By the next day, major media outlets in New York were scrambling to report on Namor's raid from the previous day. Many dug up information on this "Little Prince of the Deep Sea" for research, and news agencies began analyzing why Namor had brought his army to the city's doorstep, why the Pentagon hadn't reacted, and what exactly the Avengers and the Fantastic Four had discussed with Namor to make him withdraw so suddenly.
The Avengers' official statement was that Namor had merely come to protest humanity's over-exploitation of the seas, but it seemed no one believed them.
"In reality, I already exaggerated quite a bit just to make them think Namor actually had a legitimate reason for being here," Tony said, tossing a beanbag at a target on one of the Avengers Tower's pillars. "If they knew that the ruler of the ocean is a lunatic, the entire world would fall into a panic."
"Actually, Namor does have a mental illness."
Hank looked up from a report sent by the Fantastic Four, glancing at the Avengers whose eyes were now fixed on him. "What, haven't any of you read the data the Fantastic Four sent over? Since Namor is a hybrid of a human and an Atlantean, living in either the deep sea or on land for extended periods causes an oxygen imbalance. This leads to negative side effects, resulting in a tendency toward bipolar emotional expression."
Hank looked at the physical exam the Fantastic Four had once performed on Namor and, seeing the Avengers still staring, explained further: "You know bipolar disorder, right? It's... alternating episodes of depression and mania. Namor hasn't reached the level of a full disorder, but he has bipolar tendencies. Also... based on the Fantastic Four's interactions with Namor during his amnesiac period, they feel it's like PTSD from a battlefield..."
"He fought in World War II alongside us to protect his oceans..." Cap sighed helplessly.
After hearing this, Janet asked curiously, "Wait, hearing it that way, it sounds like the young man isn't beyond help. If he just came to land for a vacation more often, wouldn't his emotional expression normalize?"
"No, that's impossible."
Tony spoke as he walked over to pick up the beanbags from the floor one by one, cradling them in his arms before continuing his game. "He loves the ocean floor to death; he won't come up no matter what. He needs that viscous fish-like fluid to moisturize his skin. He spends every day rubbing fish all over himself—is he married? Surely it wasn't to a fish, right?"
"In our era, he had a lover, a member of the Atlantean royalty, but I'm not sure if she's still around," Cap answered before sighing. "Regardless, Namor seems to have only intended to announce to the world that he's still alive, and not much else."
Indeed, there wasn't much else.
Thus, everyone was confused about what Namor had actually come for. They hadn't yet anticipated the bizarre events that would occur next month, leaving everyone scratching their heads.
Just kidding—even if they knew, they still wouldn't understand Namor's motives. It could probably only be interpreted as a manic episode.
"Speaking of which, how is the Cube? I heard it's a VIP ward for Gamma prisoners."
As Tony finished, Cap was about to speak, but Tony turned and tossed a beanbag at Banner, who was dozing on the sofa. It hit him squarely on the head. Everyone jumped in surprise, but Banner merely woke up slowly, looking around with sleepy eyes. "Hmm? Guys? Did something happen?"
"How is the Cube, Banner? You worked there for a few days during the Kang Dynasty, and now you've gone back to check on it. Any thoughts?"
"Oh, that."
Banner rubbed his eyes and thought about his experience. "It's hard to say. Theoretically, Ross wasn't involved in the final battle, so he shouldn't know about the Kang Dynasty. But for some reason... I feel like he doesn't entirely forget. He really wants his subordinates to replicate another Blonsky and start mass production; I'm very certain of that."
"So the Cube isn't a prison at all; it's actually a research institute. Ross is using it specifically to study those Gamma monsters—the Leader, Abomination, and the Absorbing Man, who hasn't been brought to justice yet. Of course, the one he wants to catch most is the Hulk."
Banner frowned as he spoke. When he went to the prison with Cap, the Hulk had performed a "visitation." Since Banner and the Hulk had engaged in a dialogue earlier with the help of Professor Charles Xavier, their memories were now interconnected, and Banner had seen the process of the visitation.
What worried him was the operational status of the base and the clear preferential treatment the Leader received inside. This "mad scientist" genius, who once tried to cure Banner and created the Abomination, seemed the most likely person to create mass-produced Abominations. Back then, after he was affected by Gamma blood, he gained extreme intellectual development and attempted to create more Gamma monsters to fight the Hulk.
He was then caught by Ross following the trail.
But overall, with the Avengers around, Banner felt that even if the Leader and Ross planned something, they would be able to discover it in advance.
Come to think of it... these past two months have been exceptionally peaceful.
This wasn't sarcasm. To most New Yorkers, these past few months had indeed been very calm. First, with the successive founding of the Avengers and the Defenders in 2012, the New York underworld had been cleared out. Mob bosses like Kingpin, Hammerhead, Tombstone, and Silvermane were all behind bars. Then, they hadn't experienced the Kang Dynasty; in the eyes of New Yorkers, the Kang Dynasty was just Kang trying to invade New York and being taken out by the Avengers in one go.
Instead, "Octopus City" and the Sinister Six had left a deep impression on New Yorkers, but Spider-Man had defeated the Sinister Six in just forty-eight hours—three died on the spot, and one was sentenced to death.
The Carnage incident had simply nothing to do with most New Yorkers. All the murders were hushed up, and Cletus simply fled, with only a few cases of Carnage infection occurring in New York.
Thinking of this, Banner even remarked with emotion, "It really is peaceful."
"No!" * 4
Excluding Banner, who said it, and the absent Spider-Man, Thor, and Black Panther, everyone else present made a horrified expression in unison. Banner looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong? Am I wrong?"
"Never say that sentence in a police station, a hospital, a fire station, or among us. It's a curse," Cap explained. "The moment you say it, trouble is bound to come."
Everyone waited in silence for a full minute.
Well, indeed, nothing happened.
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