Why Was He Here?

Elsewhere, after Harvey left the New York Police Department and got into his convertible sports car, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

He had spent a great deal of money maintaining this identity. He had no intention of letting S.H.I.E.L.D. expose him and disrupt his life.

What he needed to do now had not changed much from before. He would normally go around dining at different places, enjoying himself while earning Evolution Points.

Whenever he came across a mission that interested him, he could take it on as the Grim Reaper.

What he needed to do now was wait for the right opportunity.

Harvey knew that if he was putting on an act, he had to see it through. So, after casually filling his stomach—

He did not return to his original manor, but went instead to a villa in New York.

Harvey did not even leave the house. He simply had large amounts of takeout delivered to his villa and honestly settled into the life of a shut-in.

Every time Harvey ate a slice of high-calorie pizza, steak, pork chops, or other foods, the system would notify him that he had gained dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Evolution Points.

So while one million Evolution Points sounded like a lot, it was not actually that much.

Moreover, if the Void Clan was placed in various harsh environments, its body would rapidly evolve in order to adapt, causing its strength to soar wildly.

Harvey simply felt that since he could enjoy himself while earning Evolution Points, there was no need to deliberately push himself.

There were still nine years before the Purple Sweet Potato truly arrived. Just eating food would be enough for him to evolve many times over.

Not to mention that he had long planned to make a trip to Wakanda once the time was right and absorb a large amount of vibranium.

Although absorbing iron and steel gave him a flavor that made him want to vomit, perhaps it was precisely because the taste was so unpleasant—

They were substances that could only be absorbed in extremely harsh conditions, so the Evolution Points they provided were exceptionally substantial.

During his time as a shut-in, Harvey sold off the Stark Industries Shares in his possession.

At the same time, Harvey browsed the dark web. In only a few days, the bounty on Tony Stark had already been accepted.

This indicated that Iron Man Tony Stark would soon truly make his appearance. Once Iron Man appeared, all of New York would become even more chaotic.

This could also be considered the official beginning of Marvel's first phase.

Harvey certainly would not interfere with these chains of cause and effect, because this was the most crucial event.

If Tony Stark survived and turned over a new leaf, it would prove that his timeline was most likely part of the main universe.

If Tony Stark died, it would mean that his timeline was merely one branch of a parallel universe.

If it was the former and he was in the main universe, then when he had the chance to unlock his next template, he could prioritize the Hero Template of Void Terror Cho'Gath or Void Walker Kassadin.

Obtaining the abilities of either of them would make him stronger and allow him to get things done more easily.

If it was the latter, then the world he was in was merely one branch of a parallel universe.

Harvey would take the initiative to win over the various heroes, allowing himself to gain the opportunity to unlock templates sooner and regain the Prophet's abilities.

No matter what universe he was in, Harvey was already confident that he could survive, continue evolving, and remain undefeated.

All he had to do next was watch how Iron Man's story unfolded.

Harvey ate five meals a day, and each meal was enough to feed a hundred people, continuously earning Evolution Points.

After eating, Harvey would train and further improve his control over his own strength.

After Harvey had lived this shut-in lifestyle for a month, Nick Fury completely gave up on his idea.

Before he knew it, more than three months had passed.

Living as a shut-in, Harvey evolved once a week on average and had already evolved eighteen times.

His offensive abilities were sufficient for the time being, so naturally, he prioritized improving his defensive abilities.

Harvey allocated all eighteen evolutions to Void Skin. Added to its previous twenty-five evolutions, it had been strengthened to forty-three evolutions.

His physical strength and defenses had now reached a terrifying level.

Harvey had gone to the Pacific Ocean and conducted many tests. After so many evolutions, he no longer needed any protection to descend to the deepest part of the ocean with only his body.

Furthermore, the pressure on the ocean floor was a harsh environment. Through repeated testing, Harvey's body actively adapted to it, automatically evolving the ability to breathe underwater six times.

He had now evolved a total of two hundred and sixty-two times, and all six of those evolutions had been breathing-related.

Evolutions gained from adapting to the environment could not be directed toward a specific path by his own choice.

That was also why Harvey did not want to go around torturing himself in different places just to gain evolutions.

After all, some evolved abilities would not be very useful for the time being. Instead, they would raise his evolution count and increase the point requirement for evolutions he could choose himself.

On this day, Harvey was stuffing his mouth with potato chips while watching the news when the broadcast suddenly changed.

"According to information just received by our station, Tony Stark, who had been missing for more than three months, has successfully returned to New York."

Harvey watched the news report announcing that the missing Tony Stark had safely returned to America.

