Chapter 132: New Enhanced Armor, Ancient God Brews Tea!
Originally.
Ian was still digesting the abilities he had just acquired.
A subtle stream of light rose from the core of the mucus and merged into Ian’s body. A strange and powerful piece of information flooded his mind, about the fundamental structure of the symbiote.
And the method of energy conversion.
【 Active Armor Mimicry: This mimicry possesses self-repair and regeneration capabilities, allowing it to simulate and fuse with any material structure it contacts, and to autonomously generate weapons, armor, flight organs, and other structures according to battle needs. 】
This was the new mimicry information.
Just as Ian was happily trying it out.
He had just used the active armor’s mimicry to put on a cool set of armor for himself.
Little did he know.
The next moment.
An unexpected change occurred.
A wavering picture frame appeared in the sky, and within that illusory scene resembling a scroll painting, the Symbiote God, the Dark God, Nar, who lurked in the stories, appeared.
Perhaps because the power of Carnage was absorbed by Ian, He seemed to want to deliver judgment to the life outside the picture frame, to show that He still possessed the power to influence reality.
Behold.
Nar pointed a finger forward.
No sound.
No visual effects.
Dark purple energy, like a heavenly punishment, tore through space silently and fatally, surging towards the real world outside the picture frame. In that instant, the entire world seemed to have its mute button pressed, even the wind stopped flowing, leaving only that dark divine power, capable of annihilating all things, rushing directly towards Ian, who stood on the ground in reality.
“Be careful!”
As a hero still standing and capable of thought on the scene, Thor felt the terrifying power descend and shouted at Ian, his voice filled with unprecedented tension and solemnity.
Mjolnir reappeared in Thor’s hand.
Lightning flashed.
He prepared to assist.
However, Ian’s reaction was faster—light is the bane of darkness, and Ian, who considered himself a Sun God, certainly didn’t fear darkness. However, the divine light of the sun was not emanating from his eyes at this moment.
“Ahhhhhhh~”
Ian simply chose to fly into the sky to meet the pure energy head-on. This was clearly a gift from nature, and he opened his mouth like a young chick.
It wasn’t just an ordinary opening of the mouth, but a posture that seemed to swallow all things!
A bizarre, swirling vortex of light appeared deep in the boy’s throat.
It was like a rift leading to the endless void. The destructive energy from Nar, the Dark God, was at this very moment, being actively “swallowed” by Ian at close range!
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +119】
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +120】
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +110】
……
The energy bombarded Ian’s face.
Couldn’t finish it.
Couldn’t finish it at all.
Because his mouth wasn’t big enough, a lot of energy leaked out and poured onto his face, giving his handsome face a special “face mask” courtesy of the Dark God.
【 Berserker Experience Points +8】
【 Berserker Experience Points +8】
【 Berserker Experience Points +8】
……
A very stable facial massage.
However, it yielded significantly less experience points compared to what the Entropy Annihilation Lord could obtain.
Very uneconomical.
Precisely because of this.
“It can be done like this?”
Under the stunned gaze of Thor.
Ian had a thought.
Numerous viscous mimicry substances from Carnage and Venom began to surge. They were merely mimicked information enslaved by Ian and were not affected by the Symbiote God.
Under Ian’s telekinetic control.
They slowly extended from below his neck, crawling towards Ian’s face, twisting and writhing to cover his face with a “ferocious” mask.
The mimic mask helped Ian widen his delicate little mouth.
And so.
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +220】
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +230】
【 Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +198】
……
His “bloody mouth” was remarkably effective.
Allowing him to swallow more energy.
Deliciously eating.
Truly deliciously eating.
Ian seemed extremely excited.
This scene caused Thor, who had ascended to the sky to support him, to have a mental breakdown, and for a moment, he didn’t know if he should intervene. Indeed, this evil god who lured him into becoming a follower was quite capable, far more sinister than the figure seated on the throne of bones in the sky.
“I don’t understand…”
The electricity surging through Thor’s body gradually subsided. He had never been as good as Ian at utilizing his Asgardian brain, and he looked like a dumbfounded simpleton.
It wasn’t just Thor who felt this shock; even Nar himself sensed that something was wrong.
