Everyone's expression was grave. If the aliens had invaded to this extent that the U.S. government was ordering a nuclear strike, it was easy to imagine how dire the situation must be.
The military was probably completely broken, and this place was beyond saving. If a nuclear strike wasn't launched, the situation would only become more difficult to handle as it spread.
The consequences of ordering a nuclear strike were extremely serious. Basically, even if it was done to protect all of humanity and save more people, others wouldn't see it that way. Afterward, those responsible would basically have to resign and apologize.
But even so, those politicians were willing to sacrifice their political careers to order the bombing. The severity of the situation was clear.
So, in the eyes of the Five Nations Council, Nick Fury, who had disobeyed the order, was basically a heinous criminal.
Everyone's expression was incredibly solemn. This was just a single alien army under the command of Thanos, the cosmic overlord, and it had already brought the Earth's most powerful nation, the United States, to the brink of collapse, necessitating the use of a nuclear missile?
If Thanos himself were to take action, what a terrifying being he must be.
However, before they could think further, the video continued. Nick Fury, unable to stop the plane from taking off, rushed towards the command tower, shouting into his Bluetooth headset, "Stark, do you hear me? There's a warplane carrying a Nuclear Missile heading out!"
And the scene shifted, Tony Stark asked with a grave expression, "How much time is left?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was blasted to the ground by a Chitauri soldier. Around him, countless Chitauri soldiers were madly attacking him. If it weren't for the Mark Armor protecting him, he would have died long ago.
Even with the Mark Armor, he couldn't hold out for much longer.
"Three minutes, it will destroy the entire city," Nick Fury shouted urgently.
Hearing this, Tony Stark finally couldn't hold back. He roared, "Jarvis, divert all power to the thrusters!"
"Completed," Jarvis replied calmly as always.
Taking advantage of this moment, Tony Stark shook off the Chitauri soldiers and soared into the sky.
At sea, a fighter pilot pressed the launch button, and a missile flew straight towards New York.
"The Nuclear Missile has been launched. Detonation in two minutes and thirty seconds, over!"
As soon as the pilot finished speaking, the aircraft began to turn back, aiming to escape New York City, which was about to become a nuclear inferno.
Meanwhile, on the screen, Thor, clad in armor and wielding a War Hammer, and Captain America Rogers were struggling against their foes, sending Chitauri soldiers flying.
"It's me!"
Captain America Rogers recognized the man with the shield, who was in a rather sorry state. Who else could it be?
He was all too familiar with this environment. Even with his strength, he had nearly not survived in the war. War was just that cruel. A muscle-bound man, who might have trained for twenty years and put in countless efforts, could be taken down by a bullet in a second on the battlefield.
Before anyone could dwell on it, Thor had already repelled a group of Chitauri soldiers, flipped a car, and cleared out a batch of Chitauri soldiers. Only then did he come before Captain America, extended his hand, and helped him up.
"Can you fight another round?" Thor asked.
Captain America Rogers clutched his stomach, where he'd been hit by a laser, nearly getting a hole blown through him. He gasped, "Tired, are you?"
Thor glanced at him, summoning his War Hammer back to his hand, but said nothing.
Both tough guys were barely hanging on. They were exhausted from the fight.
The scene shifted, showing Black Widow Natasha. She held Loki's scepter and was slowly approaching the central device. Dr. Selvig shouted from the side, "Aim for the top!"
"I can shut it down!" Black Widow Natasha said, as she carefully moved the scepter forward. "Can anyone hear me? I can close the Portal!"
"Close it, now!"
Captain America, looking utterly defeated, yelled.
"No, wait!"
"Stark, there are more and more enemies!" Captain America Rogers shouted anxiously, looking up into the sky.
He didn't know what Tony Stark was trying to do.
The scene switched to Tony Stark's perspective. He said calmly, "I have a Nuclear Missile incoming, it's going to explode in a minute!"
In mid-air, Iron Man flew at high speed, chasing after the Nuclear Missile.
The Nuclear Missile was incredibly fast, but Iron Man was even faster. After concentrating all the energy into his legs, his speed became even more astonishing.
