94

Chapter 94: Chitauri Invasion

Stark hastily donned his badly damaged armor and stumbled out.

Natalia glanced at Thor and, seeing he didn't stop him, said immediately: "The Stark Building is the most likely target, and the population around it is the highest concentration. Let's go there first!"

Steve, Bruce Banner, and the others quickly followed.

"I'm going too!" A determined voice spoke as Clint Barton, fully armored, appeared at the door. "I have a lot of responsibility for this, and I need to make amends."

Natalia nodded and led everyone to board a fighter plane, heading towards New York.

"Should we call her back?" Nick Fury asked Thor.

The crisis was escalating beyond expectations, and he thought about the communicator left by Captain Marvel.

Thor shook his head. "No need. The invaders are likely just cannon fodder. As long as the Guardians on Earth are present, we won't face any truly formidable enemies."

He paused before continuing, "Besides, Earth needs this ordeal to awaken those who are complacent in their peace. Otherwise, when the Guardian will leave in a few years and a full-scale invasion occurs, an unprepared Earth may not withstand the assault."

This statement revealed two key pieces of information: one, Earth would face a catastrophic invasion in a few years, and two, the Avengers had failed to prevent the conflict from erupting in New York.

"Hill, quickly alert the evacuated New Yorkers!" Nick Fury said, sweating profusely.

"However, Washington's top officials will not agree to evacuate a city of 8 million! Even if approved, it would take at least a month to arrange!"

"Damn it!" Nick Fury's face turned a deep shade of frustration. He had already faced severe consequences...

"Calm down!" Thor intervened, "You should trust the Avengers. They will do their utmost to protect the civilians. Besides, it's not the aliens who can truly destroy New York; it's the politicians."

Thor made this statement with a meaningful look and then turned to Hill. "Hello, Hill, can you show me Coulson's body?"

Hill was surprised, and Nick Fury's eyes flickered as he whispered, "Take him."

On a hospital bed, Phil Coulson lay unconscious. His breathing had stopped, but the electrocardiogram monitor still showed fluctuations.

"Are you planning to save him with the GH-325 drug still in the experimental stage?"

"Yes," Nick Fury said gravely, "Most subjects in the experimental phase had mental issues upon recovery. But there's no other choice."

"You don't have it, but I do!" Thor said, producing a bottle of potion. "Extremis is undiluted. How about the Tesseract?"

Despite the high cost, Nick Fury agreed. After this disaster, he was eager to offload the troublesome Tesseract. Moreover, the cube was still in Loki's possession.

After administering Extremis, Coulson's wounds began to heal slowly.

"His injuries are under control, and his life is stable. He just needs time to recover." Thor said, then opened a portal and departed.

Atop the Stark Building, a blue beam of light shot into the sky, as if communicating with the heavens.

Stark removed his broken armor and waited for the Mark Seven to power up, buying time.

Loki laughed maniacally: "We have an army! What do you have to counter it?"

Stark replied flatly, "We have Hulk."

"The big guy? I thought he was lost."

"We also have Thor. Though he's a pain, he's reputed to be quite effective against you."

Loki's smile faltered, and he said angrily, "Pissing me off won't help you. I'm eager to see what happens when you and your teammates turn on each other."

He raised his scepter and touched Stark's chest.

But nothing happened.

"Damn it, I've never failed! Why can't I succeed even without armor?" Loki fumed.

Stark taunted, "I told you it wouldn't work, but you wouldn't believe it..."

Loki grabbed Stark by the neck, enraged. "My army is coming, and you will all bow before me!" He threw Stark off the building.

At that moment, the Mark 7 launched, quickly flying out to catch Tony.

Simultaneously, at the end of the beam of light in the sky, a vast black hole grew larger, and grotesque alien creatures descended from unknown spacecraft.

"It's incredible, like a sci-fi blockbuster!" Stark muttered as he faced the overwhelming Chitauri in the sky.

"Boom..." The immense explosion finally caught the attention of the crowd below.

Wreckage rained down, and the people fled in panic amid cries of alarm.

"Damn it, it's too late. The war has already begun!" Steve lamented, shouting, "Jane, Natalia, you go support Stark! Banner and Clint, help evacuate the people!"

The crowd dispersed, and he pointed to a group of stunned policemen: "This isn't a fight you can handle. Leave it to us, and you focus on rescue efforts!"

The policemen were bewildered, unsure whether to comply.

At that moment, a Chitauri soldier charged at a frightened child by the roadside. Without hesitation, Steve lunged in, raised his shield, and dispatched the Chitauri soldier with a single blow.

The astonished child looked up, shouting excitedly, "Captain America! You're Captain America! I knew Captain America would protect us!"

Captain America? The policemen were stunned, then noticed the shield and their expressions changed instantly.

"Follow your orders, Captain!" the lead officer said solemnly.

In a remote corner, Bruce Banner and a group of people were trapped in an alley by a squad of Chitauri soldiers.

Looking at the terrified people behind him, Banner sighed.

He turned back with a gentle expression and said, "Don't worry, there's nothing to fear!"

Then, he turned around, his muscles swelling and tearing through his clothes.

"I'm sorry, but you've made me angry!"

A thunderous roar erupted.