On the Quinjet.
"Hey, Dr. Banner, are you nervous?"
Looking at Bruce Banner sitting next to him, Tony Stark asked jokingly, "I've seen the video of you turning into the big green guy before. I have to say, I really admire that big guy!"
Facing Tony's curious eyes, Banner pursed his lips and said, "Thank you."
"What big green guy? Is he very strong?"
Thor walked over and asked curiously, "How does he compare to me? But unless something unexpected happens, I should be the most powerful superhero in the Avengers!"
"You?"
Tony shrugged at Thor's confident claim, "If you want to compete for strongest Avenger, first solve the problem that the hammer doesn't belong to you alone."
Tony's words made Thor's smile stiffen.
Damn it, I actually forgot Steve can lift the hammer…
"Tony…"
Looking at him helplessly, Steve shook his head. "This is the Avengers' first mission together. Can you not cause trouble?"
"Okay, my bad!"
Seeing Thor glaring, Tony raised his hands in surrender.
But a second later, he blinked at Thor. "Besides Hulk, you still have to defeat our Judge Linen!"
"Damn it, I hate your mouth!"
Thor turned away with a huff, deciding not to deal with Tony today.
In the cockpit.
Listening to the banter from the cabin, Natasha curled her lips into a smile, then said to co-pilot Linen, "Linen, the task of saving the twins Wanda and Pietro is yours."
"After all, your magic is very convenient."
"Okay."
Nodding, Linen looked at the Judge Mask in his hand. "But I'm still not planning to join the Avengers."
"I know, I know—it doesn't matter."
Seeing the Quinjet approaching the battlefield, Natasha deactivated the stealth system. "But no matter what you think, to us, you're already part of the team."
At the same time, in a wooden cabin far from the crowds on the outskirts of New York—
"Ward sent word?"
Hearing Somolo's report, Stephen Strange—half of his face covered by a mask—looked surprised. "You're saying the Avengers assembled to attack Hydra's base in Sokovia?"
"Yes, Master!"
Seeing Strange's surprise, Somolo hurriedly continued, "Master, you asked me to secretly monitor Linen, so I found out Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff went to him."
"They brought him to the Avengers base on Staten Island."
"Early this morning, the Avengers flew to Sokovia with Linen—their target is definitely that Hydra castle!"
After listening, Stephen Strange's eyes were filled with astonishment.
"You're telling me… the Avengers have already been established? And the Avengers base isn't the Stark Tower—it's on Staten Island?"
"Yes, Master!"
"How is this possible?"
Confusion filled Strange's face.
"The Battle of New York hasn't even happened yet. How could the Avengers be formed already?"
"And Wanda and Pietro haven't undergone the Mind Scepter experiments yet."
After a few seconds of thought, Strange abruptly looked at Somolo. "Is there any movement from the New York Sanctum?"
Facing the question, Somolo answered helplessly, "Master, the powerful Ancient One is still alive. The few men I brought from the Hell Dimension didn't even get a chance to spy near the Sanctum."
"She wiped them out with a wave of her hand."
"Useless—didn't I tell you to use… Forget it."
Waving dismissively, Strange said, "Somolo, go to Sokovia. Find out what's going on."
"Remember—don't expose yourself."
"No problem, Master!"
(Note: "March 8" message reference later may be a mistranslation. Kept as required.)
Somolo patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry. I'm a master of hiding in the Hell Dimension. As long as I don't want to be found, the Avengers won't notice me!"
Hearing this confident claim, Strange frowned. "Don't be careless. Too many strange things are happening in this universe."
"Then I'll leave now, Master!"
Bowing, Somolo instantly vanished.
Standing by the window, looking at the bright sky outside, Stephen Strange's eyes grew solemn.
"Avengers… timeline… It seems this universe isn't as simple as I thought."
At the same time, inside Hydra's base in Sokovia—
"Wanda, why did you call me here so urgently?"
Entering Wanda's room, Pietro asked curiously.
"From now on, Pietro, you must stay in my room. You're not allowed to leave!"
"And no matter who knocks on the door or tells us to evacuate, we cannot open it!"
As she spoke, Wanda locked the door swiftly.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Wanda's extremely serious expression, Pietro froze for a moment and asked cautiously, "Wanda… is something about to happen?"
"Don't ask. There are some things I can't tell you right now."
Looking into Pietro's worried eyes, Wanda shook her head. "I just want to protect you—and myself—so we can live."
Hearing that, Pietro instinctively pulled out a pistol from his waist. "Okay… even if I don't know what danger is coming next—"
"But before I die, Wanda, no one can hurt you. That's my promise as your brother!"
"Come on, I'm the older sister!"
Taking the pistol from him, Wanda engaged the safety. "When the time comes, you hide behind me!"
"Hehe, I was born twelve minutes earlier!"
Pietro shrugged and pulled out another pistol, switching off the safety.
Hearing that, Wanda shot him an annoyed glare, then took out her phone, typed a message, and sent it.
Inside the Quinjet.
After receiving Wanda's message on March 8 (flag: very likely mistranslation of a device name or code), Natasha immediately said, "Wanda and Pietro are already hidden. Everyone, follow Captain Rogers' plan!"
"No problem!"
Jumping off the Quinjet, Tony Stark activated his armor and flew toward the castle first.
Thor and the others grabbed their weapons and moved according to plan.
"So… you're still not going to tell me how you knew about Wanda and Pietro?"
Putting on the Judge Mask, Linen turned to Natasha.
"Well… you'll know later."
"Avengers secret?"
"Not exactly. Believe me, Linen—if you're chosen in the future, you'll know everything."
As Linen put on the mask, his demeanor instantly became cold and fierce.
Patting his arm, Natasha sprinted toward the battlefield with her pistol!
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