Chapter 143: Trust in Science

Chapter 143: Trust in Science

Time flew by, and with Ethan's help, Tony's progress on Mark I accelerated.

"Tony, you haven't eaten for seven days straight!"

"Don't worry, I feel great."

Tony wasn't sure why he was still energetic despite not eating for a week. It was unscientific, but in this environment where death could come at any moment, he didn't have the luxury to investigate further.

The clinking of metal filled the air as the parts for Mark I were meticulously crafted.

By the tenth day, Tony started to worry about his body, reluctantly eating a few bites of the awful food and making a face of disgust.

"Once I get back, I'm going to have Luke prepare a feast to cleanse my palate."

"Who's Luke?"

"My friend, a male doctor with incredible culinary skills!"

Elf Luke: ...

If Luke were to learn that Tony had randomly added "male" to his title, Tony would be in for a world of trouble.

"Oh, is that so?" Ethan, a fellow doctor, perked up. "Was it he who performed your weapon enlargement surgery?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I developed naturally!" Tony firmly denied Ethan's baseless accusation.

Ethan: ...

Alright, you're the one building the armor. Whatever you say goes.

"By the way, Ethan, where are you from?"

"I'm from a small town called Comilla. It's nice, though not as bustling as New York."

"Family?"

Ethan replied calmly, "Yes, I'll see them once I get out of here. What about you?"

"None."

Tony forced a smile, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Ethan, you have everything, yet you have nothing."

"Hah, I may not have family, but I have friends—Happy, Rhodey, Luke, and my Pepper..." Tony shrugged, his gaze falling on Ethan.

"And now, I have you."

Ethan smiled, "An honor indeed."

After a while, the terrorists burst into the room, seizing Ethan and threatening him due to the unusual appearance of the equipment.

Since they were amateurs, and with Tony's calm persistence, they managed to bluff their way through.

"Get my missile assembled by tomorrow."

The lead terrorist's face was grim. He didn't need to state the consequences of failure; everyone knew.

"Cough."

Ethan coughed twice, having narrowly escaped, and the two of them exchanged a glance, speeding up their work in a race against time.

"It's done!"

Both men let out a sigh of relief, not taking the time to admire their creation. They hurried to a blind spot and began assembling the armor onto Tony, layering him in a high-tech suit of iron.

The terrorist leader noticed something amiss on the surveillance monitor.

"Where's Tony Stark?"

His subordinates looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Send someone to check it out!"

Two henchmen rushed to the room, knocking on the door to no avail before barging in, only to be blown away by a pre-placed explosive.

This solved their immediate problem but also alerted all the enemies. The terrorists swarmed out, armed with various Stark Industries weapons, their gun barrels glinting as they ran, ready to kill the man who had designed them.

"Get the power program running," Tony urged, his heart racing, though he tried to keep his emotions in check.

Ethan, a skilled surgeon, managed to activate the power program despite his panic. The progress bar moved quickly, but it felt like an eternity.

"Ethan, once you confirm the checkpoint is clear, follow me out."

Outside, the sounds of footsteps and chatter grew louder as the enemies approached.

Ethan glanced at the progress bar, his calm eyes shining with determination. "We need more time."

He looked at Tony one last time. "I'll buy you some time."

With that, he picked up a gun and prepared to rush out.

"No, no, follow the plan, Ethan, Ethan!"

Trapped in the armor, Tony shouted in panic, trying to stop him. Ethan turned and smiled.

"Tony, you said I was your friend, right?"

"Yes!"

"Sounds good."

Ethan's face broke into a smile as he raised the gun and charged out, his resolute expression and the machine gun in his hands momentarily distracting the two advancing enemies.

As a doctor, he couldn't take a life, but he could buy time.

Several bullets whizzed through his body, none aimed to kill but still powerful enough to incapacitate him. Meanwhile, the primitive cave erupted with the light of technology. Tony, in his iron suit, crushed the skulls of the first two intruders and kicked open the door, mowing down the enemies in front of him.

But around the corner, he saw Ethan lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Ethan!"

"Be careful, there are more."

Ethan's weak voice warned him, and Tony, alerted, dodged the leader's rocket launcher and took him out.

He rushed to Ethan's side, the other man's consciousness fading.

"Ethan, it's okay, it's okay. We'll get out of here just like we planned."

"No, Tony, I can't go on."

Isaac coughed up a mouthful of blood, his breaths shallow and labored.