Stark Industries was also preparing to hold a press conference.

A smile appeared on Harvey's face when he saw this, but he did not choose to short Stark Industries Shares.

After all, he would later need to buy a large amount of Stark Industries Shares. If he shorted them now and bought them back at a low price afterward, it would be easy for those people on Wall Street to take notice of him.

Harvey chose to drive out to Stark Industries, intending to see the upcoming press conference with his own eyes.

If Stark truly intended to abandon the arms trade, it would mean that this world was most likely the main universe.

Harvey drove the latest Maserati through the streets of New York, accompanied by the surrounding clamor of gunfire and shattering glass.

Harvey was utterly unmoved. Relying on his superb driving skills and hearing, he quickly passed through.

Before long, Harvey arrived at the venue where Stark Industries was about to hold its press conference.

The moment Harvey got out of the car, he drew some attention.

After all, he was also one of New York's billionaires.

"Mr. Harvey Anberlaka, I'm from Genesis Technologies. May I speak with you?"

A white man in a suit and glasses saw Harvey arrive, stepped forward, and spoke politely.

"I came this time to see Tony Stark."

"If you want me to invest, then work hard to make your plan bigger first. Once the time is right, I will invest."

Harvey smiled and casually said this before walking into the venue.

"You came specifically to see Mr. Tony Stark?"

"Mr. Harvey Anberlaka, are you friends with Tony Stark?"

"But it seems you have never attended any exhibitions or banquets held by Tony Stark, have you?"

Some beautiful female reporters heard Harvey's words and stepped forward, wanting to interview him about it.

"You're right. I have never met Tony Stark in a formal setting."

"However, Tony Stark is wealthier than I am."

"If possible, getting to know Tony Stark would naturally be better."

Harvey answered politely.

"Does this mean you intend to invest in Stark Industries in the future?"

Upon hearing this, a beautiful news reporter immediately asked a question.

Harvey Anberaka was twenty-one years old and one of the billionaires who had risen to prominence over the past two years.

In just over two years, Harvey Anberaka's net worth had skyrocketed to more than three billion dollars, making him one of New York's miracles.

Countless people knew that this was merely Harvey Anberaka's starting point. No one could estimate how astonishing his wealth would become in the future.

If Harvey Anberaka intended to acquire a stake in Stark Industries, it was possible that he would do so in the future.

"Perhaps. You never know."

"Alright, that's enough answers for now. Could you let me quietly watch this press conference?"

Harvey did not give a clear answer. After responding ambiguously, he politely declined the reporters' attempts to continue interviewing him.

When dealing with reporters, one could not give answers that were too definite. Even if he wanted to give a definite answer, he needed to consider it carefully first.

Otherwise, it would be easy for these reporters to twist his words and exaggerate them, causing a series of troubles.

With his wealth alone, Harvey could make these people lose their jobs or even vanish from the world.

However, his current identity was Harvey Anberaka, one of the wealthy men who had risen in New York over the past few years. He certainly could not casually do such things, at least not under his current identity.

Afterward, Harvey entered the venue, where many reporters and some celebrities were already waiting.

Coulson had originally been speaking with Pepper Potts, hoping to learn from her about Tony Stark's escape.

After all, surrounded by the heavily armed Ten Rings Gang, he had broken through their encirclement with only a minor injury to his arm. That was clearly not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

"Why was he here?"

However, Coulson suddenly saw that Harvey Anberaka had also come and spoke in surprise.

Pepper noticed that Coulson, who called himself by a long and difficult-to-pronounce name, had shifted his attention elsewhere.

So Pepper looked over as well and saw a handsome asian man in a suit with a tall, upright figure.

"Harvey Anberaka. Mr. Coulson, are you surprised that he came?"

Pepper asked curiously and doubtfully.

"Forgive me for asking, Miss Potts, but is Mr. Harvey Anberaka friends with Mr. Stark?"

Coulson looked at Pepper and asked politely.

"No. Although Tony and I have both heard of his reputation, I can say for certain that Tony has never met him."

Pepper shook her head without the slightest hesitation.

She knew every detail of Tony Stark's schedule. She was also basically aware of everyone Tony had come into contact with, and Harvey Anberaka was not among them.

Harvey Anberaka had also never made an appointment or anything similar to visit Tony.

"Alright, pardon the interruption."

Coulson knew that he would not get any useful information by continuing to ask, so he did not question her further. Instead, he stepped aside and stopped disturbing Pepper.

Harvey himself casually found a spot with a good view and looked at the stage in the center more than ten meters away.

Three updates today. This was the first one.