Outside the Aurantius Industrial Park, Sokovia.
Amidst the thunderous roar of engines, two brand-new Yuri Construction Vehicles (MCVs) slowly drove into a shimmering, slightly blurry azure portal.
Following closely behind were swarms of engineering bots, combat robots, Yuri Initiates, Brutes, and a small number of elite units like Yuri Clones, war mechs, and Magnetron Tanks.
If anyone observed closely, they would notice that even the mech units and Yuri Initiates were equipped with one or two brand-new melee weapons.
It couldn't be helped—this was dimensional warfare.
While efficiency in killing enemies was crucial, minimizing friendly losses was equally paramount.
Of course, this didn't mean Luca had abandoned his advantage in long-range strikes.
It was just that currently, only sporadic Hell demons were appearing on the Dimensional Battlefield. These troops were primarily deployed to protect and assist in establishing the forward base.
Once a large-scale frontal conflict began, heavy long-range firepower would still be indispensable for breaking enemy defenses and wiping out large swathes of foes.
"It's a shame I can't command a war like this personally."
Watching the troops slowly march into the portal, Luca's face was filled with regret.
Right now, sending his troops to the Hextech Dimension still required the assistance of Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
Because of the spatial turbulence around Earth, Kamar-Taj had to dispatch twelve senior sorcerers just to maintain this single portal.
And even then, it was only possible because the Ancient One was guiding them from the Hextech Dimension side.
But that wasn't why Luca couldn't go himself.
The main reason was that while others entering the Hextech Dimension would only undergo a slow assimilation process, if Luca dared to enter in the flesh, the entire dimension's energy would rush into him like baby swallows returning to the nest.
Luca didn't want to be tied to that "throne" so soon.
"Don't worry, Young Master. I'll complete the initial base construction as quickly as possible!"
Beside him, Dunshan (Mountain Shield) promised in a low voice, his eyes unable to hide his excitement.
Although Dunshan had traveled the world as a mercenary and seen plenty of things, following Luca had opened his eyes to the true wonders of the universe.
But hearing his young master talk about a war between worlds on a Dimensional Battlefield still made his heart pound with an excitement he couldn't calm.
Glancing at the usually stoic Dunshan, now grinning like a kid, Luca shook his head with a smile and decided to give a few more warnings.
"Don't get too excited. I gave you the Extremis virus serum to increase your survivability, not so you could go brawl on the front lines. Your job is to command and expand the base, not fight."
"If you're really itching to trade blows with those demons, wait until I finish Pandora 2.0."
"When Mitsuki leads the second wave of troops, I'll have him bring a set for you too."
Hearing this, Dunshan immediately reigned in his excitement and promised solemnly.
"Understood. I know my priorities."
Luca nodded.
Sending Dunshan to serve as the initial commander of the Dimensional Battlefield was a bit of a forced move.
Although he had arranged for a large number of customized Haro units to accompany the troops and prepared a new AI war core for the front line, leaving all command duties to Haro's cluster intelligence felt unreliable.
And there weren't many subordinates Luca trusted completely who also possessed sufficient military literacy.
After much deliberation, he had to send Dunshan along with a team of specialists selected from Hydra remnants—experts in military strategy, warfare, logistics, and research.
These people were the only "non-renewable talent" in the entire expeditionary force.
So before departure, Luca had the bio-lab rush production to give every single one of them an Extremis injection to boost their survival chances.
"If there's an emergency, have the accompanying sorcerers contact me immediately. They're much more stable than the current prototype cross-dimensional communicators."
"I've already briefed you on the base construction order. Alright, go!"
Watching Dunshan lead his men into the portal, Luca fell into thought.
When the next batch departs, maybe I should send Vision along too. Perhaps I can form a Hell Expedition Team with Vision as the core.
If push comes to shove, I might even test... the effects of Blacklight on demons!
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes before quickly disappearing. Luca turned and walked back into his lab.
However, Luca didn't know yet that while he thought things had settled down with the Avengers—prompting him to consider recalling Vision—a moderate-sized trouble was quietly descending upon them.
Meanwhile, in New York State, at the New York City Refugee Camp.
Well, calling it a refugee camp wasn't quite right.
Thanks to Stark Industries' spare-no-expense funding, this camp now looked like a brand-new town.
However, since the intention was temporary resettlement, even with complete facilities, the quality of life and living environment weren't exactly high.
Combined with New York's massive population and the heavy depression of losing their homes, the atmosphere was grim.
Many capable people, or those who were originally "transplants," had already left early.
Of course, a small number of genuinely wealthy merchants and high-ranking officials chose to stay in the "refugee camp," even if they had assets elsewhere and could leave anytime.
Why? Because in the chaotic quagmire that was the current United States, nowhere was safer than being under the direct protection of the Avengers.
Among them, the most representative figure was Norman Osborn, whose own son was a member of the Avengers.
Although Osborn Industries suffered huge losses due to New York's destruction...
Thanks to his son's connection to the Avengers and his company's partnership with Aurantius Industries, Norman Osborn didn't collapse.
Instead, upon learning of Stark Industries' plan to build a "New New York," he slowed down his own company's reconstruction and used his connections to actively participate in the rebuilding efforts.
Constantly moving between various non-profits and post-disaster reconstruction committees, he looked like he was preparing to enter politics.
As a result, even his own son, Harry Osborn, sometimes went days without seeing his father.