บท 71: Chapter 71
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Despite his complaints, Iron Man was quite intrigued by the journal's mention of the Guardians of the Galaxy teaming up with the Avengers.
Although Tony Stark felt that the name "Guardians of the Galaxy" might be a bit of an exaggeration, he still believed that a group daring to use such a moniker must possess some real skills.
Without a doubt, the Guardians of the Galaxy were a formidable and complex team—likely no less capable than the Avengers themselves.
In the future, these two powerhouses would join forces, but what kind of terrifying enemy would they be facing together? Could it be Thanos? According to the journal, Thanos could possibly be a super boss who has battled with numerous superheroes!
And Titan, the war happened on a planet whose very name signaled it was from outer space.
So, was this a cosmic conflict? Did this mean that in the future, the Avengers would partake in interstellar warfare?
Wasn't that a bit of an overstatement? No, not at all! According to the journal, the future Tony Stark would battle gods, even Thanos himself, ascending to the highest echelons of cosmic power! His greatness remained as consistent as ever.
"Jarvis!"
After feeling suitably smug about himself, Tony Stark remembered his pressing tasks and issued another command to Jarvis.
"Search for Titan."
He didn't have much hope, as Earth hadn't reached the interstellar age and space exploration was limited. But Tony still wanted Jarvis to scour relevant databases. Who knows, they might find something?
As it turned out, Tony Stark was too optimistic.
"Sir, no relevant information found," came Jarvis's immediate feedback.
Tony was slightly disappointed but not surprised.
It seemed that information about Titan and the battle there could only be gleaned from spoilers in the journal.
Returning his attention to the journal, Tony read on.
[Destroyer vs. Destroyer? Haha, that's an interesting topic!]
[Of all the Destroyers in Marvel, the strongest is undoubtedly the one from Asgard.]
[It's a divine artifact forged from Uru metal by Odin himself, said to be created to combat the Celestial.]
[Even standing still without moving, if Stark and Drax tried to strike it, they couldn't make a dent.]
[Conversely, it could easily overwhelm them with just a few blows.]
[Asgard's ultimate weapon is not to be taken lightly, right?]
The strongest is Asgard's Destroyer?
The normally boastful Tony Stark didn't put up much of an argument against this statement on this occasion.
Well, Iron Man wasn't foolish.
His arrogance stemmed from his superiority over most people, as Tony Stark truly was exceptional.
But what of the present?
The journal discussed a Destroyer from the realm of the gods!
And it was clear from the journal that Odin himself had crafted this artifact!
Even an arrogant Tony Stark wouldn't make the mistake of thinking his suit of armor was on par with a divine artifact.
Of course, this was only for now.
"Even if my Destroyer isn't as powerful as Asgard's Destroyer right now," he thought.
"One day, my Destroyer will become the mightiest of them all!"
"A Destroyer even more powerful than the one from Asgard!"
Tony Stark couldn't help but declare such bold aspirations with confidence.
"Yes sir, it will be," agreed Jarvis with great conviction.
But whether Jarvis truly believed that or was just flattering his vain and pompous owner remained his own secret.
"However, sir, aren't you curious about what the Celestial is?" Jarvis chimed in, noticing a particularly intriguing name.
Iron Man had noticed it, too. Just the name "Celestial" alone suggested an immensely powerful existence, one that even mythical gods like Thor and Odin seemed to pale in comparison.
And to think Odin crafted the ultimate weapon, the Destroyer, to oppose this so-called Celestial? Was the Celestial so formidable that even a god-king like Odin was wary?
What, then, made the Celestial so daunting?
[Asgard's Destroyer is the strongest, no question.]
[The second most powerful would likely be the Iron Armor created by Stark.]
[OF course, this refers to the future versions, the initial armor isn't much to speak about.]
[It has its advantages against typical humans, but it's useless against someone like Drax.]
[Drax could probably smash it into scrap metal in no time.]
[Winter Soldier could even bend it out of shape!]
This Zhou Cheng is belittling me again!
Tony Stark couldn't help but make a face, having become accustomed to such disparagement. Seeing his Iron Armor dismissed so readily definitely did not sit well with him.
As Zhou Cheng also mentioned, that was just the initial version of his armor—Tony Stark's first little project!
He had yet to fully utilize all of the brilliant ideas brimming in his mind!
But could Drax really smash his Iron Armor to pieces with his bare hands now? It seemed Drax was no ordinary man.
No wonder he was part of this "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Wait a minute! Winter Soldier!
As Tony was internally scoffing, he caught sight of another name and his expression shifted at once.
That was the executioner who killed his parents!
Seeing this name again brought a flicker of murderous intent to Iron Man's face.
"Jarvis, have you found any clue about the Winter Soldier after all this time?" Tony Stark asked Jarvis with urgency.
"Sir, I apologize, the Winter Soldier is like a ghost; even I can't find any trace of him."
Jarvis gave this answer.
Tony Stark wasn't surprised by this.
If Jarvis had discovered something significant, he wouldn't have waited for Tony to ask; he would've taken the initiative to report.
