"Does S.H.I.E.L.D. even use the same accounting system as the government? The government's running a deficit and you guys still get to build big toys?"
Nick Fury was already learning to live with Fang Yuan's jabs.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't funded only by government appropriations; we also bring in a lot of revenue from our patents," he explained briefly.
He hadn't even mentioned that they hadn't built just one of these toys—there were three. Besides the one in front of them, two more were still under construction.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had never lacked money, yet the Director always felt his pockets were a little light.
Aboard the carrier, the Avengers and the Howling Commandos had gathered.
Except for Bucky's Howling Commandos, everyone already knew one another well.
After all, they were not only Avengers but also employees of Vought Corporation; between them they'd filmed several blockbusters.
Big-budget features, not the other kind.
Captain America head-butting the Hulk was a plotline Fang Yuan couldn't shoot, although some at Vought had suggested it.
The Avengers were now the most popular team on Earth; in two short years Fang Yuan had covered the ground Vought's "black-robed" division had needed decades to travel.
So the saying still held: the true Vought legacy lies with Fang Yuan!
This time, however, the talk wasn't about whose movie had topped the box office or whose endorsement had sold out. Their fame might rival The Seven, but there was one thing they had that The Seven never would—
they'd never forgotten their real identity: Superheroes.
"I went back to Asgard and asked Father and Heimdall; neither can pinpoint Loki's exact location,"
Thor said first.
Learning Loki was alive delighted him; learning Loki had attacked Earth on his return wiped the smile from his face.
He himself could endure a hundred of Loki's pranks—his hide was thick enough to shrug off backstabs and kidney-punches—but Earth couldn't.
"Did Odin say what the Tesseract actually does?" Tony asked urgently.
"Father said it contains the power of space; it can open Portals anywhere in the Universe. The Bifrost Bridge was modeled on it."
Tony pressed: "Since Loki's your brother and Asgard knows the Tesseract so well, Asgard will help Earth if we're invaded, right?"
"In principle, yes," Thor replied, and the qualifier told everyone how slim their chances were.
"When I came back the Bifrost suddenly wouldn't work near Earth—likely the Tesseract's doing."
"Father had to use his own power to send me here, and it's put him into another Odinsleep."
Thor explained, embarrassed.
To him, the mess was Loki's fault and therefore Asgard's responsibility, yet Asgard could offer no help, leaving the self-proclaimed guardian of the Nine Realms mortified.
"Then we rely on ourselves," Fang Yuan said, rescuing him. "Isn't that why we formed the Avengers?"
Steve added, "Exactly. In times like these we stand together!"
"Hulk, front!"
Banner translated: the big guy was cheering them on, promising to stand in front and take the hits.
Fang Yuan patted Hulk's arm. "Good boy!"
Hulk beamed, a goofy grin that clashed with his massive frame.
Even Banner sighed, "Why didn't I ever notice how cute he is?"
Since splitting from Hulk, Banner's life had returned to normal—and grown more comfortable by the day.
He now saw Hulk for what he was: not a savage monster, but a child starved for attention.
Fang Yuan excelled at handling kids like that.
Hulk obeyed Fang Yuan and was friendly to the other Avengers—except Banner.
"Banner… throw out!" he rumbled.
Bruce Banner's face froze; he could only laugh wryly—no point arguing with a four-year-old intellect.
"Gentlemen," Black Widow Natasha cut in, "we'd better leave the deck; it's about to get hard to breathe."
"Hmm?" Steve asked. "This carrier can go that fast?"
Tony grinned. "Oh, it'll surprise you."
Howard and Banner just smiled.
As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s chief scientist, Howard now held Level-10 clearance like Fury and had helped build the big toy.
Tony came along too, using the excuse of being a technical consultant to borrow plenty of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech.
He could have built it himself, but since S.H.I.E.L.D. already had a finished product, Tony saw no reason to reinvent the wheel.
