When dusk came, the heavy haze fell softly on the skyline, giving the originally gorgeous sunset a mysterious color. When the light shone through the fog into the ward, Stark looked against the light, his
A hazy halo spread behind her.
Schiller stood on the other side of the bed, and Connors came over with an injection. The two discussed the data in a low voice. Schiller turned to look at Obadiah, who was lying on the hospital bed, and then looked at Obadiah who was sitting on the bed.
Stark on the opposite side.
He lowered his head, his brown eyes sinking in the shadow of his eyelashes, like the sun trapped in a cage.
Stark rested his elbows on his knees and covered his mouth with his hands. His body movements indicated that he did not want to speak now, but his voice still flowed out from between his fingers, with a razor-like hoarseness.
"...I've seen a lot of things, the past, the future, I've seen a lot of me, different life trajectories from them."
The tone of his first few words increased slightly: "Maybe you won't believe it, but I understand all these truths and understand all the secrets."
The breath he exhaled through his nose fell on his hand. When Stark lowered his eyes, he could clearly see the change in this breath.
"Maybe it was only a short moment, but that moment was endless to me. I saw everything I wanted to see."
He moved one hand, raised the first few fingers, and then put them back: "I saw Howard."
Clouds swept across the skyline, dimming the light suddenly, and the trembling edge of Stark's voice held a strange magic.
In the hazy mist where the setting sun intertwined with the smog, Stark walked into a lively expo. He saw the man whose image in his memory was somewhat blurry, standing next to a suspended car and introducing
His great invention.
Stark left with the flow of people, and after going out from the back door of the expo, he stepped into the dimly lit laboratory. The man was holding a shield and was chatting happily with Steve.
After the lights in the laboratory went out, there was a violent shaking, a sharp braking sound, and a violent explosion...
The fragments stagnated, sparks condensed, and all time flowed backwards. In the laboratory, Stark picked up a picture frame with his hand. Inside was a picture of Howard and Obadiah. At that time, they were both still very young.
When the lights in the laboratory came on, young Obadiah walked in, and Howard hugged him enthusiastically. The two of them talked about those great inventions all night long.
The genius ideas reached Stark's ears, and he was intoxicated. This was not because of how powerful those ideas were, but because he had never had a friendship like these two people, and had never had such a soul mate.
I could talk to him all night long.
After the violent brakes and explosions, Obadiah's figure began to become thinner, and more and more white hair appeared on his head. Stark saw that after he hung up the phone, he began to feel all over.
Trembling, as if proud, as if guilty, as if crazy.
Stark stood in this laboratory, Howard walked in front of him and waved to Obadiah, Steve was adjusting the handle of the shield, and after a while, Pepper walked in while talking on the phone, and Schiller sat
Twist the light bulb in front of the lab bench.
Peter walked in with a steaming breakfast in his hand. The floor of the laboratory shook violently. A huge lizard monster jumped in. In an instant, Dr. Connors transformed into a gentle man. Connors stretched out his hand and an injection was handed to him.
In front of Stark.
Stark raised his head, Connors and Schiller were looking at him. Connors' hand crossed Obadiah's bed and placed the injection in front of him.
"If nothing else, he will wake up after the last course of treatment." Schiller continued: "In addition, his lifespan may be extended, and his mind and body will become younger."
Schiller looked at Stark's expression and said, "You should have fallen into deep doubt now, because when you learned the news, you found that you were not happy."
"You are thinking about why this is, and you suddenly find that you are not as generous as you appear. You may also be wondering whether there is really a family relationship between you and Obadiah, or is it all because of one person?
The person you don’t even want to mention…”
"Don't use mind reading on me." Stark raised his eyes and looked at Schiller. For the first time, Schiller did not refute him, because he understood that Stark was no longer simply the Iron Man in this universe.
The moment he was promoted to the one and only, many things changed.
Perhaps the energy consumption of the magic reactor prevented this moment from lasting too long, but fundamentally speaking, the Stark in front of him had understood all the truth.
Stark looked at Obadiah silently, and neither Connors nor Schiller spoke.
