Chapter 876

In the Avengers' base, Matt looked at Spider-Man's face and said: "You want to investigate the military's creation of this monster? Do you think it's connected to Nick Fury's assassination?"

Peter nodded and said: "We must uncover all the connections behind this to understand what they're doing, what they plan to do next, and only then can we devise a response."

"For this, I can't possibly handle it alone—I only have two hands. While saving people, I can't fight monsters; while fighting monsters, I can't investigate the truth. I can't split myself into three or four people, and even if I could, it wouldn't match the power of teamwork—we each have our strengths…"

"I have to say, Peter, you've grown a lot these past few years. For you to say this is truly surprising." Matt stood up and began rummaging through his backpack, then said: "Remember? You used to think your fists alone could defeat every enemy and save New York."

"I still want to defeat every enemy and save New York, but I think the method can change." Peter placed his hands on the table, his expression unusually serious.

College life and all the turbulent experiences had given him some maturity, like a sapling that had grown a woody structure—soon, it would become a strong, sturdy tree.

He spoke: "Long ago, I didn't understand what Doctor Schiller told me—that no one is an island, everyone living in this society leaves traces…"

"All these traces form a vast web. On this web, no person or event can escape. And these are the most vital tools for saving the world—far beyond fists."

"At that time, I had a premonition: when I finally used this skill, things would have become utterly dire—perhaps like now."

Peter's fists slowly clenched. He said: "The Director of S. . . . . . is dead. Agent Coulson is dead. Hill is still being hunted. The military is closing in. Others are dealing with larger upheavals—and I…"

"I must find a way to neutralize the hidden gun aimed at us. I won't allow them to fire from the shadows while everyone turns toward the sun, ready to step into the stars and oceans."

"Perhaps I've never been much help before, but I must protect those leading humanity forward. Even if my talents and strength aren't enough to leave my name in human history, humanity must seize this chance—to advance further in this era…"

Matt walked over and patted Peter's shoulder, feeling his body tremble. He said: "Don't feel burdened, Peter. You're not fighting alone."

"Schiller was right. The web woven by human relationships will be your key to victory."

He put down his phone and said: "I've sent messages to every other Avenger I can reach. They'll arrive soon. We need a war council—to find out what conspiracy lies behind this."

He lightly punched the table. "No matter what kind of man Nick Fury was, he was Director of S. . . . . . He made irreplaceable contributions to the Solar System Development Project. He shouldn't have died by a traitor's bullet from his own kind. If this has already happened, the one who pulled the trigger must pay."

After a while, vampire hunter Eric and Eddie Brock, along with Natasha, arrived at the Avengers' base. Natasha pressed her earpiece and said: "Those mutants can't come."

After sitting down, she took a deep breath and said: "I know you're all confused about what's going on. It starts with a top-secret project—Project Crimson Gate…"

As the female agent spoke, everyone learned of the secret plan targeting mutants. Natasha continued: "Nick expressed fierce opposition—and that's what caused him to break with the military…"

"My intelligence indicates the military's three launch attempts all failed, causing massive losses. Because of Nick's strong opposition, they blamed S. . . . . ."

"So they killed Nick Fury? Are they insane?" Matt asked. "They had no proof—and still they moved?"

Natasha sighed. "The problem is, both Coulson and I found this utterly implausible. The military shouldn't be so reckless as to provoke such a massive conflict—it crosses a line. But that's precisely why we suspect they might have real evidence."

"You mean, maybe Nick actually did it?" Eddie asked Natasha. She looked at him. "You must know Nick's title 'King of Agents' isn't empty. Or do you believe that as Director of S. . . . . ., Nick never used any unconventional methods?"

"Even if Nick sabotaged their launch plans, he was right." Peter emphasized. "Any plan to exterminate a race is profoundly evil."

Eddie's voice grew gravelly. "Whether he did it or not doesn't matter. The key is the military moved first."

He spoke in a hoarse tone: "We can't get trapped in a logical game of who struck first. We must focus on their fundamental purpose."

Eddie stood, walked to the whiteboard, and wrote as he spoke: "They wanted to eliminate mutants, so they created Project Crimson Gate. Then they killed Nick, who stood in their way. But here's the question: after doing all this, why create that red monster?"

"He wants to use that monster to kill mutants," Matt said. Eddie shook his head. "No. They know full well that a monster that can't fly and has no mass-killing capability can't eliminate all mutants."

