Essence

The warm fireplace crackled, and the scent of pine mingled with the rich aroma of black tea filled the room.

Chen Tian's tense nerves unconsciously relaxed a little under the gentle yet insightful words of the OAA (or rather, the one masquerading as Stan Lee).

He leaned back in the comfortable high-backed chair, his broken and bloodstained body still out of place in the cozy environment, but the fierce aura that could erupt at any moment was quietly dormant.

"The script?" Chen Tian nodded slightly, a look of understanding appearing on his face beneath the bloodstains.

He certainly understood what the OAA meant. Everything he had experienced, all the opponents he had encountered—death, the Beyonder, the Living Tribunal, and even the ultimate being before him...

Doesn't it all point to that vast, fictional universe called "Marvel"?

Whether it's Marvel Cinematic Universe interwoven with light and shadow, or colorful comic book pages, for those trapped in the box, this is the "script" that constitutes their entire world.

A vast narrative structure that has already been laid out and is governed by strict rules.

OAA wore Stan Lee's signature warm smile, tinged with a mischievous slyness, as he picked up his teacup and gently blew on it to cool it down.

"That's right, the script. And you," his gaze behind his sunglasses seemed to pierce through the depths of Chen Tian's soul, "You are an existence from outside this 'Box'."

"Your understanding of the structure of this 'big house,' its 'script' flow, and even the 'settings' of certain characters, all originates from outside the Box... a vague perception. This perception is like a restless seed planted deep within your soul."

He took a sip of tea, his tone as gentle as if he were telling an ancient story.

"It is this seed that makes you instinctively feel the constraints of the 'script,' and allows you to see through the rigidity and irrationality of certain 'settings.' That's why you are angry, why you rebel, and why you want to 'change' it at all costs."

OAA set down his teacup, the bone china bottom making a crisp, light sound against the oak tabletop. "You tore apart the 'protagonist' I placed at the center of the stage in the most violent way, disrupting the established rhythm of the script. Isn't that interesting?" His smile deepened, carrying the pure appreciation of a creator seeing an unexpected and brilliant twist in the story.

Chen Tian listened quietly, his tense shoulders completely relaxing as he leaned back in his chair.

He could sense the sincerity in OAA's words; this pursuit of "drama" transcended his obsession with "order."

As long as the script is vibrant and the story is compelling enough, it seems that the broken props on stage and the replacement of the main characters are not things that this "screenwriter" and "landlord" truly cares about.

His very existence is a disruptive force against established scripts.

Seeing Chen Tian lower his guard, OAA's smile became even more gentle and kind, like a grandfather watching his grandchildren finally calm down after causing a ruckus.

"Chen Tian," he spoke slowly, his voice carrying a unique, all-knowing warmth, "You are very interesting."

Chen Tian was slightly taken aback, and looked up at the somewhat mysterious face behind the sunglasses opposite him.

Interesting?

Using this term to describe someone who had just shattered the Living Tribunal and nearly caused the collapse of the Multiverse seems like an understatement.

OAA seemed to understand his confusion and continued calmly, "In my endless observations, in the rifts of various universes, there have been 'outsiders' like you."

"They came from outside the Box, carrying different knowledge and powers." He paused, as if recalling something, "Some of them were extremely violent, disregarding rules and only seeking destruction or conquest; others... were somewhat similar to you, seeing the framework of the script and feeling the limitations."

"But," OAA said with a hint of wistfulness, "When they finally, like you, truly stand before me... the vast majority of them ultimately choose to try to 'replace' me."

He tapped the table lightly with his finger. "Control the script, become the new screenwriter, rewrite everything according to their will. Power, control, becoming a true 'god'... this is the most common path."

After listening, Chen Tian's face remained expressionless; he simply shrugged naturally, his tattered scales throbbing slightly with pain.

He forced a smile tinged with helplessness and indifference, his tone frank and relaxed. "I don't have that much time on my hands."

He adjusted his posture, sinking deeper into the chair, as if trying to melt all his fatigue into the comfortable backrest.

"If you've really observed the trajectory I've taken," Chen Tian's voice was hoarse and weary from battle, yet exceptionally clear, "You'll find that, essentially... I'm just a 'salted fish'."

