The silver data crystal warmed slightly in Tony's palm, as if responding to the newly awakened and still immature Dark Plane resonance within him.
The shock and sense of responsibility brought by that heavy gift permeated the bridge in silence for a moment before Tony broke it with his usual way of diverting attention.
"Alright, 'thanks' is said, now it's time for me, this 'late bloomer,' to ask questions."
Tony cleared his throat, carefully put the data crystal away close to his body, and his gaze became sharp and inquisitive again as he looked at Artoria, "You just mentioned 'Super Soldier', 'God Body', 'Power of the Galaxy'... these sound like terms from science fiction, but in the Universe you went to, they seem to be real, and there is a clearly defined power system, right?"
"Tell me specifically, let me, a 'pre-nuclear civilization native,' broaden my horizons. Especially..." He pointed to himself, "The 'Dark Plane' you just helped me tinker with, what level does that count as?"
Seeing Tony quickly adjust his state and return to 'inquisitive' mode, Artoria felt relieved.
She knew that for Tony Stark, unknown challenges and brand-new knowledge were always the best stabilizers and stimulants.
"Alright, since you want to study it yourself, having a clear conceptual framework first is very important." Artoria sat back in the Captain's chair, crossed her hands on her knees, and began to explain in the clearest, most systematic way possible.
"In the Super God Universe, based on Super Gene technology and energy application, the evolution of individual power can be roughly divided into several main stages."
"The most basic level is the first-generation Super Soldier." Artoria said first, "The hallmark of this stage is the implantation of stable, inheritable, or activatable Super Genes within the body."
These genes significantly strengthen the body's basic qualities—strength, speed, endurance, and recovery are far beyond ordinary people, capable of withstanding higher-intensity physical impacts and energy radiation, and lifespans are significantly extended.
They usually possess some special, gene-related innate abilities, such as an affinity for a certain type of energy, extraordinary senses, or basic physical regeneration.
But generally speaking, their fighting style still relies relatively heavily on external equipment and conventional tactics; their own energy application is relatively shallow, and they cannot survive in the vacuum of the Universe for long periods.
"Your current state, having opened a stable Dark Plane, has received a preliminary, comprehensive, and implicit enhancement to your body and mind, which is roughly equivalent to... just stepping into the threshold of a first-generation Super Soldier, and it's biased towards the'scholar' or 'Commander' type; the explicit strengthening of physical fitness still requires subsequent specialized training or technical intervention."
Tony nodded thoughtfully, flexed his wrists, and felt the clearer, more 'controllable' sense of power within his body.
"In other words, I'm currently a 'theoretical first-generation,' and my actual combat power might not even be able to beat that old popsicle, Captain America?"
"If you purely compare combat and physical fitness, Captain has been enhanced by the Super Soldier serum, and his experience and skills are extremely rich, so you are definitely not an opponent at the moment." Artoria said matter-of-factly, "But your advantage lies in the computing power and mental power boost brought by the Dark Plane, and... the knowledge and creativity in your brain."
"Once you start combining the knowledge I gave you to develop armor or weapon systems adapted to your own Dark Plane and energy characteristics, the situation will be completely different."
"Continue," Tony signaled, clearly not discouraged by this assessment, but rather more interested.
"Next is the second-generation Super Soldier." Artoria continued, "This is a qualitative leap."
Second-generation soldiers not only have more perfect and stable Super Genes, but more importantly, they begin to be able to actively perceive, guide, and utilize a fundamental Universe energy known as 'Dark Energy'.
This allows them to release energy blasts, construct energy shields, perform short-range Dark Energy-driven flight, and even launch some special attacks based on Dark Energy.
Their physical recovery ability is stronger, their adaptability to extreme environments is greatly improved, and they can operate in the Universe for short periods. Their combat power, survival ability, and tactical flexibility are far beyond what a first-generation can compare to.
In the Super God Universe, mature Angel warriors, high-level Demon soldiers, and ordinary Leiyang divine generals are mostly at this level.
