It was clear to see, the man leaning against the wall relaxed slightly. His hand holding tightly to the worn-out component as he slid down the wall. When he sat on the ground, the fatigue on his face could no longer be concealed. He soon passed out.
Riley stepped forward to carry him back to bed. Watching Stark's furrowed brows, he sighed, "I can't imagine what he's been through. What on earth happened?"
Matt didn't respond, but he held his phone in his hand, clearly just having made a call.
Not long after, a "zzap" sound echoed in the air as a portal opened. Strange, followed by several mages, stepped out from it.
Matt clearly didn't expect this to involve the Supreme Magician. He stepped forward and shook hands with Strange, "What's going on? Stephen, why are you here?"
Strange frowned, his expression somewhat serious. He looked at Matt and said, "You previously contacted the New York Temple, telling them that a unfamiliar Iron Man has arrived here. However, the Earth Defense Network was unable to find his information. In other words, he did not enter Earth by ordinary means."
"So what's really happening?" Matt was also puzzled.
At this point, Jarvis stepped forward. Looking at the two men, he said, "I guess we can only ask him personally. But as you've just seen, his mental state is not good. He may be in a state of stress right now. I think the first thing he should see when he awakens should not be our interrogating faces, but a doctor."
Matt and Strange shared a glance. Strange sighed and said, "Alright, send him to Shiller first. After his mental state has stabilized, we will ask him about what happened."
"Maybe by then we don't need to ask." Matt shook his head, turning toward Stark lying on the hospital bed, "For that doctor, the truth isn't important. What's useful is."
Night fell rapidly in New York. From the sun dipping below the horizon till the light's full disappearance, all within just a few minutes. The transition from day to night was so brief that many people didn't have time to even react before they were plunged into darkness.
However, ever since the development of the sky transport network, New York has truly become a city that never sleeps. People no longer had to worry about walking home safely late at night, making their nightlife even richer.
Today, the sky transport network extended throughout the New York area, including the suburban town where Arkham Sanatorium was located. The newly built shuttles and sky trains virtually produced no noise or emissions. Clean, pollution-free, high-speed with multiple routes, and with comprehensive medical protective measures, they quickly became the preferred means of transport for the wealthy.
As the biggest and most popular luxury rehabilitation center in New York, Arkham Sanatorium also had a central station. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window at the top floor of the inpatient center, one could see the constant stream of shuttles taking off and landing on the south side.
The shuttles taking off and landing in the night sky resembled fireflies. They were like ships filled with stardust sailing off into the distance, while the brightly lit New York City skyline opened its arms, welcoming the flowing light from afar.
As soon as Stark woke up, he saw a white silhouette standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the New York City skyline.
Stark instantly felt tense. Unexpectedly, the figure turned around, adjusted his glasses, and said complainingly, "Tony, what's going on? How many times has this been this month? Even if you wanted to test your new battlesuit, it doesn't warrant tumbling down three times in a month, does it?"
"I…" Stark opened his mouth, but suddenly his mind raced as if he'd thought of something. He quickly averted his gaze and said, "It was just a minor experimental mishap. Besides, I didn't tumble down; there was just a little glitch with the auto-navigation system!"
"Your 'little' glitch caused you to nearly have a ruptured organ. Matt also said you might have suffered a concussion and didn't even recognize Peter, which is why they sent you to me. While you were unconscious, you were muttering all sorts of nonsense. I will need to thoroughly examine your mental state."
"Yes, I felt a little dizzy back then..." Stark paused and stuttered, "I might really have sustained a concussion. Apologize to Peter for me."
Stark saw the doctor in a white lab coat approaching him. He nonchalantly glanced at the name tag hanging on the man's chest, memorized the name, and then pretended to be somewhat fatigued. He didn't continue speaking, his eyes half-closed, silently observing the doctor's expression, judging his relationship with Iron Man.
Shiller sighed softly and said, "As your private psychologist, I must stress that Miss Pepper has repeatedly instructed me to inform her about any changes in your condition."
"No, no! Don't tell her!" Stark instinctively blurted out, "She can't know I'm this badly injured. She would nag me for a month!"
Shiller looked at Stark helplessly and said, "You previously said you were going on a long trip. I thought you had already left. Who knew you secretly ran off to experiment with your new armor! If I help you hide this, Miss Pepper would dock my pay."