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*****
In the future world, even though Mike and Tony had mentally prepared themselves for what Star Group had done, the reality still exceeded their imagination.
"Wait a second!"
Tony grabbed Mike's arm and quickly said, "Let's gather more intel before rushing in! There are too many people in Star Group."
"I don't care."
"We don't know what abilities they all possess. If we charge in recklessly, we might never come back out!"
"No."
Mike spoke coldly, a card already appearing between his fingers.
Tony grew increasingly anxious.
He had faith in Mike's strength, but Star Group had far too many people. If any of them possessed powers specifically designed to counter Mike…
Seeing Mike about to open a portal, Tony shouted: "Wait! Haven't you noticed—there's no record of you?"
Mike froze mid-motion. "What did you say?"
Exhaling slightly, Tony explained, "I said Jarvis has gathered a lot of intel, but none of it mentions you. Don't you find it strange that there's nothing about you?"
Mike fell silent, the card vanishing from his hand.
"Check it."
Tony nodded. "Jarvis, search for information on Mike Kent."
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
Prompted by Tony's words, the furious Mike also realized something was wrong.
Yes… why wasn't there any trace of him?
Would his future self really stand by and watch Charles and Erik die?
Would he allow Gwen to be hunted down?
No. Absolutely not.
Mike was certain of this.
But then—why wasn't there any trace of him?
Where was he when all of this happened?
Mike's mind spun with possibilities, one after another.
A moment later, Jarvis' voice sounded again.
"Mike Kent's last recorded activity was on February 3rd, 2010. After that, there are no further records."
"No activity?"
Tony frowned, while Mike's eyes flickered with realization.
That was the day he went to the Logan world.
"Yes, Mr. Stark," Jarvis' metallic voice continued from the armor. "From that day onward, Mike Kent vanished. Even the X-Men and the Avengers searched for him, but he was never found."
Vanished? No traces at all?
Tony looked at Mike in confusion.
How could that be?
This was the future world. How could Mike not exist here?
Mike let out a slow breath.
That could explain why Charles and Erik died—because, in this world, he had 'disappeared.'
Did he leave the planet?
Was he killed?
Mike's eyes flickered with sharp light.
No…
Neither of those explained it.
If he had left Earth, he would have returned. If he had been killed, there would have been traces.
Whatever he did, he would leave evidence—unless… he wasn't in this world at all.
But before February 3rd, 2010, he had clearly existed here.
Which meant…
Mike's mind came to a conclusion that sounded almost absurd.
He didn't exist in this world—he existed only in the one before his traversal.
Unlike Tony, who used time-space devices to travel back and forth and could see alternate versions of himself, Mike was different.
In other words, he was unique.
Among all the parallel worlds, there was only one Mike.
No matter how many parallel worlds existed, there was only a single Mike Kent.
That explained why there were no traces of him after February 3rd.
Because from that day onward, when they traveled, a new timeline was born—new parallel worlds came into existence. And since Mike was unique, he returned to the original world, while in the newly created parallel world, he disappeared.
Unbelievable as the idea was, once all other possibilities were eliminated, no matter how incredible, this was the only answer left.
Tony stared at Mike in shock. He too had reached the same realization.
After a long pause, Mike said flatly, "Enough. Let's get back to business."
"Where is their headquarters?"
Whether he was unique or not didn't matter. Right now, he just wanted to deliver some surprises—destroy a few things—and vent his anger.
Star Group.
Though called a company, in truth, it secretly controlled the course of the world.
Superheroes in their hands became tools for world domination.
If Star Group declared someone a criminal, then they were a criminal.
Because people believed them—and had no choice but to believe.
Star Group had countless superheroes. If gathered together, they could form an invincible army.
They deceived the world, manipulated its fate, and did whatever they pleased.
Among all their superheroes, the Justice League was the strongest team, supported and admired by countless people.
The Justice League had seven seats.
Firework Man, Kilian: wealthy, humble, and a scientist—a handsome hero in the public's eyes.
Iron Maiden: immensely strong with an indestructible body, a cold and striking queen.
Mr. Zero: master of ice, ruthless in demeanor, able to instantly freeze anything he touched.
Witch Doctor: wielder of healing and curses.
Shark: mighty in strength, able to move freely underwater and summon fish.
Diamond Woman: able to transform her entire body into diamond and emit energy beams.
Dark Night: an assassin with spatial abilities.
Though the League always had seven members, the roster constantly shifted.
Every superhero had a "support rating," and only the seven with the highest ratings could hold Justice League seats.
At this moment, aside from Iron Maiden and Mr. Zero, the other five members were meeting at Star Group headquarters.
To maintain their ratings, they needed steady exposure; only then could they survive the brutal competition and keep their places.
Iron Maiden and Mr. Zero, holding first and second place, had nothing to fear.
Even Kilian, in third, and Diamond Woman, in fourth, were safe.
The real pressure was on the other three—Witch Doctor, Shark, and Dark Night. Their support ratings were nearly equal, forcing them to face challenges from other heroes every month.
Now, the five of them gathered to plan a joint operation, hoping to boost their ratings.
"Got any good missions?" Shark asked lazily. "Something that'll shoot us straight to the top?"
"Hah, as if such easy jobs exist," Witch Doctor scoffed coldly, his thin frame leaning back as he sneered at Shark.
Dark Night silently nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Kilian clapped his hands. "Actually, there is one."
Everyone instantly turned to him.
Their eyes were filled with doubt—but also anticipation.
Kilian smiled faintly. "Recently, we've tracked down the Rebellion Spider-Woman. If we capture her, securing the number one support rating will be effortless."
(End of Chapter)