Stark Tower.
The press conference was in full swing.
Click, click, click!
Flashbulbs continuously illuminated Tony Stark's face from all directions.
Tony Stark stood on the high platform, facing reporters from various media outlets, speaking eloquently and with great spirit.
"Of course, you can question the official statement, but please don't insinuate that I'm a superhero."
"I'm not cut out to be a superhero at all. I have so many flaws and have caused everyone so much trouble."
… Located at the very back of the venue, Coulson increasingly felt something was amiss. Hadn't they agreed to stick to the script?
Stark was improvising again!
"Tony, please stick to the script, okay?"
Rhodes, standing next to Stark, couldn't help but lean in and whisper a reminder to Tony Stark.
Tony Stark nodded, indicating it was fine and he would cooperate obediently from now on.
But the next second...
"The truth is... I am Iron Man!"
Tony Stark directly tossed the script aside, revealing the secret that the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. had desperately tried to keep hidden.
Coulson couldn't help but cover his face.
Rhodes also looked exasperated.
The press conference venue instantly erupted into chaos.
This news was simply too explosive, like a bombshell that stunned everyone.
"Mr. Stark!"
"Mr. Stark!"
"Mr. Stark!"
All the reporters could no longer maintain their composure, swarming towards Iron Man, vying to ask him questions.
But suddenly...
The incredibly noisy venue instantly fell silent; all sounds vanished completely.
Not only that, but all the reporters who had rushed towards Iron Man were frozen in place as if under a stasis spell, unable to move.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button, freezing everyone.
"What's going on?"
Iron Man was completely dumbfounded, bewildered as he looked at the frozen people around him, utterly confused.
He had no idea what was happening.
"Tony, what did you do?"
Rhodes' voice rang out. He hadn't frozen like the others and remained normal, now looking at his old friend and asking.
Although this scene was somewhat fantastical, Rhodes knew how advanced Stark Industries' technology was.
If anyone could have done all this, it was probably no one other than Iron Man, with his high-tech gadgets and penchant for causing trouble.
"I've checked, and everyone in the room except the three of us has been affected," Coulson said, walking over with a solemn expression.
"Tony, if you really did something, then I must warn you not to go too far," Coulson also said seriously to Iron Man.
On this point, Coulson and Rhodes shared the same view.
"Come on, why do you both think I'm behind this?" Iron Man said, exasperated. "Although I'm a genius, some things even a genius can't do. JARVIS, scan the area... JARVIS?"
While complaining, Iron Man gave a command to his AI, JARVIS, to see if any clues could be found.
But JARVIS was also malfunctioning at this moment and couldn't respond.
Iron Man's expression began to grow incredibly serious.
Who could possibly freeze so many people in the room and silently disable JARVIS?
In terms of artificial intelligence,
JARVIS, like Iron Man's suit, was a product beyond this era!
Iron Man didn't believe anyone could accomplish all this.
"Something's not right."
Coulson and Rhodes quickly noticed the anomaly.
After their inspection, they found that the people in the room weren't just motionless; their hearts, breathing, and all physiological functions had stopped.
Logically, they should have been dead.
But these people showed no corresponding physiological signs; their complexions were rosy, their body temperatures normal, completely like living people.
Furthermore, these people were in a state of absolute stillness, not moving at all, and some even had spit suspended in mid-air.
This was not something any technological means could achieve.
Instead, it was like something out of a sci-fi movie... time stopping!
[Please answer the question: In the battle against the cosmic overlord Thanos, who left a wound on his face?]
[A. Captain America]
[B. Hulk]
[C. Iron Man]
[D. Thor]
[Friendly reminder: Correct answerers will receive a piece of the Allspark shard as a reward; incorrect answerers will have one of their personal attributes randomly deducted, including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc...]
Just as the three of them were staring at each other, an electronically synthesized voice suddenly sounded.
At the same time, a huge floating fluorescent screen appeared before them, displaying text corresponding to the voice.
Iron Man and the other two exchanged glances. What was this inexplicable question?
"So... this doesn't look like a prank," Rhodes was the first to speak, saying to Iron Man and Coulson with a serious expression.
"Even if it's a prank, if it can achieve this level, I don't mind playing along," Iron Man said with a touch of arrogance.
"Then... let's answer the question and see what happens," Coulson decided, bringing the matter to a close.
"According to the scenario described in this question, Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man... which is me, and Thor, fought against this cosmic overlord named Thanos."
Iron Man began to analyze methodically, "So, among the four of us, who left a wound on Thanos?"
"To know the answer, we need to understand the strength of both sides of the battle," Rhodes interjected. "We don't know Thanos, but the question says he's a cosmic overlord."
"Could this cosmic overlord be understood as those powerful and aggressive aliens in sci-fi movies who fly around in starships?"
"We can assume that for now," Coulson nodded.
As a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson understood the truth of this world better than most people.
He knew that this world was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, and that many supernatural forces existed.
Aliens, moreover, were undoubtedly confirmed to exist.
When their director, Nick Fury, was young, a guy named Ronan tried to invade Earth, but was driven away by a hero on Earth.
That Ronan could indeed be called a cosmic overlord.