He used a very down-to-earth, even somewhat self-deprecating, phrase. "I have no ambition to dominate the universe, nor any desire to control everything. Fighting and killing, changing the script? That's more like being cornered, or simply an impulsive counterattack to eliminate all threats."

OAA's gentle smile widened, and he nodded understandingly, his graying temples trembling slightly with the movement.

"That's why I said you're interesting, little one." His tone was full of indulgence and barely perceptible admiration. "You possess the power to overturn a script and turn the stage upside down, yet you seem to have no interest in the director's chair. Compared to sitting on a cold, supreme throne, issuing commands, watching stars rise and fall, and the universe cycle..."

OAA took a sip of tea, her tone carrying a gentle, knowing teasing tone, "You seem more inclined to immerse yourself in the fleeting, bustling, and vibrant life of an 'ordinary person,' don't you? Even if it's just a moment of peace."

The Kakkō flickered in the fireplace, casting a warm glow.

OAA's words were like warm spring water, gradually soothing Chen Tian's exhausted soul, which had been stretched to its limit.

That precise insight into "ordinary people's lives" struck a chord with Chen Tian's deepest desires—for him, power was more like a tool to get rid of trouble and protect peace, rather than a ladder to seize power.

"Yes," Chen Tian responded softly. He struggled to sit up a little, the movement aggravating his injuries and making him grimace.

He stretched out his hand, which was covered in blood and cracks, with the knuckles barely visible, and stiffly picked up the cup of black tea that OAA had pushed towards him on the table.

The warm bone china cup touched the wound, causing a slight stinging sensation, but more than anything, it brought a familiar, comforting feeling, a sense of belonging to the "normal world."

He looked up.

Glug! Glug!

He downed the warm black tea in one gulp, his movements far from elegant, even somewhat rude, like a cow gulping down a drink, trying to wash away the taste of blood and the lingering smell of gunpowder from the battle.

The empty glass was placed back on the table, making a slight clinking sound.

Chen Tian took a deep breath, the aroma of tea, pine, and fireplace smoke filling his lungs and giving him a slight boost of energy.

He raised his eyes, still sharp but now filled with weariness and a hint of helplessness, and looked at the supreme being opposite him, cloaked in the mantle of Stan Lee.

"No matter what," Chen Tian's voice was still hoarse, but it had regained its usual straightforwardness, "I broke your robot vacuum and ruined your lawn."

He gently pounded his battered chest with his fist. "I admit it. So, as the landlord, can you... restore all of this to its original state?"

He asked directly, looking straight into OAA's sunglasses, with the nonchalance of someone who had gotten into trouble and was now asking their parents to clean up the mess.

Unexpected!

Upon hearing Chen Tian's request, which was almost like "passing the buck," OAA, who was sitting in the high-backed chair, suddenly leaned forward, no longer in her previous lazy and casual posture!

He placed his hands on the edge of the round table, his body taut, and a wide, unprecedentedly "unrestrained" smile spread across his face, which was mostly covered by sunglasses!

"Hahahahahahaha--!!!!"

A burst of hearty, unrestrained laughter erupted instantly!

It's filled with the pure, exhilarating joy of a child's triumphant prank!

The laughter echoed in the cozy living room, making the flames in the fireplace seem to leap even more joyfully, creating a striking contrast to Stan Lee's previous gentle and composed demeanor!

"Recovery?" OAA finally managed to stop laughing, his body hunching forward slightly from laughing so hard. He even raised his hand to wipe away non-existent tears hidden beneath his sunglasses, his voice still brimming with laughter. "Little guy! That's a really funny question! Hahaha!"

He straightened his body, spread his hands, and made an exaggerated, theatrical gesture, his tone resolute:

"I can't do it!!"

"This..." Chen Tian's expression froze instantly, his usual nonchalant "passing the buck" demeanor replaced by astonishment.

His brow furrowed, and he unconsciously straightened up a little, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. "Why? Aren't you... the landlord?"

He pointed to the stable space around them, or perhaps to the entire Multiverse, "Isn't this 'big house' all yours? Restoring a... robot that you allowed me to break should be easy for you, right?"

OAA's smile didn't disappear; instead, it became even more profound and unfathomable.

He slowly stood up, no longer leaning against the back of the chair.

The image of that gentle, silver-haired old man seemed to briefly overlap with some invisible, boundless existence at that moment, exuding a gentle yet undeniable sense of supremacy.

