John was charged a fee. He lazily glanced at his phone notification.
"First Bank of Magical Savings reminds you of a deduction notice."
Upon hearing this, John took out a distinctive purple card. He gently shook it with practiced ease. On the card's surface, the Tree of Justice, composed of intricate lines and circles, opened like a blooming flower. In one of the circles above, a deduction notice popped up with glowing text.
"Esteemed Mr. Johnny Silver Hand,
Due to Ariana causing large-scale damage in the city, the cleanup department has dispatched emergency repair services. The repair amount has been calculated along with the itemized bill. Please click to view complete details.
Your loyal Silver Hand Fashion Construction Ariana Cleanup Department."
John clicked on the details section. A long string of paper bills erupted from the card, quickly flooding the car's interior like a magical avalanche.
"Wahhhhh!"
Suddenly submerged beneath the paperwork tsunami, Martha was completely at a loss.
John casually picked up a portion of the bills and examined them with mild interest. Hmm, not too expensive considering the scope of destruction.
"Also destroyed three complete streets, plus over ten kilometers of damaged residential houses, and caused structural damage to two commercial buildings."
"The last Obscurial that rampaged through New York was much more catastrophic than this incident. Ariana is still fundamentally kind-hearted."
John stroked his chin thoughtfully, glancing at his account balance with its impressive string of zeros. Forget it; it wouldn't cost much anyway in the grand scheme of things.
But Ariana had actually used raw magic power. That was genuinely rare for someone with her level of control.
"MOSS, what exactly happened?"
"Sir, Hulk went on a rampage through the city, and Miss Ariana successfully contained him using her abilities."
"Well, Hulk going berserk is really a probability event with multiple variables. If there are any other unusual situations, report to me immediately."
"Yes, sir."
The digital voice disappeared into silence.
Martha, who had been struggling to drive while buried under paperwork, finally managed to surface from being submerged in bills.
"What was all of that?" Her voice carried genuine terror. The bills had completely blocked the car windows, creating a claustrophobic paper prison.
John casually tapped the card to dismiss them, and the bills quickly returned to their magical storage like obedient pets. The last bit was swallowed up completely. John spun the card on his finger with casual elegance and raised an eyebrow. "Compensation bills for things my sister accidentally broke."
"Those were actual bills? Wait, you have a sister?" Martha was almost stunned by the sudden information overload.
John pocketed the card smoothly and said with characteristic flatness, "Being able to solve problems with money is most reassuring. Besides, I not only have a sister but also parents. You've seen those aliens who attacked us."
Saying this, Martha suddenly remembered the Skrulls that had appeared at the manor during their deadly encounter. She had always thought of John, who seemed to have no emotional ties, as completely alone, subconsciously ignoring the possibility of family connections.
"Focus on your driving."
The car almost crashed into the vehicle ahead. Martha didn't dare ask any more questions about his personal life.
Meanwhile, on the Aircraft
MOSS sat in the plane with two and a half little bears sitting quietly together in perfect formation.
Why two and a half? Because MOSS, this sophisticated robot with a bear body and camera head, was also mixed in among them like an odd mechanical cousin.
Tony stared at the two and a half little bears with obvious fascination, his gaze lingering especially long on MOSS's unique design.
The little bear suddenly stood up with purpose, and the pink bear looked up at it with curious attention. Then the brown bear put its paws on its hips, and MOSS began playing upbeat music from its internal speakers.
Its bottom began to wiggle rhythmically. Seeing this performance, the pink bear immediately stood up and wiggled in exactly the same way.
The bear-to-bear dance appeared again in all its absurd glory.
"Doesn't anyone think this is a very bizarre thing to witness?" Tony said with exasperation.
Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to joke with him right now.
Barton would have been game for some humor, but unfortunately he was busy flying the plane.
As for why they weren't using the advanced autopilot system, the answer was simple: only he could navigate to that particular place.
His home. It was a warm, welcoming house. It was also here that the other Avengers learned a shocking truth.
This guy who claimed he didn't even have a girlfriend was actually married with several children.
The news was absolutely shocking to everyone.
"You're John's sister?" Thor was very interested in John's mysterious sibling.
When they first entered the plane, Natasha had introduced Ariana's true identity with obvious affection.
It was also because of this familial connection that Barton didn't resist bringing strangers to his most sacred place.
Ariana had recovered significantly from her earlier ordeal. Thor smiled warmly. "I'm your brother's close friend."
"Thor," Ariana blinked with recognition, "God of Thunder."
"You know me?"
"Thor, there are fewer people in the world who don't know you than those who don't know Michael Jackson," Tony complained with typical sarcasm.
Thor had no concept of his popularity in superhero columns and social media. He said earnestly to Ariana, "Your brother saved my family from certain destruction. You're always welcome to visit Asgard, Ariana."
The little bear looked at Thor with scrutinizing, almost judgmental eyes.
