Chapter 196

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"Oh, this is surprising! Even Thanos has made a move?"

Tony instinctively opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.

"Fury, that guy, really knows how to stir things up. Did he even leave someone like Thanos alone? Unbelievable!"

Thanos probably never considered it. A mighty overlord who could erase half the universe's life would be plotted against by a mere little bug.

He would never have guessed that his powers would appear in a Skrull, who lost his home and was forced to survive on Earth.

Even Tony didn't think of that. But the fact that Fury didn't spare even someone like Thanos shows the extent of his DNA collection.

It's likely that Fury has collected DNA from every superpowered individual who appeared.

"So, in the end, amidst all the interstellar power struggles, Nick Fury is the real beneficiary? The ultimate mastermind? Impressive!"

Hold on a second!

While Tony was silently awed, his expression suddenly changed, and he raised his eyebrow.

"Did Thanos also time travel? From the past to the future? This was completely unexpected for Tony."

He always knew the Avengers traveled through time to gather the stones, journeying from the future to the past. But Thanos doing the opposite?

If that's the case, then Tony's timeline of battles between the Avengers and Thanos might not be accurate. All his intel was based on the assumption of only one Thanos.

Now, it seems the Avengers might have been facing different Thanos. Multiple Thanos? How absurd!

Handling just one Thanos was already suffocating and despair-inducing. And now, there could be more?

If the two Thanos fought independently, it might be somewhat bearable. But if they joined forces...

Tony couldn't even imagine it!

So, a critical issue now was determining how many Thanos existed in this timeline. Or when the other Thanos traveled from and to.

Unfortunately, the diary didn't provide enough details. Tony couldn't draw a definite conclusion.

But one thing he did deduce: the second Thanos undoubtedly died in the Battle of Endgame.

After all, "dust to dust" had said it all.

The diary had long spoiled that Tony snapped his fingers to deal with Thanos. How to deal with him? The answer was clear.

Just like Thanos erasing half the universe, Tony would wipe out Thanos' entire fleet.

Uproot all of Thanos' forces. That's the way to save the world, right?

The diary mentioned long ago that Tony would die saving the world.

So, it was clear what Tony's snap in Endgame was meant for.

Initially, Tony thought the Endgame was the final battle, as Thanos was defeated. But now, he couldn't be so optimistic.

Because there wasn't just one Thanos!

Endgame defeated the Thanos who traveled from the past. But what about the other Thanos?

But since it's called "Endgame," it signals the last battle. Could it be the other Thanos was already dead?

Or perhaps, after retiring, Thanos lived a quiet life without causing more trouble?

But it didn't add up!

Recently, Tony learned about Thanos's philosophy and his motive for erasing half the universe.

During Endgame, Hulk did snap, bringing back those whom Thanos erased. How could a retired Thanos stay put then?

Wouldn't he emerge again?

In such circumstances, could it really be the "Endgame"?

Did the hidden Thanos get taken care of too? Or was there some other reason he couldn't cause more trouble?

Various questions flashed in Tony's mind. But he couldn't figure out the specifics just yet.

"Is it Gravik?"

Nick Fury, reading another diary, frowned slightly, visibly annoyed.

Not only because the DNA Harvest plan was exposed but also because Tony would need handling now.

But for Fury, it was only a minor inconvenience. His expertise was sufficient to handle this.

What truly concerned Fury was how Gravik obtained those abilities. Did the Harvest plan's results go to Gravik?

Indeed, Fury had already initiated the Harvest plan, even before getting the diary. 

Fury never missed any extraordinary beings' DNA, even before the Avengers formed.

And executing the plan was a Skrull team, led by Gravik!

Now Fury knew Gravik had been scheming in the shadows. So, did Gravik eventually betray him? Secretly applied the harvested DNA to himself?

Such things had to be guarded against!

Fury immediately decided some personnel adjustments for the Harvest plan were necessary.

"The only issue is, Stark's time machine runs on Pym Particles."

"The Avengers barely had enough Pym Particles for one round trip each."

"Even if Nebula got captured by past-Thanos, he only got his hands on a single set of Pym Particles."

"How did he transport his entire fleet?"

"Did Thanos discover more Pym Particles?"

"It's not out of the realm of possibility."

"After all, Thanos, like Stark, is cursed with knowledge."

"Though often overlooked, Thanos might be a scientist on Stark's level."

"What the heck? 

Thanos actually traveled through time using the Avengers' time machine?

Iron Man couldn't have imagined such a thing.

He originally thought that Thanos also possessed the means for time travel.

