Fame and Fortune Can Be Obtained Immediately

"That’s right!" Tony cried out nervously. He had been close to Coulson as well, and was equally saddened by his death. "He was too foolish. He went after Loki alone—it was beyond his capabilities. He should have waited for reinforcements…"

"Sometimes, we have no choice." Captain America was saddened for his fan as well, but felt even more respect for him. A soldier who remained loyal to his duty deserved his respect.

"I’ve heard that line plenty of times." Tony was dismissive, though he was mostly avoiding the subject. He still could not adapt to this situation.

"We’re all soldiers now," Captain America said firmly.

"I’m not a soldier!" Tony suddenly exploded. He was a playboy. Though he wore the Iron Man suit and did many things that ordinary people considered dangerous, he had never imagined that sacrifice would come so close to him.

"If you two are done talking, I’m leaving." In the past, Evenson would not have minded them bickering wherever they pleased, but now it only annoyed him.

"Where are you going?" Captain America turned and asked.

"To crush Loki’s ambitions," Evenson said coldly.

"You know where he is?" Tony asked.

"The Cosmic Cube needs a powerful energy source to activate." Evenson’s expression remained blank. "He’ll look for one nearby, and it has to be somewhere that lets him flaunt his personality."

"That’s right!" Tony suddenly understood. "He’s a textbook narcissist. He wants flowers, applause, envy, and for his name to be held high…" Then he froze. Damn it—didn’t the place that fit all those conditions happen to be his home? "That bastard!"

He immediately left to repair his Iron Man suit. When Captain America turned back toward Evenson, he was already gone.

Left with no choice, Captain America went to find the others. He first found Hawkeye and Natasha, then brought Carter into the fold.

"I’m going with you." Before Captain America could even look for her, Sif came over on her own, and she looked extremely anxious.

Women were sensitive. The more she thought about it over the past two days, the more something felt wrong. Thor seemed far too concerned about his younger brother. From the look of it, he had completely ignored Loki’s attempted usurpation of the throne and his plot to assassinate him.

Could it be… No, absolutely not! Sif thought of something and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. She even demoted Jane Foster, her number-one romantic rival, to second place.

That Earth woman would live for at most another eighty years. She could crush her with sheer lifespan. But Loki was different. Frost Giants lived even longer than Asgardians. At this rate, when would it ever end? And more importantly, what if—just what if—Thor really had bent that way? Wouldn’t that mean she was finished too?

Thus, Sif was now the most anxious of them all. As she had said before, if she could fly, she would have left long ago.

Once everyone was ready, Tony relied on his Iron Man suit and flew off unsteadily, trailing a streak of yellow light behind him.

Captain America led the group of superhumans who could not fly and brazenly commandeered a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft.

Watching the stolen plane vanish into the distance, the agents who had been forced off it shed tears of despair. It was over. Last time, he had taken the blame for the hole punched through the plane. This time, an entire plane had been stolen. Agent 89757 was going to die at the hands of these superheroes.

"Do any of you know where Evenson went?" Captain America asked during the flight. He had searched for quite a while without seeing any sign of Evenson or his subordinates. With the situation so urgent, he had no choice but to set out with the others first.

"He should already be back in New York," Natasha said.

"What?" Captain America was stunned. That Sorcerer had gotten away far too quickly.

"Sarah told me. It seems to be some kind of fixed-point teleportation spell," Natasha explained. "He also summoned all of his subordinates back."

"Is what you’re saying true?" In a luxurious residence in New York, the retired General Ross paced anxiously around the room. He had just received earth-shattering news. "Aliens are invading Earth, and New York is the site of the invasion?"

The ones who had told him were the Eredar Twins. They sat calmly on the sofa as Saloras said, "You should trust our company’s capabilities."

Aurelles added, "We went to great lengths to obtain this inside information from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Unbelievable…" It sounded like something out of a fantasy, but Ross did not think they would joke with him about something like this.

"No, I need to notify the Pentagon immediately and have them send troops here at once." Ross promptly reached for the phone.

"Who would believe you, General?" Saloras stopped Ross. "Your reputation is not very good. The Pentagon would only think you were spouting nonsense."

Ross sighed and helplessly put down the phone. Ever since the Abomination had appeared, his reputation had plummeted. If he reported something that only happened in science-fiction movies, not only would he be ignored, he would be treated as some bored old man making prank calls from home.

"Then what should we do? Just stand by and watch? Let aliens invade my country?!" Ross had made many mistakes, but he was not some utterly evil man.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council have known about this for some time and have already made contingency plans. They will handle it," Aurelles said.

That put Ross at ease. He disliked S.H.I.E.L.D., but he acknowledged that it was capable. Besides, didn’t the Council stand above them? Since they already had a plan, they would surely be able to resolve this.

"The most important thing now is that this is a rare opportunity for you." Saloras stared at Ross. "You must seize it."

"What opportunity?" Ross did not understand.

Aurelles leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

"No, I mean, this… are you sure? You want me to do this?" After hearing Aurelles’s plan, Ross’s face turned pale. He was deeply shocked, with a hint of fear.

"If you want to restore your reputation, this is the best choice." Aurelles turned her back to Ross. "Fame and fortune can be obtained immediately. As a soldier, you should understand that principle very well."

Ross nodded with difficulty. "But…" Understanding was one thing, but this was risking his life.

"Don’t worry." Saloras saw Ross’s concerns. "I hired the most elite brazilian mercenaries, personally led by Hayden. They will be responsible for your safety. You only need to put on this show."

"And you needn’t worry about secrecy either," Saloras said coldly. "I guarantee they won’t say a single word afterward."