Unexpectedly, the Rebirth Alliance simply went along with it, directly framing Loki as the biggest culprit. On one hand, this could explain Thor's harm to his brother, and on the other, it could relieve themselves from the pressure of investigation, providing an explanation for previous incidents.
As the mastermind of this series of conspiracies, Iron Man obviously knew it wasn't Loki's doing. That's why he attended the press conference, intending to expose the Rebirth Alliance, accuse them of negligence, and harboring the real culprit, while continuing to charge Thor with harming his brother.
To his surprise, Thor couldn't overcome his conscience, unable to lie in front of so many people. Even though the person he was supposed to defame was Loki, the brother who constantly caused him trouble and nearly killed him several times, he couldn't bring himself to shift all the blame onto him.
Thor's own confession thwarted the set of arguments Iron Man had prepared to dismantle their claims. The originally expected scene where Thor would apologize, Iron Man would rise in indignation, presenting a series of solid evidence, logically and sharply exposing the true nature of these people's irresponsible acts, could no longer occur. This left Iron Man quite furious.
This was supposed to be the best time for his comeback. Having instigated the Civil War previously, he was responsible and feared post-autumn settlements, forcing him to pretend madness to avoid the limelight. But this time, grasping the Rebirth Alliance's weakness, he could severely damage their reputation. If the Rebirth Alliance and Thor attempted to settle scores with him again, it would easily be seen as retaliatory action.
At that time, the more unfriendly they were towards Iron Man, the more public support he could gain, becoming a hero who fears no power and exposes the truth. Meanwhile, Thor and the Rebirth Alliance would turn into oppressive rulers deceiving the public, nailed to the pillar of shame.
With these plans foiled, how could Iron Man not be angry?
As his emotions surged, some mental defenses showed vulnerabilities. Professor X quickly learned the truth. Just as he was about to speak, Magneto subtly shook his head.
In a casual gesture, Magneto removed his helmet. In this situation, no one was paying attention to him as everyone watched Thor. The two had a mental exchange, with Professor X revealing a thoughtful expression and remaining silent.
Shiller, who had long guessed the truth, also had no intention of exposing Iron Man. He watched as reporters rushed forward, surrounding Thor, and began questioning the meaning of his recent words.
Thor, whether due to inexperience or just giving up, decided to tell all he knew. But in reality, he knew very little, especially regarding who the true culprit of the seafood incident was; he hadn't had time to investigate and couldn't say much.
He could only repeatedly emphasize that Loki had been locked up by him the entire time and couldn't be the culprit. He admitted to his negligence and was willing to take responsibility. All the other superheroes exchanged glances and showed a helpless expression.
This wasn't due to Thor protecting his brother, but because they should have known Thor would be unable to malign anyone like that, regardless of who it was. Thor's straightforward nature of saying what he means has its cons and pros.
Once he decides on something, it's hard to persuade him otherwise, just like insisting on bringing Loki back. But likewise, his conscience and principles are firm. No matter how justified, he can't be persuaded to fabricate lies.
Fortunately, they didn't intend to shirk responsibility by making up lies in the first place; this was a fishing expedition. And now, it seemed like they were trying to catch a pufferfish on the verge of exploding from anger.
Iron Man's face was somber, appearing to be hesitating or weighing whether his trump card was enough to shake up the current situation.
But clearly, this kind of deliberation wasn't rational. He had tolerated for too long, pretending to be insane to avoid sanction, which was only a temporary escape. If he left today without making any progress, being settled with was only a matter of time; he had to find a way to unsettle Thor and the Rebirth Alliance.
The reason why Iron Man was so afraid of being settled with, of course, was because he wasn't confident he could defeat Thor. Once bound by the Divine Power Chain, all would be over once shackles were in place. If he could have overpowered him, he wouldn't be so entangled.
Iron Man took a deep breath and coughed heavily, drawing everyone's attention.
"Stop pretending to be a good person, Thor. You think I don't know? You've been secretly capturing scientists and superheroes on Earth, imprisoning them in Jotunheim. To prevent anyone from discovering this, you're creating all these disturbances to divert public attention. Your plot will not succeed!"
The reporters were stunned, immediately swarming toward Iron Man. Nick's face darkened, and Captain America showed a changed expression. However, others weren't too affected, especially the Mutant side, where the two leaders revealed knowing smiles—this must be Iron Man's trump card.
Iron Man extended his hand, projecting an image on the wall. Amidst the icy domains of Jotunheim, beneath a pale blue Magic Protection shield, a dark grey structure stood in the snow, resembling a prison from afar.
"As far as I know, many outstanding human scientists have been captured and taken to this prison, and even superheroes are detained here. This includes the well-known Fantastic Four…"
"What? The Fantastic Four have been secretly captured?!"
"But aren't they superheroes? They saved New York before, how dare he…"
"Human scientists were also taken? Is he trying to sever human civilization?"
"This photo doesn't look fake, how many superheroes have been captured? Are these all the ones left on the scene?"
"The ones present might not even be real, perhaps they've long been captured, and these are just puppets..."
