Chapter 184

So all along, Tony Stark had subconsciously believed that the one who snapped his fingers and saved half the universe was him, the great Tony Stark! But who would have thought that it wasn't him at all!

So, does that mean the Avengers snapped their fingers at least twice? Hulk once, and Tony once? In which case Tony died directly from his snap, whereas Hulk merely lost an arm but recovered after some time.

One has to say, the difference is just too great. 

But if that's the case, why didn't they let Hulk snap his fingers in Endgame, instead of Tony? 

Previously, Tony thought his death was heroic and grand, but now, looking back, he felt cheated and upset. 

Because according to all the information, he didn't have to die at all!

Also, if Hulk snapped his fingers to save the lives erased by Thanos, why did Tony have to snap his fingers again? 

What was the purpose?

It seems that the future war between the Avengers and Thanos was much more complex and grand than Tony had imagined.

"I really feel bad for Stark; his death was too tragic and totally avoidable."

"After snatching the stones from Thanos, why did he have to snap his fingers? There were so many other options."

"Even though Thanos is strong, without the stones, he isn't a match for Captain Marvel. Let Captain Marvel deal with Thanos."

"Scarlet Witch could have also done it; she almost took down Thanos! Thanos had to call in his fleet to escape her."

"The snap was unnecessary."

"Even if there had to be a snap, why did Stark have to do it? Captain Marvel was there, and Hulk still had one arm."

"It feels like Stark was completely misled by that finger from Doctor Strange."

"Though, to be fair, it's not Doctor Strange's fault."

"He just pointed one finger; he didn't say to snap! Maybe he meant to fly up, since Thanos can't fly."

Ah, this!

Speechless!

Totally speechless.

Extreme frustration.

This was Tony's most direct and immediate reaction after reading the latest spoilers.

It really wasn't him overthinking—Zhou Cheng, the author of the diary, thought future Tony's death (or rather, the Tony in another universe) was exceptionally tragic and avoidable.

And this feeling was particularly strong after reading the latest spoilers.

Was he really tricked to his death by Doctor Strange's single upraised finger?

Doctor Strange pointed one finger, and Tony foolishly snapped his fingers?

What was going on?

Did the Tony in that other world have water in his brain?

Or had his brain become too muddled from the battles?

What connection is there between pointing a finger and snapping fingers?

Why did Doctor Strange pointing a finger make that other Tony think he should snap his fingers?

Did something else happen that he doesn't know about?

Otherwise, there is no way to explain why that other Tony acted so foolishly.

And if he saw Doctor Strange point a finger, they must have been very close. Why the charades?

Why didn't Doctor Strange just directly tell Tony what to do? What's the point of pointing a finger?

Is pointing a finger more convenient and effective than speaking?

Moreover, why did the Tony in Endgame care so much about others' opinions? 

Why was he so influenced by Doctor Strange's opinion?

Tony had always made his own decisions, especially about what to do with the stones. 

That other Tony didn't seem like himself at all.

Tony didn't know what to say.

Of course, while he griped and felt frustrated, Tony also gained some crucial information from the short spoiler.

Besides criticizing his own tragic death, the diary also listed alternatives to snapping his fingers.

For instance, let Captain Marvel or Scarlet Witch deal with Thanos.

From the tone, it seems like Tony snapped his fingers to deal with Thanos.

Just for that?

So not worth it!

Tony increasingly felt his death was truly in vain and without glory.

After some minor complaints, he set aside his chaotic thoughts and focused back on the diary, eagerly awaiting its next wave of spoilers.

But, as usual, the diary abruptly stopped updating.

Snap!

Tony shook his head and closed the diary.

He absent-mindedly picked up his coffee for a sip, only to find it had gone cold while he was engrossed in the diary.

Iron Man casually dumped the coffee and returned to the hall, rejoining the gathered Avengers.

Everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Natasha stole the Tesseract. What are we still doing here?" 

"Shouldn't we be trying to get it back? Sitting here won't make it return on its own!"

Red Guardian's voice was the first to be heard.

The Avengers were deeply engaged in a heated discussion.

"I understand your frustration, Erik, but the Director has already assigned people to investigate."

"Until we find Natasha or Loki, there's really nothing we can do."

Hawkeye Barton looked equally resigned.

"Precisely!"

Tony suddenly jumped in, "But that doesn't apply to me. Everyone, I'll fondly remember this failure of ours; it was an unforgettable experience."

