"Uh, alright, I suddenly don't want to meet my past self anymore!"
Hearing Heisenberg's words, Banner let out an awkward, bitter laugh.
Just thinking about what he used to be like...
If the Hulk from his past saw him now, that guy would probably seize control of the body on the spot and try to kill him first, wouldn't he?
Sigh...
At that thought, Banner helplessly shrugged his broad shoulders and said to Iron Man,
"I'd better start working on the research and construction of the time-travel suits first. When are you guys going after the Space Stone?"
"After Little Ant brings back the Pym Particles!"
As Tony spoke, he glanced at Scott.
Poor Scott blinked in confusion and slowly put down the drink in his hand.
"Emm, I'll go now, okay?"
He looked longingly at the drink he had just poured over ice, then turned and jogged out of Heisenberg's house.
As for Heisenberg, after confirming that Banner was no longer planning to visit Hulk, he boredly rolled over and muttered,
"How dull..."
...
It was only around nine at night that Scott finally came back, his face visibly swollen and bruised.
Without a word, the first thing he did after entering was place all twelve doses of Pym Particles in front of Heisenberg.
"Mission accomplished!!!"
He looked ridiculously excited, but what he completely failed to notice was that Heisenberg's gaze toward him was full of disdain and contempt.
Heisenberg leisurely said,
"Miss Hope van Dyne used the Pym Group company line three hours ago to send a goddamn wanted notice to my Nuclear Gang.
The content of that wanted notice was that some damned man stole their important research results, then spent over three minutes staring at her in the hallway.
And when she stepped forward to ask who he was, that person even tried to hug and molest her.
Still, you should consider yourself lucky, Scott.
She specifically requested that you be taken alive and delivered to her personally. At least she didn't ask for your death, right..."
At that, Scott could only laugh helplessly.
"Alright, alright, Godfather of New York, that was just a tiny little incident!
Believe me, I just really wanted to see her!"
"Do whatever you want. As long as you got the Pym Particles."
Heisenberg nodded lazily, then rolled over again.
Seeing that Heisenberg had no intention of pursuing the matter, Scott let out a sigh of relief, then headed toward the temporary laboratory that had been set up backstage in the theater.
The moment he walked in, he saw Hulk working alone, hauling and assembling lab equipment, while Captain America and Iron Man were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the two of them? Why is it just you here?"
Scott asked as he set down the Pym Particles and went over to help.
Hulk smiled at him and said,
"They went off to handle their own business. I'm the only one whose appearance isn't suitable for going out!"
"Their own business?" Scott looked confused. "They already went straight back to the seventies?"
"No. They're doing the same kind of thing you were doing, buddy."
Hulk shot Scott an annoyed look.
"I..."
Scott instantly did not dare say another word.
The two of them quietly began assembling the lab benches together.
...
At the same time, on the streets of Brooklyn.
Captain America wandered aimlessly as usual, just like he had fifteen years ago when he first woke from his long sleep.
But he had to admit that the Brooklyn of today was completely different from the Brooklyn he had known over those past fifteen years.
All those street punks that used to gather in Brooklyn, along with the mostly Black gang members...
He could not find a single one of them.
Now, the only people on Brooklyn's streets were professional-looking gangsters in neat black suits, carrying pistols and even rifles, patrolling among the pedestrians.
They looked more professional than the police.
Captain America had assumed they would be deeply unpopular.
But the exact opposite was true.
Whenever people like that passed small shops or even mobile burger carts, they were greeted warmly.
"Big Peel, your group's on patrol today?"
"Yo, Big Peel, old Duns too? Your turn today, huh?"
"How's Boss Heisenberg been lately?"
"Has Bullseye's ass healed up yet? Hahaha!"
"See you at Heisenberg Nightclub tonight. I'm definitely drinking you under the table!"
Watching how welcomed these gang members were, Captain America gave a helpless smile.
Brooklyn really was that kind of place.
A paradise for gangsters.
But the gangs now seemed to have found a new, much more harmonious way of coexisting with the ordinary people trying to survive there.
That was something Captain America had never expected.
...
At the same time, in Queens, Iron Man walked forward with a face full of remembrance.
His steps were hesitant and uncertain, and every so often he would stop and look down at the ground.
He... wanted so badly to see that child...
Pain, hesitation, regret, guilt.
Countless emotions tangled inside his head, leaving him unable to steady himself.
But in the end, he kept moving in that direction.
After walking more than seventeen hundred meters, Tony lifted his head and saw that familiar house.
Yet at that very moment, realization suddenly hit him.
Did he even deserve to see that poor little guy?
The pain made him turn away.
But before he had taken more than two steps, an incredibly familiar voice rang out nearby.
"Oh my God, it's Tony Stark!"
"I wasn't seeing things, it's Iron Man!"
"Ahhhh!"
A full six children had spotted him, and those sweaty kids, all still clutching footballs, quickly surrounded him.
Iron Man froze where he stood, because he had just seen the person he had wanted to meet most not long ago, yet now least wanted to see.
"Peter?!!"
In his shock, he blurted out Little Spider's name directly, and Peter's friends instantly went wild.
