The Showdown

"Thor, that's not the point."

Natasha looked at Thor with disdain, then, seeing Thor's persistent gaze, she reached out and pulled Thor's hands apart again by half a circle.

"About that fat!"

"Oh my God, by Odin above, what a load of rubbish about fate! Whatever you think, I support my brother!"

Thor jumped up and was the first to express his opinion.

"Alright, that's three votes now."

Tony looked at the other three people. Tony and Natasha, of course, both had taken down the Black-Clad Man.

Four votes!

Hawkeye immediately spoke up, saying that he had lost all his loved ones in that world for five years, even though they all eventually returned.

"Five votes? I don't want to merge with Hulk. Betty and I are planning to get married."

Banner has also made a statement.

Everyone looked at the Captain. In fact, when the Black-Clad Man came last time, the incident of Xia Yu killing the Congressman had already made everyone's stance clear.

But this time, Tony and Natasha have seen the truth clearly and feel they must explain it to everyone.

"I don't know where Xia came from, or what this world means to him. But from the fate you've witnessed, I know that almost every one of us lives a better life than what is called fate."

"The Earth hasn't suffered a catastrophe that wiped out half of all life, and no one can destroy all of this."

The Captain spoke with absolute certainty.

This was the first time these guys had discussed the matter so openly since the Black-Clad Man last appeared in the Avengers.

"Banner, is there anything you want to say?"

Everyone reached a consensus, except for Banner remained silent with his head down.

Upon hearing the Captain's question, Banner suddenly looked up and said.

"I'm thinking we should have a serious talk with Xia and clear everything up. We shouldn't keep things from him that we know."

"Although he was the one who hid his background from us first, I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. I mean, his identity is questionable; if it got out, people would think he was crazy. Can't you see the difference between the two sides? He's been protecting us the whole time."

"We should have a serious talk with him."

Now everyone fell completely silent.

Everyone understood Banner's words and the reasoning behind them, but they were afraid that Xia Yu himself would harbor resentment if they said it out loud.

Moreover, it's difficult to open the door.

Everyone turned their attention to Natasha.

Is there anyone more suitable for this than your spouse?

"I... I! I!"

Natasha was a little nervous; she cared too much about their relationship and was afraid that speaking out would affect them.

"I need some time to think about how to have this conversation with him."

Natasha spoke to the other five people.

That evening, after Xia Yu returned...

Natasha greeted her warmly, giving her a passionate kiss upon their first meeting.

"I didn't even know you had developed the habit of watching TV dramas."

Xia Yu pointed to the television and said.

Tony personally designed everyone's room at the Avengers Compound; the place is spacious enough that each person has a huge apartment of nearly 600 square meters.

It's like a single-level apartment in an apartment building, complete with a living room, kitchen, and everything else, specifically designed for people like Hawkeye who have wives and children.

Natasha's daily life is quite monotonous. She might occasionally watch movies or listen to music, but Xia Yu has never seen her do something as time-consuming as watching TV dramas.

"I'm waiting for my husband to come home, so I need to find something to kill time."

Natasha smiled slightly, tiptoed again, and gently kissed Xia Yu's forehead.

Xia Yu looked at Natasha, who hadn't changed a bit over the years. She was still as beautiful and young as ever, radiating amazing charm.

Today's meeting with Stan Lee allowed Xia Yu to deduce many more things from his speculations.

If I was chosen by the enemy of the previous universe, and the system was created and delivered to me by him, then were the feelings that the other Avengers had for me, and even for Natasha, artificially created?

Xia Yu knew himself very well. When he first met Natasha, he became somewhat vulnerable and restless due to the system's killing missions and the pressure and fear of being in this world for the first time.

Coupled with his feelings for Black Widow in the original world, this led to the two getting together. Initially, it was probably a budding attraction, and love gradually developed as they spent time together.

I wonder if Natasha feels the same way about me; we did have a system-generated favorability bonus back then.

Xia Yu was so conflicted because after witnessing the River of Destiny today, he felt that Natasha and Tony hadn't gone to this world at all.

According to the River of Destiny, if they really did go to 2008, it should be the original world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

He was a little afraid of losing his lover and friends, and he wanted to take the initiative to explain everything.

I have something to say to you!

"Xia, I want to talk to you!"

"It's such a melodramatic plot," they both said in unison, having mustered all their courage.

"Let me go first!"

Xia Yu spoke first, saying that if he was right, Natasha and Tony must be wondering why he wasn't in the past, so he might as well explain it first.

"Actually, I'm not from this world. I'm a time traveler."

Xia Yu mustered his courage and said those words, then looked at Natasha.

They were actually looking at me with a smile on their face, without showing the slightest surprise.

Even if you traveled to 2008 and didn't find yourself there, you shouldn't be completely oblivious to the fact that you're a time traveler.

"You... aren't you surprised? You knew all along?"

Xia Yu asked in surprise.

"Speak first, and I'll give you the answer. You'll understand once I've finished speaking."

Natasha continued speaking with a smile.

It would be best if Xia Yu spoke first.

So Xia Yu told Natasha everything about how he came to be in this world.

Aside from the fact that this world is a long-running movie series—a truth Xia Yu didn't reveal—everything else, including the system, was revealed.

Seeing an old man in the mysterious Himalayan space, the Source of the World Tree, and so on.

This includes everything we've seen in the Quantum Realm, except that the River of Destiny hasn't been brought out.

They simply attributed Stan Lee's speculation to themselves.

It took Xia Yu more than an hour to explain everything in detail.

I've been in this world for over ten years, and I've never said so much to anyone before, especially not to my own partner.

I have to say, it feels great to have no secrets.

"That's right. The system initially gives a favorability bonus to the people in this world, so there must have been other factors that led us to be together at the beginning."

Xia Yu honestly replied that he didn't know how Natasha would react.

Natasha gave Xia Yu the most straightforward answer to this question.

She gently hooked her arms around Xia Yu's neck, and her sexy lips sealed Xia Yu mouth.

She straddled Xia Yu with her long, snow-white legs, and with a wave of her hand, her bathrobe fell to the ground.

She was wearing an extremely sexy lingerie set.