Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Sardar Patel.
Once Patel understood the full situation, he knew Nehru's career was over.
And worse, the newly independent, still-unified India was in deep trouble.
He made the smartest decision possible.
He stripped Nehru of all authority, placed him under house arrest, and ordered the military not to resist any actions by the U.S., Britain, or the Soviets.
This was, without a doubt, the right move.
In this era, no single country could take on all three superpowers.
The last people who tried—Hitler and the Red Skull—had long since turned to dust.
Though this decision shattered India's dream of becoming a global power, at least the country wouldn't have to suffer massive losses.
In a way, Patel had unknowingly fulfilled Gandhi's ideals.
Meanwhile, another unexpected event occurred.
Shortly after the New Delhi incident, West Bengal declared independence.
But at this point, India had no time to deal with it.
Thus, Bangladesh was born decades earlier than in the original timeline—but instead of being based on East Bengal, it was now led by West Bengal.
The new leader of Bangladesh could hardly believe how smoothly things had unfolded—it felt like a dream.
...
Mumbai, India.
Kingo stood by the window of his mansion, gazing at the chaotic streets below, his brows tightly furrowed.
The armies of the three great nations were about to arrive in India to enforce sanctions, and the government had chosen a policy of non-resistance.
In a metropolis like Mumbai, this was no longer a secret.
This had plunged people from all walks of life into panic.
Kingo, who had lived here for nearly a century, felt deep sympathy but chose not to interfere—even though he was still considered a close friend of Nehru.
He always remembered the words of Ajak, the leader of the Eternals.
The Eternals should not interfere with the natural development of humanity.
Besides, he lacked the power to change anything.
While each Eternal possessed a unique ability, the truth was that, apart from a few exceptional warriors like Ikaris, the rest had combat strength only on par with enhanced super soldiers.
This was due to the fact that the Celestials used high-quality materials to create them.
Take Ajak, for example—despite her formidable healing abilities, she was utterly helpless against the Deviants. She had to rely on a weapon to defend herself.
For most of her time on Earth, she needed the protection of Ikaris.
This disparity led to the fatal disagreement between them—when Ikaris decided to kill her, she had no way to resist.
Kingo's own combat abilities, while not as weak as Ajak's, were only slightly above average among the Eternals.
His power allowed him to fire energy blasts from his hands.
Sounds impressive—like a powerful ADC in a battle. (TL/N: ADC (Attack Damage Carry) is an archaic term used to refer to a champion that deals strong, continuous damage with their basic attacks and scales with attack-related stats - i.e. attack damage, critical strike chance and attack speed. This is League of Legends)
But in reality, for his blasts to have real destructive force, he had to charge them for a long time.
Otherwise, his regular shots were only as strong as high-caliber rifle bullets.
In ancient times, his "infinite ammo" ability might have made him a conqueror.
But in the modern era?
One powerful artillery shell could send him flying.
So, aside from exceptions like Ikaris and Thanos, the so-called Eternals weren't all that special.
Just as he was sighing at the chaotic scene outside, his butler walked in.
"Master, there's an American lady downstairs asking for you."
An American? A woman?
Kingo was surprised.
His current identity was that of a high-caste Indian film star, though he had close ties with the West—mainly the British.
Although India's film industry was booming in this era, it was still influenced primarily by Britain rather than Hollywood.
The term "Bollywood" hadn't even been coined yet.
So why was an American looking for him?
"Did she say what she wants?" Kingo asked.
"She claims to represent Stark Pictures and wishes to discuss a film collaboration with you."
Kingo's eyes lit up.
Stark Pictures?
"Invite her in immediately!"
The reason he chose to live as a film star was simple—he loved acting.
In movies, he could experience countless different lives.
And Hollywood, the pinnacle of filmmaking, naturally fascinated him.
Especially Stark Pictures—a true industry giant.
Soon, the American woman mentioned by the butler arrived in the reception hall, accompanied by two stern-faced bodyguards.
She was a beautiful blonde, and thinking about the rumors of Howard Stark's colorful private life, Kingo couldn't help but feel that this was very much like Stark.
"Mr. Kingo, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Natasha Romanoff, a business manager from Stark Studios. I'm here because our company is working on a movie and we'd like to invite you to be a part of it," the woman said with a smile, getting right to the point.
"Oh? What kind of movie is it?" Kingo asked with interest.
"The movie is called Eternals. The story takes place over 7,000 years ago, where a powerful race, led by a strong figure named Bruce Wayne, arrives on Earth..." As Natasha explained the plot, Kingo's expression completely changed the moment he heard the first word.
"Ms. Romanoff, how do you know about the Eternals?" he asked seriously.
"What?" Natasha looked confused at his question.
Seeing her reaction, Kingo frowned. Could this just be a coincidence?
"Oh, sorry, my English isn't very good. I meant, do the Eternals really exist in this world?" Kingo quickly adjusted his expression and smiled, but his thoughts had already drifted to his fellow Eternals.
When was the last time he had seen them?
"Mr. Kingo, you must be joking. This is just a fictional story. There's no way something like the Eternals actually exists. Unless… you've seen them before? Or perhaps… you are one of them?" Natasha's smile widened as she skillfully led his thoughts in the direction she wanted. Then, without warning, her expression shifted, and she dropped her act.
Before Kingo could react, she was already in close range.
Several small, button-like devices flew out and attached themselves to Kingo's body.
The next second, a powerful electric current surged through him, making his body convulse and collapse onto the ground.
"Tsk, electrocuting someone really feels satisfying. No wonder the boss likes to use this method so much. But is this guy really an Eternal? He doesn't seem all that special," Natasha said smugly as she watched Kingo twitching on the ground.
But her smile faded quickly when she noticed that Kingo wasn't completely unconscious. He was still struggling to get to his feet.
After all, the body of an Eternal was much stronger than that of an ordinary human. The powerful current, which could knock out a full-grown bull, had only left him momentarily weakened—it hadn't made him lose consciousness.
But for Natasha, that short moment was more than enough.
In the next second, a thin, drill-tipped chain dropped into her hand from her waist. Without hesitation, she drove it straight into Kingo's shoulder.
Kingo screamed in pain as Natasha skillfully threaded the chain through both of his shoulders, completely restraining him.
The chain was made of vibranium—there was no way an Eternal could break free from it.
And with his shoulders pierced, any large movement of his arms would cause him unbearable pain, making it impossible for him to charge and fire his energy attacks. His fighting ability was completely neutralized.
Kingo's mansion had plenty of guards, but because he was an Eternal, they were usually just for show.
But now, for the first time, he realized how much he needed them.
Unfortunately, they were useless.
At the same time Natasha attacked him, another team had already infiltrated the mansion and silently taken out the guards.
In no time, Kingo was stuffed into an ornate container, loaded onto a truck parked at the entrance, and driven away.
With the current chaos in Mumbai, no one would notice the disappearance of a famous movie star for a while.
And even if they did, no one would care.
After all, even the Prime Minister himself was struggling to survive—who would bother worrying about a mere celebrity?
--
Join Patreon.com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read till Chapter 340 (81 Chapter Ahead).