Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Chapter 38 The Time of Return

Inside the underground command center, the eerie blue portal leading to hope vanished completely, leaving only a faint, slightly acrid smell in the air, like the aftermath of static electricity, and a heavy emptiness in everyone's hearts. Dr. Wesker adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses falling complexly on the spot where Chen Haotian and Tony had disappeared, before finally letting out a long, stale breath.

"They...really went back," a young researcher murmured, his tone filled with undisguised envy and disappointment.

"Let's get down to business." Wesker's voice regained its composure, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Record the energy residue data, check our remaining supplies. Hope... we need to maintain it ourselves." He turned and began directing the team to carry out the cleanup work, forcibly pressing the shock of that sudden and abrupt miracle into the daily rhythm of survival.

...

For Chen Haotian, the feeling of crossing the spatial passage was a familiar yet slightly turbulent experience of weightlessness and distortion due to energy interference. All around him were bizarre fragments of color and meaningless fragments of noise, his body seemingly stretched and compressed. He concentrated, guiding the increasingly solidified transmigration rune within him to stabilize the anchor of his core coordinates.

Tony's feelings were more direct and uncomfortable. He pressed his lips together, feeling the non-physical pressure acting on his body and the prototype armor (which, though damaged, still retained its basic structure). The holographic projection of the micro-interface on his arm flickered wildly, and Jarvis's intermittent alarms rang in his ears: "...spatial parameters fluctuating violently...unknown energy erosion detected...maintain core life support systems..."

Almost instantly, all the unusual sensations ceased.

The feeling of solid ground beneath my feet filled my nostrils, accompanied by the familiar, highly filtered air, carrying a faint metallic and oily scent. Before me were bright, yet not glaring, LED lights illuminating the spotless, silver-gray metal walls, the neatly arranged precision instruments, and the enormous, clear holographic display screen that occupied one wall—showing Stark Tower's various data in real time.

They're back. Back to Tony Stark's private laboratory atop Stark Tower.

"Welcome back, sir." Jarvis's calm and rational voice immediately rang out in the laboratory, without the previous interference noise. "Your and Mr. Chen's vital signs are stable. Abnormal energy residue and... unidentified biological and mineral sample signals have also been detected."

Tony shook his head, dispelling the last trace of dizziness from the spatial travel, and immediately looked at the interface on his arm. The holographic projection had stabilized, displaying a complete system self-check report. He let out a long sigh of relief, a sense of relief washing over him as he returned to his home turf and regained control, despite the dust of the Walking Dead world and some dried, dark red stains still clinging to his body.

"Jarvis, perform a full scan of the lab and prioritize isolating all the items we brought back," Tony ordered swiftly, his tone regaining its usual decisiveness. "Activate the highest level of biosafety protocol and perform full-body scans and disinfection procedures on Chen and me."

"It's already underway, sir."

An invisible scanning wave swept over the two of them, while several miniature disinfection robots slid out from the wall, spraying out a fine mist of disinfectant. Tony obediently raised his arm, but his gaze flickered towards Chen Haotian beside him.

Chen Haotian stood still, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly sensing something. The energy fluctuations within his body were rapidly subsiding, and the illusory blue rune slowly faded from the depths of his consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to its usual calm and sharpness, even carrying a hint of the languor of returning to a safe zone. He looked down at the specially made alloy box he was tightly clutching in his hand—it contained the most important original virus strain sample and the DC metal fragment. Tony was holding another energy shield canister containing several void energy crystals.

"How does it feel, my dear brother?" Chen Haotian's lips curled into his usual slightly mocking smile. "Isn't returning to the civilized world far more pleasant than dealing with rotting corpses in ruins?"

Tony snorted irritably, taking off his badly tattered coat and tossing it into the nearby recycling bin. He replied, "If you mean not having to constantly worry about having your nose bitten off by a bunch of walking rotten meat, then I admit, it is a little bit 'comfortable.' But bringing these 'local specialties' back makes me feel like we've opened Pandora's box." He pointed to the things the two had brought back.

The disinfection process ended, and the isolation pod door opened. Tony walked to the control panel and began rapidly typing on the virtual keyboard. "Jarvis, create a new independent database, encryption level 'Prometheus'. Prioritize including all the data and sample analyses we brought back in this project. Also, retrieve all important event records from the time I was away."

"Understood, sir."

