Chapter 139: Bringing Home Some Local Specialties, Since You're Here Anyway
As an outsider, Tony Stark had never felt so wonderful. He should have been furious. Since arriving on this universe's Earth, no matter the caliber of the natives he faced, he would suffer technological humiliation. Even someone like Strange, who had walked the path of a demon sorcerer and had nothing to do with high technology, could openly despise his most prized nanotechnology. But Tony had no time to dwell on that now.
Listening to the bizarre voice that had suddenly appeared, he was shocked as he felt the changes in his body. His aged body, wrinkled skin, flabby muscles, and stiff ligaments were all bursting with a continuous stream of life force. His physique was recovering at an astonishing speed, easily surpassing the level he had in his youth. His sight, hearing, smell, strength, speed, neural reflexes, and cellular activity—every single aspect had improved to a degree he never dared to imagine. This made Tony realize that, from a purely physical standpoint, he could now be considered an entry-level superhuman. Furthermore, considering the enhancement of his neural reflexes and brain activity, he might have even received a slight boost to his intelligence.
"Friday?" Tony asked, remaining calm.
"All your body's metrics are improving by leaps and bounds. From that perspective, it's a good result—that is, if you ignore the living creature that suddenly appeared in your chest."
"The thing that suddenly appeared in my chest... is it a Xenomorph?"
"Based on a comprehensive analysis, it meets the criteria for a Xenomorph. It is developing rapidly, but I cannot determine how it suddenly appeared inside your body. It's as if it were originally a part of your body, which clearly defies the laws of physics."
Friday reported faithfully. At the same time, a model of Tony's body appeared on the screen, with countless data points changing rapidly, allowing Tony to grasp his body's various metrics in real time.
Tony's mind couldn't process it. "Why is this happening? It doesn't seem like magic. You get infested by a Xenomorph just for saying Du Wa's name?" Tony finally understood why Strange had looked at him that way. He also finally realized that some of the bizarre rumors about Xenomorphs he had glanced over on this world's underground network were actually true.
Tony took a few seconds to feel his own power. With a body like this, he estimated he could easily live for a few hundred years. He would have more time to develop technology and explore the unknown, and at least he wouldn't be repeatedly scorned and berated by the people of this world. Unfortunately, this change was forced upon him by this Earth's God, and by way of a Xenomorph implant, no less. He didn't like being passive.
"Friday, perform surgery to remove the Xenomorph embryo immediately," Tony said decisively. "This feeling of rebirth is very alluring, but it's not the way I want it. I don't care if Du Wa is observing me, or if he wants to kill me or use me. What I'm pursuing isn't immortality, but saving my world and rescuing my family and friends."
Tony's voice was full of determination. If he really wanted a superhuman body, to put it bluntly, there were many ways to get one even just within his own universe. Although Universe 199999 didn't have a truly large population of Mutants, which meant there wasn't an abundance of X-genes to research and use. But there were still many methods to enhance one's physique and extend one's lifespan, such as mechanical modification, becoming an intelligent lifeform, the Extremis virus, or the Hulk serum. Tony had used none of them. He maintained his mortal body, applying all methods of increasing his combat power to his armor.
But Friday gave him some unfortunate news.
"Sir, the Xenomorph embryo has already fused perfectly with your internal organs. Performing surgery to remove it now would make it impossible to protect your organs."
Tony's expression turned ugly. What was this, a compulsory transaction with local characteristics? What a grim joke.
"This world's Steve suddenly went crazy and started wantonly destroying S.H.I.E.L.D. I suppose it was also because he had one of these things inside him..."
Tony looked around. The area had been razed to the ground by the battle between Strange and Blackheart, but even so, Tony could vaguely see agile figures moving quickly in the distance. He knew they were Xenomorphs. On this planet, you couldn't escape the Xenomorphs, no matter where you went.
"What a terrifying guy. In just three years, he turned a normal Earth into his personal property and even developed a... technology for remotely implanting Xenomorphs?" Tony looked at his own chest—full, rejuvenated pectoral muscles and smooth skin. A shame a Xenomorph now resided within.
Beside him, Banner had been desperately searching for a solution, but in the end, he just shook his head dejectedly. "If what's said online is true, rumors say Du Wa can receive information uploaded by every single Xenomorph, like a massive local area network. Even if we successfully remove this Xenomorph now, I'm afraid a new one will be teleported over immediately. I'm more worried that our actions will anger Du Wa."
No one wanted to deal with the local God right off the bat.
Tony glanced at him. "You said Du Wa's name too."
"Perhaps I haven't met a certain standard yet. I haven't been implanted. Besides, I've completed my fusion with the Hulk. Now, every drop of blood in my body contains large amounts of gamma rays. An ordinary Xenomorph embryo would be killed the instant it entered my body." Banner spread his hands, looking helpless. This might be considered an advantage, but it was completely useless. Whether or not he was implanted was no longer important. Even if he wasn't, would he really abandon Tony and the others to escape this world alone?
Just then, a rapidly approaching figure appeared before the two of them.
"That's some impressive speed. I just wonder which poor host this Xenomorph hatched from."
Tony quipped at the Speed Alien before them. Immediately after, the Speed Alien grabbed one in each hand and swiftly carried them off to Weyland Tower.
"How did Iron Man get here? And the Hulk looks so strange."
People coming and going immediately recognized the two, their faces full of surprise. But in the end, no one approached them to talk; they just hurried on their way. Everyone seemed very busy, dressed in suits and leather shoes, giving Tony and Banner a strange sense of dissonance.
This is a Deity's headquarters? How peculiar.
"This place is even livelier than my Stark Tower," Tony remarked, his mood heavy. "It doesn't feel like a Deity's residence at all. I thought I'd walked into a corporate headquarters. Of course, even if we were here to do business, we'd be the ones getting fleeced."
