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Chapter 253: Who Do You Look Down On?
🕑 Added 2025-07-21 04:44:38 +0000 UTC"I am dead?" Tony stared at the person lying on the bed in disbelief and asked, "Am I really dead?"
Noah, suppressing a smile, answered with a serious expression, "Well, the cause of death can be understood as fatigue and excessive excitement, which led to acute myocardial infarction."
Coulson, standing nearby, lowered his head, baffled. He couldn’t understand what the wizard was thinking. He hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt, but decided to hold back, hoping to avoid upsetting the wizard.
"Excessive excitement? Acute myocardial infarction?" Tony muttered, then glanced back at his “self” lying in bed. He looked down at his body, confused. Is it because of that wild night with the cover girl? He couldn't help but feel embarrassed. And what happens to my property now?
His mind raced with a series of questions, and although he didn’t believe the young man in front of him, a part of him wondered if this was some sort of scam.
As the young man searched for a seat, Tony quietly moved to the bedside and reached out to touch his "self." To his astonishment, his hand passed right through him, and the girl beside him was the same!
"So, I’m in a soul state?" Tony asked, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Are you here to take me to heaven?"
"Why do you think you can go to heaven?" Noah replied, clearly puzzled. "Are you great?"
"Isn’t it? Well, even if I’m not great, I’ve done a lot of charity work. Doesn’t that count for a ticket?" Tony replied, trying to hold on to the hope of heaven.
"Then do you see us spreading our wings?" Noah raised an eyebrow.
Tony froze, his mouth open, unable to respond. "So, where do you think we’re taking you?" Noah continued, his smile widening as he noticed Tony’s face turning pale.
Tony was known for his cocky attitude, and people often longed for his humiliation, but it was rare to see someone succeed in doing so. Noah's smugness only made it sweeter. Coulson was tempted to intervene but decided to wait, though he did feel that Noah’s joke might be too much.
"Could it be hell?" Tony asked, swallowing nervously. He wanted to shout out and run, but the unknown was more terrifying than he expected. The current Tony, unlike his future self, hadn’t yet become the seasoned Iron Man.
"Well, although I’m sorry you can’t see your parents in heaven, you can write letters in hell once a year. How does that sound?" Noah smiled, unfazed by Tony's increasingly ugly expression or Coulson's discomfort.
Tony’s face twisted as he tried to make sense of it. What do you mean? Why is that old guy in heaven? Noah's mention of Howard and his mother being in heaven caught Tony's attention, and his flustered look quickly turned into a mix of confusion and anger.
This reaction amused Noah. It seemed that without going through later events, Tony still didn’t understand Howard's love for him. Noah decided to tease him further.
"Yes, Howard’s in heaven because he worked to prevent war and create peace. And you? You inherited his company and turned it into a source of disputes and profit. You’ll understand this later."
"Later?" Tony latched onto the key word, his mind racing. "Does this mean I don’t have to go to hell?"
Noah, leaning back casually in his chair, smiled. "If you want, we can go now."
Tony froze. Was Noah serious? Did he not know the coordinates?
"No, no, no!" Tony quickly shook his head. "Don’t joke about this!"
"What did I say?" Noah feigned ignorance, tapping his chin.
"You just said that I’d know it later. If you take me now, I won’t know anything, and I won’t have a chance to change it, right?"
Noah grinned. "But the answer you experience is completely different from the one I’m giving you. I didn’t ask you to change, at least not right now."
Standing up, Noah slowly walked to Tony’s side. He wasn’t sure if Tony had yet made Jarvis, but without the Iron Man suit, the current Tony didn’t stand a chance against the dangers ahead. If he didn’t make some changes, he'd likely be dead soon.
With a teasing smile, Noah pulled out a USB drive and tossed it to Tony. "Help me, and you’ll be able to live a normal life. Just treat this as a dream."
Tony, feeling like he was clutching at a lifeline, swallowed hard. "Tell me what you need."
"Help me get two things: an intelligent AI system and some social software. It depends on your abilities."
Noah paused, realizing it might be tricky to explain, so he used magic to help Tony "see" the functions and uses of what he needed. This magic was relatively simple and not difficult for Noah to cast, though Tony, lacking formal magical training, found it disorienting at first.
As the information filled Tony’s mind, Noah was impressed by his quick acceptance. Does this guy have potential as a magician?
Tony, a little dazed but now understanding, said, "An intelligent AI system will take time. But if you’re in a rush, I can try to make a simple version. As for the social software, are you insulting my IQ? I could make that in five minutes!"
Tony proceeded to mock the complexity of Facebook, WeChat, Alipay, and other social media platforms. How is this possible? Noah thought. This man really isn’t human.
Tony's speed was nothing short of miraculous. In under five minutes, he had whipped up the software and optimized it, fixing potential bugs. Noah was astounded.
"What kind of computer are you using?" Noah asked, still in disbelief.
"I built it myself," Tony said, clearly pleased with his achievement. "Otherwise, how could I work this fast?"
"Very good," Noah said, nodding before pulling the USB drive from the computer.
As he did, he realized that in trying to humiliate Tony, he might’ve ended up embarrassed instead. Tony’s prowess was something else entirely.
"Since you’ve helped me with this, I’ll honor my word. We won’t take you away." Noah then paused. "But we’ll be back in three years. By then, I expect the AI system to be completed. As for your company, continue as you have been, and don’t make any changes. If you do, we’ll break the agreement."
"Three years? Why—hey, what are your names?" Tony asked, curious.
Before he could get an answer, golden halos appeared behind Noah and Coulson, and Tony felt a sudden headache.
"Goodbye, Tony. Enjoy your life," Noah’s voice softened as Tony began to feel drowsy. "You’ll understand everything in the future."
Tony didn’t know how long it was before he woke up with cold sweat pouring down his face.
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