You really can't blame the journalists of Forward York City for having such vivid imaginations; the old Earth 616 has simply experienced too much. In the well-documented events, such scenarios played out repeatedly: superheroes being impersonated, secretly captured, or someone betraying and almost wiping everyone out.
As soon as Iron Man spoke, the conspiracy theories among the New York journalists surged. Moreover, he spoke with finesse, given that Reed Richards holds the identity of both a human scientist and a superhero. So, even if only he was captured, it would still count as the arrest of both a human scientist and a superhero.
He didn't elaborate much, likely because he wasn't clear on who was exactly in Jotunheim. Thus, he used this tactic to mislead, achieving a great effect, making it sound as if many had been captured.
Nick's initially tense expression relaxed. The seasoned agent immediately realized that Iron Man had limited information, likely unaware of the specifics in Jotunheim. That made things much easier.
"Quiet, quiet!" Nick shouted into the microphone, "If you don't return to your seats, I will call security!"
This threat was effective; no one wanted to miss out on this sensational scoop. The journalists slowly returned to their seats, their eyes lingering on everyone, as if that could reveal their thoughts.
Clearly, although it stirred up a commotion, this was not the climax of the stakes. Nick leaned forward, close to the microphone, rolling his eyes upward, and glaring with his remaining eye at Iron Man, asking, "How do you know Thor secretly captured humans?"
"My detector left in Jotunheim detected abnormal energy activity. Do you need me to release the surveillance data?"
Nick weighed in his mind; he dared to say this, it must be true. So, he said, "Then you're mistaken, it wasn't Thor who secretly captured them. That building wasn't built by him, but by the Rebirth Alliance."
The whole place was in an uproar. Iron Man was also shocked; hearing Nick admit it, he felt no joy, only realized that Nick might have been prepared, with traps awaiting him ahead.
"He's not wrong." Magneto spoke, "That building in Jotunheim was commissioned by the Rebirth Alliance and built by mutants; I was involved. I've already sent people to get the architectural design and construction plans."
The journalists erupted into fierce discussion once more. Iron Man's expression changed. He wasn't entirely clear on how the building had been constructed. After all, he was busy trying to clear his name at the time, juggling both public and private matters, and before he knew it, it was already built.
Most people believed Magneto. For one, Magneto is famously difficult to deal with, and getting him to speak up is no small feat. On another note, mutants are not under the jurisdiction of the Rebirth Alliance. None of them participated in it, and their relationship is quite delicate. They have no reason to help the Rebirth Alliance out of a jam; it would already be good if they didn't watch it all for laughs.
Shiller assessed in his mind; what Magneto said was likely true. If he was just speaking on a whim, he probably couldn't produce design and construction plans. Those can't be made up on the spot, especially since Iron Man has photos on his side. It would be easy to see if they match, and one can't improvise that seamlessly.
Back then, the Rebirth Alliance actually had mutants build the prison, seemingly anticipating this move. Bringing mutants in as third-party witnesses indicates they weren't trying to persecute Reed. Indeed, the old Earth 616 residents were quite shrewd.
"You got one thing wrong," Magneto said looking at Iron Man, "It's not a prison, but a Laboratory of High Energy Physics."
"If no one else knows, at least you should know?" Captain America said, eyeing Iron Man, "Dr. Reed Richards' high-energy physics experiment almost caused the entire universe to collapse, bringing extremely powerful foes upon us. Without building him a higher-spec lab, far from populated areas, Earth can't withstand his meddling."
The journalists meticulously recorded these statements, especially after Quicksilver brought the design and construction plans. Most people leaned towards believing the Rebirth Alliance and Magneto.
Firstly, the plans matched the photos. Since the photos were released by Iron Man, it almost confirmed the building was indeed constructed by mutants, ruling out the possibility of concocting the story in collusion.
Secondly, even those not well-versed in architecture could tell, it's not a prison. Prisons and laboratories have stark differences; visually, they are distinct.
"This building might indeed be a lab; you didn't imprison Dr. Richards, but you've imposed house arrest on him. The outer protective shield is evidence of your restriction on his freedom," Iron Man added.
He knew in his heart that the shield primarily served a protective role, but he believed it was impossible for it to have no restrictive function. Considering the Rebirth Alliance viewed Richards as a severe threat back then, this shield definitely had both protective and restrictive functions.
Nick felt a twinge of panic inside, looking towards Thor, who slightly shook his head at him. It was indeed an Asgardian Divine Power Shield, but it also had restrictive capabilities. He wasn't afraid to disclose the technology, but feared those who actually understood, especially Iron Man.
Iron Man was likely to understand. Thor didn't dare gamble, should he reveal the technical principles, and Iron Man discovered the shield indeed restricted human passage, it would be indefensible.
Both sides were probing each other, figuring out what cards the other held, yet neither dared to gamble on whether the other had counters. Thus, they cautiously and meticulously exchanged information.
What card to play next? Nick's gaze wandered over everyone's faces until he saw Shiller amidst the journalists, who mouthed at him: "Antimatter Universe."