Chapter 4351 - 3446: Midnight Sons (8)
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Stark looked at Nick with the eyes of a madman. Nick gave Natasha a look, and Natasha left with Carol.
"Is that Captain Marvel? She hasn't shown up on Earth for a long time. Why did she suddenly come back?" Stark asked.
"I sent her to keep an eye on the Mutants in the Andromeda Galaxy," Nick signaled to Coulson to make coffee. Stark sat opposite him.
"Magneto's Super Brainwave Controller has been completed," Nick said, "It's about the size of the Moon."
Stark paused in the middle of taking the coffee cup and then asked, "How wide is its range?"
"Most of the cosmos, including the political center Star Area and the economic center around the Giant Teleportation Gate of the Shi'ar Empire." Nick sat down as well, sipped his hot coffee, sighed, and said, "Unfortunately, once this thing is activated, it will be detected. It can only be used as a last resort."
"It would be better used to deal with enemies from outside the cosmos," Stark said.
"Charles thinks so too," Nick said with a smile.
"Have they activated it?"
"Of course. At that moment, almost all advanced civilizations in the cosmos received the signal. 80% of them were scared shitless."
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Stark grinned too. Nick continued, "Besides a wide range, the intensity has also increased ridiculously. The Supreme Wisdom made several million backups for itself overnight, but all were detected by Charles."
"It would be best if no clueless fool bumped into them," Stark said. Looking at Nick holding that orange cat, he frowned and asked, "Are you really going to let this thing settle on Earth?"
"Of course. But only a limited number of them. It's best to put them in the hands of superheroes who can restrain them."
"Don't tell me I'm one of them."
Nick nodded.
"No, no way, Nick, don't think about making me adopt this thing." Stark shook his head like a rattle.
"Think about Little Morgan..."
"You even want me to think about my daughter. What father would bring such a dangerous animal home?!"
"What I mean is that children need the companionship of pets. Animal companions are their first lesson in the natural sciences. But most pets have a day of death. That's really cruel to the kids."
Stark showed a hesitant expression.
"Did you have a pet when you were little?"
Stark shook his head and said, "No. My mom didn't like animal fur, but our neighbor had a big black dog. I petted it when I was a kid. It had a peculiar texture. Its slobber even got on my clothes."
"So, how did you feel when it died?"
"I felt a sense of peace, because it always barked when I was playing puzzles, making me unable to focus."
Nick pressed his lips together speechlessly and said, "Then you're well-suited to having a cat, because cats don't make unnecessary noise."
"But this thing is a damn monster!" Stark roared at him, "What if it swallows Little Morgan someday, Pepper will actually kill me!"
"Alright," Nick sighed and said, "Then I'll have to ask someone else. Maybe Dr. Banner would be interested?"
Stark was about to stand up when he asked again, "How many have been adopted so far?"
"Only two. One was given to Shiller, and Matt also took one home. I heard it was Erica wanting a companion for Little Jack."
"Shiller adopted one too?" Stark frowned and said, "Is he finally fed up with that yellow mouse?"
"Who knows, maybe he just likes little kittens." Nick scratched under Gugu's chin again and said, "He took the cutest little black cat..."
"Black cat?" Stark said in confusion, "How did this orange cat spawn a black cat?"
"Come on, Tony. Use that genius brain of yours. This thing isn't a real cat. They even hatch from eggs. Any color is normal."
Just then, a little kitten climbed to the edge of the table, looking sort of white but with black patterns on its face.
"What's this color pattern?"
"Color-point Ragdoll," Nick glanced over and said, "Should be the most expensive pattern variety among all the kittens."
"I'll take this one," Stark gestured OK with his hand and then said, "Now teach me how to make it not eat children."
Nick and the orange cat both gave him a disdainful look. Nick picked up the kitten and said, "You might not believe it, but this thing is smarter than most people."
"Is it an intelligent creature?"
"Of course. It can freely control where to place the swallowed person in the dimension. The enemy is directly thrown into the center of a star, and our people are placed on a safe planet. It's a life-saving tool when necessary."
Stark curiously took the kitten. This kitten was especially friendly and kept kneading on his hands. Stark took a closer look and moved it farther away, then said, "Alright. Hopefully, Little Morgan can get along well with it."
At this moment, Nick glanced at his phone, then put it down and said, "Natasha says your anxiety is acting up again. Shiller is on leave; otherwise, I'd have him come check on you first?"
"Did Natasha tell you my anxiety is because of Shiller?"
"Are you talking about that system update thing?" Nick adjusted his eyepatch, leaned back, and rested his hands on his stomach, saying, "I know, no matter how I try to persuade you, you'll always think of the worst-case scenario. So I won't waste time."
"The best way I know to comfort someone is to keep him busy. If you don't have any urgent experiments recently, get Iron Man moving pronto."
"What's wrong?"
Nick took a folder out of the drawer and handed it to Stark, saying, "The New York security reports for the past two weeks are a bit worrying. The news of the star ship's completion has stirred too many people. Some aliens lurking on Earth are also fueling the fire. In the Bronx, two large-scale protest events have escalated into violent conflicts."