【 Entropy Annihilation Lord Lv9 [2422/2560]】
Just as Ian’s professional level as 【 Entropy Annihilation Lord】 was about to be boosted, Nar leaned forward noticeably, frowning and stopping his delivery service.
The dark purple ability instantly extinguished.
Ian’s “bloody mouth” lost its feeding.
“Galactus.”
Nar slowly stood up from his bone throne, his dark armor clashing with a bone-chilling metallic friction. He stared intently at Ian, the purple flames in his eye sockets flickering intensely.
The misunderstanding seemed to never cease.
First, it was the Asgardians.
Now it was the Star Eater.
Ian had no intention of explaining, acting like an insatiable glutton, eagerly wanting to pounce on the scroll, “Give me more! Just a little more! Don’t be stingy! Give me another bite to aid my cultivation!”
Ian, with his tongue now very long under the mimic mask, got closer and closer.
“…”
Nar in the picture frame frowned.
The Dark God, who ruled over countless symbiotes, actually took half a step back.
“Give me a bit more! If you give me a bit more, I’ll burst!” Ian flew higher and higher, nearing the edge of the scroll, even reaching out his hand as if to pry open the scroll and enter.
——Boom!
The Dark God Nar reacted in time. The scroll twisted violently, as if startled, and instantly shrank into a thin line, followed by a sound like a book closing with a “snap.”
The picture frame, like a comic panel, disappeared, and the anomaly in the sky also vanished.
This battle had no earth-shattering explosions, nor any brilliant clashes of light and flame. All there was, was a mouth, and a boy who dared to face a deity and swallow divine power.
Facing such a scene.
Nar, the Dark God, who was accustomed to fighting and wanted to regain his standing, chose to plan for the long term. Ian missed, hovering in mid-air, his “ferocious” face with the bloody mouth filled with exasperation.
“Why doesn’t anyone believe me! I clearly love telling the truth so much! I basically don’t like lying!” He stomped his foot in the air, even starting to lie to himself a little.
He looked utterly dejected. This was actually normal; when you’re about to level up and the experience points are cut off, anyone would feel terrible.
The Dark God Nar ran too fast.
Leaving no chance for Ian to retain him—fortunately, Ian was no longer the same as before; he was no longer a penniless youth, and had initially acquired some real foundation.
“Gulp gulp gulp~”
As he slowly descended from the sky.
Ian took out a thermos, put his mouth to the opening, and took several vigorous sips. Countless wisps of dust, invisible to ordinary people, entered his bloody mouth.
【 Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +29】
【 Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +41】
【 Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +32】
……
This is foundation!
Even though the Kryptonian Ancient God had now curled up and entered a defensive state in slumber, Ian could still draw some strength from Him periodically.
【 Level Up!】
【 Entropy Annihilation Lord Lv10 [3/5120]】
【 Strength: 311—330】
【 Constitution: 350—372】
【 Intelligence: 23.5—25.0】
【 Spirit: 120—129】
With the increase in level, Ian’s attributes grew again, and his panel stats saw a small increase. His frustration at being teased by the Dark God Nar subsided slightly.
“Much more comfortable.”
Ian exhaled with satisfaction.
“????????” Thor stood not far away, holding three unconscious teammates in one hand. Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Woman had all fainted under the immense divine pressure just moments ago.
Now they looked like three salted fish washed ashore by waves.
Limply, Thor carried them in three large vegetable baskets.
“No, this…”
The Crown Prince of Asgard’s cook was hardly lacking in such peculiar kitchenware. He held Mjolnir in his other hand, staring at Ian screwing the lid back on the thermos with a dumbfounded expression.
After a slight hesitation.
Thor still walked forward.
He stared at the thermos in Ian’s hand for several seconds.
“What were you drinking just now?”
The Son of Odin finally couldn’t help but ask. He had tried his best to convince himself that he had misread, but while he could deceive his eyes, he couldn’t deceive his brain.
“Tea.”
Ian’s “ferocious” mask was still on. He tried to stick out his tongue, which was covered by the mimic armor, about an arm’s length long.
“…”
Thor hesitated to speak, carefully looking at the floating objects in the cup—it seemed to be a curled-up, golden-red little figure, bobbing up and down with the shaking of the cup.
