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"Haha, this incident should be a black mark on both Doctor Strange and Spider-Man, right? They've even embarrassed themselves across the multiverse."
Spider-Man 2099 from Universe 928 once mocked this incident in front of Spider-Gwen from Universe 65.
If Spider-Man 2099 knows about it, then it's obvious that the numerous Spider-Men in the Multiverse Spider-Man Alliance he founded must also know about it.
After all, this Spider-Man Alliance deals with the chaos of the multiverse.
The appearance of symbiotes from other universes in Universe 199999 falls undoubtedly under the jurisdiction of the Spider-Man Alliance.
Why else would Spider-Man 2099 be concerned about this?
Embarrassed... across the multiverse?
Tony didn't know what to say; he could only silently give Doctor Strange and Spider-Man a thumbs-up in his mind.
Respect!
You've got to respect!
Ordinary people might only embarrass themselves within their social circles.
At worst, someone of Tony's stature might embarrass themselves in front of all of New York or America.
But Doctor Strange and Spider-Man?
They've gone beyond this universe and into the multiverse.
This must be the most epic social suicide in history.
From Tony's perspective, this confirmed his previous assumption was completely correct.
In the future, perhaps not-so-distant, the multiverse era is inevitable!
They can even gossip across universes, which indicates that information exchange, even interconnectivity, will be common in the future multiverse.
While making a phone call to a friend across universes might be an exaggeration, the barriers between multiverses would undoubtedly be thinner.
Besides that...
Beyond the previously mentioned main Universe 616, Universe 199999, and Universe 838, this diary has introduced two new parallel universes: Universe 928 and Universe 65.
Aside from knowing that the Spider-Man in Universe 65 is named "Gwen," Tony knows nothing about it. But Universe 928...
"Wait a minute!"
As Tony was piecing together this information, he suddenly froze.
"Gwen" is clearly a girl's name!
So in Universe 65, Spider-Man isn't a boy but a girl?
Alright, it seems the diary never explicitly mentioned whether Spider-Man is male or female.
Tony had instinctively assumed that a superhero associated with spiders should be a boy.
After all, the association of girls with spiders seems awkward and somewhat creepy.
But now it seems like he had been fixed in his thinking.
Spider-Man, originally, is a girl?
And Universe 928?
This universe's Spider-Man is Spider-Man 2099!
Why is there a "2099" prefix?
What does this number signify?
Tony naturally speculated that the number represented an era!
In other words, the Spider-Man from Universe 928 hails from 2099!
A future Spider-Man!
This raises another question.
Is Universe 928 itself situated in the future, in 2099, or is Spider-Man in Universe 928 just traveling through time from the future?
Either scenario is possible.
But which one specifically, Tony couldn't determine at the moment.
"Multiverse Spider-Man Alliance!"
In front of another diary, Nick Fury's single eye suddenly gleamed with intrigue.
He was drawn to this impressive organization.
Who would have thought, Spider-Man is quite awesome!
He's even established a multiverse alliance.
So far, the only other individuals in the diary who pulled off something like this are the Conqueror Kang.
Whether it's the Time Variance Authority formed by a Kang variant or the Council of Kangs formed by multiple Kangs, one seems official while the other not, but ultimately, it's all Kang's work.
Others, like the Darkhold-corrupted Scarlet Witch who rampaged through the multiverse, or Ultron with the Infinity Stones who slaughtered across it, merely traversed the multiverse individually.
The rest were nowhere near capable of such feats.
Nick Fury genuinely didn't expect Spider-Man to have accomplished something like this.
The diary mentioned Spider-Man as a high school student who even hung up on him immaturely.
Nick Fury admitted that compared to other superheroes, he indeed underestimated Spider-Man.
But at this moment, the Multiverse Spider-Man Alliance made Nick Fury see Spider-Man in a whole new light.
However...
This alliance was likely founded by Spider-Man 2099, right?
Since it's a multiverse alliance, someone must have crossed the multiverse to establish and organize it.
In Nick Fury's eyes, the future Spider-Man from 2099 seemed the most plausible candidate.
Given the advanced technology of 2099, it should have made leaps and bounds.
Cracking the barriers between multiverses and traveling through them should be more feasible.
But if Spider-Man 2099 selected his universe's Spider-Man for the alliance, could he have crossed into other universes to invite them as well?
Nick Fury couldn't know such things.
One thing, however, seemed certain.
If Spider-Man 2099 planned to do this, it would likely be after "the multiverse incident."
After all, Spider-Man 2099 was still busy with that incident.
Having sorted his thoughts, Nick Fury refocused on the diary, waiting for more revelations.
But once again, the diary abruptly ended.
After waiting several minutes with no new words, Nick Fury clapped the diary shut.
Leaning back, he quickly reviewed all the intelligence from the day's revelations. After a few minutes, he sat up straight and began planning.
"Colson, have you heard of a country called Wakanda?"
The first thing Nick Fury did was call his most reliable agent, Phil Coulson.
"Wakanda?"
Coulson, being an experienced agent, had a broad knowledge base.
