Originally.
Ian was still digesting the ability he had just acquired.
An almost imperceptible stream of light rose from the core of the slime and merged into Ian's body. Strange yet powerful information about the symbiote's essential structure flooded his mind.
And its energy conversion method.
[Active Armor Mimicry: This mimicry possesses self-repair and regeneration capabilities. It can simulate and merge with any material structure it comes into contact with, and autonomously generate structures such as weapons, armor, and flight organs according to combat needs.]
This was the new mimicry information.
Just as Ian was happily experimenting.
He had just used the Active Armor's mimicry to don a stylish suit of armor.
He never thought.
The next moment.
A sudden change occurred.
A flickering picture frame appeared in the sky, and within the illusionary scene that resembled a scroll, the God of the Symbiotes, the God of Darkness, Knull, who was hidden in the story, emerged.
Perhaps because Carnage's power had been absorbed by Ian, he seemed intent on passing judgment on the life outside the frame, demonstrating that he still possessed the power to influence reality.
He saw.
Knull pointed his finger forward.
There was no sound.
No light effect.
Dark purple energy, like a silent and deadly heavenly punishment, tore through space and surged towards the real world outside the frame, heading straight for Ian, who was standing on the ground. In that instant, the entire world seemed to be muted, and even the wind stopped flowing, leaving only that dark divine power, capable of annihilating all things, pressing down on Ian in reality.
"Look out!"
As the only hero still standing and capable of thought, Thor felt a terrifying power descend. He roared at Ian, his voice filled with unprecedented tension and solemnity.
Mjølnir reappeared in Thor's hand.
Lightning flashed and thundered.
He was preparing to assist.
However, Ian's reaction was faster—light is the nemesis of darkness, and Ian, who styled himself as the Solar Evil God, would naturally not fear the darkness. However, his eyes did not radiate the sun's light this time.
"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah~"
Ian simply chose to fly into the sky and meet the opponent's pure energy, which clearly belonged to nature's bounty. He opened his mouth like a fledgling bird.
It wasn't an ordinary opening of the mouth, but a posture that bordered on devouring all things!
A strange, swirling light glowed deep in the boy's throat.
It looked like a rift leading to an endless void. At this moment, the destructive energy from the God of Darkness, Knull, was actively approached and "swallowed" by Ian in one gulp!
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +119]
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +120]
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +110]
...
The energy blasted Ian's face.
He couldn't consume it all.
He simply couldn't.
Because his mouth wasn't big enough, a lot of energy leaked out, splashing onto his face, giving his handsome features a special mask provided by the God of Darkness.
[Berserker experience +8]
[Berserker experience +8]
[Berserker experience +8]
...
It was a very stable facial massage.
However, the experience gained was clearly much lower than what the Entropy Lord could obtain.
It wasn't worth it.
Precisely because of this.
"He can do that?"
Under Thor's dumbfounded gaze.
Ian's mind moved.
Innumerable viscous mimicry substances from Carnage and Venom began to surge. They were merely the mimicry information enslaved by Ian and were not affected by the God of the Symbiotes.
Under Ian's mental control.
They slowly extended, climbed, and crawled from the base of his neck toward Ian's face, covering his face with an incredibly "ferocious" mask amidst twisting and writhing.
The mimicry mask helped Ian enlarge his delicate small mouth.
And so.
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +220]
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +230]
[Devoured Dark Energy, Entropy Lord experience +198]
...
His "gaping maw" was highly effective.
Allowing him to swallow much more energy.
It was a delightful feast.
A truly delightful feast.
Ian looked extremely excited.
This scene made Thor, who had flown up to provide support, completely freeze. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should intervene or not. Sure enough, this Evil God who had lured him into becoming a follower truly had some tricks up his sleeve, and was far more wicked than the figure seated on the throne of bones in the sky.
"I don't understand..."
The electric light surging around Thor gradually extinguished. He had always utilized his Asgardian brain far less effectively than Ian, and he looked completely stunned and foolish.
In fact, it wasn't just Thor who felt this shock, even Knull himself sensed that something was wrong.
