"Those alien warriors and warships seem to have been paralyzed…"
Captain America stood at the edge of Stark Tower, looking at the scene below, momentarily unable to understand what was happening.
The actions of the alien cyborg warriors and warships were entirely dependent on the "main brain" for command.
As Sanctuary II departed, these warriors, without signal guidance, naturally all came to a halt.
"It should be the good deed of that young man earlier…" Tony, in front of the Tesseract, also learned about the battlefield situation through his intelligent butler Jarvis, and said with a relaxed expression, "Now we just need to close the wormhole, and our mission this time will be successfully completed."
At this moment, the protective shield outside the Tesseract had been analyzed to 80%, meaning that New York's great crisis was about to end.
This inevitably relaxed the mood of all the Avengers members.
Just then, the communication channel inside Tony's armor was forcibly opened.
"Oh, Fury, I just had some good news to tell you…" Tony saw Nick's bald head in the virtual channel and said, "The alien threat has been removed, and the spatial wormhole is about to close, with progress at 90%… 91%…"
"So, the New York crisis has been averted. Why do you look so unhappy?"
Tony, who was reporting the good news, noticed that Director Nick Fury's expression was still very serious.
This was not a normal reaction.
"Bad news, five minutes ago the Capitol decided to launch missiles at New York. The missiles should be arriving at your location soon." Nick said with a dark expression, "It's all over. Please quickly take Captain America and the others out of New York…"
"Damn Congress, a bunch of useless parasites. Why didn't you stop them? Also, you didn't inform me about the missiles in advance…" Hearing the bad news, Tony couldn't help but curse.
It should be known that millions of New York residents had not yet fully evacuated, and the arrival of the missiles would cost them their lives.
Moreover, this bad news notification was a full five minutes late.
This left Tony with almost no time to react.
"Sorry, I filed an appeal, but the congressmen didn't listen…" Nick was also angry about this matter, and then said helplessly, "Also, I called you for five full minutes, but it never connected."
It could be seen that Director Nick Fury was also under immense pressure.
Especially with a group of disobedient "heroes" under his command.
Tony also realized at this point that he had forcibly shut down his armor's communication system earlier because he was annoyed.
So, the bad news being five minutes late wasn't entirely Nick's fault.
"I understand the situation, but for the people of New York, I will not leave. That's all." Tony, annoyed, cut off the call again.
"What happened? You don't look so good," Natasha, who had come to the top floor after the battle, looked at Tony in surprise.
As mentioned earlier, the New York crisis had been averted, but Tony's grave expression didn't look like someone who had just solved a big problem.
"Missiles, those people launched missiles at New York to prevent the war from spreading outside…" Tony briefly explained the current situation to everyone, then ignored the others.
"Jarvis, scan for me, how much time until the missiles reach New York…"
"Large-yield AGM missile detected, approximately 120 kilometers from New York, estimated arrival time 3-5 minutes."
"Three to five minutes? Should still be enough time…"
…
After a brief thought, Tony had a plan that would serve both purposes.
"Tony, if you have a plan, just say it. Let's see if we can help you." After the initial surprise, Captain America's expression quickly calmed down.
The other Avengers members, who knew about the incoming missiles, had almost all placed their hopes on Tony.
"We can't let the missile explode in New York, so I'll send it into the wormhole in a bit…" Tony explained his plan, then said, "As for your mission, it's to prevent anyone from touching the Tesseract before the wormhole closes."
"You're planning to intercept the missile alone? That's too dangerous!" Captain America roughly understood Tony's meaning.
"Don't worry, I have armor protection, so I might not die. And the only person who can complete this mission is me…" Tony analyzed rationally.
At this moment, he seemed to radiate the brilliance of humanity.
The fact was, among those present, only Tony and Thor, who could fly, could send the missile high into the sky.
And Thor, as a god, had only recently arrived on Earth, and his relationship with everyone was not yet that close.
Therefore, the only person willing to sacrifice for New York was Iron Man Tony.
Then, the difficult three minutes passed, and those standing on the top floor of Stark Tower could already see the AGM missile like a shooting star.
"Perfect timing." At this moment, Tony had also just finished analyzing the protective shield outside the Tesseract.
As the coordinate program on the Space Stone was interrupted, the wormhole high in the sky was shrinking at a visible speed.
