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

Chapters 555, 1026, and 1027: Captain America: The most painful thing is that I'm the only one who didn't die.
“You’re right, Stark…”

Faced with Tony's sudden and almost out-of-control counterattack, Captain America did not choose to confront him head-on as usual.

He simply looked at Tony Stark, observing the undisguised fear, self-blame, and immense pressure on the verge of collapse in the other's eyes.

He understood the emotions on the other person's face better than anyone else, because he had seen the exact same expression on the faces of countless soldiers on the battlefield.

It was the deepest sense of guilt—the fear that my mistake might cause the deaths of all my comrades!
"I'm not anyone's boss..." Captain America's voice was unusually calm, even carrying a hint of understanding and tolerance, as he calmly and self-deprecatingly said:
"I am no longer the captain of the Roaring Commando. I am just an old soldier from the old era who was lucky enough to survive the freezing to death, but seems to have been abandoned by the new century."

He stepped forward, meeting Tony Stark's angry eyes directly in his gaze. There was no accusation in his deep blue eyes, only honesty and responsibility.

He paused, then continued in a more earnest tone, "Stark, I assure you, I have no intention of ordering you around or questioning you."

"I just want to say that as comrades who have fought side by side and gone through life and death together, we all care about you and believe in your and Dr. Banner's abilities... but we need to know in advance what cards we still have to play."

"We need you, Stark!!!"

Such honest and sincere words seemed to shatter the hard and arrogant shell that Tony Stark used to disguise himself.

His eyes were slightly red, and his vision even became a little blurry. He turned his head abruptly, not wanting others to see his predicament, and his voice was hoarse and filled with unprecedented vulnerability: "I don't need your concern..."

He lowered his head, looking at his hands, which had once created Ultron but now seemed stained with the blood of countless civilians. "It was me... I created Ultron! It was my damned, foolish 'peace vision' that made me the culprit who personally strangled the Avengers and triggered a global catastrophe..."

His voice trembled more and more, filled with endless regret: "Countless people around the world may have fallen into unprecedented danger because of my momentary arrogance and eagerness for quick success."

"It was me...it was me who opened Pandora's box, it was me who pushed open that door of destruction, I may be leading everyone to their deaths!!"

Clearly, after confirming that Ultron's next goal was likely to create a nearly indestructible vibranium body, Tony Stark's mentality crumbled, and his deep-seated insecurity and guilt completely erupted.

As Hawkeye just said, once Ultron successfully creates the 'Vibranium Body', even if he and Bruce Banner successfully invent the 'Digital Cage' that can imprison Ultron's 'main body' inside the 'Vibranium Body', they will have almost no means to destroy that body.

After all, no one knew better than him just how terrifyingly sturdy vibranium was.

A surge of despair overwhelmed him instantly, like a tidal wave.

Tony Stark could almost see before his eyes an indestructible 'mechanical god' he had personally created, commanding countless mechanical armies to slaughter the world in an apocalyptic scene.

His logic and rationality, which he had always been proud of, appeared so pale and powerless in the face of such unreasonable and absolute power!

Captain America keenly sensed signs of Tony Stark's mental breakdown and knew he had to stop the spread of this negative emotion immediately.

So he immediately comforted him with an unwavering tone: "Stark, listen... Yes, no one can deny that you invented Ultron."

"But I must say this... 'war' was never part of your invention! Your original intention was never to create bloodshed!"

Tony Stark suddenly looked up, somewhat surprised, at Captain America.

"Ultron chose war, chose destruction... but this was not what you gave it; your original intention was to protect!"

Captain America's gaze swept over everyone in the living room, as if to say to each and every one of them, "We can all make mistakes, even terrible ones..."

"But the important thing is how we face our mistakes after we make them... Do we wallow in self-blame and wait for disaster to strike? Or do we stand up and do everything we can to correct them?!"

Tony Stark opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately no sound came out.

The despair in his eyes seemed to be slightly dispelled by those words, but it was replaced by a deeper sense of confusion and pain.

He suddenly turned to look at Bruce Banner sitting opposite him, who was also under immense psychological pressure due to the creation of Ultron, and forced an extremely ugly, self-deprecating, bitter smile onto his face:
"Banner, you know what? When you see innocent people injured or even killed because of the Hulk going out of control, you feel that's the most painful thing, right?"

He didn't need Bruce Banner to answer the question, but continued speaking to himself, his voice like a dream, "But let me tell you, that's far from enough, that's not the worst outcome..."

Before Bruce Banner could speak, Captain America spoke first, in an almost cruel, empathetic tone: "Stark, I know what you want to say..."

All eyes immediately turned to Captain America.

Captain America took a deep breath, a look of weariness and loneliness, a feeling no one could understand, a feeling that spanned seventy years, flashed across his face, and he shrugged self-deprecatingly:
"The most painful thing is when you make a huge mistake, the battle is over, and you find that everyone is dead except you...right?!"

He looked around at the crowd, who were stunned by his words, and gave a bitter smile:

"I think none of you here understand better than me, this 'old relic' who has been frozen for seventy years, what it feels like to live alone, to be out of place in the world, and to be burdened with all those memories and guilt?"

Tony Stark's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at Captain America with some surprise, clearly deeply moved by what the other had just said.

Others reacted differently.

This statement, carrying a heavy sense of history, silenced everyone.

Captain America didn't preach or blame anyone; he simply calmly stated a fact he had personally experienced and carried throughout his life.

This kind of empathy is far more persuasive than any impassioned speech.

