Chương 226: Tony and Others' Suspicions

Aside from Tony and those in the know, almost everyone paying attention to the events thought Li Yue had left Earth. After about fifteen minutes, an armed rescue team arrived, sent by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony and the others stopped pretending and struggled to their feet. The expression on each of their faces was one of bitter anger as if the recent defeat in battle had caused them not only severe physical injuries but also a heavy emotional toll. Natasha, regaining her ability to act, immediately reported the incident to her superior, Nick Fury, explaining that a person claiming to be Thanos had taken the Tesseract and the Mind Stone. She also relayed Li Yue's declaration about destroying and recreating the universe.

"Director, I didn't expect such a thing to happen. What do we do now? Can that person destroy the entire universe? That's incredible!"

Aboard the Helicarrier, Nick Fury couldn't help but ponder deeply upon receiving Natasha's report. Maria Hill, standing beside him, couldn't keep calm. Knowing someone was planning to destroy the entire universe, even a top agent like Hill couldn't maintain her composure. Only Nick Fury remained quiet, though he speculated that the U.S. government was probably panicking.

"What exactly are the Infinity Stones? Why are there six of them?"

"And that person took the Tesseract and the Mind Stone from Earth, claiming he now has two of the stones. Does that mean each contains one of the stones he mentioned?"

"But where are the other four stones now? How will he acquire those stones? And is his claim that he can destroy the universe with all six stones true?"

Although Fury appeared calm at this point, no one knew how intensely he was contemplating their next steps. The appearance of this Thanos-like figure made Fury feel as though he had stumbled upon a new, unknown world—a world much more dangerous, with a madman threatening to use six special stones to destroy the universe.

While Fury was uncertain about the credibility of Li Yue's statements, his sheer power in defeating all the Avengers easily suggested that his threats were not to be taken lightly.

However, if what Li Yue said was true, they only had as much time as it would take him to acquire the other four stones.

This timeframe was undetermined—Li Yue might not get the stones for thousands of years, in which case Fury could relax. However, it was equally possible that Li Yue could gather them within a year, months, or even days. If the situation was that dire, was there nothing they could do but watch as he destroyed the universe?

"Now, do we need to call her back with this situation?"

Fury's biggest dilemma was whether to use the pager to call for help from Captain Marvel over this uncertain issue.

At this time, Li Yue, unaware of the dilemma he had caused for Nick Fury—even prompting him to consider notifying Captain Marvel—had never actually left Earth. His wormhole creation was just a show for the onlookers, meant to make them think he had taken the Tesseract and left the planet. This way, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to find the Tesseract, they wouldn't know where to start.

After passing through the wormhole, Li Yue appeared beside Tony and others in the future.

"Everyone, the Space Stone and the Mind Stone are now in hand, along with the Time Stone I already possessed. Three stones are gathered, and your purpose for coming here is fully accomplished!"

"Should we now head to your universe? I'm quite eager to start!"

Emerging from the wormhole, Li Yue casually tossed his tri-blade into the mirror dimension and showed them the Tesseract and the Mind Stone, signaling it was time to proceed with their next actions.

"Mr. Li Yue, it seems you understand our purpose far better than we imagined," said future Tony, despite their grim expressions after witnessing Li Yue's acquisition of the Tesseract. "You not only know our reason for being here but also about Thanos. I suspect you know everything that happens in our universe."

"But why do you insist on visiting our universe? I don't believe you're just coming for a visit. I think you must have other motives."

Despite their reservations about Li Yue's intention to visit their universe, the group from the future couldn't help but question his motives. What was Li Yue's true purpose? They couldn't guess.

"So, are you saying you want to back out now?" Li Yue asked calmly.

Internally, he felt somewhat helpless. "I was going to help you defeat Thanos to prevent Tony from sacrificing himself by snapping his fingers."

Of course, while Li Yue truly wanted to help them defeat Thanos, his intentions were not entirely altruistic. If he wanted to help, he could reveal that Nebula had been switched, which would likely prevent the 2014 Thanos from reaching 2023. Li Yue wouldn't need to fight to resolve the crisis of Avengers: Endgame.

His main goal was to confront Thanos and see if he was stronger than the Mad Titan, especially since Thanos in Avengers: Endgame didn't have the Infinity Gauntlet or any of the stones. Li Yue wasn't afraid of him and could even consider using the gauntlet Tony made to snap his fingers for fun. With his current physique, he doubted snapping would injure him.

"No, we're not backing out. We will keep our promise and take you to our universe," Tony directly responded, confirming they would continue to include Li Yue in their journey.

"Oh? If you're questioning my motives, why do you still insist on taking me to your universe? Aren't you afraid I might harm you?" Li Yue asked curiously.