"Take care, everyone. I'll see you on the other side." After dealing with the wormhole, Tony habitually said a witty remark.
Then he activated his armor and flew towards the direction from which the missile was coming.
"Damn it, I hate this feeling—"
Watching Iron Man's figure disappear, Black Widow, who still had a trace of sentimentality, couldn't help but complain.
Her complaint pretty much expressed everyone's feelings.
For a moment, the atmosphere on site became inexplicably oppressive.
"Jarvis, calculate the missile's speed and angle, let's push it up…"
On the other side, Tony, with the assistance of his intelligent butler Jarvis, pushed the AGM missile that had arrived above New York directly towards the wormhole.
"Warning! Armor energy consumption is too high, less than ten percent remaining, please recharge promptly…"
"Warning! Armor energy less than five percent remaining, please recharge promptly…"
"Warning! Armor temperature control system failed, please prepare…"
"…"
As the Iron Man armor carried the AGM missile into the atmosphere, the immense energy loss and the harsh high-altitude environment caused a thick layer of frost to condense on the armor's surface.
This relatively affected the armor's performance.
At this moment, Tony, who was about to faint from lack of oxygen and cold, no longer had the extra thought to pay attention to Jarvis's warnings.
"Hold on, just a little bit more…"
Relying on his firm willpower, Tony finally succeeded in sending the AGM missile into the wormhole before losing consciousness.
"Warning!!! Armor energy insufficient, system about to shut down…"
"…"
"Is this what death feels like?" As the armor disconnected, Tony, sensing death approaching, relaxed his expression instead.
It was all over, New York was saved.
This seemed like a good ending—
Like a final burst of clarity, Tony's perception at this moment became incredibly clear, even allowing him to appreciate the vastness of the universe from high altitude.
Then, before he calmly accepted death and lost consciousness, he suddenly noticed a figure emitting a white light approaching him.
"So there really is a God in this world…" In his last moments, Tony's face showed a satisfied smile.
Going to heaven after death seemed not bad either.
"I'm just a traveler, not some God." Mike, returning from the depths of the wormhole, happened to encounter Tony.
After injecting a cluster of [Power of Healing] into him, he smiled and asked, "How does it feel to be a great hero?"
"You saved me?" Tony, who had been pushed to his limit, suddenly felt a warm current in his body, and under this warm current, his bodily functions were slowly recovering.
"If one can live, who would want to be a hero…" After recovering some of his spirit, Tony showed a tendency to become talkative again.
And he also recognized the young man in front of him as the one who had been watching the show earlier.
Analyzing the other party's series of actions, he seemed not to be a bad person.
…
"Are you alright? Tony. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere…"
When Mike carried Iron Man to the ground, the Avengers waiting below quickly surrounded them.
"Thank you for saving Tony's life." Captain America, who had a good relationship with Tony's father, also expressed his gratitude to Mike as an elder.
Everyone below had seen the situation just now; if Mike hadn't appeared in time, Tony, even if he didn't freeze to death, would very likely have been smashed into a meat patty.
"You're welcome, we might have a chance to meet again in the future, and I hope you'll take care of me then." Mike nodded friendly to Captain America.
There was a bit of a hint of seeking repayment for a favor.
The Avengers' influence was not small, and Mike might indeed need them in the future when collecting Power Of Faith on Earth.
"I feel great, at least I won't die for now. Thanks to that handsome young man for helping…" Tony also stood up by himself at this point.
Having escaped death, he seemed to have a very good impression of Mike.
"Buzz… Tony… Congratulations, you saved New York… Also, that young man over there isn't in my database, please ask him if he's willing to join the Avengers…"
Just then, the communication signal inside Tony's armor reconnected, and Director Nick Fury's voice rang out once more.
"Avengers? What's that?" Tony subconsciously retorted.
Yes, the Avengers had not yet been formed, and Tony and the others were currently affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D.
"This incident made me realize that S.H.I.E.L.D. itself isn't reliable. Therefore, I want to re-establish our own team, called the Avengers." Nick explained his idea.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had great power, but in nature, it was a semi-official organization. When encountering emergency situations like this, the scope of involvement was naturally very large.
This made Nick feel very inconvenient, so he conceived the idea of forming his own private team.
"It's the same old story again…" Tony quickly realized Nick's intention to form a new team, but he wasn't interested in such power games, and immediately replied indifferently, "If there's a chance, I'll help you ask that young man. But whether he's willing to join whatever this Avengers is, I can't guarantee."
