As Tony finished speaking, the tense atmosphere in the conference room seemed to be ignited by a Mars.
No one spoke, but everyone's eyes changed.
Dr. Banner silently clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking softly, his gentle scholarly demeanor being replaced by something more oppressive.
Wanda's red cape fluttered without wind, and crimson chaotic energy flickered at her fingertips.
" Tony," Captain America Steve Rogers stepped forward, his voice as steady as ever, always instilling a sense of reliability in times like these, "Not everyone is suited for this mission."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and quickly made a judgment.
"The fact that they were able to take Morgan away so quietly means they know us inside and out. We can't send all our forces out. Natasha, Clinton, Pietro, Scott Vision, and I will stay behind to protect Pepper and the others. T'Challa is on his way. With Wakanda's technical support, New York's safety is guaranteed."
Steve's arrangement was reasonable.
Among those who remained were special agents, sharpshooters, speedsters, infiltration experts, and Vision, a humanoid computer, capable of handling any emergency.
"Hey, Steve!" Quicksilver Pietro was the first to voice his dissatisfaction. He flashed in front of Steve, hands in his hoodie pockets, looking annoyed. "Are you sure you don't want to take me? I can search every inch of that branch universe in one go."
Steve looked at him, shook his head, and said seriously:
"It's precisely because of your speed that you need to stay. We don't know who their target is. In case their goal isn't just Morgan, we need you to protect everyone in this city as quickly as possible, including our families."
Upon hearing the word "family," Pietro fell silent. He glanced at his sister Wanda beside him, Wanda was also looking at him.
He pursed his lips, stopped arguing, and tacitly accepted the captain's arrangement.
Scott Lang, standing in the corner, barely spoke throughout.
He looked at Tony's expressionless face, but his heart tightened.
He thought of his daughter, Cassie.
If, if it was Cassie who disappeared... he almost dared not think further.
At that moment, he completely understood Tony's current state. Forget about a doomsday party; even if it meant turning the entire universe upside down, he would press that button without hesitation.
Tony didn't object to Steve's arrangement; he simply nodded in agreement.
His gaze passed over Steve and landed on Mighty Thor Jane Foster, Fat Thor, Strange, Wanda, and Dr. Banner.
"Alright, that's just the few of us." His voice was emotionless, chillingly calm. "But wait a moment, I need to prepare something big."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tony raised his right hand and casually drew a circle in front of him.
A golden spark appeared out of thin air and quickly expanded into a portal flashing with runes.
Behind the door was his private laboratory, piled high with various parts and unfinished suits of armor.
He stepped inside, and the portal closed immediately.
Silence fell over the meeting room once again.
"What do you think it could be?" Dr. Banner looked at Strange and lowered his voice, "What kind of enemy would require him... to prepare like this?"
Strange rubbed his panda-like dark circles, looking utterly exhausted.
"An enemy so foolish as to fail to assess the disparity between himself and the Stark Family's wealth and military strength."
He yawned and replied lazily, "However, it's quite an achievement to be able to evade both technological and magical detection at the same time. I'm more curious about what 'big guy' Stark is going to bring out."
Fat Thor stroked his two-meter-tall warhammer and said in a deep voice, "It's definitely a big and hard thing. Tony's taste has always been like that."
Mighty Thor Jane standing next to him, blushed slightly upon hearing this and nudged him with her elbow.
Just as the group was chatting, the golden portal opened again.
Tony Stark emerged from inside, or rather, was "squeezed" out by two enormous suitcases.
The two boxes were a striking metallic red, with gold alloy stripes inlaid along the edges—the most classic color scheme of Iron Man.
Each box was taller than a person and looked incredibly heavy. Tony dragged them, leaving two clear marks on the floor.
"Damn, FAO... did they bring Arsenal here?" Scott Lang muttered under his breath, looking at the two enormous suitcases. "Are they going to rescue people or to fight in Star Wars?"
Tony ignored his complaints and raised his left hand, revealing a plain-looking black metal bracelet on his wrist.
He tapped the bracelet lightly.
"Buzz."
A faint light flashed, and the two enormous suitcases, each large enough to fit into a small car, vanished into thin air.
Everyone present, except for a few who knew the truth, was stunned.
Strange's eye twitched.
He recognized that the bracelet was engraved with magical runes of space folding and dimensional storage, but the core that drove it was a purely technological creation.
This product, a fusion of magic and science, far surpasses the stability and storage space of the magical pockets in Kamar-Taj that require incantations and gestures to open.
Damn it, those evil capitalists.
Strange cursed inwardly, thinking that while he was still struggling to teleport, they had already developed a portable space bracelet.
"Sir," JARVIS's voice rang out at the opportune moment, "Target universe precisely located, number: 199999-B."
"B?" Dr. Banner frowned. "A branch of our own universe?"
"Yes, Doctor," JARVIS replied, "A parallel universe that is highly similar to our Prime Universe, but diverged at certain key junctures."
A cold smile finally appeared on Tony's face.
A branch universe means that the other party is likely a variant of some organization in this universe.
That makes things easier; at least he has a general idea of the enemy's tactics.
"Very good." Tony turned to the group, his eyes sharp as knives. "Open the portal."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Multiverse Resonator above everyone's heads activated again, and a spatial passage, even larger and more stable than the portal drawn by Strange, opened with a roar in the center of the conference room.
Beyond the door lay no longer a chaotic space filled with sparks, but a deep, stable darkness, as if leading to some unknown abyss.
"It's party time." Tony walked towards the portal first, a cruel smile that was almost gleeful on his face.
Dr. Banner was the second to follow, followed by Wanda, Jane, Fat Thor, and Strange, each entering battle mode.
Just as Tony was about to step into the portal, he stopped and glanced back at Steve.
The two men exchanged a glance but said nothing.
But Steve understood.
Until he nodded solemnly.
Tony forced a smile, turned around, and walked into the darkness without looking back.