"Thank you!" Soon, even though Otto's expression was somewhat unnatural, he still looked at Tony Stark and the Martian Manhunter and sincerely said, "If it weren't for you, it would have been very difficult for me to recover..."
"In fact, if I had remained in that state of losing control, I might have done many irrational things. Even if I didn't attack you, I would certainly have harmed innocent people!"
"But speaking of which, this place should be the highly discussed, hard-to-find Avengers base that countless people have been searching for without success, right? How did I end up here? In my previous memory, after merging with the mechanical tentacles, I passed out. How did I get here?"
After expressing his gratitude, Otto quickly noticed a blind spot and looked at Tony Stark with some confusion. Otto didn't know his exact current location or how close it was to his school, but he deduced that the Avengers base must be in a sparsely populated area, otherwise it wouldn't be so well-hidden from discovery.
So Otto was puzzled, considering that his previous relationship with Tony Stark was only acquaintance level. Tony Stark naturally wouldn't pay much attention to him, so how could he have brought Otto back to the Avengers base to take care of him after his lab explosion?
"It just so happened that an Avenger was passing by your school, heard the commotion, and found you unconscious. Since your mutated appearance wasn't suitable for others to see, they brought you here..." Tony Stark hesitated for a moment and explained, omitting some details.
"Really? Then I must thank them properly..." Otto's eyes flashed with gratitude as he looked at Tony Stark expectantly.
"We can talk about gratitude later. Let's handle two things first. The first is that your current situation needs to be recorded. Moreover, after your mutation, you are considered part of the extraordinary world. This means you can't act as you did before; you must be supervised by the Avengers!" Tony Stark waved his hand and smiled at Otto.
If it were during the early days of the Avengers' formation, Tony Stark wouldn't have wanted Otto to join the Avengers. But the situation is different now; the Avengers have become a major force and need a lot of manpower.
Although Tony Stark still believed that Otto's intelligence was far below his own, Otto was definitely a genius compared to ordinary people. Additionally, Otto had indeed mutated into an extraordinary being. It would be risky to leave him unsupervised, as it was still uncertain if the mechanical tentacles had fully returned to normal and no longer affected Otto's sanity, which required further observation...
"Does this mean I am also an extraordinary being?" Otto hesitated, looking at his four mechanical tentacles uncertainly. "Isn't this a scientific method? Do you think this is a theological method?"
"Of course not a theological method, but it falls under the category of the extraordinary!" Tony Stark smiled and shook his head, explaining softly, "The mechanical tentacles you created are certainly a scientific method, but the way you are now fused with them is not just a simple scientific method. At least, your current experience is something that no scientist, including me, can replicate..."
"Moreover, according to your logic, if anything scientific isn't considered extraordinary, then should I be counted as part of the extraordinary world? What about someone like Captain America, who became superhuman through a scientific serum?"
"In reality, powerful scientific methods also fall under the extraordinary category. For example, if a powerful alien civilization attacked Earth with technology far beyond our understanding, it would seem miraculous to us, and we would consider it extraordinary."
"The term 'extraordinary' simply refers to something beyond ordinary understanding and tolerance, transcending the technological level of the time. A technological product that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people can also be considered extraordinary. For instance, if you walked out with your current appearance, would people think your mechanical tentacles are scientific creations or that you are a monster?"
"Probably a monster," Otto said with some resignation, glancing at his mechanical tentacles. Even when the mechanical tentacles were previously attached as an external armor, many people found his appearance unsettling. Now, with the tentacles permanently fused to his body, many would certainly be frightened.
Given these circumstances, unless Otto still had a strong aversion to the Avengers, cooperating with them seemed his only option, especially since they had saved him and restored his sanity. Refusing Tony Stark's proposal for cooperation would be difficult for Otto.
"I agree to this. I will cooperate with your examination. By the way, you mentioned two things earlier; why have you only talked about one?" Otto asked, puzzled.
"The second matter? It can wait since you're used to it by now..." Tony Stark's smile revealed a hint of mischief, making Otto feel he had overlooked something important.
"I'll go handle the vampire and werewolf issues now..." The Martian Manhunter nodded and disappeared, not wasting any more time now that Otto was mostly back to normal. He needed to continue researching the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves.