"According to their logic, after removing Nick as an obstacle, the next step should be continuing their plan. But they didn't."

"Look at what they've done: somehow created a giant monster, used certain agents to stir chaos within S. . . . . ., and now some vampire count named Dracula has appeared out of nowhere—what does any of this have to do with Project Crimson Gate?"

Peter narrowed his eyes. "Exactly. If Nick is dead, they have no reason for these extra steps—why not just continue the plan?"

"Unless…" Matt smirked. "They can't continue the plan anymore. The previous failures were already the maximum they could accept."

He turned to Natasha. "Do you have full intelligence on Project Crimson Gate's total investment?"

Natasha shook her head. "Five years ago, this project was already in S. . . . . .'s files. We only knew the military had a top-secret program underway—but we didn't know who it targeted, and we didn't pay it special attention."

"A failed project can't have no cost," Peter said. "Rocket launches aren't cheap—especially five years ago, when three consecutive launches failed. The cost was likely unimaginable. And now, their actions are damage control. So why do they believe targeting S. . . . . . and mutants is a way to fix it?"

"Because they gain more profit from this behavior," Blade, Eric, said. "I don't know much about mutants, but over the years, many have raised funds under the guise of fighting vampires."

Peter thought for a moment, then said: "I think many anti-mutant organizations are backing this plan behind the scenes. The military is just going with the flow. When the plan failed, the pressure fell on them."

"So they must create another method to convince those factions they can still advance toward mutant extermination—so they keep receiving investment."

"And that's the weakness we can exploit."

Peter stared at the words on the whiteboard. Suddenly, clues connected. A flash of insight struck him. "If those factions see even a glimmer of hope for mutant extermination, they'll keep investing…"

"Anti-mutant sentiment is just one scam layered atop another," Eddie said, staring at the board. "One person raises a banner, stirs public emotion, gets them to spend money. That person takes the cash, finds another, tells him: 'If you succeed in fighting mutants, I'll give you the money.' So the second becomes an anti-mutant activist…"

"He raises his own banner, stirs another crowd, takes their money, and invests it in other anti-mutant projects. They chain one scam to another—until they reach the military."

"Does the military oppose mutants because they hate them? No. They oppose them for the money from this chain of scammers—for the profits they provide…"

"And the flaw in this scam is: they must show some results to launch a bigger one. But now, no one has produced any results."

Matt snapped his fingers. "Like selling a house—you need a model room. Selling food—you need a menu. Anti-mutant sentiment has raged for years, yet mutants still walk freely in this world. You've got no model room. What can you use to scam money?"

Peter's eyes flickered. "Project Crimson Gate was just a model room. But why come up with such a complicated plan? Isn't making a model room simple?"

Peter grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbled a string of symbols, and said: "This is my invention—a drug that erases all X-genes. One injection, and a mutant ceases to exist. Isn't that a perfect model room?"

The room fell silent for two full minutes. Natasha stood first, shook Peter's hand, and said: "Congratulations, global leader of anti-mutant ideology, Peter Parker. You are the light of humanity."

Eddie held up the paper. "This is our most powerful weapon."

"A renowned laboratory, whose name cannot be disclosed, has developed a drug capable of completely eradicating X-genes. In just two seconds, a mutant vanishes from this world."

"If this news were made public, how would the general public, whose emotions have been stirred, react?"

Matt continued: "They'd demand the government mass-produce it—give everyone a shot, force every mutant on Earth to inject it. Better yet, ten shots each, to ensure they never revert."

"Once fanaticism is ignited, even those who stirred the public's emotions will be trapped by it. Anyone who questions the drug's authenticity or demands testing will be mobbed by the fanatics."

"They'll be forced to ride the wave, escalate the hysteria further, hoping to harvest even more wealth from the masses…"

"But can Congress and the military actually do this? Forget forcing every mutant to get injected—can they even produce this drug? Or would they even consider it worth it?"

"Of course not," Natasha said. "It's a double loss for both. Congress maintains stability. The military profits. This action serves neither of their core interests."

"When they're forced onto this chariot, whose blade will they raise—toward mutants led by Professor X and Magneto, or toward those scammers with nothing but chains of lies?" Eddie asked.

Peter stared at the paper. "But now, S. . . . . . can't help us. The military is closing in. Hydra and other factions want to exploit the chaos. If we're constantly held back, we can't execute this plan. We need allies…"

He paused, then said: "I have an idea."