Chapter 221: With a Mortal Body, Make God Bleed! (Makeup for Saturday)
His question was very good—so good that Sean was actually stumped by it.
When he set it down, he really hadn't paid attention to that point; at the time, he just thought about putting it down and then coming out to show off. After all, he was a person who loved cleanliness, and how dirty was the ground?
Zemo took a moment to calm his emotions and continued, "You Avengers just left like that, went home, but what about me? What about my home?"
"I know, I know Iron Man died too; he died for Sokovia, and I respect him very much. But you? Hmph!"
"If you had paid a little more attention at that time instead of being in a hurry to leave, maybe my family... would still be alive." Zemo's voice choked up by the end.
His words were sincere, and everyone who heard him was moved, feeling a bit of sympathy for him.
But most people didn't blame Homelander; they all felt he was just being careless. One had to understand that he was lifting an entire country at the time; it was normal for his concentration to slip.
Below, everyone shifted their gaze to Homelander, and even the cameras turned toward him, capturing his sorrowful expression.
Sean let out a heavy sigh, looking as if he couldn't bear it, and said slowly, "I... I, sigh, forget it, I'll tell you the truth."
"I have Super Hearing. It's safe to say I can hear even the smallest heartbeat or cry for help, which is why I can reach rescue scenes the fastest."
"But I can tell you clearly that at that time, there were no living people beneath Sokovia."
"I express my regrets regarding your family, but they must have already... by the time it fell."
Hearing Sean's explanation, even that last bit of blame for being "careless" vanished from the crowd below.
Homelander's superpowers had been revealed, and he indeed possessed Super Hearing; if he said there were no heartbeats from living people, then there certainly weren't any.
But Zemo laughed. He laughed loudly because he knew very well that Homelander was definitely lying.
Originally, his wife had hung up after reporting that she was safe, but at the very end, she called back, saying the entire Sokovia was above their heads, very sca... the call ended before she could finish the last few words.
And he had a habit of recording his calls.
In planning this event, he still held a final shred of hope for Homelander—perhaps he really was tired at the time and didn't notice his family was still alive.
As long as he admitted his mistake, saying he was too tired and hadn't used his Super Hearing, leading to their deaths, Zemo could have forgiven him.
But if he told a lie like that just now, saying there were no living people below, Zemo would bring out the recording and ruin Homelander's reputation!
He was very weak, perhaps unable to even defeat an ordinary adult, let alone defeat Homelander.
Just a moment ago, he had listened to the recording again. His wife's desperate voice gave him courage; he had to make the World see clearly the hideous heart beneath Homelander's handsome skin!
With a mortal body, he would make God bleed!
Zemo reached for the phone beside him but grabbed empty air. He looked down and saw the phone that had been there was gone.
His expression changed as he caught a glimpse of a silver figure out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked closely, he saw no one.
Zemo wouldn't doubt his own eyes; it must have been that super-powered person called Quicksilverwho stole the phone! But how did he kn... Super Hearing?
In that instant, a wave of regret washed over Zemo. He shouldn't have played the audio again just now.
Looking at the Homelander on the screen pretending to be sad, his heart bled. He could now be certain that Homelander was an utter villain!
With trembling fingers on the detonator, Zemo clenched his teeth, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead.
Once he pressed it, hundreds of people on the bridge would lose their lives. This could strike at Homelander indirectly; even if it didn't expose his true nature, it would make him lose face completely.
However, Zemo ultimately did not press it. He wasn't a pure villain; he just wanted to seek justice for his family, or rather, an apology.
He couldn't use the cost of over a hundred lives to make Homelander lose face; for him, it wasn't worth it.
Just as he was about to put down the detonator and concede that Homelander had won, his finger suddenly twitched, and the sound of explosions echoed from the distance.
As Zemo pressed the button, every section of the bridge's interface exploded one after another, and the entire structure began to slowly collapse.
Zemo saw the tragic scene in the distance through the surveillance. His eyes widened in disbelief because he hadn't actually pressed it.
At that moment, Sean in mid-air suddenly sighed in disappointment, "You actually killed them just for your own fleeting satisfaction, just to embarrass me? Heh, I thought you really came here seeking the truth."
The crowd below the building was also awakened by Sean's words. In the gaze they directed toward Zemo, the last shred of sympathy was gone.
Zemo's eyes were frantic as he quickly tried to explain, "No! It wasn't..."
The screen suddenly cut out, returning to its original dark state. But soon it lit up again, though it was no longer Zemo's face, but the desperate scenes on the bridge.
The sounds of roaring, screaming, and crying were incessant, making those present instinctively cover their mouths as tears fell.
At this point, they also noticed something strange: why hadn't Homelander gone to save them yet? Even if he couldn't save everyone, saving one is still saving one!
Under their puzzled gazes, Sean took out a blue object and then vanished from before their eyes.
He naturally used the Tesseract. Ever since he learned in Asgard that Odin was gone, Sean hadn't planned on leaving it for Loki.
Above the Mage's Hall in Kamar-Taj, as soon as Sean emerged, he saw the Ancient One appear before him.
The moment he used the Space Stone to appear, the Ancient One sensed the anomaly. After all, she was also very skilled with space.
Without wasting time, Sean held the Tesseract in one hand and the Mind Stone in the other, his eyes glowing with a cyan-red light. In a very gentle tone, he said:
"Do me a favor with the Time Stone, and I'll help you deal with Dormammu. Deal?"
"..."
One, two, three—the Ancient One nodded.
Sean gave a faint smile, the Tesseract rotated, and the two appeared above the Manhattan Bridge, only a few seconds after he had vanished.
The Ancient One's hands formed a seal, and a green magic circle appeared in her palm. With a gentle twist of her hand, the screams at the scene came to a dead stop.
The scene that followed completely shattered everyone's worldview, more incredible than Homelanderlifting Sokovia.
The people on the bridge, the stones, the falling iron pieces, and the splashing water all stopped, as if a pause button had been pressed. Soon, the Ancient One pressed the rewind button.
Countless fragments of stone leapt out from the water's surface to embed themselves back into the stone pillars; the snapped cables and bridge sections quickly reconnected; the sliding cars returned to the bridge deck one by one; and even the dead were slowly returning to their original state.
Time quickly returned to twenty seconds ago. Before Zemo had pressed the detonator, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Chapter 222: Are You Sure That's Your Child, or Your Younger Brother?
Ancient One gazed at Sean for a moment before slowly retreating into the portal.
Now, she could no longer see the future clearly and could only place her hopes on the strongest Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.
On the Manhattan Bridge, car horns blared incessantly, and everyone wore a dazed expression; just a moment ago, it felt as if they had died once.
It was a strange feeling; not everyone gets to die once and then be resurrected.
Especially those few who were crushed to death; they might have been left with some lingering trauma, as their eyes remained fixed upward, and they almost fell off the bridge.
