I sparked a mysterious resurgence in Marvel.

Chapter 171 Invasion

at the same time.

Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.

At this moment, Nick Fury looked at the casualty report that had just been compiled in Harlem with a gloomy expression.

Because the Harlem district has been plagued by worms, demons, and even angels and other supernatural elements.

The World Security Council has already begun to hold S.H.I.E.L.D. accountable. If Pierce hadn't temporarily shielded him from the pressure, the members of the World Security Council would probably have already called him and berated him.

After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself was established by the World Security Council specifically to handle all sorts of strange and extraordinary events.

Every year, so much money is spent to support S.H.I.E.L.D., yet S.H.I.E.L.D. has not provided even the slightest warning. If the World Security Council does not hold S.H.I.E.L.D. accountable, who else can it hold accountable?

Even because of hatred and the Hulk.

The military also bears some responsibility this time, but S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot escape blame.

Who told S.H.I.E.L.D. to not only fail to provide adequate early warnings, but also to provide such poor support and handling in the aftermath?

After all, General Ross led his men to the front lines of the battle from beginning to end, while apart from Natasha, no one else from S.H.I.E.L.D. had any outstanding performance.

This makes it impossible for Nick Fury to shirk responsibility.

But can we blame him?

He was wronged too!

Who knew that just today, most of the agents at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York branch were slaughtered, and then this disaster broke out in Harlem that very night.

Nick Fury didn't even have time to temporarily transfer agents from other places.

Thinking of this, Nick Fury's mood darkened further. He mentally cursed the already dead Joker repeatedly; after all, if the Joker hadn't killed so many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, they wouldn't have...

Looking at Nick Fury, who was radiating a low-pressure aura.

Natasha silently took a half step back.

She didn't want to provoke Fury at this moment.

It took Nick Fury quite a while to calm down his maddened mood.

After taking a deep breath, Fury asked Natasha, "Has the list of high-ranking Catholic and Protestant figures who have recently appeared in New York been compiled?"

Upon hearing this, Natasha handed a folder to Nick Fury.

"The entire list is here."

After opening the folder and flipping through a few pages, Nick Fury asked, "Do you think the mysterious person who summoned the six-winged angel is on this list?"

Natasha shook her head: "When I came, I briefly looked at the information of the church leaders on this list, but these church leaders do not seem to have any special abilities... at least that's what the information says."

After closing the folder in his hand, Nick Fury said in a deep voice:

"In that case, let's expand the scope of the investigation! The six-winged angel that appeared in Harlem is far too powerful. Given the special status of angels since ancient times, we absolutely cannot allow this power to be used by those with ulterior motives..."

"clear!"

After nodding in agreement, Natasha hesitated for a moment before asking, "Chief, that list..."

Before Natasha could finish speaking, Nick Fury interrupted, "I'll handle that list myself. And from today onwards, that list is classified as Top Secret. You can't reveal this to anyone except me, understand? Agent Romanov!"

"Understood, Chief!"

After Natasha left, Nick Fury stared intently at the silver USB drive he had hidden in the folder, his one eye filled with apprehension.

"Hydra..."

··················

at the same time.

One of the oldest ports in the Union, located outside Philadelphia on the Delaware River, was shrouded in a light mist.

By the light of the lighthouse, a dark ship could be vaguely seen emerging from the mist, slowly approaching the port.

On the lighthouse, the navigator on night watch, Ratim, spotted the shadow of a ship entering the harbor under the cover of darkness through the lighthouse's searchlight. He grumbled as he put on his coat, picked up a flashlight, and walked toward the dark figure slowly approaching the harbor.

As he walked, Latinm continued to grumble and complain:

"It's so late, why are there still ships entering the port in this awful weather? And why hasn't anyone in the control tower notified us? Are those bastards on night watch still fast asleep?"

While complaining, Ratim shone the beam of his flashlight toward the ship.

The plan was to lead the other party to an available ship berth in the port.

But soon, Latinm realized something was wrong.

The harbor of Philadelphia was unexpectedly quiet tonight, shrouded in a light mist.

Apart from the sound of the crashing waves, there seemed to be no other sound in the entire harbor.

Even the bright lights that should have illuminated the entire dock were slowly swallowed up by the increasingly thick fog.

Latim, who had worked at the port for many years, unconsciously showed a hint of nervousness in his expression, and then silently stopped in his tracks.

But just then...

The dark figure in the mist suddenly pierced through the fog and appeared in the light of the powerful flashlight in Ratim's hand.

It was a very large cruise ship.

The Port of Philadelphia receives quite a few huge cruise ships every year, and as a long-time employee, Latim shouldn't have been surprised by a single cruise ship.

But this enormous cruise ship, which should have been bright and bustling, was covered with all sorts of shellfish and seaweed...

It looked exactly like the shipwreck that had just been salvaged from the seabed.

What chilled Ratim even more was the deathly silence on the cruise ship…

When the cruise ship came into full view of Ratim, he vaguely saw the huge shadow cast by the ship, which transformed into an ominous, massive shadow that enveloped the entire port.

Glug!

Ratim unconsciously swallowed.

As a port worker, he had heard many terrifying legends about ghost ships.

At this moment, looking at the huge ship in front of him, an ominous premonition quickly rose in Ratim's heart.

"Ghost...Phantom...Ship..."

Almost instinctively, I took a few steps back.

Latim grabbed a flashlight and ran towards the port's guardhouse.

There were also a dozen or so security guards there who were responsible for patrolling at night and keeping order at the port.

Although if this really is a ghost ship, no amount of security would help, more people are always safer.

While running, Ratim didn't forget to pick up the walkie-talkie hanging around his neck, press the call button, and frantically call for help from his teammates.

but.

