"From the very beginning, I was somewhat puzzled. Why was it that T'Challa was attacked right when he was talking to me over the phone? Unless, someone intended to lure us there," Stark spoke with a somber voice.
"What's more curious is that we arrived exactly when he was attacked, and then heard him yell out 'Helada'. Even if the Hydra agents are fools, they are still a spy organization after all. No spy organization would let witnesses know who the killers were after sending out assassins."
Steve also frowned deeply, saying, "It does seem a bit unusual, but it might be a coincidence. What baffles me more is that our difficulty in dealing with Hydra has suddenly increased. This is even more suspicious."
"They are forcing us to unite, because if we are often together, he can stir up our emotions more effectively, and then turn us against each other, leading ultimately to war."
At this point, all the humans present felt a chill creeping up their spines. Steve slowly closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair as if all his strength had been drained. He said,"...do you all know how that world war started?"
Everyone fell silent, evidently, this was not a question. Anyone could intuit, even the cause written in the textbooks seemed like a conspiracy.
"Wars among ordinary people may still have leeway, but among us, there is none. Once the war starts, not only New York but countries, continents, even the Earth could suffer severe damage." Steve displayed a sad expression, clearly reminded of something.
"Hive...Hydra..." Stark's eyes were closed, but the part that was visible emanated a fierce gleam. Despite his weary face, the light in his eyes was even brighter.
Suddenly, Steve stood up. He looked down at his own uniform, covered in scars and dust, and his shield, no longer shiny due to the battle. He walked towards Stark, who was still lying on the ground.
Stark's battle armor was no longer as shiny as before, the original gleaming metal surface was scratched all over, some parts were still smoking. There was a scratch on his temple as if he had been grazed when he fell.
At this moment, they looked at each other quietly, both finding the other's battered appearance absurd.
Steve wiped his face and looked at his own arm, saying, "If this is the result of us going all out..."
He took a deep breath, shook his head, and continued, "I'm glad it happened in this state. We are both still alive, with all limbs intact, not bleeding too much, not unable to stand up..."
Steve bent down, seemingly trying to help Stark up, but Stark rolled over, getting up from the ground in an awkward manner, avoiding Steve's shadow. He staggered a few times, then stood in front of him.
When they faced each other again, they both saw the same conviction and fire in the other's eyes. Stark was still looking up, his eyes squinted, looking at Steve with the lower half of his eyes. He said, "I think I won, but I have no pride in it."
"We almost turned a planet into ruins, if I woke from this dream now, and saw the Earth in this state..." Stark's voice trembled as he caught his breath, and his tone dropped sharply, "I wouldn't even know how to avenge it because the culprits were us."
"I gave it my all to prevent such a thing from happening." Steve pursed his lips and said,"Many people, like me, not only gave their all but sacrificed their lives to prevent such a thing from happening,"
"If they really plan to do this..." Stark raised his voice, "Then I will show them through my actions that they picked the wrong man."
Steve looked into his eyes, fell silent, and then Stark raised his slightly smoking arm, paused in mid-air, and punched Steve's shoulder.
The two exhausted men collapsed.
The sound of them falling to the ground was somewhat muffled, like a sudden thunderclap in an endless rainy night.
Beyond the thunder, there was also a glimmer of hope, much like the dawn.
The image on the projection screen froze at this moment. In Shiller's Thought Palace, the Shiller in the black duster coat slowly said, "Perhaps, this is precisely the difference between your world and Gotham. There are dark nights and rainy nights here, but also lightning that cracks the sky and brings light."
"I often feel that Iron Man and Batman are somewhat similar." Shiller in the white lab coat spoke, but immediately shook his head, saying, "But Batman doesn't have a Captain America, or even if he did, he would never punch him like Stark just did."
"I've finished talking about my and that lunatic's plans. It's your turn now, isn't it?" Shiller in the black trench coat turned his head, looking at the other Shiller beside him. The white-coated Shiller looked at the ceiling, saying, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"We are the same person, are you still trying to deceive yourself and others? Or should I make it clearer, how did T'Challa get attacked?"
"Of course, it was a Hydra conspiracy." The white-clothed Shiller laughed and added after a pause, "Of course, I provided a little aid, just a little."
"Why did you target Hydra? Don't tell me you're a good person with a sense of justice, trying to help the Avengers deal with their biggest enemy."
"Of course not, do you remember the first time I went to S.H.I.E.L.D for psychological counseling?"
"I remember, all the agents avoided you, but that's normal. So, did you harbor a grudge against them for that?"
"No, they don't come for therapy sessions, and I am pleased with the peace. But haven't you forgotten? They tampered with the smoke detector in my office, I was nearly drenched by the sprinkler system, and I didn't even have an umbrella then."