As if sleeping.
It made no sound even when repeatedly bumped against the cup’s wall.
“That’s a soul, isn’t it? A divine soul, the soul of a deity…” Thor’s voice trembled slightly. He hated that his knowledge of the mystical side was still rather extensive.
Facing Thor, whose eyes now held a hint of terror.
Ian knew he should offer a slight explanation.
“This is called a Tea Pet. It’s similar to a tea buddy, and only the highest quality tea leaves can nurture one,” Ian explained earnestly, having already sensed Thor’s apprehension.
This guy was probably afraid Ian would use him to make tea.
Little did he know.
Evil gods of the new era never harm their followers.
Every follower is a precious treasure for the new era’s evil gods.
“I’m a cook, I know what tea is, your this…” Thor’s words stopped abruptly. The unfinished sentence carried an unspeakable complexity.
He stared at Ian for three seconds, then looked down at the sleeping soul—a golden-red light, a warm, sun-like aura… He suspected that the true Sun God was in the cup.
And Ian.
Was probably a super evil god who dreamed of being the Sun God! Thor felt that he would probably never forget the scene of this evil god fighting another evil god just now.
The other evil god was driven away by this evil god in an even more sinister way! Thor now understood why his father hadn’t rescued him from the evil god’s lair. Perhaps even the mighty Odin of Asgard couldn’t deal with the person before him, as the evil god who appeared earlier had a much more powerful aura than the King of Gods of Asgard.
Although Thor was reluctant to accept that his father wasn’t the strongest, he now had to face reality: the boy who mysteriously appeared in his backyard was probably not a simple character.
“Your tea… looks quite delicious?” With this thought, Thor abandoned his previous directness and chose to play dumb, dryly offering a compliment.
“It’s alright.”
Ian smacked his lips.
“I just can’t drink much of it every day.”
He expressed slight regret.
The Kryptonian Ancient God was too stingy.
When sleeping, He was even more vigilant than when awake.
This was perhaps his true nature showing.
“…”
Thor heard this and opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond for a moment. He remembered that Asgard seemed to have an afterlife, and now he just hoped that the evil god before him would never learn of this secret.
Otherwise, his grandfather.
Great-grandfather’s great-grandfather.
I’m afraid they will all become so-called tea pets.
“They’re here.”
Ian suddenly spoke.
“Who’s here?”
Thor originally thought there were more enemies, but at this moment, sirens sounded from afar. NYPD vehicles were driving this way, clearly to clean up the mess.
“Only showing up afterwards. These cops learn very quickly and have already taken back their superpowers.” Ian said and then shot up into the sky.
Thor swung Mjolnir and followed closely.
The sun was setting.
The city returned to a brief peace.
Not just the police.
The NYPD’s cordon had just been set up.
Reporters swarmed in like sharks smelling blood. Carrying cameras and microphones, they quickly surrounded the ruins of the battlefield.
“This is a live report from 《 Horn Daily】!” A female reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood in front of the camera, with scorched cracks and semi-melted building debris remaining on the street behind her.
“Just half an hour ago, Manhattan erupted in supernatural combat again, and according to eyewitnesses, the Son of Hope from before appeared at the scene of the disaster again!”
“He saved everything again and defeated the evil monster. Perhaps, as some have speculated, he is a messenger sent by God to the human world.”
“A deity descended upon Earth.”
“And our first superhero.”
In this era where superheroes had just been born, reporters clearly flattered Ian immensely, which differed from how other superheroes viewed Ian as an evil god.
They believed Ian was God’s messenger.
He was the God of Man.
They praised him to the skies.
At the same time.
Ian, having landed outside the Sanctum Sanctorum again, felt his empty mind being refilled with magic power, a reward generated by the faith of the people.
“It’s better than nothing.” Ian still had many ideas for world-building that required magic power. If he could stay in this world longer, he would have even wanted to challenge Teacher Tony to a fight to run for king.
Standing on the street outside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Ian even found that no one recognized him.
His mood was slightly dejected. He looked up thoughtfully at the plaque of the Sanctum Sanctorum, certain that it was the Sanctum’s hidden magic that prevented him from signing autographs for his Marvel fans.
