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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: The King of Shadows

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Rox sat inside an abandoned subway tunnel beneath Queens.

The System had guided him here — miles of disused lines, sealed off during the '90s, long forgotten by the public, government, and even SHIELD.

> 🌀 [New Safe Zone Unlocked: Underground Base – Sector 0]

→ Modifiable | Expandable | Undetectable (Due to Fixed Luck)

→ Base Bonuses: +20% Tech Development Speed, +15% Stealth Mission Success

→ Free Add-On: Autonomous Drone Constructor (A.D.C.) — Powered by recycled StarkTech

The small capsule in Rox's hand unfolded into a spider-like drone, which immediately began cleaning, scanning, and building.

Within hours, the tunnel was no longer a ruin. It was becoming a fortress.

Steel doors. Surveillance nodes. Underground power. A growing command hub.

And at the center — Rox.

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> "Let's talk goals."

"The world's about to enter chaos. Heroes will rise. So will gods, monsters, and cosmic tyrants."

"And I'll be the only one with the power to tilt fate."

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🌀 [Personal Stats – Rox]

⚡ Power Core: Tesseract Residue (Spatial Sense Lv.1)

🎲 Trait: Supreme Fixed Luck – Active

🧠 Skills:

Probability Shift (Lv.1) – Manipulate outcomes in battle

Passive Spider Totem (Reflexes & Danger Sense)

🔐 Base Security: Shadow Protocol – Untraceable

🛠 Inventory:

Vibranium Sample (Ready for forging)

Stark R&D Access Card

Infinity Stone Detector (Stealth Mode)

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Suddenly, the System chimed.

> New Global Event Detected:

"Tony Stark will depart for Afghanistan in 12 hours."

"Kidnapping attempt by Ten Rings confirmed."

"Optional Intervention Available."

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🌀 [Side Quest: Intervene in Stark's Capture]

🏆 Rewards:

500 System Points

StarkTech Blueprint Access

Potential Alliance with Future Iron Man

🎲 Outcome: 100% success — method left to host.

Rox paced for a moment.

> "If I save him early, I gain a genius ally. If I don't… he becomes Iron Man. Either path benefits me."

He opened his palm.

> "But what if I engineer the entire scenario for both?"

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12 Hours Later – Afghanistan Desert

Miles away, Rox stood cloaked in adaptive camo as the Ten Rings convoy ambushed Tony's Humvee.

Explosions rocked the valley. Gunfire. Screaming.

Rox simply watched, eyes glowing slightly.

> "System, activate Probability Shift."

→ [Critical Impact Avoided]

→ [Arc Reactor Materials Secured for Later Extraction]

→ [Future Iron Man Timeline Preserved]

He waited until Stark passed out from the shrapnel wound.

Then Rox moved, invisible to both SHIELD satellites and the terrorists.

He reached into Tony's suit, and with a faint shimmer, placed a small device the size of a coin beneath the man's chestplate.

> ✅ [Tracker Embedded – Tony Stark]

→ Future ally tracking unlocked

→ Remote influence access granted

Rox whispered to the unconscious man, "Wake up, genius. The world needs you to be a hero. I'll be watching."

Then he vanished into the wind.

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Back at the Underground Base

> [Blueprints Received – Mini Arc Reactor Prototype]

[StarkTech Interface Now Available]

[System Points: +500]

Rox watched the glowing reactor designs appear in mid-air.

> "I just stole the future from under SHIELD's nose… again."

He sat back in his chair, hands behind his head, smiling.

> "I don't need to be a hero. I just need to make the board move."

"This is my game now."

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