[Entropy Lord Lv9 (2422/2560)]
Just as Ian's Entropy Lord profession level was about to increase, Knull's body visibly leaned forward slightly. He frowned and stopped his delivery service.
The dark purple energy instantly vanished.
Ian's "gaping maw" was no longer being fed.
"Galactus."
Knull slowly rose from the bone throne, the dark armor clashing with a spine-chilling metallic grinding sound. He stared intently at Ian, the purple flames in his eye sockets flickering violently.
The misunderstanding seemed never-ending.
Before, it was an Asgardian.
Now, it was Galactus.
Ian had no intention of explaining. He was like an insatiable Glutton, eager to pounce on the scroll. "A little more! Just a little! Don't be stingy! Just one more bite to help me cultivate!"
Ian, whose tongue had become very long under the cover of the mimicry mask, was getting closer and closer.
"..."
Knull in the frame frowned.
The God of Darkness, who ruled countless symbiotes, seemed to take half a step back at this moment.
"Just a little more! I'll burst if you give me one more!" Ian flew higher and higher, almost reaching the edge of the scroll, even reaching out as if to tear open the scroll and climb inside.
—Boom!
The God of Darkness, Knull, reacted in time. The scroll violently twisted, as if startled, instantly contracting into a thin line, followed by a "snap" sound like a book closing.
The picture frame, which resembled a comic panel, vanished, and the anomaly in the sky dissipated into smoke.
This battle had no earth-shattering explosions, nor did it have the brilliance of massive energy clashes. All there was was a mouth and a boy who dared to face a god and devour divine power.
Faced with such a situation.
The God of Darkness, Knull, who was accustomed to fighting and killing and wanted to reclaim his dignity, chose to retreat and plan for the long term. Ian lunged at nothing, suspended mid-air, his "ferocious" face with the gaping maw filled with exasperation.
"Why doesn't anyone believe me! I'm clearly so honest! I basically don't like to lie!" He stomped his feet in the air, even lying a little to himself.
He looked incredibly frustrated. This was normal, actually. Having the experience points cut off just when he was about to level up would make anyone feel miserable.
The God of Darkness, Knull, had run too fast.
He didn't give Ian a chance to hold him back—fortunately, Ian was no longer the impoverished youth he once was, he now possessed some genuine resources.
Gurgle gurgle~
As he slowly descended from the sky.
Ian took out a thermos mug, put his mouth to the rim, and took several powerful sips. Countless dust and mist, invisible to ordinary people, were sucked into his gaping maw.
[Entropy Lord experience +29]
[Entropy Lord experience +41]
[Entropy Lord experience +32]
...
This was his resource!
Even though the Kryptonian Ancient God was currently curled up in a defensive state in sleep, Ian could still extract some power from him periodically.
[Level Up!]
[Entropy Lord Lv10 (3/5120)]
[Strength: 311 -> 330]
[Constitution: 350 -> 372]
[Intelligence: 23.5 -> 25.0]
[Spirit: 120 -> 129]
With the level increase, Ian's attributes grew again, and his stat panel saw a slight increase. The feeling of being 'snubbed' by the God of Darkness, Knull, was slightly soothed.
"Much better."
Ian exhaled a breath of satisfaction.
"?????????" Thor stood not far away, holding three unconscious teammates. Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Woman had passed out under the divine pressure just moments ago.
They now looked like three salted fish washed ashore by the waves.
They were limp and carried by Thor in three large shopping baskets.
"No, this..."
The Asgardian Chef Prince was probably never short of strange kitchenware. He held his hammer in the other hand, staring blankly as Ian screwed the lid back onto the thermos mug.
He hesitated for a moment.
Thor still walked over.
Staring at the thermos mug in Ian's hand for several seconds.
"What were you drinking just now?"
Odin's son finally couldn't help but ask. He had tried his best to convince himself that he had seen wrong, but he could deceive his eyes but not his brain.
"Tea."
Ian's "ferocious" mask was still in place. He tried to stick out his tongue, which was encased in the mimicry armor, it was about the length of an arm.
