"No need to guess."
At Times Square, seeing the impasse between the superheroes and Ms. Lucia, Quake, Daisy Johnson, spoke up with a cold sneer:
"I know the whole story, but I won't say a word until Nick Fury shows up."
"As for this group... their memories of the mission have been wiped. Even if you tear your face open like that, they still won't recognize you."
Eddie Brock, a reporter for the Daily Bugle, had a keen nose for news that told him the conversation unfolding right now was bound to be even more explosive than the grand battle earlier.
Squeezing his way through, he shoved past the superheroes until he reached the front, right before Ms. Lucia.
"I'm a reporter for the Daily Bugle, Ms. Lucia. You can tell us what happened in detail." Eddie Brock pointed his live-streaming phone straight at her.
"Oh?"
Lucia's eyes lit up. Since a reporter was present, things would be much easier. She pulled her finger out from beneath her facial skin, placed the bloody finger in her mouth, and licked it clean before speaking:
"Latveria has always been a peaceful, secluded nation in Eastern Europe."
She certainly knew better than to act overly vicious in front of the camera. Once Hydra conquered the world, Latveria would still be waiting for her to return as its ruler.
"However, two years ago, a group of superheroes barged into my country and leveled an entire castle into ruins, leaving nearly a thousand dead or injured."
Ms. Lucia said to Eddie Brock:
"Mr. Reporter, you must realize that our country's total population is only a few hundred thousand. The superheroes made a single trip and a thousand people died. If they aren't butchers, then who is?"
Eddie Brock glanced back at the superheroes, not afraid of stirring up trouble at all:
"Ma'am, do you know who participated in that operation?"
Lucia von Bardas flashed a sinister grin:
"Of course!"
Eddie Brock grew instantly excited, hurriedly swiveling his phone camera toward the superheroes, exposing all these masked and unmasked figures to the entire world:
"Who was involved? Perhaps we can use this opportunity to tear off their masks!"
As he spoke, Eddie Brock scanned the crowd, though to his regret, he couldn't spot the face of Batman—the one he wanted to see and unmask the most.
"Daredevil," Lucia declared.
Daredevil's body shivered slightly. It wasn't out of fear, but rather because, lacking those memories, he genuinely didn't know what he had done back then.
"Hawkeye, Black Widow."
The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents exchanged a look. One tightened his grip on his bow, while the other cracked her knuckles, both looking equally grim.
"Jessica Jones, Luke Cage."
Jessica Jones closed her eyes and let out a deep exhale.
Now she finally understood why her husband, Luke Cage, had been attacked and was still lying in a hospital bed to this day.
She should have looked at Ms. Lucia with hatred, but what if it was true—what if her own group had gone into someone else's territory to commit a massacre?
"Quake."
Quake let out a disdainful smirk.
"Anyone else?" Eddie Brock urged, wishing Lucia would point out everyone present.
"Wolverine."
A flash of agony passed across Wolverine's face. He could accept killing Hydra—he wouldn't care if he killed a thousand more.
What he couldn't accept was having participated in a mission that slaughtered civilians.
"And..." The smile on Ms. Lucia's face turned increasingly horrifying. She extended a claw-like metallic finger, pointing straight into the crowd at the man holding a circular shield:
"Captain America!"
Rumble! Whether it was the superheroes and police on the scene, or the global audience watching the live broadcast through Eddie Brock's phone, the crowd instantly erupted.
Just minutes ago, Americans were howling with excitement and getting goosebumps seeing Captain America appear on screen.
Watching Captain America take down Hydra and the criminals felt as though they were right there on the battlefield, fighting side by side with him.
Yet now, Lucia was pointing the finger, accusing Captain America of taking part in that inhuman slaughter!
"He's no Captain America!"
"Maybe he used to be, but now he's just a brutal criminal!"
"Death penalty! Execution by firing squad!"
"Throw him in prison and let someone in Ethiopia bend him over!"
For ordinary citizens, pointing fingers at Captain America evoked pure rage, terror, and a subtle, dark thrill from seeing an icon dragged off his pedestal.
For foreign governments, however, nations other than the United States grew thrilled almost immediately.
While these global reactions didn't affect the immediate scene at Times Square, hearing that Captain America was involved in the massacre struck the superheroes hard.
Even Jack Monroe, Falcon, and Mockingbird—heroes directly recruited by Captain America—subtly put distance between themselves and the Cap.
In this moment, Wolverine and the others became secondary; Captain America was the target of public criticism.
Captain America took a deep breath, his chest swelling high. He knew he had to step forward now and reveal the true facts to the public, rather than allowing Lucia to continue misleading everyone.
"I am Steve Rogers." Captain America did not deny his identity. "I cannot deny the facts of what took place in Latveria, but the truth might not be what Lucia claims it to be."
"Captain America, it's a bit too late for talk now," Loki shouted out, having remained quiet for a while before jumping back into the fray.
"Loki!" Thor bellowed. His mind was still somewhat muddled, unsure of what had transpired.
Thor simply wanted to resolve the matter at hand quickly so he could go meet the person who had pulled him out of the Realm of Silence.
With Loki still here, however, Thor couldn't leave in good conscience.
"The witness to your slaughter of Latveria stands right here. If you wish to refute Lucia, you had better bring your own evidence," Loki said loudly, ignoring Thor entirely.
"I do have a witness," Captain America said with a stern face. "Nick Fury himself!"
Quake felt her heart skip a beat.
"Jack Monroe! Go to the basement beneath Building 13 of the Harper Apartments and bring Nick Fury to me!" Captain America ordered.
Jack Monroe answered without a second thought, turned around, and bolted. Neither the police, Ms. Lucia, nor Loki moved to block him.
After all, Jack Monroe wasn't a key figure anyway.
Only a few minutes later, Jack Monroe came running back in a panic, bringing bad news:
"Captain! Nick Fury isn't there!"
Captain America's heart sank, realizing that today's affair would not end peacefully.
"It seems our Captain America was merely trying to buy time. Now, Captain, have you thought of how to explain your murderous rampage?" Eddie Brock asked, fanning the flames from the side.
Gritting his teeth, Captain America was just about to bite the bullet and reveal the scattered bits of intel he knew, when a massive glob of pitch-black substance dropped from the sky. It landed right in the center of the crowd with a splat, carrying a large axe on its back.
"?" Thor stared at the double-bladed battleaxe behind Venom Robin, a flicker of confusion passing through his mind.
Immediately after, Batman descended from above, holding the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, in his grip before tossing him to the ground with a thud.
--
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