Bab 84: Restart, Spider-Man! [84]
Captain America had met others like himself before, but he had never heard of Spider-Man, which naturally sparked his curiosity.
The other Avengers in the room were also eyeing Xia Luo and Old Steve with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Xia Luo didn't seem to mind the attention. He nodded. "Yes, it's not just us—some troublesome individuals have arrived here as well."
Nick Fury frowned. "And how did you manage to get here?"
Xia Luo's face remained impassive. "That's a secret."
"If we're going to work together, we need honesty from everyone," Fury pressed, clearly wanting more information.
Xia Luo merely gave him a side glance. "This is a partnership, but I'm also here to save you. You need to be honest—I don't."
Fury's expression darkened, as did the faces of many in the room.
Old Steve, looking somewhat embarrassed, leaned closer to Xia Luo and whispered.
"What are you doing? We need their help."
Xia Luo paused. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
"Why?"
"I just got caught up in the moment."
"Aren't you supposed to be old friends?"
"I lied to him."
Old Steve: "..."
Before Nick Fury could retort, Natasha Romanoff narrowed her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, those people you mentioned are chasing you, aren't they?"
"You're the one who needs saving," Young Steve said with a hint of defiance.
Xia Luo shrugged. "If it weren't for those extra complications, I'd be the one hunting them down."
"He's right," Tony interjected. "You don't know just how powerful Spider-Man is, but I do. I trust him, and I think he's telling the truth. Besides, another terrifying spider creature has come here. We need Xia Luo's help to handle this threat."
"Stark, you're one of us," Young Steve reminded.
Tony smirked. "Sorry, but I've never wanted to be on your team. Other than Dr. Banner, whom I admire, the rest of you don't serve much purpose in my eyes."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
In the corner, the mild-mannered Bruce Banner, who had just been singled out, looked around nervously, then quietly lowered his head.
Please don't involve me... please don't involve me, he thought desperately.
Tony's arrogance had clearly gotten under the skin of Young Steve and Natasha.
"Stark, that's enough," Natasha said coldly.
Young Steve stood up, staring Tony down.
"From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were different from us—a self-absorbed arms dealer. Without that suit, you're nothing."
Tony, now equally fired up, stood up and met Steve's gaze head-on.
"And without your father's shield and the super serum, you're just a big-headed soldier."
Young Steve took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, let's find a place to settle this. I'll show you who I am."
"Why wait? Let's do it now, old man. And no calling for backup."
Tony scoffed, turning to leave the room.
"Stark, we're supposed to be planning right now!" Nick Fury called after him.
"I never make plans," Tony replied without looking back.
Young Steve brushed past Fury. "If there is a plan, it'll be tomorrow's."
"Steve, come back!"
Watching them storm out of the room one after the other, Nick Fury rubbed his temples.
Leadership is so exhausting!
"Natasha, go talk to them," he urged.
Natasha shook her head. "I think they should have this conversation. I'm at my limit with Tony."
Seeing her reaction, Xia Luo leaned over to Old Steve.
"Were you all this rebellious back in the day?"
Old Steve shook his head. "No, back then we weren't like this at all. We never disobeyed orders."
Xia Luo: "..."
"You didn't call for backup?"
"Of course not. It was a fair duel," Old Steve said confidently.
Xia Luo's lips twitched. "Old man, I think you should see a doctor."
"Why? Do you think I'm sick?"
"Yes, dementia. You seem to forget a lot of things."
After saying that, Xia Luo turned to face Nick Fury.
"This farce is over. Let's get down to business."
He tapped a button on his wrist, and several holographic images of the other contestants appeared above the table.
"It really is Steve..." Nick Fury muttered, recalling the intelligence reports that had mentioned a third Captain America.
Xia Luo explained, "In my universe, he's the leader of Hydra. He's not the Steve you're familiar with."
"What?" Everyone in the room was visibly shocked, instinctively glancing at Old Steve.
"Why are you looking at me? I'm innocent," Old Steve said, clearly uncomfortable.
He turned to Xia Luo. "Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. I killed him myself," Xia Luo confirmed.
Hearing that, a cold shiver ran down Old Steve's spine.
"No wonder you look at me funny... But carrying a personal vendetta into a competition isn't right," Old Steve admonished.
Xia Luo rolled his eyes. "I look at you funny because I suspect you're bad-mouthing me behind my back."
"No, absolutely not," Old Steve said, patting his chest as if to swear.
Ignoring him, Xia Luo continued with the briefing.
"The second one is Bucky Barnes, a friend of the Hydra Captain. They both wield Hydra's power and are incredibly dangerous.
The third, the Green Goblin, is another who's been after me. His name is Norman Osborn, and you need to watch out for his pumpkin bombs.
The fourth is Electro, Max Dillon. His abilities can take down the power grid of an entire city.
There's also Peter Parker, Loki, Stephen Strange, and Dr. Curt Connors."
As Xia Luo concluded his rundown, everyone's faces grew increasingly grim.
These enemies were more terrifying than they had imagined.
"So many have come to our world... What's their goal?" Fury asked.
Xia Luo, feeling a bit parched, looked over at Bruce in the corner. "Got any water?"
"Uh, yes."
Glad to finally have a task, Bruce hurried to pour a glass.
Meanwhile, Old Steve began to discreetly explain the contestants' objectives to Nick Fury.
This time, there seemed to be no mystical interference, so Xia Luo felt at ease.
And when Old Steve finished, everyone looked visibly shaken.
"They want to kill all the Avengers?"
"They're even turning on each other—this is madness."
"What are Chitauri soldiers? Are they definitely going to invade Earth?"
"The Allfather Odin, Thor's father, is also one of their targets. This is insane."
"Oh no! Stark and Steve went out—could they..."
Natasha's sudden exclamation snapped Fury to attention.
"They could be ambushed. Get them back here now!"
"It's too late. They've already left," Coulson said, entering the room.
Fury's face darkened as he turned to Xia Luo. "Why didn't you say something sooner? I could've stopped them."
Xia Luo shrugged. "I don't usually intervene in other people's arguments."
Tony and Steve leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. would serve as a perfect test to see if anyone was watching.
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(⊙⊙) <--- i'M ALWAYS WATCHING (T/N)
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