Battle of New York (I)

New York's air seemed frozen by an invisible force, so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Li Stark stood in the hastily constructed command center, staring at the flashing red alerts on the holographic screen, his brow deeply furrowed. Surveillance feeds from across the city showed Hydra's remaining forces still operating in secret. They had planted strange devices throughout the streets, instruments glowing with an eerie violet light like malignant tumors embedded in the city's veins.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., analyze the energy fluctuations from those devices." Li Stark's voice was low and grave.

"Scan complete, sir. The devices' energy frequencies are resonating with the magic circle beneath Stark Tower. They appear to be accumulating power for some impending ritual." J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice remained steady, but it could not conceal the severity of the situation.

Meanwhile, a fierce argument was underway aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier. Captain America, Steve Rogers, had gathered the Avengers, his resolute gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Loki and Amora's scheme is already clear. They intend to use the Tesseract to open a rift in space-time and bring an alien army to invade Earth. We have to stop them."

Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed, his armor gleaming coldly beneath the lights. His voice carried the admonishing tone of an elder and absolute confidence in technology. "Steve, alien technology isn't child's play. Your morale-boosting, by-the-book tactics won't work in a battle at this level. Without precise data analysis and high-tech weapons, what are we going to use against alien warships?" He tapped his armor, and the crisp clang of metal rang out harshly.

"Tony, war has never been about weapons and data alone!" Steve frowned deeply. As a veteran who had lived through World War II, he valued teamwork and strategy above all else. "What we need is cooperation, everyone playing to their strengths, not fighting alone! You're always too arrogant, thinking your inventions can solve everything!"

Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly as lightning flickered around him. The pride of an Asgardian warrior would not allow him to endure being questioned. "The quarrels of Earthlings are a waste of time! Loki is my brother. He betrayed Asgard, and I must personally end his crimes. I will take the aerial battlefield, shoot down those warships, and stop more enemies from descending. That requires no debate!"

"Don't get too confident, Thor." Tony shot him a glance, cautious of this unfamiliar power. "Without proper tactical coordination, no matter how powerful that hammer is, you'll just be swinging it wildly. Your experience fighting on Earth doesn't compare to ours, so don't treat this place like a battlefield in Asgard!"

Black Widow, Natasha, stepped forward and raised a hand to calm them both. As a veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she cared more about practical results. "Enough! We all share the same objective. Fighting among ourselves now will only give the enemy an opening. Infiltration is my specialty. I'll find Loki and Amora and provide intelligence."

Hawkeye, Clint, wiped down his bow. As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s finest sniper, he had always valued efficiency. "Look, instead of arguing ourselves hoarse up here, why don't we get down there and start fighting? Those alien bastards aren't going to wait for us to reach an agreement. I'm sick of listening to you argue before every mission!"

Hulk stood in a corner, enormous and hulking, letting out low growls from time to time. Veins bulged beneath his green skin. His temper was easily provoked, and his desire to fight was surging now. "Hulk fight! Fight now! You talk too much! Waste time!" He punched the floor, making the entire Helicarrier tremble faintly.

"Fine!" Steve nodded, trying to ease the tension. "Stark, you and Thor handle the air. Natasha, intelligence is yours. Clint, establish sniper positions among the skyscrapers and provide long-range support. Hulk, keep the large alien creatures occupied on the ground. Everyone else, we'll establish a ground defense line, protect the civilians, and stop the alien soldiers from advancing." Yet the atmosphere remained as tense as drawn blades.

At that moment, Li Stark arrived aboard the Helicarrier with his friends from Midtown High School, ready to fight alongside them. When Tony saw his nephew, a trace of worry flashed through his eyes before hardening into sternness. His protectiveness toward family clashed with his doubts about the younger generation's abilities. "Li, why are you here too? This isn't where you belong. Those little inventions you tinker with in the lab won't do anything on a real battlefield!"

Gwen curiously studied the high-tech equipment around them, her footsteps making soft sounds against the metal floor. As a young reporter filled with justice and courage, she could not help speaking up for Li. "Mr. Stark, we can help too! We've been fighting evil forces all along. What we do can inspire more people!"

Claire crossed her arms, the muscles beneath her black leather jacket taut. The disaster in Raccoon City had given her extraordinary combat experience and a disdain for authority. "We survived the disaster in Raccoon City. We have no less real combat experience against monsters than you do. We know how to survive desperate situations and how to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy!"

Tony gave a scornful laugh, looking down on the youngsters' ignorance of the stakes. "Raccoon City? Compared to this cosmic-level threat, that was just playing house. Li, listen to your uncle. Take your friends and go home. It's too dangerous here. You have no idea what you're facing!"

Ashley adjusted her glasses and brought up data on the tablet in her hands. As a technical genius, she had complete confidence in her work. "We cracked part of the alien warships' defense systems and identified the energy nodes of Hydra's devices. This information can help you. Our analysis has been rigorously verified!"

Hawkeye leaned over and glanced at the data. As a professional intelligence operative, he demanded extreme accuracy from information. "That's it? It doesn't even come close to what S.H.I.E.L.D. already has. Don't screw up something important later. You're too inexperienced. You haven't considered a lot of the details!"

Captain America took the tablet and examined it, his brow creasing slightly as he cautiously considered everyone's safety. "This data is indeed important, but battlefields change by the second. You lack combat experience. Rushing in will only cause trouble. I can't let you go die!"

