mtl008 Chapter 4696 X Royal Clash (2)
Chapter 4696 X Royal Clash (2)
Chapter 4696 X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (Part Two)
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t,” Doctor Strange said. “If I could still perform surgery, I wouldn’t have gone into magic, would I?”
“Wait a minute.” Iron Man stepped forward and looked at Doctor Strange. “You have to give it a try, Stephen. Didn’t you hear him say that this mutant might have crucial information about the lab?”
Doctor Strange's eyebrows furrowed. He noticed that all the Avengers were looking at him. He became visibly displeased, his face darkening, as if he were annoyed that everyone was forcing him to reopen old wounds.
Schiller knew time was running out and he had to resort to drastic measures. He cleared his throat and said, "It seems that Strange from our universe was right after all."
"What did he say?" Doctor Strange immediately turned around.
“You’re such a wimp, Mr. ‘God Has No Hands’.”
Magneto abruptly turned his head, looking at the magical storm rising above Clarkia Island. He narrowed his eyes, about to fly out the window, when a figure enveloped in dense magical power rushed in.
Schiller entered through the other door and pointed out the location of the operating room to Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange strode in expressionlessly.
Magneto stared in shock in the direction he had disappeared. Schiller, who was waiting outside the operating room, leaned against the door with his arms crossed and said, "Have Professor X find a way to erase or fade his memory of the injuries to his hands."
"Why?" Magneto asked.
"He can't have surgery, partly due to psychological reasons. Let's address that first."
"What about the others?" Magneto asked. "Besides psychological reasons, what about those? They're not so easy to solve, are they?"
Schiller took out the Kraken flower that Magneto had given him and asked, "How do you use this thing? Do you just eat it?"
“It will dissolve in water,” Magneto said. “Just drink the water. But I’m not sure if it will work for old wounds.”
Schiller, holding the Flower of Clarion, entered the operating room, only to hear Doctor Strange roar, "I told you I couldn't do it!"
Schiller looked at his hands. His hands were trembling violently, and even with the magic present, he couldn't steady them. His face was pale, and he looked to be in very poor condition.
Schiller waved the flower in front of Doctor Strange, drawing his attention. Schiller placed the flower in a glass of water, handed it to Doctor Strange, and said, "This should make you feel better."
"No. This thing is incurable..."
“You have to try,” Schiller said, looking him in the eye. “Even without considering how the multiverse sees you. What will the Avengers think of you if the surgery fails? Especially Tony Stark, you know how much he wants the clues.”
Doctor Strange's face darkened instantly. Schiller sneered inwardly: This is the consequence of your forming cliques.
In the comics, Doctor Strange and Iron Man have a relatively close relationship because they are both members of the Illuminati and both adhere to interventionism. Their personalities also share similarities, so it's not surprising that they would collude.
However, it is precisely because the two of them always stand together that they are somewhat at odds with the other members of the Avengers. Often, one of them will propose a solution, and when everyone else is refuting it, the other will step in to support them, making them allies within the group.
This is precisely why they cannot afford to lose each other as allies, otherwise they risk becoming isolated and helpless within the group. Because others have significant disagreements with them and find it difficult to integrate quickly, they risk becoming the ones left behind.
At this stage, Doctor Strange is the one who needs the Avengers the most. Tony Stark is clearly experiencing an anxiety attack and urgently needs to do something and achieve results. If he fails to do so, he might really incur Iron Man's wrath.
Doctor Strange took the glass of water with trembling hands and drank it all in one gulp. Amazingly, he quickly felt himself calm down, his breathing returned to normal, and even his hands stopped trembling so much.
Schiller sensed Professor X's brainwaves and knew that the professor must have been behind it. However, Doctor Strange wasn't in the best condition at the moment, so he didn't notice and assumed it was truly the work of the Clareflower.
He took a deep breath and said, "The patient's condition is too complicated; it may take some time."
"No one here will rush you," Schiller said before leaving.
Doctor Strange froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile, but still walked to the operating table and began his work.
The surgery had only been going on for a little over an hour when a commotion broke out outside. Iron Man rushed out of the operating room, wanting to find out what was happening inside, but Magneto stopped him.
“You can’t go in, Mr. Stark,” Magneto said. “Don’t disturb the doctor’s surgery.”
"I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to know how the surgery went? Is Stephen alright?"
“There shouldn’t be any problem,” Magneto said. “I’ve heard he used to be a very famous surgeon, so he should be able to do the surgery very well.”
“But he had an accident.” The main universe’s Iron Man spoke rapidly, pacing back and forth outside the door. “He hasn’t picked up a scalpel or performed surgery since then. You need practice for that, right? Can he really keep up after so long without practice?”
Then he looked at Magneto and said, "I think you should take advantage of the time you have now and go to the mainland to find a good surgeon. That way, the success rate of the surgery will be higher, and you won't have to force Stephen."
Although Iron Man in the main universe spoke kindly, Magneto felt that he simply didn't trust Doctor Strange's surgical skills and was worried that he would kill the patient who held the important clues.
“I think I should contact the medical advisor at Stark Industries,” the main universe Iron Man continued. “Even though he’s not from my universe, I trust his skills. All the top doctors in New York are at my beck and call; there’s no patient they can’t save…”
By this time, Magneto also realized something was wrong. This Iron Man from the main universe was acting like a madman; what he said might not necessarily mean he really wanted to do it, but rather seemed like some kind of compulsive behavior.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but I don’t think you’re fit to be here,” Magneto said. “Please leave immediately.”
