Chapter: 321
Northern New York, the new Avengers training base.
"Is it really safe to keep the Mind Stone here?" Captain was not entirely in agreement with the result chosen by everyone's vote.
After the battle in Seoul, Max and his mechanical clones were completely eliminated, bringing an end to the global crisis caused by artificial intelligence.
However, this battle also resulted in significant losses for Seoul. The government was paralyzed, the land shattered, and people were displaced.
The damage was so severe that even the Damage Control Corporation, co-founded by Tony and Mark, couldn't single-handedly restore it to its former glory.
The resources required to support such a massive undertaking were astronomical. In order to fully compensate for the losses caused by the war, Tony and Mark, the main culprits, set their sights on the Mind Stone.
The immense energy within the Mind Stone and its vast computational power, serving as a massive data center, presented a substantial and monetizable legitimate profit.
This not only allowed for the restructuring of the global energy framework but also facilitated the task of rebuilding Seoul, making it a perfect solution that served two purposes.
Their plan was to establish a brand-new Avengers training base on the outskirts of New York, far from the city center and in a sparsely populated area.
The purpose of this base was to securely store the Mind Stone, and its safety was ensured by two layers of protection.
First was the technological safeguard provided by Mark and Tony. Various cutting-edge technologies were invested into the construction of the Mind Stone protective device.
The entire room designed to hold the stone was constructed with carbide material coated in vibranium nanospheres.
There were no physical access points, and the outer layer was connected to the boundless energy within the Mind Stone, forming the most powerful energy shield ever constructed on Earth.
To enter, one had to pass through multiple authentication and use a spatial teleportation portal. Once inside, they would also have to confront J.A.R.V.I.S., the artificial intelligence residing on the stone.
If the individual was not a member of the Avengers Alliance, J.A.R.V.I.S. would utilize the Mind Stone's mind-control capabilities to expel the intruder.
The second line of defense was the presence of the Avengers members stationed within the base. With them in place, those who coveted the Mind Stone would face the greatest deterrence.
Furthermore, the new base's location was chosen meticulously. In the event of disturbances elsewhere which required the Avengers' intervention, they could swiftly reach any global location through the spatial teleportation portal or Quinjet aircraft, ensuring a rapid response time.
But if enemies were to launch an attack on the Avengers' base, the sparsely populated geographic location ensures that the conflict wouldn't endanger innocent civilians.
Compared to the previous Avengers Tower situated in the busiest district, the new base has distinct advantages.
Therefore, all members of the Avengers held a meeting regarding the proposal put forth by Tony and Mark. After some discussion, they ultimately voted to approve their commercial development plan for the Mind Stone.
The sole dissenting vote came from Captain Steve Rogers. Over seventy years ago, Hydra's research into the power of the Cosmic Cube plunged the world into a massive crisis; a few years ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted to harness the power of the Cosmic Cube again, resulting in the invasion of the Chitauri and turning New York into a battlefield.
A few days ago, Tony and Doctor Banner's attempt to control the Mind Stone in order to create an era of peace nearly led to Earth's destruction.
Under these various instances where humans attempted to control the Infinity Stones, without exception, the end results have always triggered even greater dangers, posing significant threats to the safety of all humanity.
Given this history, it's difficult for Captain to believe that the plan proposed by Tony and Mark this time will yield the expected positive outcome.
Captain believes that rather than gambling with the safety of the entire Earth and embarking on such a risky plan, it would be better to have Thor return the Mind Stone to Asgard, where the more powerful Asgardians can ensure its proper safeguarding.
"I don't think there's a problem. While Tony might not be the most reliable, Mark's abilities are trustworthy. He has developed a comprehensive system to protect the Mind Stone's safety, and I believe it's worth trusting.
You see, these days, safety isn't easy to come by. The Mind Stone is the fourth Infinity Stone to appear in the last few years; that's definitely not a coincidence.
Someone is guiding the entire universe's situation from the shadows, and we, and even the entire Earth, are now entangled in his scheme.
If all the stones were in place, perhaps the enormous crisis I saw in the Water of Sight might become a reality."
Thor was the first to agree with Tony and Mark's plan in this vote. His consideration wasn't whether Seoul could be successfully rebuilt; but whether it was safe to keep the Mind Stone on Earth.
From the perspective of the entire Nine Realms, Thor's conclusion is that with Mark around, the safety of the Mind Stone is assured.
Setting aside Mark's terrifying weapon that annihilated the Dark Elves in a single strike, the small but immensely powerful capsules he carries at his waist alone is capable of producing devastating force.
Since getting to know Mark, Thor's firsthand experience of his strength, abilities, and character has filled him with confidence in Mark's ability to safeguard the Mind Stone.
"Alright then, since you all agree, I'm willing to try and hope for a positive outcome this time. However, I'll be closely monitoring the progress of the entire plan, and if I see any dangerous situations arise, I'll call off the plan immediately."
Thor's confidence in the safety of leaving the Mind Stone at the new Avengers base made Captain reconsider his stubborn stance. He decided to let the plan proceed for now, and if any issues arose, he would step in to halt it if necessary.
"Well, Captain, trouble is always there. Regardless of who ultimately wins or loses, trouble is inevitable. When the time comes and we, The Avengers, will work together, what trouble can't we handle?"
Tony walked up to Captain's side and patted his shoulder, saying.
Hearing Tony's words, Captain smiled knowingly, "You're right. As long as we work together, there's no trouble the Avengers can't solve."
With that, Captain pushed Tony's hand off his shoulder, "But you better not get into trouble. The whole nation knows that any trouble associated with you is no small matter."
"You're being too harsh, but even if you don't intervene, the Avengers are a talented bunch now. I believe this fresh blood can change your old-fashioned and stubborn ways." Tony teased Captain with a raised eyebrow.
