Although it was called a celebration, Nolan had little interest in attending.
He only showed up for a small private gathering before returning to his laboratory. To him, these victory banquets meant nothing.
He had no desire to sit around a table with politicians discussing empty words. Those things no longer mattered.
When he returned to Lock Technologies, Jessica Jones, Daisy Johnson, and Sharon Carter were already waiting for him.
The three of them had also participated in the war.
But they had never been part of the main battlefield.
None of them were frontline warriors, and while they all possessed useful abilities, their combat strength was limited.
Jessica Jones had plenty of fighting experience thanks to her work as a private investigator, but her raw power wasn't enough to make a real difference on a battlefield of that scale.
More importantly, Nolan had deliberately refused to equip them with his combat armor.
The reason was simple.
He didn't want them risking their lives.
Earth already had more than enough superheroes.
As long as he was there to fight, that was enough.
Otherwise, what was the point of possessing such overwhelming power?
The three women had been unhappy with his decision, but Nolan's stubborn determination left them no room to argue.
In the end, they could only obey him and assist in the safer areas of the battlefield.
Even those assignments had been dangerous, but at least they hadn't faced the terrifying enemies that Nolan had confronted.
After attending a few postwar receptions, they had all returned to the company.
Compared to spending time with strangers, they preferred celebrating together with Nolan.
The moment he saw them, Nolan stepped forward and embraced all three.
"Thank goodness this damned war is finally over."
Daisy let out a long sigh.
"There was so much destruction..."
Her voice carried obvious emotion.
The scale of this war had been beyond imagination.
The plains of Wakanda had been completely devastated.
Fortunately, the battlefield had been far from any populated cities.
If the fighting had reached civilian areas, the losses would have been catastrophic.
She had also watched countless people she had met during the war die before her eyes.
Most of them had only exchanged a few conversations with her.
Some were people she'd only known for a single day.
Yet even that was enough to leave a lasting impression.
For the first time, she truly understood how cruel war could be.
She never wanted to experience another battlefield like that again.
After all, she had always been a hacker.
Office work was what she was good at.
War was never meant for someone like her.
Nolan smiled reassuringly.
"Thanos is gone."
"For quite a long time, Earth should finally enjoy some peace."
"There may still be smaller threats in the future, but nothing that can endanger the entire planet."
"So all you need to do is return to your normal lives."
"There's no need to keep worrying."
The three women smiled.
"That's wonderful."
Jessica clapped her hands.
"Then let's finally plan our vacation."
Nolan immediately raised both hands.
"Hey, you three can decide that yourselves."
"I'll be happy wherever we go as long as we're together."
"Although..."
"How about Hawaii?"
"I already promised Tony we'd take a trip there."
Daisy shook her head.
"That's not enough."
"Hawaii is wonderful."
"But after Hawaii, why don't we visit France?"
"And maybe a few other countries too."
"You're not exactly busy anymore, are you?"
Nolan sighed helplessly.
"You're right."
"I'm not terribly busy."
"But that doesn't mean I suddenly have unlimited free time."
"This war has only just ended."
"I still have a mountain of work waiting for me."
"I may have said I'd leave the political cleanup to everyone else."
"But Lock Technologies still has plenty to handle."
"There are countless things we need to recover from the battlefield."
"And some of those things are incredibly valuable."
"I can't just ignore them."
He spread his hands apologetically.
"I'd love nothing more than to spend every day traveling with you."
"But I'm still a businessman."
"I have responsibilities."
Sharon Carter crossed her arms.
"I honestly don't understand you."
"You're already the richest man on Earth."
"What difference does earning even more money make?"
The other two nodded in agreement.
"She's right."
"You should start focusing on something besides making money."
"You already have more wealth than anyone could ever spend."
"Look at Tony Stark."
"He's rich too."
"But making money isn't his goal."
"He spends his time creating new technology."
"You have the same level of talent."
"But every time you talk, it's always about earning more money."
"So why keep chasing it?"
"Wouldn't it be better to actually enjoy your life?"
Nolan shook his head.
"No."
"You don't understand."
"Money is incredibly important to me."
"You think I've earned enough."
"But the truth is..."
"The dangers facing Earth are far from over."
"Thanos wasn't the only threat."
"There are countless overlords scattered across the universe."
"And then there are the Dimensional Lords."
"They've never stopped coveting Earth."
"The moment they discover another opening, they'll invade without hesitation."
"And that's not all."
"There are also beings known as the Celestials."
"They're unimaginably powerful."
"They stayed out of this war."
"But that doesn't mean they'll stay silent forever."
"If I let my guard down..."
