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*****
There was nothing inherently wrong with Maximus's plan; in fact, it was a meticulously linked series of plots.
Unfortunately, he ran headlong into Mike and Planet Kent.
There are always those who fail to see their own limitations, delusional enough to challenge someone who never even considered them an adversary.
Maximus was not the first, and he certainly wouldn't be the last.
But Mike was certain of one thing: before Maximus died, he must have been filled with regret and resentment.
He had intended to use the Terrigen Mist to eliminate both humans and mutants, making the Inhumans the sole race on Earth. Instead, he made the Inhumans the enemies of the planet. Moreover, the fact that Planet Kent dismantled his long-planned "perfect" operation in the blink of an eye had been a massive shock to him.
It was only moments before his death that he realized he had always been a clown in Mike's eyes—perhaps not even significant enough to be called a clown.
His death was meaningless. Not only did he fail to become a hero for the Inhumans, but he became a sinner to the entire race.
Unwillingness, resentment, regret...
These emotions would entwine his soul as he stepped into hell, serving as his most cruel punishment.
Mike carried Maximus's corpse in one hand and arrived before Black Bolt, casually tossing it at his feet.
Black Bolt's gaze narrowed, falling upon Maximus's body.
His expression showed neither joy nor sorrow, but there was a flicker of grief and anger in his eyes.
Yet in the end, when those emotions rose from his heart to his lips, they all transformed into...
"Thank you."
He growled the words to Mike in a low voice.
He didn't use brainwaves or gestures; he used his own mouth to let out a low roar.
A terrifying sonic wave emerged, sweeping past Mike and leaving a deep gouge in the ground at Mike's feet. Then, he hoisted Maximus's corpse, placed a hand on Lockjaw, and prepared to depart.
At the end of the day, Maximus was still his biological brother. Although his death was well-deserved, it was impossible for Black Bolt to harbor no resentment at all.
That final roar was his last shred of stubbornness.
Mike stood in place for a moment before shouting loudly at the departing Black Bolt: "You're welcome!"
Black Bolt's frame shuddered. He lightly patted Lockjaw's head and quickly vanished.
Mike crossed his arms and patted his shoulders with a smile.
One should always be polite.
Just as he turned to leave, Black Bolt reappeared with Lockjaw, though the corpse in his hands had vanished.
Mike looked at Black Bolt curiously, while Black Bolt looked back with some embarrassment.
Mike blinked. "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Black Bolt: "Wait!"
A sonic wave flew out, hitting Mike.
"Hmm?"
Mike's tone shifted, and his entire aura became dangerous.
Black Bolt hurried to close his mouth and pointed at his head.
Using the fading power of his telepathy, Mike linked with Black Bolt's mind. Black Bolt breathed a sigh of relief and said urgently, "I want to ask for your help in curing those controlled by Hive."
"Hive?"
Mike arched an eyebrow. "Hive is dead. No one is controlling them anymore."
"But they will still strive for Hive's goals, fighting until they die."
As he spoke, Black Bolt was forced to lower his stance. "Please, help us."
Mike was currently the only person he knew who could resolve the issue of Hive's control.
Mike thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."
Leaving those people as they were would be a nuisance. Besides, having just killed the man's brother, Mike felt a bit awkward about refusing so bluntly.
Seeing Mike agree, Black Bolt nodded.
For a moment, his feelings were complicated, and he wasn't sure how to feel about Mike.
But gratitude likely outweighed resentment.
After all, Mike had saved so many of their people.
Mike followed Black Bolt and was taken back to Attilan by Lockjaw.
Currently, the vast majority of Inhumans on Attilan were still unconscious. After Black Bolt maneuvered Attilan away from the airspace above the UN headquarters, he and Lockjaw began sorting through the unconscious Inhumans like they were grading cargo, bringing those who had been controlled by Hive to Mike so he could strip away the parasites.
As some Inhumans began to wake up, led by the freed Queen Medusa, they also joined the ranks of those sorting the "cargo."
Consequently, Mike had to stay on Attilan temporarily, helping the Inhumans remove Hive's parasites.
He felt like he was becoming a pest control expert.
Meanwhile, the sources of the Terrigen Mist on Earth were being dealt with one by one by the superheroes. After being freed from control, Black Bolt also sent out some Inhumans to assist in neutralizing the mist.
As a result, the cleanup speed of the Terrigen Mist increased significantly.
While Mike remained on Attilan and the superheroes dealt with the mist, a person seemed to squeeze out of space, quietly appearing in an obscure corner of the world through a fracture in reality.
He was tall and robust, clad in black armor, looking exceptionally valiant.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, a look of confusion flashed in the young man's eyes, followed by a sudden exclamation of joy: "It worked!"
He looked around, and before he could figure out his location, he suddenly heard cries for help from a great distance.
His eyes flashed as he wondered, "What happened here?"
Even as the question formed in his mind, his benevolent nature compelled him to start rushing toward the source of the cries.
Regardless of where he was, someone needed help right now.
His search for those people could wait for a moment.
They were famous; it should be easy to find them.
Today was a catastrophe for the entire world.
Planet Kent was fine. Thanks to Joe-El's timely response and the powerful effects of the Infinity Stones, not a single person died from the Terrigen Mist.
Earth, however, was a different story.
The Terrigen Mist appeared in numerous locations. Even though the superheroes reacted quickly and Planet Kent provided significant support, there were still many casualties.
In the aftermath of this incident, the Inhumans who had caused it became sinners in the eyes of the public. Conversely, the mutants and superheroes gained even more support.
Although the incident was a conspiracy orchestrated by Maximus, using both the Inhumans and the various nations at the UN as pawns, the event was still tied to the actions of those nations.
