c17 - The Gate to a New World
The next day, a news item suddenly appeared on the news.
At four o'clock in the morning, Stark Industries was attacked by terrorists, and several executive offices within Stark Tower were destroyed. However, due to the late hour and emergency protocols, there were no casualties.
The identity of the attackers was currently unknown, though some sources speculated links to remnants of the Ten Rings or rival arms factions angered by recent changes.
As soon as this news broke, many people in New York who were unaware of the truth happily started gossiping.
Some people thought it was retaliation for the drastic decision announced by Tony Stark, the head of Stark Industries, to shut down the company's weapons manufacturing division.
Some people thought that someone wanted to take advantage of the situation to destabilize Stark Industries, especially with Obadiah Stane still maintaining influence within the company's board.
Others mocked Stark Industries' security system, saying it was useless, as it couldn't even detect a trace of the attackers after being attacked.
It can be said that countless people in New York had a joke to enjoy with their breakfast first thing in the morning.
If it were before, many people would have been heartbroken by the attack on Stark Industries.
Because many people held Stark Industries shares, they would have been heartbroken if Stark Industries' reputation was damaged or its valuation fell.
But now they had all sold their shares, and the worse Stark Industries suffered, the happier they were.
Harvey had also woken up at eight o'clock in the morning and was eating his first meal of the day.
His eating habits consisted of one meal in the morning, one at noon, one in the afternoon, one in the evening, and one late-night snack.
When Harvey saw this news, he knew that Tony Stark had already begun his operation.
This kind of targeted destruction, combined with precise timing and no casualties, aligned more with Stark's personal intervention using the early Iron Man armor rather than a conventional terrorist strike.
However, Tony Stark clearly had many ways to gather evidence against Obadiah Stane with minimal collateral impact, yet he chose this direct and destructive method, which seemed somewhat reckless.
But after careful consideration, Harvey realized that Tony Stark had only recently escaped captivity in Afghanistan and had just constructed his first refined armors following the Mark I prototype he built alongside Ho Yinsen.
He hadn't fully adapted to the power of the suit or developed refined combat tactics yet, which made sense.
Although the Iron Man armor was still in its early Mark II phase, its destructive power was already astonishing, comparable to advanced military aircraft in terms of firepower and mobility.
And with continuous upgrades toward the Mark III and beyond, Iron Man's power would eventually rival some of the most advanced technologies on Earth.
Yet, this immense power hadn't led Tony Stark down the path of a typical weapons magnate or supervillain, all thanks to his transformation in Afghanistan.
Harvey thought for a moment, finished breakfast, changed into the Death Cloak to completely conceal his face, and then decided to go to Afghanistan to investigate.
Although Tony Stark had begun targeting internal threats like Obadiah Stane, his immediate priority in the comics timeline would be returning to places like Gulmira, where the Ten Rings were oppressing civilians using Stark weapons.
After all, that was a consequence of Stark Industries' past actions, and Tony Stark, as its leader, felt personally responsible.
To win over Tony Stark, more preparations were needed.
Therefore, Harvey activated Void Assault, his body instantly disappearing into the void and leaving his home.
Harvey's current speed reached Mach 4; he himself didn't know how fast he would be in his Voidreaver Kha'Zix form.
However, he didn't need to use that speed at the moment, quickly heading to Afghanistan, a place that had become a focal point of conflict involving the Ten Rings and other armed groups.
Afghanistan was currently in a period of brutal warfare, rife with terrorists; guns and heavy weapons were everywhere.
Many mercenaries died in Afghanistan every year, but undeniably, it remained a battlefield filled with opportunity for those seeking profit or power.
Some mercenaries, after acquiring advanced weapons—many originally manufactured by Stark Industries before Tony shut down the division—even turned into warlords or terrorists themselves.
In contrast, places like Hell's Kitchen in New York, while dangerous, were still under the influence of law enforcement and organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D., maintaining at least a superficial order.
Harvey, flying at full speed, only needed about two hours to reach Afghanistan.
So Harvey arrived in this familiar land, the air thick with the smoke of war, a veritable hell on earth.
Harvey's gaze remained unchanged upon seeing this.
In his past life, Harvey admired superheroes figures like Spider-Man or Captain America who possessed great power and chose to save others.
But while he admired them, Harvey himself didn't want to become a superhero.
Initially, those saved would consider it an immense favor, feeling deep gratitude.
But after repeated rescues, once a powerful individual becomes labeled as a "hero," people begin to treat their actions as obligations.
They stand on moral high ground, expecting salvation as a duty, forgetting that power does not inherently equal responsibility.
The saying tied to Uncle Ben"with great power comes great responsibility" was, in Harvey's eyes, something many used to morally bind the strong.
Yet across the Marvel Universe, countless powerful beings from cosmic entities to gods acted entirely according to their own will.
Why weren't they morally judged the same way? Because no one dared.
Harvey, as a strong man, didn't want to be morally constrained by the weak; he only wanted to live freely according to his own will.
He could save people, but only when he chose to not because he was expected to.
When Harvey arrived in Gulmira, a figure clad in gold-and-red armor hovered above the battlefield Iron Man was already engaging the Ten Rings militants.
However, Iron Man's movements were still slightly rigid.
