Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 6078 - 5093: Fate of the Fighter (39)

Peter widened his eyes slightly, and Shiller continued: "If you want to break free from fate, you can’t consistently oppose it, or you’ll sink deeper. The simplest way is to destroy your own identity. Once Iron Man Tony Stark dies, his path as a villain naturally ends."

"There are so many ways to fake death, you don’t need to fool fate, just something plausible and reasonable is enough. Nick might very well orchestrate a disaster, letting Iron Man heroically sacrifice himself, thus preserving his reputation while enabling a smooth escape."

"But there are too many variables in that plan," Peter said. "Wouldn’t fate intervene and prevent all of this from happening?"

"It might, but the simplest solution would be to directly kill Tony Stark," Shiller sighed. "Don’t forget, he’s not the real Iron Man."

Peter was startled, immediately realizing that even without mentioning the previous righteous Iron Man, there is actually another Iron Man in this universe, a digital backup left by the former Iron Man. But this backup hasn’t been seen in a long time; who knows where it is now, could it be in Nick’s possession?

Peter realized that Nick might have a two-pronged approach. If he can extract the Evil Iron Man, he will do his utmost, since the Extremis Virus technology is too valuable. But if he truly can’t extract it, then he would kill him before he fully turns into a villain and replace him with the original Iron Man, forcefully severing the fate line.

"Nick must have given Iron Man some hints," Shiller speculated. "He wants Iron Man to know that the Rebirth Alliance aims to stage an incident for his redemption, proving he’s simply too radical in his methods, has taken a wrong path, but still leans towards the light. If Iron Man grasps this idea, he might choose to cooperate in court for the act, but whether he’s facing true death or fake death remains uncertain."

"Would Iron Man really be willing to gamble?" Peter asked.

"He has no choice," Shiller said. "At least if you don’t investigate, the Mutant issue will definitely fall on him. With Thor involved, he can’t evade judgment. Gambling could offer a slim chance of escape; a comprehensive accounting might exile him from the Nine Major Kingdoms at the least."

Peter nodded, Iron Man’s situation was different from Reed’s. Reed’s consequences were serious; the entire cosmos nearly ended. But regardless, it wasn’t intentional; he didn’t purposely punch a hole into the Antimatter Universe nor intentionally lure enemies from other universes. There’s ample room for defense, and without his consent, he might not have gone to Jotunheim, at most judged for home surveillance.

On the other hand, Iron Man’s matters are too numerous, evidence is ample, his malicious intent apparent, especially as the Rebirth Alliance lacks forces to defend him, and he is unwilling to leverage the Extremis Virus publicly, making expulsion highly likely. If not for Peter and Eddie’s timely action, and Eddie choosing to obscure evidence and testify, Iron Man truly had no avenue for resistance, seeking a slim chance only by cooperating with Nick’s plan.

"Do you think there’s something wrong with this plan?" Peter asked. He actually disapproved because it’s pure conspiracy, utterly sinister, and based on Peter’s understanding of Nick Fury, Iron Man is definitely headed for a trap; Nick won’t be lenient."

"Like I said, it’s treating the symptoms, not the root," Shiller slightly frowned, shaking his head, "this time it’s Evil Iron Man who’s ensnared, but what if next time it’s Captain America, or the time after, it’s you?"

"Using brutal methods to remove people can’t last long. It’s highly likely he’ll become the destined villain himself, resulting in the entire Rebirth Alliance banding together against the evil Agent leader, Nick Fury."

Peter nodded, "Indeed, if we must choose the most villainous anti-hero among everyone, naturally, those who play with conspiracy are easier to spot..."

Peter’s expression gradually changed as he realized a frightening fact—that this might be a part of fate itself.

If Nick’s using these violent measures to oust Iron Man, isn’t he losing his mind? Killing someone with so many superheroes watching, how could he be confident he’d go undetected? Once exposed, it would be three-way chaos, exactly what fate loves to see.

Even if he’s not intent on murder and genuinely wants to fish out Iron Man, deceit carries risks; if exposed, the Rebirth Alliance’s credibility would plummet, especially with Assassin’s Union members still in the city, if Rebirth retreated, they’d inevitably rise, leading to yet another disaster.

Peter shut his eyes tightly, nearly collapsing on the sofa, no matter where they walk, it leads to a dead end.

Trying to break Iron Man’s villain fate, yet likely becoming a villain himself, perhaps already unknowingly manipulated by fate, unknowingly falling into the abyss.

Reflecting, wasn’t he the same way? No one realizes an erroneous choice until it’s made, like he never imagined his recklessness would lead to Uncle Ben’s death, their every move perhaps already trapped within fate’s whirlpool.

Peter felt deep helplessness, if every thought and action was already within the game, how could they break free? Is it truly possible?

But Peter wasn’t one to easily despair; realizing if there hadn’t been a turning point, Iron Man should’ve already split from the Rebirth Alliance during the first incident, the delay till now indicates room for maneuver.