With that, Tony waved at everyone and walked off without looking back.

Knowing that Nick Fury had enlisted Satan as a powerful ally, and considering that anyone could be Loki's spy, staying at the base was pointless.

Of course, even so, Tony didn't place all his hopes on Satan.

Back at his luxurious villa, he ordered Jarvis to keep monitoring Loki and Black Widow.

Though he didn't hold out much hope, considering Loki had managed to completely evade SHIELD and Jarvis before, likely using some supernatural methods.

After all, that person is a god!

On the other side, Nick Fury found himself in a similar state to Tony Stark. The first thing he did after returning to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was to make several important phone calls.

Why?

Undoubtedly, it was to prepare an advance payment for Zhou Cheng. A billion-dollar commission was astronomical, even the advance payment alone was a huge sum. For Fury, this required some time to arrange.

"Sir, any orders?" After dealing with the advance payment, Nick Fury called his most loyal subordinate, Coulson.

"Where is Dr. Banner now?" Fury asked directly.

"In a small, unnamed village in India. It's a very poor village, and people there can't even afford medical treatment. Dr. Banner has been providing free medical assistance there for some time," Coulson replied immediately, without even thinking, since monitoring Dr. Banner was one of his tasks. His quick response was very reassuring.

"I think Dr. Banner's stress-relief period should be over," Fury ordered, "Bring him back."

"For the Tesseract, sir?" Coulson naturally guessed.

"Dr. Banner is an expert in gamma radiation, even more so than Stark. He can help us track the Tesseract," Fury nodded, confirming his intention. Although he had already sought help from Zhou Cheng, who had shown significant power, Fury never put all his trust in a single person, not even Zhou Cheng. So, he had several backup plans if Zhou Cheng failed, including finding the Tesseract himself.

"Understood, sir!" Coulson responded and promptly left to carry out the order. Fury then made a series of other arrangements before finally rubbing his temples and taking a brief moment to breathe. He opened his journal to the last page and found it had been updated. Wasting no time, he began reading the spoilers seriously.

However, he quickly realized there wasn't much he could do about the latest spoilers. The future Avengers, the Celestial Tiamut, and the Eternals mentioned were not easily investigated. The only actionable item was to keep a close watch on Hank Pym.

Regarding Pym Particles?

Fury was indeed intrigued. He never imagined Pym Particles would be so powerful, capable of affecting cosmic beings. But taking this technology from Hank Pym wouldn't be easy. SHIELD's higher-ups had tried and failed before, leading Pym to leave the organization. Though Pym was older now, Fury didn't underestimate him.

Fury had no current plans to pursue Pym Particles. Partly because, despite his complexities, he had his limits in the cinematic universe. And partly due to Loki. Fury had too many problems to deal with to focus on anything else. His main concern during these days had been whether the advance payment reached Zhou Cheng and when Zhou Cheng would take action.

"Sir, the transfer is complete!" 

Three days later, Fury finally received the news. His tension slightly eased. He quietly hoped that Zhou Cheng, known as Satan, would once again be reliable.

"The advance payment arrived? Fury is as efficient as ever," Zhou Cheng received the notification. With a slight sigh, he got up without delay. Since Fury was quick, Zhou Cheng couldn't afford to slack either.

Loki? No problem!

Equipping himself swiftly, Zhou Cheng left in a hurry. Reaching an isolated "staging area," he donned his uniform and mask, then took out Captain Jack Sparrow's compass.

Whoosh!

With a flap of his wings, Zhou Cheng soared through the air, covering a fifteen-kilometer distance over New York. Finally, he stopped outside a nondescript building.

"This is it!" 

Checking the compass, Zhou Cheng's gaze intensified. His X-ray vision, another diary reward, allowed him to see through the entire building.

How did Zhou Cheng get this ability?

It was from the diary's rewards. While not the highest-grade power, X-ray vision proved quite useful, saving him a lot of effort. Like now.

Even through two walls, Zhou Cheng clearly saw Loki on the seventh floor, sitting confidently on a sofa. A sophisticated briefcase lay on the coffee table in front of him, glowing with a faint blue light—the Tesseract, Zhou Cheng's target.

Surprisingly, next to Loki stood a curvaceous woman with golden curls, wearing a SHIELD agent uniform. It was none other than Black Widow.

What?

Loki was supposed to control Hawkeye with his scepter, so how had it become Black Widow instead?