Chapter 3398: Midnight Sons (Part 8)

Stark looked at Nick with the eyes of someone watching a madman. Nick gave Seeing Natasha a wink, and she left with Carol.

"That was Captain Marvel, right? She hasn't shown her face on Earth for a long time. Why is she suddenly back?" Stark asked.

"I sent her to keep an eye on the mutants in the Andromeda Galaxy." Nick signaled Coulson to make coffee. Stark sat down opposite him.

"Magneto's Super-Brainwave Controller is finished," Nick said. "It's about the size of the moon."

Stark paused as he took the coffee cup, then asked, "What kind of range does it cover?"

"Most of the universe, including the political hub of the Ring Sector and the area around the Great Teleportation Gate of the Shi'ar Empire." Nick sat down as well, took a sip of hot coffee, and sighed. "It's a pity that once this thing is activated, it will be detected. It can only be used as a last resort."

"It's best used to deal with enemies from outside the universe," Stark said.

"Charles thinks so too," Nick said with a smile.

"Have they activated it yet?"

"Of course. At that moment, almost every advanced civilization in the universe received the signal. 80% of them wet their pants."

Stark grinned as well. Nick continued, "Besides the massive range, the intensity has also been raised to an absurd level. The Supreme Intelligence made millions of backups for itself overnight, but Charles detected every single one."

"I hope no blind fools run into them," Stark said. Watching Nick holding that orange cat, he frowned and asked, "Are you really going to let this thing settle on Earth?"

"Of course. But only a limited number. It's best to distribute them to superheroes who can keep them in check."

"Don't tell me I'm one of them."

Nick nodded.

"No, impossible. Nick, don't even think about making me adopt this thing." Stark shook his head faster than a rattle-drum.

"Think about little Morgan..."

"You're actually trying to make me think about my daughter? What kind of father would bring such a dangerous animal home?!"

"I mean, children need the companionship of pets. Animal partners are their first lesson in natural science. But most pets have a day when they die. That is very cruel for children."

Stark wore a hesitant expression.

"Did you have pets when you were a kid?"

Stark shook his head. "No. My mother didn't like animal fur, but our neighbor had a big black dog. I petted it when I was little. It felt very strange. Its drool even got on my clothes."

"Then how did you feel when it died?"

"I felt relieved, because it was always barking while I was doing puzzles, preventing me from concentrating."

Nick pursed his lips, speechless. "Then you're well-suited to keep a cat, because cats don't bark."

"But this thing is a goddamn monster!" Stark roared at him. "If it swallows little Morgan one day, Pepper will really kill me!"

"Fine," Nick sighed. "Then I'll have to ask someone else. Perhaps Dr. Banner would be interested?"

Stark was just about to stand up when he asked, "How many have been adopted so far?"

"Only two. One was given to Schiller, and Ma Te took one back too. I heard Elektra wanted to find a companion for little Jack."

"Schiller adopted one too?" Stark frowned. "Is he finally tired of that yellow-haired rat?"

"Who knows? Maybe he just likes kittens." Nick scratched Gu Gu's chin again and said, "He took the cutest little black cat..."

"A black cat?" Stark asked, puzzled. "How could this orange cat give birth to a black cat?"

"Come on, Tony. Use that genius brain of yours. This thing isn't really a cat. They even hatch from eggs. Any color pattern is normal."

Just then, a kitten climbed to the edge of the table; it looked somewhat white, but had black markings on its face.

"What color pattern is this?"

"Colorpoint Ragdoll," Nick said after a glance. "It should be the most expensive breed among all the kittens."

"I want this one." Stark made an OK gesture and said, "Now teach me how to keep it from eating children."

Nick and the orange cat gave him a look of disdain. Nick picked up the kitten and said, "You might not believe this, but this thing is smarter than most people."

"It's an intelligent life form?"

"Of course. It can freely control where in the dimension it puts the people it swallows. Enemies get thrown directly into the center of a star, and allies get placed on a safe planet. It's a life-saving treasure when necessary."

Stark curiously took the kitten. The kitten was exceptionally affectionate, constantly kneading on his hand. Stark held it closer, then further away, and said, "Fine. I hope little Morgan can get along with it."

At this moment, Nick looked down at his phone, then put it away and said, "Seeing Natasha says your anxiety is acting up again. Schiller is on leave; should I have him come back to see you first?"

"Did Seeing Natasha tell you that my anxiety is because of Schiller?"

"Are you talking about his system update?" Nick adjusted his eyepatch, leaned back heavily, and rested his hands on his abdomen. "I know that no matter how I advise you, you'll think of the worst-case scenario. So I won't waste my time."

"The best way I know to comfort someone is to keep them busy. If you don't have any urgent experiments to do, get Iron Man moving."

"What's wrong?"

Nick took a document out of the drawer and handed it to Stark. "The public security report for New York over the last two weeks isn't very optimistic. The news of the starship's completion has agitated too many people. There are also some alien spies lurking on Earth stirring up trouble. Two large-scale protests in the Bronx have developed into violent conflicts."

Stark sighed and asked, "Can you lock onto the targets?"

