Chapter Thirty-Seven: Tony's Request

Tony Stark watched as Harvey Ambellica remained silent, continuing to eat.

“But Harvey Ambellica, just how strong are you now? Could a mushroom bomb actually harm you?” In the end, Tony couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer.

“With the current level of human technology, they can’t do a thing to me,” Harvey replied casually.

He hadn’t been idle these past months, maintaining an average pace of six evolutions per month and had now evolved two hundred and eighty-three times. His void skin had evolved sixty-four times. Even if he found himself tens of thousands of meters beneath the sea, amidst the crushing pressure, he no longer considered it a hostile environment. He could swim freely, as easily as if he were in a pool.

As for the explosion of a mushroom bomb, if he took it head-on, it might injure him. But as long as he avoided the initial blast, the subsequent radiation would be harmless; even if he stayed in the area, his body would quickly evolve immunity to the radiation, allowing him to move about unaffected.

That was the terrifying aspect of the void—no matter how harsh the environment, as long as he survived, he could evolve whatever abilities were needed to adapt.

“If I became a being like you, could I reach your current level?” Tony’s eyes flashed with excitement as he asked.

“It wouldn’t be possible at first, but with time…” Harvey nodded, recognizing Tony’s growing interest. “You too could have a near-eternal lifespan, and power that none could rival.”

Void creatures were the most formidable of weapons; with the ability to evolve, they would all eventually become incredibly powerful. The differences among them were only in the requirements and difficulty of their evolutions.

Having witnessed Harvey’s strength, Tony’s eyes could not hide their feverish gleam.

“Unmatched by anyone—but what about gods?” Tony quickly caught himself, voicing his doubt.

After seeing what Harvey could do, Tony wouldn’t be surprised if gods walked among them.

“A god, you might say, is a being born with a long lifespan and powers far beyond human understanding—an alien, perhaps. Because their abilities lie outside the realm of human comprehension, and because humans have such brief lives, they see these beings as gods and their deeds as miracles,” Harvey said, unmoved.

“A human life, only a fleeting century—how cruel that sounds.”

Tony listened to Harvey’s indifferent words and could only smile wryly. Compared to these aliens, humans had but a scant hundred years.

“Throughout history, humanity has produced its share of dazzling talents. Some left behind legendary exploits while still young, but as they aged, their bodies inevitably declined; their minds grew sluggish, and they no longer had the energy or time to discover the world’s secrets. In the end, they were but fleeting blossoms on the river of history. But if they had longer lives, if the geniuses of every era could work together, human civilization might be far more advanced today.”

Harvey’s gaze grew distant as he spoke. Lifespan was a problem no human could avoid, and countless people longed for more time—to realize their talents, to witness the futures they’d only dreamed of, to see wonders they’d never dared imagine.

Harvey himself now possessed a vastly extended life; he had the ability to witness the future with his own eyes. He did not reject what had made him into what he was, even if others might see him as an outcast.

He understood human psychology well enough: everyone scorns the outcast, yet everyone secretly yearns to be one. Those who see a long life as useless or a curse, only do so because, aside from longevity, they lack the power to live as they please. Given such a long span of years, how many marvels might one experience?

Tony was deeply shaken by Harvey’s words. Harvey’s power was beyond his comprehension, and so his perspective, his place in the world, was utterly different.

When Nick Fury threatened him, Tony had been furious but didn’t dare retaliate—because Fury represented the American military. But Harvey had responded to Fury’s threats with overwhelming force, and had he not been merciful, everyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. would have died right there.

The power Harvey displayed made Tony realize that, no matter how he improved his Iron Man suits, he might never stand on equal footing with him.

Harvey had let slip an important detail: if Tony became a being like Harvey, his strength would only grow with time. And if Harvey had made him that way, then Harvey himself must possess an even more terrifying capacity for growth.

Harvey had said, even if Tony became like him, he would never be able to catch up to Harvey’s pace. Though it seemed a casual remark at the time, Tony had not forgotten it.

Now, with the chance for a longer life and greater power before him—something so many people desperately desired—he found himself hesitating, worried about what others might think of him. That, he realized, was both foolish and ignorant.

“Harvey Ambellica, I know I don’t have the strength or the right to demand anything from you. So, this is my request,” Tony said firmly, looking at Harvey.

“There’s no need to belittle yourself. You have a good mind. And we’re not in a superior-subordinate relationship, so you don’t have to be so formal. Let me hear your request, and I’ll consider it,” Harvey replied, looking at the resolute Tony Stark.

“I’ve finally realized that having power and lacking it are two entirely different things. I want to ask you to make me like you—to give me a longer life and greater strength,” Tony said, his expression earnest.

“And Miss Pepper? Won’t you discuss it with her? You said just now you hadn’t told her about any of this,” Harvey asked, seeing Tony’s resolve but not agreeing immediately.

“She’ll understand. And that’s why I know I might be greedy, even shameless. Even so, I have one more request—if Pepper comes to terms with it, even if the power you give her isn’t as great as mine, that’s fine. Please, let her have a longer life too,” Tony said.

A woman’s yearning for eternal youth was even stronger than a man’s. Tony knew that if he became younger and told Pepper the secret, convincing her to understand and accept it wouldn’t be difficult.

Whether Harvey would grant this request, though, remained unknown.