I Became a Knockoff Arms Dealer in the Marvel World

Wanda stared at the Ancient One with a face full of wariness. It was the first time she had encountered a mage who knew teleportation magic.

Upon hearing the other's "good advice," her face changed, and a surge of anger suddenly flared up in her heart. Clenching her teeth, Wanda hissed:

"You love to meddle so much. Why didn't you step in when my parents were killed all those years ago? Now you suddenly show up, telling me to spare Tony—did he spare my parents?"

The more Wanda spoke, the more agitated she became. The palm of her hand flickered with a reddish glow, as if she were about to strike at any moment.

The Ancient One frowned, observing the enraged Wanda. If it weren't for the fact that Tony's death might disrupt the absolute point in time, she couldn't care less about the petty problems of Earth.

The Ancient One was not some pure-hearted, benevolent figure. During medieval Europe, when witches were persecuted to the extreme, she had also been forced to kill without hesitation.

Moreover, this world contained seven billion humans, and every day countless people died.

If it were just some insignificant, ordinary person, the Ancient One wouldn't even spare them a second glance.

Just as the Ancient One was about to clash with Wanda, Carl, who had been trying to keep a low profile on the side, finally spoke up.

"Wanda, you need to calm down. Vent your anger, but that's enough. Stark doesn't deserve to die, and the painful experiences of the past weren't entirely his fault."

As Carl spoke, he walked over to Wanda, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently comforted this woman whose mind was consumed by hatred.

Meanwhile, Tony was utterly confused, not understanding a word of what Wanda and Carl were saying.

"How am I not guilty enough to die? What did I do wrong?"

Tony felt that these mages and superhumans were speaking in some strange, incomprehensible way.

He bluntly asked, "Wait a minute, what do you mean by all this? Can someone explain what I did wrong?"

None of the three responded to him, and Tony felt like a complete fool.

"Hey! Can't you see me? What the hell is going on here?"

After Carl embraced Wanda, she began to calm down somewhat.

However, when she thought about her parents' death, a few tears slipped from her deep blue eyes. She turned her head, sobbing into Carl's shoulder, overwhelmed with grief.

Seeing that Wanda had calmed down, the Ancient One knew that she was no longer intent on taking Tony's life.

She glanced deeply at Carl without speaking, then turned and returned to the golden circle of light.

"Zzzz!"

The golden circle, its edges sparking, gradually shrank and disappeared from view.

When Carl saw that the Ancient One had no intention of striking him down, he relaxed his tense expression.

His next plan could be considered a villainous scheme, and naturally, he had been worried that the Ancient One might intervene to protect Earth's safety.

Fortunately, for reasons unknown, the Ancient One only gave him a deep look but didn't seem to care about him.

It appeared the Ancient One felt that as long as Carl didn't disrupt the absolute point in time, everything else was unimportant.

After this brief but intense confrontation, Carl was more confident about his next steps.

Previously, he had been concerned that the Kamar-Taj might intervene during the execution of his plan.

Now that he was certain of the Ancient One's stance, there was no need to worry too much about outside interference.

Carl held Wanda tightly, continuously comforting this poor woman. As the tear stains on her face began to fade, her sorrow gradually lifted.

However, when she noticed Tony still standing nearby, she couldn't help but say irritably, "Why are you still standing here, looking for trouble? I've spared you—just leave, Stark!"

Upon hearing Wanda's rude dismissal, Tony, who had almost been taken down by this madwoman, dared not say anything further.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

Realizing he couldn't win against this madwoman, Tony chose to retreat strategically. There was no shame in it—he reassured himself in his mind.

Honest and confused, Tony helped his friend Rhodey, who was groaning on the ground, to his feet. Together, they walked away, leaving behind only their forlorn backs.

As for Carl, after seeing Tony retreat without any fight, he didn't feel the slightest sense of victory. He knew that the real trouble was only just beginning.

The news of Umbrella's possession of nuclear weapons would undoubtedly spread.

It was easy to imagine that the major nuclear powers of the world would not be happy to see a military corporation suddenly possessing nuclear weapons and operating without control.

S.H.I.E.L.D. would undoubtedly continue to cause trouble for Umbrella, not to mention Tony Stark, who had just suffered a humiliating defeat.

As the famous Iron Man, how could Tony calmly accept his own failure?

There was no doubt that upon returning, Tony would prioritize the development of an "anti-Scarlet Witch" battle suit.

S.H.I.E.L.D. might not directly use public opinion to suppress the Umbrella Corporation, but they would certainly collaborate with the five major powers of the UN Security Council to secretly suppress this nuclear-armed threat.

If not for Iron Man's defeat at Umbrella's hands, the world might never have known that Umbrella was a force to be reckoned with.

After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. could still act behind the scenes.

Who knew? Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. would even consider sending in ground forces to launch a direct assault on Umbrella.

Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. would never be so blunt. They would likely increase their use of undercover agents, infiltrating Umbrella and using all sorts of shady methods.

Carl's only strategy from here on was simple.

Wait.

Wait for Umbrella's factory to manufacture enough Iron Man suits, then deal with the incoming trouble as it came.

When the time was right, Carl would execute the T-virus plan.

Then he would finally emerge as the hidden mastermind villain!

---

The Next Day.

The news of the Sokovia battle spread to every nation across the globe.

Mainstream media went wild reporting on Sokovia's possession of nuclear weapons. No one knew what kind of crazy actions Sokovia might take next.

Most world leaders feared that Sokovia, controlled by Umbrella, could become the next Cold War-era Soviet Union—an uncontrollable, mad force!

On a deeper level, the shocking news that Iron Man had suffered a defeat at Umbrella's headquarters was quietly suppressed by S.H.I.E.L.D.

After all, Iron Man was a national hero in America. If news of his failure spread, it would surely undermine America's standing as the global superpower.

With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, America did not want any negative news that might shake its position in the world.

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. was officially under the UN Security Council, in practice, America had significant influence over S.H.I.E.L.D., or rather, America and S.H.I.E.L.D. were aligned on the same side.

Therefore, when negative news about America arose, S.H.I.E.L.D. would naturally do everything in its power to suppress it.

After this battle, the news of Iron Man's defeat was classified, known only to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and S.H.I.E.L.D.

The general public would never know that their beloved Iron Man had taken a major fall in Sokovia.

---

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