Valeria completely ignored Emma Frost's question.
Her knees buckled, and she knelt heavily amidst the charred metal wreckage.
She frantically dug through the rubble with both hands, the sharp edges of metal cutting the back of her hands, blood seeping out, but she didn't react.
The core processor of the quantum collider was shattered into dust.
The memory of the Multiverse Observatory melted into a pile of scrap metal.
The data interface of the personal terminal was completely disconnected.
Months of collecting and organizing data across countless dimensions—all gone...
Valeria's hands trembled as she lifted a charred hard drive, her fingertips gripping the edge tightly.
The fingernail split open, and blood dripped from the black metal casing onto the ground.
She kept her head down, her golden hair covered in dust, falling in a messy, disheveled manner, obscuring most of her face.
She couldn't hear the surrounding arguments, questions, or the lingering buzz of energy.
That hard drive contained the parameters of the 3,600 parallel universes she had observed.
That was the only evidence she used to deduce the course of the Council of Kangs's actions.
Now, the outer shell is charred, and the internal storage crystals are completely shattered.
Valeria pressed the hard drive tightly against her chest, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall.
She gritted her teeth, letting out a suppressed sob.
Susan stood a few meters away.
The transparent force field shield had already been removed.
She looked at her daughter kneeling in the ruins, raised her right hand, and wanted to move forward.
He had just taken a step when he abruptly stopped.
His finger hovered in mid-air for a few seconds before finally falling limply to the ground.
She just completely lost control and triggered a shockwave from the force field.
Strange's Mirror Dimension couldn't withstand the pressure, and the laboratory in the real space collapsed as well.
Everyone survived the explosion, except for Valeria, whose life's work was completely destroyed.
This was indirectly caused by her.
Susan felt a sharp pain in her heart as she looked at Valeria's trembling shoulders.
That was her daughter, whom she had carried for ten months and risked her life to give birth to.
She always wanted to protect her, but ended up destroying the thing she cared about most with her own hands.
Susan opened her mouth, as if to say something.
My throat is dry, and I can't utter a single word.
Reed walked over to Susan and raised his hand to pat her shoulder.
" Susan, based on the energy peak just now, your force field output exceeds the normal safety threshold by 300%, which is extremely dangerous."
Reed spoke at lightning speed, gesturing with his fingers in mid-air to represent the data model.
"If the point of explosion had shifted two meters further, the building's load-bearing structure would have been completely destroyed, and we would have been buried fifty meters underground."
Susan turned her head sharply and glared at Reed.
"Shut up, Reed."
Reed immediately withdrew his hand and stood still without saying another word.
Strange stood to the side, his hands rapidly flipping.
A golden magic circle formed in mid-air, sparks flying everywhere.
A Mars portal, its edges sparking, suddenly opened.
A ball of orange-red flame shot out from it, spun a few times in mid-air, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Immediately afterwards, a tall, yellow rock giant was thrown out as well.
The portal quickly shrank and disappeared.
The flames on Johnny's body went out instantly. He got up from the ground, his hands still in the posture of launching fireballs.
" Tony! Take this super-high-temperature fireball!"
Johnny yelled and pushed forward with both hands.
Nothing happened.
He paused for a moment, then looked around.
There are no well-maintained laboratories.
There were no Iron Man Armor flying in mid-air.
All that remained were ruins, charred metal, and a group of dusty-faced people.
The Thing got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and scratched his bald head with his huge rocky hands.
"Where is this? Aren't we fighting?"
Johnny looked at Valeria, who was kneeling on the ground, looking utterly dejected, and then at Susan and Reed, who were standing silently to the side.
He scratched the back of his head, the intense heat emanating from him still distorting the air.
"Sis, you guys tore this place down behind my back?"
Susan turned her head away, ignoring Johnny.
Ben walked over with heavy steps, and the huge rocky hand patted Johnny on the shoulder.
"Shut up, Matchstick. This isn't the time for jokes."
Emma Frost stood on the broken wall.
The white suit stood out starkly against the charred ground.
She surveyed the area from her elevated position.
Valeria was still staring blankly at the charred hard drive.
The Fantastic Four stood together, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Strange adjusted his Cloak of Levitation.
Dr. Banner stood to the side, his fists clenched.
Doom stood in the shadows, his green cloak tattered.
"I don't know what you're fighting about."
Emma Frost spoke coldly, her chin slightly raised.
"I don't want to know."
She walked down the broken wall step by step in her high heels and stopped in front of Tony.
"But you have destroyed my city like this."
Emma Frost crossed her arms over her chest.
I need an explanation.
The temperature in the air dropped sharply.
Betsy, wielding a pale purple psionic blade, appeared silently beside Emma Frost.
"Speak."
Emma Frost looked at Tony's tattered nanotech armor.
How do you plan to compensate us?
Tony raised his left arm.
The palm cannon's charging light gradually dimmed, emitting a faint mechanical contraction sound.
He looked around at the area that had been completely reduced to ruins.
That was definitely a huge mistake.
What was originally just an attempt to seize Kang the Conqueror turned into a chaotic free-for-all.
