"The Washington D.C. incident..."
The screen flickered again, and the massive S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier plummeted from the sky.
The scene was both spectacular and brutal.
This was from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. By this point, the events of that movie had already transpired some time ago.
Captain America now knew Bucky was alive.
Seeing the silence fall over everyone, the Secretary of State appeared satisfied, though his expression remained grim.
"For the past few years, you have acted without supervision or control."
"The various nations can no longer tolerate this situation repeating itself."
"Hence, the current... oversight accords."
The Secretary of State placed the thick binder of the Superhero Oversight Accords on the table.
"Signed by 117 nations!"
"It stipulates that the Avengers will no longer be a private organization."
"All your actions will be subject to the supervision of a special task force from the United Nations."
"And you will only be permitted to act when the task force deems it necessary..."
The accords were passed around, but no one wanted to read them.
They had already seen this document at Stark Tower.
A heavy silence descended upon the group. Lin Feng said nothing, merely observing the Secretary of State's performance with a disdainful smirk.
"The Avengers were formed to make the world safer..." Captain America said, not looking up. The accords stopped at his position.
He patted the binder without opening it. "I believe we have succeeded..."
The Secretary of State shook his head, disagreeing entirely.
"So, can you tell me where Thor and Loki are?"
"What would happen if I misplaced thirty million tons of nuclear bombs?"
He likened Thor to a nuclear bomb, an uncontrolled one, amplifying Thor's potential danger.
"Timely compromise and providing security is the best course of action!" the Secretary of State retorted to Captain America before continuing.
"Only nuclear bombs in one's own hands are truly safe!"
"Believe me, this is the most balanced approach," the Secretary of State declared, pointing at the thick binder.
"In three days, the United Nations will convene in Vienna to ratify these accords."
"Now, let's hear your thoughts!" The Secretary of State had boxed everyone in, leaving no room for refusal.
His words clearly conveyed that the accords *must* be signed; refusal would be seen as opposition to the United Nations and the 117 participating nations.
After a moment of silence, Natasha took the accords from Captain America.
"What if we insist on not signing these accords?" she asked tentatively.
While the Secretary of State had been speaking, everyone had been deep in thought.
The Secretary of State was clearly trying to manipulate their emotions, aiming for them to sign the accords.
"Not sign?" The Secretary of State's face turned cold, and he spoke in a firm tone, "Then you retire!"
His single statement left Widow speechless, forcing a strained smile.
Even superheroes had to abide by laws and the decisions of those in power.
After all, a superhero might be able to fight ten or even a hundred.
But faced with thousands of modern weapons, they would be helpless.
Moreover, initiating a conflict was hardly a solution.
As everyone suspected, these accords were not easy to deal with.
Widow looked down, somewhat embarrassed, lost in thought, her expression strained.
Lin Feng sighed, finding the situation unbearable.
"Retire?"
"Retiring sounds great!" Lin Feng broke the deadlock, applauding as he spoke.
No one present had the sufficient confidence or strength to oppose the authorities. If Lin Feng didn't step forward, the situation would remain at an impasse.
The best-case scenario was everyone signing the accords. The worst outcome would be civil war, just as depicted in Captain America: Civil War.
Furthermore, the Secretary of State was quite adept at distorting concepts.
In the Marvel universe, those in power in the White House had no concept of life, only victory or defeat in war.
If superheroes were ordered to carry out inhumane missions under the guise of protecting the public, what then?
Controlling superheroes was akin to controlling the outcome of a war. Ultimately, it was all about power and personal agendas.
Look at the so-called "superheroes" in The Boys who were under control; they had become mere playthings for entertainment and power.
Captain America's refusal to sign the accords in the movie was because it ran counter to his pursuit of equality and true freedom.
Since the Secretary of State intended to mislead everyone, Lin Feng decided to expose these matters one by one and reveal their hypocritical facade.
"Honestly, I've long dreamed of a life of retirement."
"Lying on the beach all day, chasing girls, sipping wine... wouldn't life be wonderful?" Lin Feng leaned back theatrically, crossing his legs, his expression relaxed and full of longing.
He nudged Tony.
"Am I right, Tony? I recall you living such a life before, didn't you?"
Faced with Lin Feng's raised eyebrow and teasing, Tony responded with a helpless eye-roll.
Could they please not bring up his past escapades? He just wanted to see his daughter, Morgan, as soon as possible.
But Lin Feng was his best friend, so of course, he had to support him.
"Yes, yes, that's right!" Tony nodded, becoming an echo.
The Secretary of State watched Lin Feng disrupt his plan with a dark expression, saying nothing. He had anticipated Lin Feng's intervention.
"Oh, right!" Lin Feng looked directly at the Secretary of State, unreservedly.
"I'm not a member of the Avengers, so I don't know if there's retirement pay?"
"Honestly, even though I'm not part of the organization, I think I deserve some retirement benefits."
Lin Feng made no attempt to conceal his power. He casually gestured towards the screen, and a red beam of light shot out.
The images on the screen flickered rapidly, shifting to a view of outer space.
"Although our roles are different, the Avengers deal with threats from Earth, and I handle threats from the universe. Personally, I believe that despite the different territories, our work is similar, isn't it?"
As Lin Feng adjusted the display, the images transformed into scenes of interstellar warfare.
These included Thanos destroying life on planets, ravagers plundering and pillaging inhabited worlds, and various terrifying forces with warships targeting the big blue Earth, sending shivers down the spine.
"Sign the oversight accords?"
Lin Feng scoffed dismissively.
"Let's not even mention whether there would be personal biases when commanding superheroes."
"After all, there are some things that can't see the light of day, as you and I both understand. There are no children here, so don't try to deceive Superman."
"Furthermore, I'd like to ask, how will the joint task force deal with these dangers?"
Lin Feng pointed at the screen and questioned.
"Are their brains more advanced than superheroes'?"
"Are their predictions more accurate than superheroes'?"
"Come on, tell me."
"How can a wolf pack, led by a ram, unleash its fighting potential?"