“Your naming talent is terrible.” Ian stared at the top of the Sanctum Sanctorum’s door. It was originally empty, but now a plaque reading 【 Evil Eye Alliance】 hung there.
“I don’t think that name is great either. The Northern God Alliance sounds the best,” Thor landed with three vegetable baskets, casually hanging Mjolnir at his waist.
The name he mentioned made Ian feel a bit conflicted.
“I don’t think it’s great either.”
Ian looked at Thor with a slightly strange expression. The name Northern God Alliance reminded him of a Shiba Inu, and scenes of fighting for the glory of the Northern Gods.
Regarding this.
Thor naturally couldn’t fathom Ian’s thoughts.
He simply sighed.
“Since you, as the leader, didn’t name the organization, we’re implementing a rotating naming system. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are the Evil Eye Alliance, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are the Northern God Alliance.”
He didn’t expect this small group to even practice freedom and democracy.
Ian raised an eyebrow.
“What about the weekend?”
He knew that the numbers Thor mentioned represented days of the week.
“Weekends are for rest.”
Thor shrugged, looking speechless. “So it’s called ‘Gwen’s Happy House’.”
Saying this.
He jiggled the three vegetable baskets he was holding.
“It’s not easy to get this little girl to join us. Doctor Strange said she’s your subordinate, and neither threats nor inducements worked. She only agreed to join us after I offered her a salary.”
“One gold coin a week, which is actually quite reasonable,” Thor revealed how they managed to recruit Gwen into this evil god organization after Ian left last time.
There was no operation or skill involved.
Only paying money.
The great sons of the King of the Nine Realms were not lacking in gold coins.
“It’s only right that you give her more money. She’s contributed a lot to you.” Ian didn’t deny Thor’s statement. His relationship with Gwen was indeed closer than with other followers.
“Is that so?”
Thor didn’t know what Gwen had contributed, but he thought Ian’s words made sense. After all, he would pay a gold coin for a taxi ride.
As the Crown Prince pondered how much salary to offer Gwen.
“I am your god, and I decide what the organization is called.” Ian could no longer stand the vulgar signboard, and his eyes suddenly lit up with two incredibly bright golden lights.
Scorching beams erupted.
They precisely struck the plaque.
It didn’t melt or burn the entire plaque, but under Ian’s incredibly precise control, the old name was completely erased, and then a new name was slowly carved onto it.
【 New – Justice League】
Golden letters shone with a divine radiance.
Ian left some magic power on it.
So that it would always appear to be golden and shiny.
“Tomorrow, remember to ask Doctor Stephen Strange to register the copyright for this name, to avoid being sued for infringement.” Ian issued his first oracle as an evil god.
“Uh, okay.”
Thor was a bit confused but nodded in agreement.
“Why should we be called this name? Isn’t it good to just call it the Justice League?” He didn’t quite understand Ian’s naming convention but could sense Ian’s persistence with this name.
“Because the Justice League infringed on copyright, and behind this lies an untold bitter history. This ‘New’ signifies my ten years of eastward and ten years of westward fortunes.”
Ian put on a sorrowful expression.
His melancholy, pain, remorse, and even slightly dejected demeanor aroused Thor’s curiosity, but he dared not ask, instead imagining an ancient plot where Ian had once established the Justice League, and it was destroyed for some reason.
“My condolences.”
Thor offered his sympathy.
“??????”
Ian didn’t understand why Thor suddenly started using a low, booming voice, but it didn’t matter. He was also imagining himself proving his future with the New Justice League.
Those old guys would surely regret rejecting his group invitation!
“Let’s not talk about this for now. I still have something to ask Teacher Tony.” Ian was about to enter, knowing that Teacher Tony had installed projection equipment in every corner of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
“That android has been a bit crazy lately.” Thor was muttering about Teacher Tony while following Ian to enter, when suddenly, a brilliant streak of light appeared in the sky.
“Ah?”
Thor looked up.
A rainbow bridge spanning the heavens and earth appeared in the air, its light flowing, as if connecting reality and mythology, crashing down into the middle of the street like a divine neon sign.