Even Tony Stark had to return to his research after dealing with Otto's situation. Stark and the Martian Manhunter had been working non-stop due to the shortage of personnel in the Avengers.
"Wait! My clothes! Damn! Have I been running around like this for half a day?" Otto finally realized his predicament. When he first woke up, he noticed he was naked, but his attention was focused on Tony Stark conducting evil experiments on him. Later, he was influenced by the mechanical tentacles and lost his sanity, forgetting this issue. Now, recalling the situation made Otto feel extremely embarrassed, especially since many people had seen him like this.
"It's okay, there aren't any outsiders here. Besides, the werewolf you fought was also naked, though he still had his pants on and his fur, making his situation a bit better than yours..." Tony Stark waved his hand, seeing Otto's gradually reddening face and realizing his anger. Stark quickly instructed JARVIS.
"JARVIS, prepare a set of clothes for our new friend and give our new friend a new name. How about 'Doctor Tentacle'?"
"Yes, sir. Doctor Tentacle's database is being established..." JARVIS's voice sounded, and Otto finally noticed the metal arm beside him.
"Wait! I don't want to be called Doctor Tentacle. If I must have a title like you, then call me... Doctor Octopus!" Otto quickly stopped JARVIS.
"Doctor Octopus? An octopus indeed has tentacles, but it has eight, while you only have four. How can you be called Doctor Octopus?" Tony Stark frowned. He thought Doctor Tentacle sounded more intimidating, not caring about its elegance.
"You call yourself Iron Man, but your suits aren't made of iron anymore. Should you call yourself Titanium Man?" Otto retorted.
"Fair enough. Whatever, call yourself what you like..." Tony Stark shrugged and walked towards the lab, muttering, "Actually, with your limbs, you do have eight. Barely makes you an octopus... Oh, wait, you do have one more, just too short..."
"..." Otto followed Tony Stark with a dark expression. If not for his remaining sanity, Otto would have used his mechanical tentacles to smack Tony Stark.
Otto had already known Tony Stark's mouth was annoying, but getting to know him better made it even more unbearable. The more he interacted with Stark, the more annoying Stark's words became.
Thinking about the long-term interaction with Tony Stark, Otto felt a bit dejected and helpless, wondering when such days would end...
However, Otto didn't know that compared to other versions of himself in other universes, he was already very fortunate. At least he hadn't committed any evil or come close to committing crimes, ultimately forced to face death...
"It seems you haven't changed much from before. Your data is the same, except your mechanical tentacles seem to have gained some energy-releasing ability..." Tony Stark said softly after some research, nodding at Otto.
"I understand; you don't need to explain so bluntly..." Otto said irritably. "And the clothes have arrived. Can I put them on now? It won't affect the experiment data, right?"
"Sure, you can get dressed. I just wanted to remind you to explain things clearly when teaching students. Not every student can keep up with your intellect. Some less intelligent students might struggle, especially if you scold them in frustration..." Tony Stark smiled, reminding Otto.
"Hmm?" Otto was puzzled by Stark's advice on teaching students. "Why are you saying this?"
"No reason, you'll find out later..." Tony Stark shook his head, then seriously addressed Otto, "Now, there's a new issue. How will you hide your identity in the future? Your mechanical tentacles can't be removed. You can't just walk around the streets with them, can you?"
"Why hide my identity? You don't hide yours," Otto shrugged, stroking his mechanical tentacles. "You said we're working together, so I'll be an Avenger. You can announce my information, and people won't be as shocked."
"I don't hide my identity because I'm not afraid of exposure!" Tony Stark frowned and reminded Otto, "Look at Spider-Man, the Human Torch, the Flash, and Superman. Who among them has a publicly known identity? Not hiding your identity will bring trouble..."
"What trouble? They hide their identities to protect their families, but clearly, I'm alone. No one will be affected..." Otto shrugged indifferently.
"So, I suggest you announce my identity quickly. I have experimental data to process. The previous experiment may have failed, but I learned a lot. If you delay, my school might declare me dead and reassign my lab to someone else!"
"Fine, here's some communication equipment from the Avengers. You can contact us if needed. Also, here are some guidelines, our duties, and things to watch out for. When JARVIS notifies you, you
can go back..." Tony Stark nodded after a moment of silence.
"Your primary research focus will be your artificial sun, but you must also take time to handle various extraordinary events and help us with research experiments..."
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