"Have you forgotten about your family? Didn't you want to see them?"

"Tony, I'm on my way to see them."

Isaac's pupils began to dilate, and with his last bit of strength, he managed to say, "Don't waste your life."

Tony felt a chill run through his veins. In a panic, he shouted, his voice filled with desperation as he watched Isaac's breath grow weaker.

"Yeah, Luk! Luk! Are you there?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a beam of light illuminated the dark cave.

The sudden light stung Tony's eyes, and then he saw a figure materialize in the glow.

The figure had long silver-white hair and flawless emerald-green eyes, a face so beautiful it could make one's heart skip a beat. He wore a white robe, as if he were a deity untouched by the world.

His presence carried the weight of time, and his eyes held the wisdom of one who had seen it all. Under the holy light, the entire scene exuded a divine aura.

"Are you... a god?"

Tony was momentarily entranced by the sight, but then he noticed the figure's elongated ears and hesitated.

"Or an elf?"

As a scientist, his rational mind clashed with his emotional side, and the worry for his friend's safety made his thoughts a jumbled mess.

Without a moment to spare, he pleaded, "Whatever you are, please save Isaac."

"Tony Stark."

The figure softly spoke his name, his voice as melodious as a mountain stream.

"You possess the most exceptional talent in this world, along with unimaginable wealth and high-standing power. Your life has been smooth sailing."

"Would you be willing to trade all of that to save Isaac's life?"

"I am."

Tony's answer was resolute.

Luk's eyes lowered, and a golden circle suddenly appeared before Tony, displaying a clean and tidy office building.

Inside, Luk sat in an office chair, petting a white dog.

Tony's eyes widened in disbelief. Was this some kind of spatial folding technology?

"It's magic!"

Luk put the dog down and stepped out of the portal, glancing at Isaac. He placed his hand on Isaac's chest and instantly pulled him back from the brink of death.

"It seems this accident has taught you something. I hope you remain true to yourself."

Isaac slowly regained consciousness, his eyes widening at the sight of Luk. When he saw Tony, he was even more startled.

"Tony, what are you doing down here!"

"You were the one who was saved."

Isaac placed his hand on Tony's forehead. "Are you running a fever? Who could have treated my gunshot wound and saved me under these conditions?"

"It was Luk, the doctor I mentioned before!"

Tony's mind was still reeling. He hadn't expected Luk to be so effective, bringing someone back from the brink of death in just a few seconds.

"Oh, you mean the urologist you mentioned!"

Luk looked at Tony. "A urologist?"

"Well... that's what you're best at, right?" Tony's eyes darted away. Most of the friends he introduced to Luk had gone to see him for that!

Fortunately, Luk was a magnanimous and kind friend who wouldn't hold such a small matter against him.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"It's okay, Tony. We're friends; I don't care about such trivial matters."

Luk smiled and waved his hand. "I used to be an obstetrician, and I was more interested in proctology. Now I'm a general practitioner. Please remember that."

"I will!"

Isaac couldn't help but shake Luk's hand. "Doctor Luk, how did you save me?"

He touched his wound, feeling the bullets pushed out by newly grown muscle, with no trace of a scar. It was incredible.

"It's simple," Luk explained with confidence. "First, you need a deep understanding of theoretical knowledge."

"Uh-huh." Isaac nodded vigorously.

"Then, you need extensive clinical experience."

"Indeed."

"Finally, you just need to have the ability to heal others with superpowers."

Isaac: ...

"What kind of superpowers?"

"Superpowers." Luk replied gently.

"What kind of powers?"

"Superpowers."

"Superpowers for what?"

"Superpowers."

Isaac sighed, lamenting a handsome guy with a broken mind. "Doctor Luk, I don't believe in that. Have you been reading too many novels?"

"I write novels."

Luk and Tony stepped back, revealing the still-active portal.

Isaac looked at the portal, his mouth agape. "Oh my god!"

Then he saw Luk's divine face and the holy light illuminating the entire cave.

"Oh! My! God!"

---

Diary of a Failure — The Gate of Steins;Gate

What is reality? Does reality truly exist?

What we hear with our ears and see with our eyes might be false.

When we observe quantum particles, they are already influenced by our observation.

So, is the conclusion we draw from our observations necessarily true?

The answer is no.

So, I am not a failure!

PS: Thank you to the generous donation from the Sichuan Pepper Chicken Cutlet lord! Fifty bucks, that's enough to buy three pounds of pork!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end