The Dark, Cruel Future Holds Nothing but War!

Banner, looking utterly hopeless and like a walking corpse, was forcibly dragged along by Thor, whose face was filled with fanaticism.

They left the bridge deck.

"Next, there's the second thing." Alvin looked at the unfolded map, which was covered with red dots representing the Chitauri, almost densely packed, occupying key roads and strongholds throughout the city. "We must find a way..."

"Stop their expansion."

"I can hack into the United States military's arsenal," Tony suddenly added. "If needed, I can provide fire support and cover!"

Fury gave him a strange look, hesitating to speak. This guy's audacity was extraordinary; he dared to break into a military armory?

"What do we need to do?!" Steve was getting impatient. He saw that even someone like Banner, who was in a "clerk's" position, was out saving the world, while he, the upright Captain America, was still doing nothing.

"Don't rush," Alvin reassured him, focusing his attention on the map. "Judging from the enemy's formation, their efforts have been concentrated on protecting the Tesseract, so—we must catch them off guard."

"You mean?" Steve's heart skipped a beat, as if he had guessed what he was thinking.

"Not bad." Alvin nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. His fingertips, sharp as blades, touched the brightest mark on the projected map. "I need a suicide squad, like a sharp knife, to plunge into the enemy's heart and cut off their reinforcements!"

Steve's heart pounded, his eyes fixed on the mark on the map that symbolized the Tesseract, surrounded by countless dense red dots.

He clenched his fist tightly, showing no fear, and said in a deep voice, "I understand, I will definitely complete the mission!"

No, you've misunderstood.

Alvin shook his head, and under Steve's astonished gaze, calmly said, "You're not the one who actually completes the mission. What you need to do is become the 'bait,' attracting the enemy's attention and covering the team that's truly completing the mission as they approach the target!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Steve's head, chilling him to the bone.

"I—we, are we the bait?" Steve looked at Alvin with a smug expression, his lips trembling slightly.

"That's right, you, Barton, Natasha, along with the Black Panther's army, are all bait."

Alvin's gaze remained unwavering, and he said with an almost ruthless expression, "Based on my calculations, you are incapable of completing the mission."

These words struck Steve, Barton, and Natasha like a hammer blow, turning their faces deathly pale.

"Aren't you all wondering why the three of you were excluded from the previous missions?" Alvin looked at them and said, enunciating each word clearly, "The reason is simple. Tony is very intelligent, Banner can transform into the Hulk, Thor is the God of Thunder. They are all irreplaceable in their respective fields, but the three of you—forgive my bluntness, are utterly worthless."

"How... how could this be?"

Steve's eyes were vacant, as if he had been dealt a severe blow. He took several steps back and bumped into the table: "I—"

I am Captain America, I am--. I am Captain America-."

"That's right, you're Captain America." Fury and Tony, standing nearby, turned their heads away in disapproval. Only Alvin spoke with words as sharp as knives, "But unfortunately, times have changed. You are a super soldier, that's true, but what role can you play in a war like this?"

"Are we... truly worthless?" Steve's face was deathly pale; he didn't offer any rebuttal.

Because he knew perfectly well that everything Alvin said was true!

He's Captain America, Barton is Hawkeye, Natasha is Black Widow —but what role can they play in a war of this magnitude?

Reality isn't a movie, unless you're Superman.

Unfortunately, the three of them were no different from an ordinary soldier in terms of their role.

That's not entirely accurate either.

Alvin said calmly, "Every second you put up a stubborn resistance is depleting the enemy's resources and weakening their strength, although from a higher perspective, this level of attrition is almost impossible to change the course of the battle."

But that is the meaning of your existence and your struggle.

Even the smallest sacrifice, when accumulated, will eventually become a force that overturns the scales, a cornerstone that forges humanity's victory!

After he finished speaking, Alvin remained silent for a long time.

Then, looking at Steve's vacant eyes, Natasha's pale face, and Barton's dazed expression, he slowly said, "Now, can you tell me your answers?"

After a long silence, the unfocused look in Steve's eyes gradually returned, and he clenched his fists.

He said in a deep voice, "I... I'm willing!"

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Alvin looked at him calmly. "I can tell you straight up, the survival rate for this mission is less than one percent, maybe even lower!"

"I'm not afraid."

Steve's eyes were extremely firm, without a trace of fear, and he resolutely said, "Just like you said,"

Sacrifice is the cornerstone of victory. If our sacrifice can secure even a fraction—no, a mere 0.1%—of the chance of ultimate success, I believe it is worthwhile!

For the first time, Alvin looked at Captain America from the movies seriously and found that he wasn't so bad after all.

"Okay, let's meet on the lower deck."

But only for a moment, he looked away and continued looking at the map.

"I... I want to ask you for a favor." Steve took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage, and looked at him nervously. "If I come back alive from this mission—can you grant me one request?"

Without looking up, Alvin said, "Tell me."

"I—" Steve also wants to become one of those tall warriors. His eyes gleamed with intense longing as he gritted his teeth and said, "They must be super soldiers like me, right? If I come back alive from this mission, I hope you can let me become one of them!"

Alvin was genuinely shocked. He looked up at Steve with a puzzled expression. "You mean, you also want to become Space Marine?"

"That's right!"

Steve nodded, watching him nervously.

This request was beyond Alvin's expectations. He considered it for a few seconds and asked, "Becoming an interstellar warrior means that from now on, you are no longer Captain America, but Angel of the Emperor. Do you understand what that means?"

"I understand!" Steve's eyes burned with fervor. "Thor has already told me that Space Marine fight for humanity, and I—want to be a member of such a noble force. I hope you'll agree!"

"Heh, alright." Alvin nodded with a smile, then said meaningfully, "On the condition that you come back alive, and then survive the Space Marine's modification surgery."

He didn't mind having another interstellar warrior; why not take it if it's free? Besides, he was also very curious.

What would it be like to see Captain America transformed into Captain Warhammer?

After Steve left, Barton and Natasha seemed to have come to their senses, said goodbye, and followed him.

The bridge was much emptier, but Alvin was still giving orders. "Go, tell Black Panther it's time for his Wakanda army to step in. Break through the Chitauri defenses at all costs!"

At all costs—these words mean that tens of thousands of Wakanda soldiers will be pushed into this inferno called war!

"Sometimes, I really think—you're cruel." Fury looked at him with a complicated expression. "But deep down, I know that every decision you make is the right one."

"Cruel? Perhaps."

Alvin, expressionless, gazed at the Chitauri army hovering like dark clouds in the sky outside the bridge, and said softly, "If you had seen humanity's Purgatory future, you wouldn't call me cruel anymore."

"So... what kind of future is it?" Fury couldn't help but ask curiously.

Alvin looked up at the sky. "In a dark and cruel future, there will only be endless war. Every day of humanity's survival and peace will be bought with billions of lives and blood. This—is 'our future'."

Fury's eyelids twitched violently, and his heart suddenly tightened!

Every day, billions of people are sacrificed. Is the future of humanity really this terrifying?!

He simply couldn't imagine what that future would be like.

Darkness? Cruelty? Horror?

No, perhaps it was even more terrifying than he imagined; it was truly Purgatory!