"I know where to take it!" Iron Man seemed to have made his final decision.
Finally, Tony Stark caught up to the Nuclear Missile and shouldered it.
Almost instantly, he was above New York.
"Stark, this is a one-way trip!" Captain America Rogers' voice rang out, trying to dissuade him.
"Use all available energy for the turn, Jarvis!" Tony Stark ignored the warning.
At this moment, everyone finally understood what Lin Feng meant in his diary when he mentioned Tony Stark carrying a Nuclear Missile.
Everyone's eyes shifted towards Tony Stark, and they were astonished. They never expected that the playboy would have such a day.
No wonder Lin Feng said that after experiencing life and death, he underwent an earth-shattering transformation, ultimately achieving the feat of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with gods in a mortal body.
There was a reason for all of this.
Tony Stark was also somewhat enjoying the looks he was getting. This was different from the admiration he had received before due to his wealth and status. It was the admiration of everyone for his selflessness and sacrifice, a genuine respect.
Do you understand the value of this kind of admiration? (Tactically leans back)
"Tony, I have to say, I'm really impressed. I underestimated you before," Captain America Rogers said apologetically.
He realized he'd been too prejudiced. He hadn't expected the playboy to have this kind of awareness at this point. It was truly surprising.
Tony Stark's face darkened. What did that mean, that he'd never respected him before?
He really wanted to drop an F-bomb right now, but he held back, remembering that the old man in front of him was his father's friend.
At the same time, along with his satisfaction, he felt a sense of emotion. He finally understood what Lin Feng meant in his diary. Without experiencing the life-and-death situation in Afghanistan and the near-death experience of Palladium Poisoning, would he really have that kind of awareness?
He wasn't sure. At least, if he had to think about it calmly, he probably wouldn't have made a decision so quickly, in such a short amount of time, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
He also saw himself in the image, his hair already streaked with gray. What was going on?
He knew it was only 2009 now, and the alien invasion was only in 2012. Just three years later. He was in his prime right now, at the peak of his life. Three years later, was he not?
But his temples were already gray. What did this mean?
It meant that the experience in Afghanistan, and the later torment of Palladium Poisoning, had made him grow up very, very quickly. But at the same time, his psychological pressure was also exploding, which was why he looked so much older after only three years.
Otherwise, Europeans did age quickly, but not this quickly. After all, he wasn't even forty yet.
He could completely imagine how many helpless situations and self-reproaching things the other version of himself had faced.
He knew himself well. He was not the type to casually let go or to take things one step at a time.
Although he hadn't experienced those life-or-death situations yet, which might delay his growth, it was a great thing for his health.
He was now determined to prevent such a situation from happening again and would do everything he could to become stronger.
On the screen, Jarvis asked very considerately, "Sir, should I contact Miss Pepper?"
At that moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed Iron Man's face, but he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Contact her."
At this point, Jarvis knew that Pepper was the person he valued most. And he couldn't help but admit it, because this time, the outcome was uncertain, with a high probability of death. He chose to face his inner feelings.
Even Tony Stark, watching from outside the screen, couldn't help but be touched. Because he was also Tony Stark. He had been with countless women in his life, many one-night stands, and he couldn't even remember their names, let alone their faces.
But Pepper was different. All the other women combined weren't as important as her. He could entrust his entire fortune to Pepper and could confidently be a hands-off boss.
Whether he admitted it or not, he now had to confront his feelings for Pepper.
However, at this moment, on the private jet, Pepper was staring intently at the scene on the television news, clearly anxious about Tony Stark's safety.
"The streets of New York City have become a battlefield, and the military has arrived!"
"They are trying to control the situation."
"But they are clearly no match!"
"I have to say, in my career, I've never seen anything like this!"
"We don't know much about this response team!"
"But we recognize Iron Man!"
"Billionaire, Tony Stark!"
Apparently, Pepper was too caught up watching the news to notice the phone call from Tony Stark.
But everyone outside the frame perked up. Through the television news Pepper was watching, they could vaguely glimpse the situation on the battlefield, beyond just the scope of the superheroes.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)