"..."
Thor wanted to speak but stopped. He looked closely at what was floating in the cup—it seemed to be a curled-up, golden-red little person, bobbing up and down with the shaking of the cup.
It looked like it was asleep.
It didn't make a sound despite being tossed and hitting the sides of the cup repeatedly.
"That's a soul, right? A divine soul, a god's soul..." Thor's voice trembled slightly. He hated that his knowledge of the mystical side was still quite extensive.
Facing Thor, whose eyes were beginning to show a hint of terror.
Ian knew he should offer a brief explanation.
"This is called a Tea Spirit, similar to a tea pet. Only the highest-grade tea leaves can nurture one." Ian explained earnestly. He had already sensed Thor's apprehension.
This guy was probably afraid Ian would use him to make tea.
Little did he know.
The Evil Gods of the new era never harm their followers.
Every follower is a valuable asset to the New Era Evil God.
"I'm a chef. I know what tea is. This..." Thor's words stopped halfway, swallowed back. The abrupt silence carried an inexpressible complexity.
He stared at Ian for three seconds, then looked down at the sleeping soul—golden-red light, a sun-like warmth... He suspected that the one in the cup was the real Sun God.
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 confronting the other Evil God.
The other Evil God was practically chased away by this one using an even more evil method! Thor realized at this moment why his father hadn't rescued him from the Evil God's lair. Even the powerful Odin of the Nine Realms probably couldn't deal with the person in front of him, especially since the Evil God that appeared earlier had an aura much stronger than the Asgardian All-Father.
Although Thor was internally unwilling to accept that his father wasn't the strongest, he now had to face reality. This mysterious boy who appeared in his backyard was likely not a simple character.
"Your tea... looks quite good?" Thinking this, Thor changed his straightforward demeanor, choosing to play dumb, and offered a forced compliment.
"It's alright."
Ian smacked his lips.
"I just can't drink much every day."
He sounded slightly regretful.
The Kryptonian Ancient God was too stingy.
He was even more tightly guarded in his sleep than when awake.
Perhaps this was just his true nature showing through.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Thor opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. He remembered that Asgard had a land of the dead. He only hoped that the Evil God in front of him would never learn this secret in his lifetime.
Otherwise, his grandfather.
And his grandfather's grandfather.
Would probably all become so-called Tea Spirits.
"They're here."
Ian suddenly spoke.
"Who's here?"
Thor thought it was another enemy. Just then, police sirens sounded in the distance. NYPD vehicles were approaching, clearly coming to clean up the mess.
"Only showing up after the fact. These police officers learn skills so quickly, they've already regained their superpowers." With that, Ian shot up into the sky.
Thor swung his hammer and followed closely behind.
The sun set in the west.
The city returned to a brief calm.
It wasn't just the police.
The NYPD's cordon had just been set up.
Reporters swarmed in like sharks smelling blood. They carried cameras and held microphones, quickly surrounding the scene of the fierce battle that had just taken place.
"This is a live report from The Daily Bugle!" A female reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood in front of the camera, behind her were the scorched cracks and half-melted architectural debris on the street.
"Just half an hour ago, a supernatural battle erupted in Manhattan again, and according to eyewitnesses, the Son of Hope from before appeared again at the scene of the disaster!"
"He once again saved everything, defeating the evil monster. Perhaps, as some people speculate, he is a messenger sent by God to the mortal world."
"He is a God who has descended upon Earth."
"And our first superhero."
In this nascent era of superheroes, the reporters were clearly full of praise for Ian, unlike the other superheroes' view of Ian as an Evil God.
They believed Ian was God's messenger.
A God on Earth.
Their flattery was over the top.
At the same time.
Ian, who had landed outside the Sanctum Sanctorum, felt his empty mind being filled with a significant amount of magical power again. This was the reward generated by the public's faith.
"Better than nothing." Ian still needed magical power for many aspects of world-building. If he could stay in this world for a longer time, he would even want to compete with the New Teacher Tony for the position of King.
