Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Sharingan Evolves Once More

Nick Fury blinked, instantly understanding, and then settled down beside Yang Xin to watch the scene unfold.

The superheroes in the conference room had no idea they were being closely observed by two parties—one being Nick Fury and Yang Xin, and the other, of course, Loki.

Both sides were waiting.

They were waiting for Dr. Banner to transform into the Hulk.

Inside the conference room, the argument grew more heated and frantic. What began as a clash of opinions quickly escalated to ideological conflict, then devolved into verbal attacks. In the midst of this, the group gradually lost all reason. Dr. Bruce Banner’s face began to show a faint green hue, but this change went unnoticed by the others, lost in their own fury.

At this moment, Loki smiled.

With a resounding bang, the door to the Avengers’ room was violently kicked open by Yang Xin.

Those on the verge of a brawl instinctively turned toward the entrance, but what they saw was not Yang Xin—it was a massive, scarlet kaleidoscopic Sharingan.

Everyone felt a sudden sense of confusion. Simultaneously, in Nick Fury’s Mangekyo Sharingan, a sickle-shaped windmill began to spin rapidly, drawing in the stray energies that seeped from the Mind Stone.

Yang Xin’s expression shifted as he noticed Nick Fury’s Mangekyo Sharingan undergo another mutation after absorbing the Mind Stone’s residual power.

In the world of Naruto, illusions only affect the target; for example, when Itachi and Sasuke clashed in a battle of illusions, no matter how intense the fight, outsiders would only see them standing motionless, with no effect on the environment or bystanders.

But now, after absorbing the Mind Stone’s energy, Nick Fury's Mangekyo Sharingan cast an illusion that altered the very environment.

Scenes of outside attack, Loki’s escape, Dr. Banner’s transformation into the Hulk wreaking havoc, Coulson’s death, and catastrophic loss to the Helicarrier all flashed before the heroes’ eyes. Empowered by the Mind Stone, Nick Fury’s illusion blanketed the entire Helicarrier, plunging its agents into chaos. Had the Helicarrier not been on autopilot, disaster would have been imminent.

Even Loki, confined in his airborne prison, was drawn into the illusion. Believing his backup plan had been triggered, he immediately hypnotized several agents, secured his release, and amidst the chaos, stole the Mind Scepter and escaped in a Quinjet.

Loki’s actions played out clearly under the watchful eyes of Yang Xin and Nick Fury, yet both silently pretended not to notice. In fact, they intentionally allowed Loki to take the Mind Scepter and escape, for they had already reached a consensus: Earth needed an interstellar war to unite all possible forces.

As Yang Xin put it, this was “raising a tiger to strengthen oneself”—the Marvel version of nurturing an enemy to consolidate power.

With a thunderous slap on the table, Yang Xin brought everyone back to reality. Simultaneously, Nick Fury ceased the illusion. Deprived of the Mind Scepter’s influence, the group snapped out of it.

“Do you really have to wait for Agent Coulson to die before you can unite?” Yang Xin said coldly.

Coulson, standing to the side, gave an awkward but polite smile. “If my sacrifice is needed, I’m willing.”

“As you’ve all seen, if not for this eye, if not for Yang Xin’s warning, the events in the illusion would not have been mere fantasy—they would have become reality,” Nick Fury said, pointing to his Sharingan.

“We... were tricked?” After a moment, Tony Stark took a deep breath, his usual flippant attitude replaced with solemnity.

“What do you think? Tony, you’re a smart man, but your genius lies in technology and science. Scheming is not your strong suit. If that’s the case, why not listen to those who excel at it? S.H.I.E.L.D. has extensive experience handling such matters. We’re not just about fighting; we handle people and crises as well.”

Yang Xin patted Tony Stark on the shoulder, though whether Tony would heed his advice was another matter. Geniuses like Stark rarely took others’ opinions to heart.

“Why was Loki so easily captured? Wasn’t it just to deliver the Mind Scepter into our hands? Then, using the Mind Stone’s power, to turn Dr. Banner into the Hulk, sow chaos among us, and weaken our strength,” Yang Xin said coolly.

“It seems not only did I fail to help, but I made things worse,” Bruce Banner said with a wry smile. Then he asked, “Where’s the Mind Scepter?”

“And Loki?” Thor asked at the same time.

“Loki escaped in the chaos, and took the Mind Scepter with him. Well, I suppose it’s not really stealing—it was his to begin with,” Yang Xin shrugged.

“Shouldn’t we hurry after Loki?” Thor frowned deeply.

“He’s too far gone to catch now. Even if we did, his plan is already in motion. At this point, Loki himself is no longer the key. What matters now is how we deal with the next phase of his scheme.” As Yang Xin spoke, he asked for a tablet and pulled up a 3D map of Stark Tower and the entire Manhattan district.

“Oh, that’s my building. Impressive, right? By the way, what is this next phase of Loki’s plan you mentioned?” Tony Stark asked curiously.

Yang Xin glanced at the 3D map, then looked up at Tony. Suddenly, he asked, “Tony, did you buy insurance for your Stark Tower?”

“What the hell!” Nick Fury froze at Yang Xin’s words, inwardly cursing, then quietly pulled Coulson aside, whispered a few words in his ear, and returned looking all smiles.

“Is that even necessary? Stark Tower can withstand a magnitude nine earthquake,” Tony said, exaggerating as usual.

“I’ll give you one minute to insure Stark Tower—not just that, but all your properties in Manhattan. Stark Tower may be able to handle an earthquake, but it might not withstand an alien invasion,” Yang Xin said.

“What? Aliens are attacking Earth? Are you sure today isn’t April Fool’s?” Tony laughed loudly.

But his laughter died away as he saw the grave looks on Yang Xin and Nick Fury’s faces.

“You’re serious?”

“Is an alien invasion really such a novelty? Not long ago, Asgard attacked Earth,” Yang Xin said, glancing at Thor.

“That was Loki’s plot. Asgard has never intended to attack Midgard. In fact, Asgard protects Midgard from threats from other realms,” Thor quickly protested. No matter how thick-headed he might be, he knew better than to let this accusation stick.

“Fine, even if it was Loki’s scheme, the fact remains that interstellar war has already begun. If Loki could launch one attack on Earth, why not a second?” Yang Xin retorted.

“No one in Asgard would follow Loki,” Thor said hastily.

“Loki doesn’t need followers—he needs an army. In fact, he’s already brought a Chitauri force with him. His main goal is to pinpoint a location and open a space portal. His plan has succeeded—the portal will open right above Stark Tower,” Yang Xin said slowly.

Thor fell silent. As Asgard’s prince, he had fought in countless battles and knew well the reputation of the Chitauri across the cosmos—they had wiped out many civilizations as Thanos’s top enforcers.

“Thirty seconds, Tony. You have thirty seconds left.”

This time, Tony Stark didn’t waste a single word. He immediately called Pepper, urging her to buy as much insurance as possible.

“Loki is doomed to lose this battle!” Captain America stood up and declared resolutely.

“Oh? What makes you so sure? Or do you just have enormous confidence in yourself?” Yang Xin asked with a smile.