthy yet; it felt like being at a job interview with no work experience.
"Mr. Brooke, I'm willing to join."
"Oh? I thought you would refuse."
This fourteen-year-old kid was truly unpredictable!
"How could I! Joining the Avengers is my dream. I just didn't expect the dream to come true so suddenly; I achieved it before I could even process it.
I haven't defeated any supervillains, nor have I saved the World. I haven't even done many good deeds."
As he spoke, Peter's mood dipped slightly. Today was his seventh day out as Spider-Man, and so far, he hadn't heard a single 'thank you.'
Suddenly, Peter felt a creepy sensation again and shuddered.
Sean said in an extremely serious tone, "Peter, do you know? I've heard those same words from many superpowered individuals."
"Really?"
"Yeah! And in the end, everyone who said those words died. I killed them."
The cold wind blew, seemingly colder than before.
Sean turned to stare at Peter and said, "Words like that are things that neither I, Captain America, nor the late Iron Man would ever say. As for saving the World, it's best if that never has to happen."
At this point, a faint smile appeared on Sean's face, as if he were thinking of something happy.
"Those guys wish they could just be idle every day. It would be best if no one even remembered their identities as Avengers. That would mean the World is at peace, there's no danger, and there's no need for them to show their faces."
"The meaning behind the name 'Avengers' is this: to let the bad guys know that we have the power to take revenge. But usually by that time, the disaster has already happened—like that incident in Washington."
At the mention of Washington, Peter swallowed hard. Back then, he didn't really understand the concept of over twenty thousand Deaths until the day his principal mentioned their school only had three thousand students. Only then did Peter realize what a terrifying number that was.
"Mr. Brooke, then... does that mean I can't become a qualified hero?"
Peter recalled the events of the past few days. Every time he tried to do something good, it caused trouble for the people nearby.
He encountered a man prying at a car window and thought he was a car thief, but it turned out to be the owner. He caught a bicycle thief and hung him in front of someone's shop, which caused a bad scene, and so on.
Because of this, Peter rarely heard anyone say 'thank you.' It was very hurtful for an ambitious young man with a dream.
Seeing him leaning dejectedly against the railing, Sean smiled and asked, "Do you know what my most important job is, besides being a Superhero?"
"Uh... President?"
"No! It's helping those with superpowers quickly adapt to their abilities, and then arranging for them to do suitable work."
"Just like Wanda the Witch. You're much better than she was. When her powers first awakened, she often lost control and hurt people. After my training, look at her now—doesn't she use her superpowers very skillfully?"
Peter recalled that among the four new Avengers who joined last month, the most popular person currently was Wanda the Witch, followed by Quicksilver Pietro. Both of their abilities were very suitable for rescuing people, and they were highly regarded both online and in reality.
Thinking of them, Peter felt a wave of envy, and seeing the look in Sean's eyes, he became very excited.
"Then... then Mr. Brooke, will you... will you help me?"
"Uh-huh, why not? I very much welcome superpowered people like you who have dreams and want to do good. In fact, if you perform well, there's no problem if you want to join the Avengers. We don't mind having more people for the task of saving the World."
"Really? Wow! That's great! Whoo-hoo!"
Peter was so excited he couldn't contain himself. He jumped straight off the top of the building and swung around the area for several laps, unable to calm his excitement until he heard Sean say:
"Let's go. We need to see your guardians. They must agree to this."
These words scared Peter so much he almost fell. He immediately came back up to explain to Sean that he only had one relative, Aunt May, and he didn't want her to worry about him, so could they please not tell her.
In truth, Peter's biggest worry was that if Aunt May found out, she definitely wouldn't let him be a Superhero. If she knew he spent every day amidst a hail of bullets and that his enemies were alien armies, she would lose sleep every night.
Once Aunt May said no, Peter wouldn't be able to join the Avengers even if he wanted to. He had to consider Aunt May's feelings because she was his last and best family in this World.
Sean thought about it and realized it made sense. Innocence Day was coming up soon. Although he was confident he could persuade Aunt May, time was a bit tight right now, so he decided to let it go and discuss it later.
"Alright then. Come find me at the White House tomorrow. I'll arrange a suitable teacher for you. You can only continue being a Superhero if you pass the teacher's test. Until then, just focus on school."
Peter wanted to say something more, but Sean gave him another glare. That goosebump-inducing feeling returned, and he didn't dare say anything else, only agreeing to comply.
...
After parting with Little Spider, Sean prepared to return to the Garden. He had heard from Dice that it was nearing completion. However, he received a phone call on the way, and with the corners of his mouth curling up, he changed direction and returned to the White House.
Inside Sean's office, Hill was meeting with a woman named Hope Pym.
After hearing her account of what happened, Hill called Sean directly to have him come back, as it seemed quite serious.
Hope had rushed over from San Francisco overnight, feeling very anxious. Last time, it was her father's Pym Particles that had caused trouble, and this time, it was him again.
A few days ago, Dr. Pym's apprentice—the current chairman of Pym Technologies, Darren Cross—had researched the formula for Pym Particles and developed the Wasp Suit, intending to sell it as a weapon.
Upon hearing this news, Pym couldn't sit still. He went to the company to persuade his former apprentice to stop, saying that the disaster in Sokovia was caused by bad people getting hold of Pym Particles.
Unexpectedly, Darren became even more excited upon hearing this. Didn't that just prove their Wasp Suit was even more powerful? He immediately raised the price.
After the failed persuasion, Hope asked her father to contact the Avengers to handle it.
But the prideful Pym refused no matter what. Last time, he had caused the Death of his old friend's child; he didn't have the face to ask for help now.
Besides, he had already scouted a suitable candidate and believed he could complete the mission excellently.
Incidentally, he wanted to prove that his Ant-Man Suit was stronger than Stark's suit.