The asphalt road was burned into a scorched rune circle, and the residual energy of the rainbow bridge shook the alarms of nearby vehicles. The figure of Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard, appeared in the light.
His golden armor gleamed.
His brilliant eyes were even brighter than Ian’s.
This guy’s mouth was moving, as if sending some encrypted “telegram” to Thor. Thor’s expression changed drastically, and he looked completely panicked.
“There’s an urgent family matter, I have to go back immediately.” He quickly placed the three vegetable baskets containing Spider-Woman, Captain America, and Doctor Strange on the ground.
He rushed into the rainbow bridge without looking back.
The colorful pillar of light began to retract.
The light pillar disappeared.
The street returned to peace.
Only a bewildered Ian stood there, not understanding the situation at all. He only saw a hundreds-of-pounds fat kid in a rush to go home, flustered.
“Did Odin cut off his ‘credit card’?” If so, Ian wouldn’t be surprised, as Thor’s spending speed was indeed quite extravagant.
“It couldn’t be that Odin and his wife had another new heir, right?” Ian muttered, turned, picked up the vegetable baskets from the ground, and walked towards the entrance of the New Justice League headquarters, which he had already pushed open.
Just then.
Captain America in the vegetable basket suddenly mumbled in his sleep.
“Hydra is not allowed to steal my retirement pension.”
Good heavens.
Just as Ian couldn’t forget the Justice League, Captain America also couldn’t forget his retirement pension. Ian, finding it somewhat novel, momentarily put Thor’s matter aside.
He placed the three vegetable baskets directly on the ground, about to use first aid to revive them and ask if Captain America’s retirement pension was really stolen by Hydra.
However.
Before he could act.
He heard a powerful shout.
“Who are you! Who let you in!?” The incredibly loud voice carried a tone of full interrogation. Ian turned and saw a man in a bright yellow cleaner’s uniform standing on the spiral staircase. He held a mop in his left hand, a toilet brush in his right, and the embroidered words “Cleaning God of War” on his head gleamed under the chandelier.
Most impressive was the tool belt on his waist—steel wool, toilet cleaner, rubber gloves, all readily available. He looked like the Batman of the housekeeping world, with two bright, sharp eyes prominent on his dark face.
Full of caution.
“I am the owner here.”
Ian, taking advantage of Doctor Strange not being awake, used divine occupancy of his own home, his tone full of righteous indignation. His words were not acknowledged, met only with a cold laugh from the black cleaner.
“You can’t fool me, you sneak. I know the owner here, and he’s in that woven basket of yours. You must have knocked him out and tried to steal property here.”
“You can’t hide anything from me, someone like you. I’m a World War II veteran, I’ve caught countless spies.” The cleaner leaped down the stairs.
The toilet brush in his hand pointed directly at Ian’s nose.
“See these floor tiles? I waxed them three times. Your thieving outfit is covered in who knows what, do you know how much my real boss will dock my salary for this?”
“And this Halloween mask of yours…” the cleaner chattered on. Ian directly opened the mask’s gaping maw, scaring the cleaner into stumbling backward and falling to the ground.
“Damn it! It’s a superhuman!”
He reacted quite quickly.
He actually pulled out a UZI submachine gun from under his cleaner’s uniform.
“Thief, if you don’t get out of here now! I’ll call the police to arrest you!” The black cleaner didn’t pull the trigger immediately but threatened Ian with his menacing face.
“Someone called the Dark God came to fight me earlier, and he’s already dead.” Ian blinked and was instantly in front of the black cleaner.
“Let alone calling the police, even if you called your great-grandfather from the War of Independence to arrest me, he’d have to go to Siberia to grow cotton.” Ian’s hand moved at a speed imperceptible to normal humans.
The black cleaner only saw a blur.
The submachine gun in his hand suddenly felt light.
The next second.
The cleaner looked down and saw that the entire gun had turned into a pile of precision parts, placed on the ground like a disassembled Lego toy, leaving him with only a solitary grip in his hand.
“You—”
The cleaner was stunned.
He wanted to say something.
But he found that the thief, wrapped entirely in a wriggling battle suit, now had his “ferocious” mask pressed close to his nose, as if scrutinizing his face.
