Chapter 171

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Can a mere mortal be compared to a god? Tony Stark's face instantly showed an incredibly smug expression.

Even for the always flamboyant and ostentatious Tony, this statement was overly exaggerated. So, this is how Zhou Cheng, the owner of the diary, truly views him? Does Zhou Cheng really hold him in such high esteem?

Tony couldn't deny it. Reading Zhou Cheng's "heartfelt words" in the diary gave him more satisfaction than being compared to a god.

"Hmm, a mere mortal compared to a god, nicely said!" Tony couldn't help but nod repeatedly, giving Zhou Cheng's assessment high praise. "Finally, Zhou Cheng has provided a fair evaluation."

As expected of the diary's owner, knowing how to summarize so succinctly and to the point. Not just anyone could make such precise comments.

After basking in his smugness, Tony quickly refocused his thoughts and began analyzing the related spoilers. So, the set of Iron Man armor that made him "divine" is the nano armor? 

Yes, indeed. Considering the inherent attributes of the Iron Man armor, the nano armor is indeed the most suitable form. This type of armor not only can achieve a variety of current unattainable functions but, more importantly, can overcome the natural flaws of Iron Man armor.

What flaw? It can't be carried closely!

This means that whenever Tony wants to use his Iron Man armor, he must return to his luxurious villa or Stark Tower. To put it plainly, this means Stark is unable to respond to sudden events. In such a case, no matter how powerful the armor is, once he is separated from it, he's just an ordinary person. Even a simple gun could take down Iron Man.

Of course, Iron Man has specifically developed portable armor to address this issue. However, due to technical limitations, the portable armor is a weakened version, with almost all functions halved. It works against ordinary people but falls short against more formidable superhumans.

Moreover, even though it is called "portable," it's still quite cumbersome. Tony couldn't carry it around all the time; he'd leave it in his car, hotel, or other places. In the event of a sudden situation, it could help Tony suit up as quickly as possible, but it still required some time.

But the nano armor is completely different. Tony can truly carry it with him, suiting up anytime, anywhere, and becoming Iron Man instantly! Without a doubt, this is the truly perfect form of the Iron Man armor. Naturally, Tony aspired to this form and believed he would achieve it one day.

Unfortunately, Tony currently doesn't have such advanced knowledge in the nano field. Or like Howard Stark before him, Tony faces similar limitations. The upper limit of nano-technology is there, and even if Tony masters it fully, it's still constrained by the era.

[Though even the nano armor only managed to scratch Thanos.]

[But for Stark, a mere mortal, to achieve this is already remarkable.]

[After all, he was an interstellar overlord!]

[Aside from commanding a massive interstellar fleet, his own strength was terrifyingly potent, effortlessly beating the Hulk to submission!]

[To the point where Hulk didn't dare to appear and hid inside Banner.]

[No one in the Marvel universe accomplished this except Thanos!]

[In Endgame, he even made the three leading Avengers look like amateurs.]

[If it weren't for the timely intervention by Kamar-Taj to teleport the human alliance, the three leading Avengers would have been finished.]

[For a person of such caliber, even scratching him is no small feat.]

Tony: "..."

Zhou Cheng had just given a fair and objective assessment of Tony, but now he's back to belittling him. Why bring up "scratching" again? Still, despite his grumbling, Iron Man gained further insight into Thanos' power.

The fact that Thanos made the three top Avengers look like amateurs was already well-known. Zhou Cheng had previously listed many epic battles in the Marvel Universe, half of which involved the Avengers against Thanos. Both Tony and his Big Three mates, Thor and Captain America, were included.

Hulk being beaten and hiding inside Banner, however, was news to Tony. He had personally experienced Hulk's might. According to all the evidence and clues, Hulk was a mindless beast that grew stronger the angrier he got. Even gods like Thor and Loki were no match for him.

Yet, someone like that was afraid of Thanos? Not just defeated, but terrified?

That level of fear was far more significant than defeat. Truly, Thanos was extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Kamar-Taj caught Tony's attention again. This organization had space teleportation technology, or perhaps methods? The diary had mentioned Kamar-Taj before, but without much detail. Tony knew that Doctor Strange came from this organization.

So, Kamar-Taj is a mage organization? Teleporting the human alliance on such a large scale was likely some space magic. If they had time magic and space magic, Kamar-Taj was indeed exceptional!

[However, nano armor might not come into play until the Civil War era, when Stark meets Black Panther, right?]

[His nano armor received support from Wakandan technology.]

[After all, Wakanda is at the forefront of nano-technology, having developed the nano Black Panther suit first.]

[Not only in the nano field, Wakanda leads in many other advanced fields.]

[Overall, it is the most developed and technologically advanced country in the world.]

"Black Panther's sister, Shuri, is just as smart as Stark, if not smarter!"

