As the lights came back on, Steve's movements began to rewind. He kept retreating back to the door of Stark Tower. Before he entered, he looked up. His eyes passed through Stark Tower.
The glass curtain wall enters Stark's laboratory.
In the laboratory, Jarvis controlled the robot's body and replaced his arm with a strange electric shock device.
Stark, who was lying on the experimental table, seemed a little silent. There was only the sound of "sizzling" electricity in the laboratory, making it seem like this place was less like a science center and more like a prison full of torture instruments.
Suddenly, a portal appeared in the laboratory, and Loki and Strange walked out of it together.
"You came just in time..." Stark said, but Loki looked a little shocked. He looked at Stark and asked: "Do you have to commit suicide to find death?"
Stark, who was lying on the experimental table, nodded and seemed confident, showing no intention of wavering.
Stark turned to look at Strange. Strange looked at Loki and said, "Look, I've said it all. My words have been worn out in the past two days, but I just can't persuade him!"
After saying that, he stepped away from the experimental table a little anxiously, and then said: "Let me just say, he and Schiller are both madmen. What is the reason why you have to commit suicide?!"
Loki, who had just received the news, frowned at Stark and began to figure out his psychology. He thought much more deeply than Strange, so he also had a certain understanding of Stark's motives.
understand.
A few days ago, Stark found Strange, hoping that Strange could help him complete his next plan. But the first step of the plan surprised Strange. Stark wanted to
Find death by committing suicide.
Of course, Stark does not have to use such extreme means to find death. Perhaps he can ascend to the universe and search carefully to find traces of death.
But on the one hand, he must make a decisive decision and complete this matter as soon as possible. Otherwise, it is impossible to hide it from Steve or Professor
By allowing him to come back, it's not just the Stark Group that will lose.
The fastest way is to die directly. From his daily exchanges with Schiller, Stark can also understand that the goddess of death is not completely fair. Special souls will receive special guidance and attention. He believes that
, as long as you die, you will definitely see the goddess of death.
On the other hand, Stark and Schiller can be said to be evenly matched. Schiller does not accept any imperfections due to mental problems, while Stark does not allow any friends to sacrifice for him because of his natural sensitivity and sense of responsibility.
.
And once something like this happens, guilt and self-blame will make him sleepless and sleepless, until he has to pay for it with his own injuries and bleeding to make him feel better.
Stark knew that every time Schiller went to negotiate terms with the goddess of death, he would directly commit suicide on the spot. He also knew very well that even if Schiller was a mental patient, the pain and fear of death would not be less, that is,
Said that in order to save them and the entire human civilization, Schiller died many times.
If that's the case, then why can't he die once?
He is also the savior of mankind and the most genius genius in the world. Why can't he sacrifice when others sacrifice? Why are others sacrificed and not him? This is Iron Man, he always thinks so, and
I will always feel pain from this kind of thought.
During the period of helping Schiller go through withdrawal, Schiller was not the only one suffering. This group of superheroes and Schiller tortured each other.
Schiller felt sad, and the superheroes who were burdened with dual pressures of morality and friendship were not much better. Stark, who was already mentally unstable, had an anxiety disorder that became more serious.
Various reasons prompted Stark to make such an extreme decision. Moreover, Strange tried to persuade him for several days, but even after explaining all the reasons, he could not shake his decision. This time Stark was very
firm.
But this doesn't mean that he won't feel fear when he actually faces death. This is not the front line of life and death on the battlefield. The adrenaline has surged to the point where he can't feel pain in order to survive, just listening to the electric shock equipment.
As soon as it started operating, Stark began to feel extremely nervous.
In a dark and cramped cave in Afghanistan, at night when he alone controlled the machine to operate on the reactor on his chest, when the first-generation mecha with imperfect safety fell to the ground, Stark gritted his teeth alone and never told anyone.
Man, he is actually afraid of both the dark and pain.
Schiller is playing Schiller, Stark is playing Iron Man, and Steve is playing Captain America. Everyone can see each other's abnormalities, but they all act as if they are unaware of them.
Puncture yourself.
Stark sighed, looked at Strange and Loki, and said, "If you treat me as a friend, then you should support my decision at this time..."
Strange put away the bandage in his hand, frowned and said: "I have said it before, and I have tried to persuade it. My words have been worn out in the past few days, but you just don't listen. You must commit suicide."
What can we do?"
"I've said it before, I'm not committing suicide!" Stark emphasized again: "I'm going to find the goddess of death and get back the price Schiller paid. This matter has to be resolved, right?"
Stark curled up his legs and put his arms on his knees and said: "Schiller paid a huge price in exchange for Howard and Maria. I can't simply tell him that what you did is wrong, so cancel the transaction immediately.
Lose."
