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Chapter 107: Tony the Pretender
In a dilapidated shack in the Old City, Tony sat inside, having made it his temporary base of operations. Outside the house, a line of vehicles stood, their exteriors covered in blood and gore, as if they had just emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Tony wouldn't easily return to Wayne Tower before dealing with the Court of Owls' matters. He needed a secluded location to clean up some unsavory business; he couldn't very well parade through the bustling New City District openly carrying corpses.
The New City District was designated as such because of its economic prosperity, convenient transportation, and relatively good public order, which provided numerous employment opportunities. Similarly, the New City District was pervaded by the tendrils of Wayne Enterprises; the shadow of Wayne Enterprises existed in every industry in Gotham City. This was the method the Wayne Family had practiced for centuries, using economic power to control Gotham City.
Tony had another concern about not returning to Wayne Tower: would Batman act against him again? Mr. Wayne always carried Kryptonite as a precaution, even with the benevolent and good Superman, and later went to great lengths to develop a method for Artificial Kryptonite. No matter how confident Tony was, he wouldn't believe himself more trustworthy than Superman.
Even if Batman's mind hadn't yet been corrupted to that extent, his essence remained unchanged. Even if Tony didn't conflict with him, or even had a close relationship, Batman would still secretly research ways to deal with Tony.
Tony wasn't without thoughts of simply punching the still-young Batman to death and being done with it. If Bruce were to witness more darkness, his entire modus operandi would lean towards a darker style, and he might genuinely cause Tony immense trouble. While he didn't kill, when it came to scheming against people, he was absolutely ruthless.
However, after much thought, he ultimately gave up the idea. Batman wasn't just Batman; he had a most troublesome identity called "Bruce Wayne," and this identity was the most problematic. If metahumans casually killed high-ranking ordinary humans, it would undoubtedly provoke the hostility of powerful ordinary humans worldwide. Killing even one mortal of that caliber could cause a massive stir. For example, if Bruce were to be killed, Gotham City's economy would immediately experience massive fluctuations, affecting the interests of many. Otherwise, the Court of Owls would have already dealt with Bruce themselves.
This was an ineffable unwritten rule: you could beat someone half to death, thoroughly teach them a lesson repeatedly, but you could never kill them. Otherwise, you would be targeted by the world's powerful elite.
This was a strange set of Game Rules.
As his horizons expanded, Tony's thoughts became increasingly mature, and he no longer possessed his former naivety.
Tony didn't yet have the ability to confront the entire world. He needed more actions to disguise himself as a neutral and harmless "ally." Before possessing enough power to overturn everything, he couldn't rashly declare war on the world. At least before reaching the peak of Level Four, he couldn't foolishly make himself a target for the whole world.
Most importantly, he also needed Mr. Wayne to act as one of Earth's many targets.
"Earth is the center of numerous major events, the starting point of the Infinity War. I still need the great Mr. Batman to step up in the future, otherwise, before I leave Earth, one enemy after another would exhaust me to death..."
Tony fiddled with the trinket in his hand, sometimes tossing it into the air, sometimes letting it tumble between his fingers. He wasn't as great as he appeared; no matter how arrogant Tony was, he wouldn't foolishly believe that he could solve all problems in the future.
Deal with an endless stream of enemies all by himself? Are you crazy? What are others for?
Don't let it fool you that he frequently visited the Brotherhood of Mutants and Xavier's School, or often returned to his small apartment in New York City to live. This seemed to make some enemies hesitate. Those who wanted to kill him still had to consider the reaction of the Mutant Faction, because Tony seemed to be on good terms with Professor X and Old Man Magneto. They also had to consider whether they dared to use weapons of mass destruction directly in densely populated New York City.
In reality, once the time was right, Tony would decisively pack up and leave.
Anyway, he had no attachments. His parents, who he had lived with for twenty years, were all dead on this planet. With no one left to worry about, what was there to fear? Oh, at most, he'd take the Old Bartender and other unattached individuals with him, and go directly into the Cosmos to build Cybertron.
To build a planet truly his own, where countless Cybertronian inhabitants would reside, willing to fight for a new civilization, and willing to fight for him.
