The New York night sky.
We have just witnessed a visual spectacle worthy of being recorded in human history.
A beam of light stretching over ten kilometers above Manhattan shocked the world.
It not only tore through the clouds, but also left an indelible mark on the lenses and live broadcasts of countless New York.
The battle ended just five minutes later.
While social media around the world was still wildly speculating whether an alien fleet had attacked ahead of schedule, or whether Superman was fighting God in the sky.
Stark's public relations department, under the leadership of President Pepper Potts, demonstrated top-notch efficiency.
While everyone was still wondering, the LED screens in Times Square and major television stations across the United States simultaneously broadcast an official emergency statement from Stark Industries.
In front of the camera, Pepper, dressed in a business suit, smiled and read her script with a calm and confident tone.
Good evening, fellow citizens of New York.
"Regarding the bright light and sonic boom that occurred high in the Manhattan sky ten minutes ago, I, on behalf of Stark Defense Group, hereby issue this official statement."
"Just now, an alien trespasser, who is extremely dangerous and has not been granted permission by Earth's customs, attempted to infiltrate our airspace to carry out a terrorist attack."
"Our Group Chairman and Supreme Leader of the Justice League, Mr. Luca Stark, immediately took to the air to intercept and successfully neutralized the terrorist within five minutes."
"All residents who have purchased Stark City Safety Outsourcing Insurance can rest assured that New York is currently in a state of absolute safety."
Mr. Luca sincerely apologizes for the brief light pollution and noise disturbance caused by this high-altitude interception.
"Therefore, Stark Insurance Company has decided to distribute a $50 coffee subsidy to the electronic account of every New York resident who purchased this insurance policy before midnight tonight. Thank you for your trust and support of the Justice League."
The announcement sent New York into an uproar!
The panicked citizens were shocked when they saw the notification that fifty dollars had been deposited into their phones.
Panic instantly transformed into euphoria and a sense of security!
"My goodness! Fifty dollars! Mr. Luca is such a generous man."
"Is this the benefit of buying Stark insurance? Not only does Superman help us fight aliens from the sky, but we also get paid for any scares we get!"
"To hell with Congress and the Pentagon! Politicians only collect our taxes; only Luca Stark gives us money!"
"Long live Stark! Long live the Justice League!"
Public opinion has completely sided with Stark Industries.
The nighttime futures market, which had been fluctuating slightly due to the unexplained air battle, also surged.
Within just five minutes, another huge bullish candlestick appeared, soaring into the sky.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.., at the Potomac River, in a secret Hydra bunker.
Pierce watched the video transmitted back by the satellite, and he was completely numb.
"Did you see that... that blue-clad man who was blasted into the deck by Luca... that guy was definitely flying at over Mach 20, and his eyes can emit high-temperature rays..."
Sitwell swallowed hard, his face pale, and reported.
"Minister, if that guy really is an alien, his strength is definitely no less than Hulk's! But against Luca, he couldn't even last five minutes..."
Pierce clutched his chest, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack.
"Make the dock's armor... thicker! No, add five more layers!"
"No one is allowed to put their head above water without my order! Luca isn't human! He's a monster in human skin!"
Right now, off the coast of New York.
Justice League headquarters, inside the meeting room.
The gate was tightly shut.
Outside the door, Nick Fury and Coulson stood in the hallway, looking frustrated.
They were simply kept out by JARVIS's laser barrier.
"I'm sorry, Director Fury. Mr. Luca said that the following meeting is a confidential matter within Stark Industries, and outsourced logistics personnel are not authorized to attend."
JARVIS's gentle words pierced Fury's heart without mercy.
Fury was so angry his face turned purple, but he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.
Inside the conference room.
The core members of the Justice League have all arrived.
Luca sat imposingly in the main seat.
On his left and right sat Wanda and Gwen Stacy.
On either side of the long table sat Peter Parker, Pietro, Bruce Banner, Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, and Thor was sipping his beer.
Behind the main seat, Natasha and Jessica stood quietly in their fitted secretary uniforms, barely breathing.
All eyes were fixed on Sersi, who looked haggard, at the end of the long table.
Just ten minutes ago, she watched as Ikaris was bound like a mummy and dragged into the laboratory.
Faced with Luca's strength, Sersi's hopes were dashed.
"Alright, Ms. Sersi. Everyone is here. These are all core members of our company, and they're all very discreet."
Luca leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, breaking the silence in the conference room.
"You can begin your story now. About you, a group of synthetic humans who have lived on Earth for seven thousand years, about your boss Arishem, and... the great surprise hidden deep within the Earth."
Upon hearing this, Peter, Pietro, and the others were all stunned for a moment, and they all turned to look at Sersi.
Sersi gave a bitter smile and took a deep breath.
"We... are known as the Eternals."
"Seven thousand years ago, the supreme deity who created us was the Arishem the Judge, who sent the ten of us from Olympia to Earth aboard the Domo spaceship."
"Initially, we all, including myself, believed our mission was to eliminate those brutal mutated beasts."
Those monsters are called Deviants.
We all thought our mission was to protect humanity and guide the development of human civilization.
At this point, deep pain and struggle were evident in Sersi's eyes.
