Chapter 5735: Chapter 4758: X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (25)

Another group of Avengers jumped into the battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention. They were almost identical to the local Avengers Alliance, with only slight differences in outfits. Whether it was their looks, demeanor, or actions, they seemed like copies.

When the two Captain Americas met, both threw their shields, their posture and stance perfectly identical, even the flying arc of the shields were symmetrical. The Black Widow from the main universe reached out, swung over the street lamp opposite, while the other smoothly struck the alien on the shoulder with a Widow Sting at the critical moment.

The two Spider-Men were even more dazzling. You swung from this side, I swung from that side. You used spider silk to interfere, I flew a kick from mid-air. The Hulk was not to be outdone, one swung an electric pole to smash, the other lifted a car to hit. The two Hawkeyes took high points from east to west, one using explosive arrows, the other using smoke arrows, constantly providing aerial support firepower.

But the coolest one had to be Iron Man. Besides the armor they were wearing, each brought two additional mechas. However, the local Iron Man’s mecha was taken to evacuate the crowd, so the main universe Iron Man shared one with him. Clearly, they had shared control authority long ago, as the four iron suits on the ground moved as one, continuously bombarding the ground.

More S.H.I.E.L.D agents arrived, and military helicopters and fighter jets were certainly not lacking. For a moment, the Manhattan block resembled a scene from the apocalypse, fire and explosions everywhere.

The addition of the main universe Avengers Alliance had quite a positive effect, as this wasn’t as simple as 1+1=2. With a counterpart who thinks exactly like you for tactical coordination, many bizarre tactics could be implemented. The brake devices left by the Shi’ar warriors were quickly removed. The Hulk caught a soldier and slammed him into the ground until a pit more than one meter deep appeared on the street. Any carbon-based lifeform couldn’t withstand such an impact; even if they didn’t die, their brains were turned into mush.

Their formations were shattered as well. The two Captain Americas chased three Shi’ar soldiers, the flying mechas trapped another four, and Spider Man even entwined one with spider silk. Victory was in sight, they rallied again, ready to eliminate the enemy in one fell swoop.

But just then, the leading officer suddenly shouted, "Long live the Twin Gods!" The divine power within him began to explode infinitely. Captain America muttered "Not good," as two shields flew out in a swish, but it was too late.

The Shi’ar officer had already expanded into a ball of light, about to explode. The local Iron Man acted quickly, directing a mecha to rush over and forcibly encase him. But with a boom, half the street was flattened, all the Avengers were sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Of course, the other soldiers were also killed in the explosion, creating an incredibly chaotic scene. Iron Man’s mecha bought some time, allowing military aircraft to withdraw from the battlefield. They soon returned, but this time to salvage the Avengers Alliance.

Soon, ambulances and medical personnel entered the scene, which was quite uncommon because under normal circumstances, the Avengers Alliance could walk back by themselves. Now even the Hulk had a large comforting blanket, indicative of how serious the injuries were.

Agents entered the scene to clean up the mess, noticing one of Captain America’s shields had been blown over twenty meters away by the impact, embedded straight into a building’s waist. Next to this building, there were also two Spider-Men embedded in wall impressions and half of Iron Man’s hand armor.

In S.H.I.E.L.D’s hospital, Nick was going crazy. Having one Avenger Alliance injured wasn’t enough, now there’s another, and the emergency room was full. He couldn’t even determine who he should worry about first.

As he became overwhelmed, Hill walked in, whispering, "The satellite discovered a small alien spaceship in near-Earth orbit. They must have snuck in during the adjustment of the Earth’s magical defense network’s pain period..."

Just as she spoke, Nick’s phone rang. As soon as he answered, Doctor Strange’s furious voice came from the other end, "What’s the matter with you?! How did that spaceship blow a hole in the magical defense network?!"

Nick opened his mouth. He knew it was likely a backup plan left by the Shi’ar Empire, but what did it have to do with him? It wasn’t him who sent the ship, nor did he cause the explosion.

"I’ve told you time and time again to use that sky carrier for some real work, why didn’t you keep an eye on the near-Earth orbit situation earlier?!"

"You’re completely turning the tables on me!" Nick said, "You repaired the magical defense network, giving aliens a chance to exploit it, and yet you accuse me..."

"I reported to you in advance, right? I also urged you to defend against being exploited, didn’t I? You even have two complete Avenger Alliances!"

Nick was momentarily speechless. Because Doctor Strange had indeed reported, otherwise Hill wouldn’t have known the vulnerability was due to adjusting the magical defense network. The main reason Nick didn’t take it seriously was that the frontline battle reports misled him.

He knew about the factory’s destruction, and of course, he knew about the teleportation portal opening. He was crystal clear about the army pressing forward. But the reports from the mutants kept trending positively, firmly holding the Shi’ar Empire’s army at Jupiter Line, so Nick thought they wouldn’t come over so quickly.

