Reading settings
Chapter 36: A New Journey
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony walked out of his room, clad in a special battle suit from Xavier's School. The material of the suit was excellent, its flexibility and extensibility perfectly suited for him. He shouldered his bag, fully equipped, and headed towards the school gates.
He didn't bid farewell to Professor X and the others. When he went to them last night to request his battle suit, it was essentially telling them he was leaving. Some things didn't need to be said aloud, only serving to heighten the sorrow of parting.
This was his choice. He couldn't tolerate forever cowering in a corner of the world. He wanted to burst forth, to open his arms and embrace this unprecedented great era, one that was both prosperous and cruel, magnificent and desolate.
Many students stood on both sides of the road, watching him. They already understood that Tony was leaving.
"Then why are you still going? You don't need to push yourself so hard; you could just stay at Xavier's School."
Someone shouted at him, reminding him there was no need to take such risks, that he could easily stay with them. Although they hadn't known him long, many had already accepted this young man. They understood what kind of person he was, and everyone was very willing to be close to him, as if Tony possessed a mysterious quality that drew them in.
Tony didn't look back, merely waved his hand and, with his bag on his back, walked towards the gates. There, several vehicles were already fully prepared, awaiting their Creator.
Even through the air, one could feel a chilling aura. Tony's journey was for one purpose: to kill.
Indeed, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters would also be central to many future events. Tony could stay here, even become a member of the X-Men. Professor X and the others would certainly be very happy to accept Tony.
But Tony was unwilling to do so. This was a real world, not one where anyone possessed ridiculous Plot Armor. Everyone was merely one of the countless beings in this world; it was just that a small number of people moved ahead first, while the vast majority of ordinary people remained ignorant.
Tony preferred to be among that minority who took the first step. The future held far too many terrifying enemies, and he was unwilling to passively wait.
To be honest, deep down, Tony had no confidence at all in surviving the endless succession of future great wars. None whatsoever.
Perhaps he could last a long time, or perhaps he would fall quickly, but even so, Tony was willing to do it. Because it was his own choice, he would have fewer regrets, rather than hiding somewhere, timid and fearful of a day when total disaster would strike.
Pyro John rushed over, loudly clamoring for Tony to take him away. He wanted to follow Tony, not remain here.
"Take me with you! I can fight too! My fire control abilities will be very useful to you! And I'm not afraid to die!" John shouted. He didn't care if the teachers heard him; he just wanted to go with Tony, to fight alongside him. That was the life he yearned for.
"You're too weak. Taking you along would be useless." Tony didn't even turn his head.
Many people watched Tony, seeing him off as he departed.
In a third-floor office, Professor X silently watched Tony's retreating figure.
"Aren't you going to try and persuade him to stay?" Ororo asked softly.
Professor X shook his head and sighed softly. "He and I have talked a lot these past few days, but there's one thing we've never discussed. He understands, and I understand, but neither of us brought it up... We are not on the same path as him. This place does not belong to him, nor will he ever truly belong here. He belongs only to the endless wilderness; only there can he run without cease."
Ororo seemed to half-understand, lost in thought.
Tony led his army: four cars and a motorcycle. The rumbling of engines roared, echoing to the heavens with full horsepower. This was his army; he would lead them to meet the enemy. For a long time to come, these four cars and one motorcycle would follow him through battle after battle until they were shattered.
The sun shone high, blazing in the sky, and a cold, stark light swept over everything.
The rumbling sound gradually faded into the distance. Tony had finally embarked on the path he was meant to take. What would be the outcome? No one knew.
Tony drove casually, his mind elsewhere. His Allspark was continuously burning, growing brighter. The subtle, fluctuating energy spoke to him of its own wonder.
Now, each time he used the Allspark, the pain in his head was significantly reduced, no longer as incredibly strenuous as before. This was a good omen, indicating that his Allspark was actively recovering.
But whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that the Allspark's repair seemed slower, and a deep, invisible scar lay across the Allspark, making its full restoration incredibly difficult.
Tony sighed helplessly. When Mutants underwent their Awakening, their abilities were mostly uncontrollable, let alone for someone like Tony who was desperately pushing them to their limits.
