The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 550, 1016, and 1017: Post-War Aftermath and Internal Divisions (Part 2)
"What, fear...you're talking to me about fear?"

Tony Stark seemed to be completely ignited by this word, perhaps because of the intellectual crushing and damage to his self-esteem he suffered at the hands of Ultron, or perhaps because his mentality was indeed on the verge of collapse.

In short, at this moment he was like someone possessed by a 24K pure troll, and no matter whether Captain America's words made sense or not, he had to use the most intense and mindless way to retort.

He took a sudden step forward, almost touching Captain America's face, his voice trembling slightly with extreme anger, as he roared out one sharp question after another at an incredibly fast pace.

"Then please tell me, our great, upright, and forever right Captain America, throughout history, in all the wars, big and small, whether for justice or injustice, has there ever been one that truly achieved zero casualties, with not a single person dying?"

"Come on, tell me!"

This problem is like a cold bayonet, piercing straight to the core of the contradiction.

Captain America frowned, clearly momentarily speechless at this sudden, aggressive, and biased question.

He opened his mouth, but all the grand principles about justice and sacrifice in his mind seemed pale and powerless in the face of such a blunt question, and for a moment he couldn't organize them into an effective verbal rebuttal.

Because he knew better than anyone else that war inevitably involves sacrifice, an ironclad law that no one could change.

However, this does not mean that he would condone the actions and methods that disregard the injuries and deaths of innocent people.

He has always pursued minimizing casualties and protecting the safety of innocent people... not like now, where their planning went wrong, causing many civilians to suffer even more unnecessary disasters.

Tony Stark, standing before him at this moment, whether intentionally or unintentionally, clearly confused the most crucial distinction.

Captain America opened his mouth, wanting to persuade the other party not to fall into extreme emotions because of anger, but Tony Stark did not give him the chance at all.

Seeing Captain America momentarily speechless, Tony Stark's face revealed an expression that was a mixture of pain and madness.

As if he had won some kind of victory, his emotions became even more intense, and he poured out all the resentment and anger that had been building up in his chest for a long time, like a floodgate being opened. Even his voice trembled with extreme anger.

"I bet those ungrateful bastards outside have already selectively forgotten everything..."

I've forgotten who charged ahead of countless Chitauri through the wormhole during the Battle of New York...

Who sent the [H-bomb] into the Chitauri mothership, saving all of their lives...?

Who liberated them from the fear of being ruled by Loki...?

And who is it that, time and again, pulls this messed-up world back from the brink of destruction?!

"It's us...it's the Avengers!!!"

He pointed excitedly at the empty air in front of him, as if he were pointing at all the doubters in the world:
"Let's look at what happened next... the Chitauri! Loki! The Titans! The Kaiju! And those monsters with ram's horns that crawled out of hell! And even that mysterious, enigmatic Warp Group, whose allegiance is unknown..."

With each name he uttered, his voice unconsciously rose a notch.

"You count on your fingers, these bastards, these monsters and alien savages, which one of them hasn't caused far more killing, destruction and loss on Earth than we have today in Tucson?!"

"Cities were completely destroyed, the country was plunged into chaos, and the death toll reached tens of thousands... But did you see anyone, anyone, dare to hold up a sign in front of the White House to protest against them? Did anyone dare to start an online petition demanding their trial?! Did anyone demand compensation from them?!"

"The answer is no! Not a single one!! Damn it... not a single one!!!"

Tony Stark's face was flushed red with rage, veins bulging on his neck, his chest heaving violently, and his voice hoarse from excessive shouting, giving the impression of someone who had suffered great injustice, anger, and inexplicable sorrow.

Why is that?

"Because those hypocritical and cowardly wretches know very well that no matter how much they protest, the alien invaders and monsters will ignore them and might even crush them with a flick of their wrists!"

"So they only dare... only dare to direct all their anger and fury at us, the Avengers!"

"Because they know that no matter how outrageous they are, pointing their fingers at us and spitting in our faces, we will never actually hurt them like those monsters do."

"Just because... we're fucking 'heroes'! We have to abide by fucking 'moral standards'!!"

"That's why they dare to be so brazen and push their luck so far..."

"That's why they always try to pin all the blame on us... because we're 'easy to bully,' because we won't retaliate!!"

"Enough! Stark!!!"

A thunderous roar suddenly exploded, instantly drowning out Tony Stark's almost hysterical complaints and making the entire cabin vibrate.

Tony Stark was instantly like a duck with its neck being choked; all his subsequent complaints and roars were forced back down his throat, leaving only his heavy, panting breaths, like an old bellows, and his eyes, reddened with excitement and bloodshot.

Instead of continuing to berate the other person, Captain America stepped forward, his anger gradually replaced by a deep, empathetic pity and compassion.

He reached out, offering a silent support that only men understand, and patted Tony Stark's trembling shoulder, as if to transfer his strength to the other.

Captain America lowered his voice and gently comforted him, "Stark, that's enough, stop talking... Listen to me, don't give up on yourself, okay?"

"One or two failures don't prove anything. No one will blame you for it. You've done enough. We've all seen your hard work and dedication."

His gaze swept over everyone in the cabin, finally settling on Tony Stark's face, and he said in a firm yet warm tone:

“Listen, whatever happens next, we’ll be with you… together, just like we always have… You’re not fighting alone, understand?”

These simple yet sincere words, like a warm yet powerful current, instantly shattered the fragile defenses that Tony Stark had built with anger and barbs.

