"Honestly, I think the Quantum Realm might be even more incredible than magic!"
Tony shrugged, then added, "Sorry, forgot—you're not a scientist."
Erik felt the jab and snorted, choosing not to reply.
Natasha spoke up. "This time, Hank Pym didn't do it on purpose… Wait—you all saw that massive, wallpaper-like figure just now, right? What was that?"
"He's called the Watcher," Tony explained.
"Claims he exists outside the multiverse, observing all worlds. Has godlike power, but swears that no matter what he sees, he'll never interfere with any specific world."
Tony smirked. "You don't like the guy either, do you? Same here."
Natasha sighed. "Figures. When the world's in crisis, these lofty beings are never reliable."
In the future video, once the Watcher had finished his speech, it was Spider-Man's turn to ramble.
You had to hand it to him—Peter was a genuine optimist. Even in a zombie apocalypse, he kept a bright, cheerful, and hopeful attitude toward life.
He'd even recorded a "Zombie World Survival Guide" video, showing survivors how to make it through this end-of-the-world scenario.
In the VCR, other survivors appeared one by one: Happy Hogan, Tony's friend and driver; Bucky Barnes, Cap's best friend; Agent Sharon; Agent Kurt; Hope in her Ant-Man suit; and Okoye, the fierce general from Wakanda.
Using his webs and some train cars, Peter had built a suspended safehouse in midair, where the survivor group had set up camp.
After watching the VCR, Bruce Banner admitted he'd learned a thing or two. The video ended there.
Tony said with admiration, "Nice work, Peter. I believe that even in such a dangerous world, there's still hope."
Natasha fell silent at that, clearly reminded of her own world—where Vision had destroyed it, and now possessed the Infinity Stones. She truly had no idea what the future would hold.
Just then, the light screen displayed the next question:
[Will the Watcher truly keep his word, only observing the development of each world and never interfering?]
[A: Yes.
B: No.]
Tony blinked, then smiled. "Honestly, I've thought about this myself. Being chosen as players in the Quiz Game… in a way, we're like Watchers too. Through the videos the game shows us, we've seen countless parallel worlds—some filled with joy, others with tragedy and disaster. Watching from the sidelines might seem appealing, but that's not what we've done."
The Watcher had first appeared in the future video of a corrupted Doctor Strange, watching as Strange tried to save the woman he loved, only to fall deeper into darkness until the entire world was destroyed.
Through it all, the Watcher never lifted a finger, and explained why: if he interfered, it could trigger a domino effect—saving one world might doom another.
Tony, Bruce Wayne, Steve Rogers, and others had all considered that fear. But when they truly examined their own hearts, they knew they could never just stand by in the face of tragedy and disaster.
And since the Quiz Game actively encouraged them to intervene in other worlds, that had led to the creation of the Multiverse Defenders.
From the Multiverse Defenders's perspective, Tony had little patience for the so-called Watcher.
But he still couldn't say for sure whether the guy would ever break his own rule.
In the last round of the Quiz Game, when Stephen Strange destroyed his world, the Watcher had done nothing. So under what circumstances would he step in?
Natasha suddenly thought of her own reality. Ultron now had five Infinity Stones—making him more dangerous than ever. Maybe that would finally push the Watcher to act.
The two-choice question didn't leave much time for reflection. The countdown started quickly.
No one was very confident in their answer. The players exchanged uncertain glances.
Tony suddenly made a motion as if he was about to slam the buzzer—but didn't actually press it.
The fake-out worked. Homelander had been hesitating, worried about risking it since his points were dangerously low. But seeing Tony seemingly about to buzz in, he gritted his teeth and slammed his own button.
A second later, he realized he'd been played.
Too late to regret it now—he'd already locked in his answer. Homelander shot Tony a hateful glare, then declared, "I choose A!"
Tony shrugged. "What a coincidence—I choose A too."
Erik and Natasha also chose A, while Bruce Banner went with B.
The countdown hit zero, and the correct answer was revealed:
[Congratulations, player Homelander, for successfully buzzing in and earning 4 points]
[Congratulations, player Tony Stark, player Natasha Romanoff, and Player Erik Lehnserr, for answering correctly—each earning 1 point.
Player Bruce Banner answered incorrectly—1 point deducted]
"Yes!"
Homelander pumped his fist. It was his first correct buzz-in, and the reward was generous—his score jumped from -7 to -3, just barely back into the safe zone.
Tony frowned deeply. The last thing he wanted was for Homelander to pull off a comeback.
"Don't celebrate too soon, jerk. One more wrong answer and you're back to -5—and enjoying another electric massage."
With no way to stop him outright, Tony could only attack his mindset with trash talk.
Homelander sneered. "Fuck you! Just watch me win this game. I've always been the winner—the only winner!"
His mentality was a mystery—sometimes he seemed to crack easily, other times he was unnervingly hyped up. Maybe that was just part of what made him… not normal.
Right now, though, he was riding high. That first correct buzz-in had given him confidence, and he was already picturing himself winning the game, claiming the mysterious prize, and returning to his world to dominate it completely.
_____
T/N:
For readers who would like early access, my Patreon is available for just $4 per month. You'll unlock 40+ advance chapters and help support ongoing works.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
You may also search Translator-Sama directly on Patreon.
Your support is sincerely appreciated