What? Stealing tech?
If Howard looked the other way, it wasn't stealing.
In the past Tony would have scoffed at such technology, but because Fang Yuan formed the Avengers early, Tony's sense of crisis kicked in sooner.
Especially after the Frost Giant invasion—when Fang Yuan sacrificed himself and Tony could do nothing—the urgency peaked.
Just look at the Iron Man Suit numbers: he's already up to Mark 42, proof of how frantic Tony has become.
These were originally meant to appear in Iron Man 3, built only after Tony was traumatized by the Chitauri.
From Mark 10 to Mark 41, every suit was designed for a special mission—diving, volcano-walking, hypersonic flight, radiation shielding, heavy-lift—ready for any scenario.
Of course Howard helped; for the main battle suit Mark 42 now in development, Howard supplied plenty of input on remote-control functions.
If a certain burly bear of a man found out, he'd grunt in ridicule: 'Told ya—remote, remote is better!'
Still, no matter how much Tony borrowed from S.H.I.E.L.D., he kept some scruples, unlike Fang Yuan, who looted everything in sight.
If the helicarrier weren't too big to steal, Fang Yuan would have packed one up and hauled it away.
'What? This aircraft carrier can fly?'
Steve's eyes went wide; he thought that after seeing magic and resurrection, nothing could shock him anymore.
Until he watched a carrier lift off.
That sight hit him harder than discovering Nick Fury, a Black man, was Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Thor, for his part, wasn't surprised in the least.
Ships that fly—common knowledge, isn't it?
All Asgard's ships can fly.
Soon they held their pre-battle briefing, chaired by Director Fury and eighth-level consultant Fang Yuan.
Yes, Fang Yuan's earlier rescue efforts finally earned Fury's trust, granting him access to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified files.
Of course, it also helped that Fang Yuan had caused this mess—if Fury hadn't pushed to restart research on the Tesseract, the crisis wouldn't exist.
So Fury's olive branch was meant to coax Fang Yuan into giving extra support.
Fury had heard that this time Loki had even sealed the Bifrost Bridge—no mere prank.
'Loki will definitely use the Tesseract again; after all, he took a scientist with him,' Tony said.
Banner studied the Tesseract data and offered, 'It emits trace gamma rays. I can try tracking them to locate it.'
'The Military must prep early. If a full-scale war breaks out, we can't handle it alone,' Steve added.
Fury nodded. 'Forces are mobilizing. Lieutenant General Chester will command; he's pledged full cooperation.'
Tony brightened. 'Chester? Not Ross this time?'
At the name Ross, Hulk scrunched his face in disgust.
'The Incredible Hulk released two months ago painted Ross as the big bad, so the Military benched him,' Fury said wryly.
'Woohoo!' Thor laughed, slapping Hulk. 'Big guy, you earned it, haha!'
Fury glanced at Fang Yuan.
A single movie couldn't strip Ross of command—but Fang Yuan's Outer Disciples could.
Nick Fury felt the Avengers underestimated Fang Yuan; his Outer Disciples now sat in governments worldwide, wielding unmatched influence.
Ross didn't just lose this command—he'd likely never lead troops again.
The capital that once backed Ross now belonged to Fang Yuan.
Beside Awakening Serum, Life Serum, and Longevity Serum, one Ross wasn't worth the price.
'Sir!'
'Loki's appeared!'
An Agent aboard the helicarrier reported.
'Stuttgart, Germany. 28 Kuning Street.'
Thor said at once, 'Let's go grab him!'
'Wait—he exposed himself on purpose?' Steve frowned, puzzled by Loki's move.
Howard reacted fast, pulling up the database, and within moments spotted the clue.
'There's a vault nearby storing iridium—the material Selvig needs!'
Tony raised an eyebrow; he hadn't thought of that.
'Then we split into two teams,' Fang Yuan said with a smile.
This World's Battle of New York had veered off course from the very start.
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