SUP Chapter 104: Tony's Truth! Batman Returns! (Part Two)

She chased Ian into the elevator, her face full of disbelief. This was a luxury elevator, with the interior completely wrapped in genuine leather, even the handrails were polished rosewood.

Gwen saw the "Management Personnel Only" sign outside.

"I'm a shareholder of your world. Now I'm going to ask the administrative CEO who planned this world what the hell he put in the planning proposal."

Ian pressed the button for the elevator's top floor.

The elevator doors slowly closed and rapidly ascended.

"What are you talking about?"

Gwen felt she shouldn't understand Ian's words, but she also had a contradictory feeling that she did understand, making her heart increasingly confused.

"Ding~"

It wasn't Ian's system that rang, but the elevator reaching the top floor. As the elevator opened, the young girl who had already endured too much she couldn't bear today discovered the elevator opened directly to the CEO's office.

"You have this kind of access?"

Gwen was stunned.

She knew that for large companies like Stark Group, different floors required different permissions, and floors where the CEO was located basically only had a few people qualified to reach.

"Still saying you're not a Stark Group shareholder! Liar!" Gwen stared at Ian suspiciously. She couldn't understand why Ian had this kind of group access.

Yet couldn't find where Stark Group was located.

"I tell at least twenty percent truth every day, how could that make me a liar?" Ian glanced at Gwen speechlessly. He had just been testing whether his "special privileges" were still there.

The test results didn't disappoint Ian. Whether it was Teacher Tony or the privileges granted by the Creator, they hadn't completely kicked him aside after using him.

He could still gain some special access by showing his face.

"Alright, there are twenty minutes left. I need to find a way to use you to awaken Tony's memories." Ian walked out of the elevator into a luxuriously ostentatious office.

Persian carpets woven with gold thread, an entire wall of glass wine cabinets displaying absurdly aged whiskeys, and a pure gold globe on the desk gleaming in the sunlight.

Full of nouveau riche flavor.

"Is Jarvis here? Is Jarvis around?" Ian looked at the empty office and spoke to a surveillance camera. He remembered Stark Group had Tony's beloved artificial intelligence everywhere.

This might also be why there were no security guards at the main entrance.

"Who's Jarvis again?"

Gwen examined the surroundings.

She seemed somewhat disapproving of this office owner's taste.

"Jarvis? I'm looking for your boss."

Ian jumped up and knocked on the camera's head.

The camera didn't respond.

What responded was the bathroom on the left side of the office, splash splash, the sound of a toilet flushing came from inside. The bathroom door opened, and a shiny bald head poked out.

"Jarvis died many years ago, along with my dear friend Howard. Now, I'm the boss here." The bald man fastened his luxurious Hermès belt while slowly walking out of the bathroom.

Seeing this man, Ian's jaw nearly dropped to the carpet, his brain slightly malfunctioning.

"Huh? You... how could it be you? Iron Monger!" Ian was truly bewildered. Even with his wisdom, he had never anticipated this scene.

"Um, he should be called Obadiah Stane." Seeing the big shot she could only see on TV, Gwen nervously hid behind Ian.

As the daughter of a police family, she knew too well what illegal entry meant. "Little lunatic, you're not here to acknowledge relatives, are you? Are you a descendant of the Stark family?"

This was probably the only reasonable explanation Gwen could think of.

She obviously watched plenty of eight o'clock soap operas.

"I am Obadiah Stane, not some Iron Monger. Your little girlfriend is much more knowledgeable than you." The bald man Obadiah walked toward his luxurious desk.

"I'm not his girlfriend. I'm a hostage he captured." Gwen quickly denied this, also creating an opportunity for herself to argue later, allowing police and courts to be lenient with her.

"Aren't you my captured navigator?"

Ian looked back at the extremely cunning Gwen.

"So now that you've used up my value, there's no bond between us? I've become a navigator?" Gwen wanted to curse but found she couldn't remember the words.

"Damn it, what's wrong with me."

Gwen covered her forehead, feeling many fragments surfacing.

"Use them and throw them away, all men are like that..." Obadiah chuckled teasingly, applying hand cream while looking at Ian and Gwen with curious eyes.

"Obviously I don't know you two. Normally, you shouldn't have access to my office." Obadiah picked up the phone, as if wanting to call the front desk for inquiry.

He didn't seem nervous or defensive.

"This little lunatic came looking for Tony Stark. He's been muttering about Tony Stark." Gwen spoke for Ian while he was frowning and examining the surroundings.

Her words made Obadiah pause.

"Looking for Tony?"

Obadiah put down the phone.

He looked thoughtful.

"Tony, are these your guests?"

