Four people were walking on the streets of New York.
One of them immediately attracted the attention of nearby citizens, because this person was enormous.
He was more than three meters tall.
Even with a strange robe covering him, it still couldn't hide his explosive, muscular frame—like a walking humanoid monster.
What shocked the citizens even more was that the other three were all wearing identical black robes, looking mysterious. Some people couldn't help but start taking pictures.
"Hey, Tony, that's a really bad idea."
Covered head-to-toe in a black robe made of nanomaterial with only a pair of eyes visible, Dr. Bruce Banner—the Hulk—noticed people staring at the giant and couldn't help complaining.
"Dr. Banner, be grateful. If it weren't for that robe, the army would be chasing you every minute."
Tony Stark had a hint of narcissism on his face as he mocked him. Tony was unruly and arrogant—his tongue was far sharper than the Hulk's.
"Okay, Dr. Banner I get, but do we really need to dress like this too?"
Captain America, Steve Rogers, glanced at the pointing New Yorkers with a slight frown. Rogers thought no one would recognize him, so all this felt unnecessary.
"I have to say, you're really too old-fashioned. Out of date, World War II Captain America. When you don't understand the situation, you stay cautious. That's something I learned in Afghanistan."
Tony Stark pushed up his glasses, still mocking Rogers. Clearly, although they had reconciled, the rift between them hadn't fully healed.
Crash.
Just then, while Tony Stark was bickering with Hulk Banner and Captain Rogers, Ant-Man Scott Lang's pupils shrank sharply. What he saw made him freeze in terror.
"Hey guys… I think you need to see this."
Scott's voice trembled. The sight before him was something he didn't even know how to describe.
Tony Stark and the others heard him and looked over. Their pupils instantly contracted, fear filling their eyes.
In front of them, the once-busy crowd suddenly froze.
The cars on the street halted abruptly.
Pedestrians with one foot mid-step were suspended in the air.
They were simply… motionless.
Nearby, water droplets from a fountain hung in mid-air, frozen in a strange stillness.
Everything was silent, as if someone had pressed a pause button on the world. Only the four of them were still moving, leaving Tony and the others staring at each other in shock.
"You're finally here… future Avengers."
As Tony was scanning his surroundings, a voice came from close by. Tony snapped his eyes toward the sound—an Asian man in a black suit was standing barely a meter away.
"F*, who are you? What is this? Some kind of ability? Time stop?"
Cold sweat formed on Tony's forehead. His instincts told him instantly that everything around them was caused by this man—some kind of time-freeze ability.
"Mind Stone? How do you have the Mind Stone?"
Unlike Tony, Captain Rogers noticed the khaki-colored Mind Stone embedded in the man's forehead. A chill ran down Rogers' spine—this time-travel mission suddenly felt far more dangerous.
Kaka.
Tony Stark's hand touched the triangular arc reactor on his chest as nanoparticles swarmed out, forming his iconic red-and-gold nano suit—Bleeding Edge Armor.
"Oh? Seems you don't know me yet. Time is a magical thing. Quantum-chaos time travel means you haven't met me at this point. So, let me introduce myself. My name is Allens. In the future, you Avengers call me… Brain Allens."
It was Allens standing before them. For him, finding Tony was trivial—his suit's internal scan mode alone could sweep all of New York City.
"Brain Allens?"
The four Avengers stared, full of questions.
Clearly, at this point in the timeline, they had no idea who Allens was.
Time travel wouldn't cause a grandfather paradox, but time itself was still strange. Right now, Tony and the others simply didn't know him.
"The shadow of past timelines, the nightmare that haunts your future. That's what you call me in 2023."
Allens glanced over Tony's armor. Even with his intelligence suppressed, he immediately saw a dozen design flaws and shook his head slightly.
"Well… you'll know me. We'll meet again. You'll understand then."
Allens smirked at the wary group. It wasn't time to act yet—someone important wasn't present. He appeared only to say hello.
Swish.
Tony blinked—and the world suddenly unfroze. The Asian man vanished. Tony Stark's expression grew darker than ever.
"Hey guys… we're in trouble."
"I've said it before—play with time, and time will play with you."
"This guy Allens must be someone who rose up because of our time travel. And it seems he can control time too."
Tony's voice was heavier than ever. His armor retracted, and his eyes gleamed with calculation. He knew this time-travel mission was going to be far from smooth.
"Allens… Brain Allens?"
Behind him, Dr. Banner felt something unlock in his mind—a memory. In it, he was standing in a vast white space, calm water beneath his feet, and across from him stood Tony Stark in a black suit… smiling.
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