Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Inside the Stark Tower laboratory, Chen Haotian and Tony faced a perplexing display of data projected onto a holographic screen. Residual energy, representing conflicting rules, swirled restlessly within a specially designed container, seemingly mocking the physical model they were attempting to build.

"Jarvis, run the seventh simulation program." Tony rubbed his throbbing temples. "I refuse to believe we can't find a reasonable explanation."

The holographic screen flickered as a complex mathematical model began to build. But a few minutes later, the system reported an error again.

"Sir, the model crashes when the multiverse constant is introduced," Jarvis reported calmly. "It seems that our mathematical system itself is incompatible with the rules of different worlds."

Chen Haotian stood in front of the energy container, lost in thought: "Perhaps the problem lies not in the modeling method, but in the fundamental premise of our thinking about this problem."

He pulled up the energy readings from before the Hive Base exploded: "Look here, when I used my internal energy, the energy fluctuations weren't simply increased or decreased, but... their nature changed."

Tony leaned closer for a closer look: "It's like some kind of fundamental qualitative change. Wait..." He suddenly realized something, "Jarvis, compare it to the quantum state changes of the residual energy when Chen used his internal force."

The data comparison was displayed on the screen. When Chen Haotian circulated his internal energy, the quantum properties of the residual energy underwent a fundamental change—the wave function collapsed abnormally, and the quantum superposition state exhibited characteristics that made it impossible for them to coexist.

"This violates the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics." Tony stared at the data in shock. "Under the same observational conditions, quantum states should remain consistent, but here..."

"But here it exhibits both particle and wave properties simultaneously, and not in a superposition state, but simultaneously," Chen Haotian continued, "just as it simultaneously follows two different sets of physical rules."

He thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Tony, do you believe that mathematics is the universal language of the universe?"

"Of course, that's the consensus in the scientific community," Tony replied without hesitation.

"But what if each universe has its own unique 'mathematical dialect'?" Chen Haotian pointed to the remaining energy. "Perhaps even the basic rules of arithmetic are different. For example, in our universe, one plus one equals two, but in the Resident Evil universe, one plus one might equal three, or one and a half?"

Tony was stunned: "That would lead to completely different laws of physics..."

"That's exactly right." Chen Haotian pulled up the data he had collected earlier. "Look at the fluctuation patterns of these energy readings. They are not changing randomly, but switching between different mathematical systems."

Jarvis interjected: "Gentlemen, if this assumption holds true, then the reason why the power systems of different worlds are mutually exclusive is because they are based on different mathematical foundations."

Over the next few hours, they conducted more sophisticated experiments. Chen Haotian carefully controlled the output of his internal energy while monitoring the reaction of the residual energy. The results were astonishing—internal energy, as a force from another world, could indeed build temporary "bridges" between different mathematical rules, but these bridges were extremely unstable.

"It's like trying to prove a math problem with a flawed fundamental theorem," Tony explained. "It might seem to work in the short term, but the inherent logical contradictions will eventually cause the whole system to collapse."

Chen Haotian nodded: "This is the real reason for the explosion of the Hive Base. When I used my internal force, it was equivalent to forcibly introducing another set of mathematical rules into the Umbrella Base's energy system. After the two systems coexisted briefly, the logical contradictions accumulated to a critical point, and ultimately..."

"Ultimately, it causes the system to crash, just like the division by zero error," Tony continued.

They further tested other power systems. Tony retrieved some Asgardian technology samples from the lab—technologies from other planets, while advanced, still adhered to the fundamental physical laws of the Marvel Universe. When these technologies came into contact with residual energy, they caused only minor disturbances.

However, when Chen Haotian tried to use the internal energy cultivation method from the martial arts world, the residual energy immediately produced a violent reaction.

"The 'distance' between different worlds may affect the strength of mutual repulsion," Chen Haotian analyzed. "Although Asgard is far away, it is still within the same universe. However, internal energy comes from a completely different world system with even greater differences in rules."

Tony suddenly realized something: "Wait, if the rules are this mutually exclusive, why are we able to safely travel between different worlds?"

Chen Haotian raised his left hand, the mysterious teleportation rune on the back of his hand was glowing faintly: "I think the function of this rune is not only to open the portal, but more importantly, to establish temporary rules and coordination during the teleportation process."

He activated the runes with a wisp of his inner force, instantly making their patterns several times more complex and emitting a soft golden light. Under this golden light, the residue in the energy container temporarily ceased its abnormal activity.

"The runes are recalibrating the rules of mathematics," Tony astutely observed. "They establish mappings between different systems, much like a translator switches between different languages."

Chen Haotian withdrew his inner force, and the rune's light gradually faded: "But this calibration has its limits. When we carry too much otherworldly matter or use powerful otherworldly abilities, the calibration system will overload."

The experiment continued late into the night, and they gradually clarified the fundamental principle of mutually exclusive rules. Each world has a unique set of "fundamental axioms," which determine the mathematical system and physical laws of that world. When matter or energy from different worlds interact, conflicts in the axiomatic systems lead to irreconcilable contradictions.

"Just like Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry," Tony explained, "they are logically consistent within their respective systems, but forcibly mixing them will create contradictions."

Chen Haotian added, "Internal force is particularly dangerous because it directly embodies the fundamental axioms of the world it originates from. When I use internal force in other worlds, it's equivalent to forcibly rewriting the local mathematical rules."

This discovery made them realize the enormous risks of having the ability to travel between worlds. Each time they traveled to another world, each time they used the power of another world, they could cause irreversible damage to the rules and systems of the current world.

"We need to develop a security protocol," Tony said seriously. "Until we fully understand this mutual exclusion mechanism, we must restrict the use of otherworldly abilities."

Chen Haotian revealed a meaningful smile: "Dangerous, but also full of possibilities. If we can grasp the principle of these mutually exclusive rules, perhaps we can..."

"What can you do?" Tony pressed.

"To be able to selectively rewrite the rules of reality," Chen Haotian said softly. "Imagine if we could temporarily change the fundamental physical constants of a certain area, or suddenly disable the enemy's technology..."

Tony stared at him in shock: "That would be... a godlike ability."

The laboratory fell silent, except for the restless pulsation of the particles representing conflicting rules within the energy container, as if reminding them that they were touching upon the most fundamental secrets of the multiverse.

Chen Haotian gazed at the remaining energy, his eyes gleaming with the curiosity of a scientist and the ambition of an explorer. In his eyes, the mutual exclusion of rules was not only a problem to be solved, but also a key that could unlock infinite possibilities. And he knew that this key must be used with extreme caution, otherwise it might unlock disaster rather than opportunity.