Ben: Wait, Why Am I Being Asked to Make a Choice Again?

Sokovia.

A small Eastern European country that only exists in Marvel.

This place retains many architectural styles from the Roman period, giving it a historical feel while also appearing somewhat old.

A few months ago, Steve and Peter came here and destroyed the Hydra Base in Sokovia.

At that time, Hydra had not yet obtained the Mind Stone, so Wanda and Quicksilver had not yet joined Hydra.

They are only nineteen years old now, the perfect age for them to go to university.

Of course, going to school is out of the question.

Unlike the stereotypical image of developed Europe countries, Sokovia is as poor as South America or Latin America country, with a large number of residents living in slums, looking emaciated with sunken cheeks and eye sockets.

The entire country has only one international airport, which was built by Hydra, the organization that left behind here.

It has to be said, it's truly ironic.

Wakanda should allocate their international relief funds to Sokovia; the people there are the ones who truly need help.

For example, there are those poor girls who can't afford clothes, and they stand at their doorsteps, scratching themselves in agony from hunger—no, they're clutching their bodies, their eyes pleading for every passerby, hoping they'll give them a little protein to supplement their nutrition...

They desperately need help!

Of course, Ben didn't dare go; the only other reason was that he was worried about the warts.

He followed the address Eunice had given him and searched for Wanda and Pietro's house.

Along the way, many "kind-hearted people" came with knives to help Ben. After Ben thanked them with punches and kicks, he finally found his target.

This is a dilapidated house. Many parts of the exterior walls are old and peeling, there are sticky grease stains everywhere at the entrance, and the air smells stale.

It's so dilapidated that even Hell's Kitchen would be out of place, but here it's just one of countless Sora houses.

Ben stood at the door and knocked gently; he wasn't some rude guy like Nick Fury who wouldn't even knock.

There was no response from inside the house, but Ben's hearing allowed him to hear faint noises.

He knocked three more times, then waited patiently.

He heard light footsteps coming from inside the door, walking towards the door and then stopping. The footsteps remained silent for a long time, separated by a broken door that could be easily removed with a little force.

Ben showed no signs of impatience.

He could sense that the person inside the door was observing him.

Inside the door was Wanda, and just as Ben had guessed, she was indeed observing him with considerable vigilance.

Despite Ben's youthful and harmless appearance, girls her age were more likely to be attracted to his looks.

But in a place like Sokovia, especially in the backward neighborhood where she lived, the sudden appearance of someone like Ben was unusual.

The children living here are all dirty, and if a family has a pretty girl or boy, their fate is destined to be tragic.

Otherwise, if she had mastered some witchcraft from a young age, she and Pietro probably wouldn't have been able to grow up together safely.

She felt something was amiss, but no matter how Wanda looked at him, she couldn't see anything special about Ben; he seemed like an ordinary boy from a wealthy family.

Furthermore, since she possessed witchcraft as a means of self-preservation, after hesitating for a while, she slowly opened a crack in the door.

"Squeak--"

The wooden door groaned under the weight.

Ben looked up at the sound and his eyes met Wanda's exposed eye.

"Who are you?"

"Ben Parker." Ben handed her a business card.

Wanda took it, glanced at it casually, then placed her hand on the door and said, "Excuse me, I don't know you..."

After saying that, she was about to close the door again.

Seeing this, Ben quickly blocked the door and said, "I know you don't recognize me, but I'm here to see you and your brother."

Wanda was taken aback.

She wondered if her younger brother had gotten into trouble again.

To make a living, Pietro joined a local gang, which made Wanda very worried about him, fearing that he might encounter danger.

Therefore, upon hearing Ben Pietro, Wanda immediately tensed up and quickly said:

What happened to my brother?

Don't hurt him!

I can give you anything you want!

Ben:???

Something seems off about these lines.

Should I have said next, "Wanda, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your brother, would you?"

This is American Comics, not Japanese comic book!

Let's clean up the mess!

"Ahem, you misunderstand, Ms. Maximoff," Ben said. Maximoff was Wanda's surname.

"I know you and your brother both have some special abilities, so I wanted to invite you to join us... I think you should know about the Battle of New York a few days ago, right?"

Upon hearing this, Wanda immediately understood.

The war of the Chitauri invasion is already known throughout the world.

Because the war ended in Manhattan and the only place damaged was New York, it is still referred to as the Battle of New York.