"Many of Wakanda's technological marvels were developed by Shuri."

"Black Panther?"

"Why do so many people choose animal-based code names for themselves?"

"Is it a lack of imagination, or are abilities related to animals easier to obtain?"

Tony couldn't help but scoff aloud.

There's Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and now, Black Panther.

Hawkeye Barton has confirmed that his eyes were enhanced, making them as sharp as a hawk's. Spider-Man and Ant-Man are still unclear, but Tony can only guess their abilities are related to spiders or ants. So, does this mean Black Panther's abilities are related to a panther?

Of course, this was just Tony's speculation. He couldn't be sure of the specifics.

But Wakanda?

Iron Man's face showed a hint of confusion.

From previous information about the Sokovia Accords and the death of a Wakandan citizen, Tony had researched Wakanda and found that it was an extremely backward country in Africa. It was even considered one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world. Its civilization was essentially stuck in the agricultural stage, doing nothing but farming.

And now, his own nano-suit technology came from such a country? 

What a joke!

It was like saying a math champion couldn't solve a math problem but got assistance from a grade-schooler—utterly ridiculous.

Reading further, Tony's expression became quite interesting.

What?

Wakanda is actually the most advanced and developed country in the world, not the poorest?

Did he misremember?

That shouldn't be possible!

With his intellect, even if he occasionally remembered things wrong, it shouldn't be such a huge discrepancy.

But to be sure, Tony asked Jarvis, "Jarvis, Wakanda is the poorest country in the world, right? I didn't get that wrong, did I?"

"Yes, sir."

Jarvis immediately responded, projecting related information before Tony.

"Based on the current available data, Wakanda is indeed a severely underdeveloped country, even in the early stages of civilizational development."

Tony skimmed through the images Jarvis projected.

Indeed, it was incredibly backward; he hadn't remembered wrong.

But the diary wouldn't be wrong either!

"There's no other Wakanda, right?"

Tony confirmed with Jarvis once more.

Of course, Iron Man understood that countries don't share names, but the stark contrast in information was bewildering.

"Sir, you still retain your sense of humor."

Jarvis knew Tony wasn't seriously asking.

"It seems everything must be a disguise by Wakanda."

"The most developed country disguised as the poorest? Interesting. What are they hiding?"

Tony's eyes sparkled with curiosity about Wakanda.

And he felt a sense of challenge.

Zhou Cheng claimed that Shuri was smarter than him?

Whether it's from Zhou Cheng's "certified" Reid Richards or this Shuri, Tony Stark was keen to meet them all.

Okay, in the case of Mr. Fantastic Richards, Tony had already "sparred" with him.

Tony had to admit, the praise heaped on Richards was justified.

He was indeed a top-tier, almost Tony-level scientist.

But could Shuri be the same?

Tony now had a clearer understanding of what Black Panther might be.

Turns out, his powers come from a "Black Panther suit"?

In that case, this Black Panther is similar to Tony's type of superhero.

"Stark wouldn't know, as they haven't met."

"But during the Infinity War, when the Avengers went to Wakanda to remove the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead, Dr. Banner had some exchanges with Shuri."

"There was a noticeable difference in their knowledge, particularly in fields relevant to removing the Infinity Stone."

"Unfortunately, Thanos's army arrived in force, not giving the Avengers enough time."

"Otherwise, Shuri could have successfully removed the stone, and Vision wouldn't have died from Thanos forcibly extracting it."

"Mind Stone?"

"Is this another Infinity Stone?"

Tony's heart skipped a beat.

Although the diary didn't explicitly mention "Infinity Stone," based on the naming and context, it was clear that the Mind Stone was an Infinity Stone.

Otherwise, why would Thanos come for it?

So after the Time Stone, Power Stone, and Space Stone, the diary finally revealed another Infinity Stone.

And without a doubt, since it's a Mind Stone, it must have mental abilities.

Mind abilities?

Tony's brow furrowed; this was indeed a very troubling power.

Even for someone like Tony, aspects related to the mind and soul were beyond his reach.

But did Vision really have an Infinity Stone embedded in his forehead?

Tony couldn't help but be amazed.

He already knew from previous revelations that Vision was essentially a robot.

But never would he have imagined that this robot used an Infinity Stone.

This was too extravagant!

An Infinity Stone!

Something Thanos was collecting, even Odin once wanted.

That level of power, used in a robot?

No wonder Vision was so powerful!

Wait a minute!

As he marveled, Tony suddenly had a thought.

The diary said that Vision was created by him and Ultron.

So, that Mind Stone was installed in Vision by him or Ultron?

Given the complex relationship between Tony and Ultron, he couldn't easily figure it out.

But one thing was for sure: He or Ultron had access to an Infinity Stone!

So, how did they acquire it?

Was it on Earth this whole time?