If they hadn't cooperated with Maximus to propose the Superhero Registration Act and clashed with the heroes, Maximus's plan wouldn't have launched so smoothly.
However, the various governments reacted extremely quickly. They shifted all the blame onto Maximus and the Inhumans, claiming it was all an Inhuman conspiracy. While this made the situation for Inhumans on Earth even more difficult, the governments maintained a tough stance regarding the Superhero Registration Act.
After all, if the act were simply dropped, the superheroes would have even less respect for them in the future, and the governments would become a total laughingstock because of this incident.
Most importantly...
The Superhero Registration Act was something they had wanted to propose all along.
Superheroes were appearing constantly, yet they remained outside of government control, which created a sense of crisis.
As stated in the meeting, superheroes could become a threat at any time.
When dealing with a superhero who wields immense power, one cannot place all hope on their voluntary compliance with the law. After all, everyone changes. If a superhero develops emotional or psychological issues, they could easily become a new threat.
Superheroes had to be managed and controlled.
Maximus had simply seized upon this mindset, gathered them together, and designed a trap for the superheroes.
Inside the conference room of Avengers Tower.
The superheroes, who had just finished resolving the Terrigen Mist crisis and were currently resting in the tower, were covered in the mess, fatigue, and scars brought by war.
But right now, their hearts were filled with rage.
Looking at Ross, who had brought the latest news regarding the Superhero Registration Act, the heroes' expressions were cold, as if they might take him out at any second.
If Ross weren't currently representing the government, and if they weren't superheroes...
Ross understood the current emotions of these heroes, so he gave a bitter smile: "I am merely conveying orders for them. This is my responsibility."
"Then please leave this place now," Steve said coldly.
Everyone looked at Ross with indifference.
Ross opened his mouth, sighed, and left with a complicated heart.
He naturally harbored feelings of gratitude toward these heroes, but as he said, bringing this news wasn't his personal wish, but his duty.
After Ross left, the superheroes' anger finally erupted.
"Those bastards! After what happened, do they think we'll still believe them? The Superhero Registration Act? That's a Super-Criminal Ordinance!" Pietro cursed.
If Mike hadn't arrived in time, Pietro—who had been heavily injured—would still be lying in a hospital bed.
First, they said they wanted them to speak on behalf of superheroes, but then they wanted them to sign an agreement at the venue using coercive means, which nearly resulted in the destruction of the world.
How could they still trust those bastards?
They were superheroes with great self-restraint, but that didn't mean they wouldn't get angry.
The faces of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were grim, but...
Tony turned to look at the X-Men, who were sitting together with relaxed expressions, and said helplessly, "Can't you guys show a bit more anger? It's like this has nothing to do with you!"
Logan tilted his head and grinned at them. "Ha! This really doesn't have much to do with us!"
The X-Men sitting with Logan nodded one after another, offering smiles to the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
(*￣︶￣)
"Nothing to do with us!"
Remy LeBeau adjusted his hat and emphasized again with a shrug. "If they're so capable, let them try to convince Charles, Eric, Nick Fury, and Mike first."
The crowd looked at the three Kent brothers sitting silently to the side, their mouths twitching wildly.
Rhodey couldn't help but complain, "Convince them? Like hell! Do they even dare?"
The current Planet Kent was far beyond any nation on Earth in terms of both technology and power, and it was still developing at high speed.
While Earth was still bickering over the resources of a single planet, Planet Kent could already teleport to various planets in the universe via spatial portals. How could they compare?
The Avengers and the Fantastic Four looked at the X-Men speechlessly.
"Can you guys stop being so smug?"
"Yeah, you look so punchable!"
"What are you being so smug for! Believe it or not, I'll join Planet Kent right now!?"
Everyone started complaining.
"Want to fight?" Logan chuckled. "Come on, come on! Whoever loses is the grandson!"
Tony's eye twitched. " I don't have a grandson as old as you!"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
But after the laughter, the faces of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four slumped again.
This matter still needed to be resolved.
However, some people suddenly thought about the suggestion of joining Planet Kent and felt it might actually be a good idea.
At that moment, Clark said, "Dad is coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure flew in from the distance, drifted outside the window of Avengers Tower, and tapped on the glass.
Looking at Mike outside the window, everyone froze, feeling something was off.
Clark pointed at the window. "Why did you fly over? This window doesn't open..."
Mike paused, gave a light cough, and vanished from Clark's sight.
In the next instant, Mike appeared in the conference room using super speed.
"Can't I fly over?" Mike looked at Clark in confusion.
"I'm just used to seeing you use portals, so it felt a bit strange," Clark explained casually.
Mike flew in and, noticing everyone's expressions, asked curiously, "Isn't the Terrigen Mist resolved? Why does everyone look so miserable?"
Without waiting for anyone to speak, Mike smiled and said, "Is it because of the Superhero Registration Act?"
"You know about it?"
Tony looked at Mike in surprise.
Mike nodded. "I happened to see Ross leaving just now, so I checked in with him to understand the situation."
Recalling the terrified expressions on Ross and his men when they saw him, Mike rubbed his chin. Was he really that scary?
"So, you know the whole story?"
Tony looked at Mike, a glimmer of expectation flashing in his eyes.
Mike nodded, pulled over a chair to sit down, and said seriously, "First, tell me what you're thinking."
Everyone nodded.
Steve pondered for a moment. "We don't trust them! And..."
After what happened today, it would be a miracle if they could ever trust them again.
"Superheroes do need some level of oversight, but... they..."
Tony shook his head with a bitter smile.
The others chimed in with their agreement.
Mike hummed in thought, then said, "In that case, I have an idea."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes fixed on Mike.
Mike smiled slightly. "Since you don't trust them, then you should manage yourselves."
The group froze for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"Establish a Superhero Association."
(End of Chapter)