Chapter 113: Michael's Troops

Gwen listened to their conversation, finding it all a bit strange.

"Michael, is it really okay to say things like that? It sounds like you're tempting fate." Gwen continued, "Quick, say 'knock on wood,' don't invite bad luck."

Michael chuckled and replied, "No worries, I have the skill to back up the confidence."

"Hurry up and deploy your troops; another Leviathan is coming." Hawkeye spoke with urgency. He was observing the bigger picture, so he knew exactly how dire the situation had become.

"Understood." Michael addressed the Red Queen, "Red Queen, activate the Battle Angel series robots."

"Battle Angel, activating."

In the basement of Angel International, rows upon rows of uniform robots lit up with red lights, which turned blue after their self-diagnostics were complete.

The floor of the underground parking garage slowly opened, revealing rows of robots that took flight, passing through the tunnels and emerging onto the surface.

As Tony fought, the pressure around him suddenly eased significantly, as many Chitauri soldiers were taken out by gunfire from other directions. He looked toward the source of the noise and saw a large number of robots whizzing by, unleashing their firepower to the fullest. With the assistance of these robots, Tony successfully cleared the surrounding Chitauri forces.

Tony took a closer look at the robots and remarked, "How come these robots look a bit like Hammer's?"

Michael replied, "They *are* Hammer's. When I acquired Hammer Industries, I bought them along with everything else and gave them some modifications."

"No wonder I couldn't find them." When Tony had looked into acquiring Hammer Industries, he had considered this batch of robots, but he had given up on the idea after hearing they had already been bought by someone else. It turned out Michael had beaten him to it.

After Michael's modifications, one of each robot's hands was converted into a cannon, while the other became a Gatling gun. With two additional Gatling guns or grenade launchers mounted on their shoulders, they could easily be called war machines. Michael had also added a pair of small wings to balance their standing flight stability, and with special algorithms, they could even lock onto four targets simultaneously. Furthermore, Michael had made full use of the space in their chests, filling them with various missiles. Whenever Tony found the Chitauri forces pressing in too hard, these robots would open their chests and launch a barrage of missiles to alleviate the pressure.

As Tony watched closely, the more he saw, the more he felt these robots were filled with promise. "Impressive. I'll have to manufacture a batch of these myself for future contingencies."

Thor descended from the sky and landed in front of Michael, saying, "I'm back."

Michael patted his shoulder and said, "Summon the divine lightning and seal the portal in the sky for now."

"Very well." Thor spun his hammer, flew to the roof of a building, and raised Mjolnir high to summon the thunder.

Soon, the sky was thick with dark clouds. Seeing that enough power had gathered, Thor pointed at the portal. A massive thunderstorm instantly locked down the area near the portal; any Chitauri troops that emerged were immediately scorched to cinders. Even so, the Chitauri forces continued to charge forward wave after wave—their execution of orders was beyond anyone's imagination.

Captain America used his shield to sever the arm of a Chitauri soldier before knocking him unconscious, but another large squad of Chitauri closed in. The intense firepower pinned the Captain behind a car, leaving him unable to move.

"Is there any unit that can provide ground support? I'm almost at my limit."

"Yes."

The Captain had only said it offhandedly, never expecting a real answer.

"Deploy the 'White Mouse' unit."

On the 106th floor of Angel International, the white mice, who were in the middle of afternoon tea, suddenly heard an alarm. They stood up immediately and marched toward a specific direction with military precision. The surrounding holographic projection vanished, revealing a standard training warehouse. The mice approached a wall and began donning their gear. Once fully equipped, they sat back down in their chairs, looking at the large screen.

The Red Queen appeared on the podium, holding a pointer, and directed it at the Chitauri soldiers on the screen. "These are your enemies for this operation: the Chitauri, a squad from outer space. Their combat methods are as follows..."

The mice listened with extreme focus, not daring to slack off for a second.

"You will be divided into four squads. Squads One and Two are responsible for entering the building to sweep for Chitauri forces. Squads Three and Four will conduct guerrilla warfare on the streets; eliminate every Chitauri soldier within your line of sight."

"Move out immediately. Go, go!"

The exterior of the building opened slowly. The mice leaped out, using jetpacks on their backs to glide toward their respective combat zones. Their gear resembled the maneuvering equipment from *Attack on Titan*; with the help of the thrusters and their lithe bodies, they could traverse any terrain. After receiving Asgardian genetic enhancements, these white mice had gained enlarged bodies and extraordinary combat intelligence. Michael had performed physical modifications on them before putting them through martial arts and marksmanship training.

Captain America suddenly noticed support arriving as the Chitauri troops around him were taken down by rifle fire. He looked toward the source and saw a group of mice, about seventy centimeters tall, approaching.

"Hello, buddy. I'm Jerry."

Captain America wore a look of utter disbelief. He stared at the group of white mice, unsure of what to do. For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if he was still on Earth. However, he quickly pulled himself together; this must be the support Michael had mentioned.

"Hello. I'm Steve."

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were also transported in by a fighter jet. They shouted excitedly upon seeing Thor and immediately drew their blades to get to work. Even without armor made of Uru metal, the Chitauri's fire was ineffective against them, while they could easily tear the Chitauri soldiers apart.

Steve looked at the scene in silence and muttered, "I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the Chitauri army."

Rhodey also arrived at the battlefield. He hadn't brought all his soldiers, but a group of hot-blooded men had followed him into the fray—over two hundred of them. It seemed the American military hadn't completely rotted away yet.

"Oh, this is absolutely fantastic."

He soon found Tony. The two lived up to their reputation as best friends, standing back-to-back and firing at the Chitauri troops; for a time, no one could get close to them.

"There are still civilians on Parker Street who haven't managed to evacuate. I need to talk to your mouse unit."

"Captain, there is a unit near your position."

Several black vans pulled up in front of Steve. The doors opened, and a group of burly men in makeshift armor stepped out.

"Captain America, my idol!" One of the men said, giving the Captain a hug before asking, "Captain, what should we do?"

Steve looked at their armor and felt it looked familiar. "Cobra tactical armor?"

"Yes, we are personnel from Cobra Independent Security—in other words, security guards."

Steve was speechless. Was this the heartlessness of a businessman? Using the guise of security guards to train his own private army. Well, it was coming in handy now.

"We need to protect them and get them to safety."

"No problem, we're professionals."

Steve asked suspiciously, "Are you sure you're all just security guards?"

"We used to be special forces; now, we're security guards."