Stark Tower, a unique party was in full swing.
Under the illuminated night sky, a group of hot-bodied, beautiful women in *** bikinis splashed around in the pool, strolling outside it, fully showcasing their charm toward one particular direction.
That direction was the center of the pool party, where two men wearing nothing but swim trunks were surrounded by a crowd of bikini-clad women, their laughter echoing far and wide.
Lynch gently pushed aside the several beautiful women draped over him and glanced teasingly at Tony Stark, who was laughing with a group of swimsuit babes, saying:
"Tony, you live such a carefree life every day. Can your body handle it?"
Tony, in the middle of laughing heartily, paused for a moment, then arrogantly smiled and replied:
"I can take on ten!"
Looking at the man who showed no signs of working out, Lynch thought to himself:
No wonder Tony Stark can't take off his Iron Man suit once he invented it. With such a weak body, he probably couldn't even win against Natasha in a hand-to-hand fight!
"Ten babies, maybe?"
"Come on!"
Hearing Lynch's mockery, Tony immediately put on a serious face and protested:
"I haven't relaxed like this in a long time! This single's party is actually for you!"
As he spoke, he leaned toward Lynch with a sly grin and whispered:
"So, what do you think? Anyone catch your eye? A lot of them came just for you, you know!"
Giving Tony a disdainful look, Lynch then glanced at those women, their eyes filled with desire and greed.
As Tony said, the women who attended this private pool party were the top beauties in the world. Many of them were singers, actresses, and artists, revered as goddesses by the public.
But Lynch had little interest in them.
Looks? Appearance? Figure?
Sorry, no matter how stunning or flawless the appearance, in his microscope-like eyes, it all seemed equally full of flaws.
Lynch could proudly pat his chest and declare: I'm not someone who cares about looks!
Compared to appearance, Lynch always believed that feelings were more important.
"No, I'm not interested..."
"Alright."
Tony didn't push further, sighing before advising:
"Natasha probably won't stay mad for long. She's not that kind of person."
"I know."
With that, their conversation ended, and Tony returned to the group of women.
Before long, one lucky lady followed Tony into the house.
Just as the two were about to let the sparks fly, an electronic voice interrupted:
"Sir, there's a message from Director Fury."
"Can't you see I'm busy?"
Tony, moving swiftly, responded casually.
"Director Fury insisted it's highly important..."
"Silence!"
Irritated by JARVIS's lack of tact, Tony barked the order, and JARVIS immediately went silent.
But the next second, a stern voice sounded:
"Stark, you need to hear me out. There's an urgent situation. Check the message I sent you immediately..."
"Oh~"
Tony, annoyed, crawled off the couch and muttered through gritted teeth:
"JARVIS, is your security system just for show? ... Fury, this had better be as serious as you claim!"
Although Tony was furious at being interrupted, he also realized...
Something big might actually be going on. Otherwise, why would Fury invade his privacy so blatantly?
It must be said, in critical moments, Tony could be counted on.
While thinking about what might have happened, Tony quickly threw on some clothes, asked the lady to leave, and then headed to the workshop to check Fury's message.
One by one, images and documents appeared before him. As Tony looked at them, he fell into deep thought.
"Atlantis? This is quite a discovery..."
…
In a meditation room of an ancient country, Bruce Banner sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. In front of him sat an elderly white-haired man, in the same posture.
Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the serene silence. Banner opened his eyes, confused.
He picked up the phone and saw it was a saved contact—Fury.
"What's the matter?"
Banner had a guess but asked calmly.
"How's your training going?"
Fury's voice came from the other side.
"Pretty much done."
A knowing expression appeared on Banner's face.
After being taken away by Lynch, Banner had gone to a distant ancient country to seek methods for controlling his rage, though his whereabouts had not escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.
After some communication, both sides reached an agreement.
S.H.I.E.L.D. cleared Banner of the charges framed by General Ross and even took care of his girlfriend.
In return, Banner had a price to pay...
"It's time... We need you!"
…
In a small bar, Thor was drinking and chatting with Jane and some friends.
"I'm telling you..."
Thor, cheeks slightly flushed, was boasting about amusing stories from his thousand-year life when a black-clad woman suddenly approached.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Thor."
Hearing this, Thor sized up her familiar uniform and immediately recognized her as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
"What's the matter? Finally returning the Tesseract to me?"
Thor asked with a silly smile, though he had grown quite fond of Earth.
"My name is Hill, from S.H.I.E.L.D.," the agent introduced herself, smiling briefly before her expression turned serious.
"Coulson is missing."
Hearing this, the smile slowly froze on Thor's face.
