Amends and Insurance

"Even if you’ve gone dark, you’re still Iron Man. You won’t ignore the mistakes you made."

Wang Bert said, "I knew you would come. Your problem was never a lack of responsibility—it was that you had too much of it. You wanted to shoulder everything yourself. Who would have thought that America’s most irresponsible billionaire would become another Captain America ten years later?"

Captain America and Iron Man were interesting. At first, Iron Man had been selfish while Captain America had been selfless. But later on, Iron Man gradually became selfless, while Captain America gradually became selfish.

Wang Bert’s words left Old Tony somewhat silent. Looking at the corpses and mechanical wreckage on the ground, he sighed. "I’ve wronged the people of Green Forest Star. One day, I’ll make it up to them and restore things to how they used to be."

"You can make it up to them right now. Give me the Six Infinity Stones, and I’ll summon my true body. Then, my true body can revive them."

Wang Bert said this because reviving people was something he had long been capable of. He normally did not do it because he did not want to interfere with the world’s natural course.

"I can’t give you the Infinity Stones. Your true body descending here would only trigger an even greater disaster. What happened with Ultron was my oversight, but my idea itself wasn’t wrong."

Old Tony said stubbornly, "Unless this era is ended, disasters like this will never stop. Worse still, the disasters to come will be even more terrifying than the previous ones—perhaps even worse than Thanos’s snap."

"I can help stabilize this universe and prevent those disasters from the Sacred Timeline from happening."

Wang Bert said, "If you need it, I can even send a Creator God-level avatar to remain in your universe forever."

"It’s useless. As long as Super Heroes exist, disasters will never cease. You can suppress them for a while, but not forever. This universe is different from your Main Universe."

Old Tony shook his head. "The only way to solve all this is to end the age of Super Heroes. Without Super Heroes, there will be no super disasters."

Wang Bert asked grimly, "Old Tony, what exactly do you know?"

Old Tony did not answer. He merely said, "Go back. I’ll handle Green Forest Star. This sin is mine to bear."

Wang Bert snorted. "Old Tony, do you know that you really deserve a beating?"

"I know. Everyone says that, but no one can beat me."

Before Old Tony finished speaking, Wang Bert’s fist appeared before his eyes. With a bang, Wang Bert sent him flying with one punch, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Wang Bert had used pure physical strength in that punch, strength that Materialism Power could not suppress.

"Why do you think I waited for you here? It wasn’t convenient to beat you up on Earth. There aren’t nearly as many restrictions here."

Wang Bert sneered, equipped the Sentinel Robot, and abruptly appeared above Old Tony, stomping down hard.

The Anti-Blood God Armor suddenly appeared around Old Tony’s body. Then, as if he had activated a speed cheat, he rapidly vanished from beneath Wang Bert’s foot.

Wang Bert activated Quicksilver’s power and chased after him. The two raced across Green Forest Star at several times the speed of sound, leaving behind billowing dust and booming sonic explosions.

"Blood God, you can’t kill me."

Old Tony said coldly, "I don’t want to fight today, but if you force me, I don’t mind dealing with you here."

In truth, it was not that Old Tony did not want to fight; he simply did not dare fight Blood God. Even Creator God Thanos had been no match for Blood God.

Before he figured out Wang Bert’s methods, Old Tony had no desire to go to war with him.

"I’d like to see how you plan to deal with me."

Wang Bert sneered as he gradually closed the distance. Quicksilver and Makkari’s powers were actually quite similar, but Old Tony’s control over his ability was far inferior to Wang Bert’s.

When Old Tony saw Wang Bert catching up, six rays of light lit up on his chest. Wang Bert’s gaze tightened, and he could not help stopping. He asked in astonishment, "You can use all six Infinity Stones at once? How is that possible?"

Unlike before, when Old Tony could only use one Infinity Stone and would be severely injured or even near death if he forced himself to use two, he had now activated all six Infinity Stones simultaneously.

"I naturally have my methods."

Old Tony stopped several hundred meters away and said coldly, "Blood God, if we truly fight, I may not be the one who dies."

"Old Tony, what secret are you hiding?"

Wang Bert put away the Sentinel Robot and asked coldly. Although his true body had given him a trump card, the Six Infinity Stones were simply too terrifying. He decided to hold back for now.

"That has nothing to do with you." Old Tony said. "In any case, I will protect this universe."

