As the sun set, night gradually fell upon the peaceful streets of New York City.
Just as predicted by the CTOS system, a white, modified pickup truck pulled up outside a corner ATM.
Four burly men jumped out, each clutching Chitauri weapons or Dark Elf tech—clearly ready to pull off a major heist at this ATM.
"Aha, as expected!" Kagura muttered to herself. "Of course! My global defense and intelligence early warning system is absolutely brilliant!"
The young girl—looking like a child, brimming with pride—grinned.
"But seriously, where did they even get those alien weapons? I don't recall ever releasing a channel that would let alien tech slip onto the black market."
"And didn't Nick Fury already crack down on the New York weapons black market ages ago?" she wondered aloud, watching as the four robbers marched into the ATM lobby.
"Conducting black market weapon deals right under my nose? That's a direct slap in the face to everything Rhodes Island Industries has worked for all these years!"
"Master," Cortana's voice chimed in, "ever since the Dark Elf invasion, the World Security Council has been striving to legally regulate superhero teams and integrate national defense efforts."
"While Rhodes Island Industries retains its own military forces, city security in New York—including staffing and equipment—falls under the NYPD's jurisdiction."
"So, you're telling me… the police are slacking off again?" Kagura's voice was tinged with irritation. "Even after I handed over the Argus Project and CTOS system, they can't even manage this?"
"Master," Cortana replied calmly, "wherever there are people, there are interests; and wherever there are interests, there is corruption and bribery."
"Especially in this country, which is built on a foundation of money and power—no countermeasure can be 100% effective against human nature."
Kagura let out a sigh. "True… Rhodes Island and Griffin's real purpose is to act as a 'watchdog chip' for the Earth."
"We're here to prevent catastrophic societal collapse, not to take over every bit of police and military work."
Cortana continued, "And even if we did take it all over, there's no guarantee it would work."
"Human society is incredibly complex; internal conflicts and interests can never be fully eradicated."
"But at the very least, we can suppress them to a minimum, keeping society stable and peaceful," Kagura said firmly. "That's the mission of the Griffin Security Agency."
"Exactly, Master," Cortana agreed. "That's why these alien weapons in the robbers' hands have become a key target in our next investigation."
"Hmm…" Kagura rubbed her chin, her eyes gleaming. "This just got a whole lot more interesting!"
————————————————————————
While they talked, the four robbers had already used a Chitauri energy blade to pry open the ATM's security door, swaggering inside to crack open the cash machines.
Their choice of disguise was rather amusing—they were all wearing Avengers masks.
So, for anyone watching, it looked like the bank was being robbed by the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America.
Hmph!
Did they really just leave out my dear Black Widow?
Well, it made sense—no self-respecting tough guy would wear a woman's mask, after all.
As for Hawkeye…
Barton was already fully working for the Griffin Security Agency.
Unlike Black Widow, he didn't maintain that dual identity with the Avengers.
At that thought, Kagura suddenly felt a flicker of unease.
Wait a second… why does this scene feel so familiar?
The silver-haired girl paused. Huh?
'Am I… in the middle of the Spider-Man: Homecoming set?'
By her calculations, the timing actually did line up pretty well.
Civil War hadn't happened in this world, Doctor Strange's events had just started to cause a stir, and Peter Parker should have just started school again…
'But the Vulture didn't seem to have been treated unfairly after the Battle of New York, did he?' Kagura pondered this further.
In the original story, the Vulture—a criminal dealing in alien tech—was driven to crime because, after the 2012 Chitauri invasion.
Tony Stark had completely neglected the aftermath, leaving him and his crew bankrupt and desperate.
In simple terms, it was Stark Industries' failure to handle the post-battle recovery properly that pushed the Vulture down a criminal path.
But in this world, Rhodes Island Industries had handled the cleanup after the 2012 invasion—and they had been meticulous in making sure everyone involved was properly compensated and resettled.
Kagura herself had insisted on it.
Hmm…
This really doesn't add up!
She was certain she'd personally instructed the teams handling the aftermath to ensure there were no oversights with the Vulture's group.
In the end, it seemed like there had been no conflicts at all.
So what was this?
Did the Vulture still end up building an underground alien weapons network anyway?
Maybe the black market alien weapons trade was just too lucrative to resist?
Well…
The silver-haired girl gave her head a little shake.
No point in overthinking—this world had long since diverged from the MCU storyline.
The only way to find out the truth was to keep investigating.
"Master, the 'main character' has arrived," Cortana said in her earpiece. "I'll leave the rest to your judgment. Have fun."
"Hmm got it!" Kagura replied cheerfully. "Alright then… looks like it's my time to shine!"
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Inside the ATM lobby…
"Boss, this thing's amazing!" The guy in the Hulk mask grinned, raising the alien-tech laser cutter. "It slices through these ATM safes like butter—so easy!"
"Of course it is!" The man in the Captain America mask—clearly the leader—nodded. "These babies cost me a cool five grand each!"
"Five grand? Boss, you're loaded!" The guy in the Iron Man mask used his magnetic grabber to pull the cut ATM panel from the wall, revealing the cash box inside.
"Come on, let's get to work! We're gonna be rich tonight!"
The Hulk-masked robber tossed the cutter aside and pulled a duffel bag off his shoulder, eagerly starting to scoop the money from the ATM.
"Ahem…" Suddenly, a teenage voice came from behind them. "Good evening, everyone…"