Peter couldn’t help but ponder why Shiller aimed to extract Iron Man. Certainly, it was to prevent Nick from doing something foolish, but stimulating him through Pamela and Pepper, could it truly make him act in a way beneficial to breaking free from fate?

"For those who don’t consider long-term benefits, only the current crisis can force them to respond," Shiller said, "losing is more unacceptable than not gaining."

Peter’s hand paused for a moment, as he naturally understood this principle too. For Iron Man, whether he can control the world’s food isn’t a concern for him, even if he knows that if he could achieve this, he’d gain a lot in the future. He doesn’t want to pursue that direction; he prefers to follow his own logic.

However, losing Pepper is unacceptable to him, because Pepper brings him benefits that he already possesses, held firmly in his hand. Losing means losing something he already has, which is more unacceptable compared to the vague future.

Peter seemed to have understood a bit, but he still asked, "Would Pamela really pursue... even if she does, Pepper might not accept it, right?"

"Iron Man and Pepper’s community of interest wasn’t built on love," Shiller pointed out bluntly, "To them, whether there’s affection doesn’t really matter, as long as their interests are tightly bound."

"Hello, Pepper Potts. Have a seat over here." Pepper gestured to the sofa, and after Pamela sat down, she brought over two cups of coffee and said, "Sorry, I’ve been busy caring for patients at the hospital, haven’t had time to come over. I’ve long heard of your famous name, every person striving to eliminate poverty and hunger deserves admiration."

Pamela smiled at her and said, "That’s too much, ma’am. If I said I came to save the whole human race, it would be somewhat exaggerated. I don’t come without a need, but you know, I’m from another universe, where this universe’s wealth holds little meaning for me, merely adding to vanity."

Pepper also chuckled and said, "Regardless, you’ve done much for people. I’ve heard the first experimental field’s results are quite pleasing?"

"Not bad," Pamela nodded and said, "Just using some Plant Magic Fertilizer has already increased yields; combined with special seeds, growth will be even faster. If further breeding is done, it won’t be long before quite impressive giant crops are cultivated, solving the food problem is just around the corner."

"That’s great," Pepper said, "I wonder which patents you plan to keep? Which ones to hand to the Rebirth Alliance? And which to make open source?"

"Ah, I don’t quite understand that." Pamela said, "You know, in our universe, it’s governed by Electronic Life, and I just do the work assigned without talking about patents."

"It’s different here," Pepper said, "I admire what you’ve done. Precisely because of this, we can’t let heroes become impoverished. Appropriate patent management is necessary; in fact, some patents must remain in your hands to ensure many can enjoy the benefits of the technology, instead of being exploited by those with ulterior motives."

Pamela nodded and said, "I’m enlightened. Not sure how to operate it?"

"Did you bring detailed documents? I can help analyze them for you, free of charge, purely out of my personal respect. However, if you wish to collaborate later, I’d be happy to offer my help."

Pamela, somewhat surprised, said, "Do you want to leave the Stark Group?"

Pamela didn’t suspect Pepper came on behalf of the Stark Group; they had arranged to meet at the Wayne Enterprises Joint Office, rather than Stark Building, which demonstrated Pepper’s attitude. Moreover, her recommendation was personal, not from the Stark Group, suggesting she intends to set out on her own.

"The Rebirth Alliance says Happy’s mutation was done by the Court of Owls, and they’ve provided evidence, but I have my doubts. If I continue to harbor suspicion, I can’t interact honestly, and cooperation becomes difficult," Pepper lowered her eyelids slightly, "This relationship has consumed too much of my energy; it’s time to stop."

"I can establish a company," Pamela said, "The Rebirth Alliance suggested this as well, but since I can’t stay here long term, it’s best to find someone to manage it. If I could be fortunate enough to have someone as skilled as you manage it, I would have no worries."

Pepper laughed again; her demeanor still showed some fatigue, but her expression eased slightly. She said, "No problem. The daily operations of the company can be handed over to me, patent management is my strong suit. After all, having worked for Tony for so many years, I have some contacts in the industry. Even for my sake, I will strive hard."

"I completely trust you, ma’am," Pamela said emotionally, "You say you admire me, but I also admire you. To so decisively abandon the achievements of the first half of one’s life and enter an entirely new environment takes unimaginable courage. If everyone were as brave as you, no one would be trapped in a bad situation. Your experience is worth learning from; have you considered writing an autobiography?"

Pepper was amused by her: "I’m not at that age yet, maybe wait until I’m in my seventies or eighties lying in bed."

When Iron Man flew to the window outside, he saw such a lively chatting scene. Recently already vexed, now his vision turned black, especially with an evil AI nearby who felt no concern about stirring up trouble.

"Now you know the power of the botanist, don’t you?" Brainiac was somewhat smug, "I told you, she’d eventually make you lose your bearings."