Stark sighed and asked, "Can we pinpoint targets?"
"There are currently two main groups. You should know the Hand Union, right?"
Stark thought for a moment and said, "This name is a bit long-lost. Seems like a terrorist organization left behind by Japan?"
"Exactly. After Japan was destroyed, the members left in the Americas became independent. But they've always wanted to reclaim Honshu Island, causing a lot of trouble for New Xanadu Country. They're also stirring up conflicts between Mutants and ordinary people behind the scenes."
Stark thought of some videos with obvious stances he had seen on the short video platform.
"Fortunately, the Mutants aren't dumb, they've organized a wave of public opinion backlash online, which has had some effect, though it's inconvenient for them to act in reality. S.H.I.E.L.D. is following up on this front."
"And what else?"
"Remember Roxon Corporation?"
"The oil energy company? Didn't they get settled after the space station incident?"
"It's not that simple. This guy named Dalio Ag has some skills. Under the guise of being a pioneer in alien exploration, he managed to persuade quite a few Congressmen. They want to insert their own mining ship into the escort of the star ship."
"Do they have alien mining ships?"
"No. They just want to turn the escort ship into their own mining ship. They make it sound grand, like using one main ship for combat is enough, so why not maximize the use of the escort?"
"China wouldn't agree, right?"
"China doesn't really care about the fleet because they didn't support starting interstellar colonization so soon in the first place. They're busy with nuclear fusion experiments and Jupiter mining, they don't even ask a question."
"Well, they're always like that."
"But actually, this is just a guise," Nick placed both hands on the table, saying, "Shiller once said that to make someone open a window, you have to blow off the roof first. This alien mining plan is the roof to be blown off."
"So which window do they want to open?"
Nick handed over another document. As Stark read, his brows furrowed: "The Airborne Factory Plan?"
"That's right, they're calling it an extension of the air transport plan. Directly setting up factories in mid-air."
"There's one question," Stark said, "Who does the sky belong to?"
"Well, it certainly doesn't belong to the owner of the land," Nick shook his head and said, "Currently, airspace control measures by various countries are pretty similar. Land can be bought and sold, but the sky belongs to the military."
"The plan doesn't seem to have any flaws," Stark said while looking at the document, "It seems to be able to create jobs and boost the economy. But this means the hidden problems must be significant."
"Indeed, before they reveal their true fangs, we must be vigilant. S.H.I.E.L.D. is keeping an eye on the Hand Union, and Roxon Corporation is up to you and Spider-Man."
Stark nodded, accepting the task. Nick emphasized, "The reason you're going is that Roxon Corporation is very adept at resolving issues through legal means. And the Stark Group should be more proficient than they are. Make sure you don't fall into their traps or give them any chance to attack. They're waiting for this."
"I'll be careful," Stark put away the file and said, "How about that new Spider-kid?"
"He's running some tests in the training room. I'll send you his data later. He's a bit different from Peter, but he's a great kid too. You'll have a pleasant collaboration."
After leaving Nick's office, Stark first handed the cat to Coulson, asking him to take it to the nearest pet hospital. Although it's unclear if alien monsters need vaccinations, it's better to be safe than sorry.
He then went to the training room and saw Miles hanging upside down on a strand of Spider Silk.
"Hey, kid. From now on, you're coming with me. Which means, whatever I say, you do. Got it?"
Miles glanced at him.
Stark was dumbfounded: "Can you at least give me a reaction? What does this mean?"
Soon, Miles came down from the Spider Silk, glanced at the analysis report on the instrument, and shook his head slowly.
"Can't you see me?" Stark asked.
"I can see you, Mr. Stark. But I'm busy right now, can you wait a while?" Miles didn't even turn his head.
Now Stark understood why Nick said Miles was a bit different from Peter. This kid had some street habits, not like Peter, the obedient type.
So Stark switched his approach, saying, "Staring at data here doesn't do much good. Field experience is gained out there. How about we take a spin around town?"
Miles finally showed some interest, turned his head, and said, "Where are you planning to go? The Bronx?"
"I heard things aren't very calm there lately. Let's go take a look first, and move in the evening."
"I was thinking the same," Miles clapped his hands and said, "I thought you'd be eager to go fight crime."
"It's not urgent," Stark patted his shoulder and said, "Who designed your battlesuit and Spider Silk Launcher? Need any upgrades?"
"No. Peter helped me with all this. I like its appearance and some of the small features." Miles shrugged, "I value the mobility of the battlesuit more and don't like too many metal elements. So I'd rather not."
In just a few exchanges, Stark had roughly figured out Miles's personality. This guy was a bit tougher than Peter, more straightforward, basically saying what he thought without beating around the bush. His street origins were evident in him.
Stark didn't particularly like this type of personality, but as a partner, it wasn't too bad. So Stark said it directly.
"The situation in the Bronx is a bit complicated. Roxon Corporation is waiting to catch us slipping. Your job is not about making progress, just not making mistakes is enough."
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