At 6:50 AM, deep within the F.E.R.S.K Tower's basement, Quentin Beck, on the verge of throwing up from nerves, donned his protective suit. The prototype of this suit was the extreme environment survival gear retrieved by Shock.
It was now mostly painted green, with a purple cape added.
"Are you sure you're alright, Quentin? You don't seem to be in good shape."
"I... I think I'll be fine." Quentin took the light particle projector handed to him by Otto. Around them were various pieces of equipment Otto had manufactured over the past two days using Chitauri technology. Most of them were drones of various sizes, along with dozens of bio-mimetic robots, which were reportedly older S.H.I.E.L.D. Life Model Decoys (LMDs). These could be controlled by his brainwaves and had all been disguised as Mysterio.
"Should I wait until the Avengers are on another mission before I make my move?"
Doctor Octopus was silent for a while before slowly speaking, "I think even if the Avengers are out, you'll still end up causing a huge ruckus and getting caught."
"That wouldn't surprise me," Quentin sighed, cradling his fishbowl helmet, unsure if he was worried or something else. "I'm afraid I won't even be able to cause a ruckus. What if I get caught the moment I appear?"
Otto was silent again for a moment, then tapped the light particle projector with his mechanical claw. "Put it on."
"But…"
"Put it on. It will tell you what to do."
Quentin sighed helplessly and put on the light particle projector. This thing seemed to have a magical quality; the moment Quentin put it on, his entire demeanor changed. Smoke slowly rose within the fishbowl, shrouding his face. Mysterio leaped from the preparation platform, landing steadily on the ground.
Kingpin walked over, clapping his hands with a satisfied smile. It was Saturday, and Mysterio was going to take care of Spider-Man. It had been less than a week since Kingpin mentioned a raise, so he wouldn't have to pay the five thousand dollars at all.
Of course, that wasn't important. What was important was finally being able to get rid of that damned Spider-Man.
"Quentin, no, Mr. Mysterio, I'm very pleased with your choice today. Don't worry, even if you fail, I'll guarantee your safety." Kingpin smiled and made a request. "I hope my people can move freely while you're in action. Is there a way?"
"Dr. Octavius and I designed special optical eyepieces for this situation. Just ask him for them."
Mysterio snapped his fingers.
After a flicker, countless drones flew up in an orderly fashion, then vanished. Next, all the LMDs also flew up and disappeared, leaving only Mysterio, who walked out with agile steps. After watching Mysterio leave, Otto thought of Norman Osborn and couldn't help but sigh.
"He even put my name first. He's such a good guy."
Exactly seven o'clock in the morning, Avengers Tower.
"Cap, do you think our spider-kid is a bit socially anxious? Since we got back, he hasn't come to say hello, nor has he used the Avengers' lab again." Tony stood in front of the conference table, one hand holding a glass of milk, the other checking Peter Parker's search history on a virtual interface. One search was for the true identity of that "spider swarm," but Spider-Man had already dealt with it, so there was no need to pay attention to it.
Another frequently searched item was Quentin Beck, a Hollywood special effects artist who had been missing for over two months.
"Defrauding multiple film companies out of investments for new special effects technology, sued by multiple special effects companies…" Tony boringly tossed the old news into the trash, then, finding that Cap hadn't responded, he countered, "Did you hear what I was saying, Cap?"
"Hmm? Sorry, I was thinking about something else."
Cap sat with his legs crossed, looking at the sketchbook on his lap. It contained a sketch of Black Panther T'Challa. The Avengers' press conference was in a few days, where they would announce T'Challa's induction into the Avengers. The inclusion of a non-American, especially a leader from a third-world country, would greatly enhance the Avengers' reputation, further decoupling them from the United States and S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Where's Hank?"
"He's studying that... projector... Spider-Man left at the Avengers Tower." Cap wasn't sure what it was, but he frowned because a green smoke billowed into the sky from the streets of New York City in the distance. Cap put his sketchbook aside, looked at the smoke, and then turned to look elsewhere.
It wasn't just in front; green smoke permeated all sides of Manhattan.
"Tony? What are those?"
Tony Stark glanced at the smoke and immediately had J.A.R.V.I.S. perform a spectral analysis. In just one second, J.A.R.V.I.S. replied with the relevant information.
[WARNING: Spectral data error. Cannot analyze any chemical components from a spectral perspective.]
Then, from within the smoke, one after another, hundreds of meters tall figures rose up, each with a spherical glass head, wearing green scale-like armor, a large purple cape behind them, and their arms crossed over their chests, their chests puffed out.
"Citizens of New York, welcome Mysterio!"
The towering giants raised their hands. One floated high up, its head gradually overlapping with the rising morning sun. Its form gradually faded, leaving only a giant glass helmet. Like a drop of ink in a cup of water, black smoke permeated the helmet. In just a few seconds, the sun was completely blotted out, the world plunged into brief darkness, and stars twinkled, casting their light on Manhattan at seven in the morning.
The entire New York was plunged into darkness, but then, from the Avengers Tower, the Empire State Building, and other landmark buildings, countless lights flashed, shining uniformly into the mid-air. The massive Mysterio floated in mid-air, taking a gentle step forward.
The green smoke beneath his feet transformed into smooth, jade-like steps. His footsteps were clearly audible as he slowly descended from mid-air. There were no cameras or other objects around him. However, all the large screens in New York displayed Mysterio's slow descent.
"You have ten minutes to park your cars, find a quiet cafe, restaurant, library, or stay at home, turn on your phones, and enjoy Mysterio's perfect performance. If you can't, the streets of New York will be very dangerous."
Mysterio raised his hand, and as he did, the lights shining on him turned off one by one. A bright moon gradually rose, its increasingly dazzling moonlight illuminating him. Mysterio bowed, like a musician taking the stage, thanking his audience.
"During my performance, criminal activity throughout New York might skyrocket, so I invite all the superheroes of New York to stop me. Once you stop me, New York will return to normal."
[Audio track data analysis complete. Confirmed as missing person Quentin Beck. As per Mr. Peter Parker's suggestion, all optical collection has been disabled. Sonar imaging initiated for observation.]
"Use electromagnetic wave imaging, J.A.R.V.I.S., get Centurion ready."
Tony handsomely downed his milk, cutting off Cap who was about to get up. "You keep making art, art student, Iron Man's got this!"
[Mark XXXIII Silver Centurion ready.]
A meteor shot up from the Avengers Tower, hurtling at full speed towards Mysterio in mid-air. The supersonic Iron Man suit pierced through Mysterio's illusion, but caught nothing. Instead, the illusory Mysterio turned and fired a laser, striking the overshooting Iron Man, who crashed into Central Park, plowing a deep trench into the grass.
[Electromagnetic wave imaging shows no feedback. Opponent's equipment suspected to be utilizing stealth coating technology.]
"Next time, tell me something like that sooner, J.A.R.V.I.S., activate sonar imaging."
Iron Man, climbing out of the trench, looked at the densely marked attack drones on his display screen and their muzzles pointed at him, and was silent for a moment.
"Holy cow!"
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