"Alright, finally pulled up the star map," Mr. Fantastic said, tapping a few keys on his computer. A rare smile crossed his face as a glowing display filled the room.
With a flick of his fingers, countless pale blue grids appeared in the air. Within moments, a clear three-dimensional projection materialized.
The image centered on a massive planet that occupied nearly two-thirds of the view. Everyone present instantly recognized it as Jupiter.
Normally serene, Jupiter now hosted an armada of uninvited guests. The data feed revealed an overwhelming number of Chitauri ships. Their fleet was immense, hundreds of half-biological, half-mechanical vessels that looked like metallic dragonfish filled the orbit. Among them floated at least seven or eight enormous motherships. Countless Chitauri rode their individual flyers like swarms of locusts, each as small as a grain of sand in a cosmic storm.
Shin frowned slightly as he observed the data. This situation was clearly an aftereffect of Tony Stark's earlier interference with the Tesseract's explosion. Unexpectedly, the Chitauri had chosen to arrive on their own this time, without the need for a space portal.
It was difficult to tell which would have been worse, this direct invasion or the catastrophic portal that once opened above New York.
In the movies, only a few hundred or thousands of Chitauri had come through, and a single nuclear bomb had been enough to wipe them out. But this time, there was no bottleneck like the portal to contain them. If this invasion reached Earth on multiple fronts, humanity could be facing a disaster of planetary proportions.
Even if total annihilation was unlikely, the ensuing space war could easily set civilization back by decades.
That wasn't even considering the worst-case scenario. What if the Chitauri possessed planet-destroying weaponry? That thought alone made everyone in the room uneasy.
A tense silence filled the office. Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and General Ross all stared at the hologram without a word. None of them knew how to respond. The aliens were coming, and they were clearly not interested in peaceful communication.
Shin, however, remained calm. He had fought gods and monsters, numbers alone didn't concern him. Still, he had no intention of acting as Earth's constant guardian. He hoped this world's heroes would rise to the occasion without his constant intervention.
After all, Scarlet Witch still lived here. If he left one day, he wanted to make sure she would be safe. That meant this world's protectors needed to grow stronger.
After a few moments, Captain America broke the silence. His voice was steady but firm. "Tony, do we know where they'll land?"
It was a crucial question. Would the battle take place on Earth, or could they intercept the enemy before they reached the surface? Would the Chitauri strike directly at key cities or spread their attack across the planet? The answers would shape every tactical decision.
Tony Stark hesitated before responding. "We're not entirely sure yet," he admitted. "But if I had to guess, I'd say it's connected to the energy waves from our past Tesseract experiments. That kind of energy is a cosmic beacon. If they're tracking that signal, their main assault will probably target New York."
"I said from the beginning that studying that cube would cause trouble," Captain America muttered. "You start with guns, then cannons, then missiles, and when nuclear weapons aren't enough, you people play with cosmic energy sources that can destroy the planet."
Tony blinked and caught Shin's and Wanda's amused expressions. His face reddened slightly.
Captain America still didn't know the full story of how Tony's Tesseract research had almost blown up the Earth. If he did, his tone would likely have been far less restrained.
Even though Tony had learned his lesson, pride wouldn't allow him to admit it. He straightened up and said, "You should ask the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. about that. He was the one who started the entire project."
The blame was deftly redirected toward Nick Fury. In truth, Fury had indeed initiated the study of the Tesseract. Tony had merely joined in with enthusiasm, unable to resist the allure of limitless cosmic energy.
After hearing Tony's retort, Captain America fell silent. This version of Fury had been a wartime ally and trusted comrade. Since Fury was no longer in charge, there was no point in arguing further.
"Ahem," General Ross interrupted, coughing lightly. "The priority right now is how to respond. We can assign blame later."
Tony leaned back, thinking aloud. "We can't let them reach the surface. The collateral damage would be catastrophic, and there are simply too many of them."
Ross immediately shook his head. "And what's your alternative? You plan to fight in space? Your armor might handle it, but my soldiers can't breathe in a vacuum. You expect an entire army to fight in spacesuits?"
Tony frowned. "There are several alien ships in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret vaults. We might be able to retrofit them."
Ross waved a dismissive hand. "And what will that accomplish? You'll take down a few ships while the rest bombard the planet? This isn't some movie where a handful of heroes save the day. This is a war of species, a fight for survival. Charging into enemy ranks to slay their commander might make for a good story, but in practice, it's nothing but chaos."
Despite his obsession with harnessing Hulk's power, General Ross had little faith in the concept of lone superheroes turning the tide of war. His focus had always been on building stronger armies, not relying on individual champions.
Tony crossed his arms and shook his head. "Actually, you're wrong. They might really be remote-controlled. I intercepted some of their communication signals, and based on the data Captain Marvel provided, I've pieced together a pattern. The majority of the Chitauri aren't living beings in the usual sense... they're cybernetic drones."
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
Tony continued, "The actual number of organic Chitauri is minimal. Most of their forces are controlled remotely through their motherships. Destroy those command centers, and the rest will shut down automatically."
Mr. Fantastic adjusted his glasses, his curiosity piqued. "So, if we can locate and neutralize their command vessels, we could effectively end the invasion in one strike."
"Exactly," Tony said, a spark of confidence returning to his tone. "If we take out the core ships before they deploy en masse, this could be over before it starts."
The holographic map expanded once more, displaying the Chitauri fleet in intricate detail. The Earth's defenders gathered around it, preparing for one of the largest battles humanity had ever faced.
No one spoke for several moments. Each person's expression carried a mix of determination and unease.
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Now available - Chapter 641: Training