​​Chapter 53: The Iron Prison's Lonely Loyalty · Hidden Wounds and Reflection​

Aurora‌
Deep within the bowels of Sanctuary II, within冰冷的金属囚牢 (bīnglěng de jīnshǔ qiúláo -冰冷的金属囚牢).
The energy shackles emitted a low, ominous hum, like a persistent parasite, constantly draining the prisoners' already depleted stamina and energy. The air was thick with the smell of blood, ozone, and despair.
The heroes were slumped against the cold walls or lay on the floor. Each bore injuries—some fresh from the recent battle, but更多则是 (gèng duō zé shì -更多则是) the lingering暗伤 (ànshāng -暗伤) left unhealed from their cataclysmic battle with Sun Wukong.
Steve Rogers, Captain America, tried to clench his fist, only to feel a tearing隐痛 (yǐntòng -隐痛) shoot through his arm muscles—a lingering effect from硬扛 (yìng káng -硬扛) the golden-hooped staff, now exacerbated by the shackles' suppression. Dried blood still clung to the corner of his mouth.
Tony Stark, Iron Man, was瘫坐在角落 (tānzuò zài jiǎoluò -瘫坐在角落), his armor severely damaged,纳米单元失去活性 (nàmǐ dānyuán shīqù huóxìng -纳米单元失去活性). His faceplate was open, revealing a pale, exhausted face. He coughed violently, each spasm causing a dull ache in his chest—internal injuries from the earlier impacts.
Thor Odinson leaned against the wall, Mjolnir discarded at his feet. His once-bright eyes were dimmed. The flow of his Asgardian divine power felt滞涩不畅 (zhìsè bùchàng -滞涩不畅), as if blocked by something—the lingering Dao痕 (hén -痕) from Sun Wukong's "清净拳意 (qīngjìng quányì -清净拳意)."
Dr. Bruce Banner (the Hulk forcibly receded) was蜷缩着 (quánsuō zhe -蜷缩着), his glasses shattered, his body twitching occasionally with pain. The Hulk's power seemed "震慑 (zhènshè -震慑)" or "打散 (dǎ sàn -打散)" at a deeper level,难以凝聚 (nányǐ níngjù -难以凝聚).
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, was deathly pale, her精神力枯竭且混乱 (jīngshénlì kūjié qiě hǔnluàn -精神力枯竭且混乱); Vision's Vibranium body was covered in fine cracks, the light of the Mind Stone极其微弱 (jíqí wēi ruò -极其微弱).
T'Challa, the Black Panther, Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, Clint Barton, Hawkeye... almost everyone was injured, their morale低迷 (dīmí -低迷).
A deathly silence persisted for a long time, finally broken by a suppressed咒骂 (zhòumà -咒骂), filled with pain and rage.
"Damn it... it's all that monkey!" James "Rhodey" Rhodes spat a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva, his voice hoarse. "If he hadn't beaten us all to a pulp, worn us down to this state... how could we... how could we have been unable to put up any decent resistance?!"
His words were like a match to a powder keg.
"Right!" Clint Barton slammed a fist against the floor, aggravating his rib injury, his face contorted in pain. "That lunatic! Showed up out of nowhere, beat us half to death, then just left! And now? This purple freak gets an easy win!"
"We were too stupid before!" Sam Wilson, Falcon, gasped for breath. "Why did we fight him head-on? Why play by his rules? He's clearly just a battle maniac, only interested in the fight itself!"
"We could have..." Natasha Romanoff's voice held a note of regret. "We could have tried to communicate, or... used other methods."
Tony Stark looked up sharply, his eyes复杂的光芒 (fùzá de guāngmáng -复杂的光芒)—anger mixed with a sudden,恍然大悟的懊恼 (huǎngrándàwù de àonǎo -恍然大悟的懊恼). "They're right! We made a strategic error! We let him dictate the terms! We kept competing in his area of expertise—absolute武力 (wǔlì -武力)!"
He struggled to sit up straight,扫视众人 (sǎoshì zhòngrén -扫视众人). "Think about it! That monkey, ridiculously strong as he is, does he have a code? He does! He's even a bit...幼稚的好胜和虚荣 (yòuzhì de hàoshèng hé xūróng -幼稚的好胜和虚荣)! We lost because we played his game!"
"What if we changed the approach?" Tony's voice rose. "What if we didn't compete on strength or endurance? What if we set the rules? Like... competing on technological creations? Solving puzzles? Speed? Even... who could make the other laugh first? Anything in our wheelhouse!"
Steve Rogers' furrowed brow relaxed slightly, picking up the thread. "Tony's right. He craves the成就感 (chéngjiù gǎn -成就感) of 'winning.' If we beat him in an area he's not good at, he might even acknowledge us, even... respect us? He's not like Thanos. Thanos will do anything to achieve his goal. That monkey... he's more like he's 'playing.'"
"Exactly!" Tony nodded vigorously, grasping at a glimmer of light in the despair. "As long as he has a code, his 'strength' can be constrained! We can attack his 'weakness' with our 'strength'! Why didn't we think of that before? We just had to送人头 (sòng réntóu -送人头) one by one, feeding his ego, and now we're left as a bunch of残兵败将 (cánbīngbàijiàng -残兵败将) for the real villain to clean up!"
Thor grumbled闷声 (mèn shēng -闷声), "What's the use of saying this now? We're already prisoners."
"No, it's useful," T'Challa said沉声道 (chénshēng dào -沉声道), a sharp glint returning to his eyes. "It reminds us that against an opponent you cannot match in strength, wisdom and strategy are equally important. This time it's Thanos, but if we get out... if there is a next time..." He left the thought hanging, but the meaning was clear.
"If we get out..." Steve took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over his battered companions. "If we ever face a challenge like that again... we must remember the lesson of today. Strength is not the only answer. Understand your opponent,引导他进入你的领域 (yǐndǎo tā jìnrù nǐ de lǐngyù -引导他进入你的领域), win with wisdom."
The atmosphere in the cell悄然发生了变化 (qiǎorán fāshēngle biànhuà -悄然发生了变化). It shifted from initial despair and抱怨 (bàoyuàn -抱怨) to reflection on strategic errors, then to a spark of不甘 (bùgān -不甘), seeking future possibilities. They partly blamed Sun Wukong for their惨败 (cǎnbài -惨败), but more importantly, they began to reflect on the errors in their own approach.
However, the cold reality soon dragged them back.
The cell door slid open, revealing the冰冷的身影 (bīnglěng de shēnyǐng -冰冷的身影) of Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight.
"Out. The great Thanos wishes to see you," Corvus Glaive's voice was devoid of emotion.
The energy shackles exerted a stronger pull, forcing the weakened heroes to struggle to their feet. They staggered out of the cell,被押向未知的命运 (bèi yā xiàng wèizhī de mìngyùn -被押向未知的命运).
The small spark of reflection they had just ignited seemed feeble before Thanos's absolute power and the冰冷现实 (bīnglěng xiànshí -冰冷现实). But the seed had been planted.