PFC Chapter 4719 X Royal Clash (25)
Chapter 4719 X Royal Clash (25)
Chapter 4719 X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (Twenty-Five)
When another group of Avengers jumped onto the battlefield, they drew everyone's attention. They were almost identical to the local Avengers, differing only slightly in their attire. From their appearance to their demeanor and movements, they seemed like carbon copies.
The two Captain Americas met up and threw their shields in identical poses and stances, the arcs of their shields flying symmetrically. The Black Widow from the main universe reached out and grabbed a lamppost across the street, while the other, perfectly timed, seized the opportunity when he feigned an attack and stung the alien on the shoulder.
The two Spider-Men were even more dazzling. You swing from one side to the other, I swing from the other. You use your webs to interfere, I kick you from mid-air. The Hulk was not to be outdone, one swinging a telephone pole to smash it, the other lifting a car and smashing it outwards. The two Hawkeyes, one to the east and one to the west, seized high ground, one using explosive arrows and the other using smoke arrows, constantly providing anti-air fire support.
But the coolest-looking one has to be Iron Man. Besides the one they were wearing, they each brought two suits of armor. However, the local Iron Man's suit was used for evacuating people, so the main universe Iron Man gave him one. The two had clearly shared control beforehand, and the four Iron Man suits on the field moved with perfect ease, constantly bombarding the ground.
More S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived, along with military helicopters and fighter jets. Suddenly, Manhattan was engulfed in flames, a scene reminiscent of the apocalypse.
The addition of the Avengers from the main universe had a remarkably effective effect; it wasn't as simple as 1+1=2. Having a counterpart with completely identical ideas for tactical coordination enabled the execution of many bizarre tactics. The braking devices deployed by the Shi'ar warriors were quickly removed. The Hulk grabbed a soldier and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater over a meter deep in the street. Any carbon-based life form couldn't withstand such an impact; even if they survived, their brains would be smashed to pieces.
Their formation was broken. Two Captain Americas chased after three Shi'ar soldiers, while flying mechs trapped four more, and Spider-Man entangled one with his webs. With victory in sight, they rallied their forces, ready to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop.
Just then, the leading officer suddenly shouted, "Long live the two gods!" and his divine power began to erupt infinitely. Captain America knew something was wrong, and his two shields flew over in a flash, but it was too late.
The Shi'ar commander had swelled into a ball of light and was about to explode. The local Iron Man reacted quickly, commanding a mech to rush forward and forcibly envelop the commander. But with a deafening roar, half the street was blasted flat, and all the Avengers were sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
Of course, the other soldiers were also killed in the explosion, and the scene was utter chaos. Iron Man's mech bought some time, allowing the military aircraft to evacuate the battlefield. They've all flown back now, but only to rescue the Avengers.
Ambulances and medical personnel arrived quickly, which is unusual, as the Avengers usually walk back on their own in such situations. Even the Hulk was draped in a large comfort blanket, demonstrating the severity of his injuries.
When the agents entered to clean up the mess, they saw that one of Captain America's shields had been blasted more than twenty meters away by the shockwave and was embedded in the middle of the building. Next to the building, there were also two Spider-Man imprints embedded in the wall, as well as half of Iron Man's gauntlet.
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital, Nick Fury was going crazy. Losing one Avenger wasn't enough, there was another one, and now the intensive care unit was full. He couldn't decide who he should worry about first.
Just as he was racking his brains, Hill walked in and whispered, "The satellite detected a small alien spaceship near low Earth orbit. They probably slipped in during the adjustment period of Earth's magical defense network..."
Just then, Nick's phone rang. As soon as he answered, Doctor Strange's furious voice came through the line: "What the hell?! How did that spaceship manage to blow a hole in the magical defense network?!"
Nick opened his mouth. He knew this was likely a contingency plan left behind by the Shi'ar Empire, but what did it have to do with him? He hadn't sent the spaceship, and he hadn't caused the explosion.
"I told you long ago, use that space carrier of yours for something worthwhile. Why didn't you keep an eye on the situation in low Earth orbit earlier?!"
“You’re completely turning the tables!” Nick said. “You repaired the magical defense network, giving the aliens an opportunity to invade, and now you’re accusing me…”
"Didn't I inform you beforehand? Didn't I also tell you to strengthen your defenses and not let anyone take advantage of any openings? You even have two whole Avengers!"
Nick suddenly felt a bit breathless. Doctor Strange had indeed reported it, otherwise Hill wouldn't have known the vulnerability was caused by adjustments to the magical defense network. The main reason Nick hadn't taken it seriously was because the frontline reports had misled him.
