Stark Tower.
Press conference.
Click! Click! Click!Flashes from all directions lit up Tony Stark's face like a Christmas tree on steroids.
Tony Stark stood on the high stage, confidently addressing the swarm of reporters from every major media outlet. He was absolutely in his element.
"Of course, you can question the official statement, but please—don't imply that I'm a superhero."
"I'm totally not cut out to be one. I've got a mountain of flaws, and I've caused everyone plenty of trouble."
…
At the very back of the venue, Coulson's expression grew increasingly off.Wasn't he supposed to stick to the script?
Stark was ad-libbing again!
"Tony, can you please stick to the script?"
Rhodes, standing beside Stark, couldn't hold it in anymore. He leaned over and whispered urgently in his ear.
Tony Stark nodded, signaling he'd behave.
And then, the very next second...
"The truth is... I am Iron Man."
Tony Stark casually tossed the script aside and exposed everything the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. had worked so hard to keep hidden.
Coulson facepalmed hard.
Rhodes looked like he'd just swallowed a porcupine.
The press conference went nuclear.
This news was too explosive—it hit the world like a bombshell.
"Mr. Stark!""Mr. Stark!""Mr. Stark!"
Every reporter lost their composure and surged toward Iron Man, shouting over one another, desperately trying to fire off questions.
Then, suddenly—
The chaos came to an abrupt, dead silence. All noise vanished in an instant.
Not only that—every reporter charging toward Iron Man froze in place, completely motionless.
As if someone had hit the pause button on reality itself.
"What the hell is going on?"
Iron Man was utterly baffled, staring at the frozen crowd around him with growing confusion.
He couldn't make sense of any of it.
"Tony, what did you do?"
Rhodes spoke up, still moving and functional, unlike the frozen mass of people. He gave his old friend a pointed look.
Sure, the scene looked completely supernatural, but Rhodes knew just how advanced Stark Industries' tech was.
If anyone could pull something like this off with tech alone, it'd be Iron Man, master of over-the-top gadgetry.
"I've already checked—aside from the three of us, everyone else here's been affected."Coulson walked over with a serious expression.
"Tony, if this really was your doing, I have to say—don't go too far."Coulson said this with a rare sternness.
On this point, Coulson and Rhodes were in complete agreement.
"Come on! Why does everyone assume it's my fault?"Iron Man rolled his eyes. "Sure, I'm a genius—but even geniuses have limits. JARVIS, scan the area... JARVIS?"
While complaining, Iron Man tried to command his AI, JARVIS, to analyze the situation.
But JARVIS didn't respond. At all.
Iron Man's face grew grim.
Just who had the power to freeze a crowd this size and silently block JARVIS?
In the world of AI, JARVIS was cutting-edge—every bit as advanced as the Iron Man suit.Iron Man refused to believe anyone could disable him this completely.
"Something's definitely wrong here."
Coulson and Rhodes quickly noticed more disturbing details.
After inspecting the frozen crowd, they realized the people weren't just motionless—they had completely shut down.No heartbeat. No breathing. Zero biological function.
By all accounts, they were dead.
But their bodies told a different story: flushed cheeks, normal temperature—like they were just standing there alive.
Even worse, they were frozen in impossible stasis.Some even had spit suspended mid-air, stuck in time.
This wasn't technology.
This was like a sci-fi movie's time freeze.
[Please answer the following question: In the battle against Thanos, who left a scar on his face?]
[A. Captain America][B. Hulk][C. Iron Man][D. Thor]
[Hint: A correct answer will grant one Fragment of the AllSpark.A wrong answer will randomly deduct one personal attribute—this may include knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc...]
As the three stared at one another, a mechanical, synthetic voice echoed in the air.
Simultaneously, a giant glowing screen appeared in front of them, displaying the question and options exactly as read aloud.
The trio exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Where the hell did this come from?
"So... this doesn't seem like a prank."Rhodes spoke first, his face serious.
"Even if it is a prank, anyone who can pull this off—I'm more than happy to play along."Iron Man smirked arrogantly.
"Then let's answer the question and see what happens."Coulson made the call.
"Based on the scenario described—Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man... that's me... and Thor fought this Thanos guy, a so-called universal overlord."
Iron Man began analyzing coolly. "So which of us gave him a scar?"
"To figure that out, we need to understand both sides' strength levels."Rhodes added. "We don't know Thanos, but the question clearly calls him a universal overlord."
"So we're talking about one of those terrifying alien conquerors with spaceships and absurd firepower, like in sci-fi movies?"
"Let's assume so."Coulson nodded.
As a seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson knew better than most that the world wasn't as ordinary as it appeared.
Supernatural forces were real.Aliens? Without a doubt.
Their director, Nick Fury, had once faced an alien named Ronan, who tried to invade Earth—only to get his butt kicked by a local hero.
That Ronan? He'd definitely qualify as a "universal overlord."
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(End of Chapter)