Banner scratched his head, his face troubled. "There are a lot of powerful people here. See that old man getting out of the elevator up ahead? My instincts are screaming at me. He's terrifying."
"Old man?"
From a hundred meters away, Magneto, dressed in black and wearing a helmet, stopped and looked directly at Banner. "I'm much older than you, but my physical condition is not the least bit inferior to yours. Also, nanobots? I don't recall Tony Stark specializing in this area. He knows this kind of technology is of little significance."
Magneto raised a hand and effortlessly seized control of the countless nanobots on Tony's body, manipulating them to surface and coalesce into his armor.
"Magneto... he's one of the most powerful Mutants in the world, born with the ability of magnetic manipulation, but I never expected him to be able to wield his power to this extent." Tony stared at the fragmented data flashing on his screen, completely stunned. This old man could absolutely annihilate him in an instant, in every conceivable way.
But Magneto merely toyed with him for a moment before losing interest. "An aging body, unimpressive technology, and your life-field has a sense of decay to it. You're not the Stark I know. If you were, even without piloting the Celestial Armor, you'd carry a few suits of Adamantium Armor and anti-magnetic armor just to guard against me."
Adamantium, with its incredibly durable properties, is one of the very few metals that can stand up to Magneto's magnetic manipulation. At the very least, it wouldn't be so easily destroyed by him. But Tony had no idea what Adamantium even was; he'd never even heard of it. He had only heard of Vibranium.
"Sir, we don't want any trouble. We're here to see Du Wa," Banner said, calling Du Wa by name, deciding to just roll with it.
"Right. That guy is so obnoxious. After dealing with the demons of Hell and the demon gods of the other dimension, it's only normal he'd get interested in a parallel universe." Magneto was a little disappointed. He had been wondering if he could get the coordinates to an otherworld from these outsiders. Perhaps he could take the Mutants, pack up, and run, establishing a new home. It couldn't be helped; this universe was just too competitive. Seeing these two before him, who seemed so easy to bully, he thought that perhaps the strength of the parallel universe's Earth wasn't that great. It could be a very good way out.
Unfortunately, Du Wa always acted faster than anyone else.
Tony and Banner watched Magneto depart with lingering fear, sadly realizing that this old man alone could go on a rampage if placed on their world's Earth. Yet, such a powerful and ferocious individual was considered second-rate on this Earth, mentioned less and less in public discourse.
"If our world had a Magneto, he could have definitely stopped Thanos from getting all the Infinity Stones."
"Unfortunately, we don't. And it's a good thing we don't. Otherwise, our headache wouldn't have been Thanos, but the racist Magneto."
The two took an elevator and came face to face with Du Wa.
"To receive an invitation from this universe's Deity, I should feel honored." Tony even removed his nanotech armor.
"A smart and calm fellow. That was the right move. Your nanotech armor can't block a single punch from me. To put it bluntly, I only need to send a group of weak Xenomorphs to destroy your masterpiece." Just a splash of Xenomorph blood would do the trick. Even the weakest Messenger Xenomorph could damage the nanotech armor. The only issue is that the speed of the damage wouldn't be able to keep up with the armor's repair speed.
Du Wa picked up a kettle of freshly boiled water, poured three glasses, and downed one in a single gulp. After a moment of silence, Banner also picked up a glass. Tony frowned, but then drank his as well. With his current physique, downing a glass of boiling water wasn't a big deal.
"A correction: I am no longer the god of this universe. In fact, Odin and I should be at the same level," Du Wa said casually.
"Odin? He doesn't have..." Banner began subconsciously.
Du Wa interrupted, "The Odin I'm talking about is the Odin of our universe. His greatest feats include fighting several Cosmic Gods, and at full power, he can interfere with the timeline of the entire Milky Way Galaxy. He's a completely different matter from the Odin you understand."
Tony and Banner fell into silence once again, digesting this piece of intelligence. Both are named Odin, yet the gap is so huge?
Du Wa looked at the two before him with great interest. To be honest, the fact that people from Universe 199999 could come to this universe surprised Du Wa. It wasn't part of his plan. However, since they were here, it was great. Du Wa was determined to give these two a proper reception, to let these visitors from a minor multiverse—one that existed within the Marvel Multiverse but had blurred boundaries with most other universes—experience the warmth of the locals. Of course, Du Wa would also ensure these guys returned safely to Universe 199999, and he would have them bring some local souvenirs back with them.
"Our arrival in this world was an accident. If we've caused any offense, please forgive us. We only want to save our world." Banner lowered his head, adopting a very humble posture.
They couldn't determine who was stronger, Thanos with the six Infinity Stones or the Du Wa before them. But since they couldn't even defeat a regular Thanos, they stood no chance against Du Wa, a recognized Deity. The average power level of this world, even for people they were familiar with like Odin and Strange, was far greater than in their own world. Plus, there was the terrifying group known as the Mutants. Oh, and there were also the Symbiotes, whose numbers were staggering, and all of whom had now defected to Du Wa.
"I love dealing with saviors. I understand the psychology of people like you very well, because I've already saved the Earth several times. You are doing the same thing as me," Du Wa said with a smile.
His words were irrefutable. On this planet, and even on many other planets throughout the universe, countless people worshipped him for his deeds.
"You've decided to redeem us?" Tony retorted, pointing at his chest. "In the form of a Xenomorph? I'm not taking this thing back to our universe."
"You have no choice. Why do you think you came to this world? Because of me. Because of the Xenomorphs," Du Wa said. "On the Earth of your Universe 199999, there are Xenomorph movies, comics, and games. The moment those things appeared, a concept was formed. Even if that concept was insignificant, it was enough for me to exploit, turning a coincidence into an inevitability."
(end of chapter)