Hydra was going insane, and Ronan wasn't about to be outdone.
Of course, the two kinds of "insanity" weren't exactly the same.
After class, Ronan drove his car and took Gwen Stacy to the party location.
This place was part of a very high-end affluent neighborhood. Almost everyone who lived here was either wealthy or influential.
Of course, there had always been a rumor circulating here.
It was an unspoken rule that all homeowners had to be white.
Although this "rumor" had been debunked many times, the reality was that there wasn't a single Black person living here.
If someone wanted to sell their house here, even if a Black buyer offered the highest price and met all the conditions, they still wouldn't get the house.
There had been several instances where Black business owners and celebrities tried to settle here.
Unfortunately, they all failed to make the purchase for inexplicable reasons.
The most outrageous reason was that a Black buyer was a vegetarian, and the homeowner claimed they "hated vegetarians" and sold the house to another buyer who offered a lower price.
Oh, and that buyer was white.
This situation was kind of like a video Ronan had seen in his previous life.
A man was eating barbecue in front of a group of protesting vegetarians, savoring the meat and praising how delicious it was.
While the analogy wasn't perfect, the feeling was similar.
It felt great!
So, when Ronan and Gwen Stacy drove up to the villa's gate, they could clearly see the security guard first scanning the car's interior. After confirming that aside from the black upholstery, there was no other "black" inside, the guard finally asked Ronan his purpose for visiting.
Ronan handed over the invitation, stating his identity.
Well, a consultant for Stark Industries.
The fact that someone so young could be a consultant for Stark Industries made the security guard suspicious.
But the invitation in Ronan's hand was genuine.
After confirming that there were only the two of them, the security guard let them through.
This kind of situation wasn't uncommon across America, but most of the time, it wasn't so blatant.
Here, you could even see some Asian faces, but not a trace of Black.
"The security here is intense."
"Almost all of them are armed."
Once they were out of earshot of the security, Gwen Stacy finally spoke up.
While the invitation was being checked, she had noticed the handgun on the security guard's waist.
There were even hidden heavy weapons inside the house.
"Let's just say, the weapons these private security companies have might be more violent than the police's."
"If they pulled out an RPG, you shouldn't be surprised."
Ronan shrugged. This was the reality.
These security companies were mostly made up of veterans and mercenaries.
Just in terms of physique, these guys had at least six-pack abs.
Compared to the pot-bellied cops in New York, their combat capabilities were on a completely different level.
Not to mention the training they'd undergone—many of them had killed on the battlefield and survived.
You could say that within the realm of humanity, these guys were among the elite.
"I'd only heard about this before, but I didn't think it was really like this."
"Feels like we shouldn't have come here."
Gwen Stacy stuck out her tongue. As smart as she was, she could guess the kind of wealth the people protected by such security must have.
Although she had grown up in a privileged environment, compared to these people, her family's wealth was a drop in the ocean.
"Think of it as broadening your horizons."
"Look at me, I'm just here casually too."
Ronan spread his arms, showing off his outfit.
The clothes he was wearing added up to about $10,000. While that number might sound shocking, without the invitation, Ronan would've been kicked out wearing this.
$10,000?
Add a zero, and they might consider letting you in.
Of course, Ronan wasn't trying to play some undercover rich guy.
He wasn't like those protagonists in web novels who, despite having all the skills in the world, show up to parties in shorts and T-shirts.
Then get provoked by some clueless rich kids, only to reveal their "Dragon King" identity and humiliate them.
That kind of scene made Ronan cringe just thinking about it.
He could already build a three-bedroom apartment with the secondhand embarrassment.
After another ten minutes of driving, Ronan finally arrived at the party location.
Like before, outside this ridiculously large villa, there were security and service personnel.
The service staff were there to cater to the invited guests, while the security was there to deal with the uninvited.
Clear division of labor, very efficient.
Ronan stopped the car at the entrance, handed the invitation to a butler-like figure, then got out and handed the car keys to the valet.
