Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1666 Foreseeing the Future

Only now did Tony Stark realize he had never truly understood the scholar who had saved him in the cave of the Afghan militia. He had searched for the village where Ethan had lived, trying to find his relatives, but all he found were war-torn village buildings and blackened bloodstains on rough brick walls. There were no records of the village's destruction at the nearby US military base. Tony Stark didn't even dare ask who the perpetrator of this tragedy was, because he already had an answer he didn't want to admit—the bullet holes from 5.56mm medium-powered rifle rounds in the wall were the answer—though not direct evidence, it was enough to make him afraid to face the question.

A thick beard obscured the young man's face, and Tony Stark noticed the unexpected youthfulness and clarity in his eyes. However, the anger igniting within those eyes sent a chill down Tony's spine, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, even while inside his temperature-controlled armor. He found himself speechless. Since the Avengers' formation, his focus had been entirely on what the world called the "freak league." He even had to admit that he had enjoyed the fame and glory brought by the Avengers, neglecting those he should have been helping and entrusting more important tasks to a completely untrustworthy political group. This had directly led to this young man standing before him when he should have been receiving an education.

This is the worst joke in the world, and he has absolutely no way to avoid it.

“You’ve done enough, Tony Stark. I know you want to do good, but your methods have brought us more disaster.” The young man had calmed down by now, but his heavily accented Afghan English and the metal detonator in his damp hands were more frightening than his volatile emotions. Tony Stark was certain his armor could withstand the initial blast, but the ensuing collapse could kill him. He didn’t even dare answer Pepper Potts’ call; it would distract him. “I believe Professor Ethan helped you willingly; he saw your value,” the young man said. “But you failed. It’s not Professor Ethan’s fault, nor is it yours; you were just too stupid. Perhaps those outside think I’m a religious madman… No, Stark, I joined only to survive, nothing more. Frankly, I could have easily earned a Bachelor of Theology degree, but books can’t fill a void. The price for food was taking up arms.”

This young man spoke politely and behaved impeccably.

If he weren't in this basement, Tony Stark believes he would likely be dressed in a suit, sitting at an oval table, receiving documents from his secretary and discussing human rights in Afghanistan with everyone, dedicated to solving the education and food crises. Realizing this, Tony Stark hesitated even more, even though he didn't know that what he imagined was merely the highest achievement of self-realization that someone raised in bourgeois luxury could envision, something the young man before him truly desired.

“I assure you, there’s still a chance to salvage any mistakes. But if you detonate, it will be irreversible. The Afghan forces will inevitably launch a retaliatory offensive. Even if I can help with the local evacuation, your family and friends will most likely not survive such an attack.” Tony Stark felt sweat dripping from his eyelids, his voice trembling with unprecedented anxiety. He was just an ordinary person. No matter how genius he was, no matter how strong the steel armor he had, his steel-clad human form still possessed the frail flesh and blood of an ordinary human. “I promise you, the children there will be freed from hunger and ignorance. I can even bring them to America, give them citizenship, and provide them with a good education. Don’t do that, young man. Your eyes are blinded by hatred; you can’t see the future.”

"You're always so arrogant, Stark. I can't see the future anymore, and many others can't either. I've seen the most magnificent and beautiful human beings in the world. I've seen the future he envisioned, and it's for that eternal future that I've come here." The young man discarded even his last shred of politeness. "He wants me to say goodbye to you. Goodbye, Tony Stark, may you rest in peace."

A surge of azure plasma erupted, its heat penetrating the titanium alloy and scorching his skin. The insulating rubber covering the extremely thin cables instantly bubbled and turned black, the gold-red paint turned charred and melted, and even the nearly pure silver metal was charred. The overly thin armor couldn't protect him in the high temperature; after all, this power armor was crammed with too many functions, and coupled with the limitations of a normal human body and the rudimentary ergonomics, Tony Stark couldn't drive the power armor equipped with even more armor. Snowflakes filled his vision as the powerful impact propelled him into a supporting pillar. The disconnected visual sensors failed due to the high temperature, and darkness and sweltering heat enveloped him.

