I Became a Knockoff Arms Dealer in the Marvel World

Sokovia had remained remarkably low-key and humble, not at all like North Korea, which had gotten nuclear weapons and suddenly believed itself invincible.

Nevertheless, the name of Umbrella Corporation spread across every corner of the world, officially stepping onto the global stage.

Sokovia immediately declared its adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement:

"Sokovia is a peace-loving nation. We will never initiate a nuclear strike unless we face severe provocation."

Essentially, Sokovia's declaration sounded almost identical to that of the Rabbit Nation (a sarcastic term for a pacifist stance, hinting at the country's weakness).

Of course, while Sokovia made such a statement on the surface, behind the scenes, many countries feared Sokovia might go mad. After all, who could say whether the number of nuclear weapons Sokovia possessed matched their peaceful rhetoric?

Meanwhile, Tony Stark, thoroughly embarrassed, returned to the United States and immediately rushed his severely injured friend to New York Central Hospital.

After several attending physicians confirmed that James "Rhodey" Rhodes' broken leg could be healed with a few months of rest, Tony finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In a high-end ward at New York Central Hospital, Rhodey lay on the bed, still pale, his right leg wrapped in thick plaster.

He had just undergone a leg surgery, and beside him stood Tony Stark, his face full of concern.

"Tony, what are you planning to do next? Umbrella is no ordinary arms dealer. I told you we should have been cautious from the beginning."

Even while lying in bed, Rhodey couldn't stop talking about the Sokovia battle.

Tony forced a smile, trying to sound upbeat. "Don't worry about that, Rhodey. Your priority now is to rest and recover."

"As for Umbrella, I'll handle it. Iron Man isn't so easily defeated. Didn't someone once say: 'What doesn't kill me makes me stronger'?

You have to trust me, Rhodey."

Despite his weakened state after surgery, Rhodey was still uneasy. "Of course, I trust you. I believe you'll eventually defeat that evil arms company, Umbrella. But as a friend, I hope every battle you enter is well thought out."

"Umbrella is no longer something we can just casually defeat. They have two superpowered individuals as bosses, advanced Iron Man suit technology, tens of thousands of mercenaries, and even missile-launching nuclear weapons."

"Umbrella's strength is practically on par with that of a major country. If you want to go after them, I hope you're absolutely sure of your plan, and not rushing in like last time without proper intel."

Rhodey rambled on quite a bit.

In essence, he was worried that Tony's impulsive nature might lead him to make irreparable mistakes.

Tony took Rhodey's hand and squeezed it before putting on his sunglasses, trying to appear cool as he said, "I'll be careful. You focus on recovering, Rhodey."

With that, Tony left New York Central Hospital, not wearing the flashy Mark VII Iron Man suit but instead keeping a low profile as he boarded a private jet back to his mansion in Malibu, Los Angeles.

As soon as he arrived at the cliffside mansion, Pepper Potts rushed over with a concerned look on her face.

"Tony, where did you go yesterday? Jarvis wouldn't tell me your whereabouts. I heard Rhodey was injured during the battle. You weren't involved, were you?"

Feigning nonchalance, Tony replied, "Rhodey got a little hurt on the battlefield in the Middle East. It was just an accident. Of course, I wasn't involved. No need to worry."

He then swiftly changed the subject. "Oh, I just had a brilliant idea! Can you make me a cup of coffee and bring it to the garage lab? You know, Pepper, inspiration is like a shooting star. If you don't catch it, it slips away. I need to get to work on it right now!"

With that, Tony rushed to the garage lab, seeming in a hurry, but once alone at his desk, his anxious expression was replaced by a serious, focused demeanor.

"Jarvis, set up a new suit design. That crazy woman's nickname is 'Scarlet Witch,' right? Let's call it... 'Anti-Scarlet Witch Armor!'"

---

In New York, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters, Hawkeye Clint Barton and Black Widow Natasha Romanoff were reporting to Director Nick Fury.

During the Sokovia battle, Hawkeye and Black Widow didn't even get a chance to make an appearance. They had only watched from the sidelines.

After all, Tony had flown in with Rhodey in grand style. But in less than ten minutes, a scowling Tony was seen supporting the injured Rhodey as they were promptly escorted out.

To say the least, the highly-prepared Hawkeye and Black Widow had spent all that time waiting, only to have the battle end without them even being needed.

Iron Man and War Machine were defeated in under ten minutes—adding two more elite agents wouldn't have turned the tide!

"Do you think we can handle opponents like these?"

Director Nick Fury, who had obtained a battle video from Tony, projected the 'crucial ten minutes' video onto the screen as he asked his two top agents for their opinions.

As they watched Wanda in the video, radiating a mysterious red glow—whether it was magic or a superpower—taking down War Machine with a single move, both agents could see that Rhodey stood no chance.

Even Tony Stark himself wasn't a match for this powerful woman.

As for Umbrella's boss, Carl Davis, his abilities appeared impressive as well. He could fly and his flight speed was no joke, but throughout the whole chase, he never retaliated, instead being pursued by Tony.

It seemed Carl wasn't too powerful, but his girlfriend was certainly terrifying.

At present, S.H.I.E.L.D. knew they couldn't win against such foes.

After watching the ten-minute battle video, Hawkeye and Black Widow had a better understanding of Wanda and Carl's powers.

Hawkeye, unwilling to talk about the exaggerated power of Scarlet Witch, spoke first. "We should be able to handle Umbrella's boss Carl. If we catch him off guard, I can shoot him in the throat before he reacts."

Black Widow wasn't so optimistic. She shook her head and said, "This Carl guy isn't so simple. Didn't you notice? During the entire chase, he never looked back once. It's as if he has eyes on the back of his head, easily dodging Tony's attacks."

"That suggests he probably has some kind of danger-prediction ability. A superpowered person like that would be hard to take down from a distance."

After listening to Black Widow's analysis, Hawkeye had to admit she was right.

He sighed. "I guess I didn't think this through. These superpowered individuals are just too difficult to deal with."

Director Nick Fury was also having a headache over these two individuals who had made Tony look bad.

---

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