Of course, knowing how to seize the opportunity was also an art. Running into the Universe unprepared would get him blown to bits in minutes, so it would be better to stay on Earth. At least Earth was protected by Asgard, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Guardians.
"So, you miserable Talon, can you tell me where exactly the Court of Owls' headquarters is? Or rather, who exactly are those old undying ones in the Court of Owls? I'll pay them a visit, one by one."
Tony held the trinket in his hand; it turned out to be a tooth radiating a metallic sheen, still stained with blood. He had pried it from the mouth of this half-crippled Talon. This was also the Court of Owls' method for implanting Dionysium into them.
The Court of Owls would forge a metallic tooth in advance. This tooth was actually metal made from Dionysium. They would embed the tooth into the assassin's mouth, and over time, allow the Dionysium elements in the tooth to gradually spread throughout the body via saliva, blood, and other means.
Theoretically, the longer an assassin lived, the more Dionysium their body contained, and the stronger their Regenerative Ability would be.
That fierce battle during the night — afterward, Tony controlled his Little Transformer to pull out everyone's teeth. He had considered destroying the bodies, but the commotion would be too great, making it impossible to conceal anything, and he might not have enough time. If S.H.I.E.L.D. saw him injured, it would inevitably lead to other thoughts.
He simply pulled out all the teeth, and sorted through them little by little afterward; it was just a bit disgusting.
"The Court of Owls will not let you go. None of those the Court of Owls wants to kill have ever escaped."
That Talon was in terrible condition, with only a mangled upper body remaining. The powerful Dionysium barely kept him alive. Because Tony had pulled out his teeth, his speech was somewhat airy.
"So tell me the detailed information, and I'll deliver myself to their doorstep. As long as you tell me, I'll immediately return you to them, and you'll still be able to live intact." Tony pinched the metallic tooth with his index finger and thumb, and curiously tapped on it, but didn't rashly immerse the Allspark into it.
Tony would wait until he was in a safe place before researching this thing. The origin of Dionysium's raw materials was a mystery; it was very mysterious, very eerie.
(end of chapter)
In a dilapidated shack in the Old City, Tony sat inside, having made it his temporary base of operations. Outside the house, a line of vehicles stood, their exteriors covered in blood and gore, as if they had just emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Tony wouldn't easily return to Wayne Tower before dealing with the Court of Owls' matters. He needed a secluded location to clean up some unsavory business; he couldn't very well parade through the bustling New City District openly carrying corpses.
The New City District was designated as such because of its economic prosperity, convenient transportation, and relatively good public order, which provided numerous employment opportunities. Similarly, the New City District was pervaded by the tendrils of Wayne Enterprises; the shadow of Wayne Enterprises existed in every industry in Gotham City. This was the method the Wayne Family had practiced for centuries, using economic power to control Gotham City.
Tony had another concern about not returning to Wayne Tower: would Batman act against him again? Mr. Wayne always carried Kryptonite as a precaution, even with the benevolent and good Superman, and later went to great lengths to develop a method for Artificial Kryptonite. No matter how confident Tony was, he wouldn't believe himself more trustworthy than Superman.
Even if Batman's mind hadn't yet been corrupted to that extent, his essence remained unchanged. Even if Tony didn't conflict with him, or even had a close relationship, Batman would still secretly research ways to deal with Tony.
Tony wasn't without thoughts of simply punching the still-young Batman to death and being done with it. If Bruce were to witness more darkness, his entire modus operandi would lean towards a darker style, and he might genuinely cause Tony immense trouble. While he didn't kill, when it came to scheming against people, he was absolutely ruthless.
However, after much thought, he ultimately gave up the idea. Batman wasn't just Batman; he had a most troublesome identity called "Bruce Wayne," and this identity was the most problematic. If metahumans casually killed high-ranking ordinary humans, it would undoubtedly provoke the hostility of powerful ordinary humans worldwide. Killing even one mortal of that caliber could cause a massive stir. For example, if Bruce were to be killed, Gotham City's economy would immediately experience massive fluctuations, affecting the interests of many. Otherwise, the Court of Owls would have already dealt with Bruce themselves.
