NABC Chapter 4720 X Royal Clash (26)
Chapter 4720 X Royal Clash (26)
Chapter 4720 X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (Twenty-Six)
"How's the situation on the front lines?" The local Captain America sat up in his hospital bed. He quickly pulled off the bandage on his head; he had indeed been injured there, but it was healed before he even came out of the operating room.
"Which front are you referring to?" Nick asked. "Manhattan is mostly done. The roads are all repaired. As for the solar system..."
Nick Fury shook his head, and Captain America knew things weren't going well. Fighting in space is completely different from fighting on Earth. Space is a three-dimensional space. The so-called Jupiter line doesn't refer to a single line, but rather the entire orbit of Jupiter. It's a three-dimensional space surrounding the sun. The power required to blockade an army over such a vast distance is unimaginable.
The reason they were able to do this was mainly due to the mutants' immense strength and Stark's sneaky infiltration, using his mechanical army to hold off the opposing mechanical army, which created a stalemate.
The problem is that the Shi'ar army continues to pour in through the portals. At this rate, no one can hold out. The solar system may seem vast, but against an army of this size, physically filling it wouldn't be difficult. By then, not only Jupiter, but even the moon would be packed with people. Then it would truly be beyond saving.
So the most pressing issue now is to close the portal to the sun as soon as possible. But this seems like an impossible task. First, they can't manipulate the sun, let alone delve into its core. Second, they don't understand the portal at all, and have no clue how to close it.
Captain America closed his eyes, lay on the bed for a while, and then said, "I think it's still the Avengers..."
Nick knew what he wanted to say. He thought for a moment and said, "You can be a last resort, but before that, I think we can try a little more in another direction."
Captain America looked at him, and at that moment Black Widow walked in, followed by the rest of the Avengers. They planned to have a short meeting in the hospital room.
"Is the Shi'ar Empire a monolithic entity?" Nick asked first.
The local Iron Man shook his head and said, "They are the opposite of monolithic, a disorganized mess. The other two of the three empires are highly centralized militaristic societies, while they are the only ones that are disorganized."
"What kind of system do they have?" Spider-Man asked, somewhat curiously.
"An aristocratic republic. But the emperor also has considerable power. In short..." Iron Man gestured, "...swinging between the two sides."
“I understand.” Black Widow nodded and said, “So, will the interests of the emperor and the nobles be aligned this time?”
“I’m sure of it.” Hawkeye sighed and analyzed, “This wasn’t a short-term plan. From sending materials and technology to opening the portal to the army pressing in, if there were internal disagreements and conflicts, they would have erupted long ago. But the fact is they succeeded.”
“That’s right.” Nick nodded and said, “I think their interests were indeed aligned until they successfully took over Earth. Although I don’t know exactly what’s so good about Earth, since so many alien civilizations want it, they must want it too.”
Captain America understood his implication and said, "That's how it was before we took it, but what about after we take it?"
“Of course, there’s no way they could agree,” Hawkeye added. “How could such a divided system suddenly unite when it comes to looting? They’d probably fight tooth and nail over who gets a bigger piece of the spoils.”
“Wait a minute,” Black Widow said, looking at Nick Fury, “you’re not thinking of having them take over Earth first, and then fight amongst themselves, are you? What kind of ridiculous plan is that?”
Nick shook his head and said, "You guys don't understand. You have to strike early when it comes to looting, the earlier the better. If you wait until you've actually won before you start grabbing, there won't be any scraps left."
“You guys are definitely better at this,” the Winter Soldier retorted. “Why don’t you go and rob that Redgate Orchid factory? The mutants have taken it over by now.”
The local Iron Man looked away. He certainly understood what Nick meant. There was actually a paradox involved, the famous "picking the fruit" theory.
The phrase "opening champagne at halftime" is often used to describe celebrating a victory before things are fully accomplished. But how can you prove your involvement in a victory if you weren't the first to achieve it?
In a situation involving multiple parties competing and maneuvering, it doesn't matter who contributed the most effort; what matters is who appears to enjoy the fruits of victory.
For example, in a war, everyone is vying for territory. The one who seems most likely to win isn't necessarily the one who fights the most battles, but rather the one who seizes the largest amount of territory. This could be considered a form of outcome-based thinking, but it has always held an important place in game theory.
If that's not clear enough, you could say everyone wants to "pick the peaches." It doesn't matter who planted the tree; what matters is who ultimately picks and eats the fresh, delicious peaches.
To get the freshest and most delicious peaches, you have to pick them early. If you wait until they turn red, it's too late. Some people pick the peaches when they're green, some pick them when they're still small, and some even start picking them when they're just the size of a thumb.
This leads to a situation where, even though everyone could eat peaches once they were fully ripe, people would pluck all the small fruits off the tree in their eagerness to be the first to pick them, ultimately ruining what should have been a natural process.