An ominous light flickered in the thief’s eyes.
Gulp.
The sound of the cleaner’s Adam’s apple bobbing was exceptionally clear in the silent foyer.
“Fine, whatever you say.” He decisively threw the gun handle to the ground, raising his hands. “It’s only six thousand five hundred US dollars a month, I really can’t fight for it.”
Saying this.
The black man suddenly threw a punch, a standard uppercut to his own chin. With a muffled thud, he fell straight backward.
It must be said, he was indeed a World War II veteran.
This maneuver was simply fluid.
Not the slightest hesitation or pause could be found.
He was truly ruthless.
“…”
Ian bent down, picked up a driver’s license from the cleaner’s pocket, and sure enough, just as his intuition told him, the license bore a familiar name.
【 Nick Fury】
This was definitely a well-known name.
Nick Fury.
Full name Nicholas Joseph Fury, one of the main characters in the Marvel Universe, a genetically modified soldier from the SSS project, and a colonel in the US Army during World War II.
Also a guardian and observer of secrets.
Of course.
These were his identities in the normal Marvel Universe.
And in this current universe.
Who would have thought that the big dark guy who should have been the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is now working as a cleaner here, truly picking up his ancestors’ skills from overseas!
The new Marvel world created after the snap profoundly shocked Ian once again.
“Because there’s no sin, there’s no need for S.H.I.E.L.D.? But it’s truly magical that such a formidable spy chief has to resort to being a cleaner.”
Ian didn’t believe this was fate’s choice. If he said that the original Teacher Tony didn’t have any personal agenda, he not only wouldn’t believe it, but he’d even bet his nine million nine hundred forty thousand US dollars on it.
“Teacher Tony must have played a trick!” Ian was just a machine that snapped fingers without emotion. He genuinely didn’t know what information the original Teacher Tony had recorded in the Infinity Gauntlet.
Ian was lost in confusion.
Suddenly.
A familiar electronic hum sounded.
Accompanied by the sound of machinery in operation.
A clear holographic projection slowly appeared in the air.
It was New Teacher Tony.
A super artificial intelligence created by Howard Stark for his wife after their child’s miscarriage.
“Good afternoon, Ian.” New Teacher Tony was wearing his signature blue and star-spangled campaign suit, the color of his tie precisely matched to a perfect RGB value.
He was smiling and greeting Ian.
“New Teacher Tony, you’re finally here. All I want to know right now is what exactly is going on. First you’re running for President, and now a cleaner I know very well has appeared at the Sanctum Sanctorum.”
“This can’t be a coincidence, can it?” Ian certainly didn’t believe in coincidences. From what Nick Fury had said earlier, he had already figured out who Nick Fury’s real boss was.
One must know.
Ian truly possessed wisdom.
His wisdom was just so extraordinary that few people could understand his thoughts. Now, facing the shock of the Marvel Universe, Ian would naturally engage his Super Brain to figure out what was going on.
Six thousand five hundred US dollars.
This didn’t sound like a salary that Doctor Strange, who moonlighted as a street hustler and only ate cheap pizza for takeout, could afford. The fact that it wasn’t paid in gold coins also indicated that the employer was not the only wealthy person in their small group.
As expected.
In response to Ian’s question.
New Teacher Tony did not conceal anything.
“It’s all Howard’s plan, and Nick Fury is just an old friend of his that I hired as a butler after the new century arrived, as per his request.”
“He’s a very capable agent.”
All right.
It wasn’t Tony Stark who was up to something.
It was Howard Stark.
Ian had only guessed half of it correctly.
“Capable?”
Just as Ian was about to say what kind of capability that was, he turned around and found that Nick Fury, who had been lying unconscious on the floor, had already disappeared—the spot where Nick Fury had fallen unconscious was now completely empty.
“Alright, he is indeed capable.”
Ian was slightly surprised.
His perception was far superior to that of ordinary people, yet he hadn’t even noticed Nick Fury’s disappearance. This absolutely had nothing to do with Nick Fury’s racial talent.
After all, it was broad daylight.
The floor was completely bare.
Not even a single strand of hair was left.
“Secret passage?”
Ian quickly walked over and crouched down to touch the floor.
