บท 181: Chapter 176
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"God, Tony, what are you doing?"
"You should be resting!"
In the lavish Malbu mansion, Pepper couldn't be more speechless when she saw Stark, holding a cup of coffee, energetically clicking away at a pile of data.
At the same time, she couldn't be more worried. She quickly walked over to Iron Man, with a tone of reproach. "Pepper, calm down. You're overreacting a bit," Tony said nonchalantly. "It's just a small surgery, no big deal."
For Tony, lying in bed doing nothing was worse than death.
"Small surgery?" Pepper didn't even know what to say. If an open-heart surgery was considered small, then what would qualify as a major surgery?
Pepper started to persuade Iron Man again. If it were in the past, Tony definitely wouldn't have listened to Pepper's advice, and Pepper wouldn't have been as "nagging" either.
Just like back when Tony had just escaped from the cave, Pepper only suggested Tony go to the hospital but did not insist when Tony refused.
But things were different now.
Their relationship had changed; they were no longer merely boss and assistant, but something more. So naturally, the situation changed as well. Under Pepper's "forceful orders," Tony temporarily stopped his work.
But as soon as Pepper left, Tony undoubtedly resumed his activities. The last thing Tony could tolerate was wasting his time, especially after obtaining so much crucial information from the diary.
Even now, due to the recent surgery, Iron Man could only work seven to eight hours a day, unable to pull all-nighters as recklessly as before, which already made Tony very dissatisfied.
Fortunately, this situation only lasted for a bit more than three months. Tony's body had mostly recovered, and he threw himself back into his work with full vigor.
"Jarvis has found and analyzed all the related clues about Atlantis."
"But it turns out that they are all nonsense; it's not the Atlantis we're looking for."
"Unfortunately, we have no clue where the Atlantis mentioned in the diary could be."
In the basement of the mansion, a projection screen appeared before Tony, showing Fury's face. The two were discussing the contents of the diary.
Fury nodded on the other side, not too surprised by the results. Such a legendary thing had no substantial evidence, and finding it was indeed nearly impossible.
"What about Wakanda?" Nick Fury asked again without changing his expression.
"Jarvis hasn't found anything peculiar," Iron Man replied. "Whatever they did, their disguise is quite successful."
Disguising so well that even a super AI like Jarvis couldn't find any traces said a lot.
"And your side? I bet it's the same, right?" Tony looked up at Fury with a confident guess.
Fury stayed silent, which was its own answer. Tony was right. After Fury gave Coulson the order, a heavily armed team was dispatched immediately, but after all this time, the investigation indicated that Wakanda was indeed just a poor, underdeveloped African country with nothing unusual.
Almost like the diary had gotten it wrong!
But, the diary had never been wrong before, so Fury leaned towards believing it this time too. Though he couldn't fathom how they had managed such perfect disguise, it was clear the country was deeply mysterious.
"Looks like that's really the case," Tony thought.
But Tony didn't bother pursuing it further. He had Jarvis investigate Wakanda out of sheer curiosity about the nation deemed the most advanced in the world by the diary.
When Jarvis found nothing, Tony swiftly dropped the matter. Whatever Wakanda was, it didn't concern him.
"Seems the diary was right; this country isn't as simple as it looks," Tony muttered, feeling enlightened but showing no further interest. Iron Man's attitude didn't surprise Fury.
This time, however, Fury wasn't contacting Tony about Atlantis or Wakanda but something much more critical: the Tesseract.
"Stark, there's something you need to know." Fury continued seriously, "There's been some unusual activity with the Tesseract."
Iron Man's face immediately turned grave. The diary had already revealed that the Tesseract contained the Space Stone, Thanos' target! Considering SHIELD's research into the Tesseract attracted Thanos' invasion, Tony couldn't stay calm hearing about anomalies with the Tesseract.
"What happened with the Tesseract?"
"Nick Fury, you haven't been secretly researching the Tesseract again, have you?" Tony's face hardened as he glared at Fury, questioning him.
"Though it does sound like me, this time it's not." Nick Fury shook his head, appearing so straightforward it seemed genuine. And indeed, it was true.
Under normal circumstances, Fury would indeed secretly research the Tesseract. But knowing that such research could attract alien invasion after the diary revealed the consequences, Fury stopped those activities.
Since the diary revealed related contents, Fury had suspended all research on the Tesseract, only allowing Iron Man to design a security system for the Tesseract in the Dark Energy Joint Base to prevent theft.
That was it.
"What happened to the Tesseract?" Tony stared at Fury for a few seconds, not wasting time on meaningless topics but getting down to business.
"This morning, the Tesseract suddenly activated by itself."
"I've confirmed it; none of my people did anything. No one tampered with it."
"It's like it suddenly woke up from hibernation and entered an active state."
Fury detailed the Tesseract's recent behavior to Tony.