The walkie-talkie, which had never malfunctioned before, gave no response other than the crackling sound of electricity.

The abnormality of the walkie-talkie.

This made Ratim's heart clench again, and it also made him walk faster.

Can······

A dozen minutes later.

Latim, who should have already run to the port guardhouse, was horrified to find that his location seemed to have remained unchanged.

The enormous, silent cruise ship... was quietly moored behind him.

Latim's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his face was now extremely pale.

Having run for half a day without getting rid of the giant cruise ship, he seemed to realize that simply running away would not allow him to escape this strange and enormous cruise ship.

After taking a deep breath, Latinm began to encourage himself.

"No, don't scare yourself. Maybe everyone on the ship is just asleep? Ratim, don't be afraid..."

With constant encouragement, Ratim mustered his courage and climbed the rope hanging beside the cruise ship.

As he climbed onto the deck of the cruise ship, which was covered with various shellfish and seaweed, a chill ran down his spine and straight to his head.

Inside the pitch-black deck and cabins, there was...

···········

Early the next morning.

It was still dark when the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Tony Stark, who hadn't slept all night, arrived together with Pepper at the gates of the Arryn family home.

"squeak······"

Before Pepper could even open the door, the little monster, which had already marked her access permissions, directly manipulated the door on the first floor to open.

Pepper, who was about to use her voice to open the access control on the first floor, saw this and a strange look flashed across her face.

"Did Erin upgrade the access control system again?"

"Who knows? Maybe that kid added a facial recognition system or something to the access control system again."

Tony Stark, standing to the side, seemed somewhat unsurprised, given that the intelligent systems in his seaside villa were far more advanced than those here.

Looking at the crowd around him, which had gradually turned their attention to them, Tony Stark, who hadn't slept all night, said wearily:

"Alright, let's not stand outside anymore, let's go inside!"

Done.

Tony Stark walked straight to the door.

But the instant Tony Stark stepped through the door, a submachine gun loomed out from the side of the door, pointing at Tony Stark's head.

The metallic gleam that reflected a cold light instantly confirmed to Tony Stark, who had studied weaponry for decades, that this submachine gun was the real deal.

Tony Stark's expression changed as a submachine gun was pointed at his head. His right foot, which had just stepped out and had not yet fully entered the doorway, froze in mid-air.

"Oh, NO..."

Upon witnessing this scene, Pepper, who was behind Tony Stark, instantly changed her expression. Just as she was about to make a move, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside the room.

"Alright, little monster, stop fooling around. Let Aunt Pepper and him come in!"

As Erin's voice came through.

The submachine gun pointed at Tony Stark's head vanished instantly.

Following the direction in which the submachine gun disappeared, Tony Stark angrily turned his head, wanting to see who had the audacity to point a submachine gun at his head.

All that could be seen was an empty wall.

Not to mention the person pointing a gun at him, even the submachine gun from before had vanished without a trace.

"Walter?"

"Where's that bastard who pointed a gun at me, and that submachine gun?"

"Where have they all gone, kid? Where did you hide them?"

Ignoring the furious Tony Stark, Erin turned to Pepper, who was a step behind him and whose eyes also showed a hint of surprise, and asked, "Aunt Pepper, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be holding a press conference or something? After all, the famous Iron Man was involved in the whole disaster last night."

Seeing that Tony was alright, Pepper, who also looked somewhat tired, said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Actually, that press conference just ended. Last night, the military and the government held a joint press conference, and we only just got rid of those crazy reporters."

At this moment, Tony Stark, who couldn't find the hidden guy and the submachine gun no matter what, turned around and said to Arryn with resentment:

"Hey, yeah, we worked ourselves to the bone all night to sort out all that mess, and the moment we walked in the door, someone pointed a gun at our heads. Is this how you treat your friends?"

"This isn't my fault. Who told you to say bad things about Little Monster last time!"

Little monster!

Bad things.

Is this the name of the smart butler that controls the access control system at the Erin family's house?

Is Erin's AI assistant also an artificial intelligence, given how vengeful he is?

······················

While Tony Stark was deep in thought because of a remark made by Arryn.

Pepper, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, didn't focus much on this point. She continued what Tony had just interrupted her about, saying, "Actually, we're here to discuss Mr. Joker's funeral with you."

"Tony has already bought him the best cemetery plot in New York, found the best funeral company, and even contacted the priest at St. John's Cathedral to arrange his funeral..."

Just then, Tony interjected again, "To correct you, Pepper paid for the burial plot, saying it was to thank that guy for saving her life. And the priest at St. John's Cathedral came directly to me after hearing that I was holding a funeral for that Joker, saying it was his honor to hold a funeral for a hero like the Joker... I just asked someone to help arrange the funeral."

At this point, Tony Stark suddenly paused and said, "By the way, speaking of which, I still don't know that Joker's name. It's a bit disrespectful to always call such a hero who sacrificed himself to save civilians the Joker."

"We can't exactly have 'Mr. Clown' engraved on that person's tombstone, can we?"

In the end, even Tony, who was always joking around, became serious.

Tony still had basic respect for this hero who sacrificed himself to save lives.

What's your name?

Hearing Tony say that, Erin was slightly taken aback.

Erin had never thought about this question, after all, Erin knew very well that his clone was only temporarily dead.

Moreover, even if the clone really dies.

The tombstone shouldn't be called "The Curtain of Arryn"!

Otherwise, not only would his identity be exposed, but he would also be killed again.

After thinking for a few seconds, Erin said, "I don't know his name either. I only know that he likes to call himself... the Clown of Destiny!"

I deleted some words and added about two hundred more.

(End of this chapter)