The joy of victory is fleeting, as the entire city of New York soon falls into profound grief.
According to incomplete statistics, more than half of the civilians in the city were killed or injured during the Chitauri invasion, with most casualties concentrated in the bustling city center.
The number of destroyed buildings was countless.
Especially Manhattan Island, which was nearly razed to the ground
Once towering skyscrapers now lay in ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere.
After all, this was the point where the Chitauri first landed, the very center of the battlefield, and the destruction here was expectedly severe.
The economic loss caused by this battle is incalculable.
Only the Stark Industries Tower remained relatively intact, as it housed the Tesseract activation device, and both sides avoided attacking it directly.
Other than that, even the Long Wall Guardians' headquarters at the Osborn Tower suffered varying degrees of damage, let alone other structures.
Oh, right, the Sanctum was also perfectly preserved, as it wasn't tall and was protected by the Ancient One.
Standing on the top floor of the ruined Osborn Tower, Su Ye gazed at the devastated city below, feeling an indescribable sensation.
Whether sabotaging the nuke or guarding the portal, everything had felt exhilarating at the time.
But now, looking at this nearly destroyed city, a pang of regret flickered through his heart.
The devastation, the casualties—saying he was untouched would be a lie.
Even cats sometimes cry for mice; why can't crocodiles shed tears?
However, to be fair, Su Ye didn't think he had done anything wrong from start to finish.
First, about the nuke: even if Su Ye hadn't disabled it through Max, given the density of Chitauri forces at the portal, it would have been nearly impossible for Iron Man to deliver it.
At best, Iron Man would have blown it up at the portal, causing limited damage and no significant impact on the war's outcome.
And Su Ye only acted to avoid being blown up himself. Self-preservation isn't exactly a crime, right?
As for the Mind Scepter, even if Su Ye had brought it up earlier, they couldn't have found it.
Loki, being reckless as he was, provoked the Ancient One and ended up locked in the Mirror Dimension. Who's to blame for that?
In conclusion, Su Ye didn't just avoid mistakes—he summoned Boss Toad and helped take down numerous Leviathans and Chitauri soldiers.
From a certain perspective, Boss Toad's intervention might have even turned the tide of the war.
Thus, Su Ye's contributions far outweighed any faults.
Of course, despite thinking this, Su Ye maintained a somber expression, as if genuinely sorrowful.
"Xiao Ye, don't be sad. Things will get better!"
Harry walked up to Su Ye, placing an arm around his shoulder with confidence.
"Our ancestors came to this land when it was barren. Hundreds of years ago, they transformed it into bustling Manhattan. Hundreds of years later, we won't be any less capable!"
Su Ye nodded. "It's great that you, as a local, think this way."
"I'll keep an eye on things here at the company. Do you want to take a break?" Harry asked again.
Su Ye felt a bit touched. He hadn't realized how considerate Harry could be.
Handsome, rich, and thoughtful—where else could you find such a great guy? If only Su Ye weren't a man…
Shaking his head to clear those stray thoughts, Su Ye turned to Harry.
"You've been fighting for a long time too, even harder than me. Maybe you should rest, and I'll stay here—"
Before he could finish, Su Ye's brow furrowed, his face turning serious.
"Xiao Ye, what's wrong—" Harry began to ask, but a distant rumble interrupted him.
They turned to the window and saw a plume of white smoke rising in the distance, with a white object spiraling above it.
Harry's brows knit together. "What is that? A Chitauri remnant? Weren't they all down after the portal closed? How could this be!"
Before Harry could finish, Su Ye shot out a web from his wrist-mounted launcher, pulling over a Long Wall glider.
Su Ye recognized the location of the explosion: Midtown Junior High.
He had left a clone there not long ago, and it had just been destroyed in the blast.
"I'll go check it out!" Without further explanation, Su Ye jumped out the window with the glider.
He leaped into the air, landing nimbly on the glider. The thrusters ignited, propelling him swiftly toward the explosion.
"Xiao Ye, check it out, but don't act rashly. I'll gather reinforcements!"
Harry's voice echoed in Su Ye's earpiece. Moments later, several gliders shot out from Osborn Tower, trailing flames.
Meanwhile, on the roof of Stark Tower, the Avengers were resting.
The city was in ruins, and even if their favorite shawarma place survived, it couldn't operate under the circumstances.
As they ate, they noticed several figures flying out from the Osborn Tower.
"What's going on? Where are they headed?"
"Could it be that some battles aren't over yet?"
"Not sure. Should we check it out?"
Tony Stark donned his Iron Man suit, and the others boarded the Quinjet. The Avengers were on the move again.
By this time, Su Ye was closing in on the site of the explosion.
As he got closer, he saw that the white object was not a Chitauri craft but a large bird.
The bird was pure white, with no obvious markings, and its form seemed strange.
Its body lacked feather patterns, and its wings and neck looked like they had been cut with scissors.
It didn't resemble any natural species but rather seemed as though molded from clay.
On the bird's back stood a man clad in a black cloak with red clouds, golden hair, long bangs, and a ponytail.
The sight of him confirmed Su Ye's suspicions. The bird was indeed clay, molded by this man.
Su Ye recognized him instantly.
From Naruto's Akatsuki organization, a maniacal artist who believed explosions were the ultimate form of art—Deidara.
But why was he here? And if Deidara was here, where were the other members of Akatsuki?