Everyone wore an awkward yet polite smile.

The tense and oppressive atmosphere in the room eased considerably.

Seeing that the time was ripe and the team's morale had temporarily stabilized, Captain America knew he had to come up with a practical action plan.

At this moment, the decisiveness he possessed, stemming from his leadership qualities, once again played a crucial role.

He took a deep breath, his gaze sharp and resolute, and said, "Since we're currently clueless and in a complete mess except for the useful information that 'Ultron might be searching for Vibranium'... then we should take the initiative and split into two groups." He surveyed the group and began to deploy: "One group will be led by me, heading immediately to F Continent, to Wakanda... We must try to confirm from the source whether Ultron is truly targeting Vibranium, whether Wakanda has been attacked, or whether we can obtain crucial intelligence about Ultron's whereabouts. Even the slightest possibility cannot be overlooked!"

"The second route will be temporarily led by Stark, who will remain here... While continuing to search for any trace of Ultron worldwide, we must also hurry to repair our equipment, perfect that digital cage, and prepare for war at any time!"

"Captain, I'll go to Wakanda with you."

Without a second thought, Hawkeye stood up, grabbed his bow, and with a reliable smile on his face, habitually teased:
"You must be missing an experienced driver, right?"

Captain America nodded upon hearing this. "You're right, I really can't fly this kind of modern plane."

"I'll go with the captain." At this moment, Black Widow volunteered. She glanced at Hawkeye, her eyes filled with a mixture of understanding and consideration, and gestured towards the kitchen with her lips.

"Clint, you haven't been home in a long time, have you? Why don't you stay and spend some quality time with Laura and the children... Right now, they need you more than we do."

"The situation in Wakanda is unknown, so the captain and I will go and scout ahead first."

Hawkeye gave Black Widow a long look, his eyes filled with complex emotions of gratitude and worry. He then looked back at his wife Laura's large pregnant belly, paused for a moment, and nodded heavily, saying to Black Widow with a face full of gratitude, "Thank you, Natasha."

Black Widow nodded slightly and said nothing more.

"Without further ado, let's set off immediately." Captain America acted swiftly, picking up the helmet from the table.

Laura then considerately stepped forward and said, "There's some bread and bacon I just baked in the kitchen; you can take some with you for the journey..."

"Thank you, madam," Captain America said with a polite smile.

A few minutes later, Captain America and Black Widow boarded the Quinjet again.

The hatch closed, the engine started, and a deep roar filled the air.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Black Widow reset the flight path to the coordinates of Wakanda, the mysterious nation in eastern F continent.

call--

The Quinjet slowly ascended, then adjusted its direction, eventually becoming a black dot in the sky as it sped towards the mysterious and unknown Wakanda, quickly disappearing completely into the dawning sky.

At the entrance of the farmhouse, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Hawkeye stood together, watching Captain America and his companion leave.

The sunlight outside the window gradually brightened, casting large patches of dappled light and shadow on the floor of the room.

In the kitchen, Hawkeye's wife, Laura, was quietly preparing a sumptuous breakfast for everyone. The coffee pot was bubbling away, and the aroma of the food was gradually becoming more and more intense.

However, this rare tranquility and warmth could not dispel the heavy 'cloud' shrouding the hearts of every Avenger, a cloud woven from failure, suspicion, and fear of the unknown.

Their war is far from over.

But the toughest battle may have only just begun...

…………

……

【Washington, D.C.】

The afternoon sun shines through the glass curtain walls of skyscrapers, casting large patches of dappled light and shadow on the bustling streets.

The warm air was filled with the unique hustle and bustle of this post-war rebuilt metropolis and the smell of car exhaust.

A black Chevrolet Suburban, with its understated color scheme but sharp lines, slowly came to a stop behind the white line at an intersection, quietly waiting for the red light to start counting down.

In the driver's seat, Nick Fury... or more accurately, Talos, the Skrull leader who was perfectly disguised as Nick Fury on a secret mission, unconsciously tapped his fingers on the expensive leather-wrapped steering wheel.

He was wearing Nick Fury's signature black leather jacket and a black eye patch over his left eye, but his expression was much more relaxed than the real Nick Fury, even carrying a hint of unhurried weariness.

In the passenger seat was Maria Hill, also disguised as a Skrull, whose true identity was Sauron, Talos's wife.

At that moment, Soren was intently fiddling with the tablet in his hands, the screen displaying constantly scrolling encrypted data and satellite cloud images.

Talos turned his head and looked at his wife's focused profile.

Even with Maria Hill's cold and aloof expression, he could still sense the anxiety emanating from her slightly furrowed brows and tightly pursed lips.

Seemingly sensing her husband's gaze, Soren raised his head, his azure eyes meeting Talos's.

In an instant, the coldness and sharpness that had belonged to Maria Hill vanished like melting snow, replaced by a deep concern and an intense tenderness.

Soren wore a sweet smile that seemed completely out of character for Maria Hill, his eyes conveying unspoken concern and affection.

This subtle change in expression warmed Talos's heart, but he immediately became alert. They were still on a secret mission, playing the roles of others. If someone saw them exchanging glances, it would probably cause Nick Fury a lot of trouble.

So he immediately put on a stern face, put on a cold and ruthless look, and stared intently ahead.

Seeing this, Soren realized what was happening. She took a deep breath, suppressed her unease, and said in a low voice, trying to keep her tone calm:

“Talos, I think we must tell Fury about this anomaly on the [Star of Lemuria] immediately... We can’t delay any longer.”

(End of this chapter)