"The consequences could be disastrous."
He smiled helplessly.
"I joke about making money all the time."
"But everything I do..."
"It's for all of you."
Of course, that wasn't the whole truth.
Those enemies certainly existed.
But they weren't the real reason he pursued wealth so obsessively.
His greatest motivation was still the System.
Only enormous amounts of money could unlock its more advanced functions.
That secret, however, was one he could never reveal.
After hearing his explanation, the smiles disappeared from the three women's faces.
They hadn't realized that Earth still faced so many terrifying enemies.
Nor had they imagined that dangers beyond the planet were even greater.
No wonder Nolan could never truly relax.
Yet that only made them worry even more.
In their eyes, protecting Earth shouldn't be Nolan's burden alone.
He wasn't the only superhero.
Everyone should shoulder that responsibility together.
Sharon spoke first.
"If that's the case..."
"Why don't you tell everyone what you know?"
"Let everyone work together."
"You wouldn't have to carry everything by yourself."
Nolan smiled and gently shook his head.
"It wouldn't accomplish anything."
"It would only make everyone more anxious."
"And honestly..."
"I may sound serious."
"But none of those enemies are truly difficult for me."
"When they appear..."
"I'll deal with them."
Despite his confident tone, none of the three women looked reassured.
Instead, they believed he was simply trying to comfort them.
They knew Nolan too well to be fooled by such calm words.
Jessica looked at him seriously.
"In that case..."
"Let's cancel the trip."
"It isn't important."
"It'll only waste your time."
"You should focus on whatever helps you become stronger."
"If earning more money lets you build better technology..."
"Then that's what you should do."
"I don't understand how your finances work."
"But if having more money means developing stronger robots..."
"Then that's far more important."
Nolan instantly regretted opening his mouth.
He had only been trying to avoid an endless travel schedule.
Instead, he'd nearly talked himself out of the vacation entirely.
It wasn't that he hated traveling.
He simply wasn't interested in spending months touring every country on Earth.
Just as he struggled to find an answer, Sharon stepped in.
"Actually..."
"Taking a vacation isn't a bad idea."
"Even scientists need time to relax."
"If you're constantly buried in a laboratory..."
"Eventually your mind becomes exhausted."
"Sometimes the best inspiration comes after taking a break."
"So I think you should go."
"Rest first."
"Then return to work refreshed."
Before anyone else could speak, Nolan nodded vigorously.
"Exactly!"
"I do want to develop stronger technology as quickly as possible."
"But Sharon's right."
"If I never relax..."
"My work will eventually suffer."
"And honestly..."
"I'd like a vacation too."
"I still think Hawaii is enough."
"But if all of you really want to travel around the world..."
"I'll gladly make time."
"I can certainly spare a little."
This time, however, none of the women insisted on a world tour.
Hawaii...
They had already been there several times.
Yet the beautiful beaches and endless ocean were still irresistible.
With that settled, Nolan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least there wouldn't be any more debates about travel plans.
His expression gradually became serious again.
Now it was time to handle everything left behind after the war.
He hadn't lied.
Lock Technologies still had an enormous amount of work ahead.
Although he had no interest in involving himself in every aspect of the reconstruction, there were many things he absolutely intended to claim.
For example...
The technology left behind by Thanos' army.
As one of the most powerful military forces in the universe, the Mad Titan's empire possessed astonishing scientific achievements.
There was no way Lock Technologies would allow such priceless technology to slip away.
Nolan fully intended to lead those research projects himself.
But that wasn't the only issue.
There was another matter that demanded his immediate attention.
Before the war, he had opened Lock Technologies' weapons catalog to governments around the world, allowing them to purchase advanced equipment to strengthen Earth's defenses against Thanos.
Now that the war was over...
Those sales would end.
Earth was already unstable enough.
He had no intention of flooding the planet with even more devastating weapons.
The current arsenal was already dangerous.
Adding even more advanced technology would only increase the likelihood of global conflict.
More importantly...
It would push humanity into the interstellar age far earlier than it should.
That wasn't a future Nolan wanted.
Tony Stark possessed technology capable of reaching the stars.
But one genius having that capability was vastly different from humanity as a whole entering the galactic stage.
Once Earth stepped into the wider universe...
Everything would change.
Of course, Nolan knew perfectly well that the world's governments would never willingly give up access to the technology he had made available.
Those weapons had dramatically increased every nation's military strength.
Closing those sales channels would mean a massive decline in global military power.
No country would willingly accept that outcome.
But Nolan had already made his decision.
If any nation dared object...
Then it was time for them to witness exactly what Nolan Lock's power truly meant.
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