The atmosphere in the Avengers Base office was heavy and silent. Tony sat in his chair, chewing on a blueberry, his gaze occasionally flicking towards Steve, who was on the opposite couch. Neither of them spoke. The only sound was Tony munching on his blueberry.
The pressure from the government over the incident in Germany was mounting. Amon's solution was good, but the current situation made it impossible to implement. The Avengers and Wanda's public image needed a good opportunity to change, or it wouldn't happen.
"Are you just going to sit there forever?"
Tony slammed the blueberry on the table, his gaze fixed on Steve, who was staring at his phone, silent.
"What else can we do? The only way to change everything is to get Ross to change his mind."
Steve's face was cold as he looked at Tony. Ross's goal was to control the Avengers, and this public opinion was undoubtedly his doing. These media outlets couldn't have amplified their influence without his instructions.
"Go talk to Wanda about this. It's better than sitting here."
Tony walked over to Steve, his anger simmering. "Don't forget, you organized the mission in Germany!"
"It was my fault, yes, but have you never made mistakes?"
Steve Rogers gritted his teeth, glaring at Tony Stark. He admitted that the incident in Germany was an accident, but it wasn't intentional. He hadn't expected it to be so serious.
"Me? I've been trying to clean up your mess!"
"Do you know how many media outlets I've contacted? I've been trying to fix this!"
Tony clenched his fist, his voice a low growl. What about the so-called Captain America? He was just clinging to his idealistic dreams, sitting here doing nothing! He was angry, that was for sure. He had so much time, he could have at least tried to talk to Wanda!
"Heh, you weren't like this in Sokovia."
Steve clenched his fist, his breathing quickening. "Countless people died because of you. No, because of you!"
"You think it's..."
Tony was about to retort when he heard the office door open behind him. He turned to see Natasha Romanoff standing frozen at the doorway.
"Looks like I'm not coming at a good time."
Natasha shrugged, her voice laced with playful sarcasm, easing the tension in the room.
"What's up?"
Tony picked up a blueberry and popped it into his mouth.
"I think you should see this."
Natasha turned on the TV. The screen showed Wanda putting out the fire. A crowd of people surrounded her, cheering and shouting.
[At 1:41 PM today, the Avengers member, Scarlet Witch, stopped a fire from spreading in the city center...]
The reporter's voice echoed from the TV.
Tony's gloomy expression softened. "Wanda has awakened a new ability?"
He remembered that while Wanda could suppress flames, she couldn't turn them into ice. That was the only explanation for what they were seeing.
"I can't believe we didn't notice!"
Steve Rogers exclaimed, his expression surprised. They were mostly at the Avengers Base. Logically, they should have known if she had awakened a new ability. But she had awakened it silently, even using it to save so many people.
"She must have just awakened it. Wanda's expression is a little strained."
Natasha waved the remote in her hand, her brow furrowed. "But the most important thing is that this incident will change the media's coverage of Wanda."
With so many witnesses, the media wouldn't be able to easily change the story. This was a good opportunity for them. If they handled it well, they might be able to reverse the impact of the incident in Germany.
"Don't worry. I'll have the media work on it. We'll try to change people's impressions."
Tony tapped his earpiece. "Call Pepper."
When the call connected, he went straight to the point. "Pepper, arrange some PR and go pick up Wanda."
He had been in the business world for so long that he was used to this kind of operation. The most important thing now was to strike while the iron was hot and use this opportunity to restore their reputation.
"But Wanda seems to be in a good mood."
Natasha Romanoff looked at the screen, where Wanda was beaming, and couldn't help but comment. She hadn't seen Wanda smile in a long time.
"How did Wanda suddenly snap out of it?"
Steve Rogers sat back on the couch, looking at the screen, confused. Just a few days ago, she had been so gloomy. Now, she was a different person. Her powers had even become stronger.
"Maybe she finally figured it out."
Natasha Romanoff was also infected by Wanda's smile. She smiled and said, "Things seem to be getting better."
Tony smiled. "We'll know when she gets back."
...
...
Meanwhile, in Queens, New York.
[Ding! You helped Wanda overcome her inner demons and restored her reputation!]
[Reward: Kabuto Insect Zecter (Kabuto)!]
Amon leaned against a nearby wall, watching Wanda being interviewed, when a notification popped up in his mind.
[Kabuto Insect Zecter]: Use this Insect Zecter to transform into Kabuto. Requires Zecter recognition.
"Kabuto Insect Zecter!"
"Wanda is a treasure trove! Every reward is top-tier!"
Amon couldn't help but be delighted. He hadn't expected to receive this reward.
The Kabuto Insect Zecter was the transformation device for Kamen Rider Kabuto. Yes, that was the narcissistic, self-proclaimed "god of all things," Tendou Souji.
But few people would refuse his transformation device. Amon had spent his youth fantasizing about having a Rider belt.
"Mr. Amon, now that everything is over, I'm going to head out. Hope I can work with you again. Say goodbye to Wanda for me."
Gwen saw that more media was arriving and decided to leave. She didn't like those annoying reporters asking her questions.
"See you later."
Amon waved, watching her disappear into the buildings. He thought to himself, "I guess I'll have to get to know her better later."
A row of black luxury cars drove up from a distance.
"I should go too."
Amon saw Stark Industries's fleet of cars and prepared to leave. He knew Tony would make the most of this opportunity to salvage the Avengers' reputation and thwart Ross's plan to control the Avengers.
Before leaving, he sent a message using his telepathic powers.
[Amon]: "See you later. Enjoy your moment of glory."
[Wanda]: "Thank you for today."
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