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Chapter 215: Heroism

As dusk approached, the heavy haze gently settled on the skyline, adding a mysterious hue to the once brilliant sunset. When the light shone through the mist and into the hospital room, a halo of light appeared behind Stark against the light.

Schiller stood on the other side of the bed, and Connors walked over with a syringe. The two whispered about the data, and Schiller turned to Obadiah lying on the hospital bed, then to Stark sitting across from him.

He lowered his head, his brown eyes sinking into the shadow of his eyelashes like the sun trapped in a cage.

Stark propped his elbow on his knee and covered his mouth with his hand. His body language indicated that he didn't want to talk, but his voice still leaked out from between his fingers, hoarse like a blade.

"I saw many things, the past, the future, I saw many versions of myself and their different life paths."

His tone rose slightly with the first few words. "Perhaps you won't believe it, but I understand all the truth and secrets."

His breath exhaled through his nose onto his hand, and when Stark lowered his eyes, he could clearly see the change in his breath.

"Maybe it was just a moment, but that moment was infinite to me. I saw everything I wanted to see."

He moved one hand and raised a few fingers, then put them back down. "I saw Howard."

The clouds passed over the skyline, causing the light to suddenly darken. Stark's trembling voice carried a strange power.

In the mist of the sunset and haze, Stark walked into a lively exhibition, where he saw the man who had faded in his memory, standing next to a hovercar, introducing his great invention.

Stark followed the crowd out of the exhibition and into a dim laboratory, where the man held a shield and chatted with Steve.

After the laboratory lights went out, there was a violent shaking, a sharp brake sound, and a violent explosion. Time reversed, and in the laboratory, Stark picked up a photo frame containing Howard and Obadiah's photo when they were young.

When the light in the laboratory came back on, a young Obadiah walked in. Howard warmly embraced him, and the two talked all night about their great inventions.

The genius ideas were passed onto Stark's ears, making him feel intoxicated not because of how powerful the ideas were but because he had never had a friendship like the two of them, never had a soulmate to talk with all night long.

After the violent brake sound and explosion, Obadiah's figure began to shrink, with more and more white hair on his head. Stark saw him hang up the phone and start trembling all over, looking pleased and guilty, like he had gone mad.

Stark stood in the laboratory, and Howard walked past him and waved to Obadiah. Steve was adjusting the shield handle, and after a while, Pepper walked in while talking on the phone, and Schiller sat in front of the lab table, unscrewing a light bulb.

Peter came in with a steaming breakfast, and the laboratory floor shook violently. A huge lizard monster jumped in and quickly turned into the gentle Dr. Connors. Connors reached out, and a syringe was handed to Stark.

Stark looked up, and Connors and Schiller stared at him. Schiller said, "If everything goes well, after the last treatment, he will wake up. In addition, his life expectancy may be extended, and his mind and body will become younger."

Schiller looked at Stark's expression and said, "You should be deeply skeptical now because when you heard this news, you found that you were not happy."

"You are wondering why. You suddenly realized that you were not as generous as you appeared. Maybe you are also wondering whether there is really any family love between you and Obadiah, or whether it is all because of someone you don't want to mention."

"Don't use mind-reading on me," Stark looked up at Schiller, and for once, Schiller didn't argue with him because he understood that Stark was no longer just Iron Man in this universe.

When he ascended to the only one, many things changed.

Perhaps the energy consumption of the magic reactor prevented this moment from lasting too long, but fundamentally, this Stark in front of him had understood all truth.

Stark remained silent, looking at Obadiah. Neither Connors nor Schiller spoke.

After this genius, cursed with knowledge, saw through all universal truths, he would no longer be troubled by trivial emotions, nor would he be overwhelmed by surging emotional waves.

Therefore, he would be able to make every judgment that would affect his life clearly and be prepared to take responsibility for it without anyone reminding him.

After the clouds passed by, the light shone again. Stark stood up, bent down and pulled the blanket off Obadiah, and said to Connors, "Let's proceed with the final phase of treatment."

Schiller said nothing. He pressed a button, and the doctor and nurses walked in. Stark left the hospital room against the crowd, and Schiller followed, standing by the door.

Stark asked him, "You're also the only one, right? You knew all of this long ago, how it happened, and how it will develop in the future. This is something every only one can do."

Schiller glanced at Stark and said, "At that moment, you could have chosen to become the only one, and then the energy of the magic reactor would no longer be a shackle to you."

"The only one is the only one. They will no longer rely on any energy to maintain their position, but why didn't you do it?"

Stark suddenly laughed and said to Schiller, "You wanted me to do that, right? You gave me a battery that allowed me to break through these barriers and reach a higher level."

"Perhaps you think that no one can resist this temptation, ascending to the highest level in an instant, seeing through all truth, and feeling everything under control. By giving a definite answer, one can become an eternal god."

"You have influenced Strange, the Supreme Sorcerer, Asgard and Odin, and the cosmic gods, so that I can make the right choice at that moment and become the only one above the universe."

"So you must be disappointed now that I wasted this opportunity and became a mortal again."

"My psychology is not bad, right?"

Stark turned his head to look at Schiller. Behind them was a door filled with sunset light, like a picture frame that turned their figures into silhouettes. The orange-red background was brighter than any color on the painter's palette, almost overflowing from the canvas and spreading to the walls and floor.

"You really surprised me," Schiller lowered his head, but his tone was calm. He said, "But someone taught me a lesson before you."

"Arrogance is a deadly poison. Whether it is a god or a human, when he believes he has the ability to change the situation, influence the fate of everyone, and manipulate everyone like pawns, he is not far from death."

"This kind of arrogance will devour all humanity and make people lose the most precious wisdom and emotions, becoming the embodiment of rules and order. Whether you believe it or not, I have never thought of doing this."

"I am an ordinary person, always have been."

"In fact, I don't know what I was thinking," Stark looked up, and some light penetrated his hair, making his eyes shine brightly. The chains of shadows seemed to have completely left him.

"Maybe you wouldn't believe it, but when I found out that I could become the only one in countless universes, and merge with all the other versions of myself, making all Starks my avatars and projections, that's when I knew it."

Stark looked down. It was as if he was still standing on a high mountain peak, surrounded by cold winds, with a sky full of stars behind him. It was an indescribable and unspeakable space. He saw that all the universes were beneath his feet.

Several shadows ran towards him, about to merge into one and become the only existence in the universe, with no more destinies, memories, or histories.

But in the next second, Stark opened his arms, and without hesitation, he jumped down. Those shadows chased after him, but were blocked by the barriers of individual universes.

"I refuse to ascend like this."

"Is it difficult?" Stark asked himself and answered, "No, it's not difficult at all. There's nothing worth hesitating for."

"No matter how much difficulty emotions and wisdom bring me, they are not reasons for me to abandon them. Even if human nature is ugly, it is still a part of me, not something that needs to be eliminated as garbage."

"A perfect and flawless yet lonely god will never be nobler than a vulgar and lively human being."

"You are indeed a hero." Schiller's voice sounded. "Because there is only one kind of heroism in this world, which is to still love life after recognizing its truth."

As his last note fell, the clouds swiftly dissipated. At this moment, the vibrant orange-red background in the frame dimmed, resembling cooled steel. The figures of the two individuals slowly sank into the darkness.

"Beep beep."

An ear-piercing machine beep sounded from the hospital room. After a commotion, someone shouted, "He's awake! He's awake!"