"It wasn't until today, on the way here, and just now, seeing how desperately Ikaris was fighting, that I finally pieced together all the clues and understood the real secret that Ajak and Ikaris had been keeping from us."
Sersi raised her head and looked at everyone present, her voice trembling slightly.
"In the laws of the universe, the Celestials are the creators."
"They create stars and spread life."
"But the birth of new Celestials requires enormous amounts of energy. Therefore, Arishem will bury the seeds of the Celestials deep within the cores of living planets."
"Therefore, deep within the Earth lies a nascent divine embryo, its name is Tiamut."
boom!
Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the conference room!
Banner frowned and couldn't help but ask.
"So you're saying that the Earth's core... is the womb of some so-called god?! That's... utterly absurd! If there were a being at the Earth's core, how could the Earth's gravitational field and plate tectonics..."
"Because the power of the Celestials is itself part of the laws of cosmic physics, Dr. Banner."
Sersi shook her head in despair and continued with the cruelest part.
" Tiamut's growth does not require absorbing matter from the Earth's core; what it needs is the spiritual energy generated during the reproduction of highly intelligent life forms."
"The reason we're being asked to eliminate the Deviants isn't because Arishem has pity on humanity! It's because the Deviants will devour all of humanity!"
"Therefore... in the eyes of the Celestials, humans are essentially just nourishment for Tiamut!"
"When the Earth's population and technological civilization reach a critical point, and enough wisdom energy has been accumulated, the Emergence will officially begin."
Seeing the ashen faces of the crowd, Sersi closed her eyes, and two streams of tears slid down her cheeks.
"At that moment, Tiamut will hatch from the Earth's core. And the Earth, as the eggshell... will shatter in an instant, turning into cosmic dust!"
"Seven billion people on Earth, none spared!"
Quiet.
The meeting room fell completely silent.
If people had heard before that Loki was going to lead an alien fleet to invade, they thought it was just a war that could be won with weapons.
Now, the truth that Sersi has revealed has shattered everyone's worldview!
"Nutrition... eggshell..."
Peter Parker sat blankly in the chair, his face pale.
"You mean... all of humanity's efforts over the past few thousand years have been nothing more than providing fertilizer for that monster underground?!"
"Once we get fat, will the Earth burst like an eggshell?!"
Pietro felt a chill run down his spine and jumped up from his chair.
"Holy crap! This is even more insane than Hydra!"
" Hydra at most wants to rule the world, but you aliens actually want to incubate the Earth?!"
Matt Murdock gripped his white cane tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Frank's eyes were even colder than ever.
Even the well-traveled Thor was horrified, and he even crushed the beer can in his hand.
" The Celestials... I've seen that name in the Asgard Scrolls!"
"Legend has it they are cosmic gods even older than my father Odin! I never imagined a god would be hidden beneath Midgard!"
Gwen Stacy and Wanda looked at Luca with lingering fear.
Although I overheard snippets in London, it was nothing compared to hearing Sersi tell the whole story today, which was utterly devastating.
If the Earth disappears, wouldn't their home with Luca also disappear?
Some are happy, some are sad.
The entire room was filled with an atmosphere of anger and repression.
Luca, sitting in the main seat, stood out from the crowd.
From the moment Sersi began to speak, Luca showed no fear.
Conversely, according to Sersi's description.
Luca's eyes grew brighter and greener.
"Gulp."
In the conference room, Luca couldn't help but swallow hard due to his excitement.
What others heard was the end of the world.
But in Luca's ears, what Sersi had just said translated into only four words.
The ultimate supplement!!
"I just inhaled Cosmic Rays from Ikaris, and my cell activity increased by nearly five percent, and the hardness of my suit also improved significantly."
Luca became increasingly excited as he thought about it.
" Ikaris is nothing more than a robot working for the Celestials!"
"But Tiamut is a genuine Celestials being! It's filled with energy accumulated over billions of years by the entire planet!"
"If I could find its location, insert my tentacles into this giant egg, and suck it into a stillborn embryo before it hatches..."
Luca's breathing became somewhat rapid.
How much would his physical strength increase after he absorbed the life force of an unborn Celestials?
One hundred million tons? One billion tons?
Will it break down the barrier between carbon-based life forms and gods?!
For example, becoming a god through physical means, or destroying a planet with a single punch?!
By then, forget about Odin.
Even if the cosmic overlord came, he could grab the other party by the head and ask if they had paid the entry protection fee!
" Luca... Mr. Luca?"
Peter's voice pulled Luca back from his reverie.
"What should we do? If the Earth really does explode from the inside, can we stop the destruction of a planet?"
Everyone looked at Luca with a mixture of despair and hope.
In this team, Luca has become their only source of inspiration.
Luca coughed.
He then slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and put on an indignant expression!
"What's the panic! As long as I'm here, the Earth will absolutely not explode!"
Luca's words were firm and resolute, and his strong confidence instantly calmed everyone's anxious hearts.
He turned his head, looked at Sersi with sincere eyes, and said with deep sorrow.
"This is too cruel! This is the most inhumane form of authoritarianism I've ever heard of!"