Wanda stood in the corner, nervously twisting her hands together. Her past experiences of being treated like a monster had left her insecure and sensitive. Feeling the distrustful gazes around her, magic flickered unconsciously at her fingertips. "My magic can sense the enemy's movements, and I can provide support too. I... I want to prove I'm not a monster."

Thor looked her up and down, his eyes full of suspicion and Asgardian arrogance toward magical power. Lightning crackled over the hammer in his hand. "Your magic is far too immature compared to Amora's. Don't become a burden instead. In Asgard, magic like that wouldn't even be worth mentioning!"

Hulk suddenly strode over and looked down at Wanda. His simple, direct mind believed only in strength. "Hulk no need magic! Hulk only need fists! Weak magic gets in way!" His thunderous roar made Wanda instinctively take several steps back, and the glow of her magic dimmed.

Li Stark could no longer hold himself back. He stepped forward, young and hot-blooded, desperate to prove himself. "Uncle, this city is our home. We want to protect it more than anyone. And we've fought Amora before. We know some of her weaknesses. We're not children anymore. We can fight!"

"You fought her and still let her get what she wanted?" Tony raised an eyebrow, his tone full of frustrated disappointment. "You're too impulsive. Without a mature plan and enough strength, you'll only throw your lives away. I can't just watch you take that risk!"

Both sides spoke over one another, their argument growing louder and louder. Wanda's magical glow became more unstable. Claire's hand had already closed around the grip of the gun at her waist. Ashley's fingers trembled slightly over her tablet. The Avengers showed no sign of backing down either—Thor's lightning grew increasingly violent, Tony's armor began to heat up, Hawkeye gripped his bow tightly, and Hulk kept pounding the floor.

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, the sky suddenly turned pitch-black. Atop Stark Tower, Loki laughed arrogantly. The glow of his scepter intensified as the Tesseract floated in the air, radiating dazzling blue light. Amora stood beside him, purple magic swirling around her as she crazily poured energy into the magic circle. Space-time began to twist. A massive rift slowly tore open over New York, and the roar of engines came from within. Then, alien warships poured out like a swarm of locusts, their shadows blanketing the entire city.

The dire situation temporarily interrupted the argument. Tony Stark streaked over Li Stark's head, the flames from his armor's thrusters illuminating the boy's pale face. "Listen, protect yourself and your friends. The ground is up to you!" Beneath his harsh words lay Tony's deep concern for his nephew.

After the battle began, the conflicts continued to surface. As Wanda used magic on the ground to intercept alien soldiers, her Scarlet Magic created intense interference with the lightning Thor unleashed in the air. As a proud Asgardian god, Thor could not tolerate anyone disrupting his battle. His face darkened at once, and he shouted from the sky, "Control your magic, kid! Don't make a mess of my battlefield!" Wanda bit her lip, tears of hurt welling in her eyes as her magical glow dimmed somewhat.

Claire and Jill rode modified motorcycles through the streets with agility, relying on the exceptional driving skills they had honed in Raccoon City to launch continuous attacks on the enemy. However, Captain America, a commander strict about discipline, believed they were disrupting the defensive formation. He raised his shield and shouted, "Don't act on your own! Follow orders! There is no room for individual heroics on the battlefield!" Claire was filled with resentment and shot back over the comms, "We're eliminating enemies efficiently. Why do we have to follow your rules? Combat experience tells us that adapting on the fly is what works!"

Gwen insisted on livestreaming the battle. She believed it could raise morale, let more people know the truth, and bring them into the resistance. This was her way of fighting. But Black Widow, Natasha, a cautious agent, sternly warned her over the communications channel, "Stop streaming immediately! You're exposing our position! Mission secrecy comes before everything!" Gwen's hand trembled around her phone, and her voice turned tearful. "I just want people to know we're fighting. What's wrong with that? People need hope!"

Tony also questioned the accuracy of Ashley's latest data. Possessing an absolute sense of authority over technology, he said impatiently over the comms, "There are too many holes in this data. Are you sure you didn't just cobble it together in a lab? Data that hasn't been tested in combat is just theory on paper!" Ashley's face went pale. She had spent countless sleepless nights on this data, only for it to be dismissed outright. She was filled with hurt and anger.

Hawkeye constantly shifted positions among the skyscrapers, firing arrows with perfect precision. But when he saw Claire and Jill weaving through his sniper range on their motorcycles, the precision-focused sniper could not help cursing over the comms, "Damn it! Stop moving around in my firing range! You're interfering with me! You reckless idiots don't understand coordination at all!"

Hulk rampaged across the ground. Whenever Wanda tried to use magic to help him attack an alien beast, Hulk would roar angrily, trusting only his own strength. "Hulk no need help! Go away! Hulk beat all enemies alone!" Once, he even nearly hurt Wanda by mistake, but Ada Wong quickly pulled her aside.

As the battle progressed, Loki summoned more powerful alien beasts, and the situation became increasingly desperate. In the streets, the alien creatures' claws easily tore skyscrapers to pieces while the cries of civilians rose one after another. In the sky, fire from alien warships rained down without end, blasting the ground into ruins. Li Stark looked at his exhausted but resolute friends, then at the Avengers fighting bloodily in the sky, his heart full of anxiety. He knew that if they kept fighting separately, ruled by conflict and distrust, only defeat awaited them.

"We can't keep fighting separately! We have to put aside our prejudices and trust each other!" Li Stark shouted through the communications channel, his voice carrying an urgency and determination he had never shown before. But the only response was a brief silence, followed by the deafening explosions and battle cries across the battlefield. Resolving their conflicts still seemed far away, while Earth's fate hung by a thread.