Sean floated in mid-air, looking down at the noisy crowd below, and raised his voice to shout: "Everyone, do not interfere with the work of the rescue teams. On Innocence Day, you are safe!"
Then, with a flash, he disappeared from sight.
At the scene, countless people were checking the recordings from moments ago, and the considerate large screens directly replayed the footage.
Even watching it again, they still felt shocked; the visual impact of this was completely different from the feeling of the Act of God.
One was something they were prepared for and could accept, while the other completely surpassed all cognition and was simply unacceptable.
Sean didn't care about the discussions in the outside world. This bomb attack was indeed unexpected, but he liked the result.
As for the presidential banquet tomorrow, he believed the representatives from other countries should be a bit more sensible.
Arriving at an abandoned building, Zemo was incessantly tapping on the keyboard, trying to reconnect to the screens; he was determined to make the truth known to the public!
However, when he saw that Homelander could even control time, he slumped back into his chair, and there wasn't a single spark of light left in his eyes.
After Pietro handed the phone to Sean, he left immediately.
He didn't know what was on the phone, nor did he want to know; just because Sean was family and treated Wanda very well, Pietro would do anything for him.
Sean walked over to Zemo, crushed the phone in front of him, and sighed, "My condolences."
Zemo sneered, "There are only the two of us here. Do you still need to put on an act?"
"These words are coming from the bottom of my heart!" Sean's gaze was serious, without a hint of joking.
But his next sentence caused Zemo to explode with rage.
"After all, your father was holding your wife. By the way, when you called her, did she say she was out running?"
It was those words that made Zemo snap out of it; he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and glared at Sean, making a move to throw a punch.
With a thud, he was pinned to the floor, eating a mouthful of dust.
Sean wiped his hands in disgust, pulled over a chair to sit down, stepped on the top of Zemo's head, and continued to ask:
"There are still many details I don't know. When you dug up their bodies, was your wife wearing any clothes?
Additionally, have you ever done a paternity test to determine if that was your child, or your younger brother?"
"Aaargh!!"
Zemo let out a roar of agony, "Kill me! Kill me!"
He hated his own weakness, hated that he couldn't avenge his family, and hated that he had no way to resist Homelander, only able to be stepped on and hear him insult his family.
Sean smiled slightly. Although he was quite satisfied with the bombing incident, he felt an extraordinary aversion to the person who dared to commit such an act.
Lifting his foot, he smiled and said, "How could I do that? You are now the mastermind behind the bombing. If I just kill you, it won't be easy to explain."
"How about this, let's make a deal. I will resurrect your family, and you will help explain things for me in front of the media. What do you think?"
Zemo stopped crying and shouting, suddenly looking up at Sean in disbelief.
"Don't look at me like that. I just care about how the outside world perceives me. You saw it just now; controlling time is a trivial matter for me."
Sean crossed his legs, looked down at him, and asked with a smile, "What do you say?"
"As... as long as I help you explain, that's it?" Zemo said slowly in a trembling voice.
"Of course... not!" Sean lifted his toe and pressed Zemo's head back to the ground. "Kowtow to me a few more times to apologize. Once I am satisfied, I will resurrect your family."
Zemo lowered his head, and tears immediately welled up.
He knew, he was clear, and he was certain that Homelander was lying and just wanted to humiliate him; it was that simple.
But, what if, perhaps there was a sliver of a possibility that Homelander still had a tiny bit of humanity left, right?
Forget one in ten thousand; even if it were one in a million, Zemo was willing to try.
Thud!
Zemo kowtowed hard; his forehead immediately turned red, and his head began to spin.
Thud!
The second one was even harder, and streaks of blood could already be seen.
Thud!
By the third time, blood mixed with tears dripped down together; his mind was no longer functioning properly, and he only knew to keep kowtowing.
After a dozen or so more times, Zemo fainted, yet he still maintained the posture of kowtowing.
Sean's thoughts finally cleared. He slowly applied pressure with his foot on the back of Zemo's head, then ran his hands over his own head and let out a long breath.
He hoped that group of wealthy elite who play with the economy and the congressmen behind them wouldn't wimp out.
After cleaning up the scene, Sean returned to the top of the Empire State Building and continued his unfinished business with his rather cooperative sister, Annie.
"Ah! I am... big sister~"
The outside world was still immersed in the shock of time being reversed; not just ordinary people, but even the other Avengers looked as if they had been struck by Thor's lightning.
And Dr. Banner, who remained at Stark Tower, was the most shocked.
While reversing time, modern science had been trampled underfoot, and Sean had spat on it for good measure.
Seeing this scene, it was indeed hard for him to accept, but the hardest thing to accept was: why didn't Sean use this move to save Tony?
He would go to the presidential banquet tomorrow to demand an explanation.
The other Avengers thought of this as well; even Pepper, an ordinary person, picked her invitation out of the trash, intending to go.
Even those preparing for tomorrow's presidential banquet were stunned and revised many of their talking points overnight; they had to be even more cautious when dealing with Homelander.
For a time, all nations were reassessing Homelander's strength, and the final results were very consistent—he is not an enemy to be faced with force; prioritize friendship!
The time of Innocence Day slowly passed. Perhaps because of the bridge incident, other places were much more stable, and nothing else happened.
Time reached midnight, approaching twelve o'clock.
This time was the most dangerous; not a single Superhero dared to relax. If something went wrong at this final moment, Sean would lose it.
Fortunately, those who wanted to commit crimes also understood this. Daring to do something bad at this time? Heh, even if you weren't afraid of death, Homelander could kill you, resurrect you, and then kill you again! Who could endure that?
With three minutes left until twelve, people spontaneously walked out of their homes and looked at the landmarks everywhere; the people in Manhattan were all looking at the Empire State Building.
As bells rang throughout New York, the lights at the top of the Empire State Building also lit up, and people finally realized they had actually spent a safe day.
No thieves, no robberies, and there weren't even many people with bad attitudes; everyone was friendly, and if they accidentally bumped into someone, they just exchanged a smile and went their separate ways without conflict.
After just three seconds of silence, sky-shaking cheers erupted from New York City, so loud that even neighboring cities could hear them, making them green with envy.
At that moment, the face of one person appeared on the LED screens in the streets: Homelander.
People's faces flushed as they strained their voices to shout his name, "Homelander!"
Sean stood on the rooftop of the City Daily, the place where he and Millis had fought; many cameras were aimed at his face, and Millis looked at him with infatuation, never looking away for a single moment.
If it weren't for the many staff members nearby, she would have rushed forward long ago.
During this appearance, Sean briefly introduced the heroes guarding each district, making the names of Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Falcon known to the public.
Scott even took off his helmet directly; he had to let his daughter see him, and at the same time, he was deeply grateful to Sean for giving him this opportunity.
Finally, the camera cut back to Sean; the faint smile on his face was like the Sun, shining upon everyone's faces.
