Tony held the latest newspaper, reading the report on last night’s incident.
The headline read: “Who is Iron Man?”
It had to be said, the efficiency of those newspapers was truly impeccable.
The moment they heard about the robot battle at Stark Industries, they swarmed in like sharks in a feeding frenzy, working tirelessly through the night to rush their stories to print.
Even without knowing the full inside story, these newspapers had seized on what the general public cared about, exaggerating the robot incident and even insinuating a nickname for Tony: “Iron Man.”
Tony remarked with feigned interest, “Iron Man. It’s a catchy name, but not entirely accurate. It’s made of a gold-titanium alloy. Still, it works well as a slogan.”
Beside him, Pepper was carefully applying foundation to Tony’s face to cover his wounds, gently peeling off the adhesive tape from the bridge of his nose.
Just then, a man dressed in black with a kind face approached and handed Tony a prepared script.
“Your statement is all here.”
This man, whose face naturally inspired trust and goodwill, was none other than S.H.I.E.L.D. elite agent Phil Coulson.
Despite his honest and reliable appearance, the occasional sharp glint in his eyes hinted that this “honest man” was anything but simple.
He possessed the skill and competence to truly earn his title as an elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Coulson explained the cover story they had fabricated for Tony to present to the media, his tone completely earnest.
“…You just need to read exactly what’s written here.”
“Wait a minute,” Tony interrupted, his brow furrowing.
“Why isn’t Obadiah mentioned anywhere in this?”
Unlike in the movie, Gao Ming’s intervention had changed things.
Obadiah, who should have met his end, had instead been tackled and apprehended by a swarm of police officers, his hopes of escape and ambitions for a comeback crushed.
Tony didn’t know what had happened to Obadiah since then, so he asked Coulson.
“We’ve taken care of it,” Coulson replied with a knowing smile.
“He’s gone to a very lively place to meet many friendly new acquaintances.”
Hearing this, Tony could only guess Obadiah’s fate.
He was most likely locked away in some secret, high-security prison, spending his days “picking up soap.”
The thought of Obadiah spending the rest of his life in such a…
*compromising* environment filled Tony with a sense of immense satisfaction.
Coming back to his senses, Tony once again complained about the story S.H.I.E.L.D. had fabricated: “Don’t you think this story sounds too much like a movie plot? Saying my bodyguard built a robot…”
Coulson kept his smile as he said, “Mr. Stark, I’ve already taken that into account. You just need to read the script, and the whole thing will be quieted down in no time.”
With that, Coulson prepared to leave.
Pepper expressed her sincere gratitude for Coulson’s assistance, and he replied with a humble, polite gesture before departing.
To prevent the previous night’s events from continuing to fester and ultimately spiraling out of control, Tony held a press conference to explain the incident after having the bullet surgically removed from his thigh.
Although he walked with a limp due to the recent surgery, Tony still appeared as spirited as ever as he walked onto the press conference stage.
Below, a dense crowd of reporters had already taken their seats, waiting for him to explain.
Incidentally, Tony was now severely lacking in trustworthy people he could rely on.
After Obadiah’s betrayal, Tony had become even more cautious.
Rhodey was a soldier, so he naturally couldn’t be by Tony’s side all the time.
As for Ethan, after his fate was changed from dying in the movie, he was warmly hosted by Tony for a while before leaving on his own, since he also had his own life to live.
Therefore, Tony was now left with only Pepper and Happy by his side.
Seeing Tony arrive, Rhodey, who had been chatting and playing the “Tai Chi” game with the reporters, stepped aside and let Tony stand at the podium to begin speaking.
Tony took out the script and read it word for word.
In the middle, an overbearing female reporter interrupted his speech: “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Stark, but do you really think we’ll believe in a magical bodyguard, and you even…”
Before she could finish, Tony revealed his cynical side, flashing a wicked smile: “I know it sounds a bit far-fetched. You’re welcome to question the official statement, but don’t make wild guesses and insinuate that I’m a superhero.”
The female reporter retorted cunningly, “I never said you were a superhero.”
Indeed, these reporters would never state their views in black and white.
They only used subtle hints and tricks to lure the ignorant public into thinking in that direction.
Even if the parties involved were unhappy, they were helpless against these airtight reporters.
Tony, caught off guard by the reporter’s jab, froze.
He looked at the supremely confident woman and stammered, “Really? It does sound a bit too sci-fi, doesn’t it? I’m hardly hero material. I’ve got so many flaws, I’ve caused so much trouble for everyone…”
Tony’s gaze wandered, his focus clearly drifting from the script in his hand.
He was trying to remember if he’d ever slept with this reporter.
Why was she being so aggressive?
Then again, his own romantic history was so extensive he couldn’t recall if he’d ever had a fling with her.
