Chapter 189: Chapter 189: The War Begins
New York Police Department,
Inside the Chief's Office.
George was processing some documents that had piled up over the past couple of days.
Compared to the major cases he used to handle, George clearly preferred dealing with these files submitted by the precincts.
At least it wasn't as exhausting.
"Looks like I can get off work early today," George murmured.
Just as he finished speaking, a loud, muffled boom echoed from above.
George looked up at the ceiling in confusion, thinking something had happened to the colleagues upstairs.
Before he could act, a detective burst through his office door, his face grim.
"Chief, something big has happened."
"Aliens are invading Earth."
"Are you joking?"
George immediately stood up from his chair and stared at the detective.
"It's not April Fool's Day, and that joke isn't funny at all."
The detective quickly pulled out his phone and showed George a video.
It was footage taken near Stark Tower.
In the video, strange creatures were wreaking havoc in downtown New York.
Some rode chariot-like vehicles resembling motorcycles, while others wielded laser guns.
The most shocking of all was a massive "fish" weaving between skyscrapers.
Every building it collided with seemed ready to collapse.
The video was filled with the screams and cries for help from civilians.
George's expression instantly turned grave.
"Where is this happening?"
"Stark Tower. The portal with the aliens is right above it."
"Damn it! It's always those damn rich people!"
Cursing under his breath, George realized the situation was urgent. He grabbed the microphone on his desk.
"Attention, all units! Head to the city center and organize a rescue operation.
Notify every precinct to send reinforcements.
Arm yourselves with full gear, and if you see any aliens—shoot them down!"
Under George's command, the entire New York Police Department went into high alert, fully armed and headed to the scene.
"We must contain these damn aliens within a single area!"
George knew that if these invaders spread out, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Now, he could only hope that the superheroes shared the same sense of urgency.
"Move out!"
---
Stark Tower Rooftop.
Thor had returned and was already engaged in a fierce fight with Loki.
Meanwhile, Rogers, Black Widow, and Hawkeye hovered mid-air near the tower in a combat jet.
"Prepare to support Thor," Rogers commanded.
But before they could act, Loki, feigning surrender, stabbed Thor in the abdomen with a small knife.
Then, noticing Rogers and the others preparing to attack, Loki channeled energy through the Mind Stone scepter and blasted the jet, destroying one of its rotors.
The jet spiraled out of control, plummeting downward.
Loki walked to the balcony, gazing at the smoke-filled city below with a manic expression.
"Anna, remember this historic moment.
This will be my first step in conquering Earth!"
"Understood, my king!"
---
In the sky, Tony Stark, wearing the Mark 7 suit, was battling the Chitauri soldiers.
Despite the suit's advanced technology, the increasing number of enemies was overwhelming—even more so with the massive Leviathan.
Only Banner, as the Hulk, might be able to handle that.
"Captain, where's Dr. Banner?" Tony asked over the comms.
Having landed safely on the ground, Rogers replied, puzzled, "Banner? Is he coming?"
Only Tony believed that Banner would return.
"Let me know when he arrives.
Jarvis, start scanning for that thing's weak spots."
While chasing the Leviathan, Tony shot down Chitauri soldiers mid-air.
But soon, a group of Chitauri soldiers emerged from an alley, surrounding him.
"Uh-oh... This doesn't look good."
Tony quickly assessed the situation, ready to deploy some high-explosive weapons.
Suddenly, the soldiers behind him were ensnared by webs that had appeared out of nowhere.
The webs extended to Gwen, who stood on a nearby rooftop.
"Miss Gwen, Arch 6's symbiotic properties allow it to generate synthetic webs inside the suit," Red Queen explained.
"These webs are stronger than the original, highly resistant to heat and corrosion.
And most importantly—unlimited."
Gwen nodded. "Got it."
With a swift tug, she yanked the Chitauri soldiers into the air, tossing them around like yo-yos.
Gwen swung her web directly toward the Chitauri Leviathan, slamming into it with full force.
Taking advantage of the opening, Tony quickly dispatched the remaining Chitauri soldiers in front of him.
He then flew over to Gwen, his tone filled with guilt.
"Sorry... I didn't expect things to escalate like this."
Gwen knew he was apologizing for what happened to Anna.
But in her heart, she didn't blame Tony.
She understood that Loki's methods had already far surpassed Tony's knowledge.
This wasn't science—it was magic, something beyond explanation.
"It's okay, Tony."
"If worse comes to worst, we'll just beat that so-called god Loki to a pulp."
Gwen glanced at the increasingly devastated downtown New York, her expression growing grim.
"I'll go save some people first!"
"Alright."
Tony nodded and parted ways with Gwen, both of them focusing on rescuing as many civilians as possible.
However, the towering office buildings in the city center posed a challenge.
Any damage to the upper floors would throw the entire structure into chaos.
And now, with the Chitauri forces launching indiscriminate attacks, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Tony didn't even dare ask JARVIS for the current casualty report—he could only focus entirely on saving lives.
Their primary objective now was to contain the Chitauri forces within this area until they could find a way to close the portal.
"Hey, Tony."
A familiar voice crackled through the communicator.
"Looks like you've gotten yourself into quite the mess again."
"Is that... Reed?"
Tony immediately recognized the voice.
"Yes, I'm here to support you. Need any help?"
"Consider it repayment for saving our ship last time."
Tony, of course, remembered the recent uproar surrounding the Fantastic Four.
"Absolutely."
"I need you to set up a perimeter around Manhattan.
Make sure not a single Chitauri soldier escapes."
"Can you do that?"
Reed, piloting a jet near the outskirts of Manhattan, asked,
"So, are you planning to take on all the aliens by yourself?"
"Me?"
"No, of course not."
"I have the Avengers!"
Reed knew that while Tony could be unreliable at times, he never joked when lives were at stake.
"Alright, for saving me before..."
"...I'll follow your lead this time!"
Tony was about to thank him when Rogers' voice came through the comms.
"Tony, Dr. Banner has arrived."
"Great. Tell him to get ready.
I've got a fun little gift heading his way."
"The war... has begun!"
Hearing that Banner was on-site, Tony immediately launched an attack on the massive Chitauri beast, luring it toward Rogers and the others.
Moments later, Rogers and his team saw Tony speeding toward them, with the enormous Leviathan close behind.
"I don't think this looks fun at all," Natasha muttered, her face pale.
You call that thing a fun gift?
Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, ready for battle at any moment.
Meanwhile, Dr. Banner calmly stepped forward, heading toward Tony and the approaching Leviathan.
"Dr. Banner, now's the perfect time to get angry."
Banner glanced back with a small smile.
"Funny... I was just thinking the same thing."
"In fact, I'm always angry."
"RAAAHHH!"
With a roar, Banner's body surged with power, muscles swelling as he tore through his clothes, transforming into the Hulk.
Facing the oncoming Leviathan, Hulk delivered a ferocious punch.
The sheer force of the blow slammed the beast into the ground, shattering its armor into pieces.
Even Black Widow and the others were once again reminded of the terrifying strength of the Hulk.
"Well done, Hulk!"
"Look over there..."
Hawkeye pointed to another Leviathan approaching from the opposite direction.
Thor swiftly swung Mjolnir, preparing to engage.
At that moment, Gwen swung down from a nearby building, holding a young girl in her arms.
She landed a short distance from the group and gently set the girl down.
"Are you okay?"
The little girl nodded obediently. "Thank you, Spider-Woman."
Gwen patted her head before calling over a nearby detective assisting with the evacuation.
"Take her to safety. Leave the rest to me."
(To be continued) …