"This planet is the result of your protection."

Wang Bert sneered. Old Tony’s face twitched, leaving him speechless.

Wang Bert said, "Enough nonsense. Give me the Soul Stone and Mind Stone, and I’ll help you make up for your mistake."

Old Tony asked in surprise, "You can revive them?"

"No. I can only create mental phantoms for the remaining souls, allowing them to spend more time with their families."

Wang Bert said, "Unfortunately, some died too long ago, and their souls have already dissipated."

After a pause, Wang Bert added, "To revive everyone, only my true body can descend personally."

Old Tony fell silent for a moment, then said, "We’ll make a contract with the Reality Stone. I’ll lend you the Soul Stone and Mind Stone."

"Fine."

Wang Bert did not refuse. The two then used the Reality Stone to form a contract—the contract stipulated that Wang Bert had to return the two stones within an hour. In addition, he could only use the two stones to revive the souls on Green Forest Star and could not use them for anything else. Furthermore, he could not attack Old Tony during that time.

Once the contract was completed, Old Tony handed the two Infinity Stones to Wang Bert. Wang Bert activated their power, and a vast Mind Sea descended upon Green Forest Star, enveloping the entire planet.

Then, light simultaneously lit up across the surface of Green Forest Star. Within that light, figure after figure appeared out of thin air. They looked utterly confused, not knowing why they were there, but they soon understood everything through the Mind Sea.

"So, we’re all dead."

The mental phantoms smiled bitterly. Together, they bowed toward Wang Bert, thanking him for allowing them to live a little longer.

Looking at the densely packed mental phantoms, Old Tony could not help asking, "How long can these mental phantoms exist?"

"The Mind Stone is very powerful. They can live for around three years."

Wang Bert said, "During those three years, I’ll develop cloning technology and try to revive them. However, cloning technology has rather high requirements for souls, and most of them won’t meet those requirements. In other words, only a small number of people can ultimately be revived."

"Then improve the cloning technology. Leave that matter to me. Also, I’ll send robots over to collect genetic material."

"Alright."

Wang Bert glanced at Old Tony and returned the two stones to him. Then, he said, "Old Tony, if you remain so obsessed, disasters like this will only become more and more frequent."

With that, Wang Bert teleported back to Wakanda. Old Tony was silent for a long while before sighing and returning to Earth to prepare robots.

In Wakanda, Wang Bert, who had just teleported back, narrowed his eyes slightly. "Both the Mind Stone and Soul Stone are real. They aren’t projections."

Real Infinity Stones were far more powerful than projections. More troublesome still, Old Tony could activate all six Infinity Stones at once, causing his combat power to rise crazily by geometric multiples.

Old Tony probably can’t snap his fingers. Otherwise, he would have done so already. Even a Creator God would suffer severe damage from the snap.

Also, the Infinity Stones aren’t the most troublesome thing. The most troublesome thing is the secret Old Tony is hiding.

"Bert, you’re back?"

The moment Wang Bert appeared, Tony hurried over. He asked impatiently, "Bert, can you load that Creator God CPU for me again? My new armor is only one final step away from completion. Ha, the Anti-Iron Man Armor I designed will definitely defeat Old Tony’s Anti-Blood God Armor."

"Just hearing that name tells me your lousy armor has no future."

Wang Bert mocked him. "Tony, I can load that cheat for you anytime, but as a genius scientist, you should understand that once you become dependent on it, you’ll be finished. By then, you won’t be Iron Man Tony Stark anymore. You’ll be my accessory."

"Your accessory?"

Tony blinked, then shuddered in lingering fear. "Forget I said anything. Your CPU is just too useful. I nearly doomed myself forever."

"Of course the Creator God CPU is useful, but you only get one chance to use it in your life."

Wang Bert smiled. "Use this time to improve your strength. Once you’ve completed your transformations, we’ll go deal with Old Tony once and for all."

"I’ve wanted to beat him up for a long time."

Tony said smugly, "Bert, just wait for my performance next time. I’m the best armor designer. Old Tony’s Anti-Blood God Armor will be nothing in front of my Anti-Iron Man Armor."

"Sure. I’ll watch your performance next time."

