An Unease of the Mind

The silent room held nothing but the sound of breathing. Sean lay on the hard floor as strange ripples spread from his cerebral cortex. With his eyes closed, the cramped room appeared clearly in his mind like a holographic projection.

According to Skynet, he had barely managed to claim the final victory in his brutal battle with Thanos, severely wounding the menacing Cosmic Overlord and successfully obtaining the second Stone in the process.

Yet after waking up, Sean had found neither the imitation Infinity Gauntlet nor the Space Stone embedded in it. Instead, the phantom image of a yellow gem had appeared in his mind.

This Mind Stone seemed to have granted him an entirely new ability. He carefully experienced that wondrous sensation, observing the world through another means.

His mental power expanded, gathering into invisible waves that shrouded the cramped bedroom. Pietro’s steady breathing suddenly became erratic, and his brain neurons abruptly grew active as though they had been stimulated.

Illusions sprang up within his sleeping consciousness. Both hands gripped a steering wheel as a luxury sports car sped through the streets. Envious gazes followed it from both sides, while a curvaceous blonde beauty sat in the passenger seat, her eyes brimming with tender affection.

Next, they arrived at an upscale restaurant. The usually arrogant manager treated him with the utmost respect, wearing a fawning smile. A famous chef eagerly served him, presenting exquisite delicacies.

Having lived in hardship since childhood, Pietro’s subconscious reflected his beautiful desire for a prosperous life. In that illusory dream, luxury cars, wealth, status—he had it all. It was enough to make anyone unwilling to wake up.

Sean looked down upon everything like a great deity who had created the world. With the slightest change of thought, the lavish pleasures abruptly vanished. Pietro, immersed in that paradise of tenderness, lost everything in the blink of an eye and returned to his impoverished days.

"Interesting."

Sean sensed a force pushing back against him. Pietro’s formerly calm emotions became intense. Clearly, the illusion he had created had deeply agitated the sleeping man.

He slowly withdrew the hidden waves, and before long, the room returned to silence. The young man touched the phantom gem in his mind, its yellow glow flickering softly as his mental power cautiously extended into it.

A violent consciousness quietly spread through his heart. Killing, destruction, violence… Negative emotions rapidly filled his body like flames. The heat turned into countless surging currents that spread wildly through his neural network, nearly taking control of his mind and body at once!

The yellow gem shone, and a tranquil force poured down endlessly like cool water, instantly driving away the agitation in his heart.

Sean pondered briefly, a vague guess surfacing within him. The terrifying power of the Void state had temporarily exceeded what he could bear. It was like the problem Jean had encountered before: power and mind had fallen out of balance. One careless step, and he would lose his sanity and become a beast.

The appearance of the Mind Stone suppressed the negative emotions of the Void state while also sealing away part of his memories. Only when necessary would it awaken crucial information.

It seems I need to gain a deeper mastery of this Stone.

He closed his eyes again, as though an antenna had been installed in his mind. Strange waves spread out like threads, receiving the mental frequencies of the outside world. Passing over Pietro, his first test subject, they headed directly toward Wanda in the next room.

Compared to her brother, Wanda’s cerebral cortex seemed especially sensitive. Without Sean’s stimulation, all kinds of splendid illusions automatically formed within her mind.

The old house was covered in flowers. Swaying crimson blossoms emerged from the aged walls, growing larger at a visible rate as fragrant scents filled the air.

Clear spring water flowed from the rusty faucet, splashing into fine white foam. The television played pleasant music, while the dinner plates seemed to become tiny living people, dancing cheerfully. Outside the window, a faint rainbow arched across the sky, scattering brilliant radiance.

The small living room floor was covered in young plants. Tender green shoots wove together into an emerald carpet, while creamy white and pink buds slowly bloomed among them.

The dense sea of flowers spread out, decorating that shabby old house, filled with the stench of decay, into a beautiful castle from a fairy tale. Wanda spread her arms and danced gracefully, welcoming the romantic scenery that existed only in her imagination.

Sean, who had watched the entire scene, remained silent. The phantom image of the Mind Stone shone brightly, as if cheering with delight. Compared to him, Wanda seemed to be more favored by the Stone.

Ending this small experiment, the young man lay on his back and gazed upward. With a slight wave of his arm, an azure force field slowly emerged from the void. An invisible passage gradually opened before him, like a magnificent starry sky unfolding before his eyes.

His gaze passed through the illusory galaxy, and a metal gauntlet embedded with two Stones came into view.

Malibu Port, seaside mansion.

Tony lay in bed, suffering from a rare bout of insomnia. If it had been the old him, he might have called over a group of hot supermodels and thrown an exciting all-night party to burn off his excess energy.

Unfortunately, New York’s foremost playboy had now turned over a new leaf and bid farewell to his former decadent life. The friends who knew Tony could not help marveling at the magical power of love.

"What the hell is going on?"

Tony tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. His mind was filled with the terrifying war in Asgard: the purple figure seated upon a floating throne, the metal behemoths prowling through the air, and the Chitauri army swarming like insects.

Those horrifying scenes replayed over and over like a movie, making him restless and unable to sleep.

Iron Man felt as though he had developed anxiety. He could not help wondering: if Earth faced such powerful enemies, an alien army like a tide of steel, what could they do?

Fight to the death and be completely wiped out? Or struggle helplessly and wait for disaster to descend?

Tony climbed out of bed, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, put on a robe, and followed the spiral staircase down to the underground laboratory.

The Ultron Program had been constantly updated and refined day and night. What had once been a head-sized data model had turned into a massive sphere, with immense streams of data cascading down like waterfalls and forming a complete framework.

A satisfied smile appeared on Tony’s face before he looked toward the Iron Armor displayed in the cases. The various models and designs resembled brand-new suits hanging in a wardrobe. Besides designing the Ultron Program, this was another project he had undertaken.

Perhaps Iron Man alone was not enough to save the world, but an Iron Legion might be.

Tony had implanted a miniature relay device in his body, allowing him to remotely summon and wear Iron Armor within a certain range. It was a bold improvement. At the very least, Happy would no longer need to carry a suitcase around everywhere.

"Sir, you have not rested for seventy-two hours. Earlier, you said you were going to get a good night’s sleep," Jarvis reminded him at the appropriate moment.

"I have insomnia, Jarvis." Tony put on the Mark Armor, and his anxious, irritated heart suddenly calmed down.

When he was Stark, he did not feel even the slightest sense of security. Only inside this suit of Iron Armor could he somewhat soothe the fear and unease in his heart.

Now the entire world knew that, beyond Earth, other extraterrestrial civilizations existed in the universe. They might not be as friendly as people imagined. They might even start a war at any time.

S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and influential figures from every country… They were all urgently searching for ways to respond.

The most obvious impact was that the Department of Defense had proactively doubled its orders for Umbrella’s Human Enhancement Serum, energy weapons, and other scientific technologies. It had also allocated a large sum of funding for military research and development projects.

Tony was not the only anxious one. The whole world had fallen into this tense atmosphere. Only ordinary people continued living as usual, unable to sense the turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface.

"I really envy that guy Sean. He actually still has time to go exploring in the Arctic… I really want to have a drink with him right now."

Wearing his Iron Armor, Tony lay on the laboratory floor. He did not want to return to the soft bed, choosing to remain here instead.

The intelligent butler Jarvis said nothing. Considerately, he dimmed the lights. Amid soothing music meant to aid sleep, Iron Man gradually fell into a deep slumber.