After all, if the Avengers, based on Earth civilization, could achieve such a feat, it wouldn't be surprising for Thanos, who comes from an interstellar civilization, to do the same.

But now, the diary tells him that Thanos didn't invent a time machine!

He 'hitched a ride' on the Avengers' time machine!

So the question arises.

How did past-Thanos come into contact with the Avengers' time machine?

"Future Avengers!"

With Tony's intelligence, he almost instantly understood.

It must have been the future Avengers who traveled back in time to collect the stones and encountered past-Thanos!

The diary confirmed that Tony's guess was correct.

A member of the Avengers named 'Nebula' encountered Thanos and was successfully captured by him.

Nebula?

This is the first time the diary mentioned this name.

But since she was chosen as a member of the 'Time Traveling Team,' without a doubt, she must be a highly trusted and powerful Avenger.

There's no question about that.

Iron Man instinctively memorized the name.

However, it seems Nebula wasn't very lucky to have encountered Thanos!

Tony naturally didn't know how she encountered Thanos.

But he could reasonably deduce that she must have been collecting the Infinity Stones in space.

And since Thanos was doing the same, it wasn't surprising that Nebula met Thanos.

And if that's the case...

"I wish I'd known this spoiler earlier."

Tony couldn't help but worry for the future Avengers who had just left.

Due to the 'time travel rules,' they weren't willing to talk much with everyone.

So apart from the Pym Particles, there wasn't much communication.

The Avengers knew little about the future Avengers' activities.

Other than the few future Avengers who came to Earth, they had no idea if they had other companions or where they went to collect the stones.

Initially, nobody thought much of it. But now, considering that Nebula might encounter Thanos?

Perhaps that's why the future Avengers had to experience the Endgame?

Although the Avengers and future Avengers didn't communicate much about the future, Tony was aware of the Endgame.

So he couldn't help but feel worried.

But unfortunately, the future Avengers had already left, and there was nothing Tony could do but sigh.

He refocused on the diary.

And got shocked again.

"Thanos, also cursed with knowledge?"

The diary had mentioned earlier that this was Thanos's evaluation of big Tony.

It showed that in terms of scientists, big Tony was well-known even among the stars.

But now Tony realized that Thanos had the same evaluation as he did?

Both cursed with knowledge?

You've got to be kidding me!

The diary had consistently revealed bits and pieces of information, showcasing Thanos's overwhelming strength.

To say the least, when the diary's owner, Zhou Cheng, listed the most epic battles in the universe, almost half involved Thanos!

His immense strength was undeniable and had left an indelible impression.

But now Tony learned that apart from his enormous strength, Thanos also had a sharp intellect?

How is anyone supposed to deal with that?

So this is why Thanos is so formidable?

Regardless, even if Thanos is cursed with knowledge like big Tony, he's at most a bit smarter than the average person, not necessarily at Tony's level!

Iron Man confidently thought.

Big Tony is not someone who can be easily measured!

Besides, Zhou Cheng used a term like "possibly," implying uncertainty.

Thanos must have relied on other experts to crack the mystery of the Pym Particles, not figured it out himself.

Given Thanos's level, finding such people wouldn't be hard; he may already have such individuals under his command.

Still, it's not good news for Tony.

The threat Thanos posed, in Tony's mind, increased yet again.

[Alright, no matter how Thanos managed it, those Avengers in this universe sure are lucky.]

[They won't have to face Thanos's threat again, aside from the Battle of New York!]

[Except for poor Loki, who got used by Thanos, nobody there would even know about Thanos's existence!]

[Vision won't die having the stone pulled out of his head, Black Widow won't sacrifice herself,]

[And most importantly, Thor won't have to suffer so much.]

[He won't have to watch Loki being strangled by Thanos or see half of Asgard's people slaughtered!]

[The Dwarves, under Asgard's protection, wouldn't have been nearly wiped out except for Eitri.]

"Looks like past Thanos traveled to the future after the Battle of New York."

Tony quickly arrived at a logical conclusion.

Judging by the diary's tone, it must have been not long after the Battle of New York.

Otherwise, everyone wouldn't be unaware of Thanos's existence.

Thanos must have left in such a hurry that he didn't cause much trouble, hence not drawing much attention.

And in our world...

We just recently had the Battle of New York!

Alright, a somewhat devastated Battle of New York.

Still, Tony genuinely hopes that Thanos traveling to the future and getting dealt with happens in their world.

So they wouldn't have to go through so many devastating events.

But of course,

This was Tony's wishful thinking. Big Tony didn't think such a lucky break would happen to them.

Thanos should still be treated as the most dreadful enemy, and no one should let their guard down!