"It absolutely cannot be Tony Stark. Even if I don't know him well, I know that if your eyes even glance at him, he'll die on the spot."
Strange immediately vetoed Johnny's idea of awakening Tony. They now held an ace in their hand: the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare could awaken the truth of a soul, but there was a catch—the souls of the guilty would be judged instantly, resulting in immediate death.
How many people could claim their souls were pure and stainless? Even if the Ghost Rider lowered the standards of judgment, many people still harbored a deep-seated sense of their own sinfulness.
Thus, Strange rejected the awakening process for the man who seemed most vital. Tony Stark might be the least suitable person to wake up. Johnny sat back into the sofa of the Sanctum Sanctorum and asked helplessly in return, "Then who should we awaken first?"
"How about King T'Challa? The Wakandan Empire is one of the few countries in the world currently able to maintain its own stability, and he is a man of good character."
Peter suggested a candidate. As one of Kang's several Great Lords, Wakanda not only possessed formidable strength, but King T'Challa was also a former Avenger. Facing Kang's conscription demands, Wakanda had managed to avoid the draft by exporting various resources, thereby preserving more of its power.
If they intended to oppose Kang, they would need an army—or at the very least, they needed help to stall the massive waves of fodder troops. The Wakandan Empire seemed like a solid choice.
However, hearing this, Logan couldn't help but grumble: "In that case, maybe that bastard Magneto is worth a shot too. Just give him a look and be done with it."
"Magneto?"
Johnny asked in return as he popped open a bottle of beer, "Isn't Magneto a racial zealot? Wouldn't that guy go straight to hell with one look?"
"I actually think he'd believe everything he did was righteous. Besides, there's no harm if he dies." Logan shrugged and sighed helplessly. The others exchanged looks and continued their reasoning.
First, Wakanda was a viable option. Who else?
"Maybe we can bring in the Defenders. They have plenty of combat experience, and for that matter, they could handle Kingpin while we deal with Kang. That guy is no small threat himself."
Peter spoke calmly. Though Kang was the primary enemy, as the ruler of New York City—where Kang's mothership was stationed—and a man controlling seven eras, Kingpin would likely prove quite troublesome. Therefore, they needed the Defenders.
"Don't we still have Captain America?"
Johnny, realizing something mid-sentence, turned to ask the two Avengers present: "If that's the case, why don't we just pull Captain America back up?"
"Uh, Cap's history was modified. He's an old man nearly ninety years old now. So even if you wake him up, he's still an old man. We can't rely on him."
Peter responded with some embarrassment. Johnny hadn't expected it to be like that and couldn't help but scratch his hair, but he thought of Banner's situation: "Maybe that's not the case? Look, I turned Banner back into the Hulk. Maybe I can turn the Captain back into a Super Soldier."
Logan couldn't help but add.
"Even without superpowers, Steve is a brilliant tactician. We need him."
Just as the group continued to discuss what to do next, Bruce Banner, who had been lying on the sofa the entire time, suddenly stood up.
"Guys, I have something to say. I know you think this world is a mess and you feel like you need to set everything right, but... until you succeed, even if just for a little while, could you... not disturb me?"
Having finished his piece, Banner saw everyone fall silent and look at him. He sat back down with a look of frustration and dejection: "I know, I know you need the Hulk, but... I'm sorry. I could have waited for you to save the world without knowing anything, and then returned to my original miserable life without remembering any of this."
Johnny went quiet. Awakening Banner had been Mephisto's command, not his own active choice. From a certain perspective, awakening the Hulk was indeed not very ethical, and from another angle, they truly did need the fighting power but hadn't considered Banner's feelings.
Just as Logan was about to say something, Peter spoke first, though he was asking Banner a specific question.
"Dr. Banner, I want to ask: back when the Avengers and the Earth Allied Forces went to stop Kang, was it the Hulk then?"
"Yeah, everyone needed a monster back then."
"Because of Spider-Man, Kang didn't have enough time to carefully adjust every detail of reality. He had to use the simplest method to achieve all this—and that was to create a world where the rebels got what they wanted."
Strange didn't finish his sentence, but Banner understood what he was implying. He asked Strange in disbelief: "Wait, you mean the way I am now is because of the Hulk's wish?"
"The Hulk wished the Hulk had never been born? Good grief, I thought I was the only one who felt that way."
Banner couldn't help but let out a laugh, but Strange simply looked at him: "I'm a sorcerer, Dr. Banner. If you need it, I can let you have a face-to-face chat with the consciousness inside you—if it really is as Mephisto said, and you and the Hulk have become two separate souls."
"No, that won't be necessary." After flatly refusing, Banner thought for a few seconds and then stood up again: "Forget it, I think I'll have a private talk with the big guy myself. Uh, Dr. Strange? Do you have a psychological consultation room here?"
"Follow me, Doctor."
After Banner left, Peter and the other two remained silent for a while. Then Peter couldn't help but ask Johnny, their expert on Mephisto, a crucial question: "What does Mephisto want with the Hulk's or Banner's soul? Is he raising a Hell-Hulk?"
"I don't know, but he definitely didn't come to Earth just for something that small. He must have done something else before the Sorcerer Supreme drove him away; we just don't know what it is yet."
Johnny shook his head helplessly: "I suspect whatever he did before happened in the world before it was modified by the Cosmic Cube, which is why he needs us to restore everything."
"As for what comes next, we can only take it one step at a time."
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi