Peggy Carter's Advice

All eyes were on Peggy Carter. Xia Yu realized he had made a big mistake. Although he had a system that might allow him to punch planets and kick continents in the future, he was not good at dealing with people, especially political figures.

Xia Yu can't even compare to Tony Stark, let alone Peggy Carter, who has lived since World War II and spent her entire life in the intelligence service. She's one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Why not consult such a seasoned veteran instead of tinkering with her?

Peggy Carter, noticing all eyes were on her, smiled and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to analyze this for you. Do you believe the advice of a centenarian? I'm talking about a real centenarian, not the frozen kind."

The Captain, teased by Peggy Carter, scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

Tony then spoke directly, "I'd love to hear your experience."

Xia Yu quickly got up and took Natasha from Peggy Carter's hands, and thoughtfully pulled out a chair for Peggy Carter to sit down.

"Gentlemen, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just happened to be passing by with Natasha in my wheelchair," Peggy Carter said politely as she sat down.

"Miss Carter, you're too kind. In fact, none of us here have the same experience as you. I should have asked you for advice sooner. It's all the Captain's fault for keeping you hidden so well." Xia Yu secretly flattered her.

Peggy Carter and the Captain had been caught in the crossfire, exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "Actually, you're both overthinking it. Why insist on severing ties with the government?"

The Captain readily replied, "Because we don't want to become a sword in the hands of those in power, we don't want to be used by anyone. We want to make this world a better place, and the best way to achieve that is to avoid any political interference."

"Steve, you founded the Howling Commandos during World War II, so how did you ensure that the Howling Commandos were doing the right thing?" Peggy Carter countered.

"Let me answer that question. When Captain America formed the Howling Commandos, the world was at war, and Hydra's evil was well-known. In other words, what Captain did at that time was in line with the interests of the vast majority of countries, so no one would question it," Tony interjected.

Peggy Carter smiled faintly upon hearing this and said unhurriedly, "Stark is right. The effective strikes against Hydra during the war brought Captain and the Howling Commandos to the peak of their prestige."

"That's right, it's reputation. That's the most important thing. The Battle of New York has brought the Avengers' reputation to its peak. You are Hero all over the world now. To put it bluntly, even if you killed the head of state of a country and said he was evil, I bet many people would choose to believe you."

Peggy Carter glanced at everyone, and seeing no one objected, continued, "The Avengers are still under S.H.I.E.L.D.., but S.H.I.E.L.D.. can't control you at all right now. This isn't just about military strength, but more importantly, about your reputation among the people."

Xia Yu nodded and said, "You're right, Miss Carter. Right now, nothing is a problem. Like you said, the Battle of New York has just ended, and we're Hero worldwide. But reputation, you know, takes time..."

"So this is what I'm talking about: how to maintain a long-term reputation. This is a new era, gentlemen. Two people can meet and talk anytime, even if they are 10,000 kilometers apart. We don't just use newspapers and television to understand the world anymore. You're not more outdated than a centenarian like me, are you?" Peggy Carter said exaggeratedly.

"This is a completely new era, gentlemen. Stark can expose videos the government doesn't want people to see in the Senate, so why can't you control public opinion? You can even occasionally go out into the streets to do things that help people, like fires or bank robberies, maintain your high reputation among the people, and control public opinion. No politician or government would dare to risk offending everyone to deal with you."

Peggy Carter's words opened a new door for Xia Yu. It sounded quite simple: increase exposure and maintain and increase reputation in the long term.

In a way, this is similar to the entertainment stars in Xia Yu's previous life. Do more good deeds, increase exposure, and increase public favorability. Even if some scandals occur, they can be covered up. It's just a different form than the Avengers.

Just as Xia Yu was about to applaud, Hawkeye raised his question, "If some people are dissatisfied with us in the future, can't they just manipulate public opinion to criticize us?"

Xia Yu glanced at Hawkeye and said, "Go ask Tony how long it takes to get something publicized worldwide, whether on TV or video websites?"

Hawkeye slapped his forehead. "Never mind."

Tony laughed and said to Hawkeye, "Clinton, if you don't believe me, I can make sure the whole world sees you taking a shower within an hour."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Xia Yu glanced gratefully at Peggy Carter, then turned to the group and said, "There's one more thing, which concerns many of the issues in the universe that Mar-Vell mentioned, such as Thanos, and Ronan the Accuser of the Kree. There are some warmongers in the universe who could be targeting Earth at any moment."

"Thor has said more than once that Asgard is our ally, and I've witnessed Odin's power, but guys, we can't rely on our allies for safety; we must have strong self-defense measures."

"So I've decided to go on a journey into space, bring back some technologies that we don't have on Earth, and also make some allies in space so that we can know in advance when war comes, and not be so passive."

"Secondly, if anyone has ambitions for Earth, we can try to keep the war outside Earth, instead of fighting on our own soil like this time. Although we won, look at New York now, especially Manhattan. How many people have died or been injured, how many are homeless, not to mention the economic losses," Xia Yu said, gesturing wildly.

"Xia, do you mean we want to establish contact with certain planets or countries in the universe?" Tony asked.

"That's right, it's not just about establishing contact. Ideally, we could set up an outpost in space. The Captain said that if anyone tries to end a war before it even begins, someone will inevitably die. What I'm saying is, if someone covets our Earth, we can't just sit at home and wait for the robbers to come to our door. We can go and fight them."

Xia Yu's words caused everyone to fall silent for a moment. It wasn't that they disagreed with Xia Yu, but rather that venturing into the universe was too big a leap, and everyone needed time to digest it.

"Banner, do you have any suggestions?" Xia Yu knew that everyone needed time to process this, so he wanted to tease Banner a little, since he never spoke up on these kinds of things anyway.

"No, I'm listening to everyone." Banner always has the air of a nice guy.

Tony chimed in, "No way, Banner, you're a genius with seven PhDs, we need your advice."

Banner looked bewildered. He did have seven doctorates, that was true, but this wasn't his forte. Seeing everyone staring at him, he muttered, "I really don't know. I'll listen to everyone. Or should I call Hulk out and see if he has any suggestions?"

"Get out!" everyone shouted in unison.

I've had some family matters to attend to these past few days, so updates have been inconsistent. I'll try to get back to normal in the next day or two, and I apologize to everyone. Surprisingly, quite a few readers have said they're trying to steal my daughter's work. To that, I can only say the traps are already set, so please have some self-respect! Also, these two chapters are a turning point, and I must make it clear that they relate to the fact that the Avengers' format will differ from the movies, and also to the important matter of sending the Avengers into space. I can't wait to see Rocket's sharp tongue.