Baxter Building, thirty-fifth floor, top-level laboratory.
The air here was thick with a mixed scent of ozone and scorching, as various never-before-seen precision instruments operated at full capacity.
Bruce adjusted the glasses sliding down his nose, standing somewhat awkwardly in the center of the lab.
"Dr. Banner, here's your coffee."
A massive figure, covered head-to-toe in orange rock, walked over. He held a coffee cup that looked like a thimble in his hand, his movements surprisingly gentle.
Ben Grimm, the Thing.
"Thanks, Ben." Banner took the coffee, his hand still trembling slightly.
"How's the big guy—I mean, the Hulk—doing?" the Thing asked gruffly.
As a fellow powerhouse and giant, he was concerned about his colleague.
Bruce gave a bitter half-smile and pointed to his chest. "He's hiding."
"Hiding?" The Thing's rocky face showed an expression of disbelief.
"That green rage baby who tears apart armies? He gets scared?"
"Fear is a biological instinct, Ben."
Reed, who had been standing by the holographic projection table, turned around.
"And that creature named Frieza is the embodiment of fear itself."
Reed swiped his fingers through the air, bringing up a set of despair-inducing data models.
"Look at this."
The screen displayed a purple energy spike, the value so high it seemed to burst through the display frame.
"This is the energy reading captured at the moment Washington D.C. was destroyed." Reed said, his voice dry.
"Converted to TNT equivalent, this energy is enough to ignite Jupiter instantly."
"What's more terrifying is that, according to my model projections, this might not even have been his full power."
"The energy density of that single strike exceeded the core of a medium-sized star."
A deathly silence fell over the laboratory.
"What are our chances of success?" Bruce gulped, even though he already suspected the answer.
"Direct confrontation? 0.00001%, and that's assuming he stands still and lets us hit him."
"Therefore, there is only one rational solution—Project Ark."
Reed brought up another image: blueprints of several spacecraft currently undergoing accelerated modification.
"We select the elite human seeds, use my technology for hyperspace jumps, and leave the solar system, perhaps even the galaxy. As long as the human genome survives, we haven't lost."
"Flee?"
Bruce shook his head.
"Reed, didn't you watch the broadcast? That demon said he is the Emperor of the Universe, he intends to conquer the entire cosmos."
"And look at Earth now."
Bruce gestured toward the window. "Magneto, Apocalypse, Doctor Doom... all those powerful mutants and criminals have become his lackeys."
"If we start building ships to escape, do you think those freaks will let us? Where can we possibly run?"
"No matter what corner of the universe we flee to, if he finds us, the outcome will be the same."
Reed fell silent.
His brain, as elastic as rubber, worked frantically, yet he couldn't calculate a path to survival.
Just then, a gentle hand covered Reed's on the table.
Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman.
"Reed."
Sue's gaze was firm yet tender. "For Franklin, for Valeria... for our children, we cannot run."
"If Earth turns into hell, our children, even if they survive, will only be pets kept by a demon."
"We must fight."
Reed looked into his wife's eyes. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.
The hesitation in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a scientist's madness and fierce determination.
"You're right, Sue."
He turned and walked to the deepest part of the laboratory, pressing a red alert button.
Click—Rumble!
Following the sound of heavy machinery, the floor slowly split open, and a bizarrely shaped, massive cannon platform, emitting a faint blue glow, rose up. The space around the muzzle seemed to subtly twist, radiating an unsettling energy.
"What is that?" Bruce felt a presence that made even the Hulk uneasy.
"The Anti-Matter Negative Zone Projector Cannon."
Reed stroked the cold metal casing as if touching his last hope.
"This is the prototype I built to explore the Negative Zone, but I've converted it into a weapon."
"It can instantly create a singularity leading to the anti-matter universe. Theoretically, if it hits a target, it can instantly exile them to another dimension—the Negative Zone."
"There is no time, no space, and the laws of physics are completely different from our universe."
Reed turned, looking at the others, his tone heavy. "No matter how powerful Frieza is, even if he can crush planets, once he falls into the Negative Zone, he absolutely will not be able to return."
"This is the only way."
"Count me in." Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, instantly burst into flames and hovered in the air.
"I've been wanting to burn that blonde bastard's ass for ages."
"Me too." Ben slammed his fists together, producing a dull thud.
"I don't get this Negative Zone stuff, but if it means I get to clobber that guy, I'm in."
A few minutes later.
The entire Fantastic Four changed into their iconic blue spandex battle suits, the "4" on their chests shining brightly.
Seeing the unified uniforms, Bruce, whose face had been tense, couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle and joke, "I have to say, compared to Frieza's subordinates—those guys in shoulder-padded spandex posing strangely... your fashion sense is practically art."
—
On the streets of Manhattan, chaos and crime were running rampant.
Since Frieza announced his takeover of Earth, the established order had collapsed, and the police system was paralyzed. Countless thugs were taking advantage of the situation, and the streets were littered with burning cars and shattered storefronts.
Worse still were the peripheral members who had just joined Frieza's army but hadn't yet reported to headquarters. They were rampaging through the streets, using the destruction as a token of loyalty to their new master.
