บท 171: Chapter 166
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"Of course."
It was just Tony Stark's instinctive guess, and in fact, Iron Man didn't really know if that was the case. However, Tony wasn't particularly concerned about it. Compared to Ms. Marvel, Tony was far more interested in Spider-Man.
The diary had mentioned Spider-Man multiple times before. Although it didn't reveal much information, Tony felt that the personality of this Spider-Man was very much to his liking.
Tony himself never expected that in the future, or in another world, his relationship with Spider-Man would be anything but ordinary.
People generally believed that Spider-Man was his successor, which said a lot. Tony even gave Spider-Man a fleet of drones. Right now, Tony Stark certainly didn't have such a fleet, but the name alone suggested it wasn't a simple gadget. If Tony wanted to, he could design several sets of such drones in no time.
Of course, this was just a trivial matter for him, Big Tony. Even something that slipped through his fingers would be incredibly valuable to ordinary people. The fact that his counterpart in another universe left Spider-Man a fleet of drones spoke volumes about how much he valued Spider-Man.
"I really want to know who this Spider-Man is," Tony couldn't help but murmur to himself.
In an instant, his interest in Spider-Man reached a peak. Given that his counterpart in another universe thought so highly of Spider-Man, it was very likely that Tony himself would also think highly of him. But could this Spider-Man really be so troublesome? Did he really cause a mess in the multiverse? Unbelievable!
Tony couldn't help but be amazed by Spider-Man. According to the diary, even in the future when the Avengers barely existed in name, Spider-Man was still a high school student. Zhou Cheng had listed him as a candidate for the Young Avengers, indicating that Spider-Man was indeed quite young. But even at such a young age, he could cause trouble in the multiverse? That was incredible.
Even Tony himself couldn't disrupt the multiverse if he tried.
["I almost forgot, after the Spider-Mens joined forces to defeat Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and the rest, Doctor Strange used magic to repair the multiverse rift."]
["As a result, everyone in the world forgot about Spider-Man!"]
["So Spider-Man, we'll leave it at that for now."]
["Who else could join the Young Avengers?"]
["Oh, Morgan Stark! That's Iron Man's daughter! By then, she should have grown up, right?"]
["'Love you 3000,' that's one of the most iconic Marvel moments."]
["Plus, Morgan has shown a strong interest in Iron Man's suits since she was young, so it's not surprising if she inherits Stark's legacy."]
"Spider-Men."
Tony immediately raised an eyebrow. That "men" was packed with information; so there wasn't just one Spider-Man in the universe? Was it like how there were second-generation Captain Americas and third-generation Ant-Mans, passing down the mantle across generations? But no, the diary clearly mentioned Spider-Man was very young!
So if there was any passing of the mantle, it must have been other Spider-Men passing it to him, meaning there were active Spider-Men now! Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. search for Spider-Man long ago but found no relevant information.
Not that Tony wanted to brag, but if even J.A.R.V.I.S. couldn't find it, it meant there was no Spider-Man information online. In other words, Spider-Man shouldn't exist. Moreover, Zhou Cheng, the diary's owner, would certainly mention if someone inherited the title from a predecessor when describing superheroes — like second-generation Captain America or second-generation Hawkeye. The absence of any prefix like that when talking about Ms. Marvel or Patriot indicated they weren't successors.
Connecting this with the diary's mention of "multiverse rift" and "disruption," Tony leaned towards the idea that the additional Spider-Men were from other parallel universes.
After all, if there were rifts in the multiverse, it was normal for a few folks to slip through, right? "What a kid, really knows how to cause trouble!" Tony exclaimed again. Though he didn't know how Spider-Man managed it, he did apparently crack the multiverse.
And names like Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin, while new, definitely didn't sound like ordinary people. Given that Spider-Men from other universes teamed up to defeat them, it was natural for Iron Man to assume that these villains also came from the multiverse.
As for Doctor Strange repairing the multiverse rift with magic, Tony was surprised but not unbelievably so. Doctor Strange was a heavy hitter, capable of destroying a universe if he turned dark. Fixing a multiverse rift wasn't beyond his abilities.
Yet, there was one thing Tony couldn't understand: why would repairing the multiverse's rift make everyone forget about Spider-Man? The two seemed wholly unrelated!
Due to a lack of necessary information, Tony couldn't figure it out. He didn't dwell on it and continued to read the diary, his eyes lighting up immediately.