"Humans are not nourishment for anyone, and the Earth is not an eggshell to hatch monsters!"
Luca walked up to Sersi, placed his hands on her shoulders, and spoke in a captivating tone.
" Sersi, your willingness to tell us the truth today proves you have a heart more precious than gold. On behalf of all humanity and the Justice League, I thank you for your righteous act!"
Sersi was somewhat moved.
" Luca... aren't you angry that I kept this from you for so long? I was an accomplice too..."
"Ignorance is no excuse; you are also a victim of being deceived by this Coldblood boss."
Luca waved his hand magnanimously, then said casually.
"However, we can't stop this catastrophe by just searching blindly on our own."
" Sersi, since the Eternals are the Gardener responsible for guarding this egg, you must have a way to pinpoint Tiamut's exact location, or even suppress its awakening, right?"
Sersi hesitated for a moment.
But remembering what Luca had just said about saving humanity, she gritted her teeth and completely switched sides.
"Have!"
Sersi wiped away her tears and said firmly.
"Our leader, Ajak, possesses a golden sphere that allows her to communicate directly with Tiamut and Arishem. Only she knows the exact coordinates of Tiamut's awakening at the Earth's core."
"Furthermore, among the ten Eternals, there is a technology engineer named Phastos, who possesses the ability to create any technological weapon; and a companion named Druig, who has the ability to control the minds of intelligent beings."
"If we can gather all our companions together, establish a unified will through Phastos's technology, and connect the Cosmic Energy of all of us together."
"Finally, the Druig will amplify his mind control... and we can put Tiamut back into a deep sleep!"
After hearing Sersi's plan, Banner, Peter, and the others all showed expressions of surprise and delight.
"We can put it back to sleep?! That's great! The Earth won't be destroyed!"
However, Luca almost couldn't suppress a smile when he heard this.
Should we put Tiamut to sleep?
What a joke!
How can you fall asleep like that? Falling asleep means your assets are frozen!
And doesn't that guy named Phastos sound like an alien version of Tony?!
If we capture them, lock them up in a lab, and have them draw blueprints with Norman Osborn, wouldn't Stark Industries ' tech tree be maxed out to the cosmic level?!
"A perfect plan, Sersi! It's flawless!"
Luca clapped generously, his eyes filled with a heartbreaking sincerity.
"To prevent Tiamut from destroying our shared home, we must act immediately!"
"And we absolutely cannot let news of Ikaris's capture leak out, otherwise, once your leader Ajak reports to Arishem, we'll be in trouble."
Luca took the communicator that belonged to Sersi out of his pocket and put it back in her hand.
"Now, Sersi, use your communicator to contact Ajak and all your remaining companions on Earth."
Luca patiently guided him.
"Tell them that while investigating the Deviants, Ikaris discovered a crucial clue that an alien fleet is about to destroy Earth ahead of schedule."
"Then he said it might directly threaten the safety of the Emergence, and requested Ajak to immediately summon all members of the Eternals to a meeting at your secret base."
"Once they're all here..."
Luca turned around and gave a kind smile.
"I'll take the entire Justice League and personally go there to have a proper discussion with them about our grand plan to cooperate in protecting the Earth."
"With the sincerity of the Stark Industries, I believe they will be very happy to join our family."
Seeing Luca's smile, Pietro and Peter both shuddered.
They were all too familiar with Luca's expression.
The last time the boss made that face, the King of Wakanda signed a contract to sell himself into servitude.
The last time Kingpin made this face, he went to be Happy's Watchdogs!
In layman's terms, "going to discuss cooperation" means letting this naive and innocent girl act as a guide.
Then they tricked all her fellow villagers into going into a room.
The Justice League stormed in and wiped them all out.
Men will be batteries, women will be secretaries, and those with technical skills will be forced to work 996!
But the innocent and kind-hearted Sersi had no idea that she had been betrayed.
She was so moved by Luca's willingness to help them peacefully resolve the Emergence crisis that she nodded repeatedly.
"Okay! I'll contact Ajak right away! She's on her South Dakota right now, and the rest of the crew can all get there within half a day once they receive the call!"
Sersi immediately turned on the communicator and sent an emergency assembly signal to Ajak, following the instructions Luca had given him.
Soon, Ajak gave a brief reply from the other end of the communicator.
[Received. All personnel, please proceed to South Dakota for assembly.]
"It's all settled, Luca! They've all agreed to go!" Sersi looked up excitedly.
"Well done, Sersi. You've done a great service to humanity today. I'll have Pepper send you a banner and a sea-view apartment later."
Luca clapped his hands in satisfaction, stood up, and his imposing aura instantly filled the conference room.
Attention all employees!
brush!
Peter, Gwen Stacy, Wanda, Pietro, Banner, Banner, Frank, Matt Thor, and even Natasha and Jessica behind them, all stood up straight immediately.
"We just received our special enforcement credentials from the White House. Now, it's time to carry out our company's team-building mission!"
Luca's eyes burned with fervor, and he waved his hand dismissively.
"Destination: South Dakota! To warmly welcome our old neighbors!"
"Set off!"
With Luca's command...
The Justice roared to life once more as it headed straight for South Dakota.