Chapter 97: Chapter 91
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Stark: Did I die because I snapped my fingers?
Hmm?
Wait a minute!
But before he could indulge in speculation, Tony Stark's eyes inadvertently fell on the phrase "survived until the final battle" and his expression darkened considerably.
What does it mean to survive until the final battle?
Did he, Tony Stark, actually die during the final battle?
The final battle journal had mentioned it before, although the description was not very detailed. However, with Iron Man's intelligence, he could naturally deduce a thing or two.
Undoubtedly, it was a "super-war" involving extraordinary powers and superheroes, similar to the Battle of New York!
Even in that battle, Tony Stark snapped his fingers in a critical moment!
However, beyond that, the journal did not reveal any more information about this pivotal battle.
So~
What exactly happened in that battle that led to his own death?
Who killed him?
Thanos?
Tony Stark plunged into deep thought.
Soon, Iron Man had a lightbulb moment – he really thought of something.
"Jarvis, do you remember that Zhou Cheng once mentioned at the beginning that I sacrificed myself for the sake of saving the world?"
Tony Stark's eyes sparkled as he posed the question to Jarvis.
"Yes, sir, Zhou Cheng did say that when you first got the journal."
Jarvis immediately responded.
"Exactly, he did say that, so here's the key!"
"Do you remember that mysterious 'snap' that could supposedly bring the dead back to life?"
According to the journal, the snap had a high probability of reviving the deceased, but it would likely work on general cases of death.
Special types of death, like Black Widow's, could not be reversed by the snap.
But such special cases should be rare; most people were likely to have died ordinary deaths.
Now to the critical question.
In the final battle, Tony Stark snapped his fingers in a move that could save lives!
At the same time, the journal also stated that Tony Stark died to save the world!
Could there be a connection between these two statements?
Did Tony Stark sacrifice himself by snapping his fingers, thus saving the lives of those who perished in the war?
After all, it would not be unthinkable if such a miraculous snap that could raise the dead required the user to pay a significant price.
"Jarvis, what do you think? Is that possible?"
Tony Stark shared his speculations and thoughts with Jarvis.
"Logically speaking, we can't dismiss this possibility."
Jarvis agreed, seeing no apparent flaws in Iron Man's analysis.
The fragments revealed so far in the journal did indeed fit together to form this picture.
Of course, Tony Stark also understood.
Since there were too few fragments, the current picture might only represent the tip of the iceberg of the entire situation.
Whether it's accurate or not, he'd only know once more pieces emerge. Dwelling on it now is pointless.
However, one question left Tony Stark feeling on edge and restless; he needed to get to the bottom of it.
What exactly was this snap?
Why did a simple touch of his two fingers produce such miraculous power capable of reviving the dead?
Technology clearly couldn't do this, so could it be some form of magic or mystical power?
Could it be that his future self had mastered magical powers as well?
Hmm, Magician Stark doesn't sound too bad!
It's strange when you think about it, Tony Stark, a genius, has many technologies that surpass his current era.
[Even Thanos, a being who became known for his intent to wipe out half of the universe's living creatures, had heard of Stark and called him "cursed with knowledge."
In terms of intelligence, he could rank in the top three across the entire Marvel world.
Well… let's say top five, considering there are quite a few top-tier scientists in Marvel.
There might only be one or two people who definitely surpass Stark, but there are a few who are on par with him.
Such a high-level tech genius could whip up all sorts of cutting-edge technologies with ease!
He was capable of inventing unbelievable armors and gadgets, yet he seemingly couldn't cure a simple palladium poisoning?]
"Humph, I knew it!"
A smug smile crept onto Tony Stark's face, and Iron Man felt elated, as if he were walking on air.
Zhou Cheng, that guy, always belittled and disparaged him in the journal.
But, in the end, it turns out his evaluation of Tony was very high.
That must be Zhou Cheng's true feelings, right?
That must be his honest opinion!
It has to be!
Indeed, Tony Stark is the best!
Even those who disliked or disapproved of him had to inwardly admit his excellence.
Tony Stark was that hopelessly outstanding individual.
"Sir, that Thanos has also heard of your name."
Jarvis spoke, the devoted AI displaying a hint of surprise.
That's Thanos!
An entity that threatened to obliterate half the life in the universe, one of the top-most big names in the entire cosmos.
Such a person knew Tony Stark's name?
And even gave the high praise of being "cursed with knowledge"?
It's truly unbelievable!
"It seems that I am even better than I imagined!"
Tony Stark couldn't hide his braggadocio and began to realize just how excellent he truly was.
Previously, he thought being called the best on Earth was modest and humble.
He, Tony Stark, was among the elite throughout the entire universe.
Wait a minute!
Upon reading further, Iron Man's smile stiffened on his face.
His intelligence could only rank in the top three, no, top five?
There were people smarter than him in the world, and not just one, but two?
And besides those two, there were others just as smart as him?
What a joke!
Zhou Cheng's old habit was acting up again. He had barely managed to reveal his true thoughts and affirm Tony, but then he backhandedly belittled him once more.
Tony Stark was definitely the smartest person around; no one could be smarter than him!There's also the issue of palladium poisoning, which is a form of prejudice, an unfair evaluation.