Standing on the street outside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Ian even noticed that no one recognized him.
He felt slightly frustrated. He looked up at the sign of the Sanctum Sanctorum thoughtfully, concluding that the Sanctum Sanctorum's concealment magic must have interfered with him signing autographs for his Marvel fans.
"Your naming skills are terrible." Ian stared at the top of the Sanctum Sanctorum's door, which had previously been blank, but now hung a sign that read [Evil Eye Alliance].
"I also think that name is bad. Northern Gods Alliance sounds the best." Thor landed, carrying the three shopping baskets, and casually hung his Mjølnir on his waist.
The name he suggested made Ian feel difficult to comment on.
"I don't think it's very good either."
Ian looked at Thor with a slightly strange expression. The name Northern Gods Alliance reminded him of a Shiba Inu, something about "For the Glory of the Northern God" kind of image.
Regarding this.
Thor certainly couldn't perceive Ian's thoughts.
He just sighed.
"Because you, as the boss, didn't leave an organization name, we now have a rotating naming system here. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are the Evil Eye Alliance, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are the Northern Gods Alliance."
Unexpectedly, this small group was also practicing freedom and democracy.
Ian raised an eyebrow.
"What about the weekend?"
He knew the numbers Thor mentioned represented the days of the week.
"We take the weekend off."
Thor shrugged, looking speechless. "So it's called the Gwen Happy House."
With that.
He shook the three shopping baskets he was holding.
"It wasn't easy to get this little girl to join us. Doctor Strange said she was your dependent. When coercion and temptation didn't work, she only agreed to join when I offered her a salary."
"One gold coin a week. It's actually a good deal." Thor revealed how they managed to get Gwen to join the Evil God organization after Ian left last time.
There were no elaborate operations or techniques.
Only gold.
The Crown Prince of the Nine Realms was never short of gold coins.
"It's only right for you to 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 his other followers.
"Is that so?"
Thor didn't know what Gwen had contributed, but he felt Ian's words were not without reason, especially since he paid a gold coin every time he took a cab.
Just as the Crown Prince was deliberating how much salary he should pay Gwen.
"I am your God. What the organization is called is up to me." Ian was tired of looking at the crude sign. Two brilliant golden lights suddenly lit up in his eyes.
A scorching ray erupted.
It precisely blasted the sign.
It didn't melt or burn the entire sign, but under Ian's precise control, the old name was completely erased, and a new name was slowly carved onto it.
[New Justice League]
The golden characters shone with divine radiance.
Ian left some magical power on it.
So that it would always gleam golden.
"Remember to have Doctor Stephen Strange register the copyright for this name tomorrow, to avoid being sued for infringement." Ian issued his first divine decree as an Evil God.
"Uh, alright."
Thor was somewhat bewildered but nodded in agreement.
"Why do we have to be called this name? Why not just Justice League?" He didn't quite understand Ian's naming method, but he could sense Ian's attachment to this name.
"Because the Justice League is copyrighted, and behind this lies a untold history of hardship. The word 'New' represents my ten years in the East of the River and ten years in the West of the River."
Ian showed a sad expression.
His melancholic, pained, remorseful, and even slightly downcast expression sparked curiosity in Thor's heart, but he didn't dare to ask, so he could only imagine an ancient plot where Ian had once established the Justice League, and for some reason, the Justice League was destroyed.
"My condolences."
Thor offered comfort.
"?????"
Ian didn't quite understand why Thor suddenly spoke in a low, muffled voice, but it wasn't important. He was also imagining his future, proving himself with the New Justice League.
The old timers would definitely regret rejecting his application to join their group!
"Never mind that for now. I have something to ask Teacher Tony." Ian was about to enter the door. He knew that every corner of the Sanctum Sanctorum had been set up with projection equipment by the New Teacher Tony.
"That android has been acting a little crazy lately." Thor complained about the New Teacher Tony as he followed Ian to the door. Suddenly, a brilliant streak of light split the sky.
"Huh?"
Thor looked up.