"Once upon a time," OAA's voice carried a distant, storytelling quality, "there was a guy who could vaguely see through the 'Fourth Wall.' He was very special; on a certain level of the universe, he once touched upon the truth at the edge of the 'Box.'"

The gaze behind the sunglasses seemed to pierce through time and space, landing on the distant past.

"That guy, at a crucial juncture in his destiny, inadvertently revealed it to that 'troublemaker' at the time." OAA extended a finger and pointed it into the Void, as if emphasizing a vital phrase, "A seemingly simple sentence that reveals the true essence of this world!"

He lowered his head and "looked" at Chen Tian, who was sitting in the chair. His invisible gaze contained a penetrating insight.

"Little guy, back then, you learned the essence of this world through him, and even mocked the creator of this world." OAA's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"You can think about this seriously: if it were the 'real' Marvel Universe —I mean, the 'Marvel Universe' that countless people read, watch, imagine, discuss, and that exists in the real world on the spiritual level of humanity—could anyone replace 'me' there? Or rather, could anyone truly become the 'Authorial Will' itself, the one that gives meaning to everything and determines the course of everything?"

Boom--!!!

This question struck Chen Tian's mind like a bolt of lightning from the heavens, without warning!

The confusion on his face was instantly replaced by utter shock! His pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints! His body stiffened abruptly, and even his breath caught in his throat for a moment!

OAA's words were like an invisible key, instantly unlocking a logical deadlock in Chen Tian's mind that had always been subtly present but had never been confronted by him!

Yes!

If the One-Above-All (OAA) truly represents the embodiment of the author (or collective creative will) in the "real" Marvel Universe...

So, as long as the creators of that world don't have this idea (such as setting the One-Above-All as irreplaceable, incomprehensible, and supreme), in the "real" Marvel Universe, the One-Above-All should be absolutely irreplaceable! He is the will above the Marvel Universe!

So...

The OAA previously mentioned, "There were similar outsiders who replaced me"...

Those "outsiders" who can stand before the OAA, possess the power to sway scripts, and dare to covet the "writer's seat"...

What are their identities?

The only answer, like a flash of lightning, instantly illuminated Chen Tian's chaotic thoughts:

The protagonist of a time-travel novel!

Only those "protagonists" with the aura of time travelers, destined in the setting to replace and conquer everything, and become new gods, would possess such ambition and possibility!

And... what about myself?

He comes from Earth, has a vague understanding of this "Marvel Box," possesses the ability to summon various anime and game characters, and has various powerful abilities, even the completely unreasonable and overpowered ability of "I Am Stronger" is easily mastered.

He fought his way through countless villains, even Death, the Beyonder, and the Living Tribunal, finally standing before the One-Above-All...

Could it be...?

Chen Tian sat blankly in the high-backed chair, his blood-soaked body seemingly devoid of all strength.

He looked at the gentle, inclusive yet unfathomable aura emanating from OAA before him, and it was as if through him he saw some unknown dimension, a desk, someone typing on a keyboard or drawing with a paintbrush...

An unprecedented, bone-chilling cold instantly shot from his spine to the top of his head, making his blood seem to freeze!

If the One-Above-All (OAA) is the embodiment of the will of Marvel's authors...

So, am I... just a protagonist in another "story"?

A character inside a higher-dimensional "Box"?

This thought was like a black hole, instantly swallowing all his thoughts.

He felt his mind go blank, his mouth slightly open, and he made a meaningless "uh..." sound in his throat. He was completely dumbfounded.

The fireplace still Kakkō warmly, and the scent of pine was still intoxicating, but the atmosphere in the room suddenly became incredibly eerie and profound under Chen Tian's blank, shocked, and even slightly fearful gaze.

The remaining liquid from the black tea he had finished drinking rippled gently at the bottom of the white bone china cup, reflecting his bewildered face.

OAA (Stan Lee) stood quietly by the round table, his gaze behind his sunglasses gently fixed on Chen Tian, who was caught in a storm of cognitive collapse.

Looking at that face covered in blood and frozen in an expression of extreme shock, OAA's lips slowly curled up, forming a gentle smile that was all-knowing, with the understanding of an elder and a hint of cunning.

