PFC Chapter 4013 MU Superbody Major Event (93)
Chapter 4013 MU Superbody Major Event (93)
Chapter 4013 MU: The Superbody Incident (Ninety-Three)
Sitting in his seat, Schiller watched as the people of their universe actually began to reflect. He couldn't help but shake his head, but he didn't interrupt them.
Doctor Strange's rhetoric in the main universe wasn't particularly sophisticated; in fact, it seemed somewhat deliberate. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would quickly sense something amiss. However, Stark and Doom didn't step forward to refute him because they had no intention of turning this into a political debate, as that would have played into his hands.
The silence lasted too long, causing the atmosphere to grow completely cold. The rebuttal that Doctor Strange had envisioned from the main universe didn't come; only a few whispered exchanges occurred between the ordinary government officials. Captain America also spoke a few words to the other Captain Americas, but no one paid him any attention.
After a long pause, Captain America tapped the microphone again and said, "What you said makes some sense. We acknowledge that due to the rushed schedule, the coordination between units wasn't good enough, leading to communication problems. However, we also want you to understand that disobeying orders on the battlefield is a crime that cannot be erased, no matter how great your reasons are or how good the results are. Moreover, your disobedience resulted in huge losses."
"I said I don't trust Asgard because you didn't establish good communication channels, and your subsequent handling was too brutal."
“Yes, I said we acknowledge that,” Captain America repeated, “but now we’re talking about your disobedience.”
Seeing that Doctor Strange still didn't understand, Captain America explained, "If you're facing a military court, there's no room for rebuttal to any charge against you, because no reason is more serious than a human life. The key issue isn't who's more at fault, but who is at fault. For any issue that could lead to losses, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, because even the slightest oversight could cost the lives of many soldiers. Do you understand?"
Doctor Strange from the main universe opened his mouth, seemingly not quite understanding. Schiller, on the other hand, simply found it amusing; this scene vividly illustrated what it meant to "meet a scholar with a soldier."
The essence of politics is "I'm wrong, but you're even more wrong," but the essence of military affairs is "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
In the political arena, everything is open to debate: Who bears primary responsibility? Who bears secondary responsibility? Who is the direct cause? Who is the primary cause? Did environmental factors have an impact? Did the stage of development have an impact? These are all debatable.
However, once the bugle sounds the charge, everyone must take full responsibility for any problems that arise, because only in this way can subsequent losses be avoided. At least, this is true in an excellent army.
Therefore, no matter how eloquently Doctor Strange speaks in the main universe, he cannot absolve himself of responsibility, nor can he even reduce it. His suggestion that there are problems with the central universe's command structure will not allow him to escape responsibility; it will only add a few more unfortunate individuals to share the blame.
As expected, after a series of discussions, the debriefing meeting concluded. The battle was thus sealed with several disciplinary notices.
First, all Doctors of Strange are to remain on Earth and are not to move without orders. Second, Thor is to educate all the other heroes about the history of Asgard in this universe, ensuring that everyone understands the close partnership between Earth and Asgard in the central universe. Finally, the general who previously proposed using Doctors of Strange as bait for a counter-encirclement plan is to be transferred from the front-line command center to the backup think tank.
Thor was quite happy to do this job, because thanks to the various Lokis' explanations, they learned how this universe resolved Ragnarok, and the process was so earth-shattering that it was the best topic of conversation. They had been holding back for a long time.
Asgardians are known for their love of drinking and boasting, and since they had just won a battle, the superhero team had no rules against drinking. So Thor carried several cases of liquor and went to chat with the superheroes.
In contrast, Doctor Strange and his ilk are in a terrible predicament. They came here to compete for leadership of the multiverse, but now they're not even allowed to go to the front lines—what's the point of competing then?
Previously, they believed that if a multiverse human alliance were to be established, and this alliance needed a single leader, that leader would have to be one of Doctor Strange. Now it seems that might not be the case.
The strongest contender is undoubtedly Doctor Doom. Doom's strength lies in his versatility; he excels in research, magic, and has a proven track record of ruling a country without causing chaos. Despite his ambiguous, morally ambiguous nature, he's remarkably disciplined in battle. Although his force is small, numbering only a dozen or so, they've managed to remain calm for quite some time. His resume is far more impressive than Doctor Strange's.
Of course, there's also Iron Man. Generally speaking, Iron Man's anxiety disorder makes it difficult for him to take on such a role, and many people question his ability to shoulder the responsibility due to his usual mental state. However, among the many Iron Man characters, there are always a few exceptional ones. Even setting aside the evil Iron Man, several righteous Iron Man characters can be chosen to shoulder great responsibilities.
Captain America and the like go without saying; he's the perfect choice to maintain his position. If there were a vote, everyone who didn't know who to vote for would vote for him—that's the power of good interpersonal relationships.
