"This… this is my phone?"
Rhodes rubbed his eyes hard, staring at the tiny robot on the ground in disbelief. For a moment he wondered if he was seeing things.
"Could this be… some kind of magical artifact?"
Coulson, equally shocked, fell into deep thought.
Turning a cellphone into a robot — this couldn't be explained by science anymore. Clearly, it was some form of supernatural power.
"Master, what are your orders? Shall I eliminate them?"
The mini Decepticon crawled up to Iron Man's feet, tilting its distinct little head toward him as it spoke.
At the same time, several miniature cannons on its body swiveled and locked onto Rhodes and Coulson.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on both of their foreheads. They had no doubt — if Iron Man gave the word, this tiny robot would really open fire.
Small as it was, its killing intent was terrifying.
"See that? So remember, don't ever mess with me again."
Iron Man couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of such a tiny thing barking orders at two high-ranking figures. "I've got the best bodyguard in the world."
"So… do you want me to eliminate them now?" the mini Decepticon asked eagerly. "Command confirmed!"
"Stop! Cease fire!"
Startled, Iron Man shouted to stop it, breaking out in a cold sweat himself. The murderous instinct of this little machine was way too strong.
"Deactivate transformation mode!" Iron Man ordered sternly.
"Command confirmed!"
The mini Decepticon responded, then began to split and reassemble itself, soon returning to its original cellphone form — which Iron Man promptly picked up.
"Tony, this little thing is fascinating. Mind if I take it back to S.H.I.E.L.D. for study?" Coulson asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"This is my phone. I think you should hand it back to me…" Rhodes said solemnly from the side.
A robot with self-awareness — in Rhodes and Coulson's eyes, that was an absolute treasure, worthy of deep research.
And the fact that it had transformed from a cellphone made it even more remarkable.
"Don't even think about it!" Iron Man refused firmly, glaring at the two men's "not-so-innocent" expressions.
Rhodes and Coulson, knowing Iron Man's temperament, didn't press the issue — though their eager curiosity clearly hadn't subsided.
"So, gentlemen, what do you make of that quiz question?"
Rhodes asked gravely, glancing between Iron Man and Coulson.
After witnessing the miraculous power of the AllSpark fragment, none of them dared to dismiss or doubt this mysterious quiz system anymore.
"Whoever's behind this, whatever method they're using, and whatever their purpose may be — we can't tell from the limited information," Coulson said seriously. "The only thing we can analyze is the question itself."
After he spoke, the three men each fell silent, mentally replaying the question and its options.
"Clearly, the one who set this question is trying to tell us something," Iron Man said slowly.
[Answer submitted. Now playing the answer analysis.]
The familiar synthetic voice rang out, interrupting their thoughts.
All eyes turned to the glowing screen — where a video clip began to play.
The first thing they saw was an alien with a head shaped like a purple sweet potato, standing amid ruins in full armor, a metallic gauntlet on his left hand.
Even through the projection, the oppressive aura radiating from him was unmistakable — clearly, this was a formidable being.
"So that's the cosmic overlord, Thanos?" Iron Man muttered with a smirk. "Man, he's ugly — looks just like a giant purple potato."
Whoosh!
A figure suddenly dropped from the sky, landing in front of Thanos with domineering flair — clad in a dazzling red suit of armor.
There was no doubt — it was Iron Man himself.
"Cool! That armor is insanely cool!"
Iron Man's eyes lit up instantly. For a moment, he forgot all about Thanos — his gaze was locked on the armor version of himself on screen.
The design was sleeker, more elegant, and notably smaller. The joints looked perfectly integrated — it didn't even seem to use a traditional steel framework.
Could it be… made from some new type of material?
"The me shown there looks older… and the armor is far more advanced than anything I've designed. I haven't built anything like that yet. Could that be… the future me?"
"Is this footage… from the future?"
A sudden spark flashed through Tony's mind — a bold, shocking realization that even startled himself.
"The future?"
Coulson and Rhodes exchanged glances, feeling the same spark of realization. "Then… could that battle mentioned in the question be one that happens in the future?"
All three froze for a moment — then their expressions turned grave.
As unbelievable as it sounded, it somehow felt possible.
After all —
this system had frozen people in place, rewarded them with AllSpark fragments, and pulled off such an extraordinary display. If it was all just for some random, made-up quiz question, that would be more absurd than showing them a vision of the future.
"You throw another moon at me, and I'll lose it!"
On screen, Iron Man's voice carried his usual bravado as he faced Thanos.
Coulson and Rhodes exchanged helpless looks — even when facing a cosmic warlord, Tony Stark couldn't resist showing off.
"Tony Stark!"
To their surprise, Thanos actually called his name — as if he knew him.
"You… know me?" the Iron Man in the footage asked, clearly astonished.
"Yes," Thanos said solemnly. "You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
"My only curse… is you!"
As Iron Man shouted, dozens of micro-missiles fired from the back of his armor, streaking toward Thanos in a storm of explosions.
But when the smoke cleared, Thanos stood unharmed.
Then, Iron Man charged forward, engaging in close combat — leaping into the air and delivering a fierce double kick.
The armor's leg units merged into massive "iron discs," striking Thanos with the force of thunder.
As soon as he landed, Iron Man spun gracefully backward, his armored arms transforming into enormous "iron pillars" that slammed into Thanos and sent him flying.
(End of Chapter)