Tony Stark

Back in New York once more, Alex felt completely different. Thinking of the mutants’ current plight, all his excitement and exhilaration at returning to Earth had long since vanished, leaving only deep worry and endless guilt.

Thirty years had turned the world upside down. Too much had happened.

The Floating Giant Island, once a refuge for mutants, had drawn countless eyes ever since Alex brought it out of the Savage Land, whether mutant or human. As more and more mutants joined, the power of X-Mansion on the Floating Giant Island grew stronger and stronger, until it ultimately became a thorn in the side of many nations on Earth.

Twenty years ago, led by the United States and the Soviet Union, nearly forty countries around the world launched a joint surprise attack—a military assault against X-Mansion on the Floating Giant Island.

Unsurprisingly, the Floating Giant Island was destroyed, and nearly eighty percent of the mutants on it were slaughtered. Truly combat-capable mutants had never made up the majority, and few could survive under humanity’s guns and artillery.

That catastrophe completely ignited the seeds of hatred between mutants and humans.

Magneto, the Erik of old, seized the chance to recruit mutants who harbored resentment toward humans on a massive scale, and the Brotherhood of Mutants swelled in power as a result. Not only that, Magneto repeatedly launched wars against humanity. Though every one ended in failure, they had "successfully" intensified the hatred between humans and mutants.

Besides Magneto, Erik, the Hellfire Club also played a huge "role" in all this.

"I should have killed Sebastian Shaw back then!" Whenever Alex thought of Sebastian Shaw’s figure flashing through the scenes he had just seen with Otu, he felt deeply frustrated.

Lost in thought, Alex wandered aimlessly. When he came back to himself, he realized he had somehow reached Manhattan, where an imposing skyscraper stood before him.

"They already had skyscrapers in America in ’94?" Alex was marveling when he suddenly noticed the sign hanging at the top of the building. He froze. "Stark Industries? Howard Stark?"

After staring blankly for a moment, Alex chuckled, shrugged, and walked into the building. "I’ll go see Howard, and ask about Emma and the others while I’m at it."

What Otu recorded were major events on Earth. Although the focus was mainly on mutants, it concerned the mutant race as a whole. Alex still had no idea where Emma and the others were now.

Alex entered the lobby, and his Psionic Power instantly spread out. Yet to his disappointment, there seemed to be no trace of Howard in the building.

"He must be hiding in that secret laboratory again!" Muttering to himself, Alex strode toward the front desk, intending to leave a message so Howard would know he had returned.

Before Alex could reach the desk, a burst of commotion suddenly rose behind him, accompanied by repeated camera flashes.

"Mr. Stark, rumors say you had dinner with a Hollywood actress last night…" That was a gossip reporter.

"Mr. Stark, what are your thoughts on the demands of Gulf War veterans?" That was a current affairs reporter.

Hearing "Mr. Stark" several times, Alex unconsciously smiled. He quickly turned around, ready to greet the man at the center of the crowd, only to discover this Stark was not that Stark. The Mr. Stark before him vaguely resembled Howard, but he was younger and far more suave and roguish.

This Mr. Stark ignored the string of questions that followed and turned to the reporter who had asked the first one. She was a sexy female reporter whose bright red hair swayed in a teasing manner.

"I really like your question!" Mr. Stark smiled flirtatiously, pointed at the reporter, and answered with an intoxicated expression, "In fact, we didn’t just have dinner. We also spent a wonderful night together. Oh, it was truly an unforgettable night."

Seeing Stark respond like that, the reporters who had been ready to pounce were instantly dumbfounded. They could only watch as Stark pushed through the crowd and swaggered away.

"He really is like him!" Standing at a distance, Alex watched the young Stark vanish into an elevator, the smile on his face deepening. "Well, seeing my little nephew wouldn’t be bad either!"

As he spoke, Alex vanished from where he stood.

Meanwhile, inside the elevator, the young Mr. Stark leaned lazily against the wall and turned toward the large man behind him. "Happy, is there anything going on today?"

"Mr. Obadiah Stane wants to discuss something with you, regarding the company’s future development…" The fat man behind Stark hesitated for a moment, pulled a pink notebook from his pocket, flipped through several pages, then began speaking with a serious expression.

The young Stark impatiently cut Happy off and complained irritably, "Oh, that’s not something I should be dealing with!"

"Mr. Stark, this is your company!" A trace of embarrassment flashed across Happy’s plump face before being replaced by solemn seriousness. He looked as grave as though he were attending a funeral.

Stark rolled his eyes speechlessly, ignored Happy, and walked straight out of the opened elevator.

After taking only a few steps, Stark suddenly stopped. He stared warily at the young man who had inexplicably appeared before him. "Who are you? Why are you here?" This floor belonged exclusively to him, Stark. Without his permission, no one could possibly appear here, and the man before him was clearly not someone he knew.

As soon as Stark finished speaking, another figure sprang out from behind him—it was Happy. The burly Happy spread his arms like a hen protecting her chicks, shielding Stark completely behind him. He turned and glared at the man in front of them, trying his hardest to put on a fierce expression.

"Talk! Who exactly are you? Why are you here?"

The newcomer was none other than Alex, who had followed him here.

Alex ignored Happy standing in front of him. His gaze fell directly on Stark behind him, and a faint gentleness flickered in his eyes as he asked with a light smile, "What’s your name?" Alex asked it naturally, truly like an elder speaking to a junior.

At those words, both Stark and Happy stiffened, strange expressions flashing across their faces.

The moment the words left his mouth, Alex realized what was wrong with his question. His face reddened slightly. After taking a slow breath, he asked again, "Right, where is your father? Why don’t I see him?" As he spoke, Alex unconsciously looked around as though searching for someone.

"Call the police, Happy!" Stark’s expression changed immediately after Alex finished speaking, and he shouted sharply.

Before Happy could do anything, Alex made his move. He restrained Happy’s body while explaining, "I’m a friend of your father, Howard Stark…"

"You’re a mutant?" Happy’s abnormal state did not frighten Stark. Instead, it aroused his curiosity. He looked Alex up and down for a long while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. Hesitantly, he asked, "Are you Alex? Alex… Uncle?"

Alex was instantly embarrassed. Across both his past and present lives, he had only ever called others that; no one had ever called him that before. His seniority had suddenly risen for no reason. Even after thinking it over, Alex still felt uncomfortable. His expression was awkward, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yes, I’m Alex. Uh, your… uncle!"

"Alex… Uncle…" Stark had clearly noticed the problem as well. Alex before him was about the same age as he was, so calling him uncle was truly awkward. "I’m Tony. Tony Stark!"

The new era had officially begun. The Age of Heroes started with Tony Stark!