amaotonovel Chapter 3717 Doomsday ( )
Chapter 3717 Doomsday ( )
Chapter 3717 Doomsday (Part 10)
Let's rewind to about a month and a half ago. It was a little over ten days before Steve's birthday. Solar System. Earth. In his office in the Capitol Building, the capital of the new Shangdu Kingdom. Charles put down the phone, smiling, and said, "Zheng Xian said they're ready. Now we just wait for Schiller to get going. Doctors never keep us waiting long. I'm afraid the US Congress, Stark Industries, and Kamar-Taj will soon reach a consensus. Earth is ready to set sail."
Across from Charles, Eric calmly sipped his tea and said, "I'll call Polaris and the others back later. Ostensibly, it's for Steve's 100th birthday party. But actually, we need to prepare for the Earth launch and the Asgardian banquet. Whether we can strike a fatal blow in this chaotic situation depends on this."
"To be honest, I was really shocked when they proposed the 'Earth Takeoff Project.' I didn't expect our neighbors to be more audacious than we thought. But in any case, it's a good thing for mutants. Our countries on Earth are too close to them. Geopolitically speaking, it's almost impossible to decouple from them. If the faster-than-light engine is built on our side, even if you show up at a United Nations meeting with impunity, they'll have to swallow their anger."
Eric merely curled the corners of his lips into a smile, but it didn't seem genuine. Charles lowered his eyes, and a moment of silence fell.
“Honestly, I don’t care anymore,” Eric said, shaking his head. “We have our own country now. My nationality is New Shangdu. My race is mutant, and all that stuff from before doesn’t count.”
“You’re quite generous,” Charles sneered. “Disregard it? Why should it disregard it? When you were down on your luck, those despicable people rewrote history and fooled the public, turning a blind eye to your pain and achievements. But now that you’re successful, they’ve swarmed around you like sharks smelling blood, eager to tear a piece of your flesh. No, perhaps they already have. And your attitude towards this is that all of the past is null and void?”
“Calm down, Charles.” Eric wasn’t surprised at all by Charles’s sudden change in attitude. He simply said, “Didn’t Israel say it was just a routine visit? If we get too excited, wouldn’t we be falling into their trap?”
“Yes, Israel is a regular visit, Germany is just a routine greeting. Don’t you remember that just a few years ago they both declared that you were neither Jewish nor German?” Charles laughed angrily. “They said your history of being in concentration camps was fabricated by you. Those surviving witnesses were threatened by you and gave false testimony. They said your ancestors had no religious beliefs, and even living in a Jewish community doesn’t mean you are Jewish…”
Listening to Charles recount his experiences with such familiarity, Eric seemed to find it somewhat amusing. He twirled the ring on his index finger, looking at Charles with a half-smile. Charles took a deep breath and said, "So what if I enjoy watching short videos more than you do? Modern online media surveillance is a very sophisticated subject. Even wild animals know this."
"Since it's just a routine greeting, let's handle it in the routine. If they don't say they're in a hurry because the New Shangdu Kingdom and China have become too close, then let's just assume they mean well. Anyway, more than 60 countries have already established diplomatic relations with the New Shangdu Kingdom, half of which are developed countries. Even for a regular visit, it would take more than two months to schedule. By then, the Earth will have already left the solar system, and we won't be the ones causing them the most headaches."
Charles pondered in silence for a while, seemingly finally calming down, and said, "Most European countries and at least half of the Middle Eastern countries are looking to the United States. The rise of China's voice is like a death sentence for them. By then, even if the United States doesn't say anything, they will definitely urge Congress to step in."
"You expect Congress to show some sympathy?" Eric sneered.
Charles paused for a moment, then said, "I heard that the King of Latvia, Doctor Doom, joined the construction project in the Himalayas a long time ago. Latvia has chosen our side. Wakanda has always had a good relationship with the Avengers; they must have chosen the United States."
"That's true. But to benefit from choosing sides, one must have value. Doom possesses extremely strong scientific research capabilities, and Latvia's geographical location is also important. Wakanda has advanced technology and a good international reputation. The New Shangdu Kingdom is militarily powerful and has an enclave in the Andromeda Galaxy. What about the other countries? What do those Middle Eastern countries have to offer in exchange for allegiance? Oil?"
Eric chuckled when the topic of oil came up. While many chemical products still rely on oil, its importance has significantly diminished compared to the past. Even the dollar's hegemony has crumbled because of this; had it not been for the solar system development program that brought in a windfall, the global economy would have been completely reshaped.