That's what happened at the Red Gate Orchid factory. After the raiding squad was wiped out, the Mother Model's consciousness had basically awakened. They did nothing but wait for Nimrod to be produced, and then the mutant was doomed.
But everyone wants to take advantage of the factory. If you anticipate someone's move, you have to act even faster. In this race against time, there's no room for realistic considerations. Even if the mutants only lost one raiding squad instead of being wiped out, and the threat still exists, they can only blind themselves and recklessly seize the opportunity.
“The Shi'ar Empire will be the same,” Nick said. “Human nature is universal among intelligent beings. As long as they are not united, they will inevitably strike first. It will be too late to act once they have taken over Earth.”
Captain America thought for a moment and said, "In other words, as long as we make them feel that victory is in sight and Earth is no longer a concern, and now we should be thinking about how to divide up the solar system, they will start fighting amongst themselves?"
Nick nodded and said, "That's right. By then, the portal will no longer be an obstacle for us, but rather their death knell. An army cannot be commanded by multiple forces, otherwise it will be impossible to obey orders. At that time, their sending troops and sending messages through the portal will be a form of interference. Perhaps we can really slowly devour this army."
“But this is based on the fact that the Shi'ar Empire itself is not united,” Black Widow said. “If they were an autocratic state, it wouldn’t work, would it?”
“They are not,” Iron Man said. “Their emperor may appear powerful, but he is greatly constrained by the nobility…”
Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to receive a communication. After going out for a while, he returned with a grim face and said, "A rebellion has broken out in the Shia Empire, and their emperor is dead."
Everyone perked up, and Captain America even stood up and said, "They're in turmoil? Are they already planning to steal it?"
Iron Man closed his eyes in pain and shook his head: "One of Decker's generals usurped the throne. He killed almost all the nobles and became a tyrant himself."
"How could it be just right..."
Iron Man thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the specifics yet, but I guess this could be considered as seizing the spoils of victory ahead of time. However, it's not a fight between the emperor and the nobles, but rather the military, which has been suppressed, taking action."
"Good heavens, will they also turn into a militaristic state?"
“It’s hard to say,” Iron Man sighed. “Although the military may also want to take over Earth, perhaps we can send someone to talk to them. After all, their position is unstable since they just landed, and maybe we can use a deal to get them to withdraw their troops.”
Nick had clearly considered this as well. In any case, unrest would be beneficial to them, as it meant change and new opportunities.
"Who is this new emperor?" Hawkeye asked Iron Man after Nick Fury left. "There are some things you haven't told me, aren't there?"
Iron Man was utterly devastated. He sat on the hospital bed next to him, then leaned against the wall and said, "I don't know much about him. But who are those two under him? It's utterly ridiculous."
“Tell me,” Black Widow said, “there can’t be any worse news.”
Iron Man simply stretched out his hand and projected it onto the wall, revealing a towering Nimrod robot and Mephisto with a Schiller-like face.
Dr. Banner exclaimed in shock, "How could it be them?!"
Captain America clutched his forehead: "It really was them!"
The others looked at him, and Captain America said, "I told you so. The Shi'ar Empire's knowledge of the Avengers is abnormal. Although there might be a mole, it's impossible for someone who hasn't fought alongside the Avengers for a long time or knows us very well to pass on so much intelligence. It must be an important figure on our side."
"This war was someone's plan from the very beginning," Captain America continued.
"So what exactly is he trying to do?" Hawkeye narrowed his eyes. "What's the point of all this fuss?"
“I can think of a few things,” Dr. Banner said, adjusting his glasses. “First and foremost, destroying the Redgateland factory is the most important thing. This kind of thing, designed specifically for genocide, should never exist. Blowing it up is the best course of action, and blowing it to smithereens. Nobody can expect to salvage any parts for a second generation.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Iron Man, who looked away, avoiding his gaze. Banner rolled his eyes slightly and continued, "Also, this can help us become more united. At least the two Avengers need to be more united. If superheroes can't unite, and instead fight their own battles, or even plot against each other, what's the point of communication between the multiverses? We can't lose our confidence in exploring the outside world at this stage because of a lack of unity."
This view was shared by most people. The issue between their two universes isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either. If a perfect outcome isn't achieved, many observing universes might perceive the multiverse as a dark forest teeming with man-eating beasts, and thus consider hiding themselves or simply attacking any beings from other universes they encounter. That would be terrifying.
Now that things have come to this point, the two of them should at least set a good example. The Shi'ar invasion gave them an opportunity to fight side by side, and they've performed admirably. This at least shows the multiverse that while there may be some minor friction between us, when faced with a formidable enemy, we will prioritize the greater good and never disregard priorities. There's no need to close ourselves off out of fear.
"Of course, I personally believe that this has helped to elevate the status of mutants. It has made human governments realize that mutants are also a last line of defense for protecting the solar system. At least for this reason, we should give Clarkia some respect."
“I feel like that’s about it,” Black Widow said. “What I’m more curious about now is how this situation is going to end. Magneto is dead, after all.”