Morgan Stark! His daughter!
Without a doubt, this had to be the daughter he had with Pepper. Wait a minute, Morgan? Tony's face showed sudden recognition. He remembered Pepper had an uncle named Morgan. Surely this wasn't a coincidence?
No, it couldn't be. The chances were too slim; it must have been intentional by another version of himself. Naming his precious daughter so casually was definitely Big Tony's style. Thinking about how this other self had left behind a daughter before sacrificing himself in the final battle made Tony feel quite comforted.
He was glad for his other self. But Tony wondered, who said "Love you 3000" to whom? Was it him to his daughter, or his daughter to him? Or perhaps, they both said it at different times?
In any case, Tony felt that it didn't really matter that much. Regardless of the situation, it was something he loved to see.
"So, besides his own daughter, which other young superheroes could potentially join the Young Avengers in the future?"
With this overwhelming curiosity, Tony Stark continued to stare at his journal, hoping for further answers. However, after several minutes of waiting, the journal remained inactive. Tony immediately realized that the updates had once again stopped without warning.
By now, Tony had the journal for a long time and had understood its owner's whimsical updates.
So, without any hesitation, Tony decisively put the journal away and started focusing on the important intel revealed in it. The first piece of intelligence, without a doubt, involved his third enemy, the founder of the notorious terrorist organization Ten Rings—Killian!
"Jarvis, conduct a comprehensive investigation on Killian. See if you can find anything," Tony ordered swiftly.
Faithful as ever, Jarvis executed Tony's command, conducting an exhaustive search on Killian across the internet.
"Sir, unfortunately, there is nothing substantial to report about Killian," Jarvis soon replied.
Tony wasn't surprised. Information about Ten Rings and Extremis soldiers was indeed not easy to come by. To find anything substantial, he'd likely have to hack into the servers of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM).
Such a task wasn't something Jarvis could accomplish with a mere command. At the very least, Jarvis couldn't even connect to AIM's local network. However, this wasn't a tough challenge for Tony. With some planning and preparation, he could easily achieve this. Tony also believed that Nick Fury, another journal holder, wouldn't let Killian off the hook either.
"Coulson," Tony's assumption was correct.
In the office of Triskelion, Nick Fury immediately called Agent Coulson over. Slapping a freshly printed file onto Coulson's desk, Coulson glanced at it and saw it was about a successful entrepreneur who appeared perfectly normal on the surface.
Given that Fury had his eye on this person, there had to be more beneath the surface. Silently waiting for Fury's next words, Coulson stood to attention.
"This person is the founder and leader of AIM, but it's just a front. According to secret sources, he is actually the true leader of Ten Rings."
Fury's revelation stunned Coulson.
The leader of Ten Rings? Not the harsh old man with the long beard, but this suave and warm entrepreneur? The contrast was staggering. Nonetheless, Coulson knew his boss wouldn't assign this task unless he was quite confident.
Without a word, he accepted the mission.
"In addition to this, Killian possesses something called 'Extremis Soldiers,' possibly making him one himself. I need you to investigate this 'Extremis' further," Fury added.
Coulson's expression turned serious. The involvement of Ten Rings was already troublesome enough, and now it included super soldiers. This mission was indeed high stakes.
Nevertheless, being a seasoned senior agent, Coulson had no objections. His job was to complete his tasks, no more, no less.
"Remember, your mission is only surveillance. Do not alert the target, understood?" Fury emphasized.
"Understood, sir."
"Alright, you're dismissed," Fury waved him off.
"Hill, I have a task for you," Fury called in Agent Hill next, assigning her to investigate the Ten Rings.
"Anything else?" Hill asked after receiving her instructions.
"No further actions required. Your task is just to investigate," Fury specified.
Fury's strategy for Killian and Ten Rings was different. He intended to eliminate Killian and obtain his methods for creating Extremis soldiers, but didn't plan any immediate actions against Ten Rings—just to assess the potential threats.
"Understood, sir," Hill responded and left.
With Fury's orders, Coulson and Hill began their efficient and busy work. Within just three days, Coulson's task was rendered almost unnecessary due to Tony's timely assistance. Stark's efforts unearthed all of Killian's secrets and sent them to Fury.
Fury's spirits lifted as he examined the unequivocal evidence provided by Tony, verifying that Killian was indeed the founder and leader of Ten Rings.
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