Chapter 5736: Chapter 4759: X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (26)

"How’s the frontline situation?" The local Captain America sat up from the hospital bed. He ripped off the bandage wrapped around his head in a few quick motions, where there had indeed been an injury before, but it healed even before he left the operating room.

"Which frontline are you referring to?" Nick asked. "Manhattan is fine now. The roads have all been repaired. As for the Solar System..."

Nick shook his head, and Captain America knew the situation wasn’t good. Fighting in the cosmos is quite different from fighting on Earth. The cosmos is a three-dimensional space. The so-called Jupiter Line isn’t really a line, but rather the entire orbit of Jupiter. It’s a three-dimensional space surrounding the Sun. To blockade armies across such a large distance is a task of unimaginable strength.

The main reason it could be done is due to the powerful strength of the mutants, and Stark sneaking in and using the mechanical army to block the opposing mechanical army, thus forming a stalemated situation.

But the problem is, the army of the Shi’ar Empire is continuously coming through the teleportation portal. At this rate, no one can hold out. The Solar System may seem vast, but in the face of an army of this magnitude, physically filling the Solar System isn’t difficult. By that time, not just Jupiter, but even the Moon would be crowded with people. It would truly be beyond salvation then.

So the most urgent task now is to quickly close the Sun’s teleportation portal. But this seems like an almost impossible mission. First of all, they can’t even manage the Sun, let alone delve into its core. Secondly, they have no clue how to shut down the teleportation portal.

Captain America closed his eyes, reflecting for a moment while lying on the bed, then said, "I think, it’s still The Avengers..."

Nick knew what he wanted to say. He thought for a moment and said, "You can be the last line of insurance, but before that, I think we might try exploring in another direction."

Captain America looked at him, and at that moment, Black Widow also walked in, followed by the other Avengers. They planned to hold a brief meeting in the hospital room.

"Is the Shi’ar Empire as solid as a rock?" Nick was the first to pose the question.

The local Iron Man shook his head and said, "They are the opposite of rock-solid, a disjointed mess. Of the Three Great Empires, the other two are highly centralized military states, but they are in a decentralized state."

"What system do they operate under?" Spider Man asked curiously.

"It’s a noble republic. However, the Emperor also wields considerable power. It’s overall just..." Iron Man gestured with his hands, "swinging back and forth."

"Got it." Black Widow nodded and said, "Then this time, are the Emperor’s and the nobles’ interests aligned?"

"I’m afraid they are, indeed," Hawkeye sighed and analyzed, "This is not a short-term plan. From sending materials and technology, to opening the teleportation portal, to the army closing in. If there were internal disagreements and conflicts, they would have broken out long ago. But the fact is, they succeeded."

"Exactly." Nick nodded and said, "I believe that before they succeed in taking Earth, their interests are indeed aligned. Although I don’t know exactly what’s so good about Earth, since so many alien civilizations want it, they must want it too."

Captain America understood the implication and said, "That’s how it is before they take over; what about after?"

"That certainly wouldn’t be possible," Hawkeye added. "Such a divided system could hardly come together over spoils of war. They’ll probably fight over their brains for a larger share."

"Wait," Black Widow looked at Nick and said, "You’re not suggesting we let them take Earth first, then allow infighting, are you? What kind of ridiculous plan is that?"

Nick shook his head and said, "You don’t understand. Grabbing the spoils requires an early start, the sooner the better. If you wait to grab them after actually winning, there won’t be anything left."

"You guys are indeed good at this," Winter Soldier commented, "If you weren’t going to take the Red Orchid Factory, the mutants would have seized it by now."

The local Iron Man averted his gaze. He could understand what Nick meant. There is actually a paradox here, known as the famous "Picking the Peach" theory.

"Popping the champagne halfway" is often used to describe rushing to celebrate victory before things are truly accomplished. However, if you aren’t the first to reap the benefits, how do you prove the victory is related to you?

In the context of multi-party competition and negotiation, who exerted the most effort on the matter doesn’t matter; what’s important is who appears to be enjoying the fruits of victory.

For example, in wartime, everyone is grabbing territory. The one who looks the most like a winner isn’t necessarily the one who fought the most, but certainly the one who seized the largest territory. This can be seen as a kind of consequentialism, but it has always held a significant place in game theory.

If this isn’t clear enough, it can also be said everyone’s trying to "pick the peach." Who planted the tree isn’t important; who finally picks and enjoys the fresh, tasty peach is what matters most.

To have the freshest, tastiest peach, you must pick it early. If you wait until the peach is ripe, it’s already too late. Some pick when the peach is still green, some while it’s still small, and some even when it’s just thumb-sized.

This leads to situations where, clearly, if everyone waited until the peaches matured fully, everyone could have enjoyed them, but merely to be the first to pick a peach, they strip all the small fruits from the tree, ruining what should have been a naturally successful outcome.

The Red Orchid Factory incident is a case in point. After the assault team perished, the Mother Module’s consciousness had mainly awakened. They needed to do nothing but wait for Nimrod’s production to complete, at which point the mutants would be doomed.