"Dark Energy..." Tony murmured, repeating it, data streams flashing rapidly in his eyes, clearly combining it with his existing physics knowledge to understand, "A fundamental energy that we haven't fully understood yet, but might be ubiquitous... similar to zero-point energy? Or some kind of more primordial..."
"You can make that analogy, but it's more complex; it is also related to information and even the soul level." Artoria nodded, "When it comes to third-generation Super Soldiers, usually also known as Third Generation God Body, this is another huge watershed."
Her tone became solemn: "Third Generation God Body means that the individual's Super Genes have evolved to a state that can be called 'perfect' or 'ultimate'."
Their bodies are no longer just flesh and blood, but special existences that are highly energized and digitized.
Conventional physical attacks are almost ineffective, energy resistance is extremely high, and they possess near-immortal recovery abilities.
They can easily perform interstellar-scale faster-than-light flight, survive in any environment in the Universe for long periods, and can mobilize vast amounts of Dark Energy with a wave of their hand, launching terrifying attacks capable of destroying mountains or even affecting asteroids.
More importantly, they usually possess their own unique 'God Power' or 'Domain' abilities, initially linked to some kind of Universe rule or concept.
For example, manipulating fire, frost, gravity, space, or like my teacher, being good at information manipulation and logic definition.
Artoria paused and looked at Tony: "What I said before, that I can help you use existing resources to directly load and upgrade to the basic framework of a Third Generation God Body, refers to this level."
"Once successful, you will possess a near-eternal life, the power to travel freely between galaxies, and... the absolute power of self-preservation in the face of the vast majority of known threats."
"In the Super God Universe, the main gods, core Commanders, and top scholars of various god-level civilizations usually possess a Third Generation God Body or higher."
Tony listened, fascinated, but his eyes were exceptionally clear, not immediately deceived by the description of that powerful strength.
He keenly grasped the key: "You said 'basic framework'? Does that mean even if it's loaded, it will take time to adapt and develop before I can truly unleash the power of a Third Generation God Body?"
"And, this 'loading,' is it turning me into... another kind of existence? Or is it strengthening me on my own foundation?"
"Yes, the basic framework." Artoria gave Tony an appreciative look, very satisfied with his calmness and keenness, "Direct loading means that your body, energy circulation, and even some soul information will be forcibly raised to the standard of a Third Generation God Body."
"This will allow you to immediately obtain corresponding defensive power, recovery ability, basic energy manipulation ability, and a near-infinite lifespan."
"But how to use this power, develop your own combat style, special abilities, and even touch upon the 'rule' level, requires you to explore, learn, and create yourself."
"As for the form of existence... it can be understood as the most thorough and essential strengthening and sublimation based on your own foundation."
"You are still Tony Stark, just turned into a... super-enhanced, near-immortal Tony Stark."
She looked at Tony, waiting for his answer. This choice concerned his future path.
Tony was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the hover chair, lost in thought. There was only the low hum of instruments on the bridge. Minerva sat quietly to the side, her gentle gaze drifting between the two.
After a long time, Tony raised his head, his eyes flashing with a mixture of pride, ambition, and the pure exploratory desire of a scientist.
"No." He spat out the word clearly, then explained, "It's not rejecting your kindness, girl."
"I appreciate this 'big gift'. But... directly loading a ready-made power framework from another Universe, no matter how powerful or perfect it is, feels a bit... like wearing a suit customized for someone else; even if it fits, it always lacks a bit of my own flavor."
He stood up and paced twice on the bridge, his tone becoming increasingly excited: "You just mentioned 'Power of the Galaxy', right?"
"The 'future main god' of that Universe sounds like some kind of 'manufactured' or'selected' Super Gene engineering product. Do you have his data? Or rather, do you have any understanding of the essence of his power?"
