121. The Art of Explosion: He Has Arrived

The joy of victory was fleeting; soon, all of New York was engulfed in overwhelming sorrow.

According to incomplete statistics gathered afterward, during the battle against the Chitauri invasion, over half the city's civilian population were either dead or wounded, and the casualties were concentrated mostly in the bustling city center.

Countless buildings were destroyed.

Manhattan Island, in particular, was nearly razed to the ground. The once towering skyscrapers were now mostly reduced to shattered ruins, their remains scattered everywhere.

After all, this was the very place where the Chitauri first descended — the heart of the battlefield — so it was only natural that it suffered the most severe damage.

The economic losses from this battle and the ensuing chaos were nearly incalculable.

Throughout Manhattan, only the Stark Industries headquarters remained largely intact. Because the Cosmic Cube’s activation device was housed there, both sides deliberately avoided direct attacks on the building, preserving it relatively unscathed.

Apart from that, even the headquarters of the Guardians of the Wall — the Osborn Group Tower — sustained varying degrees of damage, and other locations fared even worse.

Oh, and the Sanctuary was also preserved, intact. The building itself was not tall, and with the Ancient One present, it was unsurprising that it remained unharmed.

Standing atop the ruined Osborn Tower, Su Ye gazed out at the devastated city below, a complex and indescribable feeling swelling in his chest.

Before, whether it was silencing the “Silent Mushroom” or holding the spatial gate open, he had fought with fierce determination.

But now, looking at the city so thoroughly shattered, a pang of pity suddenly welled up within him, accompanied by a fleeting moment of regret for his own actions.

To see such widespread destruction and loss of life and remain unmoved would surely be false — even cats sometimes weep for mice; why couldn’t crocodiles shed tears?

Yet, if he were to be honest, from beginning to end, Su Ye did not believe he had done anything wrong.

Take the “Silent Mushroom” for example. Even if Su Ye hadn’t stopped Max from silencing it, given the dense concentration of Chitauri at the spatial gate, it would have been nearly impossible for Iron Man to send it in.

The best-case scenario would have been Iron Man holding the “Silent Mushroom” at the gate and detonating it there. Though the damage would have been limited, it would not have affected the overall outcome of the war.

Moreover, Su Ye’s actions were to protect himself — to avoid being blown up by the “Silent Mushroom.” Self-preservation is natural; who could blame him?

As for the Mind Scepter, even if Su Ye had brought it up earlier, it would have been futile, since no one could locate it.

Loki, through his own reckless actions, had provoked the Ancient One and was trapped in the Mirror Dimension. Who else was to blame?

Overall, Su Ye was not only blameless but had later summoned the Great Toad to help slay countless Leviathan beasts and Chitauri soldiers.

In fact, from one perspective, the arrival of the Great Toad even altered the course of the entire war.

Thus, in this conflict, Su Ye’s contributions far outweighed any mistakes.

Of course, though Su Ye thought this internally, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he wore a solemn expression, as if truly burdened by grief.

“Su Ye, don’t be sad. Things will get better,” Harry said confidently as he came beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“When our ancestors first came to this land, it was a barren wasteland. Hundreds of years ago, they transformed it into the prosperous Manhattan we know today. Hundreds of years from now, we will surely be no less capable than they were!”

Su Ye nodded. As a local, it was comforting to think so.

“I’ll keep an eye on the company. Do you want to get some rest?” Harry offered again.

Su Ye was unexpectedly touched. He had never realized Harry could be so considerate.

Handsome, wealthy, and thoughtful—where else could one find such a man? Then again, Su Ye wasn’t a woman…

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Su Ye turned back to Harry.

“You’ve been fighting longer and harder than I have. Why don’t you take a break? I’ll stay here…”

But as he spoke, Su Ye’s brow suddenly furrowed, his expression turning grave.

“Su Ye, what’s wrong?” Harry began to ask, but before he could finish, a faint rumble echoed from afar, as if an explosion had just occurred.

The two turned toward the window and saw a plume of white smoke rising in the distance, with a white figure circling above it.

Harry’s brow tightened immediately. “What is that? Is it a Chitauri remnant? Didn’t they all fall when the spatial gate closed? How could this happen?”

As Harry spoke, Su Ye flicked his arm, and the web shooter on his wrist fired, pulling the Great Wall glider from the corner of the room toward him.

Harry didn’t know where the explosion had occurred, but Su Ye did — it was at the location of Midtown High School’s affiliated junior high.

Shortly before, he had left behind a clone there and had just departed.

And now, the clone he had left behind had been destroyed in the explosion.

“I’m going to check it out first!” Su Ye declared.

Without another word, he grabbed the glider and leapt out, flipping in midair to stand atop it. The thrusters ignited, propelling him rapidly toward the explosion site.

“Su Ye, check it out, but don’t act rashly. I’ll call for backup right away. Hold tight!” Harry said into his comms.

Soon, several gliders trailed flames as they departed from the Osborn Group Tower.

Not far away, on the roof of Stark Tower, the Avengers were resting. With the city in ruins, even if the Turkish kebab shop remained, it couldn’t operate, so they made do with what they had.

As they ate, they suddenly saw several figures take off from the Osborn Tower roof.

“What’s going on? Where are they headed?”

“Is there still fighting somewhere?”

“I’m not sure. Should we check it out?”

Tony Stark donned his Iron Man armor, and the others boarded their Quinjet fighters—the Avengers were heading out once more.

Meanwhile, Su Ye was closing in on the site of the incident.

Drawing closer, it became clear that the white figure circling above the smoke was not a Chitauri aircraft but a large bird.

A pure white bird, with almost no markings, though its shape was somewhat odd. It lacked the feather patterns typical of natural birds, and the wings and neck looked as if they had been cut with scissors.

No matter how one looked at it, this was no species evolved naturally. It seemed more like a creation molded from clay.

And perched on the bird’s back was a man. He wore a black robe adorned with red clouds, his golden hair swept forward with long bangs, tied back in a ponytail.

Seeing him, there was no need to doubt — the bird was indeed a crafted creation.

Su Ye already knew who this man was.

From the world of Naruto, a member of the Akatsuki, an ardent artist who believed explosions were art: Deidara.

But why was this man here?

And if Deidara had appeared, where were the other members of the Akatsuki?