Chapter 318: Brave New World
[After I leave, you'll be able to use this gauntlet to snap your fingers and reverse time, restoring the world to what it was before the nuclear war. The Avengers and mutants whose minds were corrupted by the Joker can also be restored to normal through the Mind Stone and the Soul Stone — most of them were never truly evil. But this has to be done by you. Because this world needs both a savior... and a sinner.]
[As he spoke, the other you — his stern and heavy expression finally softened into a smile. "But before everything ends, I still want to have a real fight with you. After all, it's not often one gets to battle an opponent on equal footing."]
[Plot narration mode off. Returning to simulation.]
[You didn't speak. You simply touched your fists together — a gesture of challenge. The oppressive aura radiating from the other you, now merged with all six Infinity Stones, was no weaker than that of the Immortal Hulk. It was said that the Infinity Gauntlet, when fully activated, could even fold the universe itself.]
[Then, within a pocket dimension created by the Time Stone and Space Stone, the two of you began a fierce battle. This fight was even more dangerous than your previous clash with the Immortal Hulk. The fully fused Infinity Stones could not only harm your body, but also inflict heavy blows upon your mind and soul.]
[Neither of you held back. You unleashed a storm of blows — Serious Punch, Consecutive Serious Punches, Consecutive Super Serious Punches, Full-Power Punch, Consecutive Full-Power Punches, Serious Headbutt, Full-Power Headbutt! After two full days of fighting, the other you was finally blasted away by your full-strength punch. The shockwave shattered the special dimension, and the force of your punch swept through the entire Kamar-Taj.]
["I lost," the other you said with a calm smile.]
[Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A brilliant light flashed, and in the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, space itself was torn open like paper. Within the rift appeared countless strange and dazzling sights — modern and ancient cities, Western and Eastern architectures, humans, elves, orcs, and dragons. You only glanced at it before looking away — it was an infinite world, where one could travel freely between countless smaller worlds.]
["Want to come with me? Maybe there are others in different worlds waiting for you to save them — they need a hero too." The other you extended an invitation. But you shook your head calmly. Now that peace had been restored, what you wanted most was a quiet life — to stay home and play games until the day you died.]
[The other you removed the Infinity Gauntlet and tossed it to you. Then his body melted into the rift, which quickly shrank and vanished. Time, which had been halted, began to flow again.]
["What's going on?" The other Avengers looked around, confused, at the vanished Dark Avenger Zhou Ning and at you holding the Infinity Gauntlet. They could only assume you had once again saved the world. But you said nothing. You merely examined the gauntlet in your hand. According to the other you, only a wielder with strong conviction could make their wish come true; otherwise, the gauntlet would fail. And if one's body couldn't withstand its power, they would completely disintegrate and die.]
[When faced with responsibility — if even heroes shrink away, then who else can step forward? Without hesitation, you snapped your fingers.]
[Your first wish was to rewind the world's timeline back to the year 2020, before the nuclear war. The vast majority of humanity would be resurrected, and the world would return to peace.]
[This wish involved the manipulation of time itself, consuming an immeasurable amount of life force — possibly shortening your lifespan. But you didn't care, nor did you bother thinking about it. You simply did it. From a god's-eye view, you saw time flow backward — crumbling skyscrapers rebuilt themselves, shattered tiles returned to their places, the fallen Statue of Liberty stood tall once more, radioactive dust dissipated, and launched nuclear missiles reversed course, returning to their silos. Greenery spread across the earth again, cities filled with people, and the resurrected wandered the streets in dazed wonder — until smiles began to bloom once more.]
[You had done all you could — peace restored. Then you snapped your fingers again. The once grim and twisted Dark Avengers shuddered as if from a chill — and immediately returned to normal. Bruce Banner, who had been fleeing as the Hulk, suddenly reverted to human form, blinking in confusion.]
[Your second wish was to use the Mind Stone and the Soul Stone to purge the Joker's corruption from the minds of all Avengers and mutants, allowing them to regain their true selves. With that, the two great villain organizations of the future would dissolve on their own.]
[Then you made your third wish — for your gaming skills to skyrocket and for you to always find discounted items when shopping. But nothing happened this time. Disappointing — you couldn't help but feel annoyed!]
[As each of your wishes came true, the world returned to the path you'd hoped for — vibrant and alive, as if nothing had ever happened. But sadly, no one remembered you. No one remembered what had been done. You looked out at New York's skyline, where Spider-Man swung joyfully between skyscrapers; Winston, in his Iron Monkey armor, flew low through the city, fighting crime; nearby, Tony Stark's chauffeur, Happy, drove past in a flashy new car — running a red light as he went; and young Dave Lizewski, who never became Kick-Ass, walked to school with a backpack slung over his shoulder.]
[That's fine too. For the first time in years, a genuine smile spread across your otherwise expressionless face. You've unlocked an achievement: Brave New World.]
[But not everyone had forgotten you. Amid the bustling crowd, Doctor Strange, wearing his red-and-black cloak, approached you quietly and asked, "No one remembers what you did. Do you regret it?"]
["What's there to regret? I didn't become a hero for praise. I did it because I wanted to. I'm just a hero for fun."]
[In the years that followed, you rented a cheap apartment in New York and befriended a man named Dave Lizewski. Occasionally, you'd still go out as a hero to take down villains. Later, you met Tony Stark and Peter Parker again — the three of you often played games together. To your irritation, you were still the weakest of the bunch, constantly mocked, and you often had to fight the urge to punch them both!]
[In 2030, as a homebody, you eventually got married through a blind date. Your wife was a gentle and beautiful Chinese immigrant, and life was peaceful. You both shared a love for bargain shopping, spent many years together, and had two children — a son and a daughter. A fulfilling life.]
[On February 7, 2087, you passed away quietly in your sleep at the age of ninety-two.]
[Simulation complete.]