"Are you sure this plan is feasible?"
Gwen and the others arrived near the Brooklyn Bridge, watching the heavily restricted flow of traffic. Blue currents of electricity surged into the sky, forming a massive wall of energy. There was no doubt that anyone entering—regardless of their methods—would be detected.
Gwen couldn't help but question Cindy, as the plan had been her idea. Cindy simply nodded and handed a vial of Pym Particles to Kitty, who was standing beside them.
Her plan was simple: she and Kitty would shrink, and then Gwen would carry them as she phased into Manhattan. Kitty's ability would allow anything she touched to ignore physical harm, while Gwen could ensure they entered Manhattan without any possibility of being discovered.
As for Cindy, her only task was to sense Peter's location and find him.
"Alright, let's get started."
Gwen took a deep breath. After watching her two companions shrink, she scooped them into her hands and began her trek toward Manhattan. To avoid being detected prematurely by Electro, they chose to activate their powers halfway across the bridge. She moved with extreme caution, not daring to take large strides; as a result, it took nearly an hour to reach the end of the road.
It was fortunate that Cindy could sense Peter's physical condition; otherwise, Gwen couldn't have guaranteed she would remain so steady. When she reached the barrier of lightning, she simply closed her eyes and stepped through.
It was a strange sensation, like walking through water. She entered the Manhattan district with surprising ease. Once inside, she found a safe spot to set the two down and watched as they restored themselves to their normal size.
Cindy tilted her head slightly.
"Peter is underground. He's likely hiding in the sewers."
Hearing this, Gwen couldn't help but snark, "Why does it feel like Spider-Man and the sewers are always inextricably linked?"
"That's not the case."
"Right, sewers it is." Kitty grabbed both of their hands. "If phasing through objects makes you feel nauseous, please close your eyes. We're going underground."
"I haven't even—" Gwen experienced that sickening sensation once more before arriving in the dim sewers. Cindy took out a flashlight to lead the way, with Gwen and Kitty following close behind. Gwen looked at Kitty with a hint of confusion; she didn't actually know her. She knew Peter was acquainted with the X-Men and many of their members.
However, in her mind, the X-Men were supposed to be a group of middle-aged veterans in their thirties or forties. She hadn't expected there to be such a young member.
As for Kitty, her lack of involvement in the X-Men's previous mission to support Peter was a complete accident. But it turned out for the best, as it allowed her to be in Manhattan now to help him. After they had advanced through the tunnels for a while, Cindy suddenly came to a halt.
"What's… wrong?"
"Enemies."
Cindy looked ready for a fight, but Kitty immediately pulled them both into the wall. A squad of octopus-shaped robots of various sizes scuttled past, failing to notice the three people who had phased through the structure and were now behind them. Kitty looked back with a look of surprise: "How did they manufacture so many robots so quickly?"
No one could answer that. The three continued to navigate the Manhattan sewers for some time until Cindy stopped once more, but this time for a different reason.
"Peter isn't far now."
Six hours after Doctor Octopus announced his takeover of Manhattan.
Shanghai.
Due to the fall of Manhattan, the United Nations chose to hold a global leadership summit here. Within nearly six hours, most of the world's leaders had arrived. President Matthew Ellis grumbled as he disembarked from his plane, glancing at the flags of Latveria and Genosha flying in the distance.
"Victor von Doom is at least an internationally recognized national leader. What are Magneto and his rogue state of mutants supposed to be? Have they even been recognized by more than ten countries?"
"Perhaps you should focus on our enemy, Mr. President." Colonel James Rhodes, acting as a bodyguard in his War Machine armor nearby, spoke up helplessly: "Magneto is a powerful mutant—an incredibly powerful one. We probably shouldn't exclude him."
"I know, but flying the regional flag of Genosha is still utterly illogical."
President Ellis spoke with dissatisfaction; in his view, Magneto should not have attended this meeting. Of course, as a powerful combat force, mutants would certainly be helpful in dealing with Kang the Conqueror. Therefore, Magneto would undoubtedly use this as leverage to push the agenda for Genosha's international acceptance as a sovereign nation.
No normal country would accept Kang's demands. Perhaps some might, but the major powers certainly wouldn't.
Furthermore, from Earth's perspective, although only a year had passed since the Battle of New York, the cards in their hand were ridiculously strong. To say nothing of the rest, the primary deities of the Norse, Greek, and Slavic pantheons were currently on Earth. You, a man from the future, might be able to suppress modern technology, but can you truly defeat these gods?
President Ellis muttered to himself as he entered the meeting hall, shaking hands politely with various national leaders before joining the assembly. Almost no one chose to accept Kang's terms, and the discussion quickly shifted to the problem of how to resist him.
During the meeting, both Doctor Doom and Erik Lehnsherr—Magneto—expressed their readiness to mobilize. Considering that the Fantastic Four were missing, the meeting proceeded with unusual efficiency.
Eight hours after Doctor Octopus announced his takeover of Manhattan, the United Nations finally made its decision: to reject all of Kang the Conqueror's demands and to form a coalition force to enter low-Earth orbit and strike Kang's fleet. This force would be deployed by S.H.I.E.L.D., consisting of official national militaries, volunteer superheroes, the mutant forces organized by Genosha, the Latverian army, the Wild Pack, and the alien advisor Mar-Vell.
the moment the meeting concluded, Nick Fury approached Captain America and asked a question: "Do you think we can win?"
"We'll fight until the very last moment."
That wasn't exactly a reassuring answer. Fury sighed, while Captain America asked a different question: "Is the situation in Manhattan alright?"
"It's fine. My team has already found Spider-Man. I believe they are coordinating a counter-offensive. Once the Manhattan situation is resolved, we'll have another group to bring to the battlefield."
Fury handed Captain America a cigarette. Captain America looked at it, sighed helplessly, and took it.
"I haven't smoked in nearly eighty years."
"Or less than two, Captain."