Marvel Shuttling the Heavens - Chapter 228
“That guy you brought back really talks just like you, all full of himself!” Rocket Raccoon couldn’t help but make a snide comment after correcting Li Yue on his name, then turned to Tony. “Tony, aren’t you going to explain what this guy is here for? He says he’s here to help us, but I don’t see how a regular human could be useful!”
“And besides, we’ve already collected all the Infinity Stones! All we need to do now is snap our fingers again to return those who disappeared, and our mission is complete! So, what exactly is he here to help us with?”
Rhodey also expressed his curiosity, seeing Li Yue as just another human and doubting his ability to be of any real assistance to them, especially now that they didn’t need much help.
“First off, he’s not just a regular human; his strength surpasses Thor’s current power!”
“Secondly, he’s the guardian of the Time Stone and helped us secure the Space and Mind Stones!”
Tony briefly explained to everyone, emphasizing Li Yue’s capabilities and that the stones were now in his possession.
“What? This guy, stronger than me? Stark, are you joking? Don’t let my appearance fool you into thinking I’ve weakened!”
“Don’t forget what runs in my blood—mighty Asgardian power!”
Thor, spurred on by Tony’s words, had his competitive spirit roused. Despite having spent the past five years in a slump, drinking, and gaming away to the point of becoming overweight, his divine Asgardian power only continued to grow with age.
Li Yue recalled a scene from the comics where Thanos aged the Avengers, wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and the Time Stone. All were wiped out by the force of time, except Thor, who saw his power surge to incredible heights upon becoming a white-haired elder, even overpowering Thanos with the stones.
“All I see in your veins now is beer and cheese sauce!” Rhodey jabbed at Thor.
“Enough, everyone! This isn’t the time for such discussions!”
Suddenly, Banner interrupted everyone and quietly left the scene, looking very solemn. “It seems Natasha’s loss has hit Banner particularly hard.”
Banner’s reaction caused the group to momentarily pause their discussion about Li Yue and return to mourning Natasha. “Ah! Aren’t we all grieving for Natasha, too?”
Tony sighed and followed Banner, joined by the original Avengers, who shared a deep bond with Natasha. The scene was left to Rocket Raccoon and the 2014 version of Nebula, who had only a passing friendship with Natasha and hardly knew her.
So, they didn’t join in the mourning for Natasha but stayed out of it. However, Li Yue found it surprising that, while he felt profound sadness during the movie at Natasha’s death, being at the scene in person didn’t affect him as deeply, except for respect for her sacrifice.
Could this be the difference between movies and reality? Li Yue wasn’t sure. But it was clear that Banner and Barton, for whom Natasha meant more than just a colleague, felt the deepest sorrow. Banner had once harbored romantic feelings for her, and Barton’s relationship with her was almost familial. This was evident from the fact that Barton was the one to retrieve the Soul Stone, which required the sacrifice of a loved one.
“Let’s go, Nebula,” Rocket said, not even giving Li Yue a second glance as he headed out.
“Hey, Crispy Noodle, how about a chat?” Li Yue quickly followed Rocket, trying to engage him in conversation. He was still an outsider to the grieving others, and since he had nothing much to discuss with the alternate Nebula, Rocket was his best bet for a familiar connection.
“Not interested! And for the last time, it’s Rocket! If you call me that again, you better watch out while you sleep tonight. You might wake up missing a few parts!”
Rocket continued walking, not turning back, as he rejected Li Yue. He expressed annoyance at being called “Crispy Noodle,” even threatening him.
“Heh, that’s too bad for you! I never sleep at night! You’ll never have a chance to steal anything from me!”
Li Yue was unfazed by Rocket’s threat and kept up his pace to stay with him. Nebula, following behind, glanced back at the quantum tunneling device, scheming how to bring Thanos and his army through it. Her main purpose was to find an opportunity to activate the device without the others noticing.
Meanwhile, despite their sorrow over Natasha’s loss, Tony and the others knew that wallowing in grief wouldn’t solve anything. After some time, they resolved to turn their sadness into motivation, focusing on the mission to save the vanished half of life as their utmost priority. They couldn’t let Natasha’s sacrifice be in vain, nor the precious opportunity they had to bring everyone back.
Soon, thanks to the combined genius of Tony, Banner, and Rocket, they managed to create a simplified version of the Infinity Gauntlet out of nanometal. Although it was rudimentary compared to the original Gauntlet forged by the dwarves, it was a remarkable achievement, considering it was a product of human and extraterrestrial innovation.
This new Gauntlet could only be used for snapping fingers and lacked the capabilities to wield any individual stone’s power freely or protect the wearer from the snap’s backlash. However, getting it operational was still a significant accomplishment.
After embedding the six Infinity Stones into the Gauntlet and conducting several tests, they were thrilled to find it functioned correctly. The mood was electric with anticipation as they contemplated their next steps. However, the looming question remained: who would have the daunting task of performing the potentially fatal snap?
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