บท 170: Chapter 171: Iron Man Gets Beheaded
[The Fourth Question Begins. Please be prepared.]
[Please watch the following video.]
At the beginning, a rainbow bridge descended from the sky and crashed through a wooden staircase in a great hall. A figure appeared there, and everyone recognized him as Bruce Banner, the man who housed a big green guy inside him.
"Thanos is coming! Thanos is coming!" Bruce Banner shouted loudly, but soon he realized that there was no one around.
Bruce Banner found a piece of clothing and walked out. It was eerily quiet around, and there was still not a single person on the street.
"Am I too late?" Bruce Banner muttered with some confusion.
At this moment, a beam of light appeared in the sky again, and two strange-looking aliens appeared on the street. They were Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf, under Thanos' command.
"Big guy, time to turn green." Bruce Banner was about to transform into the Hulk, but something strange happened—Hulk didn't want to come out!
"Listen to me, you should be happy because you're about to die by our hands. Our father is..." Ebony Maw's words were cut short when a golden circle appeared behind his head, and an iron arm extended from the circle, directly giving him a repulsor blast to his head.
Then, Iron Man Tony Stark, Doctor Strange Stephen Strange, and Wong walked out from an even larger golden circle.
"Tony! Haha, you're in for it now!" Bruce Banner was very happy to see Iron Man, but at this moment, he had no idea what Iron Man had become.
Swoosh!
Iron Man soared into the sky and attacked Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf in mid-air. Doctor Strange and Wong also joined the battle, surrounding the duo and fighting them.
There was no doubt about the strength of Iron Man and Doctor Strange. In just a few moves, they knocked down Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf. But what shocked Bruce Banner was that he saw Tony Stark and Stephen Strange kneeling on the ground, actually gnawing on Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf!
Due to the battle's dust, the visibility was reduced, and they were a bit far away, so Bruce Banner did not see the real appearance of Tony Stark and Stephen Strange.
"Wait, what are you doing... Isn't that too much?" Even though he couldn't see clearly, Bruce Banner couldn't believe his eyes. Since when did Iron Man start acting like a dog, biting people?
After devouring Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf, Tony Stark slowly stood up, turned around, and faced Bruce Banner. It was then that Bruce Banner finally saw what Tony Stark looked like—his face was decaying, with his teeth exposed in the air, as he made biting motions towards Bruce Banner.
Doctor Strange Stephen Strange and Wong also turned around, looking exactly like Tony Stark.
Then, Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf stood up as well, no longer looking like their previous selves. They joined Iron Man and Doctor Strange as members of the "Zombie Gang."
Tony Stark extended his hand, and a repulsor blast lit up, ready to shoot Bruce Banner.
But just at this moment, a cloak flew over, binding Tony Stark's legs, causing him to fall to the ground, and the repulsor blast missed its target.
"This cloak must be Doctor Strange's cloak, right?" Tony Stark couldn't help but say, "Back when we fought Thanos, and when Thor came to Earth to find Odin, the cloak was on Doctor Strange."
"I originally thought it was just an accessory, but I never expected it to be such a treasure." Stephen Strange himself was also amazed, "This cloak can actually fly on its own and save people, as if it has its own consciousness."
"It can tell that its original master is no longer worthy of protection and chose to save you, as if it really has its own consciousness." Thor also spoke, "This indeed lives up to the title 'treasure.'"
"Even objects can have a mind of their own. This is really eye-opening." Clint Barton also felt amazed.
The video continued playing. It wasn't just Tony Stark who wanted to eat Bruce Banner; Stephen Strange and Wong also tried to attack him, but the cloak saved Bruce Banner each time.
Bruce Banner kicked away the head of Black Dwarf that was in front of him, but before he could stand up, Cull Obsidian reached out, and an invisible force descended on him, leaving him suspended in the void, unable to decide his own posture. He became like a fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.
Cull Obsidian, Black Dwarf, Tony Stark, and others opened their mouths wide and walked step by step towards Bruce Banner suspended in the void.
"Not, not, not, don't eat me, don't eat me!" Bruce Banner watched as several people approached him, "I'm a vegetarian!"
No one paid any attention to Bruce Banner's plea, and Tony Stark and the others came before him, their ferocious claws reaching towards him.
The scene froze, and the question appeared.
[Who saved the Green Giant, Bruce Banner?]