"Good evening, sir. You're holding an invitation from Tony Stark and George Stacy."
"But it seems the two of you aren't the guests listed on the invitation."
The butler spoke politely, holding the invitation.
The kind of snobbish butlers you see in TV dramas rarely exist in real life.
After all, who knows if among the party guests, there's someone who looks ordinary but has a shocking background?
Not every second-generation rich kid needs to be flashy.
"This is Miss Gwen Stacy. George Stacy is her father."
"I'm Ronan, a consultant for Mr. Tony Stark."
Ronan smiled and explained.
While he wasn't exactly a patient person, he wasn't about to turn into a sorcerer and beat someone up over a simple question.
"I know them both."
"That is indeed Commissioner Stacy's beloved daughter, and the other is a consultant for our Stark Industries."
Before the butler could respond, Tony Stark's voice came from inside the villa.
Tony Stark was dressed in a sharp black suit, holding a glass of wine.
While Tony Stark's reputation in New York wasn't exactly stellar, he was undeniably well-known.
Once he spoke, the butler didn't ask any more questions. He placed the invitation on the table behind him and gestured for them to enter.
"My apologies for not recognizing such distinguished guests. Please, come in."
The butler waved to the valet, signaling them to take the car away.
Ronan simply nodded and walked in.
Gwen Stacy, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve and couldn't help but glare at him.
The message was clear: Why didn't you tell me you knew Tony Stark?
Ronan responded with a look.
We'll talk later!
"Looks like you're not that famous in New York yet."
"Using my invitation, and you still got stopped for questioning."
Tony Stark looked at Ronan and teased him.
He had forgotten just how sharp Ronan's tongue could be.
"Yeah, in terms of fame, I can't compare to the great Iron Man."
"After all, Iron Man is the heartthrob of countless women."
Ronan raised an eyebrow at Tony Stark. Tony Stark's reputation? Let's not even go there.
Those who know won't say, and those who don't can read about it in the papers.
Gwen Stacy, standing nearby, almost gasped.
Was it really okay to talk like this?
"Tch, what's wrong with that? It just means I'm charming."
"Unlike some people, who at their age are still vir—"
Before Tony could finish the last word, he suddenly remembered there was a lady present.
And not just any lady, but an underage one.
Talking like this probably wasn't appropriate.
"Never mind, since your girlfriend's here, I'll let it slide."
"Pepper."
Tony Stark waved to someone behind him.
Pepper Potts, hearing him, smiled apologetically at the people around her and walked over.
As Tony Stark's girlfriend and the powerhouse running Stark Industries, she was always surrounded by attention.
"Ronan, good to see you again."
Pepper Potts walked up to Tony Stark and gently took his arm.
"Let me introduce you. This is Ronan's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy."
"She's also the beloved daughter of NYPD Commissioner George Stacy."
Tony Stark introduced them to Pepper.
When she heard this was Ronan's girlfriend, Pepper's eyes lit up.
Compared to the latter identity, she seemed more interested in the former.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Stacy."
Pepper Potts walked up to Gwen Stacy and gently took her hand.
"Miss Potts, you can call me Gwen."
Gwen Stacy was still processing the fact that Ronan seemed to be on such good terms with Tony Stark.
If they were just acquaintances, they wouldn't have been chatting like that earlier.
But if they were close, why had Ronan never mentioned it before?
"Then you can call me Pepper."
"Come on, let me show you around. Let these two talk."
With that, Pepper took Gwen's hand and glanced at Ronan.
Ronan smiled and said, "Thanks, Pepper."
While, age-wise, these two could be Ronan and Gwen's uncle and aunt, it wasn't really like that.
Watching the two women walk away, Ronan turned to Tony Stark.
"Alright, what do you need from me?"
Ronan asked with a smile.
"How did you know I needed something from you?"
Tony Stark was taken aback. He hadn't even said anything yet, and Ronan already knew?
