A wordless silence settled over the conference room as the Captain and the others recalled their encounters with Tony.
Every time they met, Tony was stronger than before, sometimes terrifyingly so.
They could safely say that every time they thought they were fully prepared, they still ended up no match for Tony.
Against Tony, there was simply no way they could be completely confident.
Just then, Johnny raised his hand amid the crowd and said awkwardly, "Uh, do we really have to make an enemy of Tony?"
"I admit the guy's a little crazy in how he does things, but he hasn't really done anything utterly unforgivable, has he?"
"Why don't we just coexist peacefully, like we're doing now? We don't necessarily have to go after him, do we?"
Johnny spoke in bewilderment. Nick did not blame him, because what Johnny said was true.
That did not mean he agreed with Johnny, however. He simply asked in return, "Can you guarantee Tony will always behave himself like this?"
Johnny was instantly at a loss for words. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. How could he possibly guarantee that?
Even so, Nick did not let up. Or rather, he wanted to use this rebuke to strengthen everyone's resolve. If they all thought like Johnny, there would be no point in fighting this battle. They might as well surrender.
"Let me put it another way. Can you be certain Tony is willing to coexist peacefully with us?"
"Or what if he suddenly decides to destroy the world one day? What do we do then?"
"Everyone, we can't leave this to chance. I know many of you think there's no need to fight Tony to the bitter end."
"But let me tell you this: no matter how powerful a tiger in a