"Lucas, you're here. I heard you have something important to discuss with me, let's talk upstairs." Tony said.
"Something urgent?" Lucas asked, puzzled.
But after seeing Tony's relieved expression and Pepper's helpless yet amused look, he instantly understood what was happening.
Tony was using him as a shield!
As a good brother, Lucas naturally—
"No, it's not urgent at all. Tony, you go ahead. I'll just grab a drink first."
Lucas walked to the display cabinet, casually picked a non-alcoholic beverage, and started drinking it.
Tony Stark, a multi-billionaire.
The drinks in his home were guaranteed to be of high quality.
However, even though Lucas said it wasn't urgent, Pepper still let Tony off the hook after this interruption. She got up to make coffee for Tony and asked Lucas if he wanted a cup too.
Lucas declined and instead asked for a hot cocoa, which he planned to take home for Gwen later.
It was Gwen's favorite drink.
"Lucas, what's up? Is it about that hammer?" Tony sat down at a comfortable distance from Lucas.
"Yes."
"Jarvis, tell Lucas about it."
Seeing Lucas nod, Tony asked Jarvis to brief Lucas on the information he had gathered.
"Based on data from S.H.I.E.L.D., the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the CIA, and the newly formed S.W.O.R.D. databases, there are seven such hammers."
"Including the hammer Mr. Stark collected, four hammers have already been secured."
"Of the remaining three hammers, one fell into the depths of the Pacific Ocean, one landed in Africa, and one landed in Paris, France."
"Stop. Tony, I'm not here to talk about this." Lucas quickly interrupted.
He wasn't here to concern himself with where these hammers landed.
Tony gave him a puzzled look.
Facing Tony's puzzled gaze, Lucas explained, "Tony, I'm just here to remind you to be careful. These hammers grant considerable power to their chosen wielder."
"Also, if you need help, you can go see Thor and Loki. They should be happy to assist."
"Lucas, aren't you going to get involved in this?" Tony asked.
The security risks posed by these hammers were obvious.
"Tony, everyone has their division of labor. The enemies I need to face are different enemies."
Enemies that you cannot deal with.
Lucas didn't say the last part directly, but Tony still understood.
"Besides, others might not welcome my involvement anyway." Lucas shrugged, stating plainly.
"Other countries won't give up their sovereignty. If I get too involved, I'll just be seen as meddling."
Rushing into things isn't good business. One must wait for the right time to act, not force it.
Although Lucas could already act like Homelander on Earth, or even in the Universe, he had no desire to rule, nor did he want to do unnecessary things. He just wanted a peaceful life.
Anyway, as long as Earth didn't explode, everything else was minor. If Earth really did explode, he could just reverse time with time magic and restore it, it was no big deal.
Tony also realized this, nodded, and said no more.
He just frowned in thought, wondering how to achieve perfection and minimize damage.
This excessive sense of responsibility, stemming from Tony's self-confidence and even arrogance, was a major characteristic of Iron Man.
A moment later, Pepper walked over with coffee and hot cocoa.
Seeing Tony's tightly furrowed brows, she knew that Lucas's visit this time was definitely not for a good reason.
It wasn't until Pepper placed the coffee in front of him that Tony reacted, quickly adjusting his expression.
Seeing this, Pepper said helplessly, "I know you've run into some trouble again. You don't have to hide it from me, Tony."
"No, it's not trouble."
Tony's first reaction was to be stubborn, but seeing Pepper's gaze turn dangerous, he changed his tune.
"Alright, it is a little bit of trouble, but just a tiny bit. And I'm absolutely not in any danger. You know, I'm super strong now."
Just then, Jarvis's voice sounded again. "Sir, urgent message from Commander Hill, would you like to open it?"
"Open."
[Bucky and Steve got attacked, requesting support, coordinates XXX, XXX]
Seeing the message, Tony's expression changed. He quickly summoned his Iron Man Suit, put it on, and opened a portal to provide support.
Hill, after dealing with HYDRA a while ago, resigned from the marginalized and heavily damaged S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, she was employed by Tony as the Commander of the Avengers.
The Avengers had also become independent from S.H.I.E.L.D. and were handed over to Tony.
To some extent, the Avengers was now a subordinate organization of Kamar-Taj. Therefore, the Avengers' roster had also changed.
Blade left, and Quicksilver Pietro joined.
Watching Tony rush off, too hurried to even take a sip of coffee, Pepper sighed deeply.
Compared to the playboy he once was, she preferred the compassionate and responsible Tony he was now. But if his way of expressing compassion and responsibility wasn't by fighting in his Iron Man Suit, that would be even better.
"Lucas, aren't you going?" Seeing Lucas still sitting there, sipping his drink, Pepper asked, puzzled.
"This is their Avengers business, it has nothing to do with me."
"Lucas, aren't you an Avenger?" Pepper became even more confused.
She had always thought Lucas was also a member of the Avengers. After all, he often acted with the Avengers.
"No, I'm not an Avenger." Lucas smiled.
"I am a god."
...
Shortly after Tony emerged from the portal, Pietro also arrived.
Hill had only notified the two of them. Only they possessed the portal spell, giving them rapid support capability.
What greeted Tony and Pietro was Bucky, his metal left arm torn off, his chest impaled, and already showing no signs of life.
Steve, too, was covered in blood and unconscious nearby. As for his iconic Vibranium shield, it was discarded to the side.
"What happened, Mr. Stark? Did you find anything?" Pietro asked.
He hoped that Tony, who had arrived earlier and had Jarvis, an artificial intelligence, to help with analysis, might have found some clues.
Tony remained silent, shaking his head.
Although he and Bucky had some unpleasant history, it was already in the past. And Steve hadn't left the Avengers yet, he was still his comrade.
Seeing one dead and one severely injured, he felt terrible.
"Let's take them back first. Steve needs treatment now."
Tony gestured to Pietro, suggesting they each carry one person back to the base. Afterward, they would return to the combat scene via the portal. They would search the vicinity to see if they could find the perpetrator.
However, after searching for a long time, they ultimately found nothing.