Tony coughed twice, then completely removed his mask, revealing his face with several gray streaks.
"All building repair and maintenance costs here will be borne by the Stark Industries."
Tony shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.
"I will send in the best engineering robots to ensure the site is restored to its original state within a week."
Emma Frost chuckled softly.
" Stark Industries ' money doesn't circulate in the Knowhere."
She leaned slightly closer to Tony.
"I need tens of tons of Vibranium."
Tony's eyes widened suddenly, and he shrank back.
"Dozens of tons? This is robbery!"
Tony pointed to the ruins on the ground, his fingers trembling.
"This lousy place isn't even worth a ton of Vibranium! This is pure extortion!"
"This is compensation for emotional distress."
Emma Frost wouldn't budge an inch.
"The lord of Frost City was frightened; this price is fair."
Tony gritted his teeth, his cheek muscles twitching a few times.
He glanced at Emma Frost, then at Betsy was eyeing him menacingly.
My brain is working at lightning speed.
Dozens of tons of Vibranium, at black market prices, would be enough to buy the entire New York.
But this issue can't be judged solely on monetary terms.
Thor has just entered the Multiverse Level and has mastered more than thirty laws.
That guy not only holds grudges, but he's also extremely protective of his own.
If we don't please Lord Emma Frost today, Thor will definitely find an excuse to give him a beating when he gets back.
In comparison, a few dozen tons of Vibranium is like paying protection money.
After all, the example of Fat Thor from their universe serves as a stark warning.
"OK."
Tony gritted his teeth and spat out a single word.
"I'll provide dozens of tons of Vibranium."
This is really going to be a huge financial blow.
He's estimated to have emptied half of Wakanda's inventory.
"You're smart to know what's good for you."
Emma Frost turned around, and the diamond particles beside her began to rapidly recombine.
Erik.
She turned her head to look at Magneto was suspended in mid-air.
Could you please do me a favor?
Magneto landed slowly, his purple suit spotless.
"Keep an eye on these guys."
Emma Frost glanced at Tony.
"Don't let them cause any more trouble."
Pale blue ripples spread across the space.
Emma Frost and Betsy vanished instantly.
Magneto put his hands behind his back and took a step forward.
The immense magnetic field pressure instantly enveloped the entire area.
All the twisted metal debris on the ground floated up, spinning rapidly in mid-air, emitting a piercing screeching sound.
The armor on both Doom and Tony creaked under the strain.
"Don't worry, Emma Frost."
Magneto Erik, looked at the crowd before him.
"Finally, a place where I can retire."
The metal debris in mid-air suddenly coalesced, transforming into dozens of sharp metal spears, their tips pointed at everyone present.
"I won't let them continue to destroy this place."
Tony felt immense pressure from the armor, and the nanoparticles began to peel off uncontrollably.
Doom raised his metal-covered arm, green magical energy dancing at his fingertips, attempting to resist the magnetic field's control.
Strange drew circles with both hands again, and a golden magic shield appeared in front of him.
Banner's legs were slightly bent, his muscles bulging, ready to exert force at any moment.
The atmosphere became tense once again.
The Chibi Hulk, dragging his enormous Vibranium hammer, hopped and skipped up a concrete slab.
He propped the sledgehammer up beside him, plopped down, and rested his green chin on his hands, watching the show.
Superman Wolverine Logan, leaned against a broken support pillar, a cigar dangling from his mouth, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and ran his fingers through his messy hair.
"Finished? How's my appearance fee going?"
Nobody paid him any attention.
Suddenly, the air in the center of the ruins began to distort violently.
A pale blue portal opened without warning.
The intense spatial fluctuations instantly pushed away the surrounding smoke and dust.
A terrifying pressure, far exceeding that of everyone present, swept across the entire area as the spatial gate opened.
That was an aura belonging to the Multiverse Level.
The metal spears, suspended in mid-air, instantly lost control under the impact of this aura and crashed to the ground.
Magneto slammed to the ground, his body uncontrollably taking half a step back, his hands clenched tightly.
The green magical energy around Doom instantly dissipated, and his breathing became rapid beneath the metal mask.
The golden magic shield in front of Strange shattered instantly, and he staggered back three steps, barely managing to regain his footing by leaning against the broken wall.
Tony's tattered armor emitted a piercing alarm, and a red light flashed on the system screen, indicating extreme danger.
Thor, dressed in casual clothes, stepped out of the portal.
Wanda followed closely behind him, clutching the hem of his clothes with both hands, peeking out with half her head, and warily looking around.
Thor stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the ruins scattered all over the ground.
He glanced at Valeria was kneeling on the ground, holding the hard drive and staring blankly.
He glanced at Susan, whose face was ashen, and Reed, who seemed about to say something but hesitated.
He glanced at Strange and Banner, who were covered in dust.
I glanced at Tony and Doom, their armor tattered.
Finally, he looked up at Magneto Erik had landed on the ground.
Thor tilted his head and asked a question.
"What's wrong with you all? Why do you all look like you've lost your parents?"