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[If unknown information interference is detected, should it be forcibly eliminated?]
Just as he was about to agree, he noticed the anomaly of the two gems in his palm. Just like the reaction when he brought the Space Stone closer to the Mind Stone, similar catalytic reactions occurred inside the two gems due to "unknown information interference".
"...I understand now why this planet is called the 'center of the universe'."
After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Yi smiled and said, "One piece isn't enough to see my 'past'."
The two gems in his hand shone brightly, and under their influence, the information spying that was originally just at the level of "observation" was directly enhanced to "interference".
The former is watching a movie in a theater, while the latter is going directly to the scene to experience it firsthand.
----------segmentation----------
For safety reasons, the Avengers did not choose a distant era at the beginning, but instead started with the "past" that they were relatively familiar with, which was seven months ago.
This period coincided with Tony Stark's kidnapping in Afghanistan. At the time, the world's attention was focused on this event, completely unaware that another disaster was brewing across the ocean. The Avengers were powerless to stop what had already happened, but now that they possessed the Infinity Stone that could travel through time, they naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"We'll find out why he chose to appear at this time during this period... Wait, something seems off?"
Feeling the frigid temperature of the snow-capped peak, Captain America suddenly realized the problem.
Marvel Universe: Chapter 877 Timeline: The Past (Part 1)
Before Captain America could figure out why he was on Earth seven months earlier as a "participant" rather than an "observer," violent tremors and explosions were already heard in the distance.
(IV) Several peaks surrounding Mount Everest rose abruptly from the ground, as if forcibly joined together by a giant, invisible hand, and crashed down with a terrifying force.
"BOOM——————8三冷久铃^柒@ 95 覇>Reimu!!!"
The tremors from the ground lifted Captain America more than half a meter into the air, but what was even more terrifying was yet to come.
Facing the overwhelming avalanche overhead, Steve Rogers couldn't help but recall the seventy years he had spent frozen in the deep sea.
Just when Steve Rogers thought he was about to face the same fate again, an olive-colored light flashed, and a hand that reached out from nowhere pulled him out of this era at the last moment.
……
When he reappeared, Captain America had arrived at a familiar place.
On the surface, this place looks no different from the top floor of Stark Industries where they started, but strangely, everything here is "still" except for the few living people around them.
As Captain America entered, Tony Stark, the original owner of this space, wearing a thick Iron Man suit, tried to rush out of the room. However, the wooden door, which he could usually push open easily, remained unmoved no matter what he did.
Not only Tony Stark, but Hawkeye and Black Widow were also bewildered. Only Doctor Strange, who had just led him out of that terrible disaster, remained relatively calm.
"In the end what happened?"
"The power of the Eye of Almotho has been amplified."
"strengthen?"
Under Captain America's suspicious gaze, Doctor Strange explained helplessly, "This is definitely not the result I wanted to create. Since I obtained the Eye of Almotho, its power has only been to allow people to see scenes of the 'past' and 'future.' To avoid being tempted by this power, I haven't studied its power in too much detail..."
"But now it has demonstrated far more power than that!"
Recalling the low temperatures he had experienced on that snow-capped peak, as well as the subsequent explosion and avalanche, Captain America simply couldn't dismiss it as a "past illusion."
He had this feeling that if he were killed somewhere, he would definitely die seven months later, "now" as well!
Doctor Strange's subsequent explanation confirmed his premonition.
"Yes, the power of the Eye of Almotho has been enhanced. It has changed from a gem that could only allow people to see the past and future to a gem that can allow people to travel back in time and travel to the future. What you saw before was the Himalayas seven months ago, the scene of the Mandarin being suppressed."
"Mandarin..."
As a soldier living through World War II, Captain America was far more familiar with the name than other people of his time. After all, he had almost control over the country across the ocean, and naturally understood the power contained in the name.
Steve had assumed the Mandarin had long since passed away, but he never imagined that this powerful figure from World War II would meet his end in such a way…
At this moment, the surrounding superheroes gradually recovered from the shock of what had just happened.
"Have we... traveled through time?"
"Yes."
"What if I had saved myself seven months ago?"
After glancing at the eager Tony Stark, Doctor Strange calmly said, "You will disappear now."