This uncontrollability during a Mutant's Awakening also caused great losses, even leading to the innocent deaths of family members. This was one reason why Mutants were ostracized and hated by the public.
No one wanted a potential Mutant near them, like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment and cause injury or death.
Mutants still had a long way to go before being accepted by the public.
Magneto's desire to exterminate ordinary humans was simply not feasible.
Millions of years ago, the Celestials descended upon Earth and modified its primal humans, leading many humans on Earth to possess the X-Gene. This was the root cause of the birth of the mutant group among Earth's population.
The vast majority of humans on Earth possessed the X-Gene; those with manifest genes were Mutants, while those with latent genes were ordinary humans. Magneto's constant push for extermination was simply unrealistic. This was also because Old Man Magneto had been pushed too hard by the Human Government over the years, nearly having no way out multiple times; otherwise, he wouldn't have reached this point. If he didn't kill, people would think he was easy to bully and try to kill him.
Tony then recalled how future governments would create Sentinel Robots, specifically programmed to track and hunt down Mutants using the X-Gene. As it turned out, the Sentinel Robots went out of control. Before they could kill many Mutants, ordinary humans carrying the latent X-Gene were almost completely wiped out.
If one also considered Ultron, an artificial intelligence lifeform that could revive infinitely no matter how many times it was killed, it almost brought about the end of the world. The remaining superheroes were forced to have Wolverine risk his life to travel through time and alter the course of history, rebooting the Timeline as a last resort. Days of Future Past was not that simple; those who meddled with time would inevitably pay a terrible price.
Otherwise, the strongest in the entire universe would undoubtedly be The Flash, who was about to be born in Central City. Possessing the miraculous Speed Force, he could easily travel through time and move through the Time Stream. If he couldn't defeat you, he'd just travel back in time, kill your younger self, then return, happily watching you slowly erased from countless dimensions, past and future, by the Time Anomaly Correction.
But that was impossible; toying with time would inevitably incur an unbearable price from time itself.
Tony was, of course, very curious about the Time Stream, but at his current level, he wasn't qualified to touch it, nor did he intend to.
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony walked out of his room, clad in a special battle suit from Xavier's School. The material of the suit was excellent, its flexibility and extensibility perfectly suited for him. He shouldered his bag, fully equipped, and headed towards the school gates.
He didn't bid farewell to Professor X and the others. When he went to them last night to request his battle suit, it was essentially telling them he was leaving. Some things didn't need to be said aloud, only serving to heighten the sorrow of parting.
This was his choice. He couldn't tolerate forever cowering in a corner of the world. He wanted to burst forth, to open his arms and embrace this unprecedented great era, one that was both prosperous and cruel, magnificent and desolate.
Many students stood on both sides of the road, watching him. They already understood that Tony was leaving.
"Then why are you still going? You don't need to push yourself so hard; you could just stay at Xavier's School."
Someone shouted at him, reminding him there was no need to take such risks, that he could easily stay with them. Although they hadn't known him long, many had already accepted this young man. They understood what kind of person he was, and everyone was very willing to be close to him, as if Tony possessed a mysterious quality that drew them in.
Tony didn't look back, merely waved his hand and, with his bag on his back, walked towards the gates. There, several vehicles were already fully prepared, awaiting their Creator.
Even through the air, one could feel a chilling aura. Tony's journey was for one purpose: to kill.
Indeed, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters would also be central to many future events. Tony could stay here, even become a member of the X-Men. Professor X and the others would certainly be very happy to accept Tony.
But Tony was unwilling to do so. This was a real world, not one where anyone possessed ridiculous Plot Armor. Everyone was merely one of the countless beings in this world; it was just that a small number of people moved ahead first, while the vast majority of ordinary people remained ignorant.
Tony preferred to be among that minority who took the first step. The future held far too many terrifying enemies, and he was unwilling to passively wait.
To be honest, deep down, Tony had no confidence at all in surviving the endless succession of future great wars. None whatsoever.
Perhaps he could last a long time, or perhaps he would fall quickly, but even so, Tony was willing to do it. Because it was his own choice, he would have fewer regrets, rather than hiding somewhere, timid and fearful of a day when total disaster would strike.
