Goodbye, Iron Man

He noticed that Heisenberg really didn't seem intent on killing anyone.

Or at least, he didn't look like he was about to go on a murder spree.

Anyway, Pepper held Tony's arm and slowly sat down across from Heisenberg.

Sunlight streamed in through the damaged wall, slanting across Tony's face.

But the sunlight that felt so comfortable to Heisenberg couldn't warm Tony's grim expression at all.

Heisenberg looked at Tony and felt like the guy was about to grind his teeth to dust.

"Tsk tsk tsk, realizing how weak you are? That multi-million-dollar custom suit couldn't even take one hit?"

Heisenberg's jab made Tony suck in a sharp breath.

A moment later, Tony's expression actually improved. He shrugged helplessly and said, "Alright, it's no big deal. They all say you're Superman, and my suit doesn't have any Bat on it, so of course I'm no match for you."

As he spoke, his demeanor shifted completely, from gloomy and dejected to carefree and cocky.

He leaned over, grabbed his glass, and clinked it elegantly with Heisenberg's.

"This bottle costs sixty grand, and my assistant's office wall costs three hundred grand. Have your company wire me the money!"

"Hahaha, not a chance. Let's drink to the renovation crew you're about to hire, pal!"

Heisenberg downed his drink happily, and they both set their glasses down at almost the same time.

Pepper sat nearby, quietly picking up her own glass.

Her tear-streaked face hid plenty of resentment and frustration.

You men are always like this—drink and drink and forget the woman beside you. Don't I deserve to clink glasses with you too?

Feminist rant, damn it!!!

Pepper took a worried sip of her wine, and by then, the atmosphere between Heisenberg and Tony was no longer as simple and lighthearted as it had been moments ago.

Tony set his glass down, gritted his teeth to muster some confidence.

Then he opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but took a deep breath instead.

Only after exhaling did he finally steel himself.

"Heisenberg, the way you handled those protesters earlier was way too brutal!"

"They deserved that treatment, Tony!" Heisenberg replied dismissively.

"But their lives shouldn't have been the price. You had the power to make them pay another way—make them destitute for life, that's easy for you!"

"So you're even crueler than me. I just want them dead; you want them to wish they were." Heisenberg let out a cold laugh.

Stung by the mockery, Tony frowned in displeasure. He poured himself another drink and shook his head.

"Scum like that—maybe death is a good thing. But it's a violation of law and order, and a contempt for life itself."

"Isn't that fair? They stood on the street insulting my dignity, and I stood in the sky insulting their lives."

Heisenberg said this as he stood up from the sofa.

He grabbed his glass and clinked it with Tony's again.

"Let's leave it here. Our conversations will never be pleasant—we both only believe in ourselves."

With that, Heisenberg finished his drink and set the glass back on the coffee table.

He waved at Pepper.

"I'm sorry I beat up your man, wrecked your office, and most of all, scared you.

To make up for it, I'll give you the life you want—something precious to you. Don't thank me, just cherish it."

Then Heisenberg flew out through the hole he'd made on his way in.

Not long after leaving, as if suddenly remembering something, he returned to Pepper's office.

With a serious face, he said to Tony, "Just remembered something, Tony. You'd better keep this in mind—it's especially important!

You love your father, you love your mother. Even with that playboy act, it doesn't change your devotion to family.

But you always like to treat family and heroism as weights, putting them on opposite ends of a scale.

Unfortunately, the weight of the word 'hero' always crushes your sense of family responsibility.

That's unfair to your lover and your future children—and to yourself, too."

After this cryptic speech, Heisenberg vanished instantly, nowhere to be seen.

Back at his rooftop, he hovered in the air and looked down below.

Whether it was his beating of Iron Man that did the trick, or the protest leader getting word of a meeting, either way, the protesters had stopped shouting and were starting to pack up.

But Heisenberg didn't want them leaving that easily.

He took out his phone and called Jessica.

A moment later, the call connected.

"Mm-hmm, Boss, you got a need for me?"

"For fuck's sake, can you not make everything about fucking?"

Heisenberg cursed in exasperation, finally shutting up Jessica, whose mind was full of female hormones.

After a brief pause, once Jessica quieted down, Heisenberg continued.

"Take your people, tail the ringleaders in the parade downstairs. The moment they led people in cursing me out, they forfeited the right to go home and enjoy themselves.

Follow them, break their legs. You should be good at that kind of thing—they're all scumbags from Hell's Kitchen anyway."

With that, Jessica accepted cheerfully.

"Of course, that's way easier than fighting the Hulk. But about that reward you promised me for the Hulk thing...?"

"My room tonight..."

Heisenberg smiled helplessly. This woman.

He hung up, lay back in his recliner with a grin.

His mood was much better than before.

Not just because he'd decided to take out all the gang bosses, nor because he'd sent Jessica to deal with the key figures in the parade.

What really lifted his spirits was that he'd finally figured out how to deal with Iron Man!

As a former ordinary person, Heisenberg had watched countless movies in the Origin Universe, and Iron Man was one of his favorite characters.

But after he personally arrived in the Marvel Universe...

He found himself facing a choice.

Either he had to assimilate into a homegrown American superhero, wholeheartedly doing good deeds—even if that meant a slim chance of being made a major enemy by Iron Man during the Civil War storyline.

