"You want to send an army to arrest me, man, your balls must be enormous, how do you even fit them inside those pants?"
Luke could hear Brooke's voice booming from outside the meeting room, dripping with rage.
An army? Did this fool really just say that?
And then tanks? Tanks against him?
That… really did sound like General Ross's style. The man loved nothing more than throwing all his firepower at anything he couldn't understand.
Luke smirked inwardly. It's a pity that Ross is already dead. If not, these two would definitely be drinking buddies by now.
The Avengers inside the room all turned their heads the moment Luke pushed the door open. His presence was like a sudden shift in gravity, every gaze snapped toward him.
When they confirmed his identity, an unexpected emotion flashed across their faces: relief.
For the first time since this crisis began, they were actually glad to see him.
Nick Fury, who had been sitting with his usual poker face, also showed a rare spark of joy. Subtly, without saying a word, he shifted his chair just a little farther away from Congressman Brooke, as if to make it clear: don't lump me together with this idiot.
Brooke, on the other hand, froze for a moment.
He remembered clearly, it had been less than five minutes since he made that call. Yet Luke was already standing here, calm and unhurried, as if he had strolled in from down the hall.
'Did he… know beforehand? Was he already on his way before I even called?'
What Brooke didn't know was that Luke's helicarrier was floating right above New York. With Bumblebee's speed, arriving in under five minutes was actually on the slower side.
"Are you Luke Yale?" Brooke asked coldly, trying to sound imposing.
But Luke didn't even spare him a glance. He walked straight past the congressman, found an open chair beside Tony, and dropped into it with casual ease.
Tony, without thinking, leaned sideways and shifted a good few inches away, instinctively giving Luke plenty of room.
At that moment…
[Ding, congratulations to the host for meeting a core protagonist of the Marvel world, Black Panther T'Challa, for the first time, 2 plot points obtained.]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for meeting a core protagonist of the Marvel world, Ant-Man Scott Lang, for the first time, 2 plot points obtained.]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for meeting a core protagonist of the Marvel world, Spider-Man Peter Parker, for the first time, 2 plot points obtained.]
The system's voice rang three times in his mind, crisp and sweet.
Six points in one go.
"Wonderful," Luke muttered under his breath, grinning.
He looked across the table, his eyes landing on three unfamiliar faces. T'Challa, regal even while seated; Scott, trying hard to sit upright like a professional but looking awkward; and Peter, visibly nervous, clutching the edge of his chair.
Luke rose from his seat and walked toward them. "I guess it's about time I met the new members," he said warmly, stretching out a hand. "Welcome to the Avengers."
T'Challa was the first to rise, his movements calm and composed, and took Luke's hand with steady strength.
Then Peter, who jumped up a bit too quickly, nearly knocking his chair over before fumbling into a handshake. His palms were sweaty, but his excitement was genuine.
Lastly, Scott, who chuckled nervously and muttered, "Man, I've heard a lot about you," before shaking Luke's hand.
Luke's grin widened. His mood was excellent. With these new points, he was only four short of upgrading the system, which should be easy work.
But Brooke's mood was the polar opposite.
That abominable man… came into the meeting room without even wearing a proper shirt! Brooke had tolerated that insult. But now… now Luke dared to ignore him outright?!
Ignore him? Him? A congressman, a representative of the United States government?!
His jaw tightened, and his eyes flashed with suppressed fury.
Still, Brooke wasn't entirely stupid. He hadn't climbed this high on money alone; he had cunning when he needed it. And right now, he understood one thing, talking to Luke directly was pointless.
So he turned to Nick Fury instead.
"Director Fury," Brooke barked coldly, "I order you to arrest him immediately."
Fury's one good eye narrowed sharply.
This bastard, he was really trying to drag him down with him?
If Luke weren't sitting right here, Fury might have played along, appeasing Brooke with some half-measure. But now? With Luke lounging at the table, feet up, calm as ever?
Absolutely not.
Fury rose from his chair, every line of his body radiating restrained fury. He looked Brooke in the eye and said, in a voice low but sharp as a knife, "Congressman Brooke, although you hold a higher political rank than I do, I will not follow such an order. Not now, not ever. Luke Yale has saved this planet countless times. He is a hero, a protector."
His voice rose. "We should be giving him a medal, not plotting to put him in chains!"
The declaration shocked everyone.
The whole day, the Avengers had watched Fury walk the careful line of neutrality, never leaning too far in one direction. But now? His loyalty was plain as day.
Eyes turned once again to Luke, who leaned back lazily, his flip flops planted on the polished conference table as if this were his living room.
The message was obvious. With Luke here, siding against him was no different from suicide.
Brooke was rattled. His face went pale for a heartbeat before rage returned tenfold.
How dare this little S.H.I.E.L.D director defy him openly? Did he want to lose his career? His life?
Brooke's gaze swept over the Avengers. He jabbed a finger toward Luke. "Whoever brings him down, I'll see to it you're made Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately!"
It was a bold offer. The position of S.H.I.E.L.D Director wasn't something given lightly. Brooke thought it was irresistible bait.
But to his horror, none of the Avengers moved. Not a single one even shifted in their seats.
Instead, heads turned away. Natasha studied her nails. Steve suddenly seemed very interested in the table's wood grain. Banner pretended to adjust his glasses.
Even those who might have cared about the position didn't dare make a move. They all knew better.
And the veterans, those who had already experienced Luke's madness firsthand, well, they wouldn't go near him for all the promotions in the world.
Brooke's face flushed red, his body trembling with rage.
Just then, another insult appeared before his eyes.
A fat husky clambered up onto the conference table, paws scrabbling for balance until it managed to plant itself squarely in the center. The dog gave a proud shake, tongue lolling.
Luke's feet on the table had already pushed Brooke's dignity past breaking point. Now a dog was standing on the sacred conference table?
That was it. His temper snapped.
With a roar, he pulled a pistol from his coat.
The Avengers froze. No one had expected a sitting congressman to be armed here of all places.
But Brooke wasn't thinking straight anymore. His pride was shredded, his anger boiling over. And though he still had a trace of rationality left, enough to avoid pulling the trigger on Luke himself, he decided to make a point.
The dog. He would shoot the dog.
One loud crack split the air.
Bang!
The shot rang out before anyone could react.
Brooke's lips curled in grim satisfaction. A dead dog was a small price to teach this arrogant man a lesson.
But when the smoke cleared, his triumph curdled into horror.
The husky was still standing on the table. Completely unharmed.
Its fur wasn't even singed. Its big, round eyes were fixed on him, brimming not with fear but with something far worse, amusement.
The dog tilted its head, tongue flicking out as though mocking him.
And in its gaze, Brooke swore he saw a glint of intelligence and danger.
Around the table, every Avenger was staring at him with disbelief, even disgust. Fury's face had gone stone-hard.
Brooke's hand trembled around the pistol. At last, a creeping dread sank into his chest.
He had just realized he'd made a terrible mistake.
…