"You had Pepper take Gwen away. As long as my IQ and EQ are normal, I'd know you have something to discuss."
"So hurry up, I haven't had dinner yet."
Ronan glanced at the buffet table, his eyes filled with longing.
It wasn't that the food here was particularly special—he was just hungry.
"According to your plan, Steve has already spread the news today."
"Now not only S.H.I.E.L.D., but even Capitol Hill knows that the Tesseract is in Steve's hands."
"And you guessed right—they've already tried to take the Tesseract from him."
Tony Stark glanced around, making sure no one was listening, before continuing.
"So, what did Steve decide in the end?"
Ronan was curious about this.
"What else could he do? He refused them."
"But it's predictable that if Steve doesn't come up with a good reason, Capitol Hill will keep pressuring him."
"After all, the Avengers are no longer an official organization but a private one now."
"Even though, most of the time, Capitol Hill turns a blind eye to our special privileges."
Tony Stark shrugged.
In his opinion, he supported Steve Rogers' decision.
After all, if the Tesseract fell into the hands of Capitol Hill, they would undoubtedly start researching it.
And the consequences of that research would be something no one could handle.
"Then it's up to Steve's own abilities."
"You managed to refuse handing over your Iron Man suit back then. I'm sure Steve can refuse to hand over the Tesseract too."
Ronan smiled. This situation felt all too familiar.
A few years ago, when Iron Man first appeared, Tony Stark was ordered to hand over his suit.
But in the end, thanks to his own skills, he managed to keep it.
Now, it was up to Steve Rogers to make his choice.
"It's tough."
"But there's something I'd like your input on."
"After all, you're my private consultant now."
Tony Stark winked at Ronan, his excitement evident.
It seemed he had come up with another new idea.
"What is it?"
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"Earlier, you mentioned that your responsibility is to protect Earth from threats from non-physical dimensions."
"While I don't know how you do it, your work gave me a new idea."
"Your method of protecting Earth is probably something like a magnetic field or a protective shield, just with a bit of mysticism added."
Tony Stark nudged Ronan's shoulder, wanting to know if he was right.
But Ronan didn't answer.
Even though Tony Stark was more or less correct.
The three Sanctums in New York, London, and Hong Kong formed a protective network around Earth.
In a way, Tony Stark wasn't wrong.
"And then?"
"What's your new idea?"
Ronan wasn't planning to answer Tony's question.
This was classified information within Kamar-Taj, and Ronan wasn't about to spill the beans.
"My idea is simple: build an Iron Legion."
"The so-called Iron Legion would be combat robots made from slightly inferior materials."
"JARVIS would control these robots."
"Whenever an alien invasion or similar event occurs anywhere in the world, my Iron Legion would be the first to respond."
"This way, at the very least, these combat robots could hold off the enemy until we arrive."
Tony Stark winked. He thought this idea was absolutely brilliant!
AI-controlled, autonomous defense, and immediate response.
It sounded like a perfect solution.
Meanwhile, Ronan's eyelid twitched.
Why did this sound so familiar?
"Don't tell me you're planning to build these bases all over the world?"
Ronan's mouth twitched.
He had a feeling something big was about to happen.
"Of course. Ever since you mentioned it that day, I've already started preparing."
"Though not in major cities. Mostly in smaller countries, but places that can cover a lot of surrounding areas."
"These smaller countries are easy to deal with. Just invest a bit, negotiate with the local government, and the base can be set up."
"If all goes well, it should be ready in about a year."
Tony Stark looked incredibly proud.
Meanwhile, Ronan was at a loss for words.
In theory, Tony Stark's idea was absolutely genius.
In terms of mobility and Earth's protection, it was a great solution.
Plus, he had the money. If he wanted to do it, no one could stop Tony Stark from using his financial power.
It was a good thing, after all.
But Ronan had a bad feeling about this.