Seeing Tony stray further from the script, Rhodey leaned in and whispered urgently, “Read the damn script!”
Tony snapped back to attention.
“Yeah, okay. Yeah.”
He picked up the script again.
“The truth is…” He paused, then slowly lowered the paper.
With a completely deadpan expression, he dropped a bombshell: “…I am Iron Man.”
The room erupted.
The press corps swarmed forward, cameras flashing, a cacophony of voices shouting questions all at once.
***
Lying comfortably on his own sofa, Gao Ming watched the live news broadcast on TV.
He chuckled softly, picked up the remote, and turned off the television.
A newspaper lay on the table.
Besides the headline “Who is Iron Man?”, there was another article: “Mysterious Savior, Suspected Godfather of Iron Man?”
He never expected the imaginative reporters to twist his title into such a meaning.
To be fair, his title was “Godfather,” but he had never planned to adopt Tony Stark as his son…
Walking to the windowsill and looking at the bustling streets outside, he murmured, “A new era…”
Tony Stark announcing to the whole world that he was Iron Man might have been a whim of the moment, but he didn’t know that his words had drawn the curtain on a new era.
Unlike Tony, who was now basking in the applause and praise, Gao Ming, as a transmigrator with the advantage of knowing the plot, knew all too well the earth-shattering changes that were about to unfold. This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.
Soon, Dr. Banner would transform into the Hulk and battle Abomination in the streets of Broadway.
Then, just over half a year later, while Whiplash was causing trouble for Iron Man, a hammer from Asgard and a depowered brute would fall from the sky at the exact same moment.
After that, New York would seem to enjoy a year or two of peace before facing an invasion by an alien army.
The bustling metropolis would be ruthlessly destroyed, reduced to ruins, and nearly receive a “nuclear gift” sent by the government.
In the future, they would face a continuous stream of various disasters—the dark dimension’s ruler Dormammu, the Dark Elves, the artificial intelligence Ultron…
A decade later, they would face the greatest challenge in history.
Gao Ming looked up at the vast, boundless sky.
His solemn gaze seemed to traverse countless light-years, reaching the far side of the deep universe to meet the eyes of the being sitting on a throne, despising all living creatures.
The Destroyer who struck terror into the entire universe, Thanos!
This cosmic overlord, who aspired to become omniscient and omnipotent, would never abandon his quest to collect the Infinity Stones.
And Earth, an ordinary blue planet, miraculously held four of them: the Mind, Time, Space, and Reality Stones!
Although the Space Stone was later entrusted to Asgard and the Reality Stone was given to the Collector, Earth still possessed the Mind Stone—embedded in Vision’s forehead—and the Time Stone, held by Doctor Strange, who would eventually become the Sorcerer Supreme.
With two Infinity Stones in its possession, Earth was destined to face Thanos’s invasion and plunder.
Before his transmigration, Gao Ming had never seen *Avengers: Infinity War* in theaters.
His knowledge of the plot ended with the conclusion of *Thor: Ragnarok*, where Thor and Loki led the surviving Asgardians toward Earth, only to be intercepted by Thanos’s massive fleet.
Although Gao Ming had seen some trailers for *Avengers: Infinity War*, the scenes of superheroes uniting to protect Earth and fight Thanos were indeed inspiring.
But the fact that it took everyone’s combined strength to face Thanos alone was, in a way, a testament to his overwhelming power.
The image of Thanos casually slotting the Space Stone into the Infinity Gauntlet still filled him with a sense of helplessness.
The despair of being unable to resist Thanos…
Gao Ming slowly closed his eyes.
He didn’t know exactly how powerful Thanos was, nor did he know how much his own fluttering wings as a tiny butterfly would change, much less how to solve the problem when that moment arrived.
But he knew very well that since he was already living in this world, he would not cling to the hope of being one of the half of the universe’s living beings who would survive with a 50% chance.
Instead, he would do his utmost to find a way to change the future, to protect everything, and to defeat the villain!
“I, Gao Ming, a person who is fortunate to live in this world, a person who suddenly obtained superpowers…”
Gao Ming spoke softly.
“Swear to eradicate all evil, protect innocent people, step forward when disaster strikes, and face the difficulties when the world is in crisis…”
His words were plain and unadorned, but his tone grew more resolute.
“Even in the face of that despair-inducing existence, I will grit my teeth, give it my all, and throw a punch hard at his face!”
Gao Ming suddenly opened his eyes and swung a punch at the sky.
The fist tore through the air, creating a sonic boom.
Thanos, I’m waiting for your arrival!
***
Well, from an observer’s perspective, Gao Ming stood there without moving, his expression shifting unpredictably, before suddenly throwing a punch at the sky.
The perfect picture of a complete lunatic…
(End of Chapter)