"Everyone, this Innocence Day was a great success. You all know the crime rate, and I have successfully fulfilled my promise!"
"Moving forward, my promise remains unchanged. On this day next year, America will certainly be even safer than it is today!"
Listening to the cheers of the people in the distance and Millis kissing him with reckless abandon, Sean was also very happy.
Next year... Thanos should be coming, right? If he doesn't come, this lie won't hold up."}],
Chapter 223: The Banquet Begins
At six in the evening, the lights on Garden Island were already lit. With two hours still to go before the banquet, guests were already beginning to arrive.
Sean was currently accompanying Sif on a tour of the back Garden. Ever since it was built, he hadn't visited much. Sigh, it was all the fault of the maids in the White House; they were too clingy.
Sif held Sean's hand with a look of pride on her face. She had put in a lot of effort to give this place a bit of an Asgardian feel.
Along the way, Sean indeed saw many familiar things; for instance, the Eternal Flame was being used by Sif for lighting.
The Casket of Ancient Winters, which acted as a perfect temperature controller when left closed, made the island's temperature very comfortable despite the hot weather.
There were also Hot Spring Stones unique to Asgard, which could turn ordinary water into a steaming hot spring, making for a very comfortable soak.
Of course, the most comfortable thing of all was the... women of Asgard inside the hot spring.
Sean had tried this before, and it was fantastic!
In front of the Garden, another ship docked, and several guests disembarked.
As a presidential banquet, the guests naturally weren't kept waiting on the shore; they were brought over by ship as soon as they arrived.
Christine, wearing the pure white dress that Sean liked most, was led to the banquet hall by a waiter.
Although called a hall, it was actually outdoors. A famous band nearby was playing a beautiful dance tune, and paired with the stunning scenery, Christine was utterly enchanted.
"Do you like it here?" Sean stood silently beside her. His sudden voice gave her a small start.
Christine shot him a look. Seeing that there were others around, she didn't act too intimate. She nodded, indicating she liked it very much; it was very similar to the wedding of her dreams.
Sean took her hand and whispered, "I'll show you around."
"Ah, someone will see us~" Christine tried to pull her hand back, but Sean held it tight.
"It's fine. Everyone here will just think you're a fan."
"Hmph, so do you bring fans here often?"
"Don't you know where I am every day? My dear First Lady."
A blush appeared on Christine's fair face, adding a touch of softness. She carefully scanned her surroundings, afraid their conversation might be overheard.
The two strolled across the lawn, gradually leaving the banquet hall and arriving beneath two towering stone lions.
Christine was completely oblivious; wherever Sean took her, she would follow.
"I'm taking you somewhere even more beautiful than this."
Sean pulled her close for a kiss, then gave her a gentle push. She stumbled back a few steps and began to fall backward.
Before Christine could react, she saw the previously dim sky brighten. She was lying on a patch of soft grass, with several snow-white animals nearby.
She propped herself up and looked around, but Sean was nowhere to be seen. Moreover, this place didn't seem to be New York anymore.
A flash of light appeared in the void, and Sean abruptly appeared before her. He lay down beside her, pulled her into his arms, and asked, "How is it here? Ordinary people can't come here, you know."
"It's also very beautiful!" Christine snuggled into his chest, smiling sweetly.
"Compared to the outside, which is better?" Sean asked.
"Wherever you are is the most beautiful!"
The corner of Sean's mouth curled up. He rolled over and stared straight at her. "I feel the same way."
Half an hour later...
Under Dice's hypnosis, Sean carried Christine into a small wooden cabin, planning to let her out the next day. There were quite a few people coming tonight, and it wouldn't be good for her to see them.
Although Sean still preferred a lively crowd, he wanted to preserve this little piece of pure land for her as long as possible. After all, if he wanted to deceive people now, he wouldn't be able to anymore.
By the time Sean went back out, the crowd had gradually grown. Almost all those who arrived early were people he knew.
For instance, Sean saw Dr. Helen Zhao, whom he hadn't seen in a long while. Remembering she still owed him something, he planned to save a spot for her tonight.
Just as he took a few steps toward her, Sean felt a slight tremor in the ground. The waiters around him looked panicked, instinctively moving closer to their Master.
"Sean! Long time no see!"
Hulk, with Dr. Banner's face, grinned and opened his arms for a hug.
Sean quickly raised his hand in distaste. "Banner, we aren't that close, are we?"
"Oh, oh! It's Hulk; he wanted to hug you." Banner didn't mind at all; instead, he looked rather simple and honest.
"You guys...?"
Behind him, the Avengers followed. Banner saw everyone was there, saving him the trouble of repeating himself.
It turned out that while he was holed up in Stark Tower, he had been wanting to study black holes, but with Hulk around, he couldn't settle down to work at all.
Then he remembered Sean's words and decided to have a showdown with Hulk for a proper talk.
This heart-to-heart allowed both sides to understand each other.
Hulk forgave Banner because previously, Banner had always wanted to eliminate Hulk, which was why he hated Banner.
But after Hulk learned about Banner's difficulties, he also understood that his appearance had caused Banner many injustices, and in the end, he couldn't even keep his girlfriend.
Banner also understood Hulk. His anger was beyond his control; as Hulk, he possessed endless rage and a desire to smash things, which was why he liked the Vibranium gift Sean gave him so much.
Moreover, putting himself in Hulk's shoes, Hulk had been targeted by the whole World since birth; anyone would feel upset.
The two had a long, empathetic conversation for the first time. Banner made a suggestion, and Hulkagreed.
"So, you've become... like this?" Sean asked with a frown.
Banner nodded with a silly smile. "Yes. Previously, while staying in a human body, Hulk felt squeezed into a small room and very uncomfortable. So, I thought, why not just stay in Hulk form, right?"
Banner stood up and spread his arms, laughing. "Look at me now. It's great! I don't feel anger. Although my hands are a bit big, making experiments difficult, at least my mood is very pleasant!"
"Then... what about Hulk?"
"He's still in here; we can switch at any time." Banner always had a faint smile on his face.
"And it's better than before. Previously, I had to transform from a human into Hulk, but now I don't." Banner sighed.
"As expected, the human body has many limitations. If I had realized this sooner, perhaps everything would be different."
At this point, Pepper also walked over, led by Happy.
Seeing that the main person had arrived, the Avengers became serious and stepped aside. It was best for her to ask about this matter.
Sean wasn't surprised that Pepper would come. He set down his glass and went to meet her.
"I didn't expect you to attend my banquet. You used to be very busy and didn't attend such occasions much."
Pepper took off her sunglasses and handed them to Happy. The corners of her eyes were slightly red; she had clearly had another crying spell not long ago.
"Yes, I didn't even go to that last banquet, and I didn't see him one last time. This is my third greatest regret."
