183

Chapter 183: Shock

News of the devastation in San Diego had not yet reached New York, but the city was already in chaos.

Several major TV networks simultaneously hijacked their broadcasts, replacing them with videos and photos detailing the dark history of the Council over the years—content that had been meticulously erased without a trace.

These included supporting wars behind the scenes, profiting from conflicts, backing terrorists in the Middle East to amplify their influence, and falsely labeling common items as weapons of mass destruction to justify bombings.

Many crucial institutions were monitored, but these records were typically stored for security reasons and later deleted.

No one could have anticipated that these surveillance recordings, which should have been long forgotten, would be exposed at this time.

When technology advances, previously impossible things become possible, especially with someone like Skyle, a super hacker, at the helm.

While the exposure of these historical misdeeds was damaging to the Council's international reputation, it was the following two videos that ignited public outrage.

The first footage showed the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, with Nick Fury watching the devastation unfold on a large screen with grave concern.

The large monster visible on the screen was clearly from the New York conflict.

The video depicted a heated argument between Nick Fury and the Council:

"Director Nick Fury, after a unanimous decision, we've decided to nuke New York."

"I refuse to carry out such a reckless order!"

"Your ship is the closest to the battlefield. Dispatch fighters immediately..."

"Once again, I will not execute such an order! Unless my team is completely defeated, I will not drop a nuclear bomb on my own civilians!"

"Director Nick, the board has overridden your command and ordered the launch of a nuclear bomb on New York!"

"Damn these fools! Contact the Avengers!"

The screen then showed Stark dragging the nuclear bomb, struggling to prevent it from falling, while Thor rushed into the portal with the bomb just before it closed...

The second video was from the previous night.

"The Council decided to launch a nuclear bomb on Trudheim Manor to eliminate the threatening Avengers!"

"But that's the suburbs of New York! The consequences of a nuclear explosion would be catastrophic!"

"No, the Avengers are the source of the disaster! Besides, the distance between that location and Wall Street is sufficient. It might affect the slums, but it's just a matter of saving some relief funds!"

"But how do we justify this to the public?"

"Nuclear leaks, illegal research... civilians will only need a superficial explanation. We can blame the Avengers and cover it up with any excuse we can find!"

"Chief, the missile is off course!"

"The nuclear bomb didn't detonate; it's just that the coordinates were incorrect. It's heading towards the southwest. The impact point should be in the northeast Pacific Ocean, so it shouldn't affect the mainland!"

"It seems like an accident. Cancel the plan for now."

Following the New York conflict, Thor had asked Skye to gather information and had executed a congressman as a warning.

It wasn't necessary to deal with a mere pawn so severely. What Skye was really tasked with was obtaining the video of the nuclear launch towards New York.

As for the content from the previous night, once it was delivered by a senior official under Kingpin's control, Thor immediately instructed Skye to act, leading to the acquisition of the video footage.

If the previous content showcased the United States' international sins, the two nuclear strike plans against New York stirred public outrage.

"Are we living in a terrorist state? My God, our government is dropping nukes on us!"

"I'm moving out of New York; it's too dangerous. I've survived the mushroom cloud twice!"

"This is absurd! We want an organization that drops nukes on civilians to oversee the Avengers, who are preventing us from being nuked!"

Thor, freshly returned from the FBI, seized the moment to speak: "The primary reason I oppose the Sokovia Accords is that I refuse to let an organization that launches nuclear bombs on its own people control the world's most powerful force."

"Four years ago, thankfully, this absurd bill didn't exist. Otherwise, New York would have been wiped out. According to the bill, the Council would have threatened us with the Avengers' families and watched the nuclear bomb explode!"

"The Avengers cannot handle every situation perfectly; accidents will occur. But we have always done our utmost to save everyone, rather than treating civilian lives as expendable!"

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