Not long ago, Nolan Locke had held a remote negotiation with the members of the World Security Council through S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill.
The outcome had been exactly what he wanted.
Nolan had emerged victorious.
The old men on the Council had ultimately chosen to back down.
Because of that, Nolan believed he had more than enough influence to ensure that no nation on Earth would dare move against him.
His confidence came not only from his political leverage, but also from his overwhelming personal strength.
With power like his, what was there to fear?
If the worst came to pass, he would simply turn the entire world upside down.
For the moment, however, the matter no longer required his attention.
He had only released the announcement.
Actually carrying out the policy would take a considerable amount of time.
Halting the sale of advanced weapons wasn't something that could be done overnight.
There were countless procedures involved before the sales could officially stop.
For now, he had simply issued the order.
After a designated transition period, Lock Technology would permanently end weapon sales.
That would at least give every nation enough time to prepare.
Compared to politics, Nolan was looking forward far more to the upcoming vacation in Hawaii.
Early the next morning, he boarded his private jet.
Besides his three girlfriends...
There was one unexpected passenger.
Hela.
Nolan blinked in surprise.
He had never invited Hela to join this Hawaii trip.
In fact, he had assumed she wouldn't be interested in something like sightseeing.
After all, Hela had lived for countless years.
Earth's famous landmarks were probably places she'd visited long ago.
Not just Earth.
There were likely very few places in the entire universe that remained unfamiliar to her.
So why would she suddenly decide to vacation in Hawaii?
Still...
Since Hela had already come, Nolan had no intention of turning her away.
Their relationship had become quite good.
What he failed to notice...
Was that Jessica Jones, Sharon Carter, and Daisy Johnson were all quietly glaring at Hela.
Their eyes carried unmistakable hostility.
Unlike Nolan, the three women weren't nearly so easy to fool.
On the surface, Hela and Nolan appeared to be nothing more than close friends.
But women's intuition told them otherwise.
They were absolutely convinced...
Hela had feelings for Nolan.
The relationship between the three of them was already complicated enough.
Adding another woman into the mix?
That was completely unacceptable.
The only problem...
Was that Hela was terrifyingly powerful.
Even the three of them instinctively felt pressure whenever they looked at her.
But when it came to the man they loved...
None of them intended to back down.
Hela noticed their expressions.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Hidden beneath that smile...
Was unmistakable disdain.
She simply didn't care about these three women from Earth.
Yes, each of them possessed their own unique charm.
But compared to her?
They couldn't even be mentioned in the same breath.
Nolan Locke had already become one of the strongest beings in the universe.
A man like him naturally attracted her attention.
More importantly...
She was now completely certain of one thing.
Nolan's body had long since surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.
He was no longer simply an Earthling.
Only someone like her...
Could remain by his side forever.
As for these three women...
In Hela's eyes, they were merely temporary companions.
Their lifespans were far too short.
Eventually, they would disappear from Nolan's life.
Because of that...
Rather than jealousy, all Hela felt was contempt mixed with a trace of mockery.
She didn't even bother hiding it.
Naturally...
The three women noticed.
The atmosphere instantly grew even colder.
Normally, Jessica, Daisy, and Sharon competed with one another in secret.
None of them was willing to give up Nolan.
But today...
Everything changed.
Without saying a word...
The three women formed a temporary alliance.
Jessica gritted her teeth.
"Nolan Locke is such a shameless flirt."
"Tony Stark may have been a playboy once, but at least he's loyal now."
Her eyes remained locked firmly on Nolan.
She spoke softly enough that he couldn't hear.
Or at least...
She assumed he couldn't.
Nolan looked over with a puzzled expression.
He had no idea why Jessica was suddenly glaring at him.
Of course, if he activated his enhanced senses, he could easily hear every word she whispered.
But he never did that in daily life.
Everyone deserved their own privacy.
Knowing absolutely everything wasn't living.
It was torture.
Outside of combat, he deliberately suppressed most of his superhuman abilities so they wouldn't interfere with normal life.
Seeing Nolan's innocent expression only made Jessica even more annoyed.
She let out a small huff.
Then turned her head away.
Daisy Johnson bit her lip as well.
She looked equally dissatisfied.
She had once believed she could become Nolan's only woman.
Instead...
After all this time...
She had somehow become one of three.
She wasn't unhappy with being together with Nolan.
Nor did she reject their current relationship.
But she absolutely refused to let a fourth woman join them.
She immediately nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
"Tony Stark used to be a notorious playboy."
"But he cut ties with all those women years ago."
"Now his heart belongs only to Pepper."
Sharon Carter sighed helplessly.
She was unhappy with Nolan too.
But unlike the other two, she remained calm.
"Nolan may be hopelessly romantic..."
"But are either of you really planning to leave him?"
Jessica and Daisy exchanged helpless looks.