Obadiah spoke into a microphone.

"Yes, sir."

A familiar voice responded. Next moment, something unexpected happened, Tony appeared, but he was still in holographic projection form.

"..."

Ian was dumbfounded.

Digital Tony only glanced at him, then turned toward Obadiah.

"This is Mr. Ian from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We have some sensitive business involving Stark Group that needs discussion." His words surprised Obadiah.

"This kid isn't even an adult!"

Obadiah looked at Ian strangely. Many people only knew the IRS was powerful, few knew that both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the IRS were actually behemoths.

Most companies would have some fear of these two departments.

"Who says I'm not an adult?"

Ian wanted to pull out his spirit cards but forgot he didn't bring them. Digital Tony immediately defended Ian, lowering his voice to Obadiah.

"Hereditary, that's how it is."

A very reasonable statement.

Obadiah suddenly understood, his attitude immediately became enthusiastic.

"I should have known. In that case, I'll leave this to you. Feel free to drink, and there's a private room I built inside, you'll love the little toys in there."

He winked at Ian and left the office without suspicion. Until the elevator doors closed and the floor display kept descending, Ian and Gwen finally looked away.

"What kind of little toy room?" Gwen, full of curiosity, was about to explore the side room when Ian grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back.

"Damn it! Why is my neck so sensitive!" Gwen felt like a cat with a stress response. Ian used the desk and coffee table sofa to "imprison" her in the middle.

"What happened, you'd have to ask him." Ian looked at holographic Tony. "Are you dead? How did you become like this again? And the company was taken by Obadiah?"

Ian didn't know if Tony remembered him, so he started with "witty banter" as a greeting. Digital Tony didn't seem angry about this.

"Howard Stark never had children, only an artificial intelligence created with his life's work, that's me, Tony Stark."

His words could be called earth-shattering.

Once again giving Ian a big Marvel shock.

"????"

Ian's face was full of question marks, feeling like he was about to become a white guy question mark face.

"So let me get this straight, you're saying Tony Stark, that playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, genius inventor, never lived as a human in this universe?"

Such facts were somewhat beyond Ian's imagination.

He was still a writer but he wouldn't write such absurd plots even as a writer.

"If the Tony Stark you're referring to is me, then I can answer you, I have indeed never lived. I am what Howard created for his wife as companionship after she miscarried."

"At least initially."

Digital Tony nodded, answering Ian's question.

"..."

Ian opened his mouth but couldn't rebuild an effective language system. His brain was completely filled with conceptual creatures like "holy crap" galloping through.

This development was too outrageous! And at this moment, Gwen, squatting behind the desk, suddenly said: "He lost his soul from the very beginning."

"So in the new world, he wouldn't have a second chance." After saying this, even Gwen was shocked, incredulously covering her mouth.

"Hmm?"

Ian's pupils shook as he looked at holographic Tony.

"Is that so?"

Digital Tony's face showed some confusion. "Since birth, my core has contained information that even Howard doesn't understand. I think this was left for you."

Saying this, he displayed part of his stored data.

It was a video.

In the footage, the background was still that underground base.

"Where is this?"

Gwen wanted to ask but was silenced by Ian covering her mouth. In the video, that familiar Digital Tony turned around, as if facing the camera recording the information.

"When you see this information, everything must have gone very smoothly." Digital Tony's calm tone made Ian feel the difference in understanding between humans and AI.

No wonder there would be robot uprisings.

This was no longer a matter of different worldviews, was it?

"What kind of smooth is this?"

Ian thought about everything he encountered today, not even having the energy to complain. Perhaps Digital Tony anticipated his question and actually continued speaking in the video.

"You might have doubts, but this is normal. The world you're now facing isn't a result I deliberately adjusted, but an unavoidable beginning. It belongs to the universe we recreated, yet it hasn't experienced all the processes a universe needs to develop to its current state."

"People and objects, good and evil, they'll have a period of chaos, but eventually will gradually settle. This process cannot be accurately simulated through data calculations."

This sentence contained a lot of information.

Ian's brain was rapidly computing, computing, still computing.

Digital Tony could probably see Ian's computational limits. "You just need to know that if you still want to continue receiving the kind of help that Sentry and All-Man gave you."

"What you need to do is help this world return to its proper track, at least the track you think is proper. It will eventually become a benchmark, evolving into the center of a new multiverse."

Digital Tony looked like an NPC issuing quests.

His tone had no emotional fluctuation.

Ian wasn't sure if he was trying to cover something up.

Ian always felt this world still had a bit of Tony's personal agenda mixed in.

"Not giving me a new profession called [Marvel Nanny] doesn't make sense, right?"

