Tony Stark's Drifting Diary
Loneliness, depression, fear...
The despairing darkness of the universe unfolded before Tony like a destiny, making it hard for him to breathe.
He was trapped in a small aircraft with very little space, almost like being stuffed into a coffin.
"It really is a coffin..."
He thought desperately, struggling to breathe. The air was so thin, like being next to a high-temperature furnace, not only hot but also seemingly filled with a lot of dust, clogging his nostrils.
But in reality, there was nothing in this cramped space. He was just recalling the time when he was still in the cave, when the shadow of death constantly loomed over him. The vast universe felt just as oppressive as a small cave.
He felt dizzy and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
The lack of salt made his head feel heavier, while his body felt lightheaded.
He recalled the girl's hateful gaze and the words she had spoken not long ago at Avengers Tower.
"Swallowed by darkness, I huddled alone and terrified in a small space, not knowing when death would come..."
Just like now.
Trapped in this tiny flying device, then exiled to the Infinity universe, he ultimately awaited death in despair.
Of course, the difference is that Tony knows very well how long he can hold on.
Perhaps to allow him to continuously experience the suffocating fear and helplessness that death brings, as well as the guilt and pain of the world being destroyed because of him, Wanda and Quicksilver specially prepared several oxygen devices for him.
Even so, he would suffocate and die from lack of oxygen after five days.
Even disregarding oxygen, without water and food, I can't last much longer...
He leaned against the metal plate; there wasn't enough space for him to sit up, but on the other hand, the cramped space actually made Tony feel relieved.
He tried to imagine the coffin-sized aircraft as some kind of beautiful armor, which made him feel much more at ease, and his mind gradually cleared up.
He thought of the past, of the miracles he had created in that cave, but now he could do nothing.
Back then, at least the terrorists provided him with materials and tools, but now, there's nothing here, and he can barely even bend his arm.
Tony's gaze pierced through the glass as he looked out over the universe, rapidly moving away from the Solar System.
He had originally hoped that once he was launched off Earth, the people from the Galactic Plumbers Space Station might come to rescue him.
But he was disappointed.
There was no movement from that Space Station.
"I'm afraid that place has already been occupied by Ultron by now," he thought.
The image of Ultron's absolute dominance in the cyber world flashed through his mind, along with Wanda, the woman who displayed the Superpowers to control others' minds. Faced with such an enemy, even if he were still on Earth, Tony didn't know how to win.
His armor was entirely under Ultron's control; what could he possibly do with his bare flesh and blood?
Not to mention, the Witch could also directly control him, making him Ultron's slave.
If it were Ben, could they win?
Tony couldn't help but think about it.
If Ben were still on Earth, would he be a match for Ultron?
"Maybe..."
"That Witch seems to be the Ben found. She won't harm Ben. Without her help, Ultron alone. Perhaps it can suppress Ben for a short time with its massive Iron Soldiers, but Ben will definitely invent a program to stop Ultron. If the two of us join forces, we can definitely invent an artificial intelligence more advanced than Ultron!"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Tony's eyes, but it was quickly extinguished.
He shook his head self-deprecatingly, as if realizing for the first time how incredibly foolish he had been.
What's the point of saying all this now?
"Ben left Earth long ago. Even if he returns someday, by then Ultron will probably have gained true life and been reborn from that steel cocoon."
Tony sighed, pressed his forehead against the glass in front of him, and through it, he saw small gray asteroids flashing past him.
The spaceship was fast, but not fast enough.
He also fantasized that perhaps he would be lucky enough to be discovered by some life form in the universe in the last few days of his life, or to land on a planet where he could survive.
This would give him the opportunity to find Ben, tell him about Ultron's plan, and then return to Earth with Ben to atone for his mistakes.
Of course, mistakes cannot be undone.
He thought.
He understood this when he saw the hateful look in Wanda and Quicksilver's eyes.
But he should have realized it much earlier—when he saw the Winter Soldier kill his own parents.
He hadn't let go of his hatred, nor did he have the right to make others let go of theirs. Regardless of who launched the missile that killed her parents, it was his invention and the one he sold. From the moment the missile was created, he knew someone would die because of it, but at that time he didn't care.
In contrast, the Winter Soldier is merely a tool that knows nothing.
That's why Tony doesn't hate Wanda or Quicksilver's desire to kill him at all.
They were all fooled by Ultron.
After that day, when Tony was locked up in this "prison," Ultron probably felt unsatisfied, so he found Tony and explained his plan in detail. He never intended to destroy Super Hero; that would be pointless.
Its goal is to eliminate all intelligent life forms in the universe and create a world completely under its control!
If this were the case, not only Earth, but the entire universe would be free from conflict, death, sorrow, and grief, and of course, humanity itself would cease to exist.
It wasn't until then that Tony realized what a terrifying madman he had created.
The more intelligent an artificial intelligence is, the more it has its own thoughts, the less likely it is to think from the perspective of others.
Tony wanted to create a peaceful world for humanity, but Ultron believed that peace did not need humans; mechanical peace and the peace of inorganic matter were also peace.
Because it doesn't want to see conflict leading to death, killing all life in advance is a perfectly feasible solution in its view.
Of course, Tony couldn't really blame it, because there was a precedent for this in America —where police shot someone in the head to prevent them from committing suicide.
Forget whether the person is dead or not, just ask if it was suicide!
Tony's thoughts were in turmoil; one moment he was thinking about this, the next he was thinking about Ben.
