PFC Chapter 4012 MU Superbody Major Event (92)
Chapter 4012 MU Superbody Major Event (92)
Chapter 4012 MU: The Superbody Incident (Ninety-Two)
"Thor, we've seen your report on the deaths of the two Thors. They both died from the final, fine-lined trap. Did they not see it, or were they simply unable to hide?"
Thor from the main universe thought carefully for a moment, tilted his head, and said into the microphone, "It's a combination of both. They had never seen this type of trap before and didn't know how lethal it was. This might have led them to make wrong tactical decisions during their advance. Simply put, they thought that running into it wouldn't cause too much of a problem. So, during the fight, they didn't bother to dodge. Ultimately, this led to their deaths."
"So, while they were in danger, did you have the opportunity to lend a helping hand?"
The main universe's Thor gestured for a moment. He turned to exchange a few words with the other Thors, then exchanged a glance with Loki, before shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid not. Besides those thin threads, we're also facing attacks from enemy heroes. The front lines are extremely intense; we're not in a position to help others, nor should we ask anyone to abandon their tactical objectives to rescue those who are unlikely to survive. Of course, that's my understanding. It might seem inhumane to you, but it's the general consensus in Asgard."
“Alright. So, next question.” Captain America looked at Loki again and said, “Why did you choose to enter at that time?”
“Because we’ve confirmed that the mages are no longer capable of fighting,” Loki said, sitting in the front row close to the microphone. “The essence of the counter-encirclement plan is to work together from the inside and outside. If there’s no pressure from the inside, it’s impossible to push them inwards from the outside. When the external pressure reaches its limit, that’s when the center will naturally be breached. I believe I chose the right time.”
Captain America didn't offer any comment, he simply nodded, then looked at Charles and asked, "Why did you decide to retreat at that time?"
“Because I believe we can’t afford any more casualties,” Charles replied. But Eric nudged his elbow, so Charles added, “Of course, the results are already sufficient. Continuing the fight would exponentially increase our losses without much gain. It’s better to stop here; at least we can maintain our advantage.”
Captain America nodded again. There was nothing more to ask about these people who participated in the war, because they truly had no problems; in fact, one could say they performed exceptionally well.
Thor and the Asgardians were incredibly brave, constantly putting the enemy on the defensive. Loki's entry was perfectly timed, making the counter-encirclement plan a success. Charles's choice of retreat time was also quite good; continuing the fight would have allowed them to kill a few more, but their casualties would likely have increased dramatically. Although slightly conservative, it wasn't a mistake.
That leaves only the biggest problem in the entire battle—Doctor Strange.
Before Captain America could even ask, Doctor Strange from the main universe cleared his throat, tested his microphone, and said, "I can tell you why I asked the other Doctors Strange not to retreat. This isn't about shirking responsibility; I just want you to understand my thinking and why I think this way."
"First of all, as the initiator of this war, or at least an important part of the combat power, you did not inform me at all when you formulated this tactic of changing bases. I was not involved in the decision-making, nor did I have any channel to express my opinion. Although it may seem like I am shirking responsibility to say this after causing such great losses, I still have to say it because I think it is a very big problem."
"First of all, people in the central universe cannot judge all universes by the standards of your universe, and assume that our situation is the same as yours, that our thoughts are the same as yours, and then use this idea to formulate strategies, and take it for granted that others will perfectly comply. I think you also know that this is impossible."
“Even if I don’t say it, you know that the situation in your universe is an exception in the multiverse and not universal. Most universes are in a much worse situation than yours. Our suspicious nature and isolationism are lessons we’ve learned through repeated painful experiences. We can’t become warm, friendly, and open in a single day. This transformation takes time.”
"Now let's talk about the retreat. You've finalized your plan to relocate the base and informed us. However, for most Doctors Strange, Asgard is not trustworthy, and Loki is even less so. I believe that even with such a high number of casualties, all the Doctors Strange here would agree with me."
"Because, no matter how good Asgard in your universe is to you, they have never offered anything that can gain our trust. I can completely understand that time is of the essence and you cannot convince us with actions, but you haven't even tried to persuade us with words. Not only that, you've also let us know that Loki is the head of logistics at the base, which only exacerbates our distrust. If you had ever put yourself in our shoes, it would have been incredibly foolish of you to reveal this information."
“It’s not that we’re not withdrawing from the outpost, but that we don’t want to go to the Asgard base. Even that decision hasn’t been finalized yet. We’re just discussing what to do next, but you’ve abandoned communication ahead of time and decided to use us as bait to launch a counter-encirclement campaign.”