Indeed.
Even if the Tony Stark synthesized the new element through Howard's reminder.
Tony Stark believes that even without this process, he could still have done it.
It's just that Iron Man didn't want to waste his excellent intelligence too much on such matters!
That must be it!
[So, is there a possibility that palladium poisoning is Stark's destiny?]
[Or is it similar to the "fixed point in time" mentioned by the Ancient One?]
[Just like Doctor Strange's car accident. Regardless of the universe, no matter how many times Doctor Strange tries to go back to the past, it is destined to happen?]
[I think this explanation is more reasonable.]
[Otherwise, it would be nonsensical for Iron Man to die from something as trivial as palladium poisoning.]
[Just like it's ridiculous that Goku, who can blow up planets, would die of a heart disease.]
The Ancient One?
Doctor Strange?
These two names immediately caught Tony Stark's attention.
Although Zhou Cheng's description of them was brief, even this fleeting depiction clearly showed that these two were no ordinary individuals.
First, the aliases.
If Tony Stark had seen anyone called a "sorcerer" before getting the notebook, he would definitely have thought of them as charlatans, fakes.
But now?
Iron Man already knew that magic and sorcery were real!
Without a doubt, the Ancient One is a superhero of the future superhero era!
To be precise, a superhero proficient in magic or sorcery, similar to the path taken by the Scarlet Witch.
And "Doctor Strange," this nickname is a little quirky.
At face value, this person should be a scholar or scientist.
But does he like to study some peculiar fields?
Or is it that the person is a bit odd, with a quirky personality?
Quirky enough that everyone gave him the nickname "Strange"?
However, details are too scant for Tony Stark to figure this out.
Regardless, one thing is certain: Doctor Strange is an extraordinary individual.
After all, this guy can actually travel back to the past!
That is just too incredible.
As for Goku, my goodness, he's even more formidable, able to blow up planets!
Even Tony Stark, a leading scientist, was taken aback at the thought of the energy required to destroy a planet.
It's really hard for him to imagine that someone could do such unbelievable things.
[So to resolve the palladium poisoning, we still need to rely on Nick Fury, or rather, on Howard.]
[I wonder if Fury has noticed Stark's palladium poisoning at this time and has sent Black Widow undercover to Stark.]
[I guess he must have.]
[I remember Nick Fury also had SHIELD develop a lithium dioxide compound that could alleviate Stark's symptoms.]
[That thing wasn't something that could be developed overnight, right?]
[Say what you will, but SHIELD lived up to its name, providing an effective solution. Stark seemed just to be drinking fresh vegetable juice, without having developed anything to inhibit the virus.]
[Not only did SHIELD develop something, but it also worked! Black Widow's injection had an immediate effect!]
Ah, this!
Nick Fury's face, already dark as an egg, darkened a few shades more, with the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
He had just recently assigned Natasha the task of infiltrating Stark's side.
Now, has Satan brought this matter to light?
What a mess!
After analyzing Tony Stark's series of actions, Nick Fury was now very confident that Iron Man was another notebook holder.
In other words, at this moment, Tony Stark might also be aware of this!
Isn't this a direct giveaway?
Anyway, Natasha has not yet found the right opportunity to infiltrate Stark's side. Should we pull Natasha back and abort this mission?
No, that won't do either.
Nick Fury instinctively shook his head.
If Tony Stark really saw the notebook, he would know according to the "script" that there should be a SHIELD undercover infiltrating.
If not, wouldn't that also be abnormal?
"Whatever!"
After some thought, Nick Fury quickly made a decision.
The undercover mission continues without any change, after all, it is a very important probe in itself.
If Tony Stark hasn't noticed anything and Natasha goes undercover successfully, then there's no problem.
Just let Natasha carry out the original plan and do whatever she's supposed to do.
But if Natasha is exposed by Tony Stark, wouldn't that directly prove that Tony Stark indeed has the notebook?
So Natasha's action this time is still meaningful.
"That egghead, can't he just keep still!"
Tony Stark immediately let out a low curse.
He initially had no feelings about the SHIELD director Nick Fury.
But after seeing his series of actions in the notebook.
Like making a grand entrance at the moment of his (Stark's) death, researching superweapons only to be utilized by HYDRA, his goodwill towards Fury almost completely evaporated.
Now he found out that the egghead was planning to send a spy to his side?
What the hell, do you really think I can be bullied?
Sending a spy, huh?
Fine, then let them come, when the time comes, I, Tony Stark, will certainly make that spy regret it!
"Black Widow? Sir, she is a future Avenger, a future teammate of yours."
Jarvis's voice rang out at this moment, pointing out this key piece of information.
"Yes, Black Widow, I saw."
Tony Stark remained unimpressed.
He hadn't expected that egghead to value him so much as to send such a heavy-hitting agent his way.
But what of the Black Widow?
Would Tony Stark be afraid?
It would also be a good opportunity to see what this Black Widow was really made of!
Here, I must mention.
Actually, Tony Stark had looked into Black Widow before, shortly after the notebook first spoiled her existence.
Sadly.
Without knowing the real name, having only the moniker, Iron Man found nothing.
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