The moment Gravik spoke those words, the faces of the representatives in the United Nations conference room collectively changed.
The smiles on the faces of the audience members, who had been cheering wildly at the live stream just a second ago, also instantly froze.
Thirteen nuclear bombs.
And all of them had been placed in the capitals of prominent nations!
Once these nuclear bombs were detonated, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Not only would there be hundreds of millions of civilian casualties, but it would also cause immense damage to those countries!
"He's lying, right? Please, someone, anyone, tell me he's lying!"
"It's over, it's really over..."
"How can we break this situation!"
"How else can it be broken? The remote is in his hand. No matter how powerful The Arbiter is, can his speed really be faster than someone pressing a finger?"
A gloom hung over the internet, and in reality, the citizens of those thirteen capitals were going absolutely crazy!
Although everyone knew that if a nuclear bomb exploded, there would be nowhere to run, they still instinctively began to riot; several stampedes had already occurred even before the bombs were detonated.
On the battlefield of Chernobyl, the Superheroes who had been hunting down Skrulls soldiers also stopped their movements at this moment.
The various heroes looked at each other, and they could all read the same meaning in each other's eyes:
This move was too dirty!
And there was absolutely no solution!
Just as everyone was stunned and at a loss because of Gravik's words, Peter's voice rang out once more:
"So... what do you plan to do?"
"I admit that letting you detonate the nuclear bombs is not a wise choice, but I don't think you want all of your Skrulls to be completely wiped out because of this either."
Hearing this, Gravik once again let out a fit of maniacal laughter:
"What do I want to do?"
"I want you to kneel down immediately on the global live stream, kowtow three times to me, and then arrange a spaceship to send me and my subordinates away from Earth!"
"If you dare to play any tricks during this process..."
As he spoke, his thumb pressed down another half-millimeter.
"I'll make hundreds of millions of Earthlings be buried with me!"
The battlefield went silent.
All combat had ceased. Gwen, Tony, Sif, Wanda... everyone's gaze was focused on Peter.
The global audience didn't even dare to breathe.
The bullet comments instantly went silent!
Everyone was cursing Gravik's despicableness and shamelessness in their hearts, yet not a single person dared to say, "Don't agree to it!"
Those were hundreds of millions of lives!
This number was too heavy; no one could bear such a responsibility!
Seeing that The Arbiter remained silent and made no move, Gravik realized that he had finally won this time!
Color gradually returned to his pale face, and his voice regained its former arrogance:
"The Arbiter, my patience has its limits!"
"I'll give you a final 30 seconds. When the countdown ends, I'll make the civilians of those cities be buried with me!"
"30"
"29"
"28"
Gravik's countdown echoed around the globe like a death knell from the Shinigami.
Audiences outside of those thirteen cities watching the live stream all held their breath.
Meanwhile, the audiences within those thirteen cities were the first to break down, their cries and screams echoing throughout their respective cities.
Their messages flashed frantically across the bullet comments:
"I'm begging you, Lord Arbiter, please kneel... I'm begging you..."
"Kneeling once won't hurt! As long as I can survive, I will see you as my idol for the rest of my life!"
"Is the person above naive? Do you really think that after The Arbiter kneels, that alien will let us go?"
"Your city doesn't have a nuclear bomb buried in it, so of course it's easy for you to talk!"
"20"
"19"
"18"
Gravik's countdown continued.
At this moment, he had regained his usual high-and-mighty posture.
He was thoroughly enjoying this process, enjoying the sight of that invincible man being pushed into a corner by him.
Enjoying the feeling of over seven billion people across the globe bowing their heads to him out of fear.
This was the true taste of power.
"12"
"11"
"10"
Seeing that Peter still hadn't made a move, fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Gravik's forehead at some point, and the speed of his countdown became slower and slower.
No way, that madman couldn't really be planning to let hundreds of millions of Earthlings be buried with him, could he?
Isn't this guy known as the guardian of Earth? Could he really be that selfish?
Gravik counted down slowly, his eyes fixed on Peter without blinking, waiting for the moment the other man's knees would bend.
Finally, Peter moved.
But it wasn't the kneeling and begging for mercy he had imagined.
This damned Earthling simply chuckled.
It was still that smile he found so incredibly annoying—relaxed and casual, as if he had never taken Gravik's threat to heart:
"I thought you had some incredible trump card."
Peter took his hand off Mantis's shoulder and spoke words that made Gravik's blood boil instantly:
"Is that all?"
Gravik's smile froze on his face, and the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly.
This guy... was he really not taking the bait?
"The Arbiter, are you sure you want to watch those Earthlings be buried with me?" His voice rose a few pitches.
"I'm not joking. As long as I press this but—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a clear female voice suddenly rang out across the battlefield:
"What button?"
The person speaking was none other than Wanda!
Her voice was very light, with a rising intonation that carried a sense of pure curiosity.
Hearing this question, Gravik couldn't help but be stunned, and then... he suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
Because he noticed a detail that made his scalp tingle.
Wanda had changed!
It wasn't some ethereal change in temperament or aura, but a real, visible transformation.
Her pupils had turned from brown to deep crimson, and the clothes on her body gradually shifted into a cape-like style.
And on her forehead, a dark red crown had appeared at some point.
That crown was condensed from Scarlet Chaos Energy, and every edge of it radiated heart-palpitating fluctuations of magic power.
Feeling those heart-palpitating magical fluctuations, Gravik's heart skipped a beat.
What was going on?
Why did this woman suddenly undergo such a change, and what was with her question just now?
Gravik instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong!
He subconsciously looked down at his right hand.
In that process, his pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks.
Because he suddenly discovered that the remote control in his hand... had vanished!
In its place was a lively, warty Toad.
"Ribbit~"
The moment their eyes met, the Toad even gave a friendly croak at Gravik.
But it was that single croak that caused Gravik's mental state to collapse on the spot...
***************************
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