Previously, when they held a Farewell Banquet for Thor, Pepper hadn't attended.
Ultron was born at that time, and then everyone rushed out to stop him. Tony didn't even have time to see her.
"Mind if I ask about the first and second?" Sean was somewhat curious.
Pepper gave a sweet smile. Sean sensed something was off; he was probably about to be fed some dog food.
"The second regret is knowing Tony. I regret it very much."
"The first regret is... not knowing him sooner."
Chapter 224: Can the Six Infinity Stones Resurrect Tony?
Pepper's words made the atmosphere on the scene turn sorrowful. Only Sean remained unmoved, grabbing Helen Zhao as she passed by and kissing her.
"Sorry, Doctor. I couldn't help myself."
"...It's... it's fine. I owe you."
A dazed Helen Zhao was led away by Hess's people. Tonight, she would likely be the busiest person of all.
Sean watched them leave, then turned to see the Avengers all staring at him.
"Sigh, I know what you want to ask. You want to know why I didn't ask someone to use time reversal to save Tony that day, right?"
Several people around him nodded, while the Maximoff siblings and the twin Winter Soldiers took a few steps closer to Sean.
Sean sighed, pulling Wanda close as he looked at the sky. "If time reversal saved Tony, it would have brought Ultron back too."
"If we could solve Ultron once, we could solve him twice!" Steve interrupted before Sean could finish.
"And what about the black hole bomb amplified by Pym Particles?" Sean looked down at everyone and said,
"Time reversal would reverse the black hole bomb as well. I don't need to elaborate on the consequences of a black hole bomb that hasn't been detonated in advance."
The group fell silent again. After hearing Dr. Pym's explanation that day, they had broken out in a cold sweat. Earth had been just a hair's breadth away from being sucked into a black hole.
Banner hesitated before asking in a low voice, "Then can't we set the time reversal back even further?"
"Temporal paradox." Sean rolled his eyes at him. "And you're supposed to be a Doctor. Time isn't something to be toyed with lightly. Reversing the Manhattan Bridge by a dozen seconds was already the limit.
At the time, I didn't know how long Tony had been fighting over there, plus I had to go call for backup. There definitely wasn't enough time."
Then, Fury, who had been hiding well in the shadows, spoke up. "That person you mentioned before, the Skyfather level powerhouse—never mind the long term, Ultron was about to destroy a country, even all of humanity. She didn't care?"
"Correct."
"What?" Fury could hardly believe his ears.
Sean confirmed again, "Yes. No matter what kind of crisis humanity faces, even if an alien army occupied mankind, she would not intervene."
"As part of the sorcerer lineage, she only cares about the legacy and the Sanctums. Moreover, she has been defending against Dimension Lords that we cannot withstand. No one can say she is in the wrong."
"The strong have their own considerations. Just like how Carol doesn't stay on Earth but goes to save other races in the Universe, people have their own ideas."
Using Carol as an example, Fury understood instantly, but he didn't think this sorcerer was better than Carol. After all, if Earth were in danger, Carol would still take action.
The others also roughly understood one thing: those top-tier powerhouses didn't care much for Earth. If Earth were gone, they would still live perfectly fine.
Take Thor, for instance. He is an Asgardian. If one day Earth and Asgard were in crisis simultaneously, he would definitely choose to save Asgard over Earth.
It's a simple truth. None of them were wrong; it's just that everyone views things from a different perspective.
Steve took a deep breath, feeling a sense of loss. "Then why did she step in to save people this time?"
"Force!" Sean took out the Tesseract and flashed the Mind Stone on his chest. "I was almost about to fight her. Fortunately, she didn't want to make an enemy of me and did me a favor as a gesture of goodwill."
"Indeed, she isn't afraid of me; she just doesn't want me destroying her Sanctums or massacring her sorcerers."
Speaking of this, Sean's mood also dipped slightly. "Actually, if we really fought, I'd probably be sealed away by her."
"Her control over the Time Stone is much stronger than mine."
Hearing Sean's somber words, Wanda didn't even need her superpowers to feel his bad mood and quickly moved a bit closer.
The elder twin sister next to her hadn't liked Sean at first, but hearing these words, her opinion of him improved significantly.
Sean pulled them both a bit tighter. He really hadn't expected... an unexpected harvest!
Cough, with the Space Stone in hand, it would be impossible for the Ancient One to seal him!
This was the reason why Sean had claimed the Tesseract for himself as soon as he heard Odin was absent—he was afraid of clashing with the Ancient One one day upon his return.
To this day, Sean remembered the Battle of New York when the Ancient One locked him in the Mirror Dimension. Back then, he only had the Mind Stone scepter and really didn't have much chance of winning.
Even now, though Sean had grown much stronger, he still didn't know exactly how powerful the Ancient One was.
He didn't dare underestimate this Sorcerer Supreme who had lived for hundreds of years.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, Banner suddenly raised his hand, his face showing some excitement. "Let's go collect the Stones!"
"The six Infinity Stones should be able to resurrect Tony. Didn't you say, Sean, that with six Stones one can grant any wish?"
Everyone looked at Sean again, wanting to hear his response. Even Pepper felt a glimmer of hope.
"Uh... but there's a prerequisite. Only those killed by the Stones can be resurrected by the Stones. Otherwise, the World would fall into chaos."
Sean felt a bit awkward. If they really gathered the Stones and snapped their fingers only for nothing to happen, that would be quite a situation.
"I've known Tony longer than most of you. His death pains me deeply too. I've considered these ideas and even some methods you don't know about, but the results were... sigh, not very ideal."
It really was painful. Something seemed to have gone wrong with the thunderbolt, and Sean couldn't find anyone to fix it. Tsk, he'd have to trick Shuri into staying in New York permanently.
In the distance, Hill waited anxiously. While the Avengers were discussing matters, she didn't feel right interrupting.
Seeing that they had stopped talking, she walked over to Sean with small steps and whispered in his ear, "The guests sent by various countries have mostly arrived on the island. As the host, you need to make an appearance."
Sean glanced at the others. "I'll head over first."
Taking the wine glass Hill handed him, he walked toward the banquet hall where Hess and Millis were already standing.
The two were wearing identical long dresses—one red and one white—paired with the same Vibraniumjewelry. Despite the identical outfits, their styles were vastly different.
Before seeing Sean, Millis had been wearing a professional, cold smile, but the moment he appeared, she smiled joyfully, just as she always had, without a hint of change.
Hess was different. Even when Sean arrived, her expression didn't change; she remained elegant and poised, though a touch of softness appeared in her eyes.
Sean walked between the two of them and raised his arms, signaling for them to take his arms.
"Let's go. I'll take you to meet some people."
"Mhm~"
His reason for bringing Millis was simple: she was the one he always took to important occasions before. This time, Sean didn't want to make an exception, mainly because he didn't want to see her looking sad.
