bookbashuk Page 256
Page 256
"Good afternoon, Ian." The new teacher, Tony, was wearing his signature blue star-striped campaign suit, with even the color of his tie precisely measured to a single RGB value.
He smiled and greeted Ian.
“New Tony, you’re finally here. All I want to know is what’s going on. First you ran for president, and now a janitor I know very well has appeared in the Sanctuary.”
"This can't be a coincidence?" Ian certainly didn't believe in the idea of coincidence. He had already figured out who Nick Fury's real boss was from what Nick Fury had said before.
To know.
Ian is truly wise.
He's just too intelligent, so few can understand his thoughts. Now, faced with the shock of Marvel, Ian will naturally put his super brain to work and figure out what's going on.
Six thousand five dollars.
This doesn't seem like the kind of salary Doctor Strange, a part-time street scammer who only eats cheap pizza for takeout, would offer. The fact that it's not paid in gold coins also means the employer isn't the only wealthy person in the group.
as predicted.
In response to Ian's questioning.
The new Tony teacher didn't hide anything either.
"It was all Howard's plan, and Nick Fury was just an old friend of his whom I hired as a butler after the new century, at his request."
"He is an excellent agent."
Ok.
Tony Stark isn't the one doing the fancy tricks.
It's Howard Stark.
Ian was only half right.
"excellent?"
Ian was about to say what kind of excellence this was, but when he turned around, he found that Nick Fury, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, had disappeared—the spot where Nick Fury had been lying unconscious was now empty.
"Okay, it's really excellent."
Ian was slightly surprised.
His perception was far superior to that of ordinary people, yet he failed to notice Nick Fury's disappearance. This had absolutely nothing to do with Nick Fury's innate talent.
After all, it's broad daylight now.
The floor was empty.
Not even a single hair was left.
"Secret passages?"
Ian walked over quickly, squatted down, and touched the floor.
Click.
An ordinary-looking floor tile suddenly dented, revealing a dark passage. A sticky note was pasted along the edge of the passage, thanking Tony for his compliment.
"..."
WWII veterans may not be the best, but veteran secret agents certainly have something special. Even in this ambiguous world, Nick Fury demonstrates tactics that surpass even those of superheroes.
Ok.
A tactical retreat is also a tactic.
"What an old fox!"
Ian stood up with a hint of helplessness.
“I told you, he’s excellent, at least slightly more reliable than your followers and friends.” The holographic image of the new teacher, Tony, displayed a standard campaign smile.
"I know Howard asked you to hire Nick Fury. He and Nick Fury are old friends, but Howard probably couldn't have predicted the future we're in now, could he?"
“He couldn’t possibly know that I would be forming a small group here.” Ian’s confusion was not without reason; as a person from the DC universe, he himself did not depend on this universe.
Whether it's a time machine or not.
It's still a prophecy.
They probably couldn't have foreseen his appearance or what he would do after he appeared—it's a span of two universes, and Ian doesn't believe Howard Stark is that awesome.
As it turned out, he was right.
“Yes, Howard cannot foresee the future, he can only speculate and guess about it.” The projection of Digital Tony flickered slightly, as if reading some encrypted information.
He answered Ian without reservation, saying, "After Howard saw the video message he left for you, all he knew was that someone would appear in the future and usher in a new era."
The projection of the new Tony teacher paused here.
His voice suddenly became low.
"He clearly understood that he couldn't wait for you, so he spent the rest of his life working hard to strengthen me, an intelligent entity that wouldn't be bound by time, and would even become stronger with the passage of time."
Perhaps this strong artificial intelligence is like Tony Stark's Jarvis, already possessing faint real emotions, but only towards its creator, Howard.
Ian seemed to be deep in thought.
“I remember this.” He said thoughtfully, “You also said before that Howard asked you to help me rebuild this world and complete the task that my teacher Tony left me.”
Hear the words.
The new Tony teacher nodded slightly.
“He doesn’t know you, and he’s not actually trying to help you, so his orders to me have a deeper meaning.” The new Tony’s voice suddenly became unusually clear.
It's as if every single byte has been meticulously calibrated.
What does it mean?
Ian wasn't surprised.
He had been aware of this for some time.
They just didn't know Howard's true purpose.
The holographic projection of Tony raised his hand, and a holographic image unfolded in the air—it was a young Howard Stark, standing alone in front of a huge mechanical device.
The machine looked like a twisted Möbius strip.
The technology involved is too advanced.
Ian couldn't understand even a single component.
“Howard also reviewed the mysterious information that appeared in my system that I played for you. After that, he spent some time creating this machine.”
The new teacher, Tony, spoke with a touch of the seriousness characteristic of AI.
"What machine?" Ian stared at the mysterious machine for a long time, but his super brain still couldn't learn to max out the knowledge on the technology side on its own.
Super brains clearly have very low emotional intelligence.
In response to Ian's question.
New Tony didn't offer an answer either, not because he was unwilling, but because he didn't know either. "I didn't record this information. Howard didn't rely on me; he created the machine independently. However, I'm quite certain he succeeded and started planning after he returned."
As soon as these words came out.
Ian immediately grasped the key words.
"layout?"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
I had a vague, inexplicable premonition.
as predicted.
Digital Tony's next words were clearly very informative.
"He told me that."
"He and his wife should have had a wonderful son who saved the entire universe, and this son is still alive today, giving him and his wife a happy life."
This might be Tony's real personal opinion.
Hydra is still around.
However, the Starks were not affected.
The projected voice suddenly took on a human quality, "So, he wants to do something for this son he once had, but no longer has."
As soon as these words came out.
Ian's eyes widened slightly.
Clearly, Howard had also discerned the truth about the souls: they were not reborn, but rather originated from souls collected after the apocalypse and reintroduced into a new world.
What is that machine?
A time machine?
"Howard wants to reshape the universe?"
Just as Ian was feeling a slight unease, the new Tony shook his head. The words spoken by this powerful AI had a slightly shocking quality to them.
"It's not about restarting the universe; humanity doesn't have that kind of power. Howard is strengthening me and helping you, but his purpose has always been the same—he wants his son from the past to come back!"
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
“Yes, Ian.” Digital Tony’s voice suddenly became incredibly firm, as if it had been calculated and deduced, “Howard has actually found out the reason why your Tony cannot return.”
"He figured out the answer to the problem on his own." The projection switched, and a blurry video began to play—it showed the elderly Howard standing in Stark Industries' private laboratory.
The outline of the mysterious machine can be vaguely seen in the background.
"We are in the future after a cosmic extinction, repeating the history of the previous cosmic era." Howard's voice came from the video.
Why is this the case?
In a hoarse voice.
With a firm determination to understand this problem.
His image disappeared.
The virtual image of the new Tony the stylist reappears. This intelligent AI, which embodies Howard Stark's hopes, provides the answer it has calculated after more than half a century.