The number continued falling.
21.3%.
Tony stared at the holographic display.
For once, he didn't make a joke.
Yiping watched the percentage fluctuate.
21.2%.
Then—
21.1%.
"The convergence is actually reversing," Yiping said.
Tony nodded.
"Which means our mysterious friend doesn't have complete control."
"Or he's allowing it."
Tony looked at him.
"You really know how to ruin a good moment."
Yiping ignored him.
"If he's trying to restore the original timeline, then our deviation should be something he's capable of correcting."
"Unless..."
Tony pointed at the screen.
"Unless the original timeline isn't the destination anymore."
Yiping's eyes widened.
The implication was enormous.
They weren't fighting to restore the original timeline.
They were fighting over which timeline would become the new original.
Somewhere Beyond Reality
The observer stood before the enormous timeline.
Branches were multiplying.
Some collapsed.
Others grew.
One particular branch had begun expanding rapidly.
Earth.
Tony Stark.
Yiping.
The other anomalies.
The observer stared at it.
"Stop."
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
"Return to baseline."
The timeline refused.
For the first time, the observer looked genuinely irritated.
"Why aren't you obeying?"
A voice answered from the darkness.
"Because you were never in control."
The observer turned.
Nobody was there.
His expression became serious.
"Who are you?"
No answer.
Instead, another branch appeared.
This one was different.
It didn't originate from the original timeline.
It appeared from outside it.
The observer's eyes widened.
"Another layer?"
The room trembled.
The timeline began to distort.
Stark Tower
Every alarm in the building activated simultaneously.
FRIDAY's voice became urgent.
"Boss, I am detecting an unknown spatial phenomenon."
Tony immediately looked up.
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
Tony froze.
"That's not helpful."
"I am unable to identify a specific location."
Yiping felt his system activate.
A new message appeared.
[Warning]
External narrative structure destabilizing.
Yiping stared at it.
"Narrative structure?"
Tony looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
That answer was becoming increasingly frustrating.
Then another message appeared.
[The world is rejecting predetermined outcomes.]
Yiping's expression changed.
"This is it."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"We aren't just changing the timeline."
Yiping looked at the holographic map.
"We're changing the rules that determine the timeline."
Tony smiled.
"Now that's something I can work with."
Across Earth, strange things began happening.
A SHIELD agent received an order that had never existed.
A scientist suddenly remembered a conversation that had never happened.
A child in New York drew a picture of a battle that hadn't occurred.
A man in Tokyo woke up knowing the name of someone he'd never met.
Tiny contradictions.
Tiny cracks.
Reality was struggling to decide which version of events was real.
Meanwhile, the seven anomalies began experiencing the same phenomenon.
Each of them received a notification.
Not from the Chat Group.
Not from their own systems.
A single sentence.
CHOOSE.
Nothing else.
The group chat exploded.
Golden Retriever:
Did everyone else get that?
Happy Spoiler:
Yep.
Self-Explosive Master:
Mine literally says "CHOOSE."
Not Really a Girl:
Choose what?!
I Can See:
I don't like this.
Playboy:
Neither do I.
For once, Tony's message appeared without sarcasm.
Playboy:
Don't choose anything yet.
Silence followed.
Then—
Happy Spoiler:
Why?
Playboy:
Because someone wants us to choose.
Golden Retriever:
And?
Playboy:
I don't like being given choices by strangers.
Yiping looked at the chat.
Tony had reached the same conclusion.
This wasn't a mission.
It was a test.
Someone wanted the anomalies to make decisions that would determine which timeline survived.
And there was only one problem.
Yiping didn't know what the alternatives were.
Until his system displayed them.
[Three Possible Outcomes Detected]
World A — Restore the Original Timeline
World B — Preserve the Current Altered Timeline
World C — Create an Independent Timeline
Yiping stared at the three options.
His hands tightened.
World A would erase everything they had changed.
World B would preserve the current world, but leave the underlying instability unresolved.
World C...
Nobody knew what would happen.
Tony looked at the same display.
"So."
He smiled.
"Which one do we choose?"
Yiping stared at the third option.
Then he realized something.
There was no fourth option.
He looked at Tony.
"None."
Tony's smile widened.
"Exactly."
The holographic options disappeared.
And somewhere far away, the observer suddenly stood up.
"What did they just do?"
The timeline shook.
For the first time...
The system governing the branches encountered something it had never anticipated.
A decision that wasn't among the available choices.
The players had rejected the game.
And the convergence percentage began falling rapidly.
19.8%.
18.4%.
16.7%.
The observer's expression finally changed from amusement to alarm.
"No..."
The timeline continued collapsing.
"Stop!"
But this time—
Nobody listened.
Author's Note
The final arc has entered its decisive stage. The characters have finally realized that the real battle isn't simply against another enemy—it is against the predetermined path itself.
We are approaching Chapter 200, where this entire mystery will reach its conclusion.
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