Pyro John rushed over, loudly clamoring for Tony to take him away. He wanted to follow Tony, not remain here.
"Take me with you! I can fight too! My fire control abilities will be very useful to you! And I'm not afraid to die!" John shouted. He didn't care if the teachers heard him; he just wanted to go with Tony, to fight alongside him. That was the life he yearned for.
"You're too weak. Taking you along would be useless." Tony didn't even turn his head.
Many people watched Tony, seeing him off as he departed.
In a third-floor office, Professor X silently watched Tony's retreating figure.
"Aren't you going to try and persuade him to stay?" Ororo asked softly.
Professor X shook his head and sighed softly. "He and I have talked a lot these past few days, but there's one thing we've never discussed. He understands, and I understand, but neither of us brought it up... We are not on the same path as him. This place does not belong to him, nor will he ever truly belong here. He belongs only to the endless wilderness; only there can he run without cease."
Ororo seemed to half-understand, lost in thought.
Tony led his army: four cars and a motorcycle. The rumbling of engines roared, echoing to the heavens with full horsepower. This was his army; he would lead them to meet the enemy. For a long time to come, these four cars and one motorcycle would follow him through battle after battle until they were shattered.
The sun shone high, blazing in the sky, and a cold, stark light swept over everything.
The rumbling sound gradually faded into the distance. Tony had finally embarked on the path he was meant to take. What would be the outcome? No one knew.
Tony drove casually, his mind elsewhere. His Allspark was continuously burning, growing brighter. The subtle, fluctuating energy spoke to him of its own wonder.
Now, each time he used the Allspark, the pain in his head was significantly reduced, no longer as incredibly strenuous as before. This was a good omen, indicating that his Allspark was actively recovering.
But whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that the Allspark's repair seemed slower, and a deep, invisible scar lay across the Allspark, making its full restoration incredibly difficult.
Tony sighed helplessly. When Mutants underwent their Awakening, their abilities were mostly uncontrollable, let alone for someone like Tony who was desperately pushing them to their limits.
This uncontrollability during a Mutant's Awakening also caused great losses, even leading to the innocent deaths of family members. This was one reason why Mutants were ostracized and hated by the public.
No one wanted a potential Mutant near them, like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment and cause injury or death.
Mutants still had a long way to go before being accepted by the public.
Magneto's desire to exterminate ordinary humans was simply not feasible.
Millions of years ago, the Celestials descended upon Earth and modified its primal humans, leading many humans on Earth to possess the X-Gene. This was the root cause of the birth of the mutant group among Earth's population.
The vast majority of humans on Earth possessed the X-Gene; those with manifest genes were Mutants, while those with latent genes were ordinary humans. Magneto's constant push for extermination was simply unrealistic. This was also because Old Man Magneto had been pushed too hard by the Human Government over the years, nearly having no way out multiple times; otherwise, he wouldn't have reached this point. If he didn't kill, people would think he was easy to bully and try to kill him.
Tony then recalled how future governments would create Sentinel Robots, specifically programmed to track and hunt down Mutants using the X-Gene. As it turned out, the Sentinel Robots went out of control. Before they could kill many Mutants, ordinary humans carrying the latent X-Gene were almost completely wiped out.
If one also considered Ultron, an artificial intelligence lifeform that could revive infinitely no matter how many times it was killed, it almost brought about the end of the world. The remaining superheroes were forced to have Wolverine risk his life to travel through time and alter the course of history, rebooting the Timeline as a last resort. Days of Future Past was not that simple; those who meddled with time would inevitably pay a terrible price.
Otherwise, the strongest in the entire universe would undoubtedly be The Flash, who was about to be born in Central City. Possessing the miraculous Speed Force, he could easily travel through time and move through the Time Stream. If he couldn't defeat you, he'd just travel back in time, kill your younger self, then return, happily watching you slowly erased from countless dimensions, past and future, by the Time Anomaly Correction.
But that was impossible; toying with time would inevitably incur an unbearable price from time itself.
Tony was, of course, very curious about the Time Stream, but at his current level, he wasn't qualified to touch it, nor did he intend to.
(end of chapter)
