Chapter 35: Shift the Blame Quickly! Steal the Credit Stylishly!

After the brief and intense Battle of New York, the physically and mentally exhausted members of the Avengers were granted a short period of respite. Generally speaking, there shouldn't be much required of them for the time being; they could rest easy and wait for the subsequent cleanup operations to unfold.

While fighting aliens and protecting Earth was the Avengers' duty, duty doesn't put food on the table! The Avengers members, who had fought tooth and nail and exceeded their mission requirements, certainly deserved rewards! Whether it was SHIELD or the World Security Council, they had to show some form of appreciation—this was non-negotiable! Be it fame or fortune!

This was a matter of principle! You cannot break the hearts of your subordinates and make them bleed and weep! Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their life for you in the future?

In fact, Tony Stark was already planning to apply for compensation regarding the reconstruction of Stark Tower. Look at him—he fought desperately to defeat the aliens, only to have his own home smashed to the ground! You can't just leave a man homeless, can you? Providing a decent amount of compensation as a gesture of goodwill was a necessity.

Of course, Bruce Banner, the Hulk, was an exception. Only after the Battle of New York had concluded did he appear, riding a slow, dilapidated motorcycle. Who knows if he did it on purpose? One must never underestimate him just because he looks simple-minded!

The post-war cleanup was naturally the responsibility of SHIELD, but the military soon stepped in as well, engaging in what they called "protecting citizens and mopping up remaining alien forces." In reality, they were secretly and frantically collecting various Chitauri weapons and equipment.

You have to understand, this was alien technology! Acquiring even a small amount could allow the military-industrial complex to leap forward by a massive margin! Although the largest piece—the fragment of the alien command ship—was difficult to get hold of because the entire world and SHIELD were eyeing it, smaller scraps were still obtainable. Things like Chitauri individual weapons, small anti-gravity aircraft, and metal alloy fragments were everywhere in New York now. These were all essential for any nation wishing to obtain a "ticket to the cosmos"!

Beyond this, various television stations began erupting into fierce debates. Some were assigned to soothe public anxiety, while others condemned the military's inaction! Even more extreme, several stations dropped a bombshell: someone had insisted on ordering a nuclear strike on New York, despite the opposition of the Director of SHIELD! If the Avengers hadn't been powerful enough to intercept the nuke, New York would have been nuked into oblivion! Moreover, this extraordinary scoop came complete with photos, videos, and evidence!

Upon learning this news, the angry public flooded the White House inboxes with all sorts of protest letters and emails! And that wasn't all; protesters began demonstrating, holding up various banners and shouting slogans, at one point blocking the gates. They demanded an explanation for the incident and severe punishment for those responsible!

Of course, none of the global fallout surrounding the alien invasion of New York had anything to do with Annie. At this moment, Annie was secretly huddling in her small room. After locking her door, she lay in her quilt and began counting her spoils of war: a uniquely shaped scepter, and a square gemstone emitting a strange, pale blue light!

Ha! Tibers, look! We're finally rich! Look, these are two divine artifacts—two of them!

Annie lay on the bed with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her little bear, Tibers, beside her. Lying in front of the girl and the bear were the spoils Annie had harvested after yesterday's Battle of New York: Loki's scepter—or was it a wand?—and the Tesseract, or rather, one of the Infinity Stones, the Space Stone?

Clearly, Annie didn't care much for these names. Regardless, they were hers now, and no one could take them away! She planned to give them new names to establish her ownership. Hmm, maybe something simpler, like: Annie's Wand and Annie's Gem?

The Space Stone, or the Tesseract, was a square, cubic gemstone emitting pale blue energy fluctuations. Annie discovered that it seemed to possess infinite energy in this world—a very strange little thing! It was highly likely a manifestation of certain cosmic laws; regardless, it was magical.

Based on its infinite energy alone, it could be called a divine artifact! If news of this were released, it would be enough to trigger a world war! But that wasn't what Annie valued most; she didn't care about energy. What Annie truly wanted was its ability to open space portals—that was the most important part!

Annie was now basically certain: the culprit that had mysteriously teleported her from the Voodoo lands to this Earth was this very Space Stone! After studying it closely at close range, she was one hundred percent sure! This wicked thing had brought her to Earth, and if she ever wanted to go home, she would undoubtedly need its help.

Lying horizontally on the other side of the Space Stone was Loki's scepter—no, now it was Annie's wand! It was a uniquely shaped scepter that had originally been swatted away by Annie's little bear—er, by Tibers—during the battle! However, Annie had recovered it immediately.

For a mage like Annie, finding something emitting such strong magical fluctuations was far too easy! She had plenty of ways to obtain it without anyone noticing! While others were still blindly searching through the ruins, this wand was already resting safely in Annie's spatial storage pocket.

Annie already knew the power of this scepter. It seemed the gem upon it was of the same class as the Space Stone. Aside from its near-infinite energy, the wand's specialty lay in controlling minds—or, to be more precise, controlling souls?

It seemed to allow the user to enter another person's thoughts to achieve control! However, its effectiveness on high-intelligence beings didn't seem to be very good, as evidenced by Hawkeye's easy defection. Annie felt that perhaps its control over low-intelligence creatures or the undead would be more effective. It seemed like an evil object, but Annie loved it!