During his time on Earth, Thor had many dealings with Coulson.
Understanding, kind-hearted Coulson had helped him with many issues, and the two had become good friends.
"What happened?"
Thor's voice rumbled with anger that he could barely contain.
"Do you know of Atlantis?"
…
In a secret base, Hawkeye lurked in a high vantage point, his sharp eyes living up to his name as he observed everything below.
Suddenly, he felt a vibration from his communicator and answered the call.
"Barton..."
Fury's voice dragged out, as though giving Hawkeye time to brace himself.
"What happened?"
Sensing something was wrong, Hawkeye tried to stay calm, his emotions wavering slightly.
"Natasha's missing too."
Although Hawkeye had anticipated something like this, the news still caused his heart to skip a beat.
"Because of that mission?"
His voice was filled with regret because he had originally been assigned that mission.
"Yes..."
"And now?"
His gaze swept over the researchers below, his voice tinged with hesitation.
"Abort your current mission and return to headquarters immediately!"
"Understood!"
Excited, Hawkeye answered, flipping down from his perch and rushing out.
After he had left for a while, the quiet Tesseract at the heart of the research facility suddenly lit up.
…
On a nighttime roadside, a man wearing a white tank top and running shorts was jogging.
Halfway through his run, his phone rang.
He didn't stop, connecting the call through his Bluetooth.
"Cap, how's the adjustment going?"
"Not bad. What's up?"
Hearing Fury's voice, Captain America gradually slowed his pace.
"Is there a mission?"
Steve asked directly.
"Yes, we may need you to lead a special team."
"A special team?"
A hint of nostalgia appeared on Steve's face as he smiled and said:
"I've got experience with that."
…
"A green giant, a hammer-wielding alien, a frozen relic from 70 years ago, and a circus performer..."
In a room, Tony pointed rudely at the group of freaks gathered there.
"I thought I was the only one you invited to explore that ancient civilization!"
He grumbled at Fury, clearly displeased.
"Hey! Where do you get off, you idiot? You'd better shut up, or my hammer won't show any mercy to weaklings!"
Thor, not one to tolerate provocation, immediately fired back at this seemingly arrogant mortal.
"Are you serious? No offense, but your time is over. We use guns and cannons now! Want a taste? One shot and you're back underground!"
Tony, never one to back down from a verbal spat, quickly retaliated with rapid-fire sarcasm.
"Can you all shut up? Just for three minutes! Give me three minutes!"
Finally, Fury, expressionless, spoke up.
The two childish combatants glanced at each other, grumbled, but stopped their bickering.
"Okay! Everyone, look over here..."
Seeing them quiet down, Fury walked over to a screen and began explaining what had transpired in the Atlantic, showing pictures and text.
"...Natasha went missing, but..."
Fury hesitated before pressing a button, revealing a video.
In the video, a menacing Namor, full of arrogance, spoke to the camera:
"Humans of the surface, I am Namor, King of Atlantis, Lord of the Seven Seas. Stop testing our limits. If I see your presence above the ocean again, tidal waves will consume your world!"
As the video ended, the room fell into silence.
"Did I just see a fish-man threatening us?"
Tony was the first to break the silence, his tone light and teasing.
It had to be said, Tony Stark had a way of easing tension.
But clearly, his new superhero companions didn't quite grasp his humor yet, remaining silent.
After a long while, Thor, looking serious, said:
"I know of Atlantis. They disappeared 10,000 years ago for some reason, but it seems they didn't perish."
His eyes locked on Fury, his voice low:
"They were incredibly powerful 10,000 years ago. Were Coulson and the others killed by the Atlanteans?"
Fury shook his head:
"It's not certain, but they used Natasha's equipment to send back video, which means at least Natasha might still be alive."
"We must go save them!"
Hiding in the corner, Hawkeye voiced his rare opinion.
"How are we going to save them?"
On the other side, Banner spoke up, but his take was different.
He stepped forward helplessly, continuing to explain to everyone:
"Didn't you hear what that man said? Atlantis sank 10,000 years ago, but they've existed until now. Can any of you tell me how far their technology has advanced?"
At this moment, Tony walked over, smiling as he patted Banner on the shoulder, saying:
"Don't be so pessimistic, Dr. Banner."
Then, he confidently spread his hands and looked at everyone, saying:
"I didn't see any signs of superior civilization from that fish guy. Maybe they've spent the last 10,000 years figuring out how to evolve gills or something."
After a brief pause, Tony turned his gaze to Fury, squinting as he asked, word by word:
"More importantly, I'm curious—why isn't Lynch here?"