บท 239: Chapter 237 The Birth of the Avengers
Stark Industries, press conference venue.
Two nights ago, the high-tech armored battle between Iron Man and the Iron Monger on the highway and the rooftop of the Stark Industries factory had created a city-wide, even worldwide, commotion.
Rumors of the appearance of the Symbol of Peace, Kyle, had even elevated this major news event to a higher level. After all, it was a time of significant change, and any topic related to the Symbol of Peace, superheroes, or extraterrestrial invasions had become a subject of intense public discussion.
So when news of Tony's appearance at the press conference spread, nearly all of New York's media reporters flocked to the venue, filling the seats below the stage. Various television channels were conducting live broadcasts of the event.
Colonel Rhodes, representing the military, was the first to speak on the podium, delivering a long string of official statements that had some reporters struggling to stay awake.
"Now, let us welcome the Chairman of Stark Industries, Tony Stark!"
As Rhodes finished his speech and raised his hand high, the media in the audience erupted into applause filled with anticipation.
Tony, dressed in a sharp suit, appeared confident as he took the stage while holding a prepared speech in his hand, courtesy of SHIELD.
Clearing his throat, Tony began, "So, I'm sure you all thought that I was the one involved in the fight the other night on the streets and the rooftop, battling against the Iron monstrosity."
A female journalist raised her hand, interrupting him, "Mr. Stark, some people witnessed the appearance of your godfather. Are you trying to say that the Iron Man was your bodyguard?"
"Of course not. Please let me finish," Tony shrugged, not once glancing at the speech he had prepared. He continued with a serious expression, "To be honest, I'm not cut out to be a superhero, with many personal flaws. Unfortunately... my Godfather happens to be the Symbol of Peace."
"Tony," Rhodes lowered his voice, suddenly having an ominous feeling in his heart.
"That's right, the truth is that…" Tony looked around at the crowd of reporters and, facing the camera lenses, he confidently declared, "I am Iron Man!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire press conference exploded. Countless journalists stood up in astonishment and excitement, rushing forward with microphones in hand.
"Mr. Stark, how was the Iron Man Armor constructed? Does Stark Industries have any undisclosed advanced technology?"
"As the successor to the Symbol of Peace and Captain America, the third superhero recognized by the world, how do you feel?"
"How much did your godfather help you? How did he guide you on the path to becoming a superhero?"
"Will you be distributing the weaponry used by Iron Man to the military?"
A barrage of questions kept coming one after the other and Tony briefly answered some of them, while Rhodes, standing beside him, couldn't help but shake his head in frustration.
All the preparations made by SHIELD and the military seemed to have been in vain.
The public disclosure of Iron Man's identity meant that, for better or worse, Tony was now forever linked to Superheroes, and he couldn't go back to a peaceful and leisurely life.
As the questions continued to pour in at the press conference, the excited journalists were on the verge of losing control. Some staff members had to form a human barrier to maintain order.
It was at this moment that many of the journalists, crammed together, suddenly heard their phones vibrating simultaneously.
They pulled out their devices, answered calls, or read text messages, and their faces turned flush with excitement. Disregarding Tony's ongoing Q&A session, they hurriedly ran towards the exit, dragging along their cameramen.
In just half a minute, almost all the reporters had rushed out, leaving a chaotic scene behind, with overturned chairs and equipment.
Tony, relieved that the press conference was momentarily over, looked at Rhodes with a questioning expression, "What just happened?"
"How should I know?!" Rhodes replied with exasperation, raising his phone to his eyes and then suddenly holding it up, "Wait a minute..."
"Alright. Your godfather just bought the Empire State Building and started a company called the 'Supernatural Incident Bureau,' and it's been publicly announced," Rhodesy said.
"I knew it," Tony chuckled. "Only he could steal the headlines exposing my Iron Man identity."
Rhodesy fell silent for a moment, sighing, "The times are really changing."
On that day, newspapers, magazines, and online news sites rushed to publish two headlines: 'The True Identity of Iron Man' and 'The Establishment of the Supernatural Incident Bureau.'
It was already well-known that Tony Stark's Godfather was Kyle, which made Tony's public revelation as Iron Man an even more significant topic of discussion.
Notably, Kyle's creation of the Supernatural Incident Bureau added even more intrigue to the story.
The Supernatural Incident Bureau, now publicly disclosed, was a private enterprise owned by Kyle's family, the Carls. It exclusively handled supernatural-related matters and did not hire external personnel.
The entire building had just over thirty employees, all of whom claimed to be members of the Carl family. Kyle himself served as the chairman.
The bureau categorized its affairs into four levels of danger: King, Dragon, God, and Cataclysm, all of which dealt with supernatural disasters beyond human comprehension.
The lowest-level King category included creatures like the Iron Man machines from the other night.
The public was abuzz with discussions, finding everything incredibly novel. They could genuinely feel that the world was changing at an unprecedented pace.
Late that night, in the top-floor meeting room of the Empire State Building, the soft lighting cast a warm glow on several individuals sitting close together on leather sofas, sipping fine wine.
Each person in this room, if their identities and files were revealed, would surely shock the world. Yet, they were gathered here for one person at this moment.
Kyle sat on a single-person sofa with Raina standing beside him. Tony reclined nearby, and Natasha sat on the same long sofa.
Another large sofa was occupied by Fury alone.
The arrangement formed a triangular distribution.
"Fury, I've gathered the people you wanted. Go ahead and speak your mind," Kyle said calmly, his gaze fixed on Fury's intimidating, nearly indiscernible face in the dimly lit room.
"First, let me say this: everyone here, except me, is beyond ordinary, a 'Superhuman,'" Fury began, casting a meaningful glance at each person. He then spoke in a low voice, "Due to the message Kyle brought back from the galaxy and the events of the other night, I've decided to build a team, using SHIELD as the foundational resource."
Kyle's eyes brightened when he heard Fury's words and a glimmer of understanding crossed his face.
"A team?" Tony repeated with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "What kind of team?"
Fury replied with a solemn tone, "A team of heroes. Who can come together to deal with events that ordinary military can't. I'm calling it the 'Avengers'!"
(End of this chapter)
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