This Is What I Want to Do

Wu Yanzu's fingers trembled slightly as he clasped her fingers in return.

Their fingers intertwined.

Tony looked at their tightly clasped hands. This time, he did not mock them, merely silently took a sip of his drink.

Steve lowered his head and looked at the wineglass in his hand. "At least you still have memories. My Christmas... is still stuck in 1943. Bucky was still there then. We couldn't afford a turkey, so we could only split a baked potato in an alley in Brooklyn."

"But back then, I thought... that was the best Christmas." Steve's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Because everyone was still there."

"..."

"Well, since we're all orphans," Tony broke the heavy silence, "let us kids without fathers or mothers take care of ourselves."

He raised his glass.

"To ourselves."

"To ourselves."

Their glasses clinked together with a crisp chime.

Ding! Special Popularity Points +1500 (from Tony Stark)

Ding! Special Popularity Points +2000 (from Steve Rogers)

Ding! Special Popularity Points +5000 (from Jessica Jones)

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock..."

The clock on the wall pointed to 11:55.

"Alright, emotional hour is over." Tony Stark clapped his hands sharply, returning to his usual irreverent manner. "Now, let's take a look at tonight's main event."

Tony immediately had JARVIS switch the display to the large screen in the living room.

"Tell me, Anthony." Tony pointed at the screen. "Is your crazy reality show really opening registration at midnight?"

"Of course." Wu Yanzu leaned back against the sofa, confidence returning to his smile. "This is a Christmas gift for the entire United States."

On the screen, the countdown in Times Square was underway.

Vought Media had bought every advertising slot for the night.

The enormous logo of WHO IS THE NEXT? flashed across every screen.

Countless streamers and reporters stood in the freezing wind, shouting at the cameras.

"Five minutes remaining! Traffic on Vought's official website has already broken all historical records!"

"Superpowered people across the country are waiting for this moment!"

"Who will be the next lucky one?!"

Tony watched the footage and frowned.

"Do you know what you're doing, Anthony?" Tony's tone turned serious. "You're opening Pandora's Box."

"Before this, people with superpowers hid in the shadows. S.H.I.E.L.D. kept them under control. Their methods might have been terrible, but at least... society was stable."

"Now you're telling them: Hey! Come on out! Come out and you can become a celebrity! You can make big money!"

Tony turned and stared at Wu Yanzu. "You'll draw out all those lunatics, criminals, psychopaths... The world will descend into chaos."

"Chaos?" Wu Yanzu shook his head, rose to his feet, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, meeting his own reflection in the screen.

"Tony, do you think they don't exist just because you refuse to look?"

"They've always been there. In the gutters of Hell's Kitchen, in barns on remote farms, in the wards of psychiatric hospitals."

"They've been suppressed, surrounded by fear. That suppression is the real ticking bomb."

Steve Rogers looked at Wu Yanzu with a complicated expression.

"But this is too... utilitarian, Anthony." Steve sighed. "Heroes shouldn't be doing it for fame and profit."

"That was your era, Captain," Wu Yanzu said calmly. "In this era, no one works for love alone. If you want them to protect the world, you have to give them... something sweet."

DONG—!!

At that moment, the midnight bells rang.

A new day had begun.

The instant registration opened on the screen, the numbers began to soar wildly.

1,000...

10,000...

50,000...

Within just a few minutes, the number of applicants had surpassed one hundred thousand!

"My God..." Steve was stunned. "That many people?"

"This is the American dream, Captain." Wu Yanzu turned toward the screen, ambition gleaming in his eyes as he watched the rising number. "Everyone wants to be the protagonist."

"One hundred thousand?" Tony Stark frowned. "Are there really that many superpowered people in the United States? I thought superhumans like Steve were rare animals."

"Most of them are just pretenders." Wu Yanzu calmly swirled his wineglass as he watched the insane data scroll across the screen. "Some people might only be able to curl their tongues into a clover shape, or chug two liters of cola in one go, and they think that makes them 'superheroes.'"

"But it also proves one thing."

Wu Yanzu pointed to the number that was still skyrocketing. It was public sentiment, desire, an unstoppable torrent.

"People crave power. People crave attention."

"Tony. Steve."

Wu Yanzu turned around, his back to the frenzied numbers on the screen, and spread his arms as though he were the godfather embracing an entire era.

"This is the future I'm talking about."

"A future where... superhumans no longer hide, but stand at center stage."

At that moment, the screen began playing several "application videos" uploaded in real time.

Footage One:

A pimple-faced fat man shouted at the camera, "I'm the Fart King! I can blow out candles with my farts!"

Then came an earth-shattering sound.

Everyone: "..."

Jessica: "Blech..."

Footage Twelve:

A bikini-clad beauty held up her hand, a dazzling spark blooming from her fingertips. "I'm Fire Girl! I'm smoking hot!"

Tony: "Hmm... I can approve this one. JARVIS, find her contact information."

Pepper: "Tony!"

Footage Twenty-Five:

A weirdo wearing a mask and a red bodysuit, with two katanas strapped to his back.

He gave the camera the middle finger, then drew a blade and cut that finger off.

"Witness the miracle! Ta-da-da-da! It grew back! Hahahahaha! I'm Wade! I want to sleep with Homelander!! Pick me, pick me!!"

Everyone: "..."

Steve Rogers frowned. "This... this is far too bloody."

Wu Yanzu's eyes abruptly narrowed.

Deadpool? Wade Wilson? He existed in this universe too?

Hmm, he was probably one of Deadpool's variants as well... Interesting.

Footage Thirty-Three:

A silver figure flashed past the camera.

Nothing could be seen clearly. All they heard was an arrogant laugh. "My name is Pietro! I'm the fastest person in the world today! By the time you see my name, I've already run from the East Coast to the West Coast!"

The corner of Wu Yanzu's mouth lifted into an imperceptible smile.

Pietro Maximoff... Quicksilver. Hydra couldn't sit still anymore?

"Looks like some real ones have slipped in." Tony Stark's expression grew more serious. "That silver kid is fast. JARVIS, have you calculated it?"

"Sir, based on frame-rate analysis, the speed demonstrated in his video exceeds Mach 20. He is a genuine superhuman."

"And that lunatic who cut off his finger." Steve also sensed that something was wrong. "That healing speed... is faster than any super-soldier I've ever seen."

"This is what I want to do, Captain."