Chapter 887 Brilliant Stars (32)_1

If the legislators and military personnel have a bit of understanding about Eastern culture, then they should deeply comprehend the saying, "fortune never comes in pairs, disaster never strikes singly".

And if they have a deeper understanding of Eastern culture, then they should understand what is meant by "good people die young, while evil lingers on".

Of course, there are similar idioms in English too. As the wind rushes down corridor outside one meeting room after another, and light flickers in between, similar phrases and words repeatedly appear, almost morphing into urgent beats signalling the imminent arrival of a life-or-death situation.

"Report! General!" A message came from the Washington Airport: Schiller Rodriguez has boarded the plane. Our agents have reported that due to tight time constraints, they didn't manage to tamper with the aircraft!"

General Ross in the meeting room turned to look at the young officer who had just entered. He said, "Who issued the order for our agents to tamper with the plane? Don't they know? Rodriguez is not an ordinary man!"

"The order was issued by me, General Ross." Sitting across Ross was a slightly younger and more robust officer who spoke, "Our goal is to delay as much as possible, after all, the news of Captain America and Tony Stark's death is still under wraps, and Schiller Rodriguez is yet to learn about the demise of his two friends."

"This time, he's coming back from Washington, presumably due to Spider Man's death, as per the information we got from S.H.I.E.L.D., he and Peter Parker were close acquaintances and had a teacher-student relation with great affection."

"After receiving this message, he still chose to fly back, which indicates that although he is saddened, he is yet to lose control, but if he arrives in New York and finds out that his other two close friends are also dead, we can hardly ensure he won't go crazy."

General Ross had barely spoken a few words before someone outtalked him. Naturally, his face darkened, but he knew that his previous mistakes and failures had significantly dropped his standing in this small group, to the point where even younger newcomers dared to step on his head.

But still, he spoke: "I refuse to believe that our elite agents didn't have the time to tamper with the aircraft. If the goal is to delay, then bribing the crew and the captain should also be possible. Didn't you try that?"

The officer gave a cold huff, saying: "Our agent did get on the plane, only to find out, he couldn't even get in line."

"In a mere matter of minutes, all passengers were replaced by various agents, clearly we're not the only ones who anticipated him going mad..."

"As for the crew and captain, they were replaced long ago, but if the flight route is off, it will be discovered immediately."

"And General Ross, let's not forget, he possesses the same mental control ability as Professor X, which means our plan to bribe the crew to alter the flight route is impossible. He can control the captain to correct the course at any time."

"Enough bickering!" A senior general at the head of the table said solemnly: "Now we must come up with a plan to cope with the potential crisis."

"We all know that Schiller Rodriguez is an old Soviet left-over with mental control abilities, and a fervent one at that."

"The reason he can accept the current situation is that, on the surface, the human race is united and is stepping into the cosmos together. The other reason is his good relations with very typical Americans, such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider Man."

"The problem now is Nick Fury's death will make him realize that someone is up to no good in secret, and the death of other superheroes will leave him with no concerns, so what do we do if he truly wants to fulfill his mad dream?"

There was silence in the meeting room for a few seconds before Ross spoke: "Members of the Avengers are not only concerns for him but also forces that balance him. In particular, Iron Man, he was our only hope of resisting Schiller with force, but he's dead."

"Iron Man's death is very suspicious." Ross squinted and said, "It can't possibly be an inside job. I suspect, either some external forces are involved, or this might be a plot from the left-wing..."

The mood in the meeting room escalated with his words. The general's finger was tapping on the table at a rhythm faster than the second hand. He said, "I suspect this has been a conspiracy against us from start to end, and Schiller is the gun in their hands."

"Nick's and Fury's deaths were strange to begin with. Things have now reached a point where I can tell you that I never ordered anyone to act. I believe you all should be the same. Meaning, someone is deliberately stirring up conflicts between the military and S.H.I.E.L.D., killing Nick Fury and framing us."

"Then, they arrange for Spider Man to take the spotlight, focusing everyone's attention on him, then they kill him using a plot and blame the passive government and prison."

"After that, with Spider Man's death, Captain America would be filled with righteous indignation, lowering his guard and exposing flaws for easy black-mail. And following his death, Iron Man would probably be affected by the continuous loss of friends."