Because it had been fashioned into a wand, this gem now possessed an additional power alongside its infinite energy and mind control: the ability to deploy a magical shield! Bolstered by infinite energy, this shield was almost impossible to break with magic! Annie had personally tested this yesterday.

The only pity was that this shield did not protect against physical attacks. Its advantages were obvious, and its weakness was even more obvious! Even so, it could rightfully be called a divine artifact: infinite energy, magic immunity, and powerful control effects? It was undoubtedly a divine artifact; no one could deny that!

Seeing these two divine artifacts, Tibers' mind began to wander: *Great Master Annie! Seeing how hard I fought and how diligent I've been all these years, how about sharing one with me? That wand, perhaps? Think about it—if I hold the wand, I'll be immune to magic damage! And since I'm already immune to physical damage, I'll be invincible... wouldn't that be a beautiful sight?*

"No! These are all mine!" Annie stepped forward and shielded both the gem and the wand. These were her things, and no one could take them, not even Tibers!

"Tibers, you must understand, you are my little bear! Even if I give you the wand, your things are my things. Even if I truly gave it to you, it would still belong to me because you belong to me. So, there's no need to divide things, right?"

"Besides! You saw the wand yesterday; it cannot move while the shield is active. If you can't move, you can't fight. Do you expect the enemy to run up to you and bite you?"

"Tsk! That's actually true," Tibers thought for a moment and could only helplessly abandon his plan to become a "Staff-Bearing Bear."

"Mhm! This stone needs more time for proper research to be understood. It's decided then! Tibers, let's go take a bath. Auntie Melinda should have prepared the water by now." With a wave of her hand, Annie swept both items into her spatial pocket.

Researching the Space Stone was not something that could be completed in a short time, and since Annie's own mastery of space magic wasn't particularly high, this would have to suffice for now! However, Annie knew of a place and a person who was quite proficient in space magic. When she had time, she would go find her! Given how well-behaved, clever, and cute Annie was, surely that person wouldn't... no, they would definitely want to teach her, right?

What? Not teach her? Impossible! How could anyone have the heart to not teach someone as cute as Annie? If such a person existed, they must be a bad person! Annie was particularly good at dealing with bad people, and her little bear Tibers was also very skilled at using his claws to "persuade" others! If the person really refused to teach her, she would just let the little bear have a "good chat" with them, and then there would be no problem!

"No! No! I don't want to bathe! I am a Shadow Bear! I belong to the fire element! I don't like soaking in water! This is animal cruelty! I protest!"

"Be good, Tibers! You fought yesterday! If you don't bathe, you'll smell bad! If you do, I won't want to hold you while I sleep!" Annie grabbed Tibers by the arm and skipped toward the large bathroom downstairs! As for Tibers' protest? Did it even matter?

***

At the World Security Council headquarters, in a secret meeting room, a group of Council leaders were holding a meeting. The atmosphere was tense; it seemed today's agenda would not be very popular!

"Let's hear it. What do you all think we should do now?" one Council member with a dark expression broke the silence.

"Hah! What do you mean 'what should we do'? What does it have to do with me? I wasn't the one who proposed dropping the nuke yesterday!" another member replied disdainfully. For a qualified politician, shifting blame and dodging responsibility were well-practiced skills!

If the aliens had been wiped out immediately after the nuclear strike yesterday, he might have jumped out to claim some credit and become one of the unsung heroes who saved the Earth! But now? Heh, the aliens were dealt with by a few Avengers and SHIELD agents. Those of them who had supported the nuclear strike would not only receive no credit but would instead be caught in a mess! The public outside was waiting for a scapegoat, and he wasn't about to be foolish enough to volunteer himself.

"Exactly! I said it at the time—you can't just drop nukes recklessly, but you wouldn't listen! Now look, aren't you regretting it?" another member turned on him instantly, completely denying that he had actually not opposed it yesterday.

"Enough! Things have come to this! I believe you should show some accountability. Since you were the one who proposed it, you should take responsibility! Perhaps you are no longer suited for this important position. Let's vote!" the person sitting in the main seat finally spoke, concluding the matter.

"Seconded!" "Seconded!" "Seconded!"

The resolution passed smoothly. The scapegoat was found, and the Council member who had proposed the nuclear strike was dismissed immediately! This news would be announced shortly, and it was believed that the Council's awkward situation would soon improve. Having achieved their goal of shifting the blame, the members filed out of the meeting room, without sparing a single glance at the poor wretch slumped in his chair.

"Those bastards!" Seeing everyone pass the resolution to dismiss him without allowing any opposition, Malik—the member who had first spoken—was so enraged that his entire face contorted. He was Malik, a current member of the World Security Council and one of the leaders of HYDRA—a real-life 007!

It was he who had first proposed the nuclear strike yesterday. His goal, besides eliminating the aliens, was also to take the opportunity to wipe out the Avengers. After all, the Avengers had been created privately by that Black man, Nick Fury, behind the Council's back, and they only listened to him. Malik felt they were too great a threat to HYDRA, especially after seeing the combat footage from the Battle of New York!

But now, those people who had so confidently supported his proposal yesterday had sold him out at the first opportunity! They were nothing but bastards! Malik had spent so many years planning to reach this level, only to have his years of hard work ruined in an instant? His seat on the Council was gone just like that?

Perhaps, it was time for HYDRA to surface! Malik's face was dark, his mind filled with grim thoughts. Since they wouldn't give him what he wanted, why shouldn't he just take it himself?