"Floating in space?"
Scott Lang's voice rang out first, his face filled with awe. He couldn't hide his astonishment. "Tony Stark… in the future, he can actually leave Earth? That's incredible."
At this point in history, Earth could only reach the Moon. Humans had never even set foot on Mars.
Against such a backdrop, Tony Stark being able to roam the cosmos left both Scott Lang and T'Challa thoroughly amazed.
"Guys, don't overreact."
Tony Stark spoke casually to Scott Lang. "Just recently, I went to an alien planet and blew one up."
"Really?" Scott Lang nearly popped his eyes out.
No way… Tony Stark had reached that level?
"Stark, have you already produced interstellar spacecraft?" Even T'Challa couldn't hide his shock as he stared at Tony Stark.
"Of course not. It was our Asgardian ship that took him there," Thor added leisurely, letting Scott Lang and T'Challa breathe a sigh of relief.
Ah, that explains it! That makes perfect sense.
"Alright, everyone, let's get back to the questions."
Captain America's voice cut in, noticing the discussion had veered off-topic. He quickly brought everyone's attention back.
Each person refocused, returning their thoughts to the task at hand.
"We already know Tony Stark went to Titan once. Does this question refer to that trip? Before answering, we need to clarify this first," Captain America analyzed for everyone.
Clarifying this would undoubtedly help with the answer. The battle on Titan had already provided many clues and intelligence, offering a solid foundation for reasoning.
But if it wasn't that battle?
Then they'd be in the dark.
"I think it's the battle on Titan," Doctor Strange immediately offered his opinion. "We've discussed this before—given Earth's current space technology, in the next few years or even a decade, it wouldn't support landing on multiple alien planets."
Among the questioners present, aside from Thor and World War II veteran Captain America, the others were highly educated in scientific knowledge. They didn't need further explanation to understand.
Landing on another planet is extremely complicated. It's not like having a spaceship automatically allows you to roam the cosmos. Pre-landing preparations are massive and intricate:
Absolute understanding of the target planet
Precise interstellar coordinates
Orbital calculations
Various other critical data
Earth could only calculate nearby celestial bodies. Landing on multiple planets was clearly unrealistic.
Logically, before Tony Stark and his team decided to land on Titan, Earth must have spent years surveying the planet, investing enormous resources.
And that's just the preparation phase.
Actually landing could take years! Current spacecraft rely on chemical propulsion and gravity assists, limiting speed. Even reaching Mars takes about two years. Reaching distant planets would take even longer.
So, even if the technology existed, actual execution would take years, if not decades. In this context, Tony Stark landing on multiple planets was highly improbable.
After discussion, everyone agreed: the "floating in space" event likely refers to Stark's trip to Titan.
However, another key point remained:
"Was he floating in space before or after the Titan battle?" Tony Stark asked seriously.
This was crucial because the two timelines led to completely different answers.
"Exactly. This is a critical question," Captain America nodded in agreement.
"Clearly, there are two scenarios: did Stark's ship fail before reaching Titan, or after leaving Titan?"
"If it failed before reaching Titan, it means someone rescued them and brought them to Titan," Thor explained.
"We know who was on Titan during the battle. Anyone not there can be excluded."
Thus, Captain America and Thor could be eliminated—they weren't on Titan. The candidates left were Star-Lord and Doctor Strange. Given Earth's tech, it's believed Tony and Strange were on the same ship, meaning Strange was also trapped. The answer was obvious: Star-Lord.
Moreover, Tony met Star-Lord for the first time on Titan, fitting the scenario where Star-Lord rescues him.
"If it happened after leaving Titan, Star-Lord and Doctor Strange are excluded," Thor continued. "They were snapped—dead people can't save anyone."
"So the answer can only be Captain America or me."
This scenario was interesting—the previously excluded candidates now became viable. The original candidates, potentially the answer, were now eliminated without dispute.
Thus, establishing when the "floating in space" happened was crucial. After discussion, they agreed:
"I think it was after leaving Titan."
After a moment, Doctor Strange reasoned: "I could open a portal. If the ship failed before reaching Titan, why didn't I just open a portal and bring everyone through?"
"Why leave Stark to die on the ship?"
"After Thanos snapped, I had already been disintegrated, so I couldn't save Stark via portal. That's why he was trapped."
"That makes sense," Thor nodded.
Scott Lang raised two doubts: "Could your portal not reach somewhere you hadn't been? Or were you injured at the time?"
Doctor Strange refuted them quickly: "First, I wasn't injured—I fought Thanos on Titan. Second, many sorcerers open portals without having been to the destination. Of course, I can't be certain, but even then, I had the Time Stone! I could reverse time if needed."
"Makes sense!" Thor agreed.
"Also, the question said the ship was so damaged it couldn't function, left floating in space."
T'Challa considered and said: "We don't know the cause—it could be a malfunction, or the Titan battle. Which is more likely?"
"The battle," Tony said firmly. "Malfunctions are rare, but the Titan battle is a known fact. The ship getting damaged there is perfectly normal."
"Okay, then the timeline is clear," Scott Lang concluded.
"Yes, the ship likely failed after leaving Titan," Captain America confirmed, with unanimous agreement.
Thus, Star-Lord and Doctor Strange were ruled out. The answer could only be Tony Stark or Captain America.
Thor clapped proudly: "Oh, no doubt, the answer is me! In the future, I saved your life, Stark!"
"Need me to write you a thank-you letter?" Tony replied with a disdainful look.
The others didn't take Thor seriously—they focused on reasoning between Captain America and Thor.
"Let's sort this out," Captain America said thoughtfully. "When Thanos snapped, Thor was in Wakanda, witnessing it firsthand. Stark left Titan after that—Thor could have saved him. As for Captain America, we know little, but she returned to Earth after the snap. So she's also possible. Any other thoughts?"
No one had additional clues to narrow it further.
"Stark, looks like you have to solve this one yourself," Doctor Strange shrugged.
This was Tony Stark's question, so naturally he would answer. Unfortunately, the puzzle had no clear solution.
"If we can't analyze it, I'll go with probability," Stark said after a moment. "Remember the previous rule: whenever Thor was an option, never pick him."
"What kind of rule is that? Thor was the one who chopped off Thanos' head! Almost killed Thanos with six stones!" Thor protested.
"Relax, we know the answer is you. I'm looking at probability," Stark said, patting Thor's shoulder. "Previously, Thor's probability was zero—but now it's broken. Captain America's option has never been chosen, so her probability remains zero."
The elders analyzed carefully and agreed.
"Not very scientific, but I have no other basis," Stark admitted. "Thor, by probability, it's you—but don't disappoint me."
"Relax, Stark. Trust me—the answer is me!" Thor declared confidently.
"Okay, let's do this," Stark said, giving the screen his answer: "I choose A, Thor!"
Thor laughed: "Correct choice, Stark!"
[Wrong answer!]
Immediately, the system chimed:
[Contestant Tony Stark will have all wireless signal transmission knowledge and experience erased. Execute immediately!]
"Shit!"
Tony Stark groaned in exasperation.
................
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