Chapter 4717: X-Men: Fierce Battle (Part 25)

When another group of Avengers jumped into the battlefield, they drew everyone's attention. They were almost identical to the local Avengers, only their attire was slightly different. Whether it was their appearance, their expressions, or their movements, they looked as if they had been copied.

The two Captains America joined forces and threw their shields simultaneously; their postures and stances were identical, and the flight arcs of the shields were symmetrical. The Black Widow from the main universe reached out, grabbed a nearby lamppost, and swung across, while the other, with perfect tacit understanding, took advantage of a feint to land a Widow's Sting on the alien's shoulder.

The two Spider-Men were even more dazzling. One swung in from this side, the other swung out from that side. One used webbing to interfere, while the other launched a flying kick from mid-air. The Hulk was not to be outdone; one picked up a utility pole and smashed it down, while the other lifted a car and swiped it outward. The two Hawkeyes occupied high ground on the east and west, one using explosive arrows and the other using smoke arrows, providing constant anti-air fire support.

However, if one had to say who looked the coolest, it certainly had to be Iron Man. In addition to the suits they were wearing, they each brought two extra armors. However, the local Iron Man's armor had been used to evacuate the crowd, so the main universe Iron Man shared one with him. The two had clearly shared control permissions long ago; the four iron cans on the field moved as if they were extensions of their own arms, continuously bombarding the ground.

More S. H. I. E. L. D. agents arrived, and of course, military helicopters and fighter jets were not in short supply. For a moment, the streets of Manhattan were filled with the roar of gunfire, a scene reminiscent of the end of the world.

The addition of the main universe Avengers had a significant effect; this was not as simple as 1+1=2. With a counterpart who thought exactly the same way to coordinate tactics, many bizarre maneuvers could be realized. The braking devices placed by the Shi'ar warriors were quickly pulled out. The Hulk grabbed a soldier and smashed him into the ground, until a pit over a meter deep was created in the street. Any carbon-based organism could not withstand such an impact; even if they didn't die, their brains were turned into mush.

Their formation was also scattered. The two Captains America chased after three Shi'ar soldiers, the flying armors trapped four more, and Spider-Man used webbing to bind another. Seeing victory in sight, they boosted their morale again, preparing to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop.

But just then, the leading officer suddenly shouted: "Long live the Twin Gods!" The divine power within his body began to erupt infinitely. Captain America secretly thought it was bad; two shields flew over with a 'whoosh', but it was too late.

That Shi'ar officer had already expanded into a ball of light, looking as if he were about to explode. The local Iron Man was quick-witted; he commanded an armor to rush over and forcibly wrapped the opponent. But with a 'boom', half the street was leveled, 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 incredibly chaotic. Iron Man's armor bought some time, allowing the military aircraft to withdraw from the battlefield. Now they had all flown back, but only to retrieve the Avengers.

Soon, ambulances and medical personnel entered the scene, which was not very common, because usually in such situations, the Avengers could walk back on their own. Now, even the Hulk was draped in an oversized comfort blanket, showing just how severe the injuries were this time.

When the agents entered to clean up the aftermath, they saw that one of the Captains America's shields had been blown over twenty meters away by the shockwave, embedded straight into the side of a building. Next to this building were the imprints left by two Spider-Men embedded in the wall, as well as half of an Iron Man gauntlet.

In the S. H. I. E. L. D. hospital, Nick was about to go crazy. One group of Avengers injured wasn't enough; there was another, and now the emergency rooms were full. For a moment, he couldn't even judge who he should worry about first.

Just as he was overwhelmed, Hill walked in and whispered: "Satellites have discovered a small alien spacecraft near low Earth orbit. They must have slipped in during the adjustment period of Earth's magical defense network..."

Just as she finished speaking, Nick's phone rang. As soon as he answered, Doctor Strange's furious voice came from the other end: "What the hell are you doing?! How did that ship blow a hole in the magical defense network?!"

Nick opened his mouth. He knew this was very likely a contingency left behind by the Shi'ar Empire, but what did that have to do with him? He didn't send the ship, and he didn't cause the explosion.

"I told you long ago to use that Helicarrier of yours to do some real work. Why didn't you keep an eye on the situation in low Earth orbit sooner?!"

"You're simply shifting the blame!" Nick said, "You gave the aliens an opportunity when you repaired the magical defense network, and now you're telling me..."

"I reported to you in advance, didn't I? I also told you to strengthen defenses so no one could take advantage of the gaps, didn't I? You even had two whole Avengers teams!"

Nick felt a bit short of breath. Because Doctor Strange really had reported it; otherwise, Hill wouldn't have known that the vulnerability appeared because of the magical defense network adjustment. The main reason Nick didn't take it seriously was that the frontline reports had misled him.

He knew about the factory being destroyed, and of course, he knew about the portal opening. He was even clearer about the army pressing down on them. But the reports from the mutants had been consistently good; the Shi'ar Empire's army was firmly locked at the Jupiter line, and Nick felt they wouldn't arrive so quickly.