It was clear that Tony Stark lacked real combat experience, and his weapon usage repulsors, micro-missiles, and flight stabilization was not yet perfectly synchronized.
But even with inexperience, the overwhelming technological advantage allowed him to dismantle the terrorists, destroy their weapons caches, and save the villagers of Gulmira.
Just as Tony Stark finished the battle, a chilling aura spread across the battlefield, causing the surrounding temperature to seem to drop.
"Sir, a life form detected 100 meters to the southeast."
Tony Stark turned his helmet toward the direction indicated by J.A.R.V.I.S. and saw a figure completely covered by a black cloak, floating silently in midair.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., can you identify him?"
Tony Stark asked immediately, his tone turning serious.
The figure exhibited flight without propulsion, no visible heat signature, and an unknown energy signature none of which matched known technology.
"Detection in progress... Detection failed... Identity unknown."
J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.
"As a human, to be able to create something like this, your brain must be quite sharp."
Harvey spoke at this moment, his cold, distorted voice echoing across the battlefield like a whisper carried by the wind.
The voice alone sent a chill through everyone present.
Even the civilians of Gulmira, who had just been rescued, fell silent in fear.
"Is that a compliment? Well, thank you. I've always been confident in my intelligence."
Tony Stark replied, though beneath his casual tone, his guard was fully raised.
Tony Stark also rose into the air, his boot thrusters igniting as the stabilizers in his armor adjusted automatically, bringing him to a hovering height of nearly a hundred meters. He didn't know if this person was friend or foe, but since the other had spoken first, he naturally responded.
"You can take this as a compliment."
"However, the technology you've created is only relatively powerful compared to humans."
"In the vast universe, your technology is far from sufficient."
"You're still too weak."
"I hope that next time I see you, you'll have invented something even more amazing."
Harvey said, his gaze passing over the gold-and-red armor of Iron Man, as if evaluating it from an entirely different standard.
As soon as he finished speaking, Harvey's figure vanished into thin air, not through conventional stealth or cloaking, but as if swallowed by space itself.
Tony Stark's eyes narrowed as he saw the figure disappear instantly, and he immediately said, "J.A.R.V.I.S.!"
"Sir, no life signs were detected from that unidentified entity. All sensors—infrared, sonar, and electromagnetic—show no trace. It is as if it completely vanished from detectable space."
J.A.R.V.I.S. responded promptly, having already initiated a full-spectrum scan the moment Tony called out.
Hearing that even J.A.R.V.I.S. couldn't detect anything, Tony Stark's expression grew serious.
Although the voice of the unidentified figure was chilling, it carried a strange sense of composure—and even a faint acknowledgment—in Tony Stark's perception.
Yet despite being praised for his intelligence, Tony Stark felt no satisfaction.
Ever since his escape from Afghanistan, where he built the Mark I prototype alongside Ho Yinsen, Tony had believed he had begun to grasp the limits of human technology.
But now, that confidence was shaken.
A being capable of unaided flight, instantaneous disappearance, and complete evasion of advanced detection systems was something far beyond anything Stark Industries—or even the wider scientific community had ever publicly achieved.
Tony Stark felt, for the first time, that he had unknowingly stepped beyond the boundaries of conventional science.
It was as if he had pushed open a door… and glimpsed a far larger world beyond.
Whether that world was technological, extraterrestrial, or something else entirely, he couldn't yet determine.
But one thing was certain this wasn't something that could be explained by weapons engineering alone.
Tony Stark remembered the other party's words clearly.
Compared to the vast universe… too weak.
Did that mean the figure had knowledge of extraterrestrial civilizations?
Or was he himself not from Earth?
The thought immediately connected to broader possibilities aliens, cosmic forces, or even organizations beyond his current awareness, such as those rumored within S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence circles.
Even J.A.R.V.I.S. had only detected the entity at the moment of direct appearance.
There was no indication of approach, no trajectory, no energy buildup.
Tony Stark couldn't even determine whether the figure had just arrived or had been observing him the entire time as he fought the Ten Rings in Gulmira.
That uncertainty weighed heavily on him.
Unlike before, where new discoveries filled him with excitement, this time Tony Stark felt something unfamiliar caution, and a trace of unease.
What exactly was that being?
Was it human? Enhanced? Or something entirely beyond Earth?
And if it wasn't from Earth… then why had it appeared here?
Tony Stark slowly descended, the repulsors dimming as he landed.
After a brief moment of silence, he made his decision.
There were still immediate matters to handle.
Obadiah Stane was still within Stark Industries, and based on everything Tony had uncovered, the betrayal surrounding his kidnapping could no longer be ignored.
That had to be dealt with first.
Only after stabilizing Stark Industries could he begin investigating the existence of that unknown entity.
Meanwhile, Harvey observed Tony Stark hovering in midair, clearly lost in thought.
Without lingering, Harvey turned and left Gulmira.
He knew that his appearance had already achieved its purpose.
For someone like Tony Stark curious, analytical, and unwilling to accept unknown variables the encounter would not be dismissed.
Instead, it would linger.
It would grow.
And eventually, it would lead Tony Stark to actively seek answers.
And in that pursuit… he would inevitably encounter the concept of the Void.
Harvey did not need to force anything.
Leaving an impression was enough.
Because for someone like Tony Stark, once a question takes root, he will chase it to the very end.
And when that time comes… they will meet again.