Time moved forward quietly to November 1945, and the lively atmosphere before Thanksgiving became increasingly intense.
People are beginning to prepare to participate in festival parades, and many large supermarkets or stores are planning price reductions and issuing coupons.
New Yorkers are looking forward to getting together with family and friends as soon as possible and enjoying a turkey dinner.
"Well, it's really a fierce battle."
Luke woke up from bed contentedly, glanced at the clothes and high heels on the floor, and couldn't help but smile.
He walked into the bathroom naked, washed himself, and put on his nightgown.
Open the heavy curtains to welcome the morning sun and a beautiful day.
"A peaceful New York will be rare to see in the future."
Luke stretched his muscles and soaked up the warm sunlight.
He has had a relatively easy time recently, with SHIELD's operations gradually getting back on track and growing at a steady pace.
The headquarters has expanded from a humble beginning of three departments to eight departments.
The number of spies, agents, agents and field teams is also increasing.
These are all due to Carter, and I have to say that she is very suitable for this job.
Luke was able to keep things in order with little effort.
"If we continue to develop at this rate, we will probably be able to get rid of the constraints of the Pentagon and the White House soon."
Luke thought with satisfaction.
The three laboratories have also made gains recently. The latest model of the nuclear fusion reactor proposed by Howard has been made and is awaiting test results.
Dr. Zola's idea of transforming cells with Woden's blood to improve energy absorption efficiency has initially yielded results.
It could be another week before Luke can get his shot.
As for the mutant genetic mapping project led by Bolivar, it is currently being tackled.
It is worth mentioning that Task Force X, led by Wolverine and Sabretooth Tiger, performed well.
He has served as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s foreign aid many times, assisting agents in completing their missions, and has shown quite impressive results.
So much so that the generals at the Pentagon hinted to Luke at every meeting to recruit more mutants as soon as possible.
It would be best to form a large enough legion and send it to overseas battlefields to capture cities and territories and kill all sides.
Mr. Major General was unmoved by this and just pretended that nothing had happened.
These old guys who have experienced World War I and World War II know how to turn all available people or objects into mass-produced assembly line weapons.
Luke has his own ideas and will naturally not be affected by them.
"The new house just feels good."
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking Manhattan below him.
The traffic is busy and the flow is constant.
The astonishing height of the forty-sixth floor is enough to take in half of the Upper East Side.
Thanks to the enthusiastic sponsorship of Congress, Luke had plenty of funds on hand and was not short of money at all.
He spent a lot of money and bought a forty-eight-story apartment building in Manhattan without blinking an eye.
According to the real estate agent, this skyscraper called Basteco Tower was designed by a well-known French architectural designer and is high-end and classy.
The only drawback is that it's expensive.
"This can be considered an appreciation investment."
Luke muttered.
Not long after the end of World War II, the United States has not yet experienced inflation.
In the future, in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where land is at a premium, the cost of buying a high-rise building will not exceed billions.
But the reason that really moved Luke was not only because of his own needs, but also because the Basteco Building was only three blocks away from the New York Sanctuary.
It feels safer to place Malena here, which is like letting the Supreme Mage act as a bodyguard in disguise.
"General, there is an emergency..."
Stryker's anxious voice came over the phone, as if his house was on fire.
"What happened?"
Luke asked with a frown.
Today was the weekend, and he wanted to have a leisurely breakfast before going to Brooklyn to chat with Rogers.
After reminiscing with old friends, we can go to our luxury yacht docked in the port of the Hudson River to bask in the sun and talk about life ideals.
Considering Captain America's upright character and the paparazzi squatting outside, Luke gave up the idea of inviting a bunch of models to have a party - that was Howard's style.
Before the dull and boring rich man's day could begin, a phone call from Stryker ruined all the plans.
"What happened? A tsunami?"
Luke shook his head and sighed, and said to Marlena who was still lying in bed: "It seems that I have to save the world. Tell Steve that the noon party is cancelled."
Bang!
The words fell to the ground, and the tall figure rose into the sky.
…
…
Minutes later, Luke showed up at the SHIELD headquarters building.
Stryker couldn't explain clearly on the phone, so he simply came over.
"What happened to make you look so panicked?"
Luke walked into the conference room. Carter, who was sitting on the left, looked solemn, and Howard also became serious.
As a follower, Stryker stayed quietly in the corner.
All in all, the atmosphere was rather depressing.
Could it be that the Crees called in advance
Luke narrowed his eyes and sat in the chief's seat.
"A very bad... diplomatic incident."
Carter spat out this sentence.
She turned on the bulky projector and projected blurry black-and-white photos on the wall.
"Tsunami?"
Luke frowned and kept flashing, and the coherent picture that finally formed showed a messy post-disaster scene.
Buildings were washed away, bridges collapsed, and waves submerged the land...
"Here in Anna Maria Island, Florida, local residents were hit by a tsunami just yesterday, which was about the severity of a level 2 orange alert."
Carter said with a cold face, "But that's not the point. Look at this!"
The female agent pulled up a photo and saw a gloomy sky, violent storms, and a vague figure.
With his hands open, he was like a wizard casting spells, manipulating changes in the weather.
"The man claimed to be Namor Mackenzie, the king of Atlantis, who caused this disaster because the federal government was on a rampage to arrest his compatriots."
Carter's voice was a little low, and he said softly: "He took the initiative to send a tape to SHIELD and the FBI, admitting that the tsunami attack on Anna Maria Island was all done by him alone."
"And he also said that if the military does not stop its brutal behavior of capturing mutants, the next city hit by a tsunami will be New York!"
"Finally, Namor Mackenzie also emphatically warned SHIELD, and... you - in the name of the King of Atlantis."
Luke listened quietly, tapping his fingers on the table, with no emotion or anger on his face.
He didn't expect that the first person to stand up and cause trouble for him would be Neptune Namor.
The little prince is well-deserved for his reputation as a naughty little prince. Before he even provokes the other party, he just knocks on his door.
"Has SHIELD been collecting mutants on a large scale recently?"
Luke asked subconsciously.
It's true that Namor is a mutant, but why is he suddenly attracted to his compatriots
This guy is obviously only interested in teasing and cornering people, and even the people of Atlantis don't care much about him.
Carter shook his head and replied: "No. According to what you said, we have always started from the school and paid attention to those young students who have had abnormal events."
"They are easier to control and will not resist violently like other mutants. These things are carried out very low-key."
There must be a monster when things go wrong. Namor warned SHIELD and himself for no reason. There must be other reasons.
After thinking for a few seconds, Luke spit out a name: "Sebastian Shaw." (End of this chapter)