Artoria understood what Tony meant, and a smile appeared in her eyes: "Power of the Galaxy is one of the most powerful and unique Super Gene engineering projects known in the Super God Universe, hailed as the'sword that cuts through the ultimate fear'."
Its genetic foundation contains the potential for some extremely high-end rule concepts such as 'Anti-Void' and 'Definition Strike'.
"But the Power of the Galaxy of that Universe... the growth process was quite tortuous, and the temperament was... um, hard to describe in a word."
"I do have some non-core research data on his genetic underlying expression, energy characteristics, and partial rule potential, which can be used as a reference."
"But Tony, I must warn you that imitating or even replicating 'Power of the Galaxy' is extremely difficult and even dangerous."
"His genes are deeply bound to certain underlying rules of that Universe; forced transplantation or imitation may lead to incompatibility, or even trigger catastrophic consequences."
"Who said I wanted to imitate?" Tony stopped, turned to look at Artoria, his face showing that smile of a "genius with a brilliant idea," mixed with arrogance and wisdom, "I mean, draw lessons! Reference!"
"Use the knowledge you gave me, use my understanding of the physics rules of our Universe, use my, Tony Stark's brain, to research, to design, to create!"
"Create an 'Iron Power'? Or some other cool name that belongs to our World, to Earth, to myself!"
"A brand-new, unique Super Soldier evolution path based on Marvel Universe rules, based on arc reactor energy, based on nanotechnology and AI assistance, and perhaps... even combining a little bit of magic-side principles!"
His eyes were shining, as if he had already seen the magnificent blueprint: "Starting from the theoretical foundation of the first generation, researching the nature and application of Dark Energy myself, designing plans to strengthen the body, developing matching armor and weapon systems... step by step, steadily, walking our own path to 'becoming a god'!"
"This is much more interesting and challenging than just accepting a 'gift package'! How about it, girl, is this research direction 'Stark' enough?"
Looking at the genius in front of her, who was once again radiating infinite fighting spirit and creative enthusiasm, Artoria's heart was full of relief and pride.
This was the Tony Stark she knew, the Iron Man who was never satisfied, always challenging limits, and believed that human wisdom could create the future.
"Enough, more than enough." Artoria nodded with a smile, "It seems that my data crystal is about to come in very handy. But Tony, this road is destined to be long and lonely, full of unknown risks and the possibility of failure. Have you really thought it through?"
"Lonely?" Tony scoffed, walked back to his seat, sat down, and crossed his legs. "I have Jarvis, I have Friday, and now I have you, this girl who 'returned from another Universe with a load of black technology' as a consultant. How could I be lonely? As for risks and failures..." He shrugged. "Which great invention wasn't born from piles of failures and explosions? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. At least, before I blow myself up into fireworks or create some unspeakable monster, I'll ask for your opinion first."
"That's good." Artoria also relaxed and picked up her water glass. "Then, as your 'consultant,' before I start dealing with some things that must be handled here, shouldn't you fulfill your 'ally' obligations and catch me up? I've been gone for a few years, has... anything big happened here? Are Captain and the others okay? How is S.H.I.E.L.D.? And... Little Ai Classmate?"
Mentioning the World "here," the excitement on Tony's face faded slightly, replaced by an expression mixed with emotion, helplessness, and a hint of "it's a long story."
"A few years?" Tony raised an eyebrow, looking at Artoria with a half-smile. "Girl, do you have some misunderstanding about 'a few years'? Counting from the day you 'disappeared' until today, Earth time has passed..." He paused and stated a number, "Five years, two months, and seventeen days."
Artoria's hand holding the water glass paused slightly, a flash of shock appearing in her eyes. "More than five years?" Although she knew there might be a difference in time flow between the two Universes and the system channel had been calibrated, she hadn't expected such a large gap. In the Super God Universe, from arrival, learning, and participating in battles to returning, although she had rich experiences, her subjective feeling was that not that much time had passed.