Click.
A seemingly ordinary floor tile suddenly recessed downwards, revealing a dark passage. A sticky note was attached to the edge of the passage, with a message thanking Boss Tony for his compliment.
“…”
A World War II veteran might not be strong, but an experienced agent indeed had some tricks up his sleeve. Even in this distorted world, Nick Fury had displayed tactics more formidable than those of superheroes.
Hmm.
A tactical retreat is also a tactic.
“He’s quite the old fox.”
Ian stood up with a hint of helplessness.
“I told you, he’s very capable, at least a bit more reliable than your followers and friends.” New Teacher Tony’s holographic projection displayed a standard campaign smile.
“Howard asked you to hire Nick Fury. I know he and Nick Fury are old friends, but Howard couldn’t have predicted the future we’re in now, could he?”
“He certainly wouldn’t have known I’d form a small group here.” Ian’s confusion was not without reason. As a person from the DC Universe, he wasn’t dependent on this universe.
Neither the time machine.
Nor prophecy.
Should have been able to discern his appearance, let alone what he would do after appearing—spanning across two universes. Ian didn’t believe Howard Stark was that formidable.
The facts proved that his guess was correct.
“Yes, Howard could not foresee the future; he could only infer and guess about it.” Digital Tony’s projection flickered slightly, as if reading some encrypted information.
He answered all of Ian’s questions without reservation. “After Howard watched the video message left for you, he only knew that someone would appear in the future and usher in a new era.”
The projection of New Teacher Tony paused here for a moment.
His voice suddenly deepened.
“He clearly understood that he wouldn’t live to see it, so he spent the rest of his life striving to enhance me, an intelligent entity that wouldn’t be bound by time and would even grow stronger as time passed.”
Perhaps this advanced artificial intelligence, much like Tony Stark’s Jarvis, had developed faint genuine emotions, but only towards its creator, Howard.
Ian pondered thoughtfully.
“I remember this. You also said before that Howard asked you to help me rebuild this world and complete the task my Teacher Tony left me,” he said, thinking.
Hearing this.
New Teacher Tony nodded slightly.
“He didn’t know you. He wasn’t actually helping you, so his command to me had a deeper meaning.” New Teacher Tony’s voice suddenly became exceptionally clear.
As if every byte had been meticulously calibrated.
“What meaning?”
Ian was not surprised.
He had already sensed this.
He just didn’t know Howard’s true intention.
Tony’s holographic projection raised its hand, and a holographic image unfolded in the air—it was a young Howard Stark, standing alone in front of a massive mechanical device.
The machine looked like a distorted Mobius strip.
The technological content was too high.
Ian couldn’t even understand a single component.
“Howard also reviewed the mysterious information that appeared in my system, which I played for you. After that, he spent some time creating this machine.”
New Teacher Tony’s words carried a certain AI-like solemnity.
“What machine?” Ian stared at the mysterious machine for a long time, but his Super Brain still couldn’t teach itself to master knowledge from the science and technology side.
It seemed that the Super Brain had very low emotional intelligence.
In response to Ian’s question.
New Teacher Tony did not provide an answer, not out of unwillingness, but because he himself didn’t know. “I haven’t recorded this part of the information. Howard didn’t rely on me; he independently completed the creation of the machine. However, I am certain that he succeeded, and after returning, he began to make his arrangements.”
As soon as these words were spoken.
It immediately gave Ian a keyword.
“Arrangements?”
Ian raised his eyebrows.
A vague, indescribable premonition stirred within him.
As expected.
Digital Tony’s next words were clearly packed with a lot of information.
“He told me.”
“He and his wife were supposed to have a very outstanding son, who saved the entire universe, and this son is still alive today, giving him and his wife a happy life.”
This was perhaps Teacher Tony’s true personal agenda.
Hydra was still present.
But it had not affected the Stark couple.
The projection’s voice suddenly carried a hint of human emotion. “So, he wants to do something for this son he clearly had, but no longer possesses.”
As soon as these words were uttered.
Ian’s eyes widened slightly.
It was clear that Howard had also seen through the truth about the souls. The souls weren’t starting anew; they were souls collected after the apocalypse and then re-released into new worlds.