"That's it, I'm hanging up—"
After speaking, Tony once again willfully cut off the call.
"Aliens… unknown strong individuals… truly a tumultuous time, I hope everything goes smoothly."
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick, whose call had been cut off, focused on the computer screen in front of him.
It was playing Mike's few actions.
One punch shattering an alien warrior, a wave of his hand dispersing the alien siege around Black Widow, casually enduring several attacks from Loki, finally his figure flying towards the wormhole, and the entire process of saving Iron Man…
Such "perfect" performance made Director Fury, who suffered from paranoia, unconsciously reach into his pocket and touch an old-fashioned mobile phone.
This was Nick's last trump card.
By dialing this phone, he could contact Captain Marvel, who could traverse the void with her physical body.
"I hope things don't develop to the worst-case scenario." After sighing again, Nick took his hand out.
Captain Marvel, who had already gone into outer space, was also very busy, and Nick didn't want to trouble her unnecessarily.
After all, a trump card is one less once used.
Moreover, a trump card is called a trump card precisely because, before it's used, it can also provide spiritual comfort and peace of mind.
"Congratulations, Nick. You handled this New York crisis very well…" Just then, a well-dressed middle-aged man burst into Nick's private office.
"Alexander, why are you here?" Nick was startled, but after seeing who it was, he quickly relaxed.
Alexander Pierce was Nick's predecessor as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, he had now been promoted to Deputy Minister of the Security Council, and strictly speaking, no longer belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D.
"What's wrong? As an old friend, can't I come and check on you?" Pierce, with a cordial smile, walked naturally to Nick's side.
His eyes subtly glanced at the computer screen on the desk.
Oh, this person also had another identity: a high-ranking Hydra member who had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Of course, thank you for your concern." Seeing his old friend, Nick also smiled.
As someone with paranoia, Nick didn't have many friends, and Pierce happened to be one of them.
…
"Mike, a bald dude asked me if you're willing to join the Avengers he's forming." Back at Stark Tower, after exchanging names with Mike, Tony remembered Nick's request.
"As a traveler, I have no intention of joining any organization." Mike shook his head, not wanting to get involved in the muddy waters of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.
That would not help him collect Power Of Faith at all, and might even involve him in many troubles, thus wasting time.
"A wise choice, I also think that guy doesn't seem like a good person." Tony, who had strong opinions about Nick, or rather about this New York incident, actually didn't want to invite so much trouble either.
Then, he said with a smile, "And as a friend I recognize, even if you do nothing, you'll live a very happy life for the rest of your days—"
The one thing Tony didn't lack was money.
Mike had saved his life earlier, so benefits would naturally follow.
"Come on, I'll take you out for some fun. To say the least, you get to pick first from the beautiful ladies at the Playboy Mansion…" After the big battle, relaxation was needed, Tony grinned and put his arm around Mike's shoulder.
They were all so handsome, their tastes must be the same too.
Of course, these were all Tony's personal thoughts.
At least in terms of handsomeness, he, a middle-aged man nearing forty, couldn't compare to the blooming Mike.
"Let's save the activities for next time, I still need to see someone now." Feeling a strong Power Of Faith fluctuation from the direction of the New York Sanctuary, Mike made plans with Tony for their next outing, then flew towards the Sanctuary.
"Looks like our new friend is busy. So, does anyone want to come with me? My treat—" After watching Mike leave, Tony turned his attention to the remaining few.
After this New York battle, the few people present could be considered to have shared a life-or-death bond.
Tony was always generous with his own people.
"I'm a bit hungry, can we go eat something?" Banner, after de-transforming, quietly suggested.
As trouble itself, Doctor Banner's life was not easy, and he was even struggling to make ends meet.
Eating a big meal was a happy event for him.
"I'm in favor of eating—" Captain America also expressed his desire afterwards.
Compared to unhealthy team-building activities, the old-fashioned guy preferred to do something normal.
Besides, there were ladies present.
"Is there beer?" Thor was much simpler.
His alcohol craving had kicked in…
"You want a big meal, you want beer, and there's a lady…" Tony thought for a moment and said, "You guys ever try shawarma? There's a shawarma joint not far from here…"
"The only thing to consider is, I hope the owner of that small shop hasn't run too far."