"Didn't that video capture the Winter Soldier's face? Isn't it possible to find a match for him?"
Tony Stark asked, somewhat unwilling to give up.
"After comparisons, there's only one individual who matches the characteristics, but that person died seventy years ago."
Jarvis provided this response.
"That friend of Captain America's, Bucky Barnes from the Howling Commandos?"
Tony Stark was well aware of whom Jarvis was referring to.
"Yes, sir."
"There's no other match."
But how could a person who died seventy years ago possibly be the Winter Soldier? What kind of terrifying power is behind that man, capable of erasing any trace of his existence so completely, leaving nothing behind? Although Tony Stark is unaware of the exact organization behind the Winter Soldier, there is no doubt it's an incredibly terrifying entity with unimaginable power.
Yet even so, he, Tony Stark, would not give up! No matter the force behind the Winter Soldier, Tony Stark vowed to one day utterly destroy it.
"The Winter Soldier is a super-soldier?"
Black Widow was momentarily taken aback but quickly came to a realization.
No wonder that guy was so formidable, so terrifying! Being a Level Seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and one of the top field agents across all intelligence agencies, Black Widow had completed countless missions over the years, facing various formidable enemies with composure.
Yet when she first confronted the Winter Soldier, she was beaten so badly she questioned her own abilities. If she hadn't been lucky, she might have died! The Winter Soldier had left a profound impression on Black Widow. At the time, she had mused that the Winter Soldier's abilities were beyond those of a normal human being.
And now who could have expected that he was, in fact, an authentic super-soldier?
So the question arises: Who created a super-soldier like the Winter Soldier? Black Widow was aware that ever since the emergence of Captain America, for over seventy years, countless experiments have been conducted, secret and otherwise, attempting to replicate Captain America's miracle.
Even that big, fearsome "Hulk" came to be in that manner. However, to date, no organization had succeeded. But now it seems someone has! The question remains: Who could it be?
[No need for the Winter Soldier, even a second-rate guy like Whiplash could probably make Stark dizzy with his whips, right?
"At this point in time, has Ivan Vanko's father died or not?"
"But that's not important. Whether his father is dead or not, it wouldn't stop the father and son from loathing Stark to their bones."
"It's unclear when exactly Ivan Vanko became Whiplash, but that shouldn't be too far in the future, right?"
"This is Iron Man's second arch-enemy!"]
Whiplash?
My second arch-enemy?
Tony Stark was deeply interested in this spoiler from the notebook.
Thanks to previous notebook spoilers, Iron Man already knew his first arch-enemy would be the Iron Monger, his dear Uncle Obadiah.
At that time, Tony Stark mused that having a first arch-enemy meant there would be a second, third, or even an nth one. Who could all these arch-enemies be?
Tony Stark had speculated, even running simulations with those he had offended or those with conflicting interests in order to conjecture who his future adversaries might be.
Yet, no matter what, he couldn't have imagined one of them being the name Ivan Vanko, utterly foreign to him.
Tony Stark swore he had never heard this name before. The claims in the notebook about deep-seated hatred towards him were even more baffling.
What could he have possibly done to incur the wrath of Ivan Vanko, or rather, the Vankos? Did he sleep with Ivan Vanko's sister or mother?
Considering his playboy tendencies, it was the only possibility Tony Stark could come up with.
"Jarvis, look up Ivan Vanko!"
Unable to make heads or tails of his thoughts, Tony Stark delegated the task to Jarvis, his trusty assistant.
"Sir, there are six figures worth of people with that name in America."
"Without more specific criteria, this is meaningless."
Jarvis, however, came back with such a response.
"Are there any among them who have crossed paths with me, or might potentially intersect with me, or have connections with Stark Industries?"
"There are none, sir!"
Tony Stark fell into deep thought.
If that's the case, things might be a bit more difficult.
Just relying on the name to find "Whiplash"—alright, Whiplash, as cringeworthy a moniker as Iron Monger and miles behind the Destroyer—is an endeavor. In his mind, Iron Man couldn't help but comment, then frowned slightly.
It seemed to be a much tougher challenge to locate this Ivan Vanko than to find Zhou Cheng, the owner of the notebook.
"Wait a minute, Vanko!"
Yet Iron Man's mind was still extraordinarily agile.
After only a moment's frown, he immediately recalled something.
The name Ivan Vanko might not connect with Stark, but the surname "Vanko" did!
Tony Stark distinctly remembered that his father, Howard, once had a partner.
His name seemed to be Anton Vanko!
Anton Vanko was indeed Howard's capable partner back then, even signing some scientific achievements together. However, for some unknown reason, they went their separate ways afterward.
Could it be due to some conflict of interest that Anton Vanko harbored a grudge against his father?
And then, Anton Vanko had a son, the Ivan Vanko mentioned in the notebook, who consequently held a grudge against himself?
Of course, all of this was purely unfounded speculation.
But the only connection Tony Stark could think of between himself and Ivan Vanko's grievance was this.
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