"There are two main groups currently. You should know the Hand, right?"

Stark thought for a moment and said, "That name sounds a bit distant. It seems to be a terrorist organization left over from Japan, right?"

"That's right. After Japan was destroyed, the members left behind in the American branch became independent. But they have always wanted to take back Honshu Island, causing quite a bit of trouble for the New Shangdu Prefecture. They've also been secretly inciting conflict between mutants and ordinary people."

Stark thought of some videos he had seen on short-video software that had clear biases.

"Fortunately, the mutants aren't stupid either. They organized a wave of public opinion counterattacks on the internet, and the results were decent, it's just that it's not convenient for them to take action in reality. S. H. I. E. L. D. is currently tracking clues in this regard."

"What else?"

"Remember the Roxxon Corporation?"

"That oil and energy company? Haven't they been liquidated yet after smearing Spider-Man last time?"

"It's not that simple. This guy named Dario Agger has some skills. He convinced quite a few congressmen under the banner of being a pioneer in alien exploration. He wants to stuff their own mining ships into the starship's escort fleet."

"They have alien mining ships?"

"No. They just want to turn the escort ships into their own mining ships. They call it maximizing the use of the escort fleet, saying one main ship is enough for combat."

"China wouldn't agree to that, would they?"

"China doesn't value the fleet, because they didn't support starting interstellar colonization so quickly in the first place. They've been busy with nuclear fusion experiments and Jupiter mining lately, and haven't even asked a single question."

"Fine, they're always like that."

"But in reality, this is just a smokescreen." Nick placed his hands on the table and said, "Schiller once said that if you want someone to open a window, you have to tear off the roof first. This alien mining plan is the roof that needs to be torn off."

"Then which window do they want to open?"

Nick handed over another document. As Stark read it, his brow furrowed. "The Aerial Factory Project?"

"That's right. They call this an extension of the Aerial Transport Project. Setting up factories directly in the air."

"There's one problem," Stark said. "Who does the sky belong to?"

"It certainly doesn't belong to the owners of the ground," Nick shook his head. "Currently, the airspace control measures taken by various countries are about the same. Land can be bought and sold, but the sky belongs to the military."

"This plan doesn't look like it has any problems," Stark said while looking at the document. "It seems like it could create jobs and stimulate the economy. But this means the problems hidden within must be huge."

"Indeed. We must remain vigilant until they show their true fangs. S. H. I. E. L. D. is watching the Hand, and I'll leave the Roxxon Corporation to you and Spider-Man."

Stark nodded and accepted the mission. Nick emphasized, "I'm sending you because the Roxxon Corporation is very good at using legal means to solve problems. And the Stark Group should be better at it than them. You'd better not fall into their traps, and don't give them any opportunity to make trouble. They're just waiting for that."

"I'll be careful," Stark said, putting away the documents. "What about the new Spider-kid?"

"He's doing tests in the training room. I'll send you his data in a bit. He's a bit different from Peter, but he's a good kid too. Your collaboration will be very pleasant."

After Stark left Nick's office, he first handed the cat to Coulson, telling him to take it to the nearest veterinary clinic. Although he didn't know if an alien monster needed vaccinations, it was better to get them done just in case.

Then he went to the training room and saw Miles hanging upside down on a spiderweb.

"Hello, kid. You'll be working with me from now on. That means you do whatever I tell you to do. Understand?"

Miles glanced at him.

Stark was stunned. "Give me some kind of reaction, at least. What's that supposed to mean?"

Soon, Miles came down from the web, looked at the analysis report on the instrument, and slowly shook his head.

"Can't you see me?" Stark asked.

"I can see you, Mr. Stark. But I'm busy right now. Can you wait a moment?" Miles didn't even turn his head.

Now Stark knew why Nick said Miles was a bit different from Peter. This kid had some street habits; he wasn't a good boy like Peter.

So Stark changed his communication method. He said, "Staring at data here won't do much good. Real combat experience is gained through fighting. How about we go for a spin on the streets?"

Miles finally became a bit interested. He turned his head and said, "Where are you planning to go? The Bronx?"

"I heard it's not peaceful there lately. The two of us will go check out the situation first. We'll take action tonight."

"That's what I thought too," Miles clapped his hands. "I thought you'd be in a hurry to go fight crime."

"It can wait a bit," Stark patted him on the shoulder. "Who designed your suit and web-shooters? Do they need an upgrade?"

"No. Peter helped me with all of this. I really like its appearance and some of the small features," Miles shrugged. "I value the suit's athletic ability more, and I don't like having too many metal elements. So, forget it."

In just a few words, Stark had basically figured out Miles's personality. This guy's personality was much tougher than Peter's; he was more straightforward, basically saying what was on his mind without beating around the bush. The characteristics of his street background were very evident in him.

Stark wasn't fond of this personality, but it wouldn't be bad as a partner. So Stark said it directly.

"The situation in the Bronx is complicated. The Roxxon Corporation is waiting to catch us in a mistake. What you need to do isn't to make any progress; just not making mistakes is enough."

(End of chapter)