The first snow in New York arrived later than usual; colorful gift boxes adorned the shop windows. As Christmas carols echoed through the streets, this pristine winter lady fluttered down from between the skyscrapers. The snowflakes swirling in the breeze under the eaves resembled the hem of her white skirt.
The crowds continued to rush about. In Times Square, people wearing thick and long coats, scarves wrapped around their necks, carrying lead-gray handbags or briefcases, and donning knitted hats, walked past the shiny shop windows. Standing at the edge of the sidewalk under the traffic lights, their faces reflected the colors flashing from the advertisement screens, mouths turned down. When the signal light was ready, they quickly crossed the streets and alleys, with steps so firm as if they truly knew where they were going.
To ordinary people, this winter was not special. They were still striving to complete the last tasks of the year, hoping to leave early before Christmas. The city's lights gradually retreated, with more fashionable trendsetters appearing in the border towns. No matter where they are, these sardines can't truly consider the canned goods on the factory assembly lines as their home. They yearn for the ocean, and despite feeling homesick, they ultimately have to return.
However, for the superheroes, this would be an extremely busy winter. They were occupied with cleaning up the mess, repairing the broken jars and bottles, needing to tidy up the house before Christmas for a lively good year.
As the Central Universe, the battlefield of the multiverse war, suffered more damage than imagined. Dimensions shattered, the power of nightmares created chaos everywhere, Asgard was in shambles, and many things were broken. They barely have time for post-war review, as they immediately need to deal with the aftermath.
Moreover, the damage caused by the power of nightmares affected more than just one star system. Many civilizations were dragged in, and the Shi'ar Empire, the only non-mechanical empire that didn't attack Asgard, suffered as well. The Three Great Empires were equally weakened, but power doesn't leave a vacuum. Asgard and the human race must seize this time to fill the gaps. This is the latest dilemma they face.
Shiller was sitting in the office of the sanatorium. He had finished all the medical records, but this did not mean he could relax. He was preparing the statement required for the S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting in half an hour.
The debate was about what status the human race should obtain in the interstellar council, with each side standing firm in their views. Of course, it is predictable that the conservatives deem the radicals too conservative, with the choices being only radical and more radical, greed and more greed. However, how to fulfill their greed while ensuring no big trouble arises is the topic they need to explore now. They have already held more than a dozen meetings on this issue.
Because of the plethora of opinions and ideas, before this meeting, everyone was required to submit a personal statement. There were no hard requirements; they could write whatever came to mind, as compiling them might yield some ideas.
Shiller was adding to his statement when the office door was knocked. He looked up to see Strange outside.
"Here for the medical records?" Shiller pulled out the ones he just finished writing and handed them to him, then said, "You haven't done many surgeries this month; have you been too busy being a Cleaner?"
Strange sighed deeply, sat across from the desk, and said, "Don't even mention it. Counting both teleportation portal distances and superluminal engine distances, my average daily steps are probably millions of light years now. After running around for more than a month, I can still squeeze in a few surgeries; the title 'Hand of God' was not given to me for nothing."
Shiller chuckled and said, "How's it going? Picking up a lot?"
Upon mentioning this, Strange grinned widely. The two laughed heartily like two huskies for quite a while, then Strange pursed his lips and said, "Quite a lot. Andromeda, Centaurus, Libra, Triangulum, Cygnus... they were all affected. Billions of civilizations were disrupted, resulting in countless extinctions and migrations. The gear exploded out and the relics left behind are naturally countless too. If not for the Cosmic Beast helping transport, and Franklin creating pocket universes for storage, just these items alone could fill several solar systems."
"Sounds like quite a haul," Shiller nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Did you see the notice from S.H.I.E.L.D.? How's your statement coming along?"
Strange shook his head and said, "I haven't written a single word. Don't give me that look; I can guarantee most superheroes can't write much. We already contributed all our strength in the last war. These bothersome political issues aren't our domain."
"You're always like this," Shiller sighed lightly and said, "Whenever faced with such problems, you refuse to think much, and that's why there's no progress. Are you going to submit a blank sheet this time too?"
"Can't I just scribble a few lines?" Strange said uncertainly, "Even if we write seriously, they won't adopt our opinions. It's better to write casually and save time."