A) Thor, the God of Thunder
B) Scott Lang, Ant-Man
C) Hope van Dyne, the Wasp
D) Peter Parker, Spider-Man
[Correct answer: A. Thor, the God of Thunder. Reward: Master-level Eight Trigram Palm. Wrong answer: One year deduction from lifespan.]
"This seems like another parallel world. In this world, it seems that everyone has turned into zombie-like creatures," Stephen Strange said. "Even powerful superheroes like us couldn't escape."
"The previous parallel worlds were numbered up to 4, and this one can be labeled as Parallel World No. 5," Tony Stark said. "This parallel world is quite interesting, and I never expected this development. Even someone as powerful as Strange can turn into a zombie?"
"What's even funnier is Thanos," Thor couldn't help but laugh. "His subordinates, Black Dwarf and Ebony Maw, got bitten as soon as they arrived on Earth. I wonder if he himself could withstand it if he came."
"He should be able to withstand it, right?" Clint Barton thought about the image of the zombie Thanos and found it absurd. "That's Thanos, the ruler of the universe. His strength is unimaginable. How could he be threatened by these small zombies?"
"Barton, your judgment is probably influenced by those zombie movies. The zombies in the video are nothing like the ones fabricated in movies," Tony Stark said with a confident tone. "Doctor Strange's strength is also unimaginable, and I'm quite powerful too. Ebony Maw is also a formidable being in the universe. But all of us are infected here. Clearly, in Parallel World No. 5, the infectiousness of these zombies is off the charts. If Thanos were to come, he wouldn't escape either."
"In this world, Thanos is still planning to invade Earth," Bruce Banner said. "That hasn't changed."
"I'm afraid in this world, it's not an 'invasion' but a 'sheep walking into a tiger's mouth,'" Natasha Romanoff said. "Although Parallel World No. 5 is unfortunate, the thought of Thanos stumbling like this still makes me want to laugh."
"Bruce was transported to Earth by the Rainbow Bridge, and the Rainbow Bridge is a method of Asgard," Thor said sternly. "Sure enough, Thanos has invaded Asgard too."
"Although this parallel world has changed drastically, the fact that Thanos is invading is still the same as our world," Steve Rogers said.
"The options in this question are interesting too," Clint Barton pointed to the question, "Ant-Man, Wasp, Spider-Man. Is this a gathering of insects?"
"I'm not an insect," Peter Parker hurriedly responded to Clint Barton's words.
"Me neither," Scott Lang followed Peter Parker's footsteps.
"Spider-Man, Spider-Man, what can you do? Shoot webs?" Natasha Romanoff asked Peter Parker.
"I... I don't know," Peter Parker said weakly, "Being Spider-Man is something for the future. Right now, I'm more concerned about my exam results."
"Poor thing, same here," Scott Lang added, "I don't know what my abilities are either."
"I know this one. Ant-Man's ability is to grow and shrink," Nick Fury said to Scott Lang. "Actually, before you, there was another Ant-Man, Hank Pym. But judging from the question, you became the later Ant-Man?"
"Grow and shrink?" Scott Lang was surprised by the answer. "Does that mean the whole person grows and shrinks, or just a part of the body?"
"The whole person!" Nick Fury said with no patience.
"I don't even know this Hank Pym. Why would I become the same as him?" Scott Lang asked.
"I'd like to know that too," Nick Fury replied.
"How did he do it?" Scott Lang asked.
"Through a suit," Nick Fury said.
"What about the Wasp?" Scott Lang continued, "It sounds like it's similar to 'Ant-Man.'"
"You are right. They are indeed similar," Nick Fury said. "The Wasp also has the ability to grow and shrink. You can think of her as the female version of Ant-Man."
"Exactly," Natasha Romanoff said. "In fact, just like you are not the first Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne is not the first Wasp either. Before her, there was already another Wasp."
"I guess it's related to Hank Pym too, right?" Steve Rogers said.
"She is Hank Pym's wife, Janet van Dyne, also a SHIELD agent, and like her daughter, she died while on a mission for SHIELD," Natasha Romanoff explained.
"No wonder Hank Pym went on a killing spree against the Avengers. It turns out that both his wife and daughter died because of SHIELD," Pyotr Maximoff said. "I can somewhat understand Hank Pym now."
"Should we keep an eye on Hank Pym? Will he also seek revenge in a violent way like in the video?" Wanda Maximoff suggested.