A Rainbow Bridge spanning the heavens appeared in the air. The light flowed, seeming to connect reality and myth, and crashed down into the middle of the street like a magnificent neon light.
The asphalt pavement was scorched with a black rune circle. The residual energy of the Rainbow Bridge made the alarms of several nearby cars blare madly. Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard, appeared in the light.
His golden armor shone brightly.
His dazzling eyes were even brighter than Ian's.
The guy was moving his mouth, seemingly sending Thor some kind of encrypted "telegram." Thor's face instantly changed, and he looked completely panicked.
"There's an emergency at home. I have to go back for a moment." He quickly placed the three shopping baskets containing Spider-Woman, Captain America, and Doctor Strange on the ground.
He rushed into the Rainbow Bridge without looking back.
The seven-colored light column began to contract.
The light column vanished.
The street returned to peace.
Only the somewhat baffled Ian remained standing there, unable to figure out the meaning of this sudden situation. He had only seen a few-hundred-pound fat boy in a hurry to go home and acting flustered.
"Did Odin cut off his 'credit card'?" If that were the case, Ian wouldn't be surprised. After all, Thor's spending habits were somewhat extravagant.
"It couldn't be that Odin and Frigga had a new heir, could it?" Ian muttered, turning around, picking up the shopping baskets on the ground, and walking towards the door of the New Justice League headquarters that he had just pushed open.
Just then.
Captain America in the shopping basket suddenly mumbled in his sleep.
"Hydra is not allowed to steal my pension."
Well, I'll be.
Just as Ian couldn't forget the Justice League, Captain America couldn't forget his pension. Slightly intrigued, Ian temporarily put Thor's matter out of his mind.
He placed the three shopping baskets on the ground, intending to use emergency first aid to wake up the three people and ask if Captain America's pension was really stolen by Hydra.
However.
Before he could take any action.
He heard a powerful shout.
"Who are you! Who let you in!?" An incredibly loud voice, full of accusation, rang out. Ian turned and saw a man in a bright yellow janitor's uniform standing on the spiral staircase. The man was holding a mop in his left hand and a toilet brush in his right, with the embroidered words "Cleaning God of War" shining brightly under the chandelier on his head.
What was most remarkable was the tool belt around his waist—steel wool, toilet cleaner, and rubber gloves were all present, making him look like the Batman of the house-cleaning industry. Two piercing eyes stood out prominently on his dark face.
He was filled with vigilance.
"I am the owner here."
Ian, taking advantage of Doctor Strange not being awake, directly occupied the disciple's lair, his tone completely righteous. His words were not accepted, earning him only a cold sneer from the janitor.
"A sneaky person like you can't fool me. I know the owner of this place, he's right there in your wicker basket. You must have knocked him out to try and steal the property here."
"A guy like you can't hide from me. I'm a WWII veteran, I've caught countless spies." The janitor darted down the stairs in one stride.
The toilet brush in his hand pointed directly at Ian's nose.
"See these floor tiles? I waxed them three times! That thieving outfit of yours is covered in God knows what! Do you know how much this will cost me with my real boss?"
"And that Halloween mask..." The janitor kept chattering. Ian directly opened the gaping maw of his mask, scaring the janitor into stumbling backward and falling onto the ground.
"Damn it! A metahuman!"
His reaction was swift.
He immediately pulled an UZI submachine gun out from under his janitor's uniform.
"Thief! Get out now, or I'm calling the police to arrest you!" The janitor didn't pull the trigger immediately but threatened Ian with a fierce look on his face.
"There was a guy called the God of Darkness who came to fight me just now, and he's already gone cold." In the blink of an eye, Ian was already standing in front of the janitor.
Ian's hands moved at an uncatchable speed.
The janitor only felt a blur before his eyes.
The submachine gun in his hand suddenly felt light.
The next second.
The janitor looked down, and the entire gun had turned into a pile of precision parts, placed on the ground like a disassembled Lego toy, leaving him only with a lonely grip in his hand.
"You..."
The janitor was stunned.
He wanted to say something.
