novelnext Chapter 164 The big shots are here!
Chapter 164 The big shots are here!
Chapter 164 The big shots are here!
When Steve tried to ask Nick Fury to relinquish the title of Captain America, he received no response, which gave him a bad feeling. The images shown on Stark Satellite confirmed Steve's suspicions.
"Just recently, Captain Marvel stormed into the Helicarrier, and not through the main gate," Stark felt his head throbbing even more. "The Helicarrier—it's probably already been taken by Red Skull's men. We've been on the defensive, but there's nothing we can do."
"But we still need to give Professor X a proper burial. I'll go talk to the X-Men." Steve sighed, waved, and left the building. Stark, on the other hand, used all his satellites to keep a close eye on the Helicarrier's trajectory.
The airship is equipped with extremely advanced weaponry, and its ammunition capacity is enough to destroy a small country.
The thought of this made Stark want to kill Nick Fury. This damn guy actually handed over such an important strategic vehicle.
However, Iron Man didn't actually do the stupid thing of searching for the missing Fury. If that damned guy wanted to hide himself, no one could find him—except for Red Skull, who now has the ability to see through everything.
A few days later, Professor X's funeral was held in a solemn atmosphere.
The sky was overcast, and a light rain fell, as if the whole world was mourning the passing of this mutant leader. The Avengers members—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and others—stood solemnly before the grave. The X-Men surrounded the coffin; Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and others remained silent, their eyes flashing with grief and anger. Other hero groups, also dressed in formal attire, came to attend the funeral of this pacifist.
Even now, the X-Men are still haunted by the fact that the damned Red Skull used the Purple Man to manipulate their minds and kill the leader of the pacifist faction among mutants. If it weren't for Rune's help, the entire student body of Xavier's College and the X-Men would likely have been controlled by the Purple Man.
But everyone present knew that Professor X's death would not only anger the Avengers and X-Men, but would also provoke a big shot.
Magneto did not disappoint. Soon, the clanging of metal and the ringing of metal grew louder as they approached. The Avengers looked up alertly and saw a group of figures slowly approaching—Magneto, clad in a deep red robe, hovering in mid-air.
Behind him followed the elite members of the Brotherhood of Mutants: Mystique, Hound, Juggernaut, and others. Their arrival instantly heightened the tension at the funeral.
"Charles—." Magneto's voice was deep and cold. His gaze swept over the Avengers, finally settling on the X-Men: "I warned him that humanity would never truly accept us. And now, he's dead—and you, these so-called 'heroes,' failed to protect him."
Steve stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Eric, we are all grieving, but this is not the time to provoke conflict."
'
"But he's still dead, isn't he?" Magneto sneered, metal fragments swirling around him. "And—"
Grief? Your grief is meaningless. Charles dedicated his life to peace, only to be betrayed and killed in the end. And you are nothing but lackeys of the American government. What right do you have to put on this pretentious act of toughness? Hmm?
He turned to the X-Men, his tone softening slightly: "You—you were his students, his family. Now that he's gone, are you still going to believe those empty promises?"
Mutants have long been persecuted in the Marvel Universe. They have been viewed as "outcasts" and subjected to surveillance, capture, and even massacre by human governments, such as the Sentinel robots that once destroyed humanity, and the Mutant Registration Act, similar to the Superhero Registration Act. Even members of the X-Men, who advocate peaceful coexistence with humans, are accustomed to being persecuted.
Cyclops clenched his fist, his voice hoarse: "What are you trying to say, Eric?"
"Join me." Magneto stretched out his hand and said expressionlessly, "Mutants cannot rely on human pity. We must unite and fight for our future with our strength—just as Charles once hoped, only this time, we will not back down."
Storm's eyes gleamed silver, a storm brewed in the clouds, Wolverine silently extended his claws, and Cyclops walked up to Magneto, coldly saying, "Charles wouldn't want you to 'commemorate' him with violence. I beg you, don't let Red Skull take advantage of the situation. Charles's dream is coexistence, not domination. If you truly respect him, you should understand that."
Magneto's face darkened, and the surrounding metal began to vibrate.
"So, your choice is to continue being humans' pets?"
"Hey, Magneto—" Stark had already quickly donned an anti-Magneto armor, but he knew that this armor could only provide him with some psychological comfort. As long as humanity couldn't abandon metal products, no one could completely defeat Magneto. Nevertheless, he still chose to step forward and communicate: "If we clash now, it will only make Red Skull laugh heartily—."
"I know!" Magneto said coldly, while behind him, various metal objects were already prepared and ready to be launched at any moment: "You bunch of useless trash, you can't even handle that idiot with the skull face. After I deal with him, I'll deal with you rabble!"
Just as the conflict was about to erupt, a booming sound came from afar. The sound sounded familiar, but it enraged Stark.
He turned his head and saw a one-eyed white man standing there, holding a megaphone: "Magneto, a funeral is not a battlefield. Step back."
Magneto coldly surveyed the room, finally letting out a snort before turning and leaving with only one sentence: "Remember this day, X-Men. When humanity betrays you again, don't expect me to lend a hand."
As the Brotherhood members disappeared into the rain, the X-Men stood there, their hearts filled with conflict. The funeral continued, but everyone knew—the rift between mutants and humans was deepening, and this didn't even require Red Skull to do anything; those foolish politicians would only exacerbate the conflict for him.
After all, mutants are a true minority, while the majority of voters oppose mutants due to fear and other reasons.
Iron Man then turned and glared at Nick Fury: "You idiot, how dare you hand over the Helicarrier? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
However, Fury simply pointed to the sky and smiled at Stark, while Steve, who had fought alongside him during World War II, stepped in to smooth things over.
In this universe, Fury was the captain of the Howling Commandos, while Steve was one of the core members of the team. The two cooperated many times to carry out missions such as sabotage behind enemy lines and raids on Nazi bases. Having truly experienced Fury's strategies, Steve was willing to believe that he was probably the world's strongest spy.
"I believe Fury has his own plans, Stark, trust me."
Stark felt a surge of burning anger rise in his chest, making his temples throb. So, completely disregarding his current image, he coldly glared at Fury and cursed, "Go to hell!"
"Believe me, Tony, the situation is completely under my control," Fury said. "Although the Thunderbolts have betrayed us and seized control of the mothership, but—"
Tony laughed, his laughter interrupting Fury's words, and even Steve frowned.
"Thunderbolts? You mean that special operations team made up of former criminals? Fury, I told you about the risks of recruiting those people! And you still let them be stationed on the Helicarrier. Look what's happened, huh?"
"This is not the time to assign blame, Stark," Fury's voice hardened. "Now we need your help to retake the mothership."
"Oh, so you need me now?" Tony sneered, starting to walk across the muddy ground. "After I warned you countless times about the security protocol vulnerabilities? After you rejected my suggestion to upgrade the mothership's firewall, citing 'limited budget'?"
"Enough!" Fury glared at him with his only remaining eye. "I didn't come here alone so you could yell at me! I demand that you return to Avengers Tower right now to discuss a plan!"
At that moment, Wolverine walked over.
"We're leaving. You can keep arguing there." He sneered, "You'd better wait until Magneto goes to find Red Skull, until the Berserker reappears, and then kill us all!"
After saying that, he left alone, ignoring everyone's reactions.