Because in his memory, not long from now, Hydra's base in Sokovia would be discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Phil Coulson.
Then, Phil Coulson would report this to Maria Hill.
Maria Hill would pass the intel to the Avengers, who would ultimately take care of the base.
That part of the story wasn't a big deal, but the important thing was that in this base, there happened to be something called the "Scepter."
Yeah, the Mind Stone.
After they brought the Scepter back, Tony Stark had the sudden idea to create an AI with human-like intelligence.
And then, well, Ronan didn't need to say more.
In the original timeline, Tony Stark only built the Iron Legion in his home and a few other places.
Ultron took control of those robots.
But now, because Ronan had warned Tony about Thanos, Tony had increased his investment in the Iron Legion. He even planned to create a global defense system.
Everything was going off the rails.
Ronan could imagine what would happen if Ultron took control of the Iron Legion across the entire planet...
Damn it!
"Have you considered that this might be a bit too much?"
"After all, once you enter other countries' airspace, will they be okay with that?"
Ronan thought for a moment and came up with a weak excuse to try and dissuade Tony.
He couldn't exactly tell Tony that soon, he'd make a huge mistake that would lead to the entire Sokovia incident, could he?
If he said that, Tony probably wouldn't believe him anyway.
"Don't worry, I can handle all that."
"I can make agreements with them. As long as there's no alien invasion, we won't enter their airspace."
"If aliens show up, they'll be begging for our help."
"Just like what happened in London last time."
Tony Stark smiled. These issues were basically non-issues for him.
Meanwhile, Ronan's mouth twitched again.
He really wanted to crack open Tony's brain and see how it worked to come up with such a "brilliant" idea!
"By the way, there's one more thing I need your help with."
Tony Stark seemed to have suddenly remembered something.
Ronan narrowed his eyes. Was Tony about to stir up more trouble?
"Last time, you told me that the new element in the Arc Reactor comes from what you called the Space Stone."
"If I were to convert the energy produced by this element, could I achieve abilities similar to the Space Stone?"
"Like, say, long-distance teleportation?"
Tony Stark looked at Ronan, seemingly full of anticipation.
Ronan's mouth fell open. He hadn't expected Tony to set his sights on this!
"Don't look at me, I don't know."
"I only know that the new element in your Arc Reactor is an isotope of the new element."
"You're the scientist here, so you'd know better than me."
Ronan waved his hand. He didn't even want to think about this.
In the Marvel universe, Tony Stark and others had used technology to create an Infinity Gauntlet, snap their fingers, and even make it work!
So, Tony using the isotope of the new element to reverse-engineer the Space Stone's abilities wasn't impossible.
This world was just that fantastical.
They say the end of science is mysticism, but in this universe, you don't even need to reach the end—science and mysticism seem to overlap already.
So, who knows what's going to happen next?
The current situation had already deviated far from the story Ronan knew.
The butterfly effect from his actions was starting to have visible consequences.
"Never mind. It's a bit complicated, but not impossible."
"I'll look into it and let you know as soon as I have something."
Tony Stark rubbed his chin. He didn't think Ronan could offer much help in this research anyway.
He was just asking to confirm.
Ronan's eyelid twitched again. He had a bad feeling about this.
No, to be more precise, he felt uneasy for Thanos.
If Tony Stark managed to reverse-engineer something like space technology, what would Thanos face when he arrived on Earth?
A Ronan wielding four Infinity Stones and an Infinity Gauntlet.
A Captain America who could go toe-to-toe with anyone.
A genius-level Iron Man.
And...
Thousands of Iron Legion robots capable of spatial cutting?
Just thinking about it made Ronan close his eyes.
He could already imagine the look on Thanos' face!
When Thanos arrives on Earth with his army, landing in New York with all his might...
He's greeted by tens of thousands of robots wielding "space-cutting" weapons.
Yikes.
Ronan took a deep breath.
Thanos' heart would probably freeze on the spot!