But he found that the "ferocious" mask of the thief, who was wrapped in the writhing combat suit, was now pressed against his nose, as if carefully scrutinizing his face.
The thief's eyes flashed with an ominous light.
Gulp.
The sound of the janitor's throat rolling was exceptionally clear in the quiet entryway.
"Fine, do whatever you want." He decisively threw the gun grip on the ground and raised his hands. "It's only $6,500 a month. I truly cannot put up a fight for this."
After speaking.
The man suddenly swung his fist and delivered a perfect uppercut to his own jaw. With a dull thud, he fell straight backward.
He truly lived up to the name of a WWII veteran.
This maneuver was smooth and flawless.
No hesitation or delay whatsoever.
He was truly ruthless.
"..."
Ian bent down and picked up a driver's license that he had quickly taken from the janitor's pocket. Sure enough, just as his intuition had told him, the license was clearly engraved with a familiar name.
[Nick Fury]
This was definitely a household name.
Nick Fury.
Full name Nicholas Joseph Fury, one of the main characters in the Marvel Universe, a genetically modified soldier of the SSS Project, and a US Army Colonel during World War II.
He was also the secret Wall-Watcher and Peeper.
Of course.
These were his identities in the normal Marvel Universe.
In this current universe.
Who would have thought that the former big shot director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was now working as a janitor here?
The new Marvel world born after the snap once again brought Ian deep shock.
"Because there's no major crime, there's no need for S.H.I.E.L.D.? But for such an awesome spymaster to be reduced to a janitor is truly fantastical."
Ian couldn't believe this was the choice of fate. If someone claimed the original Teacher Tony hadn't included any personal edits, Ian wouldn't just disbelieve it, he'd even bet his $9,940,000 on it.
"Teacher Tony definitely pulled some strings!" Ian was just an emotionless snapping machine. He genuinely didn't know what information the original Teacher Tony had loaded into the Infinity Gauntlet.
Ian was deep in confusion.
Suddenly.
A familiar electronic hum sounded.
Accompanied by the movement of machinery.
A clear holographic image slowly appeared in the air.
It was the New Teacher Tony.
The strong AI created by Howard Stark for his wife after their child was stillborn.
"Good afternoon, Ian." The New Teacher Tony wore his signature blue-striped campaign suit, even the color of his tie was perfectly tuned to a specific RGB value.
He was smiling and greeting Ian.
"New Teacher Tony, you're finally here. I just want to know what's going on. First, you're running for President, and now a very familiar janitor has popped up at the Sanctum Sanctorum."
"This shouldn't be a coincidence?" Ian naturally wouldn't believe in coincidences. From what Nick Fury had said earlier, he had already figured out who Nick Fury's real boss was.
You see.
Ian was genuinely intelligent.
It's just that his intelligence was so extraordinary that few people could understand his thoughts. Now, faced with the Marvel shock, Ian naturally activated his Super Brain to figure out what was going on.
$6,500.
That wasn't the kind of salary that Doctor Strange, who occasionally moonlights as a street hustler and only eats cheap pizza, could afford. Since the payment wasn't in gold coins, it also meant the employer wasn't the only rich person in the small group.
Sure enough.
Faced with Ian's question.
The New Teacher Tony didn't hide anything.
"It was all Howard's plan, and Nick Fury is just an old friend of his that I hired to be a steward after the new century, as per his request."
"He is a very excellent agent."
Alright.
The one pulling strings wasn't Tony Stark.
It was Howard Stark.
Ian was only half right.
"Excellent?"
Ian was about to say what kind of excellence this was, but then he turned around and realized that the collapsed and unconscious Nick Fury had disappeared—the spot where Nick Fury had fallen was now completely empty.
"Alright, he is indeed excellent."
Ian was slightly surprised.
His perception ability was far stronger than that of an ordinary person, yet he hadn't noticed Nick Fury's disappearance.
After all, it was broad daylight.
The floor was empty.
Not even a single strand of hair was left behind.
"A secret passage?"
Ian quickly walked over and squatted down to touch the floor.
Click.
