amaotonovel Chapter 4697 X Royal Clash (3)
Chapter 4697 X Royal Clash (3)
Chapter 4697 X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (Part 3)
The surgery lasted over seven hours. When the patient was wheeled out of the operating room, Doctor Strange followed, removing his mask as he said, "The surgery was successful. The patient's vital signs haven't fully stabilized yet; they need to be monitored for at least twelve hours..."
He stopped there. All the mutants outside were staring at him. Doctor Strange had no choice but to finish his medical instructions. Magneto looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Doctor Strange said with a touch of emotion. "I just felt a sense of disorientation, like I had traveled back in time."
They walked to the corner of the corridor outside the operating room. Magneto nodded and said, "I often have this feeling too. It's like today is just another day repeating itself."
"Mutants do indeed keep repeating the same old patterns." Doctor Strange remained true to his sharp tongue. "It's normal for you to have this feeling."
However, this version of Magneto in the universe is indeed very good-tempered. He didn't get angry or argue; he simply said, "Sometimes being able to repeat the past is a kind of luck, especially for you, isn't it?"
Doctor Strange paused for a moment, then said, "Perhaps you're right. I was just thinking..."
"what?"
"It's nothing." He crumpled the mask in his hand, waved his hand, changed back into Doctor Strange's costume, and walked towards the door.
When he returned to the Avengers headquarters, everyone looked at him, but Doctor Strange said nothing and went back to his room. Iron Man from the main universe stood at his doorway, watching him.
“See what I told you? The surgery failed, he must be heartbroken.” The main universe’s Iron Man lowered his voice and said, “We shouldn’t have forced him to go.”
“You forced him to go,” Banner pointed out incisively. “If you hadn’t spoken up, our opinions wouldn’t have swayed him. If anything happens to him, it will be your fault.”
Before Iron Man could retort, Captain America coldly said, "Go back to your rooms. Don't come out unless you have to!"
He slammed his shield into the ground, startling everyone around him. Everyone scurried back to their rooms, including Iron Man from the main universe.
The stereotypes in movies lead many to believe that Captain America has a good temper, or that he's a "Superman-like" sunny, cheerful, kind, and tolerant positive character. But that's not actually the case. Captain America has a strong military bearing, and his temper isn't exactly mild. He's usually fine, but once he gets angry, he demands absolute obedience from everyone, and the Avengers won't dare to mess with him.
Captain America walked up to Doctor Strange's door, reached out to knock, but then stopped. He simply stood there and said, "Call me if you need anything, Stephen."
After saying that, he turned and went back to his room. Doctor Strange heard what he said but didn't respond. He sat silently by the window until he saw a figure hanging down furtively.
"Hey, Doctor," Spider-Man said, hanging upside down outside the window, "the surgery was a success, right?"
Doctor Strange was taken aback. Spider-Man said, "I know you can succeed. You're the best surgeon."
Doctor Strange scoffed. Spider-Man continued, "Mr. Stark didn't mean it that way. He's just a little mentally unstable. That Iron Man from the central universe scared him. He talks nonsense when he's anxious."
Doctor Strange didn't answer that question; he simply asked abruptly, "Are there moments when you don't want to be Spider-Man?"
Spider-Man thought for a moment and said, "Of course. There are many moments like that. When Uncle Ben died, when Gwen died, when Mary broke up with me..."
Doctor Strange raised his hand to stop him, and then said, "This is not a good topic for us to discuss. You always give me the illusion that I'm not miserable enough and that I'm just being dramatic."
Spider-Man shrugged and laughed. Doctor Strange lowered his eyes and said, "Maybe I should go back to being a surgeon."
“You can,” Spider-Man said. “You can be a surgeon and a sorcerer at the same time. That’s what Doctor Strange in the central universe does.”
“I’m too busy,” Doctor Strange said. “If I were a surgeon, I would have endless surgeries to perform and medical records to write.”
"Come on. Doctor Strange in that universe doesn't write his own medical records," Spider-Man said in a low voice. "His good friend Dr. Schiller writes them for him."
"How did you know?" Doctor Strange asked, somewhat surprised.
“I often go to the central universe and I’ve seen him writing medical records in his office. It’s clearly not the format of a psychiatrist. When I talked to Mr. Stark about it before, he said that there must be some kind of shady deal between the two of them.”
When Spider-Man mentioned Iron Man from the main universe, Doctor Strange's expression darkened. He stood up, conjured a portal, and said, "Since he has no expectations of me, it's normal that I can't complete the plan. Let him find whoever he wants."
After saying that, he left through the portal. Spider-Man sighed, climbed up the wall, and went to find Iron Man in the central universe.
After saying all that, Spider-Man gulped down a large glass of water, wiped his mouth, and said, "That's how it is. It looks like the two of them have fallen out."
“I’m willing to believe that your Iron Man didn’t do it on purpose,” Stark said. “However, he’ll never grow up if he never pays the price for his reckless words.”
"Did you always do this?" Spider-Man asked curiously.