Then both shook their heads.
They had already lost this battle long ago.
Not only had they failed to defeat Nolan...
They had practically surrendered themselves completely.
At this point...
How could they possibly turn things around?
"Hey."
"I think I heard you talking about me."
"Were you complimenting me?"
Tony Stark walked over with a grin.
Pepper Potts stood beside him, holding his hand.
She smiled warmly.
"It's been a while."
She greeted the three women.
Because of Nolan and Tony's friendship, everyone had become close over the years.
However...
After noticing the atmosphere...
Pepper immediately understood something was wrong.
She also noticed Hela.
A helpless expression appeared on her face.
If it were anyone else...
She might have tried to smooth things over.
But this woman was Hela.
The legendary Goddess of Death.
Even though Pepper wasn't a superhero, she knew perfectly well how terrifying Hela was.
Offending someone like her would only bring unnecessary trouble to Tony.
As someone who always supported her husband wisely...
There was no way she'd make such a foolish mistake.
Besides...
Love was something outsiders should never interfere with.
Just look at the current situation.
Jessica, Daisy, and Sharon had been rivals only moments ago.
Now they were united like sisters.
Nolan finally walked over.
He had already sensed something strange about the atmosphere.
He simply couldn't figure out what was happening.
He noticed the three women constantly watching Hela.
But in his mind...
That was perfectly normal.
After all, Hela was the legendary Goddess of Death.
Any ordinary person would naturally be curious about her.
Especially after hearing about everything that had happened.
Being cautious around Hela was only common sense.
What Nolan never imagined...
Was that the issue had absolutely nothing to do with Hela's identity.
Instead...
The three women had already convinced themselves that something romantic existed between him and Hela.
Honestly...
Nolan admitted Hela was incredibly beautiful.
But heaven was his witness.
Their relationship was completely innocent.
They were simply close friends.
Nothing more.
Tony's arrival felt like a lifesaver.
Nolan immediately escaped the dangerous atmosphere and walked over to him.
"So."
"Ready to begin this vacation?"
Tony quickly sensed the bizarre tension among the four women.
"Absolutely."
"I've been looking forward to this for ages."
Then he lowered his voice.
"Nolan..."
"What exactly is going on?"
"Has your backyard finally caught fire?"
His face was filled with anticipation.
This shameless guy already had three women.
Now he somehow had an unclear relationship with Hela too.
In Tony's eyes...
Nolan had officially become a first-class scoundrel.
Naturally...
Tony completely ignored the fact that he himself had once been exactly the same.
Nolan chuckled.
"Are you really sure you want to start comparing our romantic histories?"
"I've only ever been with these three."
"Should I count how many women you've slept with?"
"Cough..."
Tony nearly choked.
"Fine."
"Let's change the subject."
As open-minded as Western culture was...
He was still famous for his playboy past.
If Pepper heard too much...
He was definitely going to suffer later.
Mutual destruction wasn't worth it.
Changing the subject was the safest choice.
After all...
They still wanted to remain friends.
Tony became serious.
"Speaking of business..."
"What are you planning to do now?"
"The war is over."
"But every country is increasing its purchases from Lock Technology."
"If this keeps going, it'll eventually trigger a global arms race."
"That would be a disaster."
"But if you really try to revoke everyone's purchasing rights..."
"I seriously doubt any government will agree."
Nolan simply smiled.
"Is it really that complicated?"
"I'll just tell them..."
"I'm no longer selling those weapons."
"That's all."
Tony stared at him in disbelief.
"..."
"Can you really handle something like that so directly?"
"They'll never accept it."
"We're businessmen."
"Not dictators."
He couldn't deny that Nolan's decision would benefit Earth in the long run.
But the way he described it...
Sounded almost tyrannical.
More importantly...
Where exactly did Nolan get such confidence?
Yes.
The nations of Earth had previously accepted Nolan reclaiming all five Infinity Stones.
But those had been Nolan's war trophies.
No one could reasonably take them from him.
Weapons were completely different.
Every country had already experienced the overwhelming advantages of Lock Technology's military equipment.
There was no way they would quietly accept Nolan changing his mind now.
To them...
The Infinity Stones were legendary relics they couldn't truly use.
But Lock Technology's weapons...
Were practical.
Immediate.
Powerful.
Every nation could deploy them.
If Nolan insisted on taking that advantage away...
Tony honestly suspected some governments might resort to military sanctions.
Even if Nolan was incredibly powerful...
Could one man really oppose the entire world?
Where did that confidence come from?
Yet...
Seeing Nolan's completely unconcerned expression...
Tony simply laughed.
There really was an enormous difference between them.
Nolan's own strength had already reached a level that made the entire world fear him.
Tony...
Was still just a superhero.
He smiled.
"Fine."
"No matter what you decide in the future..."
"You should know one thing."
"I'm on your side."
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