"Oh my God, he knows your name, Peter!"
"So you really do know superheroes, I thought you were bragging!"
"Oh my God, oh my God, hurry up and ask for an autograph!"
His friends pushed Peter right up in front of Iron Man, and Iron Man forced himself to calm down.
Trying his best to act relaxed, he said to Peter,
"Alright, you look way too much like a kid of mine, really way too much!
You're here for an autograph, right? I'll give you what you want. Not just an autograph, I'll even take a picture with you!"
"Emmm..."
Faced with such enthusiasm from Iron Man, Little Spider was honestly a little overwhelmed.
But after that brief burst of excitement, he immediately looked at Iron Man seriously and said,
"Sorry, but I'd actually rather have Superman's autograph. You and him are friends, right? Could you help me get one from Mr. Heisenberg?
Make it out to beloved Peter and his little buddies!"
The moment he said that, the bright smile on Iron Man's face collapsed instantly.
He pressed his lips together with difficulty.
"Uh, Superman and I, we're not close, really not close!
By the way, why are you still out playing this late? Don't you know New York is dangerous at night?
What are your uncle and aunt even doing? Is this how they take care of you?"
For some reason, his tone suddenly shifted and he began lecturing Peter.
That instantly made Little Spider like Iron Man even less.
"New York is really safe now. Everyone knows Superman protects New York, so nobody dares hurt kids like us.
And look over there. We even get escorted when we go play ball."
As Little Spider spoke, he pointed into the distance.
Tony looked over and saw four black-suited Nuclear Gang men carrying pistols, waving at Little Spider.
They were even shouting reminders as they waved.
"Get back here, quit talking to strangers, brat!"
"Hurry up and get your ass home, or I'm hanging every one of you up and beating you...!"
...
That scene left Iron Man stunned for two whole seconds.
But Little Spider did not stop talking during those two seconds.
Apparently thinking he was about to get Superman's autograph, the kid was so excited he could barely contain himself.
"Mister, you still haven't answered me. Can you help me get Superman's autograph? Please!
If you help me get it, then I'll take a picture with you, okay?
Can I call you Tony? Please!"
"Uh..."
Hearing that, Iron Man could not help feeling both regret and relief as he asked Little Spider,
"Why do you like Superman's autograph that much? Because he's stronger?"
"Because Superman and I are friends!"
Little Spider hurriedly raised his hand and showed Iron Man his watch.
"Superman gave me this watch himself, and he said it with his own mouth, we're friends!"
The moment Little Spider finished speaking, Iron Man suddenly laughed.
In one swift motion, he equipped his nano-armor, then scooped Little Spider into his arms.
"We had a deal, didn't we, little brat? You take a picture with me, and I'll get you that autograph, right?"
"Of course!"
Little Spider was a little confused, but the moment he heard Iron Man say that, he immediately gave a firm answer.
So a watch flew out from beneath the armor on Iron Man's right wrist. In midair, it quickly shifted shape, transforming into an extremely sci-fi-looking camera.
Click!
The flash went off, and Little Spider's little face was pressed right up beside Iron Man's faceplate.
The watch quickly returned to Tony's wrist, then spat out two instant photos.
After slipping one into his own pocket, Iron Man handed the other one to Little Spider and said seriously,
"Wait for me right here for two minutes. Two minutes from now, I'll bring you the autograph you want!"
"Really? You're Iron Man, so you have to keep your word!"
"Of course. I'm Iron Man!"
Iron Man set Little Spider back on the ground, then took off in an instant, shooting straight toward Heisenberg's theater.
...
Half a minute later, Iron Man landed in front of Heisenberg's recliner.
"Buddy, I need your help with something!"
He rushed over with paper and pen, slapping them down in front of Heisenberg.
"Write an autograph for a kid. To beloved Peter Parker. Hurry!"
"Mm-hmm?"
Heisenberg looked at Iron Man with amused interest, while Iron Man, for the first time, actually found Heisenberg's casual laziness infuriating.
"Quit spacing out. Even if I have to beg you, I've only got one minute and twenty-two seconds left...!"
"Mmm..."
Heisenberg smiled and pointed at the sheet of paper in Tony's hand.
Tony looked down at his own hands in confusion.
What the hell?!
In that split second, not only had the page already been signed and written with a blessing, it even had a huge cartoon portrait of Peter drawn on it!
"Thanks!"
Iron Man had no time to think about just how fast Heisenberg really was.
He took off again immediately, and in moments had already shot out of Manhattan.
Peter, meanwhile, was not worried in the slightest, because not even a minute had passed yet.
And he believed in superheroes.
Sure enough.
Under his excited gaze, Iron Man landed with a bang.
The very first thing he did was place the autograph into Little Spider's hands.
Watching Little Spider thank him, then jump up and down in joy while hugging Superman's autograph to his chest, Iron Man quietly murmured inside the mask,
"This version of him doesn't depend on me the way he once did. That's really good.
At least he won't be let down by me again.
And I, at least in this universe, fulfilled even the smallest promise to him."
When he reached that point, the face hidden behind Iron Man's faceplate was smiling.
And as he smiled, he started to cry.
/-\
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