This was an ineffable unwritten rule: you could beat someone half to death, thoroughly teach them a lesson repeatedly, but you could never kill them. Otherwise, you would be targeted by the world's powerful elite.
This was a strange set of Game Rules.
As his horizons expanded, Tony's thoughts became increasingly mature, and he no longer possessed his former naivety.
Tony didn't yet have the ability to confront the entire world. He needed more actions to disguise himself as a neutral and harmless "ally." Before possessing enough power to overturn everything, he couldn't rashly declare war on the world. At least before reaching the peak of Level Four, he couldn't foolishly make himself a target for the whole world.
Most importantly, he also needed Mr. Wayne to act as one of Earth's many targets.
"Earth is the center of numerous major events, the starting point of the Infinity War. I still need the great Mr. Batman to step up in the future, otherwise, before I leave Earth, one enemy after another would exhaust me to death..."
Tony fiddled with the trinket in his hand, sometimes tossing it into the air, sometimes letting it tumble between his fingers. He wasn't as great as he appeared; no matter how arrogant Tony was, he wouldn't foolishly believe that he could solve all problems in the future.
Deal with an endless stream of enemies all by himself? Are you crazy? What are others for?
Don't let it fool you that he frequently visited the Brotherhood of Mutants and Xavier's School, or often returned to his small apartment in New York City to live. This seemed to make some enemies hesitate. Those who wanted to kill him still had to consider the reaction of the Mutant Faction, because Tony seemed to be on good terms with Professor X and Old Man Magneto. They also had to consider whether they dared to use weapons of mass destruction directly in densely populated New York City.
In reality, once the time was right, Tony would decisively pack up and leave.
Anyway, he had no attachments. His parents, who he had lived with for twenty years, were all dead on this planet. With no one left to worry about, what was there to fear? Oh, at most, he'd take the Old Bartender and other unattached individuals with him, and go directly into the Cosmos to build Cybertron.
To build a planet truly his own, where countless Cybertronian inhabitants would reside, willing to fight for a new civilization, and willing to fight for him.
Of course, knowing how to seize the opportunity was also an art. Running into the Universe unprepared would get him blown to bits in minutes, so it would be better to stay on Earth. At least Earth was protected by Asgard, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Guardians.
"So, you miserable Talon, can you tell me where exactly the Court of Owls' headquarters is? Or rather, who exactly are those old undying ones in the Court of Owls? I'll pay them a visit, one by one."
Tony held the trinket in his hand; it turned out to be a tooth radiating a metallic sheen, still stained with blood. He had pried it from the mouth of this half-crippled Talon. This was also the Court of Owls' method for implanting Dionysium into them.
The Court of Owls would forge a metallic tooth in advance. This tooth was actually metal made from Dionysium. They would embed the tooth into the assassin's mouth, and over time, allow the Dionysium elements in the tooth to gradually spread throughout the body via saliva, blood, and other means.
Theoretically, the longer an assassin lived, the more Dionysium their body contained, and the stronger their Regenerative Ability would be.
That fierce battle during the night — afterward, Tony controlled his Little Transformer to pull out everyone's teeth. He had considered destroying the bodies, but the commotion would be too great, making it impossible to conceal anything, and he might not have enough time. If S.H.I.E.L.D. saw him injured, it would inevitably lead to other thoughts.
He simply pulled out all the teeth, and sorted through them little by little afterward; it was just a bit disgusting.
"The Court of Owls will not let you go. None of those the Court of Owls wants to kill have ever escaped."
That Talon was in terrible condition, with only a mangled upper body remaining. The powerful Dionysium barely kept him alive. Because Tony had pulled out his teeth, his speech was somewhat airy.
"So tell me the detailed information, and I'll deliver myself to their doorstep. As long as you tell me, I'll immediately return you to them, and you'll still be able to live intact." Tony pinched the metallic tooth with his index finger and thumb, and curiously tapped on it, but didn't rashly immerse the Allspark into it.
Tony would wait until he was in a safe place before researching this thing. The origin of Dionysium's raw materials was a mystery; it was very mysterious, very eerie.
(end of chapter)
