Chapter 119: The Hearing

Hearing

General Ross slowly walked in and greeted Michael.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m just here to watch the show.”

Michael nodded. Ross was also Michael’s business partner and was quite reliable.

A plump judge with a ruddy face entered and took his seat at the bench.

Michael glanced at the judge and found him somewhat familiar.

This seemed to be Senator Stan from Washington, the same one who had presented an award to Tony Stark.

This guy had opposed Tony in Iron Man 2 and clashed with Captain America in Captain America 2—a confirmed Hydra member.

Why was it always this guy causing trouble? Did Hydra lack capable people?

Michael sat in the audience and patted the blind lawyer next to him, asking, “Feeling confident?”

Matt replied calmly, “Don’t worry, Mr. Michael. You haven’t done anything truly unforgivable.”

“That’s reassuring to hear.”

Michael looked at the lineup across the room and felt he could hold his own.

He took out his phone, and the image of the Red Queen appeared. She said to Michael, “Sir, I have taken control of all electronic devices on site and eliminated anything detrimental to you.”

Senator Stan looked at Michael with a fake smile.

“Mr. Michael, how do you respond to the accusations that you possess dangerous weapons that could threaten national security?”

“I’m just here to watch.”

Stan said to Michael, “Mr. Michael, I heard you are forming the Avengers Alliance?”

“You want to create a military force to protect the country? Are you trying to replace the military? Are you serious, or do you think our soldiers are just there for show?”

“Sorry, we never said we intended to protect the country.”

Michael nodded toward the generals and officials on the other side and said, “The Avengers Alliance is a large-scale nonprofit organization, much like the Animal Protection Society rescues penguins and seals. We play a similar role in society.”

“Our mission is to protect Earth and prevent alien invasions. It’s a sacred duty, so we sincerely invite talented individuals to join us.”

“Just look at the recent alien invasion incident—we handled it well.”

“Like animal protection and environmental organizations, the Avengers Alliance is a public welfare organization dedicated to protecting Earth and contributing to its wellbeing. It’s that simple.”

Stan continued, “But we have received reports that you possess a large amount of weapons of mass destruction. Do you admit to this?”

“I do not, Your Honor.”

Michael shook his head.

“First, our country does not prohibit firearms. As long as you have a license, I don’t believe we are breaking any laws.”

“Mr. Michael, the weapons I’m referring to are these.”

The senator produced several photographs.

Apparently, they had learned from their experience dealing with Tony Stark and prepared more than one approach—they hadn’t put all their evidence into the computer.

Michael examined the photos.

They showed his Warhorse vehicle, Thor wielding his hammer, numerous robots, and some frantically scurrying white rodents.

“Sorry, Senator, these are only modes of transportation, a batch of robots, and a few extraordinary animals. I don’t see anything special about them.”

“How do you explain this motorcycle-like flying device?”

“That was originally a joint project with the military, but the military rejected it. The project was then shelved. I think it still has potential, for example, as a means of transport, so I built some model prototypes for testing.”

“These are at most flying motorcycles. Your Honor, are you trying to charge me with operating unregistered vehicles?”

“Of course not. Actually, these carry missiles—extremely dangerous weapons.”

Michael smiled and said, “Don’t joke, Your Honor. This is merely a mode of transport. It’s only motorcycle-sized and has no space for missiles. Please don’t demonize it, Your Honor.”

“You’re making excuses.”

Michael remained calm and continued, “Our company’s next step is to cooperate with New York to improve traffic laws so these flying vehicles can be tested on the streets. If successful, we could fly to work.”

“This kind of transportation could change how people commute. It’s an important industry for our company. If you insist on calling this a weapon and hampering our business development, I can only accuse you of slander.”

“Are you threatening the court?”

“No, I’m stating facts.”

Michael’s stance was clear: this was a civilian transportation device.

Seeing the two deadlocked over this issue, General Ross stepped in to smooth things over, smiling warmly:

“I just learned about its potential today, Mr. Michael. Would this be sold to the military?”

“Of course, if the price is right, it can be sold to the military.”

Sold? Not a chance.

Michael had long been wary of them. Now that they were in court, how could he be openhearted?

Senator Stan continued, “What about these robots? How do you explain them? They’re equipped with cannons and missiles.”

Michael calmly explained, “As you know, Angel International has long cooperated with the military and possesses a large military-industrial complex.”

“After acquiring some of Hammer’s factories, we obtained semi-finished robot soldiers produced there. Considering military demand, I developed them to see if the military wanted to continue purchasing.”

“Unfortunately, this batch never got to debut or have a launch event. Due to the alien invasion, they were completely destroyed.”

“Worse, since some basic blueprints came from Hammer, we can no longer produce them.”

Don’t ask, it was for the military.

As for shifting the blame to Hammer, everyone knew Hammer had made a batch of robots for Tony Stark. Besides, they originally belonged to Hammer.

“Do you believe this yourself?” Stan asked, somewhat incredulous. Who was he trying to fool?

Michael remained composed. “Yes, I do. Here is our company’s project plan. Sadly, plans can’t keep up with changes.”

“To fight the aliens, we had to deploy them on the battlefield. I only lost money but helped defeat the aliens. It’s an ironic twist. I want to make money, but for New York and everyone else, it was worth it.”

Senator Stan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

This guy sounded selfless, but why did it feel so awkward?

“What about this hammer-wielding guy?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Thor is from Asgard, the prince and son of Odin, the All-Father. What does that have to do with me? He wields Mjolnir, a divine artifact.”

“He’s not my son. What does that have to do with me?”

“What about these white mice? How do you explain them? They behave like humans, wield weapons, shoot, and worst of all, they speak English.”

Senator Stan’s face reddened in anger as he roared, “Damn it! What kind of experiments are you conducting to create such terrifying things?”

“They…” Michael deliberately paused, then said, “They are also friends from outer space. They come from the rat people of the Kingdom of Kenkiki on Cat Star. They are brave and righteous warriors. How can you say such things about them?”