Chen Haotian also walked over and carefully placed the alloy box in his hand on the specially made analysis table. He looked at everything familiar in the laboratory, felt the solid floor beneath his feet and the constant temperature in the air, which formed a stark contrast with the omnipresent decay, danger, and uncertainty of the world of the walking dead. This contrast made him more deeply aware of the enormous potential and risks contained in his ability to travel through time.

"The Pandora's box has been opened, Tony." Chen Haotian's voice was calm, yet carried a certainty. "The key is whether the person who opened the box has the ability to control what's inside, or even... utilize it." His gaze swept over the samples from the apocalypse. "The tragedy of that world is an unprecedented treasure trove for us. Viruses, energy crystals, and that fragment... they represent different physical rules, different possibilities."

Tony didn't immediately refute. He stared at the preliminary scan results of the hard drive data brought back from the world of The Walking Dead, which were scrolling rapidly on the holographic screen, his brow furrowed slightly. "Possibility also means unknown risks. Jarvis, preliminary analysis of the virus sample structure."

A complex viral molecular model immediately appeared on the holographic screen, accompanied by a dense list of data. "Sir, the structure of this pathogen is fundamentally different from any known virus on Earth. Its protein coat exhibits abnormal stability, and its RNA sequence shows a high degree of invasiveness and a tendency to mutate. Its similarity to reference models such as T-virus and smallpox virus is less than 0.7%. Preliminary assessment suggests that its origin and evolutionary path are independent."

"See?" Chen Haotian shrugged, his tone carrying the excitement of a top student encountering a novel topic. "A completely different form of life (if it can even be considered life). If we can understand its operating mechanism, we might not only find ways to combat similar pathogens, but also potentially drive advancements in genetic engineering, biological weapons defense, or... other more interesting fields."

"And you, my dear brother," he turned to Tony, his gaze fixed on the energy shield, "you're more interested in these glittering little things, aren't you?"

Tony picked up the jar and peered through the reinforced glass at the several crystals inside, which emitted a faint, eerie glow and seemed to have liquid flowing within them. "Void Energy Crystals... Jarvis, dock with the Arc Reactor energy map and conduct preliminary compatibility simulations."

"Simulation in progress... Sir, preliminary data shows that the energy form contained in this crystal is fundamentally different from the arc reaction technology of the arc reactor, but its energy density is extremely high, and it exhibits good guideability and stability. The simulation shows that there is a theoretical possibility of replacing or enhancing the existing energy system."

A sharp glint flashed in Tony's eyes, the look of a scientist or engineer upon seeing a breakthrough material. "Extremely high energy density... excellent stability... if we could harness this energy..." he murmured to himself, his mind already sketching out a new energy core design.

"Therefore, risks and rewards go hand in hand," Chen Haotian concluded. He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the brightly lit and orderly New York City below. "What we brought back was not just a sample of disaster, but also a key. A key to unlocking the door to a new world, and... a key to unlocking the realm of new technologies."

A brief silence fell over the laboratory, broken only by the soft hum of the instruments and the sound of data flowing across the holographic screen. Tony finally snapped out of his reverie about the energy crystal and looked at Chen Haotian's retreating figure with a complex expression.

"This 'unexpected journey,' while it started terribly, ended... well, it yielded results beyond expectations. However, kid," his tone regained its Tony Stark-esque wariness and controlling nature, "we need to have a serious talk about your 'little trick' (he gestured towards Chen Haotian, implying the ability to travel through time), and how we should 'use' these keys going forward. A very formal talk."

Chen Haotian turned around, his face still bearing that enigmatic smile, as if everything was under control. "Of course, that's what I was thinking too. But before that," he gestured to his stained clothes, "I think we need to take a hot shower, change into decent clothes, and open a bottle of the best wine in your cellar. Negotiations need a comfortable environment, don't they?"

He appeared casual, but in reality, he guided the pace of every step. He acknowledged the gains, pointed out the value, and finally steered the serious negotiations back to a more relaxed (or rather, more conducive to showcasing his cunning) level.

Tony stared at him for a few seconds, then finally chuckled and shook his head. "Damn, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Jarvis, get some hot water ready, and also, bring out my 1945 Romanée-Conti."

"Prepare immediately, sir."

The moment of return, amidst intense data analysis and future strategic discussions, temporarily drew a pause, tinged with the aroma of wine and the steam of hot water. But both knew that the chapter of the Walking Dead world had been turned, and this return would usher in a new chapter, one far more magnificent and challenging. Those samples and secrets from the apocalypse lay quietly in the laboratory, waiting to be unveiled, and inevitably, to alter the fate of them, and indeed, the entire world.