“Maybe,” Stark said. “If I had been aware that I was hurting someone, I wouldn’t have done it. If I hadn’t been aware, it wouldn’t have made a lasting impression. But I think I’m still better than him; at least my anxiety was under control a long time ago.”
“He really should see a psychiatrist,” Spider-Man said sincerely. “I’ll figure out a way to trick him into seeing Dr. Schiller sometime.”
“Arizona,” Black Widow said, walking in from outside. “The injured mutant has woken up. Her mutant ability is to sense electrical signals. She said she detected an anomaly in southern Arizona. That seems to be the Redgateland factory’s research lab on Earth.”
"She's awake?!" the main universe's Iron Man exclaimed in disbelief. "Stephen's surgery was a success?! Why didn't he tell us?! Stephen? Stephen?"
In the main universe, Iron Man calls Doctor Strange's name towards his room, but there is no response. Spider-Man says, "I saw the portal's light earlier; he should be gone by now."
"Gone? Where did they go?"
“Didn’t you send him to the Shi’ar Empire to find clues? Maybe he went to complete his plan,” Spider-Man said.
The Iron Man from the main universe sat back down somewhat awkwardly. Captain America spoke up, "Do you have the specific coordinates?"
"We're still investigating the mutant side, but it should be soon," Black Widow said.
Captain America clapped his hands and said, "Get ready for battle. Once the mutants pinpoint their location, begin the raid immediately!"
Inside the anti-gravity lab, Magneto, Professor X, Schiller, and Moira stared at a holographic globe. Schiller spoke up, "That mutant was probably sent by some force on Earth, maybe the US military or government."
Magneto turned to look at him, and Schiller said, "Right now, the ones who least want the Mother to wake up are probably them."
Moira, confused, asked, "Why?"
"They believe Stark Industries has gained a huge advantage, even controlling the entire Red Gate Blue Factory. Once the original form awakens, Iron Man will reign supreme in America..."
“It’s utterly absurd,” Moira said. “What need does he have to rule America? Is it some kind of wonderful place?”
Schiller couldn't help but glance at him; this truly lived up to the wisdom of a ninth-generation ruler, hitting the nail on the head. The America in Marvel really thinks everyone wants to rule it, but in reality, it's completely oblivious to the fact that it's a wretched place that attracts so much trouble.
“They won’t stop being suspicious,” Schiller said. “Especially since Stark’s technology is far superior to theirs, they can only assume the worst. Right now, they’d love for someone to storm into the lab, kill all the researchers, and blow up the Redgateland plant. If they can’t have it, no one else can.”
"So they sent that mutant to deliver a message to us?" Professor X frowned. "Do they want the mutant to destroy the lab?"
“That’s right. They want us to go up against Stark Industries, the Avengers, or S.H.I.E.L.D. Of course, they’d prefer us to go up against all of them, so they can sit back and watch the show.”
"It seems everyone has the same idea," Magneto said with a displeased expression. "Everyone wants the mutants and other forces to fight to the death."
“Because you’ve always done that,” Schiller pointed out sharply. “As soon as you’re provoked, you rush in. As soon as there’s the slightest opportunity, you throw yourself into it recklessly. As soon as there’s a promise of profit, you immediately follow suit. You’re too easily fooled, so you can’t always blame others for trying to scheme against you, can you?”
Magneto touched his cheek, Professor X looked down at the floor, and Moira cleared her throat. Schiller continued, "Find some mutants who are good at escaping to scout over there. We should be able to get the exact coordinates quickly. Then let the two Avengers fight it out."
Schiller's plan proceeded smoothly. This was indeed a scheme orchestrated by those who didn't want Stark Industries to obtain the master model. The mutants obtained the lab coordinates with virtually no resistance.
However, the mutants didn't meet their expected end. Instead, another Avengers team appeared outside the lab. And unsurprisingly, the local Avengers also made their appearance. Neither side seemed surprised to see the other.
The local Iron Man had already learned from the supposed drone wreckage that other Iron Men might be coming. Meanwhile, the main universe Iron Man had also guessed that the local Iron Man wanted the Red Gate Orchid factory. Now, naturally, it was time to see who had the bigger fist.
However, the problem is that the Avengers in the main universe are missing Doctor Strange, a crucial asset in the massive battle. Meanwhile, the local Avengers are all present, and fighting on home turf, they're growing stronger with each battle. The main universe's Avengers are finding themselves struggling to win.
Magneto watched the battle unfold through the monitoring equipment. If he felt a hint of schadenfreude, he concealed it well, showing no sign of it. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and said, "Now it's the mutants' turn to be saviors, isn't it? When do we go over there?"
Schiller gave him another helpless look and said, "I've already said it, only when mutants are weak enough will they fight amongst themselves over the ownership of superweapons. If you go to the mortal realm now, aren't you just back to square one?"
"Ahem..." Magneto said somewhat awkwardly, "So we're just going to watch them fight? The main universe is about to lose."
Schiller shook his head, picked up his phone, and said, "Tony, it's your turn."