"It seems," OAA's voice broke the silence, still calm, yet like a stone thrown into a deep pool, clearly entering Chen Tian's chaotic mind, "You guessed it."

This statement was like a sentence being handed down to Chen Tian's thinking.

Chen Tian's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to refute, but no sound came out; only his Adam's apple bobbed laboriously.

OAA nodded slightly. Stan Lee's image at this moment was more like a gentle guide, telling a cruel and true allegory about existence itself.

"Now that you've guessed it, you should understand the key." OAA turned slightly to the side, as if demonstrating some kind of invisible structure.

"In all the stories you know that could 'replace' me—whether comics, novels, or other forms of narrative—" He tapped the Void lightly with his finger, "That replaced 'me' is merely a 'clone,' a projection, a 'character' created to fit the logic of that story."

He paused for a moment, allowing the weight of his words to settle.

"And the true 'I,' the original will that gives meaning to everything and carries all possibilities," OAA's voice carried an indescribable sense of ultimate meaning, "Exists only, and always exists, within the concept of the 'Marvel Universe' itself—the original one you know, the source and ultimate blueprint of everything. It is the cornerstone of that universe, the inexhaustible source of that story, and the ultimate manifestation of the 'Authorial Will' itself at that narrative level."

Chen Tian felt as if his heart was being squeezed by an icy hand.

OAA's words confirmed his deepest fear—he thought he had broken out of the Box, but he had only jumped into a larger, more complex Box, and even the gentle "landlord" in front of him was just a replaceable component in the blueprint of that larger Box.

OAA continued his analysis, his tone as gentle as if he were explaining the way home to a lost child.

"It's precisely because 'I' in these derivative universes and these stories is merely an 'avatar' existing according to the needs of the 'script'," he spread his hands, making a helpless yet resigned gesture, "That, theoretically, I can be 'replaced'. As long as the story requires it, as long as readers want to see a new god rise, there will always be a way to let some 'protagonist' take that position and replace me as the 'administrator'."

He abruptly changed the subject, his gaze seemingly piercing through Chen Tian and the walls of this cozy room, pointing meaningfully towards a certain Void —the endless the Void beyond the "air wall" that isolates the ultimate truth.

"So, little one, let's get back to your original question." OAA's tone carried a peculiar, pointed clarity, "Can 'I' restore the 'Box' (the Living Tribunal and the cosmic order) that you destroyed, and repair the 'lawn' (the Multiverse structure) that you messed up?" He shrugged slightly, his movements elegant, "That... really isn't something that this alternate version of 'me' can decide."

He pointed to that invisible boundary.

"It depends on that."

"It depends on the creator of the 'Box,' who exists in a higher dimension, controls the beginning and end of all stories, and determines everything that exists, including this 'I' avatar."

OAA's voice was gentle, yet carried a suffocating sense of fatalism. "It depends on Him, whether He 'goes by his mood' or not."

"Then what can I do?" Chen Tian blurted out, his voice dry and hoarse, as if it had been sanded by sandpaper.

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over him, making him feel as insignificant as a speck of dust.

He chuckled, a laugh filled with self-mockery, bitterness, and a near-desperate absurdity. "So, should I kneel down and pray? Pray that I, the ' Box creator'—that guy who's probably scrolling through short videos or rushing to finish a draft in some corner—will 'discreetly' spare a moment to 'mercifully' move a finger and restore my 'home' (the Primordial Universe) that was ravaged by the disaster to its original state?"

He spread out his hands, covered in wounds and blood, and looked at the scabs between his fingers, feeling utterly ironic.

He fought with all his might to shatter the supreme embodiment of rules, only to find that the remote control of fate remained in the hands of a higher-dimensional "author" who might be completely unaware of or indifferent to it.

"You could say that." OAA nodded; Stan Lee's image at that moment was more like a gentle announcer confirming the harsh reality.

His tone was calm, as if he were stating a perfectly natural universal law.

"Ha..." Chen Tian let out a short, sharp sound, as if his spine had been removed, and the last bit of strength that was supporting him completely disappeared.

He stopped struggling, stopped straightening his back, and let his heavy body sink completely into the soft back of the chair, like a puppet without its strings.

His bloodied body slumped weakly against the chair cushion, each breath heavy with exhaustion.

"Death... the Beyonder ..." He murmured to himself, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the flickering spots of Kakkō on the ceiling, illuminated by the fireplace. His voice was as soft as a wisp of smoke that might dissipate at any moment.

