Chapter: 304

In the farmhouse where Hawkeye's family lives, Tony and Captain are splitting firewood. It is both a way to repay Laura for letting them stay temporarily and a way to release their pent-up negative emotions.

However, looking at the pile of firewood on the ground, it's evident that without the help of the Iron Man suit, Tony's efficiency in doing physical work is not as good as Captain's.

Meanwhile, Mark stands on the side silently observing their actions while reflecting on his own performance in their previous mission.

Mark has always relied on his vastly superior intelligence and the foresight from being a reincarnator, always appearing confident and with a solution in hand.

However, this time, this failure hit him hard. Not only did he not thoroughly investigate the enemy's true situation, but he also ended up causing Dr. Banner to be lost in the space-time turbulence.

On their way to the safe house aboard the Quinjet, Mark had already used his astral projection to explore the spatial channels of the mirror world but found no traces of Dr. Banner.

The most likely scenario is that Dr. Banner was swept into random locations in the cosmos by the space-time turbulence. However, with Hulk's resilience, Mark believes he is still alive and well.

Bringing Dr. Banner back to Earth will be one of Mark's most important research tasks going forward.

"Did Thor say where he went to find answers?" Tony, who had been chopping wood in silence, was the first to speak, opening up the conversation.

"My team doesn't always share everything with me," Captain's response was both an answer to Tony's question and a sarcastic remark about Tony's creation of Ultron without consulting him, leading to their current predicament.

"Alright, Cap, we've already discussed this before. Whether or not Dad created Ultron, we are bound to face the changes that artificial intelligence will bring to human society in the future.

And Max is an unexpected existence - it replaced Ultron and became our enemy. Nobody could have foreseen that.

Its purpose in making Wanda use her powers on us was to divide the Avengers so that we wouldn't pose a threat to it.

So what we need to do now is not to dwell on each other's past mistakes, but rather to solve the conflicts at hand and try to do better in future.

As for Thor, if I'm not mistaken, he went to find the Water of Sight.

It is a spiritual entity in Norse mythology that allows one to see potential future events through their own dreams. If Thor really wants to find answers, the most likely place for him to go is the Water of Sight located somewhere on Earth."

Seeing that Tony and Captain were about to clash again, Mark, who was still somewhat in a trance, stepped between them, stopping the argument.

Captain glanced at Mark and nodded. He also understood the current situation. Blaming each other wouldn't do any good; to defeat the enemy, the Avengers must stand united and rise above the challenges.

His intention in scolding Tony wasn't to vent his anger; he just wanted Tony to realize that his ideas were too radical, and Tony needed to act more like a team member rather than going solo and thinking only for himself.

"No matter what, I have to say one last thing. Every time someone tries to end a war before it starts, innocent people end up sacrificing for it, every time..."

After Captain said this, the atmosphere among the three fell into silence again.

At this moment, as if to ease the awkward atmosphere between the three, Laura approached them and broke the silence.

"Sorry to bother you, but Clint said that Mr. Stark, you're good at this kind of thing. Our tractor has broken down, and we hope you wouldn't mind..."

Tony: "No problem, I'll take a look."

Mark: "No problem, I'll take a look."

However, what surprised Laura was that both Starks present responded, leaving her unsure of how to proceed.

"It's okay; let my dad take a look at it for you. Although he's not very reliable in other areas, he knows a thing or two about machinery. I'll stay here and help with splitting the firewood."

Mark remembered that Laura had come this time to ask Tony to fix the tractor at Nick Fury's request, and he was here to provide support.

Since someone was willing to help and cheer up the emotionally low Tony, Mark decided not to be a third wheel.

...

"Come on, let me see what's bothering you." Tony arrived in the farm barn and immediately saw an old tractor.

Tony approached it and began inspecting the machine's condition.

"Don't bother, Tony. The real problem is not the tractor, it's you—"

Suddenly, a voice from the corner of the barn startled Tony, reminding him of the time when he first became Iron Man, someone sneaked into his mansion and suddenly emerged from the darkness.

As Tony turned to look in the direction of the voice, he indeed saw a familiar face.

However, the last time Tony had Mark by his side, who directly subdued and bound this person. Now, Tony was alone, and without his Iron Man suit, it was unlikely this situation could be repeated.

"Mrs. Barton is quite cunning. I guess Hill called you, right? Doesn't she ever take a day off from work for you? I'm the one paying her salary now..." Tony grumbled at the sudden appearance of Nick Fury.

But Fury wasn't interested in Tony's evasive responses. "Artificial intelligence, you show no hesitation."

Tony obviously didn't want to continue this topic. "Today is not a good day for academic discussions, and you're not a good partner for such discussions. So, can you tell me why you're here?"

Fury took two steps forward, standing in front of Tony. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you will successfully eliminate it, whether it's Ultron or this Max."

"You're not my director anymore, and you have no reason to give me orders," Tony responded without any politeness.

His reply seemed assertive, but it also indirectly reflected Tony's lack of confidence at the moment. In the past, he would have boasted in front of Fury, assuring him that he could handle it, instead of being so evasive now.

"Of course, I'm not your director, in fact, I'm nobody's director now. I'm just an old man who happens to care a lot about you all."

After noticing that something was off with Tony, Fury quickly changed his demeanor and approach.

He crouched in front of Tony, positioning himself at a lower level to lessen the pressure he might impose on Tony.

At the same time, Fury's tone changed from slightly commanding seriousness to that of a friendly elder. This change, along with Tony's exhausted state, made him drop his guard.

"I am the one who killed the entire Avengers. I saw it!

But I didn't tell anyone; there was no way to talk about it. But they all died, and the whole world died, all because of me, because I wasn't ready, I didn't try hard enough..."

"It's all that witch's trickery; she's using your fear, and you should be able to see that, Tony," Fury attempted to ease Tony's distress.

"This isn't a trick or a nightmare. I saw it; it's the result of my actions. I led everyone to death.

I saw loved ones and friends dying before my eyes, one by one, and I was powerless. Do you think that's miserable enough?

No, it's not enough. This isn't the worst part—"

"What's the worst part, then?

'The fact that only you didn't die!'

Don't look at me like that; I'm not telepathic. As someone who has survived numerous battlefields and missions, until now, I've lost many comrades by my side.

But I wasn't immersed in the fear of losing like you, unable to move forward. Because I know the only way to prevent such a tragedy from happening again is not to run away but to make myself stronger.

Tony, are you ready to become stronger, so powerful that you can defy any future and fate?"

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