"No," Karl said calmly after thinking for a moment.
"I'm not a hero, and I can't be one."
"As for the Avengers… I won't comment too much."
He looked at Tony and the others seriously.
"But remember something."
"Every time a major disaster happens because of your battles… or when civilians are killed or injured because of collateral damage… you must ask yourselves how to prevent it next time."
Karl paused.
"The government isn't acting against you right now for two reasons."
"First, the public currently worships you."
"Second… you are Tony Stark."
"But if public opinion ever turns against you…"
"The government will absolutely move to control the Avengers."
Karl had essentially described the future conflict that would eventually lead to the Sokovia Accords.
"So I won't join the Avengers."
"And I don't want to be a hero."
"But if something threatens the destruction of Earth, I will intervene."
Karl finished speaking and glanced at Tony.
Tony had already fallen into deep thought.
"Alright," Tony finally said.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Then he quickly changed the subject.
"I heard you bought a small island."
"How do you plan to develop it?"
Karl shrugged slightly.
"I haven't fully decided yet."
"But we'll probably build most of it using vibranium."
Tony blinked.
"Vibranium?"
Karl nodded.
"You probably don't know much about Wakanda, do you?"
"On the surface, Wakanda looks like a poor agricultural country."
"But in reality, their technology is decades ahead of most of the world."
"They use maglev aircraft as ordinary transportation."
"Their cities are filled with vibranium technology."
"Even the royal palace is constructed largely from vibranium."
"The reserves there are enormous."
"The vibranium I obtained earlier came from them."
Tony's eyes widened.
"Wait—what?"
"Maglev aircraft?"
"Advanced hidden civilization?"
"Vibranium everywhere?"
Tony looked shocked.
"I didn't realize Earth was hiding something like that."
Then he suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You didn't steal that vibranium, did you?"
Karl looked offended.
"Are you kidding?"
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
"I took it openly and honestly."
"The king practically forced it on me."
"Why would I steal it?"
"Be careful or I'll sue you for slander."
Tony stared at him.
Not believing a single word.
"If the king forced it on you…"
"Then why did Wakanda send people after you earlier?"
Karl ignored the question completely.
"So what are your plans?" Tony continued.
"What if we create a global Iron Man defense system to protect Earth?"
Karl raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What if that system goes out of control?"
"I don't understand your technology very well."
"But if something like that becomes uncontrollable…"
"You'll be the one responsible."
Tony waved dismissively.
"Relax."
"I'll keep strict control over it."
"I'll have JARVIS monitor everything."
"I'll also build different models of armor for different situations."
"With JARVIS supervising the system, nothing will go wrong."
Karl glanced at him silently.
He knew exactly where that line of thinking eventually led.
Ultron.
But he said nothing more.
"Anyway," Tony said while standing up.
"I'm heading back."
"See you later."
Tony left with Pepper.
Bruce Banner, Natasha, and Clint Barton followed soon afterward.
Thor and Loki stayed in the neighboring house.
They planned to return to Asgard the following day.
Thor had already reunited with Jane Foster, and it was time for him to escort Loki back.
Once the Bifrost Bridge was fully repaired, Loki would be able to travel between Asgard and Earth whenever he wished.
Since the servants of the manor had already left, Karl summoned several Shadow Ninjas to clean the house.
Afterward, he opened a portal and sent George and Helen safely home.
That night, Karl slept together with May, Raven, Gwen, and Helen Cho.
The four women had been terrified during the battle earlier.
Now they simply wanted to stay close to him.
Karl used his telekinesis to isolate the room and block all outside sound.
The night passed quietly.
Helen Cho was the first to fall asleep.
May, Raven, and Gwen stayed awake much longer before finally drifting off near morning.
Karl remained beside them.
Meanwhile—
Peter, Wanda, and Pietro woke up early the next morning.
But there was a problem.
There was no breakfast.
When they tried to approach Karl's bedroom—
They couldn't even step within three meters of the door.
An invisible force field blocked them.
The three children stared at each other helplessly.
Then sighed.
Finally they went to find Yelena.
If they waited for Karl and the others to wake up…
They might starve first.
Yelena looked confused when the three children asked her to take them out for food.
Only after Pietro explained that no one in the house had woken up yet did she understand.
She laughed.
Then drove a Rolls-Royce to take them out to eat.
Meanwhile…
Far away.
After watching the recorded footage of Karl fighting Captain Marvel, William Stryker felt a chill run down his spine.
He had not expected Karl's strength to reach such a terrifying level.
Thinking about it carefully—
He realized he had been extremely lucky.
When Ross's army had intervened previously, it had probably saved his life.
With power like that…
Even if Karl killed him, the U.S. military might not dare say anything.
Fortunately—
Karl did not appear to care about him.
More importantly…
Karl seemed to have a poor relationship with the Mutant Academy.
That realization made Stryker relax slightly.
If Karl had been allied with Professor Xavier…
Then Stryker's entire anti-mutant plan would have been impossible.
But now—
The situation was different.
William Stryker immediately ordered preparations for an operation targeting Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
He understood one thing very clearly.
Professor Charles Xavier's Cerebro amplifier could locate, influence, and even kill mutants across the entire planet.
If Charles Xavier were controlled—
Then every mutant in the world could be eliminated.
The key elements of the plan were simple:
Charles Xavier
Cerebro
And a powerful illusion-based mutant capable of manipulating Xavier's mind.
Once everything was ready—
Stryker planned to launch the operation.
Their goal was not just the school.
They intended to capture every mutant student alive.
And then—
Use Charles Xavier himself…
To destroy all mutants on Earth.
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