As for bringing Hess, it was as he said: to get to know people—and to remember which ones would need to be hung from lamp posts later.
Regarding this Innocence Day, Sean knew quite a few congressmen and capitalists had been up to no good. Later on—humph! They'll all have to die.
Chapter 225: Sif's Unease (Sunday's Catch-up)
One month after Innocence Day, the crime rate in New York City skyrocketed, even exceeding the levels before Innocence Day.
People only then realized how important Superheroes were.
At the same time, there was a sense of regret; if only Homelander hadn't become President, he would have more time to save the World.
Unlike now, where he was bound by government affairs in the White House, unable to pull away for a long time.
Inside the White House at this moment, in the President's office, Hill sat in her chair, buried in handling all sorts of messy affairs.
As it happened, these matters concerned national stability and harmony, so she had to take them seriously.
Previously, when encountering such issues, she would consult Sean to ensure she didn't overstep her authority.
But, good grief, he hadn't returned since the presidential banquet! He'd been staying in the completed Garden, too happy to think about the White House!
He even took all the maids from here, leaving none behind, so that she now had to get her own cup of hot water.
The more Hill thought about it, the angrier she got; she shouldn't have taken this job in the first place, it was even more exhausting than being the Deputy Director.
Except for the times... when Sean would come to comfort her, which was a decent perk; aside from that, Hill didn't see anything good about this job.
On the other side, in the Garden, inside the swimming pool.
Bubbles gurgled on the water's surface; after waiting for two minutes, Hope finally emerged, coughing uncomfortably and breathing in fresh air greedily.
Sean moved... whoever it was off his body and reached out to smooth her hair. "Not bad!"
"Is... is that so? Then can I...?"
"You can. Go ahead!"
Seeing his permission, Hope felt as if she had received a grand pardon, leaving the pool in a few quick steps and clambering out with difficulty.
She had been here for over a week, and the fabric on her body was less than the socks she wore when she arrived.
She was quite happy when she first arrived; after all, Sean was handsome and had a great physique, and she had enjoyed herself last time.
Who knew—hiss—he'd play so rough this time!
She came this time because she listened to her father, who said Ant-Man was the key figure to saving her mother; she came here wanting to borrow Scott back.
Scott had been in high spirits lately; not only had his life improved, but his ex-wife and her husband no longer thought he was idling his days away, allowing him to see his daughter and even pick her up from school.
Because Cassie—that is, his daughter—kept talking about having her Superhero dad pick her up, making Scott very proud.
At the same time, he felt even more grateful to Sean and followed his orders implicitly.
Who is Pym? Stop calling me; I'm afraid Sean might misunderstand!
Watching Hope's fleeing figure, Sean also felt happy; she might not be exceptionally beautiful, but her identity gave him a great feeling.
Turning his head, he shifted his gaze back into the pool.
The seven or eight Asgardian girls inside all felt a jolt in their hearts and quickly stood up, showing their most beautiful selves in anticipation of something.
Sean rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. "You all came from distant Asgard and have to go back next month. How could I let you leave disappointed?"
"All of you, come here!"
Hearing this, the already uninhibited Asgardian girls rushed over immediately.
Why did they come to Midgard? It wasn't really for tourism or to see the World—heh, it was all for Sean.
Since the Garden was built, Sif had been frequently traveling back and forth; besides the few Sean particularly liked who stayed, she would take the others back.
In truth, Sif didn't want to do such a strange thing at all; bringing two or three sisters would have been enough, there was no need to change a batch every month.
But this was God-King Odin's command, and she had to obey.
Perhaps because of Loki's Death, Odin's mood had been consistently bad, and he even dismissed Heimdall, replacing him with some unknown minor character.
Every time she returned, Sif saw him grinning like a little dog, fawning over Odin.
From the gaps between the fair-skinned bodies in the pool, Sean also saw Sif's worried expression on the lounge chair.
This wouldn't do; Sif was not only an object of affection but also an important... partner. He relied entirely on her to pick out the good-looking Asgardian girls.
Calming the restless fair-skinned bodies, Sean stepped out of the pool and went over to Sif, lying down beside her while still wet, and asked as he held her:
"What's wrong? In a bad mood?"
Sif placed her head on his firm chest. "No, I've just been feeling a bit uneasy lately, like... something bad is going to happen."
Sean frowned; calculating the time, Thor had been gone for a long while, and it seemed Hela was about to emerge.
Holding her, he kissed her forehead and comforted her:
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"Mhm!" Sif smiled slightly, feeling a strong sense of security as she listened to his powerful heartbeat.
"How about I help you settle your heart?"
"Mhm~"
It wasn't just the heartbeat that was powerful.
---
Night fell, and inside an ATM lobby in Queens, four people wearing cheap Avengers masks were committing a robbery.
Peter stood on a rooftop overlooking the street, watching it all before scanning the surroundings.
"Confirmed no hostages, animals, or large explosives around the target. So, should I go in and beat them up now, or wait until they drive out of the street and then beat them up?"
Holding a notepad, Peter kept writing and drawing.
Since the last Innocence Day, almost everyone in Queens recognized him; everyone who saw him greeted him warmly, and pretty older sisters would even buy him food.
This led Falcon, fearing they would become too arrogant, to issue a strict order: when encountering armed crime, they must first ensure the safety of the surroundings.
In the past, Peter would have rushed straight in, but now, he would observe for a while before... rushing in.
However, it was precisely this brief observation that made him notice something was wrong.
The weapons these people were using were very unusual; they weren't ordinary weapons at all and had great destructive power.
Seeing that they had already packed the cash, Peter, being young, forgot everything in his haste; he hurriedly sent his location in the group chat and rushed in.
As the instructor for the new Avengers, Sam had pulled both of them into a communication channel, telling them to send their location first if they encountered an emergency; otherwise, their bodies might not even be found if they died.
Oh, by the way, Sam only gave Peter a quota of ten sentences per day; otherwise, he could talk from morning till night.
When he received Peter's location, Sam was sitting in the yard with Steve and Bucky, watching the starry sky.
"I have to go, the Spider-Kid is in danger."
"Go ahead." Steve smiled gratifiedly.
He felt it was great that Sam could join the Avengers; it was good to have more responsible people like him, unlike the others, sigh...
One by one, unless the World was ending, they wouldn't necessarily get together.
Unless there was a party.
When Sam arrived in Queens, he saw a convenience store engulfed in fire and quickly flew down, using his wings to extinguish the flames.
He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief; no one was dead, the best possible outcome.
When he turned to look at Peter nearby, his face already wore a serious expression.
"Pe—Spider-Boy! You're in trouble; I'm going to report this to Homelander!"
Peter was startled and let go of the cat he had just rescued, shouting excitedly, "No! Mr. Instructor, give me another chance!"
"If Mr. Brooke finds out about this, he'll take back the Nano Suit! I only got it three days ago!"