Or screw the American heroes, he'd just follow his own path, which was exactly what he was doing now.

In that case, it wouldn't take long before he clashed head-on with Iron Man.

So, how could he keep Tony Stark from causing him trouble without killing him?

Talk no Jutsu...?

No, no, no. Not everyone's Talk no Jutsu could convince a man cursed with knowledge.

And Heisenberg certainly didn't have the Talk no Jutsu skills of a shonen manga protagonist.

Every subordinate he'd recruited so far had been brought into line through absolute force, guided by circumstance.

There's never been a case of someone just flexing their aura and winning loyalty—most people are just happy to ride on the coattails of power.

So that approach wouldn't work.

Then how about another way—strip Iron Man of his intelligence?

Take it a step further: what if Tony lost his smarts while becoming more devoted to love and family, so he'd never abandon Pepper and his daughter for the hero business again...

That way, there'd be no need to worry about Tony still flying around as Iron Man, and no fear of him snapping his fingers and losing everything.

Most importantly, Tony would no longer be a problem for him!

Of course, if Nini knew what Heisenberg was planning to do to him, he'd suit up and blast Heisenberg on the spot.

But sorry—as long as the outcome satisfied him, Heisenberg couldn't care less about the process!

He was always that Heisenberg—consistent in word and deed, doing whatever he wanted.

He didn't need to consider others, because in this life, whether it's food, clothing, shelter, love, or hate—everything is just about fulfilling one's own needs.

You need love because you don't want to be alone.

You need family because you don't want to be alone.

You need friendship because you still don't want to be alone.

And you need money, power, status, attention, and respect from others because you're always chasing a better life!

That's human nature.

So, without Iron Man himself knowing, Heisenberg was about to take down the great hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all to get what he wanted.

At the same time, he'd create a Tony Stark who loved his family, his wife and daughter, and lived happily...

Ahem.

Heisenberg didn't know if he was right or wrong, and he didn't care. He only knew that this was the outcome he wanted most right now.

Better than being forced to kill Iron Man Tony Stark in the future.

"System!"

Heisenberg immediately called out in his mind.

"How much Origin Matter does it take to remove the Curse of Knowledge from Iron Man in the Marvel Universe?"

"Need two thousand six hundred seventy-two cubic units of Origin Matter."

"Ha, that's cheap. Is that all he's worth?"

"He's the only Iron Man in this universe, but also just one of infinite Iron Men across infinite universes."

"Alright, alright."

Heisenberg nodded knowingly.

"Everyone has an Iron Man inside them, right?"

He said, waving his hand cleanly. In an instant, his Origin Matter dropped by the amount the system required.

And that wasn't the end.

Heisenberg continued asking.

"Next, alter Tony Stark's subconscious so that no desire in his heart can surpass his love for his family."

"That's simple. It only requires eight point nine seven cubic units of Origin Matter."

"Uh, that... cheap to the point of absurdity..."

Heisenberg really hadn't expected the number to be so low that it could only fetch two watches from the Origin Universe.

His question was quickly answered.

"Please do not be surprised, Order Keeper. There are ample ways to alter Tony Stark's subconscious. You could exchange for the Mind Machine Superman's ability to dominate him, or use the cheapest method from the Inception universe to change his subconscious.

With so many options available, the system will automatically recommend the lowest-cost plan."

"Your system... I keep feeling like this system's thinking matches mine. Is that an illusion?"

Heisenberg muttered instinctively, then made a decisive choice.

"Make the change!"

As the words fell, everything shifted imperceptibly in an instant.

That night, Tony stormed out of the lab in frustration.

He seemed crushed by Heisenberg's inhuman power, to the point where all his inspiration for upgrading his armor had vanished.

His mind felt like a tangled mess, and he'd nearly forgotten how he'd even built the armor in the first place!

This was just awful.

And at that moment, Little Pepper, who always kept an eye on Tony, quickly noticed something was wrong.

She came over to him with concern.

The moment she sat down, Pepper heard Tony say to her.

"My heart's a mess, Pepper. I'm not as great as I think I am."

As the words fell, Pepper rolled her eyes helplessly. How great do you think you are? Don't you already know?

How narcissistic can you get? This is the eighty-sixth time you've brought up something like this.

But every time you hit a wall, you always figure it out. This time will be no different.

So she hugged Tony, planning to comfort her often-downcast lover like always.

But Tony pulled her into his arms instead.

He held his lover tightly, leaning close to Pepper's ear, speaking seriously and earnestly.

"As stupid as this sounds, I want to propose to you. Let's get married."

As the words fell, Pepper's eyes went wide.

She finally realized something was different. This Tony was truly different.

And just as she was about to answer, Tony took a deep breath.

In that moment, Pepper clearly saw Tony cry.

Even though he wiped the tears away in an instant, she etched it deep in her memory.

Then, Tony whispered sadly in Pepper's ear.

"I... suddenly miss my father. He'd be happy to see me have a happy family.

I love you, and I'll love our children, just like my father loved my mother and me.

I... miss him."

Meanwhile, at Heisenberg Mansion.

Heisenberg lay on the rooftop, glancing toward Stark Tower.

"You might not like my plan, but considering your future, you ought to thank me.

Of course, I should also say goodbye to you, future Iron Man."