"They always called me an 'outsider'... but in the end..." He forced a smile that was more like a grimace, "I'm still just a product...of a bigger 'Box'. A puppet whose path was predetermined, ultimately discovering that even resistance itself might just be part of the script."

Clatter

A drop of water, mixed with blood and an unidentified liquid, dripped from his bloodstained chin, landing on the thick carpeted floor and silently spreading into a small, dark stain.

Just then, the OAA (Stan Lee) made a move.

He slowly walked around the round table and stood in front of Chen Tian, who was slumped in his chair.

The old man leaned down slightly, placing his hands on the armrests of Chen Tian's high-backed chair, his face, adorned with sunglasses and a gentle smile, drawing closer.

The fireplace light cast a soft glow along the edges of his silvery-white hair, and the lenses of his sunglasses reflected Chen Tian's dejected face.

A gentle aroma, carrying the lingering scents of black tea and pine, lightly brushed against Chen Tian's cheek.

OAA tilted her head slightly, and in a teasing yet encouraging tone, like an elder looking at a junior who has suffered a setback and is feeling dejected, she asked clearly:

"So, little guy, you're... giving up?"

Chen Tian slowly raised his head, a smile more painful than a grimace tugging at his blood-stained and weary face. He looked at OAA's gentle face, so close to his own, the sunglasses concealing the other's true gaze, yet unable to hide the profound insight that seemed to see through everything.

"Give up?" Chen Tian's voice was dry and hoarse, each word sounding as if it were being ground out from gravel. "Then what can I do?"

He raised his heavy arm, the hand that had just shattered the embodiment of the universe's rules, now appearing weak and powerless. He pointed vaguely with his finger at the invisible barrier outside the room, the barrier that separated the ultimate truth, or perhaps at some more distant, more unknowable dimension.

"Break this 'Box'?" His tone was full of self-deprecating sarcasm. "Go to the 'creator' who might be lying on the sofa scrolling through short videos, or squatting on the toilet daydreaming?"

Chen Tian's fingers tightened suddenly, as if he were trying to grab something by the collar, his eyes filled with an extreme sense of powerlessness mixed with absurd ferocity.

"Then grab him by the collar and yell at him: 'Hey! Put it back together! Put back the house you smashed up, everything I care about! Or I'll tear your broken table down!' -- Like that?!' His voice rose, filled with a hysterical despair, but quickly fell back down after the last word, leaving only endless dejection. 'Is that even possible? In his eyes, what am I? A speck of dust? A character? Or even... just a little noise that he finds a bit annoying?'"

OAA listened quietly to Chen Tian's roar and self-deprecation, his smile fading slightly. He didn't answer immediately, but instead straightened up slightly, looking down at the young man slumped in his chair, his gaze behind his sunglasses seemingly carrying a hint of regret.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." OAA shook his head, letting out a few soft sighs that were clearly tinged with disappointment. His gentle Stan Lee image now exuded an almost cold, divine scrutiny.

"Oh ho," his voice remained calm, but the warmth of his tolerance seemed to have diminished somewhat, "It seems... the little guy I thought was 'funny' is starting to... become less fun."

These words were like a cold needle, precisely piercing Chen Tian's last defense. He looked up abruptly, a flash of anger at being offended crossing his eyes, but more than that, a sense of shame at being completely seen through and a deeper self-mockery.

"Interesting?" Chen Tian scoffed, his voice sharp. "My 'couch potato' personality? My complacent attitude of not wanting to be a ruler? My anger and rebellion? Even my despair and self-doubt right now..."

He gritted his teeth, each syllable heavy with self-loathing, "Isn't all of this...isn't this all part of his design? To make the story seem more 'real'? More 'dramatic'? To make it more relatable to readers? My current personality...my so-called 'self,' isn't it just something that guy 'created' to satisfy his own creative desires?!"

He practically roared it out, his body trembling slightly from the intense emotions, which aggravated his numerous injuries, causing a fine layer of cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

He felt like a Joker stripped naked, all his proud "uniqueness" nothing more than a carefully crafted persona.

To Chen Tian's surprise, OAA's gentle Stan Lee smile vanished completely in the face of his almost soul-wrenching accusations and self-destructive roars.

