When everyone heard Lucas's explanation, it did seem to make sense. They all knew his abilities revolved around controlling wind and lightning. They had never seen him summon teors from the sky. That said… who could be certain Lucas wasn't hiding so other power?
"So it really wasn't you?"
The group was still suspicious. Deep down, they were almost certain Lucas was responsible—but there was no evidence.
"Hey, even if it was you, so what?" Tony said casually, utterly unconcerned. "When they decided to launch a nuke without a second thought for millions of civilians, they should've been prepared for the consequences. You might as well just admit it."
Tony genuinely didn't care. He knew those politicians all too well. Whether they lived or died made little difference to Arica as a whole. The White House and the Pentagon would soon prop up new lawmakers anyway—still the sa old capitalists calling the shots. If anything, this was a perfect opportunity to install their own people.
Lucas, of course, had no intention of admitting anything. He kept up his confused act.
"Why would I admit to sothing I didn't do? If I really had that kind of ability, the Battle of New York wouldn't have been so hard. I'd have just dropped dozens of teors and blown everything up. Wouldn't that have been easier?"
Everyone paused. That… actually sounded reasonable. Yet sohow, it still felt off. There was an inexplicable sense of discomfort—like sothing didn't quite add up—but no one could put a finger on it.
---
Elsewhere, Nick Fury had also seen the shocking news. He imdiately ordered Hill to pull up all surveillance related to Lucas.
Nothing.
No abnormalities at all.
That only strengthened Fury's conviction that Lucas was behind it. With Skye around, perfection itself beca suspicious—the cleaner it was, the more it felt like a deliberate cover-up.
But there was nothing he could do. Suspicion without evidence ant nothing. Besides, even Fury himself didn't feel like pursuing Lucas over this. No civilians had died—just a bunch of politicians. Arica had no shortage of those. And now that he was no longer the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., this was no longer his responsibility anyway.
---
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
New York was already deep into reconstruction, especially Manhattan Island, which had suffered the worst damage. Compared to it, destruction elsewhere was almost negligible.
On the street where Lucas's apartnt stood—close to Stark Tower and well within the disaster zone—the scene was one of utter devastation. Rubble covered the ground. Not a single intact brick could be found. Among the ruins, a few Chitauri corpses were still visible.
Only Lucas's apartnt building stood untouched.
Not even a patch of paint had peeled off.
The residents had witnessed the Chitauri invasion firsthand. The aliens slaughtered indiscriminately and certainly hadn't spared this area—but the barrier around the apartnt had blocked every attack.
After that, the tenants beca even more reluctant to leave.
This place was paradise.
They were convinced that even if the world ended, this building would remain standing. They had seen it with their own eyes. As a result, tenants eagerly offered to raise their rent—so even doubling it without batting an eye.
Lucas's apartnt building once again beca a hot topic.
Not only was it now labeled one of the most luxurious and expensive residences in New York, it also earned a new title: the safest. After all, an entire street had been flattened, yet this single building stood alone, completely unscathed. How could that not spark curiosity?
Before long, it beca another landmark of New York—second only to Stark Tower.
---
Since returning, Lucas had lived like a complete shut-in.
He barely left ho—either gaming all day, soaking in hot springs inside the Chocobo Space, or zoning out in the office.
No one ca looking for him during those three days.
Tony was busy rebuilding Stark Tower and had generously taken on much of New York's reconstruction. Stark Industries would handle the design and rebuilding of Manhattan Island. Of course, it wasn't charity—the governnt would provide funding—but the amount was pocket change compared to Tony Stark's annual profits.
Natasha had been absent due to missions. After the Battle of New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly beca extrely busy. No one knew what Nick Fury was up to, but agents barely had a mont to breathe.
Wanda remained with the Ancient One, learning to control the Chaos Magic within her. Her powers had gone out of control once again during the battle, and the Ancient One had sensed it clearly from the New York Sanctum.
As a result, she gave Wanda a condition:
Until she could fully control her Chaos Magic, she was not allowed to return and see Lucas.
It was both a trial and motivation.
The Ancient One understood exactly what Lucas ant to Wanda—and how dependent Wanda was on him. This restriction pushed her harder than anything else, and the results were remarkable. Wanda's progress accelerated significantly.
Gwen had returned to school. Finals were approaching, and academic pressure was at its peak. Once she passed, she could begin her internship at Stark Industries—aning she wouldn't have to leave New York.
---
That left only Lucas and Skye in the office.
Life returned to its peaceful routine.
Lucas slouched lazily in his chair. Skye sat at her usual spot, either working on her computer or absentmindedly petting the Moogle.
Thanks to her excellent reputation online, countless companies sought Skye out to upgrade and maintain their systems. Her na spread quickly through the industry. She shed the "hacker" label and beca a highly sought-after network specialist. At one point, her inco from contracts even surpassed the salary Lucas paid her.
Speaking of salary… Skye couldn't help but feel exasperated.
Lucas had only paid her for the first few months.
After that, he handed all his money over to her for managent—and even encouraged her to invest it when she felt like it. From that point on, she never received another paycheck.
He had basically turned his employee into his personal financial manager.
Free labor.
Scumbag.
---
That day, Skye was working on a website for a cleaning company. Lucas had gone into the Chocobo Space to feed Onion.
Then—
An unexpected visitor arrived.
Reconstruction across Manhattan was in full swing. On the street outside the office, a Cadillac slowly ca to a stop.
Ding-ling—
The bell above the door rang as it opened.
"Welco. How can I help you?"
Skye imdiately stood to greet them. No matter what, she was still the assistant here—old habits died hard.
The man who entered wore a black suit and dark sunglasses. At first glance, he looked either like a bodyguard… or an agent.
But the person who followed him inside—
That was the real visitor.
And the mont Skye saw who it was, she froze completely.
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