"So, you're Avengers?"

Wanda's expression became complicated.

On one hand, she did know that the Avengers were protecting the Earth, but on the other hand, Tony Stark was also among the Avengers.

Sokovia's current poverty and backwardness cannot be said to be unrelated to Stark. While Stark Industries was still selling weapons, Sokovia was constantly plagued by war.

Her parents and neighbors all died in the war, and even she and Pietro nearly perished in a missile attack. To this day, she can still recall the English words on that missile.

Stark!

He was just a murderer, but now he's transformed into Super Hero who saves the world.

Tony Stark may have indeed paid a heavy price, but compared to those who died under the missiles manufactured by Stark Industries, it all seems utterly absurd and laughable.

"You can leave. I won't join the Avengers."

After saying that, Wanda immediately tried to close the door.

"Wait, I didn't come here for the Avengers."

"Ben covered his face and said."

Not the Avengers?

Wanda paused, then heard Ben say, "The Avengers played a significant role in the Battle of New York, but don't forget, it was the Galactic Plumbers who decided the outcome of the war."

"Galactic Plumbers?"

Wanda's move to close the door slowed down, and she asked doubtfully, "I know the Celestial Union, and the huge spaceship that appeared at the end belongs to the Celestial Union, right? But I heard that the Celestial Union is an organization formed by aliens..."

Why would an alien organization contact me?

Wanda was puzzled.

Ben said, "To extraterrestrials, Earthlings are also extraterrestrials; the universe should be one big family."

"What came to Earth at that time was the space fleet of the Galactic Plumbers Headquarters. In fact, there is also a branch of the Galactic Plumbers on Earth. I am the Security Officer, that is, the person in charge, of the Earth branch of the Galactic Plumbers."

Ben briefly explained the situation.

Then he decided to give Wanda something more substantial.

"I sincerely invite you and your brother Pietro to join the Galactic Plumbers. The current salary is one million US dollars a month."

"We can provide you with a villa in Queens... Three days a week, from 2 PM to 6 PM... Free employee meals provided, all at the highest standard... Five social insurances and two housing funds paid... A car provided..."

Ben went straight to the point about the employee benefits at Galactic Plumbers ' Ben, listing them off one by one, leaving Wanda completely stunned.

A monthly salary of one million US dollars?

Allocating villas and Anti-gravity Car?

Working 12 hours a week, and the job involves getting to know your own Superpowers?

Wanda glanced at Ben and wondered, "Is he even speaking human language?"

Why do I feel like I don't understand something?

For her, living in Sokovia and whose income with Pietro was barely enough to make ends meet, one million US dollars was likely an amount she could never earn in several lifetimes.

Now, Ben is offering her these benefits directly; all she has to do is nod, and she can have them immediately.

"I... I need to talk to my brother about it," Wanda said, scratching her head.

"Of course, may I come in and have a seat?" Ben nodded.

Then Wanda, her eyes glazed over as if she'd lost her soul, opened the door and let Ben in.

It was only then that Ben got a good look at Wanda's attire.

She was wearing a white shirt, though it was a bit yellowish. Ben followed her to the worn-out sofa, in front of which sat a black-and-white television that was even older than the one in Uncle Ben's house.

After Ben sat down, a mouse on the sofa seemed to be startled and darted out, disappearing under the sofa in a flash.

The environment here is far worse than Hell's Kitchen; by comparison, the old houses in Queens are practically mansions.

After a while, Wanda came over with a glass of slightly cloudy water and handed it to Ben while she was counting on her fingers and muttering to herself.

How many zeros are in a million? Five? Six?

"You need to exchange it for Sokovia currency first," Ben reminded him.

This made Wanda even more suffocated.

She has no idea about this.

Pietro didn't return until evening.

When he got home and found a stranger in his house, he immediately became as tense as a hedgehog.

Wanda then briefly explained Ben's identity and purpose to him.

"Is everything you're saying true?"

He seemed even more excited than Wanda.

For them, Sokovia was like a quagmire, suffocating them, and they couldn't escape.

Joining the Galactic Plumbers would be a great option for them.

However, he has another question.

"If we want to deal with Tony Stark in the future, who will you help?"

Hearing this question, Ben felt like the Captain and Iron Man had asked him separately before, asking him who he was on his side.

Ben: Why am I always faced with multiple-choice questions?