In a luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York City.
Jack slowly regained consciousness from his deep sleep and slowly opened his eyes.
"Being a good person is not easy..."
Staring blankly at the beautifully decorated ceiling, Jack let out a deep sigh.
This time, he really went through a lot.
"You're awake."
Doctor Strange's voice came from the side.
Jack turned his head to see Strange, casually dressed and looking completely different from before, sitting on the sofa by the bed, smiling at him.
"...Nice ceiling you have there. By the way, how long have I been asleep?"
Jack blinked his eyes and forced himself to sit up.
"Not even ten hours. Take it easy."
Doctor Strange's expression changed slightly, and he wanted to go forward and help him up.
"No, it's okay. I'm not that weak."
Leaning against the headboard, Jack carefully checked his physical condition.
He shook his head with a sigh, "I feel like I've been through a lot this time. You didn't do much, but I'm exhausted."
He could have dealt with it if he had known Ultron would be so useless.
There was no need to gather a team of Guardians of the Multiverse.
It was not hard to defeat Ultron, and it did not take much work to change the timeline of Ultron's universe.
Instead, it almost made Doctor Strange's plan to save the world too hard for him. The huge amount of energy inside Jack, which was like an endless ocean, was gone.
The Infinity Stones did not shine as brightly as they used to, but they were still giving his body a power.
The only good news was that there didn't seem to be any worse conditions than this.
Jack estimated that it would take several months to fully recover his original state.
"Thank you!"
Doctor Strange deeply understood Jack's efforts, and his expression was complicated.
He didn't know how to express his gratitude.
Jack had saved this universe and saved him.
This debt was enough for Doctor Strange to repay with his life. If Jack asked for his life at this moment, he would willingly sacrifice himself without hesitation.
"Oh, by the way, there's this."
Doctor Strange took something out of his pocket and spread it out in front of Jack.
Except for the Time Stone, the five Infinity Stones were visibly dark and missing their usual shine.
"I thought you might need these, so I kept them."
"Perfect, I needed an energy boost."
Jack's eyes brightened at the sight of the Infinity Stones. With the Infinity Stones, he might be able to heal much faster.
Taking the stones, he immediately absorbed them in his body with a single thought.
As soon as they went in, the five Infinity Stones that were floating above the water in the pocket flashed white light, and the white stone pulled the other stones towards it.
The leftover energy started to flow into the white Infinity Stone repeatedly.
Jack found this way, and even though it was less effective than receiving the energy directly, he did not have to do anything.
He could just let it happen.
After absorbing the energy from the other five stones, the white Infinity Stone finally regained some of its shine.
The amount of power got stronger, and Jack's body started to heal faster.
"Alright, I think I should go now."
Feeling his body recovering, Jack stood up and said, "There are people waiting for me. I need to get back quickly, or there will be trouble at home."
"Okay, if there's anything I can help with, please let me know. I am indebted to you."
"I will."
After saying that, Jack and Doctor Strange stared at each other in confusion.
Jack: "???"
Doctor Strange: "???"
Seeing that Doctor Strange clearly didn't understand his meaning, Jack sighed and helplessly explained, "I'm still not fully recovered, so..."
"Oh, right, sorry."
Doctor Strange seemed to wake up from a dream, looking embarrassed and ashamed.
Just as he was about to open a portal, he suddenly remembered something and asked Jack, "Can I take a strand of your hair? Sorry, your timeline is hidden, and I can't directly open a portal."
Jack also remembered the abnormality of his universe and immediately plucked a strand of hair and handed it over.
Doctor Strange took the hair and quickly cast a spell, opening a portal that led to the living room of Jack's home.
"Your strength is indeed impressive."
Jack couldn't help but look at Doctor Strange with admiration.
Opening a portal to another universe with such ease was something not even the Ancient One could accomplish.
Jack waved his hand and walked straight through the portal, returning home.
"If you're coming over as a guest next time, remember to let me know in advance," he said.
Doctor Strange stood by the door, smiling at Jack.
"I'll make sure to arrange everything for your visit."
"We'll talk about it if there's a chance. I'm quite busy for now," replied Jack with a shrug.
He had a lot to do, like go to the wedding of Steve and Peggy and visit the universe next door.
He didn't have much time in the near future.
"I'll be here waiting for your arrival."
Doctor Strange said, closing the portal.
Jack dropped down on the sofa.
"Finally done with that horrible task."
He laid down on the couch and enjoyed the sun coming in through the window.
At that moment, he fell into a dream.
A very strange dream.
He was walking on a road where there were no other people. The whole world was weirdly silent, and he had no idea where he was.
He wasn't even aware that he was dreaming.
"Jack~"
"Jack~"
"Jack~"
Suddenly, a faint voice echoed in his ears as if someone was calling him, a woman's voice.
Jack quickly looked around, but he was disappointed to see that he was the only one there.
Just as he was feeling down, a voice seemed to come from right behind him.
"Jack?"
He quickly turned around, and there, five meters away from his position, was a figure that appeared out of nowhere.
He did not know who it was and could not even tell what she looked like.
At that moment, the woman seemed to realize who he was, opened her arms, and ran towards him, wanting to hug him.
But at that moment, the world shook violently, and the ground started to crack.
When the skyscrapers fell, a gap opened up between Jack and the woman.
For some reason, as he watched the helpless woman on the other side, an endless sorrow surged in Jack's heart.
Almost instinctively, he shouted to her.
"Wait for me! I'll find you! I will definitely find you."
The woman didn't say anything in response. She just pulled something from around her neck and threw it towards him.
Jack subconsciously reached out and caught it.
Before he could see what it was, the ground collapsed, and a high-rise building came crashing down toward him.
Then, he woke up.
"What a strange dream."
Jack's confused expression recalled the dream he just had.
He had experienced many similar puzzling dreams before, so he didn't pay much attention to them.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Jack suddenly felt something in his hand. He raised it, and his pupils widened instantly.
"This..."
In his hand was a necklace—a women's necklace. He could even sense the hot remaining on it.
Whose prank was this?
...
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