"To be precise, it's more than five years calculated by Earth's orbital period." Tony's tone carried a bit of teasing, but also a hint of complex emotion regarding the passage of time that was hard to detect. "As for what happened? Heh, that was really... colorful and hard to describe in a few words. It's enough to write several best-selling books and make several superhero movie sequels."
He leaned back in his chair and began to sort out the series of major changes that had occurred on Earth during the more than five years she was "missing" for Artoria, in a slightly sarcastic yet clear way.
"First, about a year after you 'disappeared,' the whole Captain and Bucky situation completely exploded. The Sokovia Accords, the Avengers infighting, the Berlin airport battle... You probably wouldn't have seen these in the news, but the result was that the Avengers were effectively dead. Captain took Bucky, Sam, Wanda, and Clint underground, becoming 'illegal vigilantes.' I, along with Rhodes, Natasha, and Vision... stayed on the 'legal' side, but the atmosphere... you know. Rhodes suffered a severe spinal injury in battle. Although I made the best exoskeleton assistance for him, but... some injuries are permanent. Natasha left later, saying she had her own path to follow. Vision..." Tony's expression dimmed. "He and Wanda... anyway, something happened to them later. Now, the permanent members of the Avengers, besides me and Rhodes who occasionally comes back to help, are basically some new faces, like that chatterbox Spider-Man kid—Peter Parker. You definitely haven't met him. He's a good kid, just too young, always trying to prove himself, which gives me a headache."
"S.H.I.E.L.D...." Tony scoffed. "After the Pierce incident, it was already teetering on the edge. The conflict between Captain and me made its international reputation hit rock bottom. Fury, that one-eyed man, actually has some skill; he managed to drag it halfway out of the coffin, gave it a makeover, and changed the name to S.W.O.R.D., with Hill in charge. It's said to be more related to space and extraterrestrial affairs now. But its influence is far less than before, and internally... hmph, who knows if there are still remnants of HYDRA."
"Trouble outside Earth hasn't stopped either," Tony continued. "The third year after you left, something big happened to Asgard. Thor would only say a little bit about the specific details when he was drunk. It seems like a sibling squabble triggered 'Ragnarok,' and the entire Planet of Asgard blew up. Thor took the survivors, drifted in space on a spaceship for a while, and was finally picked up by us near Earth. Now, they've rebuilt a 'New Asgard' by the coast of Norway, which is a small alien immigrant community. Thor has changed a lot; he grew a beard, is much more mature, but his powers seem to have some problems, working on and off. That guy Loki... it's said he died during Ragnarok, but you know, with the God of Mischief, who knows what's true."
"And then, there was Thanos." Tony's tone became extremely low, and a flash of deep-seated pain and lingering fear passed through his eyes. "That purple potato, with his Black Order and the Chitauri army, came straight to Earth to collect the six Infinity Stones. The Battle of Wakanda, the Battle of Titan... we lost. Half of all life, right before our eyes, turned to dust. I watched as Peter, that kid, disappeared in my arms..." He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
Artoria's heart sank. Although she knew about Thanos's snap through the fragments of information about the "general trend" of the Marvel Universe occasionally received via the "system," hearing Tony tell it in this tone and feeling the deep despair and trauma was still highly impactful.
"And then?" she asked softly.
"And then?" Tony twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile uglier than crying. "Captain, Natasha, and the others tried everything to find us scattered across the Universe. We made a crazy plan to use Pym Particles to go back in time and 'borrow' the Infinity Stones from different points in time. That was the longest and shortest time travel of my life. We met Loki in New York, met my mother in Asgard, met Gamora on Morag... The process was a mess, but in the end, we collected the stones. Hulk snapped those deadly fingers and brought everyone back. But Thanos followed us from the past and launched an all-out attack. The final battle, on the ruins of the Avengers Base... Captain lifted Mjolnir. The three of us—me, Thor, and Captain—teamed up against Thanos, but we still couldn't win. At the critical moment, everyone who had disappeared came back. Doctor Strange opened portals, bringing the mages of Kamar-Taj, the armies of Wakanda, the warriors of New Asgard, and even alien allies... I've never seen a scene like that in my life, and never will again."