Ian roughly understood Tony's meaning, help all heroes get back on track. Perhaps this was the new way for him to acquire the professions contained within those heroes.

He didn't need to think about how Tony calculated this.

Omni-machine God Tony.

Of course he had wisdom more super than super intelligence.

"No way, you're really discussing creation?" Since Ian's hand was loose, Gwen could speak again. Her expression was like she'd seen a ghost.

Ian ignored Gwen and looked at the time.

Somewhat anxiously wanting to ask the Tony in the video why he chose him. But the video was nearing its end. Digital Tony gave Ian an apologetic look.

"Listen, the world should be like this, sunshine, coffee, damn traffic jams, annoying reporters... even including those broken things we always complain about."

"It shouldn't be ruins, shouldn't be doomsday. So... we rewrote its ending together."

"I've done everything I could do. I'm sorry, I'm too far from home with no way to return, so I can't provide you any further help."

Digital Tony, looking somewhat melancholy, lowered his head.

"This was destined from the beginning, and it's an ending I've already accepted. After all, if someone must sacrifice, it's better to be me, saves others from screwing up."

"Dawn has come, the world keeps turning. That's enough."

His image began to gradually blur.

The image finally disappeared.

Finally ended.

"That wasn't me." Digital Tony spoke.

"We all know he's not you. He's just a tiny bit more handsome than you." Ian responded, his mood complex.

Hearing this, Digital Tony didn't deny it.

He just looked directly at Ian, data streams sliding through his eyes.

"However, I will also provide you all possible help within my capabilities. This is Howard's highest directive to me, all his subsequent upgrades to me were to prepare for the appearance of this video's recipient." Digital Tony spoke, explaining why he had covered for Ian earlier.

Not because of Digital Tony's legacy but because of Howard Stark, the man.

"Hmm?"

Ian looked at this unfamiliar Teacher Tony, his eyes slightly trembling. His wisdom couldn't fathom Omni-machine God Tony, but he felt he could speculate about Howard.

Why would Howard give such directives to this holographic Tony?

Behind this, there must be deep meaning!

As for what deep meaning... he'd have to think more. When he figured it out, Ian felt that would be when he'd slap his forehead in sudden realization.

"Then I have a request."

Honestly, Ian still had many doubts, but looking at the clock, there was only one minute left until his return to the DC universe.

"I need technology, lots of technology, and... some ready-made black technology." This was Ian's request, and like the old Teacher Tony, the new Teacher Tony was equally responsive.

When the return bell tolled, Ian awakened from his dream.

He had returned fully loaded.

"Where is he?!"

Gwen saw Ian disappear from the spot, her brain instantly crashed. She felt countless memories beginning to surge, painfully holding her head and squatting down again.

"Ian said he left you return fare."

Digital Tony controlled the office's mechanical arm to hand Gwen fifty-six dollars.

"I..."

Gwen took several deep breaths, didn't take the money, and stumbled toward the elevator. Long after she left, tiny golden sparks appeared in the office air.

"Sorry, I took a shower, got dressed up... no, where is everyone? My positioning shouldn't be wrong." A refreshed Doctor Strange arrived fashionably late.

...

Outside the window, the night was as thick as spilled ink, with only a few stars struggling to emit faint light.

"Tonight was too scary."

Ian turned on the desk lamp. Today he had a lot of information to digest, and still had unresolved doubts. However, tomorrow night he could still enter the Marvel world.

"Now, let me see new Teacher Tony's black technology." Ian first called with his old phone. Sure enough, once night fell, he would be intermittently blocked by that man.

Before, Ian could only be furious about this but now it was different.

He took out his new phone.

Of course, the old phone wasn't recycled but linked to the new phone. Whether it was any Teacher Tony's technology, it was useful. Ian successfully got through to the phone that had blocked him.

"What's wrong with you? How can you hack into my phone?" The other party seemed to be fighting someone, with villains howling, the low voice panting.

"Don't underestimate family heritage, Batman..." Ian also lowered his voice, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by an infinitely deeper voice.

"Speak human language."

Batman's tone carried warning.

"Uh, well, actually it's because I also used my external brain... I wanted to see which was more powerful compared to my dad's external brain."

Ian became honest.

At least he thought he honestly gave an answer.

"????"

The Batman on the other end fell silent.

Only his fighting seemed more vigorous.

The screams of Gotham's villains were extremely fierce.

Very distinctive.

After all, villains in ordinary cities rarely exercised, so their wailing voices definitely didn't have such staying power, to the point that Ian couldn't stand it and pulled his phone about half a meter away from his ear.

He showed a disgusted expression.

[NEXT CHAPTER]