He felt that Ben was probably Earth's last hope, but Ultron knew this better than he did.
While he foolishly believed that only he was protecting the Earth, Ultron had already found a way to exacerbate the Contradiction between them, separating Ben and the Galactic Plumbers from the Earth.
In a sense, it was his own stupidity that led to Ben's departure.
Tony recalled how he had verbally abused Ben on the mothership back then, and it seemed like a long time had passed since then.
"It is well aware of Ben's danger... so it will be wary of Ben's sudden return. Everyone is under its control, even the Mind Stone is in its grasp... At that time, it will possess true life, and perhaps even Ben..."
Tony felt increasingly desperate the more he thought about it.
Unless he manages to encounter Ben in the vast universe, or finds a way to send a message to Bant so that Ben can prepare in advance, Ben would likely be no match for Ultron if he is caught off guard.
But this was destined to be impossible.
He had no idea where the headquarters of the Galactic Plumbers's Guild was, and at his current speed, it was impossible for him to reach any inhabited planet in five days.
Thump!
He slammed his head hard against the glass.
"What an idiot I am! A self-righteous fool! I'm the one who ruined the world!"
At this moment, Tony was filled with regret. If time could be reversed, he would definitely travel back in time and give his arrogant self a good beating!
Fuck your Ultron Global Defense Program!
They wiped out the entire world!
Tony Stark, you're a damn bastard!
Tony cursed himself in despair.
He thought that everyone who was injured or even died because of Ultron was killed by him, and that he was the one who truly deserved to die.
But what's the use now?
He was about to die.
"If I could see Ben again... if I could stop Ultron, I'd do anything!"
Tony thought about it and suddenly felt it was absurd and ridiculous that someone like him would now be praying for a miracle.
However, the next moment, a distorted light suddenly appeared not far away.
His eyes widened instantly.
"That's... a distorted spacetime? A wormhole?"
Tony recognized the thing.
Instantly, his breathing became rapid.
Generally speaking, unknown wormholes in the universe obviously represent great danger, because no one knows whether wormholes are stable, or what the other side of the passage is like.
Rushing in recklessly could result in being torn apart by the wormhole, or arriving at a completely unknown and dangerous place.
The universe is not a safe haven!
But now, Tony seemed to see a last glimmer of hope.
He began ramming the ship's cabin with all his might, trying to use his own strength to change the ship's direction of travel and rush towards the suddenly appeared wormhole.
According to his calculations, at the current rate of progress, he wouldn't be able to find another habitable planet even after several hundred years, but an unknown wormhole might be able to help him.
What if the other side of the wormhole is an extraterrestrial civilization?
What if they happen to have heard of the Galactic Plumbers?
What if they happen to have connections with the Galactic Plumbers?
They might be able to find Ben themselves, and then they'd have a chance to stop Ultron!
Even though he knew the odds were even lower than finding a needle in a haystack, he could only believe in miracles now.
Anyway, the worst-case scenario is death, right?
Why not take a gamble?!
Sakaar.
Caiera raised her head and looked up at the sky.
The sky over Sakaar is usually gray. Due to the instability of space, many tunnels surround the planet, and all kinds of debris fall from these tunnels year after year. While this brings resources and technology to Sakaar, it also brings some environmental hazards.
The Sakaar People them the Great Portal.
But now, ever since that loose-lipped raccoon came here, another nickname has slowly spread— Devils Anus!
"You call it the Great Portal? My God, these things are just the Devils Anus! They're constantly dropping a bunch of stinking garbage down here! Luckily, your Wang Congming lured them onto a satellite, otherwise this damn planet would never be alright! Don't expect anyone to dump good stuff down the drain, unless you're dung beetles!"
The first half of this statement drew criticism from many people, but the second half was accepted by the Sakaar People.
On one hand, seeing that he might be attacked, Rocket cleverly flattered Ben, praising Ben's work in blocking the passage, which made the Sakaaran very approving. On the other hand, what he said was also true.
The environment on Sakaar is much better now because these passages have been blocked.
Moreover, advanced technology will not be born from a junkyard. Ben brought a complete technology tree to Sakaar, changing the planet's originally distorted development and allowing many people at the bottom to live a good life.
Sakaar is doing very well now.
Of course, the harm caused by the garbage left behind has not been completely eliminated.
Many of the harmful substances had seeped into the planet's very core like poison. If Ben hadn't awakened the Sakaar Lightning and revitalized the planet's life force, it would have been on the verge of extinction.
At that time, the Galactus will arrive, bringing an end to life on the planet.
But now, most of Sakaar remains vibrant.
However, today, the space passage will open briefly, and it will open on their own initiative— Caiera saw a small aircraft in the distant sky, as if constipated, peeking out from a tiny wormhole, then struggling to open and close, falling down like a piece of excrement.
"Looks like our Shit Stark has arrived."
Caiera smiled slightly.
Shit Stark indicate constipation, which is normal.
She already knew the plan from Wanda and how she intended to deal with Tony Stark.
Ultron thought it could block the Galactic Plumbers ' communication through the Quantum Realm, but with Doctor Pym's current technology, it couldn't do that; they simply weren't receiving Peter's signal.
"Should we teach him a lesson?"
Nebula, now Nebula assistant, nodded, already having an idea for dealing with Stark.
"Send him to the Gladiator Arena," Caiera ordered. "I'll inform the Chief Security Officer to prevent the Earth branch from spiraling out of control."