Seeing this assessment, Thor laughed heartily and added, "You too, mighty bear warrior."
The little bear extended its paw to fist bump with him in a gesture of mutual respect.
Banner was deeply depressed about recent events. Karma had struck with perfect irony. He had laughed at Steve being beaten by a teddy bear, then got thoroughly beaten by a teddy bear himself.
Natasha's heart was entirely focused on Ariana's wellbeing. She asked gently about the reason for Ariana's unexpected appearance in that dangerous location.
Ariana said with complete sincerity, "Work."
This simple answer made everyone fall into stunned silence.
You, the dignified daughter of Tarasov Industries' chairman, with billion-dollar Hammer Industries in your family portfolio, going out to work common jobs? And incidentally beating up the Hulk during your shift?
Fate was truly wonderful and unpredictable.
Evening at Barton's Home
Barton's little daughter chased the two bears around the house, making silver bell-like laughter that filled the air with joy.
Seeing it couldn't outrun her persistent pursuit, the little bear stuck out its leg and deliberately tripped the pink bear.
After the pink bear tumbled adorably, the little daughter caught up and hugged the bear tightly in her arms.
MOSS sat lonely on the sidelines because it was too mechanically ugly for anyone to play with.
Night fell peacefully. An unexpected person appeared at this secure house.
Nick Fury.
Fury's arrival was not only surprising but also brought some crucial intelligence.
Ultron was developing something dangerous with the large amount of vibranium he had obtained.
Someone had been actively helping prevent Ultron from obtaining nuclear launch codes.
Nuclear weapons, as humanity's greatest destructive force, had no reason not to be coveted by Ultron's twisted logic.
Strangely, Ultron had failed repeatedly. The nuclear codes kept changing through sophisticated interference.
"Back in the day, I not only had eyes and ears all over the world, but I could also hear everything," Fury explained with nostalgic authority. "You could obtain whatever technology you wanted through proper channels."
"Now we're back on the ground, and we can only save the world with our wisdom and determination."
As Fury spoke, his gaze fell meaningfully on Ariana. "Did you recruit a new team member?"
"No," Natasha shook her head definitively.
Fury's expression darkened. "That's not particularly good news for operational security."
Steve thought Fury didn't trust Ariana and said defensively, "She's absolutely worthy of trust."
"I know that completely, but it also means I must address her with proper respect as Miss."
Fury's unexpected answer stunned everyone present into silence.
Fury calmly walked up to Ariana, placed his hand over his heart, and bowed respectfully. "Respected Miss Wick."
"What does that mean?" Tony's eyes widened with shock. "Don't tell me you applied for a job at Tarasov Industries."
"Worse than that," Fury shook his head grimly. "After the S.H.I.E.L.D. building was completely demolished by a certain powerful wizard, two people came to visit me."
"They each gave me a choice," he held up two fingers, "either be taken away by the Wizarding Circuit Court or be taken away by the Snake Lady."
Steve asked in confusion, "Wizarding Circuit Court? Snake Lady?"
"The Wizarding Circuit Court is equivalent to our federal courts. If I went back with them, I would be executed for threatening the Magical Kingdom's national security," he looked at everyone's shocked expressions, "Unless I chose death there, I could only accept the second option."
"Snake Lady offered me a choice I cannot discuss openly." Fury walked back to his position.
Banner didn't understand the implications. "Why bow to Ariana specifically?"
"Because her brother is the supreme Wizard King of the Magical Kingdom," Fury said with obvious complexity. "I almost got executed in the magical world because I carelessly said his name once."
Among those present, quite a few knew this information, but Banner and Tony weren't among the informed.
The two looked like they'd encountered actual ghosts.
Fury brought the conversation back to urgent matters.
Banner quietly asked Barton beside him, "When we meet John, do we need to bow formally?"
Barton was also in a playful mood. "Did you see Fury bow to his sister?"
Right, if they needed to bow to Ariana, then facing the actual Wizard King would definitely require proper protocol.
Banner kept this crucial information in mind.
Seoul, South Korea
After obtaining the precious vibranium, Ultron traveled to this technological hub.
Helen, who had returned here with her equipment, opened her laboratory door to see that menacing robot materialize.
"If you shout for help, I'll kill everyone in this building," Ultron's words immediately shattered Helen's idea of calling for assistance.
Ultron slowly emerged from the shadows, holding the Mind Scepter in his metallic hand as he studied Helen with calculating eyes.
"You know exactly what I want."
Dr. Helen said with obvious difficulty, "The Regeneration Cradle."
Correct. Unfortunately, there was no reward for the right answer.
Ultron used the Mind Scepter's power to control her consciousness and force her to serve his twisted purposes.
He looked at the sophisticated Regeneration Cradle, and the scepter in his hand illuminated with malevolent energy.
The light pulsed urgently, then disappeared after achieving its goal.