Experiment

What did a crushing defeat look like?

This was what a crushing defeat looked like!

Tony had only one thought as he arrived at the scene. When he realized the military was going to surround Banner, he had planned to come over.

But as soon as he got there, he happened to see Ross and Banner joining forces to surround the military.

Faced with those hulking brutes, Tony wisely pretended he hadn't seen a thing. After collecting a few mutated body parts, he quickly headed back, just in case those monsters attacked him.

He was arrogant, conceited, obnoxious, prickly, lustful, and unreasonable—but he was nowhere near stupid.

He'd seen how powerful these people were. They'd wiped out an entire army in no time. How could he possibly dare to take on those brutes alone?

Of course, that might have been a different story if someone else were watching.

And after seeing General Ross turn into this grotesque thing too, Tony was more or less convinced that the bastard's power was real.

"Where could that copy of The Gh'gth Revelations be?"

Back in his lab, Tony wondered to himself. Even with Jarvis searching at full capacity, they couldn't find the slightest trace of the prophetic book.

If the book had really existed in history, it couldn't have been hidden so perfectly. There should have been at least some trace of it.

The only thing connected to it was that letter.

If he hadn't seen the chaotic power described in the letter's prophecy today, Tony might really have begun to doubt whether the letter was genuine.

"Chaotic power..."

Tony murmured, curiosity and caution glinting in his eyes.

This power lay far beyond the limits of human technology. The letter seemed to suggest that it might be a source of destruction.

If they didn't stop it in time, it could very well become a major factor in the destruction of the world.

But if used properly, it might also hold limitless potential. Perhaps it could even be used to protect the world.

He stood before a massive holographic display, its screen flickering with complex data and images—all crucial information for analyzing the chaotic power.

He studied samples of the mutated body parts, using advanced gene-sequencing technology and energy analyzers in an attempt to uncover the nature of the chaotic power.

The idea was appealing, but reality was cruel.

No matter how he studied it with his instruments, he couldn't detect this power, let alone figure out how it worked.

Tony's brow furrowed. The data and images before him seemed like an invisible wall, shutting him off from the truth behind the chaotic power.

With the technology currently available, completely unveiling the mystery of this power was all but impossible.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Tony left the lab and happened to run into his personal assistant, Natalie.

Seeing Tony emerge from the lab looking exhausted, Natalie hurried over with a cup of his favorite custom-blended coffee. In a soft voice, she said, "Mr. Stark, you look exhausted. Have some coffee to perk you up."

Tony took the coffee and sipped it. He gave Natalie a grateful glance, then found a comfortable couch and sat down, closing his eyes as he tried to relax his taut nerves for a moment.

Natalie stood nearby, seeming to tidy the room, though every so often she stole a glance at Tony.

Natasha had originally been assigned by Nick Fury to secretly investigate whether Tony was suitable to join the Avengers. Under the alias "Natalie Rushman," she had infiltrated Stark Industries as Tony Stark's personal assistant.

Although Nick Fury had already been successfully ousted and sent to work as a laborer on a farm,

her mission hadn't been canceled. Instead, she had been told to keep a closer eye on Tony Stark's every move.

Natasha had no particular opinion of the New Director's assignment.

She had no impression of Xia Ling, since they had never met, but from what Hawkeye, Hill, Coulson, and the others had said, Xia Ling was a good director.

If elite agents like them all said Xia Ling was a good director, then Natasha was willing to believe it.

After all, she had betrayed the KGB. If S.H.I.E.L.D. put her on its blacklist too,

then no matter how big the world was, there would be nowhere left for her.

Tony closed his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of peace, while Natalie carefully adjusted the lighting and temperature to make sure he could rest comfortably.

"Mr. Stark, you've seemed under a lot of pressure lately. Is something troubling you?" Natalie asked casually, trying to get the conversation started.

Tony opened his eyes and looked at Natalie, a complicated emotion flashing across them.

His personal assistant was beautiful, slender, gentle, considerate, and skilled at winning his favor. Even so, he still missed the days when Pepper had looked after him.

Pepper might have been inferior to Natalie in every way, but Tony still liked her.

"Yes, I've been working on some tricky things lately."

Tony deliberately kept his answer vague, avoiding any direct mention of the chaotic power.

Natasha's interest was piqued, but she maintained her composure and pressed on. "Oh? It must be quite extraordinary to keep Mr. Stark so occupied."

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Extraordinary? Maybe. I'm trying to understand it, but progress has been slow."

Just thinking about his research gave Tony a headache.

He considered himself a genius and had always thought there was nothing in the world he couldn't handle.

But one problem after another had cropped up lately, and he had no idea where to start.

The palladium in the Arc Reactor in his chest was poisoning his body and slowly killing him, and he had no way to stop it.

Then there was his latest research, which had gone nowhere. He couldn't understand the principles behind this power at all.

And then there was the copy of The Gh'gth Revelations. He had no idea where to even begin looking for it.

He didn't have much time left. Could he really solve all these problems one by one?

Tony's thoughts were tangled like a mass of knots. Every time he loosened one, it seemed to reveal even more.

He took a deep breath, trying to sort out the chaos in his mind.

"Natalie, have you ever heard of The Gh'gth Revelations?"

The words suddenly slipped out of Tony's mouth as if from nowhere. The moment he said them, he realized he'd made a mistake.

A flicker of surprise passed through Natasha's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She shook her head gently. "I haven't heard of The Gh'gth Revelations, Mr. Stark. Is it one of your research projects?"

"No, it's nothing. Forget I said anything."

Tony immediately changed his tune, his eyes flickering oddly.

Seeing him act like that left Natasha thoughtful.