Doctor Strange from the main universe scanned the surroundings with his sharp gaze, then said, "If you want to be the leader of the multiverse, you must unite everyone, whether they cooperate or not. You must do your best to win them over, because you have no right to choose. Either you don't save them, or you save them all."
“If you choose to abandon and sacrifice people simply because they don’t trust you, and if you choose not to protect or save people because they are weak, then the Multiverse Human Alliance has no reason to exist. I believe that all of you here understand this better than I do.”
"So, on the surface, this heavy loss seems to be caused by my and my counterparts making wrong choices due to distrust, but in reality, it is because you did not handle personnel issues well and chose the simplest and most brutal solution after the conflict broke out, which ultimately led to the tragedy."
"In the process of establishing the Multiverse Alliance, the one with the strongest fist is the boss, because only with sufficient hard power can one strike hard when facing a powerful enemy. However, if you cannot foresee the different situations of each individual universe and make different responses according to different situations, but instead crudely apply your own system to everyone and demand that they do things your way, then this alliance will eventually fall apart, and the universes may even turn against each other due to conflicts, making the situation worse than it is now."
"Doctor Strange doesn't trust Asgard, but don't you have anyone you don't trust? If right now, command center ordered you to go to Thanos's Dark Quadrant and make it your new base, would you go without any hesitation?"
"Even if Thanos in this universe is benevolent, if this order is not explained and the trust of the majority is not gained, then ultimately, it won't just be one or two who disobey, and today's tragedy will repeat itself. Isn't that right?"
After these words, the meeting room fell silent for a long time. It can only be said that electoral politics does have its merits; at least it has cultivated many orators. Doctor Strange often doesn't act like a politician, but when he really wants to do something, his elite American side emerges—shrewdness, passion, and immense persuasiveness.
This statement wasn't entirely a distortion of the truth. Schiller thought that the command center did indeed make mistakes in handling the base relocation. However, this still brings up a classic question: why can everyone else do it, but you can't?
In fact, when Thor was thrown to Earth by Odin, it was S.H.I.E.L.D. that handled it; and when Loki wreaked havoc on Earth, it was basically the Avengers who dealt with it. If we're talking about distrust of Asgard, these guys should be number one.
But even Iron Man, who is sometimes very meddlesome, didn't say much about changing the base and obediently followed along.
The root cause of this situation is that Doctor Strange, relying on his magic, felt that staying in space a little longer wouldn't hurt, and he was aware of his own importance, thinking he could use his power to bully the command center. In short, he wanted to be coaxed.
To put it more bluntly, they didn't realize the seriousness of the frontline battlefield. This isn't Congress, a place where you can sit comfortably in your seat and use your bargaining chips to endlessly haggle and negotiate. This is a place where orders must be obeyed without question, or lives could be lost at any moment.
Captain America, being a veteran, easily grasped this point, so even if he had objections, he waited until they were back at the base. Iron Man, though also a post-war generation, knew his body inside the armor was extremely vulnerable and had a deep sense of awe, so even if he didn't want to go, he had to go for his own life.
Simply put, one understood the brutality of a hot war, while the other lacked leverage, so both made the right choice.
Doctor Strange, however, had not personally experienced the cruelty of war and did not realize that even a tiny mistake in a hot war could lead to heavy casualties. He still viewed the issue through the lens of the mainstream Western "post-Cold War" worldview, believing that victory could only be achieved by maintaining a stalemate and repeatedly gaining an advantage by leveraging one's own resources. And indeed, he did possess certain resources, which is why he took such action.
As for his statement about "either saving none or saving everyone," it's theoretically correct, but he hasn't actually done it, and he certainly doesn't intend to in the future. It's just empty promises common in political speeches. Perhaps only Batman would actually put such words into practice.
However, this did make Schiller realize that the main reason why Doctor Strange could not be easily defeated was not that he could quickly recognize his mistakes, reflect on them, and adjust himself after experiencing setbacks, but that he believed far more firmly than ordinary people that he was absolutely right.
This personality trait would seem terrible to others, but to him, he would never falter because of failure, because he didn't feel like he had failed. The reason he wouldn't break down was that he never felt abandoned by God, or even that he was in trouble; instead, he always felt good.
It's hard to say whether the fact that all the Ancient Ones from every universe coincidentally chose Strange is because of this. Schiller thought, perhaps it's because people with this kind of personality are almost impossible to manipulate; madness and genius are twins, and the other side of obsession is unimaginable determination. At least, he's not lying in a hospital bed complaining now, but fighting here despite his illness, which makes him a fighter in a way.