He wanted to hold the mutants accountable, but now that both Avengers teams were down, the only ones they could rely on were the mutants. Nick rubbed his forehead hard, sniffed, and said: "You watch them here; I have to go to the United Nations."

The invasion of Manhattan had already drawn widespread attention from various countries, and the process had entered the most familiar phase for the Marvel Earth—that is, the plot where aliens invade New York, Manhattan, and the Avengers fight them for three hundred rounds, heroically repelling the foreign enemy and defending Earth.

It was just that this time, although they did repel the foreign enemy, the Avengers had suffered heavy losses and couldn't organize any decent combat power in the short term. They had to reassemble their forces and consider a thorny problem—the mutants.

"We shouldn't have agreed so easily to their idea of establishing a nature reserve." Nick heard an ambassador saying as he walked in, "Otherwise, we could have demanded they fight for Earth by agreeing to let them build a nation."

Although he had heard this kind of rhetoric many times, Nick felt a bit annoyed at this moment. He gave the Director of the S. P. E. A. R. a look, not caring if the other party understood, grabbed the microphone from the UN staff, and said: "Alright, friends, now is not the time for us to create cards out of thin air or engage in diplomatic games. It is imperative to come up with a concrete and feasible plan to appease and win over the mutants. I personally believe we should host them grandly in Washington and discuss strategies and plans for alien warfare at the same time. What do you think?"

A discussion erupted below. Although the mutants had established a nature reserve, sometimes regional organizations and countries were on par, capable of obtaining the same rights. And if Washington hosted the mutants in such a way, the political signal released would be self-evident. Once the mutants passed this hurdle, they would never be able to return to the state of scattered soldiers they were in before; their organized activities on Earth would become normalized. This was something many countries were unwilling to see.

But the United States was as tough as ever, and after all, it was their Manhattan that had suffered, so others couldn't say much. If it weren't for the fact that New York, Manhattan, was like a giant black hole, sucking in every alien, other countries might have been even more troubled.

So the discussion below only lasted a while before a consensus was basically reached—they really had to talk, they must talk, and they had to talk properly.

Thus, on the second day after both Avengers teams were collectively hospitalized, Professor X walked into the White House amidst a grand welcome, having a cordial meeting with the President of the United States, the S. H. I. E. L. D. Director, and others. The two sides had an in-depth exchange on a series of issues including the future development of Krakoa, and reached a basic consensus.

These were minor matters. After the diplomatic rhetoric was finished and the pleasantries were over, Nick hurriedly caught up with Professor X and asked: "How is it over at Jupiter?"

"Not very optimistic, Nick." Professor X said, "They are nibbling away at the defense line bit by bit. The mutants' power is not enough."

Although he already knew this result, Nick couldn't help but sigh and said: "I'm very sorry about Magneto."

"You should know he's not dead, but even if he isn't, he won't be back in the short term." Professor X said, "The problem now is that we lack too much power; losing him doesn't change much."

"How could it be like this..." Nick gritted his teeth, "Is the alien army this strong this time?"

"You should have thought of that when you were preparing the factory project." Professor X pointed out, "If they hadn't been planning for a long time and aiming for something big, how could they have invested so much?"

How could Nick not understand this logic? In the past, alien invasions just happened; at most, they would fly a ship over. How could it be like this time, causing such a huge commotion? The other side had planned against the unprepared; it was normal that they couldn't beat them.

However, Nick also began to reflect sincerely on whether it was really worth making such a big fuss to oppose the mutants in the first place. This factory had not played any positive role from beginning to end; its greatest achievement was wiping out the assault team, but the problem was, the consciousness had been saved by the mutants, and the body had been reshaped, which was equivalent to no loss at all.

In other words, they had poured in a huge amount of manpower and material resources, and in the end, they had brought a catastrophe upon Earth itself, and because of this catastrophe, they had to compromise with the mutants in turn. What was the point of this?

"I promise you, the next time we launch such a project, I will advise them to consider it more carefully." Nick gave the maximum guarantee within his scope of duty, "Even if we can't stop it completely, at least I will give you a heads-up."

"You are very smart, Director Fury." Professor X stopped and looked into his eyes, "Mutants are a ticking time bomb, but sometimes, they are also a brake and a stopper. Those things running wild on the wrong path always need a solid south wall like us, don't they?"

Nick pursed his lips and said: "We won't repeat the mistake of the Orchis factory. But the most urgent thing now is to close the portal in the sun. Do you have any ideas?"

"If you are counting on the mutants to organize another assault team to rush into the sun and close the portal, that is probably impossible. Just keeping them at the Jupiter line has already exhausted all our efforts."

"I have an idea." Nick said, "Perhaps we don't need to use force to solve this problem." ===== CHAPTER 4718 =====