Yongye stopped.
He did not turn around, only tilted his head slightly. The light from the side door traced a contour of light and shadow across his profile, and the casual smile on his lips turned into blatant, undisguised mockery.
"I already told you my solution."
"A collision between universes fits the Dark Forest Theory perfectly!"
"Whether the people on the other side are good or bad, they'll have ill intentions toward us."
"We should strike first and launch a surprise attack to blow up their Earth!"
The instant those words landed, it was as though a silent bomb had exploded in the center of the conference hall.
No one spoke, but everyone's expression froze at the same instant.
The corner of Tony's mouth twitched sharply. His facial muscles shifted from astonishment to disbelief, then from disbelief to the exhaustion and irritation that only came after being ground down over and over.
He shot up from his chair and faced the podium, his voice coming through the speakers sharper than ever before.
"Bastard, here we go again!"
"Can't you come up with something new? Blow up their Earth? We already discussed this last time! Everyone was against it!"
Superman rose from his chair, his blue-and-red suit gleaming faintly under the lights. The charred scar on his right leg tightened with the movement.
An insistence that seemed to seep from his very bones surged in his blue eyes.
"Mr. President, we cannot take that path. The X-Men on the other side have families, schools, and children. They're mutants, and they're humans just like us. We cannot destroy everyone in another world for the sake of our own survival."
Steve tightened his grip on his shield's handle, undisguised opposition surging in his blue eyes. "I agree with Superman. That path is absolutely