"He probably won't," Clint Barton said. "In our world, his daughter isn't a SHIELD agent, and she's not dead, so the factors that induced his 'dark turn' don't exist. While his wife did die during a SHIELD mission, that happened a long time ago, and even during his most grief-stricken period, he didn't 'turn dark.' So, after so much time has passed, it's even less likely."
"But I feel like Hope van Dyne will eventually take her mother's place and become the new Wasp," Thor said.
"Even if Hope van Dyne becomes the Wasp, she won't become a SHIELD agent," Clint Barton said. "Hank Pym won't let that happen, and his departure from SHIELD wasn't a pleasant one."
"Really?" Stephen Strange asked. "In Parallel World No. 4, Hope van Dyne did join SHIELD, though."
"I don't know why Hope van Dyne would join SHIELD in that world, but it's unlikely in our world," Clint Barton replied. "His wife died on a SHIELD mission, and he had a very unpleasant experience with SHIELD. If you were him, would you let your daughter join SHIELD?"
"What happened between him and SHIELD?" Steve Rogers asked.
"It seems that SHIELD tried to replicate his Pym Particles," Natasha Romanoff said.
"No wonder he broke ties with SHIELD," Steve Rogers nodded.
"We know about Ant-Man and the Wasp, but what about our little Spider-Man?" Bruce Banner asked. "He's right in front of us, but we know nothing about his abilities."
"Perhaps Peter will invent some kind of 'Spider-Man battle suit' in the future?" Pyotr Maximoff speculated.
"Or maybe he can turn into a spider," Thor said. "Just like how Bruce is known as the Green Giant, who can transform into a giant, Peter could become a spider."
"Human to spider transformation?" Stephen Strange shuddered at the thought. "Is that a 'hero'? It's more like a monster!"
"Saying it's a monster wouldn't be entirely wrong," Bruce Banner shrugged. "In a way, I am also a monster."
"All of our nicknames are not just random. The Green Giant can turn into a green giant, Ant-Man can shrink to the size of an ant, and Iron Man wears an iron suit..." Steve Rogers spoke up. "Although we don't know Peter's abilities yet, we can guess based on his nickname."
"Spiders can spin webs, so maybe our little Spider-Man can spin webs?" Thor guessed outright, then he went up to Peter Parker and grinned, "Spiders have many legs, so do you have many legs in the future?"
"No way?" Peter Parker was startled by Thor's question. "I don't want that!"
"Spinning webs is a possibility, but having many legs sounds too far-fetched," Tony Stark joined in the speculation. "I think when Peter is called 'Spider-Man,' it's probably related to certain spider-like abilities, such as having the sensing ability of a spider and being as agile as one."
"Or maybe it's related to the way he becomes a superhero," Stephen Strange proposed a new theory. "Most of us followed a similar path—we were regular people, and then, for various reasons, mostly accidental, we gained our powers and transformed from ordinary people into superheroes. Could Peter being called Spider-Man be related to how he obtained his powers and something to do with spiders?"
"That's possible," Steve Rogers agreed with the suggestion.
"Related to spiders?" Thor's imagination ran wild. "Maybe when he was eating KFC, he accidentally swallowed a spider hidden in the food, and it gave him powers?"
"Eating a spider?" Natasha Romanoff felt a bit queasy. "Thor, can you stop being so gross?"
"Conversely, it seems more common, right?" Clint Barton said. "In some place, he accidentally got bitten by a spider."
"Although Peter is right in front of me, the nickname 'Spider-Man' feels strangely familiar and endearing. But if I had to choose, I wouldn't pick him first because I know nothing about his abilities. So unless there's no other choice, I won't choose him," Tony Stark said.
"Although Thor is much stronger, I think we should choose between Ant-Man and the Wasp," Natasha Romanoff also shared her opinion. "As we saw, the zombies here can also bite, and their bites can infect others. So, being able to shrink gives Ant-Man and the Wasp a natural advantage. If they become small, no type of zombie can bite them or even find them."
"This world is unreasonable. The zombies here don't seem to have such strong attacking power, but unfortunately, many people much stronger than zombies couldn't escape," Clint Barton said. "Thor is powerful, but even Doctor Strange became a zombie, so the chance of Thor turning into one is also significant."
"I find it quite absurd that zombies like these can bite someone as powerful as Stephen Strange," Tony Stark expressed his confusion. "Especially me, I'm covered in steel armor, yet I still got bitten. It's just unreasonable."
