Loki walked over, put away his magic, and looked at the wounded covering the ground.
"Indeed, their abilities would be considered quite decent even in Muspelheim."
Killian watched his subordinates fall one by one, his expression shifting from shock to anger, and from anger to fear.
He looked at Mavuika, that red-haired, seemingly fragile woman—the woman he had initially completely disregarded—who, in less than a minute, had destroyed the Extremis troops he had spent over a decade building.
"Who... who are you?" his voice trembled.
Mavuika looked up at Killian in mid-air.
"Just... someone passing by?"
Killian's face turned ashen.
He knew he could not defeat this man; his Extremis virus was like a match meeting the Sun in front of him.
But he was unwilling to accept this; he was unwilling to fail and give up just like that.
He turned abruptly and lunged at Tony.
Tony was in mid-air, having just been knocked back a few meters by Killian, and was in the middle of adjusting his posture.
Killian's speed was too fast; he had no time to dodge.
Killian's fist smashed into Tony's chest plate, denting the armor, and Tony was sent crashing through the ceiling, flying into the night sky.
Killian tried to pursue him.
But with a snap of Loki's fingers, green energy, like shadows, wrapped around his feet, trapping him in place.
Mavuika, under Killian's terrified gaze, reached out, and golden-red flames surged from his palm, pouncing toward Killian like a giant dragon.
Killian's body burned in the flames, his Extremis virus running frantically, attempting to resist this power and regenerate his body.
But Mavuika's flames were not ordinary; they were the fire of the Sun, the Eternal Flame, and the purifying fire capable of incinerating all evil.
Killian's skin began to peel away like charred paper.
His muscles began to wither, and his bones began to shatter.
He let out a final, desperate roar.
Then, he vanished.
There was no corpse, no ash, only a wisp of smoke drifting away in the night wind.
Mavuika withdrew his flames and turned to look at Tony.
Tony stood in the ruins, his armor damaged and face covered in dust, but his eyes were bright.
"Thanks," he said.
Mavuika smiled lightly: "You're welcome."
The lights of Miami were still brilliant, the waves still lapped at the shore, and this World still did not know what had just happened.
But at least, tonight, it had survived another day in peace.
Thor walked over to him, carrying his hammer: "Big brother, are we still going to the beach tomorrow?"
Mavuika smiled: "Yes."
Thor grinned: "Great! I'm going to make up for today!"
Loki leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a faint smile on his lips: "I'll say this first: I'm not getting in the water."
Thor glared at him: "Why?"
Loki elegantly adjusted his collar: "Because the seawater will wet my clothes."
Thor rolled his eyes.
Tony stood to the side, watching the three of them, his lips curving upward involuntarily.
He looked down at his armor; it was heavily damaged and in need of major repairs.
But for some reason, he didn't feel bothered at all.
He walked to the window, stood beside Mavuika, and looked at the night scenery outside.
"Mavuika."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Mavuika turned his head to look at him.
Tony didn't look at him, only at the distant horizon of the sea.
"Not just today, but... all along."
Mavuika was silent for a second.
Then he smiled softly: "You're welcome, Tony."
Tony stood at the edge of the terrace; the armor had been retracted into the suitcase, and he was wearing only a black T-shirt, the arc reactor on his chest glowing with a faint blue light in the moonlight.
He held a glass of whiskey in his hand but didn't drink it, just stared at the distant sea horizon, wondering what he was thinking about.
Mavuika handed him a clean towel. "Wipe your face; you still have dust on it."
Tony took the towel, wiped his face casually, then leaned against the railing and sighed softly.
"Do you think this World is getting crazier and crazier?"
Mavuika glanced at him without speaking.
Tony continued: "Before, I only had to deal with those Terrorists holding my weapons. Later, I built the armor and started dealing with those lunatics with superpowers. Now, some 'Extremis' virus has popped up, with three-thousand-degree temperatures, and it can even self-destruct."
He took a sip of whiskey and smiled bitterly.
"I really don't know what else will pop up in a few years."
Mavuika leaned against the railing, looking at the distant sea horizon. Moonlight spread a silver ribbon of light across the sea, shimmering and unrealistically beautiful.
"The World is always changing..." he said, "We can only try our best to adapt."
Tony was silent for a while, then said: "Banner has a project; he and I have been researching it for nearly two months. If it weren't for that guy Killian jumping out to provoke me, I wouldn't have had time to pay attention to it."
Mavuika raised an eyebrow. "What project?"
Tony looked at him, a mysterious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Secret. When it's done, I'll show you first."
Mavuika didn't press him. That was how Tony was; he would say it naturally when he was supposed to, and when he didn't want to talk about it, asking was useless.
"So when are you leaving?" he asked.
Tony checked his watch: "Now."
After saying that, he had already put his armor back on, the thrusters at his feet flashed with fire, and he flew toward the night sky.
Thor sat up from the sofa and looked at Mavuika. "Big brother, where are we going next?"
Mavuika thought for a moment. "Let's spend tonight in Miami first, then... go back."
"Back to New York?" Thor asked.
Mavuika nodded. "Yes."
The next day, the three siblings returned to New York.
The streets of Manhattan were still bustling; the aroma of coffee shops mixed with car exhaust, creating the unique scent of this city.
Thor walked in front, carrying a golf bag—inside was mjolnir—stopping to look at every small stall he passed.
Loki walked behind, holding his phone, watching a chess tutorial video.
Mavuika walked in the middle, quietly watching his two younger brothers, a faint smile on his lips.
...
The night was like ink, and there were no stars in the sky over Washington.
Fury stood in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters office; the coffee in front of him had gone cold, but he hadn't drunk it. His eyes were fixed on the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking forward, making a faint, unsettling sound.
He hadn't closed his eyes for three days.
It wasn't because there was too much work, although there certainly was, but because he couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he would see those fragments.
A tampered report, a name that shouldn't have been there, an encrypted communication record. They were scattered in his mind like puzzle pieces, impossible to piece together completely, but one thing was certain—
Someone was in the shadows, doing things that shouldn't be done.