Multivers, Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 393: 393 MCU 68

After the matter with Peter, we returned to the base and heard the news that the UN had officially annulled the Sokovia Accords.

It seemed public opinion had turned so bad that they couldn’t hold out any longer.

This news was also being reported as a special news bulletin.

Instead, they announced plans to establish a sub-organization called the "Global Planetary Security Council (GPSC)" to more effectively respond to alien attacks and international criminal groups like Hydra and the Ten Rings, based on support from various countries.

A formal request for cooperation also arrived at our base, so we could immediately grasp the situation.

But there was a problem.

This plan was led by China and Russia, and the official document even included technical support provisions.

They seemed to intend to use international cooperation as a pretext to demand official technology transfers.

Of course, they knew the U.S. government would never accept this.

But from China and Russia’s perspective, if it worked out they’d gain technology, and if it failed they could weaken the U.S.’s position—so either way, they had nothing to lose.

Tony, who was looking at the document, also grasped their intent and frowned, saying,

"This is a mess..."

"Tony, watch your language."

"Fine, fine."

Natasha, who had been quietly examining the document, asked me,

"What do you think, Jin?"

"Since we’re out of the picture and the governments have become the targets instead, I imagine they’ll work things out with the allied nations on their own. They have the clear moral high ground, so it’ll be tricky to deal with, but in the end, it’s karma. If the higher-ups had done their jobs properly, it wouldn’t have come to this. It’s unfortunate the allied nations got caught up in it... but there’s no helping it."

"But isn’t the shaking of America’s international legitimacy a problem?"

"Since when did America care about legitimacy?"

"Well..."

When I asked back, Natasha couldn’t argue further.

She also knew well that the world runs on the law of power, not morality or legitimacy.

"Huff... When you put it that way, I have nothing to say. So, who should go to the UN meeting in two days as an advisor?"

Then Tony stepped forward.

"I’ll go. It’s Vienna, right? Going there for a vacation doesn’t sound bad. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the spotlight, and as the face of the Avengers, I can’t miss it, right?"

Everyone chuckled at that.

"Alright, I’ll prepare some materials for you. And bring your Iron Man suit. You never know what might happen."

"Got it."

With that decided, Tony took the materials I’d prepared and moved to Avengers Tower to prepare for the meeting.

This meeting seemed to be open to the public, probably because public interest was so high.

The UN would likely use this opportunity to try to turn around the bad public opinion.

The next day, the Captain and Sharon Carter returned.

They seemed to have finished Peggy Carter’s funeral safely.

I explained to them what had happened in the meantime.

"Is it okay to send Tony to something like that? Tony is a bit..."

"He does go overboard sometimes. But since there will be technical questions, Tony might actually be the better choice."

"I suppose so."

The Captain seemed worried about Tony going as the Avengers’ representative.

Another day passed, and the team members began watching the UN meeting in Vienna from the lounge.

The cameras focused heavily on the U.S. representatives and Tony, who had come as an advisor.

Probably because they were the ones generating the most buzz.

Then the UN meeting began with a speech from King T’Chaka of Wakanda.

"Today, our security is no longer a matter for a single nation. International terrorist organizations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and we now live in an era where we must even consider the possibility of alien threats. In order to respond to these new threats..."

But just then, T’Challa, the king’s son, suddenly rushed onto the podium and shouted,

"Everyone get down!!!"

KABOOOOOM!!!!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out from outside the meeting hall, and immediately afterward, red, rippling flames surged in like a wave, engulfing the podium.

T’Challa desperately tried to protect his father, who had been giving the speech, but because he was closest to the epicenter of the blast, his figure was quickly swallowed by smoke and fire, making it impossible to tell if he was alive or dead.

Meanwhile, Tony, perhaps accustomed to such things, had ducked under a desk without a moment’s hesitation and seemed to have escaped without any harm.

The team members watching the live broadcast observed the situation with grave expressions.

"Oh no..."

"Shouldn’t we go support them?"

"Right."

"Is Tony going to be okay?"

"He ducked well. He’ll probably be fine."

Since Zemo’s family was all alive and he was struggling to develop his country, I thought this kind of terrorism wouldn’t happen and had been at ease.

But when it happened just like in the original, I was a bit flustered.

’Who on earth did this?’

While I was pondering that, the Captain said,

"We should quickly form a support team and join Tony to help with rescue operations and start investigating. The team will..."

The Captain decided to take Jess, Wanda, Thor, Vision, Myo Myo, and some staff members.

Since it was a rescue operation, it seemed he’d put together a team centered on members who had telekinesis and strength.

And unlike the original, the Captain being able to go for support like this was possible because they had various ships like the Odyssey.

"I’ll leave the base to you."

"Alright, got it. Thanks for your hard work. If you need support, contact us anytime."

After the Captain’s team boarded the Odyssey and departed, I immediately contacted Tony.

"Are you hurt?"

"Yeah... but there are many injured and quite a few dead, it seems."

"The Captain put together a team and headed your way, so they’ll arrive soon."

"That’s good news. I was a bit short-handed anyway."

"Have you figured out who did it yet?"

"Not yet. We’re analyzing the CCTV. It should come out soon. But King T’Chaka of Wakanda died in this attack."

"We saw it on the live broadcast too. That’s unfortunate..."

Just like in the original, it seemed T’Chaka hadn’t survived.

After the call, I went down to the lounge and saw the members watching the news.

They too knew the possibility of additional support requests, so they were waiting in the lounge.

The news showed Iron Man flying around, conducting rescue operations.

Soon after, the Odyssey also arrived at the scene, and under the Captain’s command, the Avengers members joined the rescue efforts.

I also waited in the lounge, watching their activities.