"Oh, then forget it."
At this moment, Captain America, who had completely calmed down, suddenly interjected: "Doctor, do you mean that the changes we make in this era will cause corresponding changes in our era?"
With a hint of unease, Doctor Strange nodded, addressing only the question at hand.
"April 1991, 8."
The Black Widow, who had been silent all along, spoke at a time that was not part of any plan, and at the same time, her actions caught everyone completely off guard.
He drew a pistol from his waist and pressed it against Doctor Strange's head: "Take me back, or I won't hesitate to execute a fraudster."
"What are you doing?!"
"Shut up, Steve! You don't know anything about anything! You seem to know nothing about the underworld!"
Captain America, who slept directly from World War II to the present day, certainly didn't know, but the other three people were very clear about what happened that day.
"Calm down, Natasha. The collapse of the Soviet Union cannot be prevented simply by killing Gorbachev."
"Then let's go further!"
"Do you want the world to continue in the Cold War?!"
"If this can allow my country's flag to continue flying in the sky, I don't mind."
In just a few words, Steve Rogers understood what Black Widow wanted to do, and his reaction to it was also beyond everyone else's expectations.
Without any regard for Doctor Strange's safety, Captain America directly raised his weapon and pointed it at the agent in front of him. If Hawkeye hadn't noticed his actions from the side, he probably would have already launched an attack.
"What are you doing, Captain!"
"I have never forgotten that era, and naturally I can never forget this enemy..."
Staring intently at Black Widow's every move, Steve Rogers lowered his voice: "Compared to other adversaries, the Soviet Union is our greatest enemy. Any action that could threaten my homeland should be eliminated. This is my mission and duty!"
"But Natasha is our partner!"
"She is not! She was our enemy when she tried to keep the Soviet Union in existence!"
In an extremely ironic situation, the newly reorganized Avengers seems poised to disintegrate once again, this time driven not by external forces, but by internal differences in beliefs.
Unbeknownst to the superheroes caught in the battle, the Eye of Almotho, held by Doctor Strange, was flashing with an unusual light before erupting again and engulfing everyone.
……
Time: One year ago
Location: The Wizarding World
"cough cough"
The intense dizziness forced everyone except Doctor Strange, who was prepared, to lie on the ground and wait for a while before slowly recovering.
"I'm sorry, but I think you all should calm down."
Facing the gazes of several people—primarily Black Widow and Captain America—Doctor Strange sighed, “This is Earth a year ago. Our enemies haven’t appeared yet, and it’s not the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse. Aside from those mutants, this is the most stable period we’ve ever had. We need to revise our plans; at least we can’t let it be like before…”
Hey, Doctor, are you sure this is Earth?
Pointing to the "water curtain" that connects to the sky at the end, a muffled sound came from under the steel suit.
If a tsunami with an elevation of 5,000 meters were to occur on Earth, I estimate I wouldn't survive a year.
Marvel Universe: Chapter 878 Timeline: The Past (Part 2)
A "water curtain" connecting to the sky surged from the sea, swallowing all the light overhead. This scene, resembling the destruction of the world, shattered everyone's ability to speak.
Staring blankly at the increasingly dark sky, he only belatedly activated the Eye of Almoto's ability when the terrifying tremors from beneath the sea reached his feet, taking the equally stunned group with him and disappearing from the spot.
Time: L/I*N#G~Dream - First Release 3 years ago
Location: The Wizarding World
Unlike his previous confidence, this time Doctor Strange immediately observed his surroundings after the teleportation was completed. Although he did not find any disaster similar to the one "two years later", the unfamiliar vegetation and the sky above confirmed one thing for him.
"This is not Earth."
Questioning gazes fell upon the speechless Doctor Strange. While the previous "mistake" could be explained, the series of errors was unacceptable to anyone. And the only one in the room capable of handling this situation was Doctor Strange himself, wielding the Eye of Almodóvar.
Under these circumstances, the conflict between Black Widow and Captain America was suppressed, and they jointly pointed their finger at the new "enemy": "You need to give us an explanation."
Faced with the undisguised vigilance of the superheroes, Doctor Strange, who had no intention of doing anything anyway, raised his hands without hesitation—along with the Eye of Almotho in his hands.
