Tony Stark had imagined that one day, when he grew old and could no longer be Iron Man, he would pass the mantle to a new generation—the so-called second-generation Iron Man.
Although, based on Luo Chen's later complaints, the so-called second-generation Iron Man didn't perform very well.
At least, from the perspective of an average viewer like Luo Chen, it seemed completely mediocre.
Of course, issues with successors were still far off. For now, Iron Man's concerns were more immediate.
After all, he hadn't even figured himself out yet. He was still a novice, barely experienced as Iron Man.
[Compared to this, Peter Parker—who wasn't even a confirmed heir—was treated like the real successor.
No, not even his own daughter received such treatment.
I can't imagine the scene when Peter Parker disappeared in his arms...
Could it have been his lifelong nightmare?
Yet in the end, he redeemed himself—and the universe!]
This was the second time Luo Chen had emphasized that Peter Parker was Tony Stark's true successor—someone who had even been jokingly called his own son.
Tony Stark was taken aback. Did I really treat that kid Peter Parker so differently in the future?
"From this passage, what Luo Chen seems to be implying is that you have a nominal successor," Nick Fury said, smiling, "but that person didn't do well and wasn't widely recognized.
And yet you also have a spiritual successor—someone who's even called your son in jest. That means you do have a successor, just not the one people expect."
In his mind, Nick Fury had already raised Peter Parker's importance by several levels.
This Spider-Man might actually become Tony Stark's true successor.
"No, the real shocker is—apparently, I'll have a daughter in the future!" Tony Stark exclaimed.
Although Luo Chen hadn't explicitly said so, just a few words were enough to confirm it: in the future, Tony Stark would have a biological daughter. And surprisingly, she didn't seem to receive as much affection or attention as Peter Parker, hence the emotional tension.
"You? A daughter?" Nick Fury looked skeptical.
Sure, it's not unusual for a normal person to have a daughter—but Tony Stark was far from normal.
He was a notorious playboy in his thirties. Marriage and settling down? Not even on the horizon. He didn't even have a stable girlfriend. The very idea seemed ridiculous.
In the upper echelons of the Lighthouse Country, this wasn't exactly common either. Many had assumed Tony would remain a lifelong bachelor—maybe even Tony himself thought so.
And now, to suddenly hear that he'd one day have a daughter?
Shocking didn't even begin to cover it.
"What's with that look? Is it really that weird?" Tony said defensively, even though he himself was clearly stunned.
"Okay, okay," Nick Fury said with a smirk, "but I'm guessing none of us know who the mother is yet."
Then he added, more seriously, "But did you notice what Luo Chen said later? That Peter Parker dissipated in your arms. Can I take that to mean… he died?"
Tony fell silent. That was a possibility. If Peter hadn't died, it wouldn't be described as a lifelong nightmare. Still, the word "dissipated" was oddly specific—and hard to make sense of scientifically.
What kind of phenomenon could cause someone to dissipate?
What kind of event could deliver such an emotional blow that it would haunt someone for the rest of their life?
And yet, according to Luo Chen, despite the tragedy, Tony would go on to redeem himself—and the universe.
Classic Hollywood nonsense, Tony thought bitterly.
What did redeem even mean in that context? If someone's already dead, how does redemption even work?
"Pay attention to the phrasing," Nick Fury interjected. "It doesn't say you saved the world. It says you saved the universe."
"That means," Tony said, nodding, "there's going to be a crisis in the future—one that threatens the entire universe. And during that crisis… I save it."
That made perfect sense within the logic of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Lately, Tony had even asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to analyze the script structure of various blockbuster films. He'd started to understand how these narratives worked—so a lot of what Luo Chen wrote in his diary could be interpreted through that lens.
He could even guess which stage of the story Luo Chen was referencing based on these patterns.
It helped him form clearer judgments moving forward.
"Seems like a good thing to me," Nick Fury said. "You're able to solve a multiverse-level crisis."
Tony shook his head. "You're not seeing the whole picture. The only reason I save the universe is because the universe needs saving in the first place.
And in such a crisis… how many people have to die before we win?
Peter Parker's death was probably just one of many."
His expression darkened.
"And right now… how much do we really know about what lies outside our universe?"
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