"ROAR—!!!"
A massive beast wearing heavy gray armor was tearing through Fifth Avenue.
That was Aleksei, codenamed Rhino.
Although he had only passed the "janitor" interview, that didn't stop him from showing off his borrowed authority.
"Get out of the way! Everyone move! This is Lord Frieza's territory now! Which means it's my, Rhino's, territory!"
Rhino laughed maniacally, lowered his head, and charged. His massive horn tossed a police car into the air like a toy.
The police car tumbled through the air, heading straight toward a mother and daughter on the roadside who hadn't managed to escape.
"No!"
In that critical moment.
Thwip!
A white web line shot across the sky, adhering precisely to the chassis of the police car.
Immediately after, a figure wearing a red and blue hoodie and a pair of homemade swimming goggles leaped down from a streetlamp.
Though the figure was small, he unleashed astonishing strength. He gripped the webbing tightly with both hands, his feet sliding across the pavement and leaving two deep grooves.
Utilizing sheer leverage, he managed to halt the multi-ton police car mid-air and gently set it down on the ground.
"Phew... safe at home."
The young voice held a hint of nervousness and inexperience.
Peter Parker, the high school boy, was now breathing heavily, staring at his trembling hands.
Two days ago, due to the demon named Frieza's arrival, Osborn Industries was attacked, and a radioactive spider escaped and bit him.
Originally, he only wanted to use this power to deliver pizzas or maybe teach Flash a lesson at school.
But looking at the devastated streets, and the grateful, tearful eyes of the mother and daughter, Ben's words echoed in his mind.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Where did this little bug come from? How dare you block my path?!"
Aleksei roared in anger, two streams of white vapor puffing from his nostrils, and charged toward Peter with heavy steps.
"Whoa! Is this the legendary... uh, anthropomorphic rhino?"
Although Peter was nervous, his habit of incessant chatter was innate.
Just as Aleksei's massive horn was about to pierce Peter's chest—
Buzz!
The hairs on the back of Peter's neck instantly stood on end.
It was the Spider-Sense!
Instinctively, he arched backward, executing an incredibly flexible and strange maneuver.
Whoosh—
Aleksei's charge barely missed his nose.
"Hey, big guy, did your brakes fail? Need me to fix them for you?"
Peter flicked his wrist, and two wads of webbing plastered themselves over Aleksei's eyes.
"Aargh! You miserable bug!" Aleksei stumbled around blindly, clutching his eyes.
Just as Peter was preparing to follow up with a kick—
"Nice moves, kid."
A low voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Peter jumped, his Spider-Sense screaming wildly again.
He spun around sharply, his wrist-mounted web-shooter already aimed at the newcomer.
Standing there was a man with a quiver of arrows on his back and sharp eyes.
Clint Barton, Hawkeye.
"Whoa, relax." Clint raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "Fast reflexes. Faster than mine, even."
He looked at the slightly green masked vigilante before him, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
At a time when everyone else was hiding in despair, this kid dared to stand up against Frieza's minions.
That was the true mark of a hero.
"I see great potential in you—integrity, courage, and... you talk too much."
Clint smiled and held out a hand. "Interested in a bigger stage? Like, saving the world?"
"Joining the Avengers?"
Peter's eyes widened, his excitement was visible even through the swimming goggles.
"Really? I mean... am I qualified? I only have this hoodie."
"That's enough."
Clint glanced at the still-flailing Aleksei, instantly firing an explosive arrow that knocked the brute unconscious.
"Let's go. Someone is waiting for us."
...
Late at night, in a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the suburbs of New York.
This was now the last stronghold of the human resistance.
Under the dim lighting, several vehicles drove in one after another.
Tony pushed Charles's wheelchair, followed by Cyclops, Storm, and the rest of the X-Men.
From the other side, Bruce entered with the Fantastic Four, clad in their blue battle suits.
Finally, Clint led in Peter, who was still looking around, a mixture of excitement and nervousness on his face.
Everyone gathered in the center of the hall.
Although they came from different factions, and might have had past grievances, tonight, they shared a single objective.
The Emperor of the Universe sitting atop Frieza Tower, treating Earth like a toy.
Steve looked at the assembled heroes, and the flame of hope reignited in his eyes.
They exchanged smiles, a silent understanding of fighting for survival.
"So this is the new guy?" Tony glanced at Peter.
"I'm Spider-Man! Sir!" Peter straightened his back.
"Alright, Spider-Man."
Clint patted Peter's shoulder. "I think this kid has potential, Tony. Can you upgrade his gear?"
"If he goes up against Frieza in that outfit, that aesthetics-obsessed psycho will die laughing."
Tony scrutinized Peter from head to toe, his critical gaze finally settling on the web-shooters on Peter's wrists.
"Homemade mechanical devices? Interesting." Tony gave a proud, dismissive lift of his chin.
"We'll see if he can keep up with my ideas. Come with me to the lab, Peter. And don't touch anything."
Watching Tony lead Peter away, the remaining people quickly entered the conference room.
***
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