He actually wanted to blame the mutants, but now that both Avenger Alliances were down, the only ones they could rely on were the mutants. Nick rubbed his forehead vigorously, sniffed, and said, "Keep an eye on them here, I need to go to the United Nations."

The invasion of Manhattan has already attracted widespread attention from various countries, and the process has entered the most familiar phase on Marvel Earth - that is, the storyline where Manhattan, New York, USA is invaded by aliens, and The Avengers heroically battle them for three hundred rounds and repel foreign enemies to defend Earth.

However, this time, although they did indeed repel the enemies, The Avengers suffered considerable losses, and in the short term, they couldn’t organize any decent fighting force. They must regroup and consider a thorny issue - Mutants.

"We shouldn’t have agreed to their idea of establishing a nature reserve so readily." Just as Nick entered, he heard a diplomat saying, "Otherwise, we could have requested them to fight for Earth by agreeing to let them establish a nation."

Although he had heard this argument many times before, Nick felt somewhat annoyed this time. He gave the Chief of the Spear Bureau a glance, regardless of whether the other party understood, directly grabbed the microphone from a UN Security Council staff member, and said, "Alright, friends, now is not the time for us to engage in empty wordplay and diplomatic games. It’s imperative to come up with a specific, feasible plan to calm and win over the Mutants. Personally, I think we should host them grandly in Washington and discuss strategies and plans for alien combat. What do you think?"

A burst of discussion erupted below. Although the Mutants are establishing a nature reserve, sometimes regional organizations are parallel to nations, capable of gaining the same rights. If Washington were to welcome the Mutants in such a manner, the political signal sent would be very clear. Once the Mutants pass this, they can never return to being scattered fighters; their institutional activities on Earth will become normalized. This is something many countries are unwilling to see.

But America remains as tough as ever, for it is their Manhattan that suffered. Others can’t say much. If it weren’t for New York Manhattan being like a giant black hole, attracting any aliens, other countries would probably be more troubled.

Thus, the discussion continued for a while and basically reached a consensus - indeed, we must talk, we have to talk, and talk seriously.

Hence, on the second day of the collective hospitalization of The Avengers, Professor X, amidst a grand lineup of welcomes, walked into the White House for a cordial meeting with the US President and the S.H.I.E.L.D Director. The two sides exchanged in-depth communication on a series of issues, including Clarkia’s future development, and reached a basic consensus.

These are all minor matters. After finishing the diplomatic tutelage and courtesy, Nick hastily caught up with Professor X and asked, "How are things over at Jupiter?"

"Not very optimistic, Nick." Professor X said, "They are steadily nibbling away at the defense line. The Mutants’ strength is insufficient."

Though he already knew the outcome, Nick couldn’t help but sigh and said, "I’m very sorry about Magneto."

"You should know he isn’t dead, but even if he isn’t dead, he won’t be back anytime soon." Professor X said, "Now the problem is, we lack too much strength; missing him doesn’t make a difference."

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

"It should have been thought of when you were preparing the factory project." Professor X pointed out, "Had they not plotted for a long time and with grand schemes, how could they invest so much."

How could Nick not understand this principle? In the past, when aliens invaded, they came. At most, they would only open a spaceship. Unlike this time, they caused such a big stir. They calculated meticulously while they were unprepared, losing was normal.

However, Nick began to sincerely reflect on whether it was truly worthwhile to counter the Mutants with such a grand action. This factory hasn’t done any good from start to finish; its biggest achievement was eliminating the raid squad. The problem is the consciousness was rescued by the Mutants and its body was reconstructed, equivalent to no loss.

In other words, they invested massive manpower and resources and ultimately brought calamity to Earth themselves, having to compromise with the Mutants because of this calamity; what was the point?

"I assure you, next time when embarking on such projects, I will persuade them to consider more carefully." Nick gave his utmost assurance within the scope of his duties, "Even if I can’t completely stop it, at least I’ll give you a hint."

"You’re smart, Director Fury." Professor X stopped and looked into his eyes, saying, "Mutants are a ticking time bomb, but sometimes, they are also the brake and restraint. Those rushing wildly down the wrong path always need a solid southern wall like us, right?"

Nick pursed his lips and said, "We won’t make the mistake of the Red Orchid Factory again. But right now, the most urgent thing is to close the teleportation portal in the Sun. Do you have any ideas?"

"If you expect the Mutants to organize another raid squad and charge into the Sun to close the teleportation portal, I’m afraid it’s not possible. Merely keeping them at the Jupiter Line is already exhausting all efforts."

"I have an idea." Nick said, "Perhaps we don’t need to solve the problem with force."