"They are indeed promising, and some of them are quite well-known. However, for now, they can't yet be called a team, let alone qualified Avengers. Instead of changing my stubborn nature, I think I should focus on training them to become a true team."
"True, but that's your responsibility. I think it's time for me to go. I've been thinking about learning from Hawkeye's experience and setting up a farm for Pepper. Hopefully, no one will blow it up—"
"I didn't expect that one day you'd also consider leading a simple life. Aren't you going to say goodbye to Mark?"
"Forget about the farewell. I'm not comfortable with all that father-son sentimentality with that brat. Besides, once I'm gone, there will be plenty of things in this base for him to handle.
What about you? After going through this major battle, don't you plan to take a proper vacation for yourself? You could also use this opportunity to find a good girl and experience the joys of an older bull grazing on tender grass."
"...I haven't thought about it," Captain hesitated before replying, "Starting a family, settling down. I was longing for all that when I got frozen in that block of ice seventy-five years ago."
"Now that I'm back in this world, I'm a different me."
"So, how is the new Captain Steve Rogers feeling so far?"
"Very good, at least I've found my place, and this is my new home."
Upon hearing Captain's response, Tony didn't say anything, but he genuinely smiled, patted Captain's shoulder, and drove away in a cloud of dust.
Captain didn't offer any farewell words either. He believed that the next time Earth needed the Avengers to step up, when Iron Man was needed, they would gather once again and fight side by side.
This was not only a promise each of them had made within their hearts, but also the deepest trust and understanding between them.
...
Turning back to the new Avengers training base, even though Captain had already admired its appearance before, he couldn't help but be amazed by the greatness of human wisdom and technology when he thought about how this massive project had been built in just two days, from nothing to completion.
The construction of the entire new base didn't use traditional building materials like reinforced concrete. In the initial design, Mark decided to use graphene nanomaterials and carbide materials exclusively to create the entire base.
By using 3D printing and miniature magnetic axis robots to build the foundational framework, with the support of raw materials from Stark Industries working at full capacity, it took only two days to accomplish the miraculous feat of completing such a massive project.
The new base constructed entirely with these two materials not only had a lightweight structure capable of withstanding high-intensity earthquakes and explosive impacts, but the high-strength new materials also ensured that the entire structure could have a long service life and low-cost maintenance for training and practical exercises.
The energy for the entire base is entirely provided by the Mind Stone at the core, ensuring stable energy supply to handle all kinds of emergencies.
J.A.R.V.I.S within the Mind Stone also serves as the intelligent steward and data analysis assistant for the entire base, greatly facilitating the work of administrative personnel and improving their efficiency.
Coupled with the cutting-edge technology from Mark Research Center and Stark Industries that can be seen throughout the base, it gives the impression that the entire base is like a structure from a futuristic society.
Using a superconductive anti-gravity elevator to reach the top floor of the base building, Captain saw Natasha, who would become the devilish instructor for the new Avengers alongside him.
"Is the design of that wall panel so intricate that you need to stare at it like this?" Captain joked as he approached Natasha from behind.
Of course, he knew that Natasha wasn't studying panel design at that moment; she was thinking about someone, someone whose fate she was unsure of, someone she missed dearly - Dr. Banner. And where he might be at this very moment.
However, he couldn't say it outright, he couldn't expose Natasha's thoughts, so he used a joking tone to pull her out of her sorrow.
But for this joke from Captain, Natasha clearly didn't appreciate it. A person without any sense of humor, someone who had been frozen in the freezing cold Arctic for almost seventy years, wouldn't make any progress in telling jokes. Captain was a perfect example.
Turning around with resignation, Natasha looked at Captain, her eyes filled with disdain for his earlier joke.
"...I mean, that wall is indeed quite interesting." Captain could only use more awkward words to diffuse the current awkward atmosphere.
Natasha: "Weren't you just sharing a meaningful gaze with Tony? Has he left?"
Captain: "Yes, Hawkeye returned to his family to be with them; Thor went back to Asgard, warning his father of the crisis posed by the Infinity Stones; Tony himself has a lot of troubles to deal with and can't stay at the base all the time.
And then there's Banner...
Although the new base has been established, the Avengers have suddenly lost four members, severely affecting our fighting power.
So, we urgently need to reserve new forces now and help them grow quickly to become capable on their own."
"What's the current situation?" Natasha walked up to Captain and asked.
Captain slid his smartwatch on his wrist, and a document was directly transferred to the communication device Natasha had.
"The lineup is decent, featuring both our old acquaintances and a few formidable individuals.
War Machine, James Rhodes, we don't know the terms Tony and Fury discussed with the military, but he's an experienced veteran, and his armor has been modified by both Tony and Mark, making him a reliable combatant.
Falcon, Sam Wilson, another battle-hardened warrior who has worked with us before. After receiving enhancements to his equipment with Mark's help, he's become quite a powerhouse.
Then there's the Maximoff twins, who we've seen during the Battle of Seoul. Although they possess amazing abilities and enormous potential, they're quite young and lack combat experience, which makes them a focus of our attention."
"Hmm, not bad at all—" seeing the information sent by Captain, Natasha nodded in agreement, "But this doesn't yet constitute a team. It seems our upcoming tasks won't be as easy as we imagined."
"Don't you like challenging work?"
"You're right, otherwise, why would I become a member of the Avengers?"
As they chatted, the two of them arrived at a large door.
Pushing the door open and stepping inside, they were met by the new members of the Avengers. Each of them was spirited and filled with anticipation in their eyes.
Seeing this scene, Captain couldn't help but recall the time he received Dr. Erskine's help, his initial entry into the military camp. He felt a surge of excitement in his heart, "Avengers—assemble!"
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