Now, Nano Suits were standard equipment for the Avengers; even Sam had switched to Vibranium wings, which had many more functions than before.
Except for Barton.
Chapter 226: Aunt Mei, I'm Not Being Spider-Man Anymore!
The next afternoon, Peter shook off Ned's persistent questioning and hurried home.
After being lectured by the instructor all night yesterday, having his identity discovered by his best friend Ned when he got back, and losing his backpack, it was simply the worst night ever.
Walking downstairs, a fiery red sports car caught Peter's eye. He thought to himself that he'd get one for himself in the future, and one for Aunt Mei too, and as for Ned... if he could keep the secret, he'd get him one as well.
With a smile on his face, he unlocked the door with his key. "Aunt Mei, I'm home."
"How was school today?"
"Not bad." Peter walked toward the living room with his headphones on. "There's a red luxury car at the door, you... Mr. Brooke!"
Sean leaned back on the sofa, his gaze shifting from Aunt Mei to him. "Peter Parker?"
"Yes! It's me! You..." Peter's mind raced. "Did you approve my research fund request? Oh, that's great, let's go to my room and talk!"
As he spoke, he grabbed Sean's hand resting on the sofa, wanting to take him to his room and then... apologize properly.
To be honest, this was the first time Peter had felt a sense of struggle since gaining his superpowers; it was like he was pulling at a massive mountain, completely unable to budge it.
Sean also appraised his strength—it was very good, truly living up to the name Spider-Man.
"Peter, I think you have something to say to Aunt Mei."
"Ah, oh right, right, I do. Aunt Mei, Ned said he's coming over for dinner tonight, to eat your cooking!"
As soon as he said it, Peter wanted to slap himself. Was Aunt Mei's cooking even edible?
"Really? Then Brooke, you should stay and eat with us too. Have my specialty, Turkish meatloaf!" Aunt Mei didn't suspect a thing; she genuinely thought her cooking was delicious, and no one had ever questioned it.
Sean frowned, staring at Peter to make him come clean on his own; otherwise, he would have a private chat with Aunt Mei.
Seeing Homelander's sharp gaze, Peter gradually yielded, scratching his head with a conflicted expression.
Beside them, Aunt Mei also sensed something was wrong, looking back and forth between the two.
She actually knew a lot; she knew Peter would sneak out every night and that he would skip class, but these were things teenagers did. She had done them herself when she was young, so she didn't find it particularly strange.
However, looking at the current situation, she suddenly thought of the worst-case scenario and called his name sternly:
"Peter?"
Aunt Mei's words directly broke Peter's final psychological defense. He let out a long sigh, looked at her, and said:
"I am... Spider-Man."
"What!" Aunt Mei stood up, her features scrunched together before quickly relaxing. Clutching her chest, she said:
"Whew, thank goodness. I thought you'd gotten into trouble and Homelander was here to arrest you. I was almost ready to use my charms to seduce him so you could make a run for it."
"Oh, what a shame. I should have just said Peter destroyed a convenience store when I walked in," Sean joked.
Seeing Aunt Mei laugh, Peter could hardly believe it. Did she... not care?
"You're okay with me continuing to be Spider-Man?"
"Hehe." Aunt Mei chuckled twice, then her expression shifted instantly. "No! How could I be? You're only fifteen. How could you possibly deal with those terrifying aliens and cruel robot armies!"
Peter's face fell as he tried to explain, "But Aunt Mei, I'm strong. I can beat them, and I have the ability to do these things. Look how well I did on Innocence Day! Didn't you praise me too?"
That night, as soon as he returned, he heard Aunt Mei expressing her strong approval of the Innocence Day proposal, while also praising the two superheroes protecting Queens.
Aunt Mei pointed a finger at him, her eyes darting around. "Aha, talking back now, are we?"
Quickly, she grabbed a pillow from the sofa and started swatting at Peter with it.
Peter kept his head covered, dodging left and right, but he was hit by Aunt Mei every time. As he dodged, he shouted things like "with great power comes great responsibility" and how he had to protect Queens.
The two of them circled around Sean's position like that—he fled, she pursued, and he had nowhere to run.
As they kept going, Aunt Mei began to cry. She leaned against the sofa, not looking at Peter.
Seeing this, Peter's heart wrenched, feeling like he had truly let her down.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Mei. I... I won't be a hero. I won't be Spider-Man anymore."
Sean pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Aunt Mei without saying a word, letting them handle this matter themselves.
To be honest, Sean didn't want to be a father figure to Spider-Man like Tony was; it was too exhausting.
Although Peter was indeed still young, just starting high school, and it was normal to be immature at that age, Peter could afford to be immature, but Spider-Man could not.
There was no need to doubt Spider-Man's character; across ten thousand parallel Universes, evil Spider-Men were few and far between. Almost every Spider-Man was a friendly neighbor.
Similarly, for Spider-Man to mature, someone close to him had to die. Usually, it was Ben Parker, sometimes it was Gwen, but here, it was Aunt Mei.
Aunt Mei wiped away her tears and gave Peter a doting look. It was almost impossible for a fifteen-year-old to hide his little secrets from a parent.
She knew Peter went out every night, but she didn't know what he was doing—whether he was dating a girl, or a boy, or if he was out fighting, or getting beaten up.
Well, now she knew. He was just out every night fighting for his life against a bunch of armed robbers. Heh, hehe.
Seeing that the situation had been mostly explained, Sean raised his hand and retracted the Nano Suit.
"Alright, Peter. After what happened last night, I don't think you're ready to be a Superhero. So, let's talk about it after you become an adult."
Peter lowered his head even further, as if he wanted to sink into the floor.
Aunt Mei's reprimand caught in her throat as she turned to stare at what was in Sean's hand and asked, "What is that?"
Sean casually raised his hand, introducing the red watch he was holding.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a Nano-Vibranium Suit. You know Vibranium, right? Like Captain America's shield. Neither bullets nor bombs can damage it."
Aunt Mei's eyes lit up. She knew that Peter couldn't suppress his urge to be a hero, just like a teenage boy can't suppress certain urges.
But she was still worried about what would happen to Peter. Wait, if he had a suit, wouldn't those robbers be unable to hurt him?
As long as he didn't get involved in alien wars and only operated in Queens, he would basically be safe.
Aunt Mei brushed back her hair and smiled at Sean. "Then... is that a gift for Peter? Peter! Hurry up and thank Mr. Brooke!"
As she spoke, she winked hard at Peter, but he... didn't get it.
Sean shook his head. "No, this is standard equipment for the Avengers, but Peter didn't pass the assessment, so..."
"But no one was hurt last night, right? I saw it; Peter rushed to the convenience store to save people immediately. So many people online are giving him likes!" Aunt Mei argued on his behalf.
"And during Innocence Day, Peter even skipped class to help. I think you should give him another chance!"
Peter was stunned. Aunt Mei... was supporting him?