When this genius cursed by knowledge has seen through all the truths of the universe, he will no longer be trapped by those trivial emotions, and will no longer be knocked down by the raging wave of sensibility.
Therefore, he will be able to clearly make every judgment that affects his life and be prepared to take responsibility for it without anyone needing to remind him.
After the clouds on the horizon passed and the light shone in again, Stark stood up. He leaned over and pulled the quilt on Obadiah's body, and then said to Connors: "Let's carry out the last stage of treatment."
Schiller said nothing, he pressed the button, and the doctor and nurse walked in. Stark left the ward against the crowd, and Schiller also walked out, and the two stood by the door.
Stark asked him: "You are also the 'One', right? You have known all this for a long time, you know how they happened and how they will develop in the future. This is what every Only can do...
"
Schiller glanced at Stark and said, "At that moment, you should be able to choose to become the only one. In that way, the energy of the magic reactor will no longer have any constraints on you."
"The One is the One, they will no longer rely on any energy to maintain their status, but why didn't you do that?"
Stark suddenly smiled and said to Schiller: "You want me to do that, right? You gave me a battery that allows me to break through these barriers and stand at a higher level..."
"Perhaps you think that no one can withstand this temptation. In an instant, he can rise to the highest level, see through all the truth, and feel that everything is under control. As long as he gives a positive answer, he can become an eternal god."
"You influenced Strange, the Supreme Mage, Asgard and Odin, and the Demon God of the Universe, so that I could make the right choice at that moment and incarnate into the universe.
The only one."
"So you should be disappointed now that I wasted this opportunity and turned back into a mortal again..."
"I'm pretty good at psychology, right?"
Stark turned to look at Schiller. Behind the two of them was the door filled with sunset light. It was like a picture frame, turning the two figures into silhouettes. The orange-red background was brighter than that of any painter.
The colors on the palette are so vivid that they almost spill out of the canvas and onto the walls and floor.
"You did exceed my expectations." Schiller lowered his head, but his tone was very calm. He said, "But someone taught me a truth long before you."
"Arrogance is a deadly poison. Whether it is a god or a man, when he thinks he has the ability to change all situations, affect everyone's destiny, and manipulate everyone like chess pieces, he is not far from death."
"This kind of arrogance will swallow up all humanity, make people lose their most precious wisdom and emotions, and become the externalization of rules and order. Whether you believe it or not, I never thought of doing this."
"I'm a normal person, always have been."
"Actually, I don't know what I think." Stark looked up, and some light passed through his hair, making his eyes shine. Those chain-like shadows seemed to be completely far away from him.
went.
"Maybe you won't believe it, but when I learned that I can be the only one in countless universes, and become one with all the others, making all Starks my incarnations and projections, before I know all this
when……"
Stark looked down. It was as if he was still standing on the top of a towering mountain, with the cold wind around him and the stars in the sky behind him. This was an indescribable and unspeakable space. He saw that the entire universe was stepped on by him.
Underfoot.
Several shadows ran towards him. They were about to merge into one and become a unique existence in the universe, without so many fates, memories and histories.
But the next second, Stark opened his arms and jumped down without hesitation. The shadows chased behind him, but were blocked by the barrier of the single universe.
"...I refuse this promotion."
"Is it difficult?" Stark asked himself and answered: "No, it's not difficult at all. There's nothing worth hesitating about."
"No matter how many difficulties those feelings and wisdom bring me, it is no reason for me to abandon them. No matter how ugly human nature is, it is still a part of me, not scum that needs to be eliminated."
"The perfect and lonely God will never be more noble than the vulgar and lively people."
"You are indeed a hero." Schiller's voice sounded: "Because there is only one kind of heroism in this world, and that is to still love it after recognizing the truth of life."
When his last words fell, the clouds suddenly dispersed. At this time, the brilliant orange-red background in the frame darkened, like cooling steel, and the two figures slowly sank into the darkness.
"Dip-dip-"
The harsh machine chirping sounded from the ward. After a while, someone shouted: "He's awake! He's awake!"