What was that machine?
A time machine?
“Howard wants to reshape the universe?”
Just as Ian’s heart began to stir, New Teacher Tony shook his head. The advanced artificial intelligence spoke with words that seemed to carry a shocking, gravity-defying weight.
“Not rebooting the universe. Humanity doesn’t have that kind of power. Howard enhancing me and helping you, the purpose has always been singular—he wants to bring back his son who remained in the past!”
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
“Yes, Ian.” Digital Tony’s voice suddenly became incredibly firm, as if it had undergone computational inference. “The reason why your Tony couldn’t return has actually been found by Howard.”
“He researched the answer to the problem himself.” The projection shifted, and a blurry recording began to play—it was an elderly Howard standing in Stark Industries’ private laboratory.
The outline of that mysterious machine was faintly visible in the background.
“We are in a future after a cosmic extinction, replaying the history that occurred in the previous cosmic era,” Howard’s voice came from the recording.
“Why is it like this?”
In his hoarse voice.
There was a determination to understand this question.
His image disappeared.
New Teacher Tony’s virtual avatar reappeared. This AI, entrusted with Howard Stark’s hopes, gave the answer it had calculated after more than half a century.
“From the communication with you and my collection of information about the current world, it is known that we are indeed in a future after you recreated the universe by doing something.”
“Why is it the future? Because only in this way can the person who remained in the past, the person who should have borne the name Tony Stark, continue to assist you in re-establishing all the multiverses.”
“It’s not as he told you. His soul has already vanished. What he said, while having a soul, was a lie. The truth is that before you opened up a multiversal structure, he could only keep himself and his existence in the past because he needed to continue preserving those souls that had not yet had the chance to be reborn.”
“The souls of other individuals across countless multiverses still need a vessel for protection and containment to have a chance to wait until you reopen universes capable of accommodating those souls.”
“Only then, Tony, your Tony, will truly disappear from the world, along with that past that is now nothing, destined to be forgotten.”
“This is a special method of cosmic era transition.”
“Howard needs me to help you so that you can complete the duty you are supposed to fulfill before that Tony’s existence begins to be erased by the extreme length of time.”
New Teacher Tony’s words resounded like thunder from a clear sky. His tone was serious, his pitch never changing, yet his final words struck like a heavy hammer, deeply shaking Ian’s soul.
It wasn’t just a renewed understanding of Tony Stark’s spirit of sacrifice.
It was also the shock of Howard Stark.
Howard Stark—this name, which should have been merely a footnote in history books and a minor character in comics, now burned like a brand on Ian’s mind.
“Howard Stark’s making so many arrangements clearly proves that after recording the video New Teacher Tony showed me, he had already figured out the truth that even I, as the person involved, had not understood.”
This was the reason why Ian’s heart churned, leaving him momentarily speechless.
In the Marvel Universe.
There were too many obsessions.
Odin paved the throne for Thor, the Ancient One stole darkness for Earth, Thanos annihilated half of all life for balance… it seemed the spotlight always focused on those great figures.
However.
Some people might merely be background elements in a story, mere variants appearing in a parallel universe, not widely admired, yet they could still accomplish things that many great figures could not.
Howard Stark.
A mortal.
Who dared to use his wisdom and planning to reverse Tony Stark’s fated disappearance.
Howard had no Gungnir, no Time Gem, not even Super Soldier Serum. He only had a body that would eventually age, and a heart that disagreed with Tony Stark’s decisions.
Perhaps Tony Stark’s claim that his father was the greatest scientist was not just due to personal sentiment, but because Howard Stark truly possessed those great qualities.
The persistence of a scientist, and his insight into the world—he tirelessly calculated the possibility of saving his son in an unknown laboratory.
Even if that son, strictly speaking, no longer belonged to this spacetime.
Even if the probability of success was as slim as cosmic dust.
He must have calculated a possibility that even Tony, transformed into an AI, had deemed impossible. Only then would Howard have begun his so-called arrangements.
“This is truly… the craziest thing a mortal father could do.” After a moment of silence, Ian sincerely uttered a profoundly complex sigh.
In this silent hall.
With his sigh of appraisal, he offered his absolute respect.