The projection screen lit up again. In the office at Arkham Sanatorium, Shiller was toying with a small device. By his hand was an instruction manual, as well as a pile of messy components.
While he clumsily dismantled the smoke detector, he muttered, "It seems someone installed other infrared sensors inside, allowing them to control the smoke detectors in every room..."
As he spoke, he violently took off one of the components, examined it in his hand, but saw nothing. Then, he tossed it onto the table, the smoke detector in his hand now thoroughly disassembled.
Shiller turned around and pulled out another box of identical smoke detectors from under his desk. He then tossed the one he'd ruined into the garbage bin where there were already remains of seven or eight detectors that didn't end in peace.
After tampering with all of the same model smoke detectors in the box, Shiller came to a very simple conclusion - indeed, someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. can control the smoke detectors in every room. The incident when the detector suddenly went off and sprayed water was no accident; someone was sabotaging it from behind the scenes.
For the next two days, Shiller frequently moved about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s premises. Sometimes he'd chat and smoke with Natasha, other times he'd dine in the cafeteria with Coulson, or discuss economic issues with Nick in his office...
One evening, Shiller returned to the sanatorium and wrote a name in a medical record book—"Grant Ward".
A few days later, a series of names appeared in the medical record book. An arrow was drawn next to Grant Ward's name, leading to John Garrett. Another arrow was drawn from John Garrett, pointing to Alexander Pierce.
"I have no grudge against Pierce. If he wants to be a part of Hydra, then so be it. But who dared to tamper with the smoke detector before he left S.H.I.E.L.D., aiming to strengthen his control? He even created an additional remote control system to manage the detectors? And he left this system for Garrett and a remote controller for Ward..."
Shiller in the white coat on the chair shrugged, "I know I am unwelcome here, but that's no reason to try and drench me. At the time, I didn't even have an umbrella...Remember what you used to say?"
Shiller in black turned his head to look at him. Both of them exchanged knowing smiles. He said, "No one is allowed to make it rain when I don't have an umbrella."
White-coat Shiller leaned against the chair, looking straight ahead, his tone as though he was discussing an insignificant matter.
"Working at S.H.I.E.L.D. gives me the chance to meet Pierce. One day, I visited him to discuss a business deal about vibranium."
"At that time, he didn't know about the invention of molten steel yet, the new material on the rise. After I leaked the news to him, he immediately realized the business opportunity, recognizing that molten steel would replace vibranium."
"This implied that if the people of Wakanda received this news, the price of vibranium would definitely plummet. They would want to sell the vibranium in their hands quickly, preparing for the disturbance only new materials can bring."
"And as expected, Pierce contacted Erik, the leader of the second-largest tribe in Wakanda. He sent Klaue to liaise with Erik. But Erik was asking for too much. That wasn't strange, he wanted to profit hugely in one go and then overthrow T'Challa's rule."
"At that time, I gave Pierce another suggestion. Instead of taking advantage of the information gap to buy vibranium beforehand, why not support Erik to power, disrupt the situation in Wakanda, then manipulate it. You know, just like every coup in Africa."
"Actually, Pierce had already thought of that, but he hesitated because he wasn't sure if Erik was trustworthy. To my disappointment, he himself didn't have an effective method of brainwashing and, in the end, I had to do it."
"I infiltrated Erik's subconsciousness with Mad Liquor and implanted a suggestion. Of course, he himself had a profound resentment towards T'Challa. What I did more, was guide him to say the right words at the right time."
"That toxin..."
"You're all too familiar with it, didn't you just extract it from Constantine's body? According to Constantine, the Spirit of Curse is rare in that world, nobody in this world has seen it."
After hearing everything, black-coat Shiller adjusted his posture comfortably against the back of the chair, saying, "Seems like this time, the three of us together have accomplished something big."
"In terms of the sequence of events, you wanted to take revenge on Hydra, so you plotted T'Challa's assassination. As a result, it brought up Hydra's Hive and ruined my umbrella. Then I designed the civil war among the aliens. Finally, that lunatic, along with the rain from another world, put the perfect full stop to everything."
White-coat Shiller leaned forward, picking up a wine glass from the coffee table in front of him and pouring a glass for himself and his other self.
From behind the sofa, looking in, two glasses clashed together. The foam from the wine collision slowly rose, and the room unfolded like a box.
A large hand placed a Lego figure with green hair in the center of the room. The figure's head was like a cylinder, and its hands were shaped like the letter C.
A figure with green hair looked down at the three Lego figures in the box—they were all identical except for their clothes and hair color—and cheerfully remarked:
"We are indeed three great detectives, aren't we?"