"What are you doing!"
"Put it down, or I'll attack immediately—"
"Calm down, I'll let it go..."
After calming the chaotic crowd, Doctor Strange placed the gem in his hand on the ground and moved a relatively safe distance away. Fortunately, there were no dangerous elements nearby, otherwise he wouldn't even have had a chance to explain.
Given the uncertain dangers posed by this gem, which is said to be able to "travel through time," no one touched it after Doctor Strange put it down. Firstly, no one present except Doctor Strange had any experience with using it, and secondly, they were afraid that their actions would provoke the other party—at least Black Widow and Captain America really wanted to grab it.
"We can't go on like this."
In a desperate situation, Hawkeye, who had always acted as a "soldier" rather than a "commander," stepped forward. He had no other choice. The Avengers team, consisting of only five people, was torn apart by the Infinity Stone, splitting into four groups: Black Widow, who wanted to use the stone's power to change the past; Captain America, who wanted to stop the past from being altered; Doctor Strange, whose motives were still unknown but who was highly likely the cause of the current situation; and the group consisting of himself and Tony Stark, who had always maintained neutrality.
"To fall to internal divisions before even seeing the enemy is probably the most ridiculous way of failing that I've ever heard of."
Facing the gaze of the soldier who had always obeyed his commands, Captain America could only say, "I understand. I won't do anything like that again."
“You know that’s not enough, Captain.”
"...I will not do anything else unless Natasha really enters the era of 1991."
He nodded, also turning his gaze to the Black Widow, whose expression was complex.
After a moment of silence, the latter also spoke up: "I will deal with all of this calmly."
While this answer wasn't entirely satisfactory, it at least averted the biggest internal crisis. For Hawkeye, achieving this was already quite good; he didn't expect to completely eliminate these conflicts once and for all on his own—the Avengers hadn't been the purely protective entity they were before, ever since Bruce Banner and Thor were taken away.
Having resolved the pressing internal divisions, the next step is naturally to address external issues…
"Doctor Strange, we need a reasonable explanation, at least one that can help us understand why we came to this strange world from Earth, or is all of this your conspiracy?"
After seeing everyone's eyes turn to him, Doctor Strange, with his hands raised, calmly said, "If this were my scheme, I wouldn't have taken you away during 'two years later,' but would have escaped using the Eye of Almotho myself."
"...Your explanation only proves that you don't want us to die anytime soon."
“I understand, so I will no longer control the Eye of Almoto. Whether to continue to the ‘past’ or to end it here and return to the ‘present’ is up to you to decide.”
The unexpected proposal put Hawkeye in a dilemma. If Captain America were to make the decision, he would simply obey. However, this spiritual leader of the American people was now forced to step down from his leadership position due to his personal stance. Currently, the only one with decision-making power was himself—
He subconsciously looked at Iron Man, who was wearing the Iron Man suit.
"Hey, buddy, don't look at me like that. I still don't believe this thing can really take us back to the past, so I'm not going to have any ideas about it."
Sometimes, having too much faith in science can be a flaw.
As this sentiment arose in his heart, Hawkeye, now the decision-maker of the Avengers, made his final decision: "Continue towards..."
Forward through the 'past'! Our mission this time is to find the enemy's weaknesses and origins in the 'past'. This will be our greatest weapon to defeat him in the 'future', and we cannot give up now.
The Avengers have no objection to Hawkeye's final decision—some are unable to express their opinions due to their respective positions.
Doctor Strange hesitated as he touched the Eye of Almotho once again amidst a multitude of emotions on his face.
"The current situation has exceeded my expectations. At least in the past, the Eye of Almotho only showed scenes from the past in fixed locations... basically on Earth. But this time, not only time, but also space has changed dramatically, and now we are 'participants' rather than 'observers' in this era. To be honest, I can't guarantee what we will encounter if we continue to move towards the 'past'. Maybe we can return to Earth, or maybe we will enter a more dangerous world. Even so, should we continue to move towards the 'past'?"
Recalling the scenes that led him to this point, Hawkeye gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Okay… tell me how far back in time you’re thinking about the ‘past’.”
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