"Hmm..." Sean pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly. "No!"
Then he walked straight out the door.
"Brooke!"
Aunt Mei grabbed her coat and hurried after him. She had to get that Nano Suit; otherwise, it wouldn't be safe for Peter to go out at night.
With a bang, the door closed. Suddenly, Aunt Mei opened it again and said to the stunned Peter inside:
"Don't you dare leave the house before I get back!"
Chapter 227: Young People, How Wonderful!
Aunt Mei returned around midnight.
Peter, who had been waiting for her on the sofa, immediately stood up, and a small red object flew towards him.
He caught it and saw it was his suit!
Aunt Mei leaned against the wall, seemingly a bit tired: "Peter, you must tell me when you go out at night and when you come back, understand?"
"Aunt Mei, you... you agreed?" Peter's tone was a little excited.
"Does it matter if I don't agree?" Aunt Mei rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't you hide it from me precisely because you knew I wouldn't agree? Hmph."
Peter scratched his head shyly, looked at his arm, then looked up and asked, "Then why did Mr. Brookereturn the suit to me?"
"Returning it to you comes with conditions. First, your school grades cannot drop. Second, when you encounter enemies with weapons, you cannot rush in alone like last night." Aunt Mei's tone was a bit stern.
"Last night, ah! Right, I haven't reported last night's incident to Brooke yet!"
"No need. Those people have already been caught, and all their weapons confiscated. That hero called Falcon seems to have spoken up for you."
"Instructor? Oh, my God, I love him!" Peter jumped up excitedly.
He put on his watch, pressed it lightly, and the red Spider-Man suit appeared on his body.
Aunt Mei's feelings were very complex. Watching the child she raised become a Superhero, she would have insomnia again in the future. However, tonight, she should be able to get a good night's sleep.
"Aunt Mei, I'm going out!"
"Okay, go. Remember to listen to Sean."
"Understood!"
Peter shot out a web and swung away. While in mid-air, he felt something was off, but he was too excited about Aunt Mei agreeing to him becoming a hero to think deeply about it.
After he left, Aunt Mei slowly walked into the bathroom and sighed, "Young people, how wonderful!"
---
Because of this matter, Sam increased Peter's training in the following days. He also considered Peter's young age; if anything were to happen, or if Peter were to go astray, Sam would find it hard to forgive himself.
Especially when Sean trusted a Black hero so much.
Sam was also glad that there was no racial discrimination in an organization like the Avengers, which saved the World.
Meanwhile, in the White House, Sean leaned back in his chair, scrolling through the screen in front of him.
"These, these, and these few, I don't want the ones I marked. Have the others come to New York; I'll use the gems to examine them."
Natasha stood by with her arms crossed, helplessly saying, "Sean, they are all very pitiful Widows. You can't just because they're Black... sigh."
Sean frowned, patted Hill's head below, sat up and said, "Natasha, there's no racial discrimination in the U.S. I just purely dislike ugly ones; it has nothing to do with whether they're Black or not."
Because of Sean's sudden movement, Hill felt like her teeth... were loose.
"Sorry." Sean also noticed her bad complexion, reached out to pull Natasha, and prepared to switch.
Just as Natasha squatted down and saw her molars, Sean suddenly turned his head, looked into the distance, and sighed:
"Pleasant times are always so short. Can't this World be a little more peaceful?"
At the same time, at the City General Hospital.
Stephen Strange had a hole in his chest, his hands were covered in blood, and he stumbled down the corridor, calling Christine's name.
After a long time, Christine saw him again. Although their relationship wasn't good, as a Doctor, she quickly began emergency treatment for him.
Looking at the strangely dressed Stephen Strange, she also felt a little curious.
Since his car accident, Christine had only visited him once and was scolded out by him. After that, she hadn't heard from him for a long time.
Later, Christine would receive emails from him, but he always said something about Marquiel deceiving her, or Homelander deceiving her, so she directly blacklisted him and never bothered with him again.
On the operating table, as soon as the equipment was connected, his heart rate was found to be extremely low, and he would die soon.
Christine quickly prepared a syringe. She had to draw out the clotted blood from his chest, otherwise, he would surely die.
"A little bit higher."
Just as she applied alcohol and was about to insert the needle, a transparent Stephen Strange abruptly appeared before her.
"Ah!"
This cry was not from Christine, but from Stephen Strange.
Before she could be surprised, the ring on her middle finger glowed brightly, directly knocking Stephen Strange's astral form away.
Christine looked at the ring, realizing it was a protective measure given by Sean. Her expression changed, she put down the syringe, and prepared to run out.
Although she didn't know what had happened to Stephen Strange, she trusted Sean. Since the protective mechanism was triggered, it meant she was in danger at that moment.
"Wait! Christine! If you don't save me, I'll really die immediately!" The astral Stephen Strange quickly called out to her.
Christine stopped, held up her hand, and threatened, "Then stay far away!"
"Okay, okay!"
Stephen Strange dared not disobey. Now, only she could save him, and it was too late to run out and call others.
Picking up the syringe again, Christine took a deep breath. As a Doctor, she found it hard to stand by and watch someone die.
While the clotted blood was being drawn, Stephen Strange kept his distance, fearing he might trigger the ring in her hand again. At the same time, he was also a bit puzzled; he had never seen the pattern or material of this ring before.
He had read almost all the books in Kamar-Taj and was considered knowledgeable, yet he had never seen anything similar.
Did Homelander give it to her?
Stephen Strange could only think of him; otherwise, how could an ordinary person come into contact with such things?
Halfway through drawing the clotted blood, Stephen Strange saw pursuers approaching on the wall.
To prevent them from disturbing the surgery and to avoid frightening Christine again, he prepared to show off his martial arts skills.
However, a cyan light beam directly struck a pursuer. After a scream, he turned into ashes and scattered into the sky.
Stephen Strange, who was two meters away from the cyan light beam, swallowed. He could clearly feel the terrifying energy emanating from it, which had very strong lethality against astral forms.
Christine, who was already a bit flustered, was also startled, almost dropping the syringe. But soon, a warm and familiar large hand held hers.
"Don't be nervous, I'm here."
Christine didn't even need to turn around to know who was standing behind her; after all, they often played like this.
Looking at their incredibly sweet expressions, Stephen Strange felt a mix of emotions.
He knew very well that he was a jerk, especially during the time of the car accident, he had hurt many people's feelings, including her, who had kindly visited him.
Christine was good, very good. She deserved to meet a better man to protect her for a lifetime.
Perhaps, she already had.
Some time ago, after the Ancient One suddenly left and then suddenly returned, she told him the truth, saying that Sean had beaten him up before just to make him learn magic faster, with no other intentions.
Coupled with today, Homelander flew in directly and used Heat Vision, so he knew that the Ancient Onewas telling the truth.
