Bruce Banner raised an eyebrow. "Even if he survived back then, there's no way he could still be alive three thousand years later, right?"
At that moment, new text appeared on the light screen:
[Next, a future video will be played. Please watch carefully. After the video ends, a corresponding question will be presented]
The text faded, and the video began.
Erik Lehnsherr appeared on screen—but he was wearing a helmet and a grease-stained work uniform, laboring inside a steel factory.
Outside the screen, Erik Lehnsherr's pupils shrank sharply. He had already seen this future video in a previous quiz game.
And it had brought him immense pain.
Tony Stark noticed it as well and raised an eyebrow. "I remember this clip. Didn't they show it before?"
Seeing the curious looks from Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner, Tony gave them a brief explanation.
The future footage depicted Magneto after his retirement—choosing to marry, have children, and live the life of an ordinary man.
From a most-wanted criminal who once broadcast his intent to execute the President of the United States live to the world, he had become nothing more than a common steelworker.
If not for an accident that forced him to reveal his mutant powers—saving a coworker who was about to be crushed—Erik Lehnsherr might have truly left the world behind and lived out his days in quiet, ordinary happiness.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him.
Once his identity was exposed, his wife and daughter were killed one after the other. The last trace of warmth in Magneto's heart was completely extinguished.
The previous time Erik had watched this footage, he had nearly lost control and started a fight in the Eternal Space. This time, his eyes were once again bloodshot, his expression filled with killing intent.
Bruce Banner shook his head and said with emotion, "So everyone here has their own misfortune."
It might have sounded insensitive, but after witnessing Erik Lehnsherr's tragic fate, Bruce did feel a little less burdened by his own pain.
At that moment, the video paused, and a new question appeared:
[Which of the following was the true cause of Magneto's identity being exposed?]
[A: An ordinary worker]
[B: Charles Xavier]
[C: Magda]
[D: En Sabah Nur]
Tony Stark froze for a moment and said in surprise, "Normally, Erik himself should be one of the options. After all, no one forced him to save anyone."
Natasha Romanoff glanced at the silent Magneto and said thoughtfully, "Erik saved that man because he's kind at heart. But if we trace the root cause—if he hadn't gone to work at the steel mill, or if that minor earthquake hadn't happened—then none of the tragedy afterward would have occurred."
Bruce Banner followed up, "So this question is asking who caused the earthquake—or who led Erik to work at the factory in the first place?"
Hearing their analysis, Erik Lehnsherr grew increasingly agitated. He shook his head and said, "Then the answer must be B. If it weren't for Charles, I never would have gone into hiding in the first place!"
He remembered clearly that in the future footage, Charles Xavier had repeatedly persuaded him to try integrating into ordinary human society. Looking back now, perhaps the real culprit was that bald man all along.
Tony Stark, meanwhile, studied option D on the screen. En Sabah Nur's presence among the answers felt… strange.
Just then, the countdown began, leaving the players little time to think.
No one felt confident about this question, so they didn't rush to buzz in. Only when the timer was about to hit zero did they finally press the button.
This time, Tony Stark won the right to answer. After a brief hesitation, he chose D.
Natasha Romanoff decided to follow his lead and selected D as well.
Erik Lehnsherr chose B.
Bruce Banner did the same.
Homelander hesitated, glancing back and forth between the groups. Unsure whom to follow, he ultimately chose B as well.
The correct answer was soon announced:
[Congratulations to player Tony Stark for answering correctly on the buzzer. +4 points.]
[Player Natasha Romanoff answered correctly. +1 point.]
[Player Erik Lehnsherr, player Bruce Banner, and player Homelander answered incorrectly. −1 point each.]
Tony Stark chuckled as he looked at Homelander. "See, Homelander? Didn't I tell you not to celebrate too early? I've caught up with you already."
Homelander's face darkened. Bad luck this time, he thought—but it wasn't a big deal.
Next time, he'd just follow someone else.
Erik Lehnsherr had also lost points, but what concerned him more was the information revealed by the question itself.
"What does En Sabah Nur have to do with my identity being exposed?" he muttered. "Wasn't he buried underground thousands of years ago?"
He waited for an explanation—but instead of showing the answer footage, the light screen presented another question:
[Which of the following caused En Sabah Nur to re-emerge and return to the world of the living?]
[A: Moira MacTaggert]
[B: Ororo Munroe]
[C: Raven Darkhölme]
[D: Charles Xavier]
Outside the screen, Natasha Romanoff said, "I was just wondering whether En Sabah Nur would be resurrected. I didn't expect the answer to come so quickly."
Bruce Banner frowned. "The problem is—I don't recognize a single name here."
Homelander nodded. "Since none of us know them, you'll explain it to me, right?"
As he spoke, he turned toward Tony Stark and Erik Lehnsherr.
Erik Lehnsherr remained silent.
Tony Stark let out a cold laugh. If Homelander hadn't spoken up, he might have explained it for Bruce's sake—but now he had no interest at all.
Fortunately, the light screen itself began playing short introduction clips for each option.
First was Moira MacTaggert—a capable female intelligence agent who had once been romantically involved with the bald man, Charles Xavier, before having those memories erased by him.
After that, although she no longer remembered Charles, Moira developed a deep interest in mutants and the occult, traveling the world in search of clues related to mutantkind and mysterious phenomena.
Next came Ororo Munroe—a young mutant girl living in Cairo. Her life was harsh and impoverished, scraping by at the bottom of society, where she had gathered a small group of younger followers around her.
....
Translator's Note:
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— Translator-Sama