Stark extended one hand to block Spider-Man who was pouncing at him, but he forgot, this was the Spider-Man from the Prime Universe, not the Peter who had lost his spider powers. Not only did his block fail, but his arm almost got fractured.
The Prime Universe Spider-Man knocked him to the ground, then hastily scrambled up, helping Stark to his feet, and said apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Stark, I forgot you weren't wearing your armor. Maybe... you should put it on?"
Stark sighed helplessly, but still put on the nano armor. Spider-Man stared at the nano armor without blinking, but he hadn't forgotten the important matters, and said anxiously, "The Tony Stark and Stephen Strange from our universe want to kill you!"
"So you came to snitch?"
"Of course," said Spider-Man.
"But they're your teammates."
"Anyone doing good is my teammate, anyone doing bad is my enemy." Spider-Man flipped onto a beam, hanging upside down and said, "It's not Tony Stark being Iron Man, but the superhero who saves New York in armor who is truly Iron Man."
Stark wanted to pat Spider-Man's shoulder, but since he was hanging upside down, there was really nowhere to pat, so he went and sat on a nearby chair, saying, "They can't kill me."
"Of course not," Spider-Man swung himself on a web, "I often go to the Central Universe, I know how strong you are. They combined couldn't beat you. But, what if they ambush you when you're busy with something important?"
Spider-Man paused for a moment before continuing, "They want to control the Mother Module. I've seen the schematics, it's a very powerful super weapon, not just against mutants, it can cause very serious harm to any life. They want to use the Mother Module to threaten Earth and to ambush you."
"I actually want them to try," Stark said, "I'm the one controlling the defense system, finding the Main Universe Iron Man's drones, shooting them down, and leaving the wreckage there for S.H.I.E.L.D. to discover."
"Why are you doing this?" Spider-Man thought for a moment and asked, "Is it to sow discord? To make the local Avengers hate us?"
Stark shook his head and said, "Can you say the local Avengers don't want to control the Mother Module?"
Spider-Man was slightly stunned, and Stark continued, "I'm also Tony Stark, I know full well how Tony Stark would think. Every Stark believes they have a chance to compete, and that such a powerful weapon is naturally better kept in their own hands."
"You mean that this universe's Iron Man also wants the Mother Module?"
"Exactly." Stark nodded and said, "He might also be secretly observing, just undetected. That's to avoid becoming a target, since on the surface, it's still about dealing with the mutant threat. If the mutant threat is not eliminated, starting to think about dividing assets can easily draw others' ire."
"But now it's been discovered," Spider-Man said.
"That's right, it's a signal." Stark nodded and said, "With Stark Group's high technical level, if they've already tampered with the Red Orchid Factory, the chance of getting the Mother Module will increase significantly, perhaps even a sure thing. What will the other forces think then?"
"Then they'd better grab it quick!" Spider-Man said, "Their technology is already inferior, and if they act late, they won't be able to grab it!"
Stark nodded again and said, "Exactly. Following the drone evidence, all parties will soon realize that Iron Man has long set his sights on the Mother Module. If Iron Man is determined to take it, others might not be his match, but they're unwilling to let such a powerful thing fall into Iron Man's hands, just like the Ark Reactor and mechas in the past, so they'll act quickly, even if it means overlooking whether the mutant threat is completely removed."
"Then, in this way, the mutants can catch a breath." Spider-Man said.
"Not just that," Stark stood up again and said, "You should head back now, don't say you came here. If they ask your opinion, just say you're opposing it. Don't conflict with them, and don't try to secretly sabotage, getting caught would be troublesome."
"I know." Spider-Man said. Then he sighed and said, "Actually, since the Zero Ultron incident, I've started to doubt the meaning of the Avengers' existence. They seem to have forgotten their original purpose."
"They're just too young," Stark said, "After experiencing a few things, they'll naturally improve."
"Why?" Spider-Man asked, "Does experiencing more disasters make villains turn good?"
"No, experiencing more disasters makes them realize that being a good person is much easier than being a bad one."
After Spider-Man left, Schiller returned, he looked at Stark and said, "How is it? What's the reaction over there?"
"It's almost civil war," Stark laughed, shrugging, "Some people want to kill me, some oppose. However, the Red Orchid Factory issue should be resolved soon."
United Nations Headquarters, United Nations Assembly Hall. 8:00 AM.
Sebastian, wearing a suit, stood alone in front of the glass curtain wall. He didn't want to talk to anyone, not wanting to disgrace himself. Magneto had already told him that he came this time to take the blame. Those people would not give him any face, and might even point at his nose and scold him.
Sebastian wasn't someone to be easily provoked unless there was a profit to be made from it. The truth was, acting subservient now would bring him more benefits than launching a terrorist attack, so he didn't mind playing nice.