A seemingly ordinary floor tile suddenly sank down, revealing a pitch-black passage. A sticky note was attached to the edge of the passage, with a message thanking Boss Tony for the compliment.
"..."
A WWII veteran might not be strong, but a seasoned agent definitely had something going on. Even in this ambiguous world, Nick Fury displayed tactics even more impressive than the superheroes.
Hmm.
Tactical retreat is also a tactic.
"That old fox."
Ian stood up, feeling a bit helpless.
"I said he was excellent. At least he's slightly more reliable than your followers and friends." The New Teacher Tony's holographic image revealed a standard campaign smile.
"Howard asked you to hire Nick Fury. I know he and Nick Fury are old friends, but Howard shouldn't have been able to predict the future we're in now, right?"
"He shouldn't have known that I would be forming a small group here." Ian's confusion was not unfounded. As a person from the DC Universe, he was not dependent on this universe.
Neither a time machine.
Nor prophecy.
Should be able to perceive his appearance and what he would do after his appearance—a span across two universes. Ian didn't believe Howard Stark was that ridiculously powerful.
Facts proved he was right.
"Yes, Howard couldn't perceive the future, he could only speculate and guess." Digital Tony's projection flickered slightly, as if performing some encrypted information retrieval.
He answered Ian without reservation. "After Howard watched the video message that was left for you, he only knew that someone would appear in the future and usher in a new era."
The New Teacher Tony's projection paused here.
His voice suddenly became deep.
"He clearly understood that he wouldn't live to see you, so he spent the rest of his life working hard to enhance me, an intelligent entity that wouldn't be bound by time and would even grow stronger as time passed."
Perhaps this strong AI was already developing faint genuine emotions, like Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S., but only directed at its creator, Howard.
Ian was thoughtful.
"I remember that." He mused aloud. "You also said before that Howard asked you to help me rebuild this world and complete the mission that my Teacher Tony left for me."
Hearing this.
The New Teacher Tony nodded slightly.
"He didn't know you. The one he wanted to help wasn't actually you. Therefore, his command to me carried a deeper meaning." The New Teacher Tony's voice suddenly became extraordinarily clear.
As if every byte was meticulously calibrated.
"What meaning?"
Ian wasn't surprised.
He had sensed this long ago.
He just didn't know Howard's true purpose.
The holographic projection of Tony raised his hand, and a holographic video unfolded in the air—it was a young Howard Stark, standing alone in front of a huge mechanical device.
The machine looked like a twisted Möbius strip.
Its technology was too advanced.
Ian couldn't understand even a single component.
"Howard also viewed the mysterious information that played in my system and which I showed you. After that, he spent some time creating this machine."
The New Teacher Tony's words carried the seriousness characteristic of an AI.
"What machine?" Ian stared at the mysterious machine for a long time, but his Super Brain still hadn't managed to learn enough technology-side knowledge.
The Super Brain seemed to have low emotional intelligence.
Regarding Ian's question.
The New Teacher Tony didn't provide an answer. It wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he also didn't know. "I didn't record this information. Howard didn't rely on me, he completed the machine's creation independently. However, I am certain that he succeeded, and after returning, he began to lay out his plan."
As soon as he said this.
Ian immediately grasped the keywords.
"Lay out his plan?"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
An indescribable premonition vaguely arose in his heart.
Sure enough.
Digital Tony's subsequent words contained a significant amount of information.
"He told me."
"He and his wife were supposed to have a very excellent son, who saved the entire universe, and this son, in the present, gave him and his wife a happy life."
This was perhaps the true personal edit of Teacher Tony.
Hydra still existed.
But it had not affected the Stark couple.
The projection's voice suddenly took on a hint of human-like fluctuation. "Therefore, he wanted to do one thing for this son he clearly possessed before, but no longer has."
Upon hearing this.
Ian's eyes widened slightly.
Evidently, Howard had also perceived the truth of the souls. All souls were not starting over but were collected from the aftermath of the apocalypse and reinvested into the new world.
What was that machine?
A time machine?
"Howard wanted to reshape the universe?"
