Chapter 907: Skrull Trouble (Part 2)

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"Captain, I called Tony, but he says he's swamped too. Can't you come back and assist me with testing your abilities? I only need to occupy you for an hour or two," Schiller pleaded over the telephone.

"You know, Doctor, experience is necessary. If I can't analyze the patients' psychology and emotions, how can I know if my abilities really work? Can't you come back just once?" Captain America, lying on the ground with blood at the corner of his mouth, clenched his mobile phone, his voice low. "I'm not going back. What I mean is, the Director's work is extremely urgent, and I must complete it immediately, all for our ideals."

"Alright, then. I'll hang up."

"No, wait!" Captain America coughed twice, fell silent for a moment, and listened to the other end of the telephone calling his name. He spoke, "Doctor, Agent Carter... is she alright?"

"Carter Agent? You mean Sharon Carter, right? She... she's fine, I think. At least, I remember it that way."

"Doctor, I hope you can tell the truth. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other, should we?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the telephone, then Captain America heard Schiller's voice. "You know, many recent missions haven't been going too smoothly, and the Director is understandably anxious."

"Carter Agent is relatively young. Like you, she cares more about justice in the program than the end goal. You two are really similar... but completely opposite to the Director."

"Yesterday, there was a laboratory involving experiments on children. The Director had some ideas, and Carter Agent strongly opposed him. She stood up to the Director, which made him very angry, and he transferred her."

Captain America felt his heart being squeezed. He asked, "Where was she transferred to?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but she hasn't shown up at the office for two days. But don't worry, the Director won't do anything to her. We all know she has a crush on you," Schiller emphasized the word "you," indicating the real Captain America.

"She can be useful, so at most, the Director might have sent her to some remote state or put her in some more closed-off laboratory. It shouldn't be a big deal."

Captain America felt his hands trembling, but he took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I understand, but I can't return right now. We'll talk later, goodbye."

He covered his chest and took two deep breaths, feeling his body rapidly recovering. He struggled to get up from the ground, ignoring the dust sticking to his uniform and shield, turning his head to look at the setting sun.

His face bore a weathered expression quite different from Spider-Man's, but it suited Captain America's image perfectly. At this moment, his true feelings were revealed as he muttered, "Great ideals, great ideals... who are they really for, and for whom do we strive to achieve these ideals?"

He picked up his shield and walked into the sunset. The direction he headed was not towards the mission objective, but his steps were resolute, like a seasoned old soldier who had seen through the truth.

"Hey? Tony? Steve says he can't come back. Can you...?"

"I can't, Schiller! Stop calling me on the telephone!"

"What? You need results now? Where am I supposed to get results for you? The 16th laboratory has gone back to square one again. Don't you know?"

"What? The 2nd laboratory exploded again?? What on earth is Otto doing? What? It's a problem with my equipment? Absolutely impossible! Connect me to the 2nd laboratory! I want to see how Otto can blame me for the experiment's failure!"

"Reed, I advise you not to argue with me. The person calling you right now is Tony Stark, the most brilliant mind in the world. My conclusions cannot be wrong... What did you say? The formula is also problematic? Well, let me take another look!"
"Tony, you..." Schiller attempted to interject, but quickly, the roar of Iron Man came through the telephone. He said, "Stop bothering me on the phone!!! Can't you see I'm busy proving that I'm the most brilliant person in this world?!!"

Hanging up the telephone, Iron Man took two deep breaths, covering his forehead with his hand as he sat down, feeling a deep sense of exhaustion.

If there was one truly difficult task in this world, it must be proving oneself as the most genius human on this planet.

And if there was one almost impossible task in this world, it had to be proving himself as the most brilliant human on this planet in a situation where he couldn't prove himself as the smartest Skrull.

Playing the role of Iron Man, this Skrull was not only a scientist like Iron Man, but also one of the top scientists in the Skrull Empire.

Initially, he thought his mission would go smoothly. After all, how could he not pass as a human genius when these mere humans hadn't even ventured beyond the Solar System, let alone compete with the super-civilized Skrull Empire in space?

Think about it; Skrull Empire was researching things like superluminal engine acceleration projects, dimensional leap stability projects, and Infinity energy output enhancement projects.

Then look at humans: rocket shell manufacturing, rocket fuel development, and designing machinery for the Mercury Base at most. They were only extracting star energy, and the most primitive form of it.

Could he, with Skrull's advanced science and technology spanning millions of years, not impersonate a human genius?

Then he realized that it was an entirely different matter.

The current level of human science and technology had reached a special stage. Science and technology branches were growing explosively, and the levels of expertise and creativity varied widely. It was a realm where ideas were boundless but practical execution methods were rare.

In simple terms, the majority of human scientists had reached a level that was both inexperienced and playful, of course, when compared to the Skrulls' science and technology.

In the eyes of this Skrull scientist, human scientists were technically weak, but they talked a big game. Their capabilities were not strong, but their willpower was, their credentials were limited, but their ideas were abundant, their scientific research skills were subpar, but their argumentative skills were top-notch.