Magneto promised him he could help him return to the Hellfire Group. In reality, this was quite challenging, because the White Queen was a madwoman, and a capable one at that. She had developed the Hellfire Club into a multinational corporation, with many strong political allies. Sebastian alone couldn't possibly return to the Group.
Even Magneto's violent methods couldn't help Sebastian return. However, if Utopia were founded, Magneto could mediate, and the White Queen might give him face. All Sebastian wanted now was to return to the Group, worrying about his status later.
Watching as the ambassador walked towards him, Sebastian sighed, preparing himself mentally for a scolding. Instead, the ambassador came up and clinked glasses with him, exclaiming, "The world is so chaotic, sir. I heard you had quite a falling out with the White Queen, the leader of the Hellfire Group?"
This immediately reminded Sebastian of Magneto's advice to voice grievances at the United Nations Assembly about how the White Queen persecuted him. But honestly, Sebastian was full of anger, no acting necessary.
He sighed heavily and then said through gritted teeth, "That mad woman! Clearly I was the one who founded the Hellfire Club. She merely used some commercial tricks and united the shareholders to push me out. I'll make her pay sooner or later!"
"That's so unfortunate," sighed the ambassador, "Do you wish to return to the Group?"
"I dream of returning, but what can I do? You know the White Queen is a powerful mind power user; even I can't contend with her. Other mutant forces aren't willing to help me either. But in such situations, they push me to take the blame; I can't refuse even if I want to..."
The ambassador cursed a few times along with him, then said, "But I think many countries came here with goodwill today. We have many misunderstandings with the mutants, but they're not completely irreconcilable. After all, it's reasonable for a wandering race to want a place to settle..."
"Exactly... Wait, reasonable?!" Sebastian was astonished. He wondered in his mind how this became reasonable?
Just then, another female ambassador came over with a wine glass, saying, "So here you are, sir. I'm afraid we'll have to discuss the Red Orchid Factory before the opening of the congress."
Sebastian disliked that factory a lot; after all, no one likes a guillotine hanging over them. His expression immediately turned cold, then he said, "Ah, yes, human scientists truly are remarkable, to create such powerful super weapons. If they weren't aimed at mutants, that would be even better..."
The two ambassadors exchanged a glance. The female ambassador said, "I'm afraid you misunderstood. We didn't entirely build the Red Orchid Factory and Mother Module just to target mutants. After all, mutants haven't caused us any real harm. Even the homeland you want to build isn't within known human territory; that island originally had no owner, first come first serve is reasonable."
Sebastian was full of questions; wasn't he supposed to be scolded? Why did everyone seem to think this reasonable?
At this moment, yet another strong man walked over. The two ambassadors exchanged looks again, then smiled and walked away. Sebastian scrutinized the strong man, sensing he didn't seem like an ambassador, but rather a soldier.
"Captain Bodis sends his regards." He clinked glasses with Sebastian and said, "I'm a straightforward person, sir. You help the military capture the Red Orchid Factory, and we won't exercise a veto."
Sebastian widened his eyes, "Capture the Red Orchid Factory? Whose is it now?"
"I believe it's the military's, but I'm in the minority," the captain said, "From the facts, it's likely to be Stark Group's. But we can't let such a dangerous weapon fall into Iron Man's hands again. Aren't his suits enough toys for him?"
Sebastian stammered; he opened his mouth then closed it, finally saying, "Then you..."
Before he could finish, a blonde Slavic woman approached, nodding to him. "Sophia, I'm the Russian ambassador. Let's not mince words; we'll vote in favor if you help us win the Red Orchid Factory."
"Get lost!" the captain snapped, "S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved in its construction and provided the crucial technology. This should be America's; what business does Russia have?"
"The Russian Space Agency contributed too," the Sophia ambassador said. "Moreover, our relations with mutants are much better than yours."
At this moment, yet another Asian person approached, not seeming like an ambassador. Sebastian remembered he seemed to be the leader of SWORD; why did he come personally?
"China will abstain." He said succinctly, "But personally, if you're the first race to step upon that ancient land, then you indeed have the right to settle there; others have no right to interfere."
"Alright, sir, listen to England's opinion," another ambassador joined in, "We won't just not use a veto, we'll vote in favor too. Additionally, our 26 allied countries will follow suit. After all, mutants could also be a race friendly to us, right?"
"France is the same, sir. If the Professor is watching over this, I would say, it's very easy for him to want all agreeing votes. Thank him for not doing so. Congratulations to the mutants; I'm waiting for your transmission."
"No..." Sebastian raised one hand to stop the bickering, saying, "I need to contact Krakoa; please wait."
Having said that, he walked away, took out his phone, and called Magneto, saying, "What's going on? Erik, all Five Powers agreed!"
"What?!" Magneto was equally stunned.
Holding the phone, he turned and looked towards the back, where Shiller was updating medical records and looked up with a smile.