But unfortunately, everyone wants to take a bite out of the factory. Anticipating your move, I need to act sooner than you. In this race, there’s no way to consider reality. Even if the Mutants only lose a raid squad instead of total annihilation, the threat remains, and they can only blindfold themselves and ignore the reality to seize the chance.

"The Shi’ar Empire would do the same," Nick said. "The nature of intelligent life is common. As long as they are not united, there will definitely be a situation where striking first gives the advantage. Waiting until they’ve taken Earth to act would be too late."

Captain America thought for a moment and said, "So, if we can make them feel victory is within reach, that Earth is no longer a concern, and it’s time to consider how to divide the Solar System, they will start fighting among themselves?"

Nick nodded and said, "Exactly. At that point, the Teleportation Portal is no longer an obstacle for us, but rather a death warrant for them. An army cannot follow orders if it’s commanded by multiple forces. At that point, when they use the Teleportation Portal to dispatch troops and signal, it becomes a disruption. Maybe we can slowly devour this army completely."

"But this is based on the premise that the Shi’ar Empire is not united internally," Black Widow said. "If they are a totalitarian state, it won’t work?"

"They’re not," Iron Man said. "Although their Emperor appears very strong, he’s restrained by the nobles..."

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to receive a communication. After going out for a while, he returned with a pale face and said, "There’s a rebellion in the Shi’ar Empire, and their Emperor is dead."

Everyone became alert, and Captain America stood up directly, saying, "They’re in turmoil? Could it be they’ve already attempted to seize control?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Iron Man painfully closed his eyes and shook his head: "A General under D’Ken has usurped power. He’s killed almost all the nobles and declared himself as Tyrant."

"How could this happen just in time..."

Iron Man thought for a moment and said, "The specific situation is still unknown, but I suspect perhaps this is also a preemptive seizure of victory results. It’s just that it’s not a fight between the Emperor and the nobles, but instead, the military that has been suppressed has made a move."

"Heavens, they won’t turn into a Military State, will they?"

"Hard to say." Iron Man sighed and said, "Although the military might indeed want to take down Earth, perhaps we can send someone to negotiate with him. After all, he’s just ascended to power and is not stable. Maybe we can make a deal to get him to withdraw."

Nick apparently thought of this too. No matter how the rebellion erupts, it benefits them, signifying a renewal of the situation and a potential new opportunity.

"What kind of person is this new Emperor?" After Nick left, Hawkeye looked at Iron Man and asked, "You’ve left out some things, haven’t you?"

Iron Man seemed utterly despondent. He sat on the bedside, leaning against the wall, and said, "I don’t know much about who he is. But the two people under his command truly are ludicrous."

"Tell us," Black Widow said, "Surely there’s no worse news."

Iron Man directly projected onto the wall, revealing a tall Nimrod Robot and Mephisto with Shiller’s face.

Dr. Banner was shocked and said, "How could it be them?!"

Captain America covered his forehead: "Of course it’s them!"

The others looked at him, and Captain America said, "I’ve said it before. The Shi’ar Empire’s understanding of The Avengers is abnormal. Although there might be a mole, without long-term combat following The Avengers or someone extremely familiar with us, they couldn’t have relayed so much intelligence. It must be a key figure from our side."

"This war, from the start, was part of certain people’s plans." Captain America continued.

"What exactly are they trying to achieve?" Hawkeye squinted his eyes, "What’s the point in all this turmoil?"

"I can think of a few things," Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses and said, "First and foremost, destroying the Red Orchid Factory is crucial. This thing, specifically designed for Genocide, should not exist at all. Blowing it up completely is the best option, leaving no trace behind. No one should even think about picking up parts to create a second generation."

As he spoke, he glanced at Iron Man, who then averted his gaze and didn’t meet his eyes. Banner slightly rolled his eyes and continued, "Moreover, it can make us more united. At least the two alliances should unite more. If Superheroes can’t team up, not only fighting individually but even scheming against each other, what’s the meaning of Multiverse communication? We shouldn’t lose confidence in exploring outward because of lack of unity at this stage."

This indeed gained approval from most. Their affairs across two universes are not particularly large or small. If they don’t achieve a perfect outcome, many observing universes might view the Multiverse as a Dark Forest where man-eating Beasts are everywhere and choose to hide themselves or attack others. That would be too terrifying.

Having accomplished so much, they need to at least set a good example. The Shi’ar Empire’s invasion offered them a chance to fight side by side, and their performance was decent. This at least showed the Multiverse that even though there might be minor friction between us, with major enemies at hand, we will consider the bigger picture and certainly prioritize appropriately, not withdrawing in fear.

"Of course, I personally believe it helps elevate the Mutants’ status, making the Human Government realize that Mutants are also the last line of defense for the Solar System. At least for this reason, give Clarkia some respect."

"I also feel that covers most of it," Black Widow said, "I’m more curious about how the current situation will be resolved. Magneto is dead after all."