He knew the factory had been destroyed, and of course he knew the portal had opened. He was even more aware of the impending invasion. But the battle reports from the mutants were consistently positive; the Shi'ar army was firmly pinned down on the Jupiter line, and Nick felt they wouldn't arrive so quickly.
He did want to hold the mutants accountable, but now that both Avengers were down, the only ones they could rely on were the mutants. Nick rubbed his forehead hard, sniffed, and said, "You stay here and watch over them. I have to go to the United Nations."
The invasion of Manhattan has attracted widespread attention from various countries, and the story has entered a familiar phase for Marvel Earth—the alien invasion of Manhattan, New York, and the Avengers' heroic battle against the invaders to protect Earth.
While they did manage to repel the enemy, the Avengers suffered heavy losses and couldn't muster any significant fighting force in the short term. They needed to regroup and address a thorny issue—mutants.
“We shouldn’t have agreed to their idea of establishing a nature reserve so easily,” Nick heard an ambassador say as he walked in. “Otherwise, we could have asked them to fight for the planet by agreeing to their nation-building.”
Although he'd heard this argument countless times, Nick was starting to get annoyed. He gave the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. a look, and without waiting to see if the director understood, he snatched the microphone from the Security Council staff member and said, "Alright, friends, now's not the time for empty rhetoric and diplomatic maneuvering. It's imperative to come up with a concrete and feasible plan to appease and win over the mutants. I personally believe we should give them a grand reception in Washington, and at the same time discuss strategies and plans for alien warfare. What do you think?"
A discussion erupted below. Although the mutants established nature reserves, sometimes regional organizations and nations are on par, entitled to the same rights. And if Washington receives the mutants in this way, the political signal it sends is self-evident. Once the mutants get past this hurdle, they can never revert to their previous scattered, disorganized state; their activities on Earth will become systematic and normalized. This is something many countries do not want to see.
The US remained firm as always, but since it was their Manhattan that suffered the damage, others couldn't really say anything. If Manhattan weren't like a giant black hole, sucking in all sorts of aliens, other countries would probably be in even more trouble.
So the discussion only lasted a short while before a consensus was basically reached—it really had to be discussed, absolutely had to be discussed, and discussed properly.
So, the day after the two Avengers were hospitalized, Professor X entered the White House amidst a grand welcome, where he met with the President of the United States and the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., among others. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including the future development of Clarkia, and reached a basic consensus.
These are all minor matters. After the diplomatic exchanges and pleasantries were over, Nick hurriedly caught up with Professor X and asked, "How's it going on Jupiter?"
“Not optimistic, Nick,” Professor X said. “They’re slowly chipping away at our defenses. The mutants aren’t strong enough.”
Even though he already knew this would be the outcome, Nick Fury couldn't help but sigh and say, "I'm sorry about Magneto."
“You should know he’s not dead, but even if he is, he won’t be back anytime soon,” Professor X said. “The problem now is that we lack too much power, and losing him won’t make a difference.”
"How could this be..." Nick gritted his teeth. "Is this alien army really that strong?"
“You should have thought of this when you were planning the factory,” Professor X pointed out. “If they hadn’t been planning this for a long time and had grand ambitions, how could they have invested so much?”
Nick understood this perfectly well. Previous alien invasions were usually nothing more than a fleet of spaceships; this time, however, they'd caused such a huge commotion. The aliens had anticipated this attack, so it was normal that they couldn't win.
However, Nick Fury began to genuinely reflect on whether making such a huge fuss against the mutants was truly worthwhile. The factory had never served any good purpose from beginning to end; its greatest achievement was eliminating the raiding party, but the problem was that the mutants had also recovered their consciousness and rebuilt their bodies, essentially resulting in no loss.
In other words, they poured a lot of manpower and resources into the project, only to bring disaster upon the Earth itself. And because of this disaster, they were forced to compromise with the mutants. What was their motive?
“I assure you, when they launch a project like this again, I will advise them to think more carefully.” Nick gave the maximum assurance within the scope of his responsibilities. “Even if I can’t completely stop it, I will at least give you a heads-up.”
“You’re very smart, Director Fury.” Professor X paused, looked him in the eye, and said, “Mutants are time bombs, but sometimes they’re also brakes and restraints. Those things that are running wild down the wrong path always need a solid wall like ours, don’t they?”
Nick pursed his lips and said, "We won't repeat the mistakes of the Redgate Orchid factory. But the most important thing now is to close the portal in the sun. Do you have any ideas?"
"If you're hoping the mutants will organize another raiding party to rush into the sun and shut down the portal, that's probably not going to happen. Just stopping them on the Jupiter line is already a huge feat."
“I have an idea,” Nick said. “Perhaps we don’t need to resort to force to solve this problem.”