Christine had always known that her boyfriend was Homelander, which was why he rarely appeared in front of her.
Thinking of the things he had done in the past, Stephen Strange wanted to slap himself.
When the surgery ended, Stephen Strange on the operating table opened his eyes and saw their scrutinizing gazes. He quickly sat up, turned around, and whispered:
"Take good care of her."
His words were soft; he knew Christine probably couldn't hear, but Homelander could.
Chapter 228: If I Were Going to Give It Back, Why Would I Have Taken It?
Strange felt sentimental for a moment and quickly recounted how Kaecilius was drawing energy from the Dark Dimension in an attempt to destroy the World.
With the World's strongest Superhero present, Strange didn't want to face those terrifying guys himself.
Now that he had learned magic and could graduate from Kamar-Taj, he felt no need at all to take on the responsibility of saving the World.
"I've placed a portal in the storage room. You and the Ancient One go stop them quickly. The London Sanctum has already been destroyed; it'll be too late if you wait any longer." Strange sat to one side, clutching his wound, looking like he had no intention of moving.
"And what about you, Mage Strange?" Sean asked with a smile.
Somehow, those words seemed to trigger him.
"I am Dr. Stephen Strange! Not some mage or wizard!" The pain from his wound flared up, making his expression look grim.
"When I became a Doctor, I swore an oath to never do harm, but just now, I killed someone with my own hands!
I don't want to do that anymore. I only want to save people, not kill them."
These words also deeply moved Christine. She understood that as a Doctor, let alone killing someone, even failing to save someone could lead to long-lasting self-reproach.
Just like moments ago, even though she clearly felt there was danger, she still stood at the operating table to continue saving a life.
Sean frowned. Had the Ancient One not had a heart-to-heart with him yet? Tsk, this was going to be a bit tricky.
Beside him, Christine held Sean a little tighter. She could very much understand Strange's feelings, but she still wanted to see what Sean thought.
"Phew, alright." Sean opened his palm and said somewhat reluctantly, "Give me the stone. I'll go."
Strange looked down, his hands trembling as he slowly removed the eye of agamotto from his neck.
Suddenly, he realized something and stopped. "This belongs to Kamar-Taj. I can't make the decision."
"Hmm, you're right! Then hurry back and find the Ancient One!" Sean said happily.
It's better to let the Ancient One persuade him about this troublesome matter herself.
Last time he said he'd help her deal with Dormammu, but man, he was just joking.
The villain this time was completely different from before. A true Lord of a Dimension—the Chitauri and Ultron weren't even worthy of carrying his shoes.
Even a Thanos without the gathered stones would just be trash to be disposed of at will in front of him.
Even the Ancient One—if she could have dealt with Dormammu, she would have done so long ago. It was precisely because she couldn't that she had to rely on the Sanctums to block Dormammu's perception.
To be honest, Sean wasn't very confident. At most, he could gather four stones now, and with the gauntlet in the Asgardian Vault, he could fight if he really had to, but it would definitely be a hassle.
To eliminate unstable factors and trouble, Sean had been keeping an eye on the New York Sanctum's movements to ensure no one destroyed it.
Strange was also somewhat surprised by his answer. He thought Homelander wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of controlling time, but he hadn't expected him to be so casual about it.
At the same time, he thought of Kaecilius's words—that the Ancient One had been drawing dark energy to maintain her immortality.
Honestly, he didn't want to believe the Ancient One was a villain because she didn't look like the kind of mastermind controlling everything from the shadows.
The Ancient One had indeed been good to him.
After thinking for a while, Strange still took off the eye of agamotto and handed it to... Christine.
"Keep this for me. If I can come back, return it to me, okay?"
"Me?" Christine was a bit surprised. She looked up at Sean, asking for his opinion.
"Take it. Watch your hands."
Having received Sean's permission, Christine stepped forward and took it, examining the necklace-like object with curiosity.
Strange seemed to relax, smiled slightly, and walked out the door.
He might have some doubts about the Ancient One or Homelander, but he trusted Christine. He trusted her to keep his things safe.
Now, he was going to have a good talk with the Ancient One. After all, she had taught him magic and shown him a different World.
He was also willing to help her, within the scope of his abilities.
But if she insisted on him dealing with some Dormammu—humph, impossible! He, Strange, was not that kind of responsible person!
As soon as Strange left, Christine handed the necklace in her hand to Sean and kissed him, saying:
"You take it."
"Aren't you going to keep it for him?" Sean was a bit surprised.
Christine shook her head. "I still trust you more."
On the other side, Strange stepped through the portal in the storage room and returned to the New York Sanctum. He put on the red cloak and found that Kaecilius had already escaped.
Turning around, he saw the Ancient One and Mordo.
Both of them were somewhat pleased to see the Cloak of Levitation on Strange; it meant he had been accepted.
But soon, the Ancient One's smile faded because she didn't see the eye of agamotto.
After a brief explanation of what happened, the Ancient One sighed heavily. She would have to go get the Time Stone back later.
Afterward, she arranged for Strange to take over as the Guardian Mage of the New York Sanctum, but he was unwilling, and the two of them got into an argument.
Just like before, Strange didn't feel he could shoulder the burden of protecting the World. The World had the Avengers and Kamar-Taj; he felt it was better for him to go back to being a famous Doctor.
After he pointed out that the Ancient One had been drawing dark energy to maintain her immortality, she seemed to be avoiding the subject, saying she needed to find someone and get the eye of agamottoback.
Leaving Mordo and Strange in the room, they argued for a few more minutes until there was movement outside.
The two of them looked at each other, realizing that Kaecilius had returned with his followers.
In the operating room, Sean hadn't left. Unfortunately, Christine had gone out; as a Doctor, she was truly busy.
Sure enough, after a while, the Ancient One opened a portal and stood beside him, reaching out her hand. "Give it to me. You can't use it without the incantation anyway."
That was the eye of agamotto; an ordinary person simply couldn't open it.
But Sean was definitely not an ordinary person.
While the Ancient One was alive, he indeed had no designs on the Time Stone, just as he wouldn't take the Tesseract while Odin was still around.
But, hehe, once something was in his hands, there was no way he'd give it back.
"Since I've already taken it, why would I return it to you? If I were going to give it back, why would I have taken it in the first place? Isn't that how it works?"
A furrow appeared on the Ancient One's smooth forehead. With a swipe of her hands, two Magic Fansappeared in her grasp, looking as if she would fight if he didn't give it up.
She was in a hurry because she was running out of time.
Suddenly, both the Ancient One and Sean turned their heads to look out the window. He said, "I don't think you have any more time to waste here with me."
The Ancient One gritted her teeth. Forget it. Strange was the strongest and smartest of all the Sorcerers Supreme. Since he had handed over the stone, it should... be fine, right?
She quickly stepped back into the portal to save the two of them; otherwise, they were going to be killed by Kaecilius.