Look at others. Even as a one-eyed man, if Odin had this kind of last-resort strategy, would Hela have forced him into such a desperate situation back then?
"Nick, there's no need for us to end up like this. What I want to do is the same as you, and what the Avengers are doing is also for the sake of making this world safer. And now, with just a small sacrifice, this world..."
Alexander Pierce's words were rudely interrupted by Blake.
With just a casual wave of his hand, as if swatting a mosquito, Blake slapped Pierce so hard that he flew two or three meters away.
If this old man hadn't kept himself in decent shape, he might have been slapped to death right then and there.
"Bullsh*t. Listening to your theories is less useful than asking a dog how to fix the thrusters smashed by a hammer. Of course, no offense, Tony!"
"I'm just a small person, always have been. No different from those nerds who go home after work to play games. Everything I've done was just a series of coincidences pushing me step by step to this point."
"To be honest, I hate your lofty theories. Whether it's Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D., this world might truly be imperfect and unsafe, but we should do our best to protect it when we have the ability."
"There can be emergency plans, action teams ready to step up in times of disaster. But definitely not this scheming and sacrificing in the name of peace. You're not gods. No one is a god. I've never believed in that saint nonsense. Just be yourself, don't bother others, and help others when you can. That's enough."
"So you'd better shut your mouth, scan your damn eye, and wait for your judgment. Otherwise, I'll shove your filthy-looking face into a toilet. Got it? Seriously, I don't know how someone like you ended up controlling the World Security Council. That cratered face of yours disgusts me. Don't you government departments care about appearances?"
"Of course, I don't mean you, Nick. Besides your habit of staring at the sky at a 45-degree angle and being bald with one eye, you look pretty good!"
Blake's words were somewhat flippant, even absurd, but when you think about them carefully, they really made sense.
This world has too many people with so-called noble ideals, which is why so many messy problems arise.
Alexander Pierce reluctantly went to perform the iris scan, deactivating all classified protocols of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.
Even at this point, Pierce was still unwilling to give up and was about to say something to Natasha.
However, seeing the way Blake was looking at him, he opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Meanwhile, earlier in the movie, Natasha had quietly copied several files while no one was paying attention. She then deleted those files and released the rest to the internet.
This action effectively made public all the information about S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, including all the shady and unspeakable things they had done over the years.
There's a saying, "A single stone stirs a thousand waves." What the Avengers did was like dropping several nuclear bombs into the Pacific Ocean.
And the biggest "bomb" among them was, of course, Project Insight.
Even disregarding Hydra's conspiracy, the idea of aiming guns at humanity from the skies was met with nearly universal opposition worldwide.
The Independent (UK): "It's unbelievable that our nation's representative on the World Security Council supported such a plan. If this is what they call protection, then maybe we should plant a few tons of C4 under the Prime Minister's office to ensure their safety first."
Le Monde (France): "Project Insight is by far the greatest threat to humanity in history. Whether Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D. is behind it, calling this 'protection' is outrageous. My God, what are the brains of those on the World Security Council filled with? As for our representative, it's clearly foie gras."
The Washington Post dedicated an entire front page to the wreckage of the three Helicarriers that had crashed, showing detailed photos of the remains and the dense automatic weapons systems aboard.
The accompanying article sarcastically remarked:
"The government should invent a genetic screening device to predict, while we're still in the womb, whether we'll pose a threat to the world. If so, just revoke our right to be born. It would be better than living under skies full of guns pointed at us."
In contrast to the government's harsh criticism, the public's reaction to the Avengers was one of overwhelming gratitude, particularly toward Natasha, who personally made the information public.
In fact, Natasha was hailed as a goddess by Americans. One NBA player even joked that he wouldn't mind drinking Natasha's bathwater. (This part is a playful reference to a real-life NBA star once jokingly saying he'd drink Scarlett Johansson's bathwater.)
"This guy is such a freak. I should mail him my foot bathwater, tell him it's Natasha's, let him drink it, and then reveal the truth afterward."
This was Blake's response when cornered by reporters on a New York street. A tabloid journalist had asked his opinion about the NBA star's earlier comment regarding Natasha's "bathwater."
Less than two hours after Blake made this remark, the NBA star posted on social media:
> "Blake is just a coward who uses his superpowers to bully ordinary people. He's totally unworthy of someone like Natasha Romanoff. Look at how he became famous. It wasn't because of his superpowers or any other talents—it was because he kissed Tony Stark's ass.
> If he has any guts, he should meet me on the basketball court for a one-on-one. I'll show him what it means to be a real man."
Wow. A direct challenge to an Avenger!
The NBA player, Dutland (yes, on purpose, don't @ me!), saw his post gain over a billion views and millions of shares online by the evening. Thrill-seekers and drama-loving netizens flooded the Avengers' official social media accounts, demanding that Blake step up and face Dutland's challenge.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark was laughing so hard he was gasping for air.
"Blake, haha... I'm just wondering when exactly you kissed my ass—I can't even remember what it felt like! Should we try it again and relive the good old days, sweetheart?"
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170