After tilting his head in thought for a moment, he recalled something.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's a small, backward country in Africa?" Coulson asked tentatively.
He pondered silently, wondering why the chief had suddenly taken an interest in the affairs in Africa.
"That's right, it indeed is a backward African nation, even recognized as one of the poorest countries in the world," Nick Fury added to Coulson's remarks, but he quickly shifted his tone. "But that's just a facade or a disguise. This country is not what it seems."
"Then what is it really like, Chief?" Coulson asked Nick Fury seriously.
"I have reliable intelligence suggesting that this country might be one of the most advanced and developed nations in the world. The poverty and backwardness are just a cover."
Facing Coulson's gaze, Nick Fury provided this startling answer. Coulson was greatly surprised. The world's poorest country turned out to be the most advanced one? Such intelligence seemed utterly absurd. However, since the chief had assigned him this task, it indicated he must have significant, undisclosed information and considerable confidence in it. It was certainly not baseless.
Coulson quickly adjusted his mindset and began to take the matter seriously.
"Coulson, I need you to verify this as quickly as possible," Nick Fury's voice followed closely, formally handing over the task to Coulson. Coulson, without any further words, immediately accepted the order and went to work.
"Hill, I believe you've heard of the legend of Atlantis?" After assigning the task to Coulson, Nick Fury called in another trusted agent, Agent Hill.
"The legendary lost city submerged by a flood? Why do you ask?" Agent Hill, naturally familiar with the legend, was curious about the chief's intent.
"I have intelligence indicating that Atlantis, a real undersea empire, exists in modern reality. I want you to find it."
Nick Fury assigned this incredibly challenging task to Hill.
"Chief, are you saying that the legendary Atlantis is real? I always thought it was just a myth."
Hill was greatly astonished. This was something she had never anticipated.
"I said a real Atlantis exists, but whether it has any relation to the legendary Atlantis is unclear to me. That's for you to figure out," Nick Fury corrected Agent Hill's understanding.
An ordinary person might struggle to accept such information immediately. However, SHIELD agents deal with the supernatural regularly, which significantly increases their level of acceptance.
"Understood, Chief." Hearing this, Agent Hill showed no sign of doubt. Like Coulson, she accepted the task without hesitation.
"In addition, I need you to arrange for some personnel to infiltrate the Life Foundation. I need to know their every move."
After a brief pause, Nick Fury gave Agent Hill another order. Regardless of whether the Life Foundation in this universe had any interest in the symbiote or whether it would bring the symbiote in the future, Nick Fury deemed it a necessary precaution.
On top of that were Ironheart and Moon Knight. Nick Fury naturally wanted to uncover the mysteries of these two superheroes as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the relevant information in the journal was scant. While tracing Ironheart was somewhat easier since Nick Fury knew she was a child prodigy who had built mechanical equipment at the age of three, Moon Knight had only a nickname with no traceable clues.
Nevertheless, Nick Fury formulated corresponding plans. Whether definite results could be achieved depended on luck.
"Tony!" After making all the arrangements, Nick Fury contacted Tony Stark, intending to meet Iron Man. Both Nick Fury and Tony Stark possessed the journal, and they could take corresponding measures with the spoilers from the journal. So, in some respects, cooperation could increase efficiency significantly, especially with J.A.R.V.I.S. being such an exceptional AI.
"I already had J.A.R.V.I.S. on the lookout. I'll inform you if anything turns up," Tony readily agreed without much hesitation. Both sides easily reached a consensus.
However, investigating the undersea empire Atlantis or the concealed nation of Wakanda, fully hidden by energy shields, wasn't easy. The same went for Ironheart and Moon Knight. Despite continuous investigations by both SHIELD and Tony for over three months, no solid evidence was found.
For Tony, however, another issue did reach a definitive conclusion. What was it?
Dr. Wu's schedule was finally open. Without any hesitation, Tony flew to the hospital where Dr. Wu worked to undergo that all-important surgery. The surgery lasted seven hours, leaving Pepper, waiting outside, anxious the entire time, unable to relax even slightly. Despite checking that Dr. Wu was likely the best cardiac surgeon worldwide, Tony's condition was highly unique. Even Dr. Wu admitted he had never conducted such a complex surgery before.
Clang!
As the operating theater's doors opened, Pepper rushed to Dr. Wu. Happy, the other closest person to Iron Man besides Pepper, followed suit, both staring anxiously at Dr. Wu.
"The surgery was very successful! Don't worry." Only when Dr. Wu gave this definitive answer did Pepper's anxious heart finally relax.
Following this, it's natural to say, Pepper and Happy arranged for Tony to be taken back to Stark Industries' convalescent home for recovery. However, Tony Stark, being someone who can't stay idle, and given his remarkable physical resilience, swiftly bounced back.
Considering he had survived with an arc reactor in his chest at all times, without rest or medication, and handled a hammer extensively in a cave, this surgery was trivial in comparison. Within just a week, Iron Man forcibly "discharged" himself and resumed his work as though nothing had happened.