"Europe has no advantages either. It has limited resources and its technology is not advanced enough. It is not completely unified internally, and even if it is harmonious on the surface, everyone has their own agenda, so it has even less competitiveness. As for Germany, it is not even a first-class country in Europe, and it is even less noticeable on the international stage."
Charles remained silent, but inwardly he agreed with Eric. In the past, whether it was the oil tycoons of the Middle East or the old bourgeoisie of Europe, they could rely on their first-mover advantage to reap the rewards of the entire world. Even if they were struggling, they were still better off than other countries.
But now, China has even developed a faster-than-light engine. The future of Earth is essentially in the hands of these two superpowers. These smaller nations will no longer have any say. This means they have gone from being the ruling class to ordinary citizens, and in the new interstellar era, they will no longer have any decision-making power, but can only choose to execute.
Thinking about it that way, Charles felt much better. He took a deep breath and said, "They deserved it. If they had been even a little nicer to you, we might have been able to get them on the bus this time."
“Let’s forget about it,” Eric said. “My whole life has been dedicated to the cause of mutants, and it has nothing to do with my birthplace or my race as a normal human being. If they won’t distance themselves from me, I will distance myself from them.”
“You have to clear your name first!” Charles said, getting angry again. He slammed his hand on the table. “And they’re not just clearing their name, they’re throwing mud at you!”
“They’re not entirely wrong. I’ve been a terrorist for half my life, and I’ve killed countless ordinary people. How can that not be considered inhumane and ruthless?”
Charles paused his second slam on the table, then slowly clenched his fist. He sighed, then changed the subject, saying, "They probably didn't tell Dr. Schiller about the plan to bring Earth to Asgard, did they?"
“No,” Eric said, “but he can certainly figure it out. Asgard is supposed to be stationing troops in the Nine Realms soon. Rather than them coming here, we should go there.”
"How did you know Asgard was going to garrison troops? Do you have connections there?"
Eric shook his head and said, "Because I had Raven send envoys to put pressure on Asgard. The Shi'ar Empire sent people, and the other two great empires that are at war with it will surely send people as well, fearing that the Shi'ar Empire might actually win over Asgard. With the three great empires putting pressure on each other at the same time, and fearing that they might take extreme measures, Thor will definitely strengthen the defenses within the solar system. Sending troops to garrison is the best way."
Charles knew he was referring to Mystique Raven, who was disguised as Queen Lilandra of the Shi'ar Empire, and he understood why Eric was doing this—to have a legitimate reason for his actions.
If Asgard did nothing and Earth suddenly appeared on their heads, even if Asgard didn't dare to forcibly remove them, they would still protest to some extent. After all, this seriously threatens the safety of our capital, and it's reasonable for us not to allow it.
But if Asgard proposes to send troops first, then Earth has a perfectly valid reason to go: we've traveled all this way just to save Asgard some manpower. What can you say?
Even if we did threaten the security of your capital, your sending troops also threatened the security of our home planet. We didn't say anything then, and even welcomed you very warmly. Shouldn't you welcome us back?
To force Asgard to accept this, Erik, after learning of China's "Planetary Launch" plan, pressured Asgard through Mystique, even spreading rumors about "destroying the World Tree," thus compelling Asgard to take action against the Nine Realms. This would make any further action on Earth justifiable.
“We’ve done China a huge favor,” Eric said. “I believe Director Zheng will reciprocate by doing us a favor as well.”
"You mean..."
Jingle Bell!
Charles picked up the phone beside him and said, "Hello? Director Zheng? Okay, I'll give him the phone now." He then handed the receiver to Eric. Eric took it and said, "It's me. Yes, don't mention it. Is that so? Okay, I'll have them back as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Eric said to Charles, "Call Lorna and the others now and tell them to come back as soon as possible, preferably before tonight. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs them."
"What do you want with them?" Charles became somewhat wary when it came to these young mutants. "Could it be that you want them to do some dangerous mission?"
“Of course it’s a good thing,” Eric said, raising an eyebrow. “S.M.A.S. is willing to give the opportunity to fire the first shot to the new generation of mutants.”
Charles's expression changed, and his hand, which had been resting on the table, slowly tightened. He took a soft breath and said, "Lorna and the others are still very young. I'm afraid they..."
“They’re not as young as we are now,” Eric said, turning his head and speaking in an unyielding tone. “We’ve done everything we could, and they have to take responsibility instead of hiding under our wings forever. The future of mutants rests on their shoulders.”
Charles loosened his grip slightly, but he still said, "You have to give them some time. And you have to assure me that if they're unwilling..."
"If Lorna isn't willing, I'll have her boyfriend go. She'll definitely agree."
Charles opened his mouth, but thinking of Polaris's complicated emotional relationships, he ultimately said nothing.