Wang Bert smiled brightly and did not mention the Six Infinity Stones to Tony at all. With such a huge pit ahead, how could no one step into it? After Tony left, Wang Bert went to find Sylvie and discovered that she was arguing with Loki. Wang Bert smiled. "Why do I always feel like you two are a pair of bickering lovers?"

Wang Bert did not know that in the Loki television series, Loki and Sylvie were a couple. Put simply, Loki had fallen in love with Loki, just like Ah Zhen falling in love with Ah Qiang.

"Bickering lovers, my ass."

Loki cursed, then shouted at Wang Bert, "Blood God, you should let me return to Old Tony’s side. Without me keeping an eye on him, who knows what he might do?"

"That’s exactly why I came to find… Sylvie."

Wang Bert smiled and said to Sylvie, "Sylvie, I want you to stay by Iron Man’s side and monitor everything he does. If he makes any dangerous moves, tell us in advance."

"You want me to be an undercover agent?"

Sylvie was stunned. "Not interested. There’s only one thing I’m interested in now: turning Loki back into a man."

Loki was deeply dissatisfied. "What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep targeting me? Is it because you can’t compete with me for men? Makes sense. Who would like a tomboy like you?"

Sylvie flew into a rage. "What did you say?"

Just as Loki was about to continue mocking her, Wang Bert waved his hand and said to Sylvie, "Sylvie, you’re the most suitable candidate. Of all the Lokis, you’re the most decisive."

"I said I’m not interested. Besides, that bastard won’t trust me at all. He knows my personality very well."

"Whether he trusts you isn’t important, because you aren’t an undercover agent. You’re insurance—insurance to stop Old Tony at a crucial moment."

Wang Bert said, "Old Tony will keep you because he needs insurance as well. Besides, I’ll give you something to get your foot in the door: the entire process of my battle with Thanos."

Sylvie was stunned. She asked, "Aren’t you afraid Old Tony will make arrangements to counter your abilities after learning about them?"

"I’m not. He can’t counter Fair Space, and you don’t need to explain it in much detail. Just give him a rough version."

Wang Bert said, "There were so many people there, and Old Tony has the Reality Stone. We can’t keep this from him for long."

"That’s true, but I’ll say it again: I’m not interested."

Loki hurriedly said, "She’s not interested, but I am. I’ll go. I know Old Tony well anyway."

"No. You’re too much of a Loki. You could betray us at any time. I need a Loki who won’t betray us."

Wang Bert shook his head. "Among all Lokis, only Sylvie won’t betray us. So only she can go."

Loki shouted in dissatisfaction, "Since when did ‘Loki’ become a derogatory term?"

"Since you attacked New York. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Don’t be too Loki’?"

Loki stared at him in astonishment. "That’s really a saying?"

Sylvie said to Wang Bert, "I’m glad you think so highly of me, but I still don’t want to go."

"If you’re willing to go, I’ll help you modify that spell."

Wang Bert smiled. "Once the modification succeeds, you’ll be able to change Loki’s gender as freely as buying a pack of cigarettes. Also, you can use that spell on yourself."

Loki was starting to lose it. "Blood God, what did I ever do to offend you?"

"Well, in that case, it’s not impossible to consider it."

Sylvie was tempted. She asked, "But will it be dangerous? Old Tony is very ruthless now."

"If he were truly ruthless, you would have died long ago. Don’t worry. At most, he’ll imprison you. He won’t kill you."

Wang Bert shook his head. Although Old Tony had gone dark, he still had principles. He was still a Super Hero, after all.

"That’s true."

Sylvie nodded and asked, "Then what reason should I use for betraying you?"

"Just make one up."

Wang Bert thought for a moment, then said, "Uh, say that those Wakandan bastards put chili peppers in most of the food at the banquet to please me. You couldn’t stand it, so you decided to betray us. Old Tony likes sweet food, so he’ll suit you perfectly."

"Isn’t that reason way too random? Not even a dog would believe it."

Sylvie complained, "That said, the chili peppers in those dishes were indeed excessive. Blood God, why do you have such a strange preference?"

"You don’t understand the wonders of chili peppers. For me, the greatest benefit of becoming a god is being able to eat spicy food every day without worrying that my body can’t take it."

Wang Bert smiled. "Don’t worry. Old Tony will keep you. Also, I’ll give you something to save your life."

As he spoke, Wang Bert summoned a Sentinel Robot and turned it into a phantom that merged into Sylvie’s body.