95
Chapter 95: Nuclear Peace Settlement
"Boom———————
The crowd gaped as Hulk swung a car like a battering ram, smashing through a Chitauri soldier. This was the first time they had witnessed both the terrifying Chitauri and the super-powered Hulk in action.
It was clear: aliens truly existed!
"Oh, this is bad." Tony Stark, who had just dispatched a large number of Chitauri, noticed ten massive Leviathans roaring in the sky not far away.
He launched a barrage of missiles at them, but they seemed unaffected.
He turned to attract the Leviathans' attention and opened the communication channel. "Requesting support. There's a giant shrimp here, and my attacks seem ineffective!"
"Lead them to the lower city. Hulk is over there!" Steve's voice came through.
"Understood!" Stark quickly flew upwards, launching missiles to draw the Leviathans away, and headed in Hulk's direction.
Hulk was like a tiger among sheep, tearing through Chitauri soldiers with ruthless efficiency. Their weapons barely scratched him, while his sheer size and strength allowed him to dispatch them effortlessly.
"Hulk, get angry!" Stark shouted as he flew over, pursued by a Leviathan.
Hulk roared, charged forward, and delivered a powerful punch. The Leviathan's head caved in, and pieces of its armor flew off.
Stark immediately fired a dozen missiles, which penetrated the remaining armor. A massive explosion erupted from within the Leviathan, bringing the mighty creature crashing down.
"Huhu———" Stark sighed in relief, only to see two more Leviathans appear in the distance, flying towards them.
A deluge of Leviathans fell from the sky, their enormous bodies breaking apart upon impact.
Hulk clapped his hands and moved on to his next target.
The ordinary Chitauri could be left to others; his focus was solely on the colossal Leviathans.
Loki, meanwhile, was in a fighter plane, patrolling the battlefield and causing chaos.
A hammer flew from a distance, destroying the plane that couldn't evade it, causing Loki to crash heavily onto the balcony of the Stark Building.
"Surrender! Then close the portal!"
Loki rose from the ground, holding up his scepter, glaring at Jane Foster. "I refuse to believe that I can't defeat you!"
He angrily leaped toward her.
Although Loki, as a giant from Jotunheim, was physically formidable, Jane Foster, having been empowered by Mjölnir and trained by Thor, was not inferior to him in the least.
On the Helicarrier, Nick Fury observed the endless Chitauri on the screen with a grim expression.
If cannon fodder troops were this challenging, how severe would the final battle be?
"Sir, the council is calling!" Hill announced.
Nick Fury's expression darkened. Normally, the council wouldn't interfere with S.H.I.E.L.D's operations, but when they did, it often meant trouble.
He recalled Thor's words—true destruction wouldn't come from aliens, but from politicians!
With a stern face, he answered the video call.
A congresswoman spoke, "Director Nick Fury, after unanimous discussion, the council has decided to use nuclear bombs on New York..."
"I will not carry out such a foolish order!"
"Your warship is the closest to the battlefield; immediately dispatch a fighter plane..." another councilor ordered, but was cut off by Nick Fury.
"Once again, I refuse to execute such an order! Unless my team is completely defeated, I will never drop a nuclear bomb on my own people!"
"If you can't stop them, the whole world will be doomed!" The congress members were stern.
"If a nuclear bomb is used, the damage will be irreparable!" Nick Fury ended the call abruptly.
To these politicians, civilian lives were expendable. In their eyes, using a nuclear bomb on 8 million people was merely a matter of finding someone to blame.
Moreover, the bomb might not destroy the portal but would certainly annihilate New York in the process.
"Bang——" Hulk punched Loki, sending him crashing into the building.
Loki stood up, fuming, "Enough! You insignificant humans, I am a god! Do not humiliate me further..."
Before he could finish, Hulk, growing increasingly impatient, grabbed Loki by the leg and slammed him repeatedly against the ground, left and right, twisting his neck and limbs.
After a savage beating, Hulk threw Loki onto the ground with satisfaction and remarked, "Weak god!"
Loki lay on the ground, disoriented, the blue light in his eyes fading.
The Chitauri legions in the sky seemed to multiply endlessly.
Chitauri soldiers in their fighter planes fired indiscriminately. Even Hulk, despite his strength, was overwhelmed.
"Natalia, you need to touch the Tesseract with this scepter to close the portal. I'll cover you and create an opening," Thor shouted to Natalia beside him.
Thunder rumbled as Thor unleashed a massive lightning storm, destroying Chitauri fighters and easing the Avengers' burden.
Natalia grabbed the scepter and sprinted towards the roof.
Thor closed his eyes, gathering energy for a few seconds, then unleashed a thunderbolt of unprecedented power. The bolt focused to a few centimeters in diameter and struck the Tesseract's barrier.
"Boom..." Amidst the deafening noise, a crack appeared in the barrier, shrinking rapidly.
Natalia dove through the crack, brandishing the scepter as she aimed to place it on the Tesseract.
"Wait!" Stark called out urgently.
"There are more enemies, and the longer we delay closing the portal, the greater the losses!" Captain America reminded.
"I know. But, I have a nuclear bomb here. If it detonates in New York, the entire city will be obliterated!"
Stark, carrying the nuclear bomb, charged forward without hesitation.