...
With Leon and Tony's superhero identities both exposed, the United States was shocked.
After all, before this, the two brothers were synonymous with playboys, and the gap between them and superheroes, who symbolized strength and justice, was like a chasm.
No one could have imagined reality would be so fantastical.
So, by the time the brothers finished dealing with the fervent reporters and fans and returned home, it was already late at night.
"Jarvis."
"Welcome home, young masters."
The lights in the living room automatically turned on under Jarvis's control, but the scene that met Tony and Leon's eyes was somewhat surprising and amusing.
What they saw was:
Skids Mode Arcy, dressed in a sleeveless, off-the-shoulder, backless, high-necked gray sweater that barely covered her hips, was sitting primly on the sofa.
And on the floor beside her lay a bald, one-eyed Black man, bound in a turtle-shell knot with hemp rope, looking utterly disheveled.
"Who are you?"
Tony asked, puzzled.
"This is Arcy's other mode, Brother."
Leon walked over to Arcy and explained to him.
"Huh??"
"This is Arcy??"
"Such a large motorcycle becoming so petite, isn't that too unscientific??" Tony's Worldview was somewhat shattered by the surprise.
If Arcy's combat mode could be barely understood as a reorganization of hollow-like structures and mechanical parts.
Then this completely illogical body compression and transformation technology was truly pure Black technology.
"Leon's Brother, there's nothing to be surprised about, Cybertronians are all like this." Arcy calmly stated the facts as she understood them.
"Alright."
Tony pouted. Since Leon could gain superpowers, it wasn't strange for aliens to exist... or so he thought!
"But..."
"Although I am indeed Leon's Brother, I am not called 'Leon's Brother'. I have my own name, I am Tony."
"If possible, I hope you can call me by my name, Miss Arcy."
"Okay, Leon's Brother."
Arcy agreed.
"........."
Tony was helpless, feeling that Arcy was still holding a grudge, so he could only let her have her way: "Alright, call me whatever you want."
"Then who is this person next to you?"
Tony asked.
"An hour ago, this Black man cracked the Villa's electronic security key and snuck in suspiciously."
"To be safe, I notified Miss Arcy, who was on standby in the hangar, and she was the one who subdued this thief."
Jarvis explained.
Upon hearing this,
Leon's mouth was about to split from laughter.
He could totally imagine—
It must have been Black Halogen Egg trying to sneak into his and Tony's home in advance, then seize the opportunity to show off in front of them, only to tragically run into Arcy's gun.
Judging by his bruised and swollen external injuries, he had not escaped a good beating from Arcy.
"I see."
"I thought he was an alien too."
Tony generally understood what had happened and even had the mood to crack a joke.
At this moment,
Nick Fury happened to wake up, and his first words were the classic:
"Motherfucker!"
"What the hell kind of monster are you?!"
Bang!
Arcy, with a displeased look, raised her leg and kicked, knocking the insolent Black Halogen Egg back to sleep. Leon and Tony, watching from the side, felt the pain.
Half an hour later,
Nick Fury slowly woke up again.
Only this time he learned his lesson, first observing his surroundings. When he found that he had been untied and that the "plague god" was not present, he dared to cautiously mutter:
"Motherfucker!"
"What the hell was that hunk of iron?"
"That's not a ghost, but my beloved motorcycle, Mr. Black Halogen Egg." Leon leaned on the sofa, resting his face on one hand, his eyes glowing with a benevolent golden light as he scrutinized Nick Fury.
Tony, beside him, had also donned a Mark 3 right arm, his palm cannon aimed at Nick Fury, and questioned: "Mr. Black Halogen Egg, I hope you can explain why you trespassed into our home."
"If there's no reasonable answer, I don't think you'll see tomorrow's Sun."
"I am Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Who dares to kill me? Who can kill me?"
Nick Fury originally wanted to say something tough like that, but seeing that the two brothers didn't seem like easy targets, he could only follow his heart and say:
"I am Nick Fury, Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., you've all misunderstood, I'm actually a good person."
As he spoke,
Nick Fury even deliberately bared his missing white tooth, trying to smile as kindly as possible.
Seeing this,
The two brothers exchanged glances, stood up, and helped Nick Fury off the ground, patting his shoulders with extreme "enthusiasm" and laughing:
"Oh, so it's Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.! I thought it was some petty scoundrel from somewhere, hahaha, it's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!"
"Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding, ahaha..."
Nick Fury was smiling on the outside, but inside he was already cursing: "Your grandma, as one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rare Level 10 Agents, I've never been so wronged in my life!"
After the misunderstanding was resolved,
Their conversation gradually got back on track.
"'I am Iron Man', 'I am Homelander', it sounds very impressive, but do you really think you are the only two superheroes in the World?"
"No, two Starks, there are many others like you in this World, you just don't know it yet."
"Sounds impressive."
Leon complimented him dismissively.
"If what you're saying is true, then where are they now?" Tony also asked back with an indifferent attitude:
"Even if what you're saying is true, and they've always existed, where are they now?"
"All these years, besides Captain America Steve Rogers, who my father created, I've never heard of any other famous superheroes."
"If they're just cowards who cower in corners, then what kind of superheroes are they? Super-cowards is more like it."
Leon laughed upon hearing this: "Brother is right, super-cowards."
"Ah, this..."
Nick Fury was momentarily choked.
Captain Marvel Carol, his ace in the hole, was far away in another galaxy and could not be easily deployed unless there was a crisis threatening the Earth's existence.
The remaining conventional forces he could call upon were the Agent soldiers, represented by Hawkeye Clinton and Black Widow Natasha.
They could handle minor incidents, but major events were hard to rely on them for.
So Nick Fury truly didn't have many presentable superheroes at hand.
For this very reason, he had come to invite the Stark brothers, who possessed considerable combat power and financial resources, to join the Avengers he was about to form, to serve as a strong front.
"Indeed, my superhero project is in its initial phase." Nick Fury admitted: "That's why we need talents like you brothers even more."
"A superhero organization must have a name that matches it, right?" Tony asked, and Nick Fury immediately replied: "Avengers."
"Wow~"
Tony raised an eyebrow: "Sounds pretty good, what do you think, Leon?"
"You can use me as a facade." Leon looked at Nick Fury, "But I want to be the boss and have absolute autonomy."
"If you agree, I'll join."
"Otherwise, I might as well form my own Justice League."
Leon stated his demands. If he could be a free-spirited manager and enjoy the benefits without much effort, he would be quite happy; otherwise, he wouldn't bother.
Having strength allows for such willfulness.
Upon hearing this, Nick Fury fell into deep thought—
Tony Stark, needless to say, was a typical late-game powerhouse.
Besides being rich, he was a World-renowned weapons development genius, and there were few people in the World smarter than him. In terms of combat power alone, his Iron Man suit could also rank highly.
As for Leon Stark, he was purely a super combat unit.
Supersonic flight, Steel Body, Super Strength, unknown beam radiation cannons... based on the various abilities he had shown so far, Nick Fury secretly wanted to use him as a mini-Captain Marvel, to match Hulk.
However, as to who was stronger or weaker, Nick Fury couldn't be sure without an actual fight, but one thing was certain: Leon Stark was far more stable than Hulk.
After much consideration,
Nick Fury finally extended his hand to Leon and said: "Pleasure working with you."
Seeing this,
Leon's mouth curved into a smile, and he shook his hand: "Pleasure working with you."
Beside them,
Tony pouted: "How come no one asked for my opinion..."