Immediately afterward, before he could utter a sound, an even greater impact came crashing down on him from above.

Tony Stark fell into a coma.

The world’s major media outlets are all broadcasting the same image.

Thick smoke billowed from the Lyndon B. Jensen Command Center in Houston, and buildings including Miller Beach, Toyota Center, the parking lot of Yao Ming Restaurant, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Houston Art Museum were filled with flashing red and blue lights. The host didn't hesitate to call this incident "the worst foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11." News footage showed tourists to the Houston Command Center being heavily guarded by National Guard troops. Even so, many close-up videos appeared on social media, indicating that the evacuation was not as thorough as the National Guard had anticipated. Accompanied by screams from tourists, the ground around the Lyndon B. Jensen Command Center suddenly erupted, sending massive amounts of gas and concrete into the sky, followed by a huge plume of smoke.

"Iron Man is still in there!" a child off-camera cried out. "Iron Man is still in there!"

"He'll be alright, he's a superhero."

However, the parents' comforting words did not soothe the child's fear, and also made other tourists nearby realize that Iron Man Tony Stark was still inside Lyndon B. Jensen's command center, yet they hadn't seen the gold and red humanoid figure soar into the sky. This made Laura Crawford, sitting in front of the TV, clutch her cushion and nervously sniffle—she wasn't a fan of the Avengers, but the so-called superheroes held an unbreakable aura in the eyes of all ordinary people, including herself—a superhero's defeat or even death was as unbelievable as the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a concept that had never even entered her mind.

He didn't have his guitar; the slow music still lingered in the air, the plates on the table hadn't been cleared, and the candles hadn't been extinguished. This was the witches' lullaby; today he had chosen classic American country music, "Your Man" and "Another Try." He only put down his instrument after the song ended, looking at Laura Crawford lying on another sofa. The latter was completely captivated by the romantic atmosphere. As long as he was present, the witches would fall asleep to the music.

"He'll be alright, he's a superhero."

He used the same words to comfort Laura Crawford, but his words were more cruel and cold than those used to comfort a child's parents, because Laura Crawford was not a child; her body and mind were mature enough to accept the cruel truth of this world.

"When they chose this identity, the world rewarded them, so they should bear the corresponding risks. If Tony Stark dies, it is only him who dies, not the identity of a superhero." His facial expression remained unchanged. Bayonetta and Joan of Arc were also present, both wrapped in blankets and reclining on the soft, wide sofa, but only Joan of Arc was still conscious, so he spoke these words in French. Laura Crawford understood French; even though her parents had died early, she had not neglected her aristocratic education.

"This universe doesn't care about the Avengers. Nick Fury's so-called revenge is meaningless. I don't know if you've read the Soviet science fiction novel 'Kaili Blues.' The aliens who come to Earth treat it like a picnic, and we, the little animals who have been terrified all night, only find plastic bottles, broken glass, napkins, broken spark plugs, and so on scattered everywhere when dawn breaks. Tony Stark has long been anxious about the Chitauri invasion, but the Chitauri didn't care about that invasion at all. The Battle of New York in 2012 was just a small military operation."

He paused, deciding it was better not to use his supernatural charm to evoke emotions in others. Laura Crawford didn't need to know that he wanted to eliminate the alien creatures that were picnicking indiscriminately on Earth, and that the blood and effort required to achieve this goal would exceed the imagination of any ordinary human.

"Worshiping so-called superheroes doesn't mean accepting everything about them. Their courage in fighting alien invaders from the standpoint of the human race is commendable, but they are ultimately ordinary people, and we must also acknowledge their flaws. For example, they can die."

"You mean, Tony Stark is dead?"

"If he died now, he would die in glory. It's better to die now than in the future," he said, frowning. "Tony Stark's future is not optimistic; even the title of 'superhero' doesn't quite fit his future."

"You definitely don't want to tell me the details."

(End of this chapter)