Instead, there was an unprecedented seriousness.

OAA slowly straightened up, no longer looking down, but the invisible pressure seemed to suddenly become a thousand times heavier.

The fireplace Kakkō in the room seemed to have dimmed a bit, and the fresh scent of pine in the air seemed to have solidified.

OAA's gaze pierced through his sunglasses, as if it were a tangible object nailing into Chen Tian's soul.

"You need to understand," his tone was resolute, each word striking Chen Tian's heart like a hammer blow, "If you don't take over the 'power' that guy used to create this world..."

He paused deliberately to make his next words more impactful.

"--So, when that 'him,' whether he's lying on the sofa scrolling through videos or 'wasting time' somewhere 'taking the toilet,' when he finally notices, or simply 'spurs the moment's' and starts looking into your 'storyline'..."

OAA's voice suddenly took on a cruel, suffocating sense of urgency.

"--The world you cherish, the place you call 'home'..."

"--Everyone you care about! Your friends! Your lover! Everything you protect..."

"--They perished, vanished, turned to Void, or were arbitrarily altered beyond recognition..."

"--It could happen in an instant!"

"--In a fleeting, unintentional thought of 'him'!"

"--And at that time, what did you want to do...?"

The sound of OAA echoed like a death knell within Chen Tian's skull:

"--It will really be too late."

Boom!!!

The last few words, like a violent thunderbolt, cleaved through Chen Tian's chaotic thoughts, which were shrouded in layers of despair and self-doubt!

Chen Tian suddenly jumped up from his chair!

It wasn't the kind of struggling to sit up like before; instead, it felt like being struck by a high-voltage electric shock, with all the muscles in my body instantly tensing to their limit!

His blood-stained face suddenly narrowed his unfocused, lifeless eyes, which had been filled with death.

His pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints in utter shock and fear, then suddenly dilated!

Like two dead stars sinking into the abyss, they were forcibly ignited at the edge of the black hole's event horizon!

Deep within his pupils, the once extinguished azure cross-shaped starlight, representing the power to rewrite "I Am Stronger," reignited with a roar, as if doused with scalding fuel!

It burst forth with an unprecedented, intense light that almost pierced the eyelids!

"No...!!"

A broken, hoarse, and off-key syllable was squeezed out of Chen Tian's throat.

All his despondency, self-pity, and Void questioning of the meaning of existence... were confronted with the naked, stark "final countdown" revealed by the OAA, a countdown concerning the very survival of those he cared about!

Moment!

Like fragile glass!

Overwhelmed by that primal and violent fear called "loss"!

It was ground into powder!!!

He cannot accept this! He absolutely will not allow it!

Whether it's a script or a doll, whether it's creation or setting...

His existence may Void, but the smiles of those he protects must be genuine! Their existence must continue!

A power even more ferocious, resolute, and reckless than when he fought the Living Tribunal erupted like a volcano dormant for billions of years, deep within his crumbling soul, accompanied by the blazing azure Blue Planet!

The fireplace Kakkō flickered violently, and the warm light and shadow in the room were suddenly disrupted by this violent aura, turning the room into a grotesque mess!

Chen Tian's blood-soaked body stood ramrod straight, like a blade of destiny, freshly forged and burned crimson, born only to sever the shackles of fate!

He stared intently at OAA's stern face, his chest heaving violently, each breath carrying a scalding, murderous aura!

"I... understand." Chen Tian's voice was no longer hoarse; it was deep, cold, and contained a determination strong enough to tear reality apart. "What should we do?"

He no longer needs to ask "Why me?" or "Why me?"

Because there's only one answer: it's him!

Only he, this "Anomaly" who is inside the box yet has glimpsed the outline of the higher Box, has even the slightest chance to touch the power that determines everything!

For everything he cares about, he must become that "Anomaly"!

As OAA looked at Chen Tian, who seemed to have crawled out of a pool of blood from hell and instantly transformed from despair to determination, the cold seriousness on his sunglasses-wearing face slowly faded.

A gentle smile, indescribable yet tinged with relief, anticipation, and a deeper meaning, bloomed once again on Stan Lee's face.

"Very good," OAA's voice returned to its initial calm, yet carried a guiding force, "This is what I wanted to see, the interesting little guy."