He still had a lot of extreme and negative "garbage talk" left unsaid, and the anger simmering in his chest was far from being fully released.

But when faced with Captain America's clear, firm blue eyes, filled with trust and responsibility, his last bit of stubbornness led him to remain silent.

All the sharpness, all the anger, all the grievances seemed to be gently soothed by an invisible hand.

He turned around abruptly, using the last bit of his stubbornness to leave Captain America and the others in the cabin with a silent, slightly disheveled, and arrogant back view.

Clearly, he was trying to maintain his last shred of fragile dignity in this way. But everyone could see that his previously tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly.

Sometimes, the understanding and tacit agreement between men need no words; a single action or a single word is enough to convey a thousand words.

The suffocating tension in the cabin finally eased slightly with Tony Stark's silence.

Although the psychological pressure from failure and uncertainty about the future remains heavy, at least the near-explosive conflict within the Avengers has been temporarily resolved at this moment.

Just then, Nick Fury's voice came through the communicator again. Perhaps sensing the change in atmosphere on the other end, he didn't add fuel to the fire this time and continued to complain about what was happening in Tucson.

Although his tone remained serious, it lacked the previous aggression and showed more calm and objective concern as he proactively inquired:

"Captain, how are the other team members doing?"

Captain America took a deep breath, turned to face the communication screen, sighed helplessly, and answered truthfully:

"Although no one was injured, as you just saw, morale has been severely damaged in this clash with [Ultron], hitting rock bottom. We must find a way to get out of this passive, defensive situation as soon as possible, being led by the nose by the enemy, otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: he understood better than anyone the importance of morale and belief for this special team. Therefore, at this moment, what was more important than finding Ultron was rebuilding the team's confidence.

Captain America's status as one of the unshakeable "three core members" of the Avengers is inextricably linked to his strong inner strength and calm yet keen insight.

No matter when or how great the difficulties or adversities, he would fight to the very end like an unyielding mountain, giving his companions the motivation to regain their confidence.

"Sorry, I can't help you with this..."

Nick Fury immediately and without hesitation shifted the blame in public, a shrewd glint even flashing in his one eye as if to say, "Don't try to drag me down with you."

"You've created this mess yourselves, so you have to figure out how to fix it yourselves."

"Right now, the only thing I can do to help you is to use my authority and the few remaining connections I have to delay the official arrest warrant for Dr. Banner... But this is like trying to plug a dam that's already starting to leak. I can't guarantee how long it will last."

He paused, then his tone became extremely serious, carrying an undeniable warning.

"Oh, by the way, here's a friendly reminder... given the current tense atmosphere outside, you guys should find a secluded place to lay low for a while."

"Until I give you further instructions, do not appear in any public places, do not respond to any questions from the media, and remain absolutely silent."

"What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Captain America's brows furrowed immediately, his face filled with confusion and a hint of offense. He asked, somewhat puzzled:

"You want us to hide? To hide like a bunch of wanted criminals? Why? What did we do wrong that we need to hide? Shouldn't we stand up and clarify things if there's a problem?"

"clarify?"

Nick Fury chuckled expressionlessly, his one eye calmly peering through the screen at Captain America, and asked in return:

"You wouldn't be trying to clarify things to those people who are blinded by fear and anger, and to those media outlets that thrive on chaos, would you?"

"So what do you want to say... say 'I'm sorry, we fell for Ultron's trick, Hulk's madness wasn't intentional'?"

"Captain, do you think this kind of explanation will work?"

"Or, before you find the exact location of Ultron and obtain conclusive evidence to clear your names, do you have any other better ways to quell public anger and silence the authorities?"

Captain America was speechless and had no reply.

Admittedly, Nick Fury's words, though harsh, reflect the unavoidable circumstances they face at this moment.

Before producing conclusive evidence and results, any weak explanation will only make matters worse.

“Frey is right.”

A slightly hoarse voice rang out; it was Tony Stark.

He had turned around at some point, holding a tablet computer with various comments and news headlines scrolling rapidly across the screen.

Clearly, he had successfully calmed himself down during the brief silence and then began to quickly gather information about the outside world's gossip and rumors using Friday.

The situation was far worse than Nick Fury described.

Despite the strong intervention and online control by S.H.I.E.L.D., the tragedy that occurred in Tucson spread like wildfire across the internet.

Shaky, blurry, yet highly impactful mobile phone videos shot from various angles, coupled with provocative titles and comments, are pushing the Avengers... especially the Hulk, into the spotlight as a public enemy, causing extremely negative chain reactions.

The current situation is clearly extremely unfavorable to them.

This makes one suspect that Ultron was secretly pulling the strings.

"Look at these..."

Tony Stark's voice carried a weary calm as he handed the tablet to Captain America across from him:
"The old tune of the Superhuman Registration Act seems to have been brought up again, except that it used to be aimed at the 'superstars' of Vought Corporation, but now it's aimed at everyone, including us, the Avengers... and the calls for it are louder than ever before."

“Frey is right. The current situation is extremely unfavorable for us. If we show ourselves, we will most likely become the target of all the anger and make things worse…”

"Although I hate to admit it, finding a place to hide for now, waiting for this wave of controversy to pass while continuing to search for the whereabouts of [Ultron], is indeed the best option at the moment."

Since this is the reality, no matter how unwilling Captain America and the others are, they can only bow their heads for the time being.

This brief communication ended in a somber consensus, and the cabin fell back into a deathly silence.

(End of this chapter)