Chapter 9: Iron Man despairs, Wei De sets up an astonishing deception

Inside him, the flame named 'Curiosity' was forcibly ignited, temporarily suppressing the urge to collapse.

But his problem is also the problem of all Trisolarans, and indeed the problem of all civilizations in the myriad heavens.

This civilization called Ultraman, this god composed of light particles……

They, are they good or evil?

……

Marvel Universe, Titan.

Amid the ruined wreckage, Tony Stark was covered in blood, half-kneeling on the ground.

He had just learned from Doctor Strange of fourteen million possible futures,

and they had only one slim chance of victory.

Endless fatigue and despair nearly consumed his consciousness.

Just then, in the void before him, that huge screen clearly reflected the silhouette of that red-and-silver giant.

From close combat, to beams, to faster-than-light flight, tearing space with bare hands.

Tony Stark's brain, which housed the entire Earth's knowledge base, also glitched at this moment.

He had seen gods, Thor.

He had also opposed villains who pretended to be gods, Ultron.

He himself, with merely a mortal body, stood equal to the gods.

But this creature on the screen had already surpassed his comprehension.

Could he generate five hundred thousand degrees heat with bare hands?

This is even more absurd than his palm cannon's energy core instantly overloading.

Could his flesh travel at light speed?

Even his fastest Mark armor couldn't reach a fraction of that speed.

Could he casually open wormholes?

He and Doctor Banner had studied space theory for how long, yet before the opponent it was like a child's scribble.

A deep sense of helplessness welled up in Tony's heart.

What if… what if Thanos's enemy were not the Avengers, but such a civilization.

Would that war require a snap of the fingers?

No, perhaps only one Ultraman is needed; passing by, a casual beam could erase Thanos and his fleet entirely from this universe.

That thought made Tony feel a surge of absurdity, followed by deeper vigilance.

What stance does a civilization wielding such power take?

Is it to protect cosmic peace like these superheroes?

Or… will it become the next disaster, even more terrifying than Thanos?

He does not know.

In those fourteen million futures, he had never seen that red-and-silver giant.

This, is a new variable.

……

Earth, the Planetary Defense Council Asian Branch (PIA).

Shielding Room.

This is a top-secret location of the PIA,

by creating a strong magnetic field to form a Faraday cage that shields against Sophon surveillance.

However, this technology can only be confined to a small space and cannot conduct particle collisions.

Cheng Xin clasped her hands, gazing dreamily at the projection of the Ultraman silhouette that had vanished on the sky curtain, her face glowing with an almost faith-like radiance.

"Great…… really great!" her voice trembled with joy.

"There truly are gods in the universe! They must be just, here to protect us!"

She turned and looked toward the expressionless man behind the Sophon shielding room—Wei De.

"Mr. Wei De, perhaps we can reconcile with the Trisolarans! With Ultraman's help, we can make them abandon aggression and live together peacefully under this starry sky!"

She even began to wonder whether Yun Tianming, already sent into the depths of space, could also witness this holy scene.

"Tianming, you too are in the depths of space; can you see it? The universe is not a dark forest, but full of light and hope."

Wei De didn't even lift his head, merely flipping coldly through the documents in his hand.

"Ridiculous thought, weak attitude."

His words lacked any warmth, directly shattering Cheng Xin's fantasy.

"To pin hope on a suddenly appearing unknown species whose friend or foe cannot be judged? Cheng Xin, your kindness will one day kill everyone."

Cheng Xin choked slightly, the joy on her face freezing.

"But……"

"No 'but's."

Wei De interrupted her; he finally lifted his head, his deep eyes holding absolute rationality and coldness.

"The existence of Ultraman means only one thing for us: a variable we can exploit."

He picked up the file on the desk and began drafting.

"Top‑secret, Class A Strategic Deception Plan."

Core content: PIA had long ago, through special channels, made contact with the Land of Light civilization of the M78 Nebula, and mastered the means to summon Ultraman to descend upon Earth at critical moments.

After the draft was completed,

Wei De briefly memorized it, then set the document on fire and destroyed it.

After all, it's enough to have this sort of thing recorded in his mind.

Outside, they are constantly under surveillance by the Sophon.

"Why... why would you do this? This is false information! We can't contact Ultraman at all!"

Wei De stood up, walked over to her, and looked down at her from above.

"Trisolarans don't lie, but we do."

"They cannot comprehend 'deception'; this is our greatest weapon. A message that is hard to tell true from false is enough to make them hesitate before attacking."

"Even the slightest bit can buy us a lot of time."

"There's still a lot for you to learn, Cheng Xin."

Wei De's tone carried a hint of undisguised contempt.

"Otherwise, your overflowing love will only cause a cataclysmic disaster."

Cheng Xin bit her lip and remained silent.

But in her heart, she stubbornly objected.

If everyone were as full of love as she is, how could the universe be what it is now?

How could that possibly cause a disaster?

Wei De ignored her, turned and left the shielding chamber, then stood alone before the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

His gaze, too, turned toward that mysterious sky curtain.

Obviously, this absolutely rational man had also been deeply drawn to this marvel from the depths of the universe.

…

The image on the sky curtain has successfully imprinted the concept of the "M78 Nebula" and the "Ultraman" light-based lifeform into the consciousness of all realms.

But now, all civilizations hold their breath.

Given their current understanding of Ultraman, it remains only at the most superficial level.

As for what lies deeper,

For example,

Where do they live?

What do they usually do?

Where exactly does their ability to defy the laws of physics come from?

And there is still the most important question, one that all civilizations care about most.

Is the Ultraman civilization a peace‑loving cosmic police force, or a hegemonic aggressor that is the public enemy of the universe?

This question determines the fate of countless civilizations.

As for all these questions, they remain unknown.

Therefore,

Countless eyes across all realms turned toward that sky curtain.