Chapter 360: Stark’s Ambition! The Swaying Gleaming-White Battle Boots!

Lights swayed.

Candlelight blazed bright.

The lounge Xandar had prepared was really quite nice—its decor was suggestive, full of ambience, making anyone inside unable to help but think about……

…..

Dang~—a soft clink.

Ye Li set aside another piece of gleaming-white gauntlet he had just removed.

He was already very practiced at taking off skintight suits like Gwen’s and Cindy’s, but unfastening armor was truly a first……

Even Clea’s already-damaged magical battle garb had a material closer to soft leather.

Unlike the set of women’s close-fitting armor Sif was wearing—this was entirely metal, feeling hard as a board.

……

Dang~

“Which piece is this now……” Ye Li removed the finely-engraved breastplate and handed it to Gamora, who had attentively followed in.

“The fifth……” Gamora reached for the thin cord at Sif’s waist to help undo it. “Take off this battle skirt and that should about do it……”

But Ye Li suddenly pressed down her hand to stop her. “Don’t take off the battle skirt!”

“Why…..?” Gamora asked in puzzlement. “Isn’t it more convenient with the skirt off?”

“Huh?”

Sif had originally lifted both long legs straight up obediently to cooperate with Gamora in sliding the skirt down, but when she heard his words, she froze too, and said strangely, “Ye….. don’t tell me you don’t want to anymore?……”

“What do you two rookies know… the reason you don’t take off the battle skirt is—”

Ye Li flipped up the hem and grinned roguishly. “Because I like it like this!”

…..

Earth.

New York.

Stark Tower.

After renovation and reconstruction, Stark Tower had many more access points.

For example, several blue-and-white-painted automatons slipped in through a hidden window into a maintenance line in the floor interstice.

Hu————!

And on the rooftop helipad, a cloaked Quinjet descended and landed in some haste.

Click—

Hawkeye, lying on a gurney, was rushed into the aid room.

The Avengers also disembarked from the craft.

Tony led at the front as he walked, adjusting his shirt cuffs. “I think we’ve got an opponent……. Those guys who’ve absorbed the remaining HYDRA forces are troublesome, and Barton’s injuries are serious as well.”

“That man in black’s sonic attack was terrifying; even the Hulk only barely held on…….”

Dr. Banner sat by a table. “Or rather, it wasn’t sound waves at all—sound waves couldn’t achieve that effect.”

Thor sat beside him, set his hammer on the table, and shook his head. “There are more powerful beings on Earth than I imagined.”

“Maybe we need to find some help… new members and such.”

Dr. Banner suggested to Tony, “Natasha is often away now, and you drove Captain Rogers out…….”

“Whoa!”

Tony cut him off with displeasure. “That guy walked out on his own!”

“Hey! Heh heh heh!”

Thor frowned slightly. “Stark, that’s a bit much. I think Rogers’ character is decent.”

“Oh~ is it? Very decent?”

With a wave, Tony had JARVIS project a face with shadowed eyes, “Look—know who he is? Bucky Barnes! The cold-blooded killer who murdered my parents! And our great captain protected him!”

Thor’s words stalled; he hesitated. “I only just returned to Midgard and don’t know these matters well, but could there be some misunderstanding between you and Steve?”

“Enough! Don’t mention him!”

Tony cut him off. “We don’t need any star-spangled man!”

“Uh… fine.”

Banner pressed at his pulse and reminded, “But, Tony… best not to shout; this guy doesn’t like it.”

“Hah… sorry… Doctor… forgot your situation…….”

Tony exhaled long, used a mage’s meditation method to calm himself, and continued.

“As for the matter of our Avengers roster, we’ll coordinate with S.H.I.E.L.D. later…….

For now, let me show you… another plan—”

Banner: “Another plan?”

As he puzzled over it, he saw Tony rotate a device stand; the item displayed on it was one everyone present knew well—

Chitauri Scepter.

“My brother’s Scepter?”

Thor asked curiously, “What do you intend to do with it?”

“It’s not what I intend to do with it—it’s what I’ve already done…….”

Tony straightened his expression and called, “Ultron!”

Zzz… zzz…

At his voice, a shapeless blue hologram was projected.

Thor looked completely baffled.

Dr. Banner, however, was drawn to his feet. “Wou… what is this…….”

He leaned in toward the Ultron light-mass. “This is like a cluster of active neurons… it seems to be thinking… what did you do to Ultron?”

“For that I owe Li thanks.”

Tony gestured, and a purple-gold magical rope flew from his hand, binding the scepter—

Pa~

He caught the scepter in his hand, a slight smile curling his lips, and said.

“Li not only gave me this scepter to study; he also let me gain some mysterious sorcerous power. With that, I can make fuller use of the power within the scepter…… thereby fusing it into Ultron.”

Looking closely, one could see the tip of the Mind Scepter was already dim and dark, with not a trace left of the Mind Stone’s energy……..

“While I wasn’t on Midgard, you secretly learned magic?”

Thor didn’t recognize the rest, but he did have some familiarity with this bit of Tony’s sorcery.

“That’s not the point, Thor.”

Dr. Banner fixed his eyes on Ultron. “Tony, if you plan to use this thing to build an ‘Ultron Global Defense System’……. I think… we need to notify S.H.I.E.L.D. first, analyze and assess it properly, and then discuss… wise”

…..

Xandar.

Special VIP lounge.

A pair of gleaming-white long battle boots hung over Ye Li’s shoulder, swaying nonstop……..