Chapter Six: China in the Marvel Universe

“Tony, you’d better come up with a solution!”
Rhode rushed to Tony, grabbing his collar... London is a huge metropolis, the capital of Britain! If a major battle breaks out, the casualties would be unimaginable!

“Don’t make a scene, I’m negotiating with S.H.I.E.L.D. right now!”
Tony shot him a fierce glare. “Jarvis, has S.H.I.E.L.D. responded to our request for assistance?”

“Sir, no. I’ve found that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the British military are mobilizing. Confirmed, they’re moving toward London.”

Jarvis gave them an answer hard to believe... Not only did S.H.I.E.L.D. refuse to issue a statement of cooperation, they were actually using the warning to mobilize troops and encircle the Stone Forest.

So, they intend to handle this on their own?

“Hah, it’s barely been a year, and these guys are at it again.”
Tony sneered. The memory of the 2012 alien invasion was still vivid, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to act behind the scenes again?

No wonder—it’s a Hydra-controlled organization. If they’re not causing trouble for a day, they can’t rest easy.

“Tony, what do we do? Are we just going to stand by?”
Selvig was worried. According to his calculations, this convergence of the Nine Realms would open spatial passages, and Earth would surely see arrivals from the other eight realms... What if some catastrophic weapon appears?

According to Norse mythology, the other eight realms are home to countless enemies humanity simply can't handle!

“Don’t worry. Our alert is already posted on the official site and Facebook. Even if the British government drags its feet, the citizens will evacuate London.”

Tony reassured Selvig, then turned to the other Illuminati members.

“The convergence of the Nine Realms means there will be more than one spatial passage! We’ve developed devices to seal these passages and protect Earth’s spatial barrier. This time, everyone needs to go out and guard the planet.”

Hao Yun remembered, too. Right—who said there’s only one portal in Thor 2?

London is probably just the largest one!

“Do we have enough people? Should I split Skybreaker up?”

Hao Yun offered to divide Skybreaker. Earth is vast; who knows how many undiscovered passages there are!

The most critical issue is, nobody knows how many monstrous beings from other realms might emerge. Dividing Skybreaker is just extra insurance.

“No worries, there aren’t many passages. My nano-armor should suffice.”

Tony nodded to Hao Yun, signaling that he’d been preparing ever since Selvig detected spatial fluctuations.

“White Nightmare, take a small team to Canada. Erik will provide the coordinates.”
“No problem.”
Angel, who had recently mastered the basics of her celestial body, was confident. Give her time to form seals and unleash Buddha Manifestation, and no matter how many monsters appeared, she’d handle them.

“Rhode, take the second team to Germany. I’ll send you extra suits.”
“OK! My War Machine is raring to go!”
Rhode gestured eagerly: with enough firepower, he could take on any number.

“Pepper, you’ll go with Thor... Hmm, just take two researchers. Thor is strong enough; holding the passage won’t be an issue.”

Tony’s gaze was complicated as he looked at the small yellow shiba inu draped in a cape... If the dog weren’t so greedy, always getting lured away, he honestly wouldn’t want Pepper to go. After all, with Thor’s power, a single dog could guard a passage!

“Banner, your transformation is too destructive. You head to Africa alone.”
“Don’t worry, I know the place well.”
Banner smiled warmly. The fusion research was nearing success, and he felt calm and content.

“Hao Yun, there are two locations left: China and Australia. Which do you prefer?”

Tony turned to Hao Yun. The only remaining combatants were himself and Hao Yun; each passage needed a powerful guardian. If the barrier failed, the casualties would be incalculable.

“What about London? That’s the main battleground—are we just going to ignore it?”

Hao Yun pointed at the projected globe. London was where the dark elves would appear, the main force!

“Relax. According to Selvig’s calculations, the other passages will last only fifteen minutes. Once those are sealed, we’ll rush to London for cleanup, just in time.”

Tony’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. “It’ll also show those politicians who stir up trouble at every turn the real consequences!”

“Trying to act tough without the skills—people are going to die!”

“Fine,” Hao Yun said, watching Tony grow more cunning. “I’ll go to China. It’s always been shrouded in mystery, and I’ve been wanting to visit.”

The Ancient One had mentioned China several times, and Marvel films had never depicted it... Fourteen billion people, and not a single superhero? Impossible.

Besides, the Sorcerer Supreme had said it herself: martial arts and immortal techniques are all powers native to this universe! A trip to China to probe its secrets sounded just right.

“Alright, since you’re Chinese. I’ll take Australia. You don’t need me to leave you any researchers, do you?”

“No need. Just send the data to Skybreaker.”

Hao Yun rolled his eyes. Skybreaker was far more useful than Jarvis.

Hmm... Maybe he could consider a trip to the Transformers’ universe, swipe a bit of the AllSpark or bring back an Autobot or two?

Though the risk was triggering a machine uprising and then it’d all fall apart...

....................

The day of the convergence arrived swiftly.

Hao Yun and the others set out early for the locations Dr. Selvig had calculated, installing the barrier rods ahead of time.

Because the Illuminati had a sterling reputation, no nation blocked their entry, nor interfered with their actions.

After all, it was just planting a few metal rods—what harm could that cause?

China, downtown Chengdu... Hao Yun was surprised. The Chinese authorities were extremely cooperative, even clearing the area in advance and giving him several whole streets as a battleground.

Their efficiency astonished Hao Yun. Such speed—only China could pull off something like this.

He reached the designated spot, planted the rod, pressed the activation button... Good, the barrier was stable, no sign of attack.

Nearby, a couple of officials approached.

“That’s all? Do you need us to notify the military? We have a garrison nearby; they can arrive in fifteen minutes!”

“Uh... no need.”

Hao Yun wiped his brow. They trusted him that much? The army was on standby, ready to step in immediately.

“The main battle is in London. As long as nobody wanders into this area, we’re safe.”

“That’s reassuring.”

The leader breathed a sigh of relief; fighting in the city didn’t fit the country’s values. After all, the national budget is limited! Reconstruction funds—wouldn’t it be better to build more high-speed railways?