Since things had changed from the original, I didn’t know what might happen.

While waiting, I suddenly started receiving a series of communications.

"This attack was carried out by Hydra. The CCTV analysis just finished, and ’Brock Rumlow’—who had been active in S.H.I.E.L.D.—and his group were caught on camera parking a vehicle at the explosion site. However, it’s still unclear why Hydra targeted the UN. First, focus on investigating Hydra’s information."

Tony contacted me with a tone like "Hydra again" and asked me to investigate Hydra.

"Jin, it seems Bucky was also at the scene. I’d appreciate it if you could quickly track down Bucky’s location and let me know."

No sooner had Tony’s call ended than the Captain contacted me about Bucky.

"This is T’Challa, the prince of Wakanda. I want you to send all the information you have on Hydra within the Avengers to our side."

Finally, T’Challa contacted me.

He demanded information on Hydra in an enraged voice, probably out of a desire for revenge.

"I heard the news. I’m very sorry about your father."

"In our culture, death is not the end. It is breaking the noose around your neck. Then Sekhmet (the goddess of death) will guide you to the green paradise, where you can run forever."

T’Challa briefly told me about the mythology passed down in Wakanda.

"I see..."

"My father was investigating Hydra separately to repay his debt to the Avengers. But I don’t think he expected it to end like this. I will not let this matter rest. So I hope you will cooperate."

From T’Challa’s story, it seemed T’Chaka had been investigating Hydra to help us.

Moreover, since he was the one leading the GPSC meeting that posed a threat to Hydra, he seemed to have become Hydra’s target.

’Now I understand why this happened.’

I sent all the data on Hydra kept at the Avengers base to T’Challa to maintain a good relationship with him.

Then I immediately asked the AI, Minerva, to start tracking Hydra and Bucky.

Meanwhile, the news also began airing the CCTV footage and reporting on the suspect.

"In this attack, at least 12 people, including King T’Chaka, have died. The criminal organization behind this attack has been identified as Hydra, and the main suspect is ’Brock Rumlow,’ who..."

Fortunately, unlike the original, Bucky didn’t seem to have been named as a suspect.

But since he was affiliated with Hydra, he couldn’t have been excluded from the tracking.

[Master, I’ve located individuals who appear to be Hydra operatives. They are in an apartment in Munich, Germany. Given that there are no other colleagues nearby, it seems they’ve scattered to avoid pursuit.]

"Really? Okay. Keep tracking the others too."

[Understood, Master.]

I first informed the Captain and Tony of this fact and also notified T’Challa.

I did this with the intention of cooperating to catch them, but contrary to my intention, T’Challa killed the tracked operative on the spot.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of letting a single Hydra member live.

Because of that, they fought and caused chaos in the middle of the city, and eventually, T’Challa and the Avengers, mediated by the UN and Rhodey, all moved back to Vienna.

The media was also making a big fuss about this.

"For crying out loud..."

"I think we should go too. This can’t continue. It hasn’t been long since public opinion improved, and if they keep causing trouble like this, it’ll become a big problem."

"Right, I think we should."

Natasha and I prepared to leave for Vienna, and Falcon said he wanted to come too.

"I think I should go too. Bucky is someone the Captain and I have been tracking for a long time. The Captain’s heart might waver because Bucky is his old friend. My being there will help."

"Alright."

We took the Aurea and moved to Vienna.

As soon as we arrived, Tony greeted us, but his expression wasn’t very good.

"Jin came after all. I knew this would happen... We’re not the ones who caused trouble this time."

"I know. Where’s the Captain?"

"Talking with the Wakanda Batman."

"Wakanda Batman" seemed to be Tony’s nickname for T’Challa.

Following Tony’s lead, we moved to where the Captain and T’Challa were talking.

There, T’Challa and some Dora Milaje warriors were engaged in a heated argument with the Avengers, while U.S. UN agent Everett Ross and Rhodey watched them, sighing.

"No matter how much of a criminal they are, you can’t just kill people. Don’t you know that could escalate into a diplomatic issue?"

"Your side had a king killed. It seems you’re the one not understanding. We are at war with Hydra."

I stepped in and tried to mediate.

"Everyone, calm down. Prince T’Challa, please calm down too."

"I am the king now."

"...Right. Anyway, King T’Challa, there’s no need to create new enemies. If we cooperate well, I think the Hydra problem will be resolved soon. So for the time being, how about refraining from killing and starting by extracting information from captured terrorist suspects? And you know there are people who have been brainwashed and forced to act. If you’re not careful, even those who were used could lose their lives."

After hearing my words, T’Challa thought for a moment and then said to us,

"Fine. But since the king died by their hands, I want them to be tried in Wakanda."

"That’s outside my authority. I think we’d need UN approval for that."

I said that, glancing at Everett Ross.

He also thought for a moment and then answered us,

"It’s certainly a legitimate request, but we’d have to consult the International Court of Justice, a UN judicial body. This attack killed not only Wakandans but also many people from other countries. Honestly, I’m not sure how it will turn out."

"Then the negotiation is over."

T’Challa said that and immediately stood up, leaving with the Dora Milaje warriors to their quarters.

I shook my head as I watched.

In the end, I had failed to persuade him.

"I thought things were going well lately... I never imagined they’d get this tangled up."

"Huff... Tell me about it."

Natasha sympathized and sighed.

Thor, who had been watching, spoke up.

"I understand T’Challa’s anger. I think I would have felt the same way."

Asgard was also a monarchy, so it seemed he had some common ground with T’Challa.

"It would be best for everyone to return to the ship and rest for a while. You haven’t had a break since the attack."

When the Captain said that, everyone agreed and decided to go back to the ship and rest.