Chapter Ninety-One: The Gathering of Avengers, Part Two

Coulson also arrived at Tony’s home. But Tony had no intention of giving him any face; he was about to lie and claim he wasn’t home, leaving it to Jarvis to deal with the visitor. Coulson effortlessly opened the door and took the elevator straight to Tony’s private quarters. Then Coulson witnessed an awkward scene—Tony was on top of Pepper, clearly about to take things further.

“Oh, sorry,” Coulson said.

Tony could only get up, glaring at Coulson with annoyance. In the end, Coulson still completed his mission, handing over the information about the cosmic artifact to Tony.

Tony plugged the data into his computer and, seeing the cosmic cube, recalled his father’s past introductions, as well as the new element he had created. Perhaps this thing truly possessed the power to destroy worlds.

Pepper knew Tony would never give up on saving the world, so she went on a business trip alone. Tony, though outwardly indifferent, was already moved. He always appeared unconcerned about everything, but that was because his wealth allowed him to be capricious. Yet when it came to threats against the world, he would never ignore them. Beneath the iron shell, Stark had a warm heart.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Electro also received notification; these two, with their chaotic energy, could hardly wait to assemble. The agents who delivered the message were left bewildered by their eagerness.

As for the last member of the Avengers, Thor Tony, he was currently in Asgard on his own, but would soon arrive via teleportation and proceed to thrash his own teammates.

Nick Fury was engaged in a remote video call with the senators, conducting a virtual meeting. The senators opposed his recruitment of a group of “monsters” to face a war and hoped to initiate the second phase of their plan. But Nick Fury rejected their insistence on developing destructive weapons, preferring to place his faith in powerful individuals rather than cold machines.

Having witnessed Captain Marvel’s combat power, Fury firmly believed in the importance of individual strength and persisted in assembling the Avengers. Unfortunately, he was unaware that most of the senators before him were ambitious Hydra agents. Unlike the emotionally driven heroes, they needed weapon-wielding agents who followed orders without question.

Still, Nick Fury managed to persuade them in the end.

...

With the Quinjet’s landing, Michael and the others arrived on the deck of the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier.

Steve, transported by Coulson, also arrived on the deck aboard the Quinjet. Seeing his idol in person for the first time, Coulson was so nervous he nearly lost his composure. Steve, however, leisurely perused the files and chatted about Dr. Banner. They even discussed the Captain America uniform; Steve wanted to change the color scheme, feeling the star-spangled suit was outdated. But his request was denied, with only minor alterations permitted—the suit remained unchanged. The reason given: “We’re about to face a great battle; people may need some spirit from the past.” The rationale was flimsy, but Steve couldn’t refuse.

After disembarking, Coulson instructed others to prepare the Captain’s gear, and ran right into Natasha and her companions. Michael, following behind Black Widow, also saw this iconic figure.

“Agent Romanoff, Dr. Michael, this is Steve Rogers,” Coulson introduced them.

“Ma’am, sir, good day,” Steve greeted them.

“Hello,” Natasha replied, then turned to Coulson. “The bridge is looking for you.”

Coulson immediately hurried off.

Natasha, naturally sociable, said to Steve, “When they found you in the ice, it caused quite a stir. I thought Coulson would faint from excitement. By the way, did he ask you to sign those Captain America collectible cards he’s gathered?”

“Collectible cards?”

“Limited edition cards. He’s very proud of them.”

Though he didn’t know what they were, Steve smiled.

Michael remembered those cards—they appeared frequently, and later Fury used them to fool people.

Steve looked at Michael and asked, “Dr. Michael, I’ve read your file. Why did you decide to join us?”

Steve had seen Michael’s file; his rapid accumulation of capital was the result of many losing their lives. Such a person made Steve uneasy.

Michael replied carelessly, “Of course, it’s for the benefits. I’m a businessman, aren’t I?”

“Then perhaps this isn’t the place for you. We need warriors with faith.”

Michael nodded, saying, “Faith? You mean jumping off tall buildings?”

Many American TV dramas feature protagonists leaping from one high-rise to another, or jumping down and then, after a spiritual transformation, emerging reborn—this act is known as the Leap of Faith.

For example, Miles Morales, after acquiring his powers, made mistakes even under Spider-Man’s guidance. But after his uncle’s death, he leapt from a skyscraper, underwent a transformation, and defeated Kingpin alone.

And the original Spider-Man’s first web swing marked his metamorphosis, granting him newfound courage.

“What?” Steve didn’t quite understand, but Natasha did.

“I don’t think we need to start an internal fight here. We’re teammates,” she said.

Michael’s stubbornness flared, and he retorted, “I don’t think we’re teammates. Maybe some are subordinates—I’m a consultant, after all.”

“I don’t want to argue with you, but you’d better behave yourself and not let me catch you doing anything wrong.”

Michael had long disliked him, especially that star-spangled suit.

“I think you’re jealous. As an ancient specimen, maybe they should let me dissect you and recreate the original serum.”

Norman’s version of the super serum was only half based on the original data; the other half was completed by Norman and Michael, making it entirely different from the original.

Steve had already sensed someone had taken his blood, and Michael’s provocation made him even angrier.

“Do you think you’re so impressive? I’ve seen plenty of reckless young men like you in the barracks.”

Michael continued mocking, “Old-timers like you can only talk about their credentials, but times are changing fast—soon you’ll be obsolete.”

Seeing the two about to come to blows, Natasha pushed them apart. “Stop it right now. Are you planning to brawl on the deck and give the enemy a show?”

Michael and Steve exchanged glances, then both looked away.

“I think Mr. Steve is a bit irritable; he should drink some goji berry tea to calm down.”

“You keep it for yourself.”

Steve walked toward Dr. Banner; compared to Michael and Tony, he preferred Banner and the other teammates. Plus, Banner’s misfortune came from researching the serum for the military, which Steve deeply related to—Dr. Erskine, who had once recognized his potential, met a similar fate.

“You must be Dr. Banner.”

“Yes.”

Dr. Banner was nervous too; after all, Steve was once his aspiration, though things had gone awry.