At first, to portray himself as the smartest human genius in the world, this Skrull researcher had been using his knowledge to answer various human questions. After all, he was essentially taking an exam with answers in hand, and all his answers were correct, having undergone rigorous testing in the Skrull Empire. He didn't see any issue with his behavior.

As long as he could answer all the challenging questions, wouldn't he be the most brilliant person in the world?

Then he discovered that the human race was truly interesting.

Their purpose in seeking answers from Stark wasn't to put those answers into practice and advance human science and technology. Their goal was to challenge Stark and prove themselves as the most genius scientists.

When Fake Iron Man provided a set of data, immediately, dozens of scientists would contest its accuracy. When Fake Iron Man presented his research findings based on that data, another group of scientists would point out that the experimental conditions didn't match those of the Solar System.

As mentioned earlier, impostors were always insecure. They were eager to prove themselves genuine. So, this Skrull scientist had to redo the analysis, considering the environment of the Solar System, only for another group of scientists to claim that his analysis was flawed and had fundamental formatting errors.

"I mean, Stark, what's wrong with you? Even the instructions on the devices you gave me don't specify the proper handling methods. So, isn't it normal for them to explode?" Otto's voice came through the telephone.

"If it weren't for your voice sounding exactly like Stark's arrogant tone, I'd start to doubt whether you're him. The last conclusion you gave me didn't even have an introduction. How am I supposed to read that?"

"Furthermore, the sample you provided last time, it was filled with all sorts of nonsense. How can I show such a mess to students? If they learn your paper format, they might give me a brain hemorrhage..."
Otto sighed and said, "You even got the most basic paper format wrong. If Reed, that sharp-tongued guy, finds out, he'll definitely mock you loudly... Well, if you're really tired, then take a break."

After hanging up the telephone, the imposter Iron Man clenched his teeth and slammed his mobile phone onto the lab table. He didn't even bother with his disguise anymore and said, "Basic paper format?? I gave them the correct answers! They didn't even copy it?!!"

Just as the imposter Iron Man was getting infuriated and rolling his eyes, another telephone call came through, this time with Reed's voice on the other end. He said, "Look who we have here, isn't this the world's genius Tony Stark? What did I find? In the materials you just transmitted, you've even used the symbols wrong. Don't you know the difference between full-width symbols and half-width symbols?"

"Oh, yes, you're the world's genius scientist, except maybe... well... in the grammar department, of course. Not that it matters. It doesn't affect your academic standing. I'll send your materials to the publishing house right away so that everyone can admire the scholarly achievements of genius Stark."

The imposter Iron Man pounded the table forcefully and said, "Reed, listen, my conclusion is correct. Why do you care so much..."

Unexpectedly, Reed interrupted him with a scoff and said, "The conclusion is correct! Is that all you're after? I ask you, among the 26 laboratories, which genius scientist's conclusion isn't correct??"

The imposter Iron Man was left speechless, his mouth agape, realizing he couldn't argue.

Although now able to communicate with all 26 laboratories at Stark Tower, each with its own research focus, there was no doubt that they housed the most brilliant scientists in the world, and mistakes were almost unheard of.

"If all you care about is a correct conclusion, then I can only say that the title of the world's most genius scientist might need a little adjustment. Although I dare not claim that title, someone who only pursues correct results isn't qualified to hold it!"

With a loud "smack," the mobile phone was thrown out completely. The imposter Iron Man slumped into his chair, holding his head and trying to remember how Stark had done it in the past.

Before, he had hardly bothered to search his memories because he thought that by holding the answers and impersonating a genius, he would surely be foolproof. However, he now realized that he was getting even the basics wrong, and if he continued like this, he would surely be exposed.

As he delved deeper into his memories, the imposter Iron Man froze. He discovered that Stark in his memories truly deserved the title of the world's most genius scientist. He was not only brilliant but also incredibly dedicated, or perhaps it was better to say he was somewhat obsessed.

How had Stark managed to lead all the genius scientists in the world, guiding them in the development of the Solar System while staying ahead of everyone else and juggling both management and research responsibilities?

The answer was simple: he worked tirelessly day and night.

During his time in the Stark laboratory, Stark never took a break, not even for half a minute. The survival suit he wore provided all the necessities he needed, and he didn't even visit the restroom.

Going for 40 hours without eating, drinking, using the restroom, or diverting his attention was entirely normal, even daily. In Stark's memory, his record was maintaining this state for over 100 consecutive hours.

Seeing this, the Skrull scientist swallowed hard, realizing he had not just been exposed, but he had already been exposed. After all, JARVIS was constantly watching him.

However, there was still a chance for redemption. All he had to do was emulate the real Stark and work tirelessly without rest.

This Skrull scientist had achieved such high accomplishments in the original Empire through a combination of talent and hard work. He believed that his previous inability to match Stark's madness was due to not having Stark's survival suit, but now that he had it, he could do it too.

One day later, Nick Fury, who was in his office checking the losses in various warehouses, received a telephone call. On the other end, Iron Man was roaring, "I'm done!!! Whoever wants to do it can do it!!!"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 908: When False Turns True, True Also Becomes False (Part I)