Magneto had considered many factors. He sensed that Iron Man from the main universe was somewhat mentally unstable, and if he stayed any longer, he might storm into the operating room, interfering with the doctors' efforts. Furthermore, if he wasn't allowed to leave, his mental state would worsen, and the mutants wouldn't be able to explain it to the Avengers. After all, Iron Man was there to help, and unnecessary non-combat casualties would damage the reputation of this universe; if people started blaming Professor X, it would be a real problem.
But the Iron Man of the main universe was clearly not listening. Magneto wanted to say something, but the Iron Man of the main universe suddenly raised his hand, and a flash of light appeared at the muzzle of the cannon. Magneto hurriedly controlled his arm to lift it upwards, and with a "boom," the floor was blasted through.
Feeling the tremors outside the door, Doctor Strange gritted his teeth. How could Iron Man's words from the main universe not anger him? He was trying hard to control his emotions, but now he was starting to lose control.
“Calm down, Dr. Strange,” Professor X’s voice echoed in his mind. “Throughout your life, you’ve faced no shortage of such doubts. But each time, you’ve managed to prove your doubters wrong with a resounding victory in the operating room. This time will be no different, will it?”
It must be admitted that, setting aside his mutant abilities, Professor X is also a remarkably skilled psychologist. His words shifted Doctor Strange's attention to his past professional career and calmed him down somewhat.
Doctor Strange gripped the scalpel firmly and took a few deep breaths. He knew that since his hand injury, he had made countless attempts, but none had succeeded, and this was his closest chance yet. He absolutely could not give up.
Being a magician is certainly good, but why can't he be a surgeon with magical abilities? If everyone in the multiverse were like him, that would be one thing, but it's only the people in the central universe who can be, so why can't he?
As Professor X said, throughout his life, there have been countless moments where he triumphed through his professional abilities, utterly silencing those who questioned him. Why should a genius like him have to abandon one talent to acquire another?
Doctor Strange recalled Iron Man's doubts. At this moment, those words no longer angered him, or rather, they allowed him to forge a different kind of calm from his rage. Gradually, the last tremor hidden deep within his muscles and nerves disappeared—God had finally offered his hands once again.
Magneto abruptly shoved the main universe's Iron Man out of the hospital. He didn't attack Iron Man; he simply wanted to throw him to the ground to calm him down. Just then, the main universe's Avengers rushed out and, seeing Magneto's actions, practically swarmed him.
"stop!!!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Tony!!"
Magneto dodged Captain America's shield, dispersed the lightning summoned by Thor, and then evaded his hammer. Before Hawkeye could even draw his bow, Magneto turned and flew away.
But it was his teammates' cries that awakened the main universe's Iron Man. He finally came to his senses, got up from the ground, and shouted, "No! Don't do it!"
Captain America rushed over and helped him up, examining his armor to find no injuries and breathing a sigh of relief. Next was Spider-Man, but he didn't immediately rush over; he simply stood a little distance away and glanced at him.
“I’m fine,” said the main universe Iron Man.
"Why are you two fighting?" Natasha asked, frowning as she jumped down.
“I…” The main universe’s Iron Man also realized that he was losing control of his emotions. He took a deep breath and then said, “I was a little worried about Stephen, and I accidentally fired a shot in the hospital. Magneto is angry.”
Banner's face turned cold. He said, "He has reason to be angry. What kind of person would resort to violence in a hospital?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Iron Man from the main universe pursed his lips and said, "We shouldn't have forced Stephen to go over there."
"You were the one who started it..."
"That's why I came here," the main universe's Iron Man emphasized. "I was just angry at the time. I could have let him go without stopping me, but you actually let him. If he fails again this time, he'll be devastated!"
Spider-Man, standing nearby, paused for a moment, then asked, "So you weren't worried that if the patient died from his treatment, there would be no leads?"
"Of course I'm worried!" The main universe's Iron Man raised his voice, but he quickly added through gritted teeth, "That's precisely why I wanted him to go—but I clearly didn't consider the consequences, and you should have stopped me!"
Hawkeye was clearly speechless. He said, "Who knows if you two planned this together? You always have some kind of scheme behind our backs."
The main universe's Iron Man opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. Spider-Man, seemingly struck by a sudden thought, looked at the main universe's Iron Man and asked, "What did you say outside the operating room?"
"I..." The main universe Iron Man seemed to come to his senses, then said somewhat guiltily, "I didn't say anything. I just wanted the mutants to find another doctor so that Stephen wouldn't have to be forced to, right?"
Everyone turned and left, and Captain America said as he walked away, "You're done for, Tony Stark."
As Black Widow walked away, she turned back to the main universe's Iron Man and said, "If you keep talking like this, you'll eventually lose all your friends and spend the rest of your life with your suit!"
"No, I'm just worried about him..."
"Anyone who gets worried about you is really unlucky," Thor said, pointing at him with his hammer. "When Stephen comes out after his surgery and beats you up, we definitely won't help you."
The main universe's Iron Man stomped his foot in anger, but then chased after him, shouting, "Wait for me!"