As for Spider-Man, they've already formed their own faction. The Human Alliance is still in its infancy, while the Multiverse Spider-Alliance has been developing for who knows how long, with every Spider-Man from across the multiverse present. Other superheroes occupy at most one floor in the Asgardian base, but the Spider-Men occupy three separate buildings, demonstrating their sheer numbers. Moreover, their mobilization capacity will likely far surpass that of the newly established Human Alliance for some time to come.
The situation is similar for mutants. They may not join the Multiverse Human Alliance, but rather form their own faction; otherwise, they wouldn't stay in the Andromeda Galaxy instead of going to the Asgardian base.
In this light, Doctor Strange and his companions, having just arrived, have already lost a lot of points. This reinforced Schiller's belief that the key to winning the leadership position lies in strategic composure; being impatient for quick results will only backfire.
The only regrettable thing is that although Strange never lost a hand and almost never called himself Doctor Strange, he was still classified as Doctor Strange and left on Earth, not allowed to go to the front line.
Staying on Earth doesn't mean doing nothing; everyone has to handle logistics. In other words, Strange is now a porter, just like Schiller.
In the warehouse at Mercury Base, Schiller leaned against the wall watching Strange use magic to send things into the portal. Strange turned his head, clearly annoyed, and said, "Have you finished moving all your goods? And you're just standing here watching?"
“I finished moving a long time ago,” Schiller said, shrugging with his arms crossed. “To be honest, you guys don’t have any advantage in logistics either. You still have to move things one by one, don’t you? Unlike me, I can take everything in one trip. It’s simple and quick.”
Strange rolled his eyes dramatically, then couldn't help but say, "That Doctor Strange from the main universe is just so stubborn. If he had just given in back then, and I had offered him a way out, we wouldn't have ended up as porters together!"
“You’re so stubborn,” Schiller snorted. “I told you to be a porter, and you actually became a porter.”
"What else can I do? If I sneak over there, Stark will be the first to expose me, and then no one will be able to save face."
"So how did I become a porter?"
Strange paused, glanced sideways at Schiller, and said, "You mean..."
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Schiller interrupted him. “When Apokolips descended, I only caught a glimpse from afar. I heard that the outer blue layer is a shield. Aren’t you curious about what’s inside?”
"Hiss... You're not thinking of going to Apokolips, are you?"
“It’s not like we have to go inside. Just taking a closer look would be nice. I’ve never actually been to Apokolips,” Schiller said. “Aren’t you curious where this thing got such a big shield?”
Strange thought for a moment and said, "How could I not be curious? Logically speaking, such a large-scale shield requires an astronomical amount of energy, and the pillars are not strong enough, which could easily lead to energy leakage. How did Darkseid solve these problems?"
“So we’ll go and do some research,” Schiller said. “Maybe we can get some technology. We don’t need to make it too big. The Milky Way is a bit of an exaggeration, but giving the solar system a shield isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
Strange nodded thoughtfully and said, "Earth's magical defense network is sufficient, but we need to protect more than just Earth. The existence of the sun is also crucial, and it would be best if we could protect the entire solar system as well."
So, are you going to do it or not?
Strange threw down the cargo and said, "To hell with the porters, how are we going to get across?"
“First of all, you definitely can’t go there as the Sorcerer Supreme, otherwise, as you said, everyone will be embarrassed. So you have to find a disguise like me.”
"Disguise my identity?" Strange frowned. "Who else could I disguise myself as? Even if I could disguise my appearance, wouldn't I be exposed as soon as I made a move?"
Strange reasoned that since all wizards were now under house arrest, even if he disguised himself as someone else, everyone would know he was a wizard who had sneaked out as soon as he used magic. But unlike Schiller, Strange didn't possess other powers; how could he possibly disguise himself?
"You still haven't figured it out?" Schiller said with a laugh. "It's not like our world is the only one with magicians. Why don't you pretend to be a magician from the other world?"
"Wait, you don't mean Constantine, do you?!" Strange said, somewhat alarmed.
"Could it be Sherlock Holmes again?"
“No way!!” Strange practically jumped up. “How could I possibly pretend to be that… God, I need a word more offensive than ‘thug’ and ‘pervert’!”
“There are many Constantines in the multiverse, and not all of them are like that,” Schiller explained. “I remember there are some with milder symptoms, and maybe there are serious ones too. Anyway, it’s just for show; it’s not like you’re really going to flirt with anyone. If you don’t go, I’ll go by myself.”
After much deliberation and hesitation, Strange finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, but we'll head straight for Apokolips as soon as we get there. I don't want to run into anyone I know, not even anyone from the other world!"
Half an hour later, Schiller and "Constantine" appeared on an asteroid very close to the Apokolips shield. The two looked up together, gazing at the huge, azure planet.
It looks like it's going to break 100.