"How do you know it won't be adopted?"
"With our political acumen, the most perfect trick we could think of is not half as subversive as Congress members'. It's better not to let us handle such things; otherwise, what's the point of having them? After all, they spent 365 days a year doing nothing, it's finally time for them to shine in their domain; otherwise, they really should be buried."
"Although among intelligent life, political laws are generally universal, ordinary people cannot become Earth's political leaders. Though their physique and lifespan have greatly improved, relatively, they're still somewhat too fragile. While they can serve as aides and legislators, representative figures still need a sufficiently omnipotent superpower user to take on the role."
"What's wrong with Captain America?"
"You've said it yourself; he's Captain America. Would other countries agree? And although his political literacy is considered quite good among you, he still lacks the ruthlessness that a politician should have."
"So, the problem now is we have to elect a leader? Is the statement actually a ballot?"
"You can understand it this way," Shiller nodded and said, "As long as we can choose a leader, the subsequent problems are easily resolved. But the issue is, the selection itself is challenging."
"Then choose Nick," Strange continued, "His leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D. is quite good, and he manages the Time Management Bureau well, even Spider Man listens to him. This proves his strong leadership capability. Plus, the ruthlessness you mentioned—he definitely possesses it. Why can't we choose him?"
"How much of the interstellar council's funding will actually land in Earth's hands, and how much will go into his own pocket?"
Strange was left speechless.
"However, he does indeed have significant support," Shiller said, "Similarly, the director of SWORD also has a lot of supporters. Iron Man does too, Doctor Destruction is quite popular, and there's Magneto, Professor X, Jarvis, among others—each has a group of devoted followers."
"Who did you vote for?" Strange asked curiously.
"You don't need to worry about that for now. I'm asking you, who would you vote for?"
Strange showed a troubled expression. He said, "I have to admit the people you mentioned each have their pros and cons—every one seems good at first glance, but upon closer thinking, each has some issues. By the way, can I vote for you?"
"Certainly not," Shiller shook his head and said, "If it were possible, everyone would vote for me, but I would refuse."
"Why would you refuse?"
"I'm not a good leader, do you understand what I mean? I have many good ideas, know how to handle complex matters, can steer things toward the direction I hope, and manage multiple intricate issues simultaneously, but that doesn't mean I can be a political leader."
Strange seemed to somewhat understand but not completely, so he said, "Why is that?"
"What kind of person is Odin? What kind is Magneto? What kind are you? Where do you think the difference lies between me and all of you?"
After some serious consideration, Strange said, "I think our commonality is that we are all quite obsessed, because obsession brings determination. You are also obsessed, but your obsession is different from ours—I can't quite pinpoint it."
"That's not the issue," Shiller shook his head and said, "The key is, you all can comfortably put yourselves in a leader's position, and then command others. That is a necessary quality for a good leader."
"Acting like you command others less," Strange retorted dismissively.
"It's different," Shiller insisted, shaking his head, "I've never ordered any of you to do anything. I can guide, tempt, and use various means to leave you no choice, but you still have to choose—even if only one option is available, you have to choose it yourself, not be directed by me."
"So, why not?" Strange asked, puzzled, "I mean, why don't you directly command others?"
"Would you listen if I commanded you? Don't forget who—you were sarcastic with me for half a day just because I was late when I first arrived in this world. If I had directed you to do something then, would you have done it?"
"Wasn't it your fault for being late?" Strange countered righteously, "I had dozens of surgeries lined up and waited for you in the conference room for half an hour, and only gave you a few words. If you were my intern, how much longer do you think I would have scolded you?"
"Alright, let's not talk about that," Shiller waved his hand to bring the topic back, "I'd rather take a roundabout route, helping someone eliminate all options, so they choose that sole option themselves, than directly command others. Even if later you highly value my opinion and adhere to it, I would still choose to do so. It's not your problem; it's mine."
"Why?"
"You can think of this as the last safety measure for this broken engine of mine. If it weren't for this behavioral pattern slowing my efficiency, our universe should now be rampaging through the Great World at superluminal speed, crashing OAA into the neighboring Heaven's Holy Spring."