"Are you sure no one did anything?" Tony frowned slightly, seeking confirmation from Fury.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Fury, it was just that the situation was too important, and Tony needed to double-check.
"You think as the Director of SHIELD, I wouldn't figure this out?"
Nick Fury said matter-of-factly.
Tony was at a loss for words. After a brief pause, he continued, "How's the Tesseract now?"
"It's still in its activated state, and it seems to be getting more unstable."
After giving Tony a brief description of the situation, Fury immediately invited him over, "I think you should come take a look."
"I think so too!"
Tony had no more words to waste and quickly ended the communication. He hurried to the Dark Energy Joint Base at the fastest speed and met up with Nick Fury, who was already waiting at the scene.
"The Tesseract is still in an active state, occasionally releasing unpredictable energy pulses. I'm worried this isn't a good sign."
As Fury introduced the situation, he personally led Tony to the Tesseract.
Iron Man looked across and saw the once inconspicuous Tesseract, now glowing brilliantly blue.
Buzzing!
As Fury mentioned, energy within the Tesseract continued to surge, in a fully active state.
"This definitely isn't a good sign."
Tony's eyebrows furrowed in concern. He quickly walked over to a nearby screen and seriously began analyzing the various readings.
"Stark, can you tell me anything?"
Fury's expression turned equally serious as he approached Tony, looking grave.
"The Tesseract can open portals, right? I guess it's trying to do just that."
After a thorough study and analysis, Tony gave an exasperating answer.
"Are you saying the Tesseract might open a portal on its own? Is that possible?"
Fury double-checked.
"It's an extraterrestrial artifact; anything's possible."
Tony said matter-of-factly, "Or perhaps someone remotely activated it?"
Fury's heart sank, feeling a heavy weight akin to carrying a mountain. Considering Tony's level, his speculative conclusion still warranted absolute caution, especially given the diary mentioned Loki's invasion.
Keeping his single eye fixed on the still "shimmering" Tesseract, he said, "So, someone might come through it? Like, Loki?"
"We'll find out soon enough."
Tony also focused on the Tesseract, saying meaningfully, "But before that, we must be prepared."
"Listen up, initiate Plan B!"
Fury and Tony exchanged a glance and, skipping further words, Fury immediately picked up the radio to give the command.
Tony took out a small "device" he had prepared earlier and installed it onto a computer interface within the base, instructing, "Jarvis, take over the security system."
"Understood, sir!"
Jarvis, who came online in an instant, responded promptly, taking over the related systems at once.
"And send over the armor."
Tony gave another command to Jarvis.
"Got it!"
As Jarvis's voice came, the floor of Stark Tower's rooftop terrace opened.
A high-tech launch platform emerged, and a drone was launched, spewing intense flames as it flew toward the Dark Energy Joint Base.
Of course, it wasn't just a simple drone.
It carried one of Stark's newest armors: the Mark VII.
Compared to previous armors, the Mark VII had many technical upgrades. But its biggest breakthrough was the rapid deployment system.
In short, this suit didn't need the bulky mechanical arms for wear. It could automatically initiate the deployment process to cover the entire body of the user.
Admittedly, compared to the past, it was significantly more convenient. Using the drone for deployment wasn't featured in the original movie universe; it was one of the changes brought about by Zhou Cheng, a "butterfly flapping its wings."
Given Loki could arrive at any moment, and the Tesseract at the Dark Energy Joint Base could be stolen at any time, Iron Man had developed this system for timely response, and now it appeared it was serving its purpose.
Whoosh!
The drone left a bright trail over New York City. In less than three minutes, it reached the Dark Energy Joint Base.
Tony Stark was already waiting in the base's courtyard, wearing "identification bracelets" on his hands. The Mark VII scanned the bracelets with lasers.
Then, bam!
The drone launched the armor directly onto Tony Stark.
Click clack!
The Mark VII began a rapid and precise assembly process, quickly covering Tony from head to toe.
The impressive Destroyer made its dazzling entrance.
Wearing the sleek armor, Tony returned to the base and stood before Fury. Seeing the fully armed Iron Man, Fury's confidence soared.
No matter who might come through the portal, they had the most formidable weapon on Earth by their side: the Destroyer.
Besides Iron Man, a team of SHIELD agents armed to the teeth stood not far from them.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the incessantly glowing Tesseract, not blinking once. An inexplicable heaviness and tension filled the air.
"Sir, someone is approaching the base."
Jarvis's voice broke the silence, "It's Captain Steve Rogers. Should I activate intercept protocols?"
"That 'old-timer'?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, glanced at Fury, and asked, "Did you call him?"
"Correct, I summoned the Captain."
Given the possibility of Loki arriving through the portal, Fury didn't dare to take any chances.
"Let him in."
Tony wasn't surprised and casually instructed Jarvis to allow Captain Rogers entry.
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