Maria quickly turned her gaze to Future Tony, her expression instantly becoming panicked as she hurried to his side.
"My Little Tony, why have you become like this? You have so much white hair and you've aged. Were you injured in this war? Let's go see a Doctor quickly."
Maria tenderly caressed the wrinkles and white hair on Future Tony's face, her heart aching.
Future Tony stared blankly at Maria, who was a head shorter than him.
This address?
And the warmth of her palm.
"Mom?"
"What's wrong, Tony?"
Maria hadn't realized this was Tony from a parallel Universe.
"Nothing... I mean, I've missed you so much, truly so much."
As he spoke, Tony's emotions completely broke through, his voice filled with long-suppressed longing and sorrow.
---
Meanwhile,
Future Captain America, who had already arrived at the entrance of the Devil Mansion, peered in from a corner and pressed his finger to the communicator by his ear.
"Tony, I've arrived. Where are you?"
After waiting for a while, there was no response from the earpiece.
Future Captain America knew he couldn't wait any longer; he decisively removed his mask and walked calmly towards the main entrance.
The me of this World is an employee of the Demon Group, so entering should be no problem.
He kept a close eye on the sand dunes on both sides, walking step by step to the main entrance, with no unusual movements along the way.
Steve successfully entered the Devil Mansion. Just after he went in, a human face slowly emerged from the sand dunes, stared at the mansion entrance for a while, and then slowly disappeared.
Future Captain America followed the map's instructions and headed upstairs.
According to the information provided by Future Tony, the Devil Mansion was divided into upper and lower floors. Tony went to the lower floor to rescue Banner, while his goal was to go to the upper floor to find the scepter.
Future Captain America, with his shield on his back, took the elevator to the next floor.
The office area was packed with people; the war in New York had not affected their enthusiasm for work in the slightest.
Future Captain America knew at a glance that this wasn't the place he was looking for, so he was about to continue upwards.
"Mr. Steve."
Someone behind him called out.
Future Captain America's finger, pressing the elevator button, paused. It was a blonde woman holding a file.
"Are you here to see the leader? Could you please help me deliver these as well?"
"Yes."
Future Captain America nodded slightly.
Refusing now might arouse suspicion.
The blonde woman handed the items to Future Captain America and thoughtfully pressed the elevator button for him.
Fifth floor.
Future Captain America walked into a room, holding the files, and saw a figure buried in a mountain of documents, busy at work.
"Hello, where should I put these?"
Future Captain America asked politely.
The hand that was writing furiously paused slightly, and a cold voice came.
"Just put them over by the corner of the wall."
The moment Future Captain America turned around, the person behind the desk quickly pulled out a handgun from under the table, aimed it at his thigh, and pulled the trigger. (He had a shield on his back)
Bang, bang, bang—
Future Captain America reacted extremely fast, instantly raising the files in his hand sharply backward to block the other party's vision.
He flashed aside, dodging the bullets, and at the same time, raised his hand to precisely grab the other party's wrist, twisted it hard, knocked the gun away, and pressed her firmly onto the desk.
The documents on the desk scattered everywhere, some even covering the person's face.
"I mean no harm; I'm just here to find something."
Future Captain America tried to explain.
"Find? I'd say steal. No one can steal anything from here, imposter."
Future Captain America looked at the struggling figure, feeling a headache. He hadn't expected to be exposed as soon as he entered. What should he do next?
At this moment, the documents on the figure's head fell off, revealing half of her face.
"Peggy!!!"
Future Captain America's shocked fingers loosened.
Peggy took the opportunity to break free and kicked him in the stomach.
Carter flexed her wrist, feeling a bit annoyed that she had been slacking off lately.
She picked up the handgun and aimed it at Future Captain America.
Future Captain America did not resist; instead, he raised his hands to show he was not a threat, his eyes filled with longing, sorrow, and pain.
Peggy frowned. That look was exactly the same as Steve's when he first saw her after coming out of the ice.
A bold guess arose in her heart.
Holding the gun in one hand, she slowly approached, while her other hand gently reached out to Future Captain America's cheek and chin, feeling to make sure he wasn't wearing a mask.
"Steve from a parallel Universe?"
Peggy breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the gun.
"Peggy, I..."
Future Captain America tried to get closer, but Peggy took a step back to avoid him.
Peggy held out her hand, showing the ring on her finger, her tone calm but firm.
"I am not your Peggy, and you are not my Steve. You should address me as Ms. Carter, sir."
Future Captain America's heart ached at the stiff address.
His Peggy was already dead.
"Tell me, how did you get in?"
Peggy asked sternly, crossing her arms.
Future Captain America explained everything that happened in his World and his purpose for coming.
Peggy rubbed her brow. A World without the Demon King would be so despairing, with half the Universe dead.
She also understood that Steve's ability to enter was absolutely intentional on the Demon King's part.
She took out her phone.
"Steve, where are you and Bucky?"
"Something's come up here. Come back as soon as you can."
After Peggy hung up the phone, Future Captain America couldn't help but ask, "You just mentioned Bucky. Is Bucky here too?"
"Come with me. I'll tell you what happened in our World, or rather, what happened after the Demon King appeared."
---
Top floor of the Devil Mansion
Future Tony walked in, followed by Maria and Howard.
Before he could even see who was inside, he heard a sarcastic voice.
"Oh, someone crying in his mother's arms, do you need to rehydrate?"
Tony noticed that a large patch of his mother's shirt was wet, which annoyed him even more.
He was being mocked as a crybaby.
"No, but do you need me to give you some pointers on modifying that big guy behind you? Your previous energy beams were really too crude."
Future Tony didn't back down, pointing to the ten-foot-tall Apollo Armor behind him.
He was mocking him for being stupid.
"What the hell do you know?! I use a Sun core, and the energy output is hundreds of times yours. Besides n metal, there's no material that can handle it."
"Hundreds of times? n metal? While I don't know what you're talking about, if the material is nanomaterial, what about continuous repair and constant cooling replacement?"
"Do you think I don't know? I have nanotechnology, but the strength of nanomaterials isn't enough. If I use Adamantium, it can't self-repair. If I switch to Vibranium, it will absorb energy itself, and the power will be greatly reduced."
"Power? That brute-force, 'bigger is better' Russian style. I don't remember ever studying that. You should focus on being able to fight normally first."
"Russian? I think you're the Russian. What's the point of low power? Hunting prey?"
Under Richard's influence, Tony knew some of the future enemies, so he instinctively leaned towards designs with greater power.
"Hunting? Yes, I can hunt a stupid pig."
Future Tony felt this annoying for the first time.
He lightly tapped his chest.
The nano-armor instantly enveloped his entire body.
"Stupid pig? Watch me blast you to smithereens with one shot."
The Apollo Armor behind Tony opened, revealing the cockpit inside.
-------------------------------
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