Roger exhaled and, after some thought, said to Natasha:

"You're right. Vought isn't much of a threat. If I really wanted to take them down without any regard for the consequences, they'd have been gone long ago. But I need to be mindful of the impact."

With the immense power Roger now possessed, dealing with Vought was a trivial matter. The company's executives and the supes who dared to oppose him could all be obliterated with a single blast of his heat vision.

Including Stormfront.

But what would be the point?

Destroying them wouldn't address the root of the problem. Even if he annihilated Vought's leadership, another company would simply take its place. And if Stormfront were gone, some other supe would just rise to the occasion.

Killing to prevent more killing was the worst strategy. Without establishing a new order, the world would only fall deeper into chaos.

Moreover, Roger's identity in this world was unique. He was seen as a god, the brightest star on Earth. Even if his actions tarnished his public image, turning fans against him, there would still be those who imitated his behavior.

In the original story, Stormfront's fanbase included a white, chubby young man who, inspired by her rhetoric, shot and killed the owner of a nearby convenience store.

So, if Roger really went ahead and wiped out Vought's leadership, it was inevitable that some would start copying his actions. What would Roger do then? He couldn't just go around killing every criminal that surfaced.

Putting aside the catastrophic impact this would have on the world, it would be an enormous hassle for Roger personally.

Thus, Roger decided to let Tek Knight handle the situation, to first keep Vought in check, and then slowly work out a way to dismantle them.

"That makes sense," Natasha said, understanding Roger's rationale.

As the saying goes, "specialization matters." Roger's combat skills were beyond question, he was someone who could burn a hole through Thanos with his heat vision. But when it came to political maneuvering, he was clearly a complete novice.

No matter how powerful someone was, they couldn't excel at everything. Relying on brute force alone to solve problems would only create hidden dangers. As those dangers accumulated, they would eventually snowball into issues even Roger couldn't handle.

That was also why Natasha and the others had come along with him.

Roger couldn't handle everything by himself, but his companions could help cover the gaps.

Natasha didn't know much about corporate takedowns, but when it came to toppling powerful organizations, there was no one more experienced than the Avengers.

"Wow, so we only need to stay here for three days before we can go home?" Thor asked, after tossing the person he had been carrying to Kimiko and setting down his axe. He cracked open a can of beer and took a swig.

Roger gave Thor an awkward but polite smile and said, "Sorry, even if everything goes perfectly, it'll be at least three months before I can send you back."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Oh, right, charging up," Thor said, nodding before continuing to drink.

Seeing Thor's carefree attitude, Roger frowned and asked, "This might just be a feeling, but… is it that you don't really want to go back?"

"How could that be?" Thor responded with a forced smile. He slumped into a chair, looking completely unbothered, and said, "I just… want to find a place to relax for a while. This world seems like a good option."

The Avengers stayed silent.

They all knew how much Thor had lost. Asgard had been destroyed by Ragnarok, his brother Loki was killed by Thanos, and his good friend Heimdall was stabbed through the chest by the Black Order's Corvus Glaive.

Half of Asgard's population had been slaughtered by Thanos, and on Earth, Thor had lost more friends, Tony Stark and Hawkeye were both casualties of the zombie crisis.

Thor's sole driving purpose during that time had been to kill Thanos, but when Thanos finally died, Thor found himself emotionally hollow.

He had lost his reason for living.

Previously, he had been driven by the desire to protect the remaining people of Asgard, but once it became clear that Valkyrie could handle that responsibility, Thor lost all motivation.

In the original timeline, he had become a recluse after Thanos's death, spending five years indulging in alcohol and unhealthy food, transforming into a shadow of his former self.

Even during the later Time Heist, Thor had been mostly checked out. He had nearly failed to retrieve the Reality Stone when they traveled back in time to Asgard. If he hadn't encountered his mother, Frigga, he might never have snapped out of his funk.

But now…

With the timeline in this zombie world drastically altered, no Thanos Snap, no Time Heist, there was no one to pull Thor back from his despair.

Roger figured that Thor hadn't come to this world to reconnect with his long-lost family. Thor, though reckless, had a clear understanding of his situation. The family from this parallel world wasn't really his family; they were strangers with familiar faces and personalities.

This world already had its own Thor. Their brother, son, and friend was the Thor from this reality, not him.

So, Thor intended to stay here, at least until he figured things out. He wanted to be in a place where no one knew him.

"And what about you, Dr. Banner?" Roger sighed, deciding not to push Thor any further and turned his attention to Banner.

After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Banner had left Earth, not wanting to stay any longer. Even though he eventually returned, Roger wondered if Banner might leave again if the whole Thanos crisis hadn't happened.

He wanted to know whether the Hulk was planning to stay in this world as well.

Banner was caught off guard by the question. He glanced at Natasha, who was also looking at him, before awkwardly waving his hand and saying:

"I… I think I'll go back. No, I'm sure I will. I'm not going to run away anymore."

He looked at Natasha intently as he said this.

She smiled back at him.

Roger, feeling like he had just intruded on a private moment, quickly looked away and said, "Well, whether you want to go back or stay, you'll have to wait three months either way. Thor, I know you've been through a lot, but this world isn't your home. I hope you'll think carefully about your decision."

"Don't worry, I've thought it through," Thor said with a smile, cracking open another can of beer.

Roger twitched slightly.

He regretted having beer available for Thor when they returned to this world. At the rate Thor was going, it wouldn't be long before he turned back into the overweight, disheveled version of himself from Avengers: Endgame.

But for now, it wasn't a pressing concern. As long as Thor maintained his appearance and didn't do anything too outlandish in front of the cameras, Roger's plan wouldn't be affected.

"Let's get that surgery done for Tek Knight. With the precision equipment Carol gave us, removing a tumor should be no problem, right?" Roger asked, turning to Dr. Banner.

Banner snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "No problem at all. It's a simple procedure; it won't take long."

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