Tony took a deep breath, calming his emotions. "In the end, it was me. I used my latest armor model to forcibly 'transfer' the six stones from Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet to my own armor... and then, I snapped my fingers. Thanos and his army turned to dust. I..." He looked down at his chest, where the arc reactor's light shone steadily. "Almost kicked the bucket too. Fortunately, Captain returned the stones in time, Hulk and Banner used gamma rays to give me emergency treatment, the mages of Kamar-Taj also helped, and with my—Tony Stark's—tough life, I managed to pull through. However, the price was..." He pointed to his right arm, which looked normal under his casual clothes, but Artoria could feel a kind of unnatural, forcibly 'repaired' fragility in its internal tissues and energy circulation. "This arm is basically half-crippled and can no longer withstand high-intensity armor operation. So my current armor has all been changed to full neural sensing and brainwave control, and the nanoparticles have been specially tuned to reduce the load on my arm."
He paused and summarized. "After that, the threat of Thanos was completely eliminated. But the World had changed completely. Half the people suddenly disappeared and then suddenly returned, causing social, economic, and international relations turmoil that hasn't fully subsided even now. The Avengers... have reassembled in a new way. Captain retired, handed the shield to Sam, and went off to live a two-person life with Carter. Thor handed the Asgardian throne to Valkyrie and went off to join a space adventure group called the 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' Banner and Hulk completely reconciled, became 'Dr. Green,' opened a clinic in New York, and do some gamma-ray research on the side. Hawkeye retired to be with his family. Wanda... after losing Vision, her mental state has been unstable. I heard she was living in seclusion in some small town in Europe, though the exact situation is unknown. As for me..."
Tony spread his hands. "I married Pepper, we have a daughter named Morgan. I spend most of my time at home in Malibu, accompanying my wife and child, doing some less dangerous research, occasionally putting on the armor to go out for a'spin,' handling some trouble that S.H.I.E.L.D.... oh, S.W.O.R.D. can't solve, or mentoring that hyperactive Spider-Man kid. Life... is fairly peaceful."
He looked at Artoria, revealing a genuine smile full of relief and warmth. "Now, you're back. With a stomach full of new knowledge and a ship that could scare people to death. It seems my 'peaceful' days are coming to an end again."
Artoria listened quietly, her heart surging with waves. More than five years is but a blink of an eye on a cosmic scale, but for this Planet and its people, it was enough for Earth-shattering changes, experiencing loss and gain, destruction and rebirth, parting and reunion. She could feel the unspoken trauma, growth, and responsibility beneath Tony's calm narration, as well as the hero's fire that was buried deep in his heart and had never been extinguished.
"It seems I've missed quite a few 'major events,'" Artoria said softly, her tone apologetic yet firm. "However, I'm back. This time, I won't leave easily."
Tony looked at her and nodded, everything understood without words.
"Oh, right," Tony added, as if suddenly remembering something. "You asked about 'Little Ai Classmate'? That AI core you left behind—after you disappeared, Friday and I perfected its personality protocol and learning algorithm. It's running very well now, responsible for helping me manage all the systems in this Villa, and it's 'learned' quite a few bad habits from me, like sarcasm and the occasional prank. It has always 'missed' you, checking the reserved communication channel regularly every day, although it never received a reply. I think when it sees you back, it will definitely... well, express its 'joy' in its own way."
Thinking of the AI to which she had given a basic personality framework, a touch of softness flashed in Artoria's eyes. It seems this "home" had waited longer and was better prepared than she had imagined.
Inside the bridge, the atmosphere became quiet and powerful again. A traveler from another Universe and a hero who had experienced vicissitudes of life completed their "reunion" and "sharing" after more than five years, under the sea of stars, intertwined with knowledge and responsibility.
A new era, new challenges, perhaps waiting ahead.
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