Just as Ian's emotions were fluctuating, the New Teacher Tony shook his head. The words spoken by this strong AI were slightly shocking.
"It wasn't about restarting the universe. Humans don't possess that power. Howard's purpose in strengthening me and helping you has always been one thing—he wants his son, who remained in the past, to come back!"
The air seemed to solidify at this moment.
"Yes, Ian." Digital Tony's voice suddenly became incredibly firm, as if derived from a computational deduction. "Howard has actually found the reason why your Tony could not return."
"He figured out the answer to the problem by himself." The projection switched. A blurry recording began to play—it was an elderly Howard standing in Stark Industries' private laboratory.
The outline of the mysterious machine was vaguely visible in the background.
"We are in a future after a cosmic extinction, replaying the history that occurred in the previous cosmic epoch." Howard's voice came from the recording.
"Why is this the case?"
In his husky voice.
There was a determination to understand the problem.
His image disappeared.
The New Teacher Tony's virtual image reappeared. This intelligent AI, which carried the wishes in Howard Stark's heart, provided the answer it had calculated after more than half a century.
"From my interaction with you and my collection of information about this current world, it is known that we are indeed in a future after you performed a certain action and recreated the universe."
"Why is it the future? Because only in this way can the person who remained in the past, the person who should bear the name Tony Stark, continue to assist you in re-establishing all the Multiverses."
"It's not as he told you, that his soul has vanished. What he, a soul-possessing being, told you was a lie. The truth is that before you created a universe with a multiversal structure, he could only keep himself and his existence in the past because he needed to continue safeguarding the souls that had not yet had a chance for rebirth."
"The souls of other individuals across countless Multiverses still need a vessel for protection and containment until you re-establish a universe large enough to accommodate those souls."
"Only after that will Tony, your Tony, truly vanish from the world, accompanied by that past that is already empty and destined to be forgotten."
"This is a special way of cosmic epoch replacement."
"Howard needs me to help you, to allow you to fulfill the duty you must complete before the existence of that Tony begins to be erased by the extreme length of time."
The New Teacher Tony's words sounded like a thunderclap from a clear sky. His tone was serious, his pitch never wavering, but the final words struck Ian's heart like a heavy hammer, profoundly shaking him.
Not only did he gain a new understanding of Tony Stark's spirit of sacrifice.
But also a shock toward Howard Stark.
Howard Stark—this name, which should only have been in history books and given a few pages in the comics, was now searing into Ian's mind like a brand.
"Howard Stark making so many plans clearly proves that after recording the video he showed the New Teacher Tony, he figured out the truth that I, the person involved, had never understood."
This was the reason Ian's heart was surging, making him speechless.
In the Marvel Universe.
There were too many obsessions.
Odin paved the throne for Thor, the Ancient One stole the darkness for Earth, and Thanos destroyed half of all living things for balance... The spotlight always seemed to focus on the big figures.
However.
Some people might only be the background of the story, or a variant that appears in a certain parallel universe, without much adoration, but they can still accomplish things that many great figures cannot.
Howard Stark.
A mortal man.
He actually wanted to use his intelligence and planning to reverse the predetermined fate of Tony Stark's disappearance.
Howard had no Gungnir, no Time Stone, and not even the Super Soldier Serum. He only had a body that would eventually grow old and a heart that disagreed with Tony Stark's decision.
Perhaps Tony Stark calling his father the greatest scientist was not just out of personal emotion, but because Howard Stark truly possessed those great qualities.
The persistence a scientist should have, and a keen insight into the world—in a laboratory unknown to anyone, he calculated the possibilities of saving his son over and over again.
Even if, strictly speaking, that son no longer belonged to this timeline.
Even if the chance of success was as remote as cosmic dust.
He must have calculated a possibility that even the AI Tony had deemed impossible. Only then would Howard begin what he called "laying out the plan."
"This is truly... the craziest thing a mortal father could do." After a moment of silence, Ian let out a profoundly complex sigh from the bottom of his heart.
In this empty hall.
He offered his evaluation, his sigh, as a gesture of absolute respect.
***
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