"What's even more unreasonable is Dr. Banner here, right?" Natasha Romanoff said, feeling extremely speechless. "Stark, your steel armor is impenetrable, but the Hulk is even more so! When Dr. Banner transforms into the Hulk, he can sleep anywhere, and those zombies wouldn't be able to harm him. But somehow, he can't transform anymore! It's like they deliberately deprived him of his ability to transform just to get him bitten by zombies."
"Exactly, Bruce. Why can't you transform anymore?" Steve Rogers asked. "Do you know why?"
"I can't imagine it at all. Hulk has always wanted to come out, and I never stopped him. I've never seen a situation where he couldn't transform," Bruce Banner was also puzzled. "In the video, Hulk even shouted NO, indicating that he didn't want to come out at all!"
"True, why wouldn't Hulk want to come out?" Stephen Strange said. "Most of this body is controlled by Banner, with very few instances of Hulk being in control. In theory, he should want to come out at all times, seizing every opportunity to do so. But he said NO, what happened?"
"I think we shouldn't overthink it," Tony Stark said. "Although Hulk is powerful, his intelligence is like that of a child. So, if we start from this point, we should be able to understand. Why would a child hide inside and not want to come out? Probably because they were bullied at school!"
"Who could bully Hulk, the child?" Natasha Romanoff said. "Hulk is the one who usually does the bullying!"
"Well, there were quite a few," Clint Barton said. "Thanos, Hela, and even a grown-up Thor."
"Thanos and Hela were Earth's enemies, and it's highly likely that Hulk clashed with them," Stephen Strange said. "So, did he become afraid after being beaten? Is that why he won't come out?"
"I don't think so," Bruce Banner shook his head. "I don't believe Hulk would be afraid."
"Then who do you think saved you?" Stephen Strange asked.
"Romanoff and I are on the same page. Among these four options, I think Ant-Man and the Wasp are the most likely," Bruce Banner said without hesitation, "but choosing between the two seems difficult."
"Ant-Man and the Wasp both use Hank Pym's technology for their suits, so their functions should be similar, and their abilities should be about the same," Stephen Strange said. "What Ant-Man can do, the Wasp can do as well, making it hard to choose."
"Between these two, just go with your gut feeling," Bruce Banner said. "I'll choose B."
[Wrong answer! One year of lifespan deducted!]
"If it's not Ant-Man, then it must be the Wasp, right?" Bruce Banner didn't feel too bad about getting it wrong. After all, he had gained some lifespan earlier.
Not long after, the paused scene continued playing.
Just as the hands of those zombies were about to land on Bruce Banner, a large group of ants suddenly flew over. There were so many ants, densely packed like a black sea, and they landed on several zombies.
In the blink of an eye, Ebony Maw was chewed into a pile of bones, lying on the ground.
Without Ebony Maw, his magic was naturally gone, and Bruce Banner fell from the sky to the ground.
It had to be said that ants of this size were the natural nemesis of zombies. They couldn't attack the ants at all, but the ants could easily consume the zombies.
After Ebony Maw, Black Dwarf and Stephen Strange were also chewed into piles of bones.
Only Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor could escape.
But that wasn't the end; more was yet to come.
Just as Tony Stark extended his hands to launch a repulsor blast at Bruce Banner, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, growing from small to large, right in front of Bruce Banner. She reached out her hand, and with a sound, an energy blade swept across, beheading Tony Stark.
A gigantic ant, about one meter long, swallowed Tony Stark's head and began to devour it.
The scene went dark, and the video ended here.
"I have to say, Stark's death was really gruesome," Stephen Strange couldn't help but say. "Not only did he turn into a zombie, but his head was also eaten by ants."
"Yeah, pretty grim," Tony Stark was astonished. "Luckily, I don't live in that world."
"I thought Wasp and Ant-Man both relied on their suits for combat, but I didn't expect Wasp could also command ants," Bruce Banner said.
"It's not just about the suit; even commanding ants alone can be quite powerful if used well," Steve Rogers said. "Thousands of desert marching ants swarming at once can even devour an elephant in an instant. Although the ants controlled by the Wasp may not be as 'aggressive' as desert marching ants, they are still not to be underestimated."
"And it's hard to defend against. Except for someone like Scarlet Witch who can use energy attacks or Hulk with tough skin, most of us can't resist such an overwhelming swarm of ants," Clint Barton added.
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