His kind gaze fell on Chen Tian, like an elder scrutinizing a junior who had finally made up his mind, full of encouragement and a hint of barely perceptible slyness. "Little guy, you have a strong determination, but it won't be easy to pry open the creator of that 'Box.' Let me..." OAA's tone carried a mysterious ease, "To find you a helper."

"An accomplice?" Chen Tian frowned slightly, the azure starlight in his eyes still burning brightly, but now tinged with confusion. At this level beyond the rules of the Multiverse, what kind of "accomplice" could possibly be useful? Could it be another avatar of the One-Above-All (OAA)? Or some unmentioned supreme being?

OAA didn't answer directly, but the gentle smile on his lips widened slightly, carrying a hint of childlike smugness. He stopped looking at Chen Tian, and instead slowly raised his right hand, gently grasping at the seemingly stable space formed by the cozy room and fireplace in front of him!

There was no energy fluctuation, no spatial distortion. It was as if he had simply made an extremely natural grasping motion towards the air.

However, just as he closed his five fingers!

Thump!

A naked, soaking wet figure, still bubbling with soap, was suddenly "shoved" into this dimensionally stable living room, filled with the pleasant scent of pine and black tea! It landed heavily on the thick plush carpet!

Chen Tian's pupils suddenly contracted!

The figure was a little dazed from the fall, but the body still maintained the momentum of the previous movement:

He held a comically shaped, wide-mouthed yellow rubber duck aloft in his left hand.

In his right hand, he was holding a blue, fluffy bath brush and making a scrubbing motion.

Most importantly—he was completely naked! Only a large amount of white foam stubbornly covered the vital parts, barely maintaining a semblance of a "mosaic" effect. Wet droplets rolled down his muscle lines, quickly spreading into a small dark water stain on the carpet.

The whole world seemed to have been put on pause.

The flames in the fireplace were frozen in the instant they leaped in the air.

The fresh scent of pine and the lingering aroma of black tea seemed to freeze in time.

Only the naked man who had been suddenly "teleported" remained in that extremely comical and inappropriate pose, like an absurd sculpture frozen in time.

Chen Tian stared intently at that face, which was still highly recognizable even under the bubble's cover—covered with crisscrossing dark red scars, as if burned by fire and forcibly healed countless times. That distinctive disfigured face!

"... Wade?!" Chen Tian almost cried out in shock, his voice trembling with extreme astonishment.

Deadpool?!

OAA seemed quite pleased with Chen Tian's astonished reaction. Like a playful old man showing off his work, he smiled and withdrew his hand.

As he removed his hand, the invisible "pause" force was also released.

Splat!

Deadpool dropped the yellow duck he was holding onto the carpet while he was distracted.

He unconsciously scrubbed his soap-covered arm again with the bath brush in his right hand.

"La la la~♪ Who lives in the big pineapple in the deep sea~♪ SpongeBob SquarePants ~♪" Deadpool was completely unaware of the drastic change in his environment, humming the off-key theme song of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and rubbing his butt with a brush, as if he were still in the bathtub of his own apartment.

But the next second, his movements suddenly froze.

The humming stopped abruptly.

His eyes, which Chen Tian had restored with the Infinity Stones, blinked twice in a daze.

My gaze slowly moved from my bubble-covered arms to the expensive Persian velvet carpet at my feet, then to the exquisite fireplace burning with pine wood, and finally to the oak round table with its bone china tea set...

Finally, his gaze settled on the round table— Chen Tian, covered in blood, with an eerie azure Blue Planet burning deep in his pupils; and another, a Stan Lee version of the OAA, wearing sunglasses, with meticulously combed silver hair, an elegant sweater, and a gentle, kind smile on his face.

Deadpool's neck stiffly lifted, one notch at a time, as he looked around the room, which was completely out of place with the style of his cheap apartment bathroom and was filled with a cozy, classic British atmosphere.

Two seconds of deathly silence.

Then...

"Jesus the motherfucker Christ's toenails!!!" (English profanity automatically filtered out) A piercing scream, like that of a quack being choked.

It burst forth from Deadpool's throat, instantly shattering the already heavy and eerie atmosphere in the room!

He sprang up from the carpet like a startled giant frog!

With his arms tightly crossed over his chest and his legs pressed together, he curled up in an extremely comical yet defensive posture, staring warily at the two people in the room.