"That's unfair to him!" Stark looked into Strange's eyes and said, "During the process of seeking treatment from Schiller, I expressed too much nostalgia for my parents, which resulted in
, he thought that I had not been able to accept the death of my parents, so I took such extreme measures and paid a huge price to get them back."
"So, now I can't find him and say, 'You are a lunatic. I didn't mean to do this at all. It was all your own fault. I didn't ask you to hurt yourself to help me, so cancel the deal immediately'!"
"To say the least, as a friend, I didn't realize that he had some extreme psychology and abnormal mental state. It's also my problem, and I must take responsibility."
Stark sighed slightly and said: "Besides, if I ask Schiller to cancel the transaction, then Howard and Maria may die again. Facing the fear of death, once is enough."
"What about you?" Strange couldn't help but said: "You said that facing the fear of death once is enough, then what are you doing now? That trip to Afghanistan where you had a near-death experience, you haven't
Can you understand how terrible death is?"
Loki, the most proficient in psychology among the three, crossed his arms and looked into Stark's eyes and said: "Although you think this is a rational decision, I want to tell you, you haven't noticed that you have been self-destructing."
Inclination?"
"You always put all the blame in the world on yourself, on your failure to unleash the full potential of your genius brain. Schiller drove himself to self-harm, and you will also drive yourself to suicide. You are the same."
.”
Stark sat there, lowering his head in silence. After dozens of seconds, he spoke: "It should be said that you, me, Stephen and Schiller, the four of us are carved from the same mold. No one can be the same."
Say who."
"You, Loki Odinson, an Asgardian who is not an Odinson or even an Asgardian, must seek a perfect way out for Asgard and do not allow any loss or sacrifice, even for this goal.
, be prepared to sacrifice yourself at any time."
"And you, Stephen Strange, never allow yourself to make mistakes, never leave yourself any escape route, and even with an artifact like the Time Stone, you are unwilling to give yourself a second chance for surgery."
Stark took a deep breath and said: "We are constantly pushing ourselves and will never accept any imperfections. We deserve all the pain we suffer for this."
The three people in the room fell silent. Loki, who was good at sophistry, and Strange, who was always tough-tongued, could not find any more reasons to refute Stark at this time, because they all knew in their hearts that in Glory,
In the League and even in the entire superhero circle, the four people mentioned by Stark are the most similar.
He is wise, calculating, patient, perseverant, greedy, and arrogant. He has been pursuing the endless road of perfection, and will eventually embark on a road of self-destruction.
Strange sighed and decided to talk about some practical issues, so he said: "I have to remind you that the fear of death is on the one hand, and on the other hand, this will definitely hurt..."
"Even if you don't know any medical knowledge, as long as you think about it with your brain, you should know that stopping the heart due to electric current penetrating the heart will cause unparalleled pain. Do you still remember the pain you felt when you underwent neurointerventional surgery?
?It will only be worse than him, not to mention, you are facing death!"
"Facing death..." Stark murmured in a low voice, then closed his eyes. His body gradually began to tremble. Before Strange could ask Stark, he gritted his teeth and said, "I feel
a little cold……"
Strange was about to retort, but this was obviously not a tremor caused by a drop in body temperature, but a twitching of the limbs caused by extreme tension and anxiety.
But Stark did not look at him, but looked at Jarvis. Feeling Stark's gaze, Jarvis said: "Sir, let me get you some clothes."
After Jarvis turned around and left, Stark lay back on the bed feebly, with tears beginning to accumulate in his eyes, just like a father who was filled with pain but refused to show weakness in front of his children.
Loki sighed, looked out the window, and said, "Thor often teaches me that I must learn to accept bloodshed and sacrifice."
"But the fact is that the most courageous thing in this world is to calmly accept the sacrifice of the people you love on the way to achieving your goals, and then to muster the courage to start the journey again."
"Guilt is a good knife. Those who are pierced into the heart by this knife and can still move forward are the most fearless warriors in the world."
Loki closed his eyes, sighed and said:
"The only thing I admit that Thor is stronger than me is that he is able to bear the sacrifice and death of countless comrades, but still not be defeated by guilt and sorrow, and bravely and fearlessly rush forward, always moving forward."
Loki's tone was unexpectedly calm. This little prince who never seemed to bow his head was so arrogant that he would never say such words in front of someone like Thor.
"When we face Ragnarok, I am not afraid of becoming the first victim like Thor, but that does not prove that I am more courageous than him, because Asgardians have never been afraid of death."
Loki closed his eyes, his expression no longer as decadent as when he talked about this topic in the past, only calm and distant.
If there were any Asgardians here at this time, he would be surprised as to what could make the God of Deception reveal the same loyalty and determination as every Asgardian from his tone.
"Asgardians, I hope they have a father of the gods who charges forward and is brave enough to sacrifice."
"And I only respect the god who has the courage to die last as the new king of Asgard."