The Zombie Universe.
About a year had passed since Lin Feng's last departure.
Thanks to the efforts of Spider-Man, the Wasp, and others, the antidote was distributed worldwide through Stark technology.
The zombie-infested world was saved, but the outcome left people unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The zombie virus was completely eradicated. Those infected zombies, after losing the virus, collapsed on the ground without needing any intervention from the living, bringing about their own demise.
A few who had only recently turned into zombies were incredibly lucky. They were found by Spider-Man or other kind individuals and, after timely treatment, survived.
However, their numbers were not significant.
There was no way around it; those zombies were missing limbs here and there. Without the zombie virus, their chances of survival were slim to none.
What was even more disheartening was that over ninety percent of the global population had been infected with the zombie virus.
Therefore... although the zombie virus was defeated, the surviving human population was terrifyingly small.
The survivors emerged onto the streets and, after a brief silence, erupted in joyous celebration of their survival.
This joy, however, did not last long, as the eerily silent and frighteningly empty cities soon put an end to it.
There were simply too few people left; less than one in ten survived.
Under such circumstances, even clearing the cities would take a considerable amount of time, leaving no choice but to adopt a more relaxed pace.
Fortunately, this world still had the New Avengers, led by Spider-Man, Tony's remaining technology and universal automated armors, and some kind souls who held onto hope.
But the problems persisted. There was an immense amount of work to be done, but the human population...
This was not something that could be solved with sheer effort.
Even if they started multiplying vigorously now, it would take at least eighteen years for children to grow into adults.
In this situation, although the zombie virus had disappeared, the world remained in a state of near complete paralysis.
A year later, the situation was still the same...
On the desolate and ruined streets of New York, a group of four people appeared out of thin air.
Lin Feng had teleported over with Tony and the others.
The scene of devastation that met their eyes made Lin Feng frown, but he quickly understood.
Tony, on the other hand, looked at the scene with great interest, then took a miniaturized drone made with Stark particles from his pocket.
He restored the drone to its original size and released it into the air.
Simultaneously, he pulled out a handheld terminal and began trying to connect to this world's network.
As expected of a research fanatic, he brought his usual equipment with him wherever he went.
"Is it really like this? It's exactly as I imagined," Tony murmured to himself, standing still.
Pepper, too, had never seen anything like this and couldn't help but shiver.
Her mind was filled with questions. Weren't they told that the zombie crisis had been resolved?
What was the deal with the people who occasionally appeared on the street, their eyes vacant, like walking corpses?
Little Morgan was terrified and kept hiding behind Pepper, clutching her dress tightly.
She felt as if the world here was as terrifying as it had been a year ago.
"Let's go! We'll go there!"
"It was there that I found Little Morgan!" Lin Feng pointed to a green space.
The place he had teleported to was the exact spot where he had left with Little Morgan last time.
"That's a safe house. Tony, if you want to connect to the network, you should be able to do it there."
He figured that electronics issues would be no problem for the 'Professor Tony.'
Humans were creatures who excelled at seeking comfort in numbers.
Given the small global population, even if most work and daily life couldn't be maintained, they would most likely keep the internet connection operational.
Because with the internet, they could exchange information with more people, find more of their kind, and find more hope for survival...
Little Morgan's safe house, neglected for a year, had its entrance overgrown with colorful plants, making it impossible to find.
Lin Feng walked over and with a casual wave, the plants turned to dust and blew away.
"Morgan, you open the door!" Lin Feng called to Little Morgan, who was hiding behind Pepper.
Back then, Tony had feared that even after turning into a zombie, he might retain some of his memories.
To prevent himself from opening the safe house and endangering Little Morgan, the safe house was set up so that only Little Morgan could open it.
He had to admit, Tony's foresight back then was truly meticulous.
Little Morgan grunted and stepped forward, walking with familiar ease to place her small hand on the biometric scanner.
The safe house, dormant for a year, powered up and began to operate.
"Identity verified. Morgan, welcome back."
As a voice devoid of emotion announced, the door to the safe house slid open.
The safe house was powered by several miniature Arc Reactors left by Tony.
After Little Morgan's departure, the safe house had entered a dormant state, so there was no need to worry about power.
As the group stepped inside, the safe house, having been dormant for so long, began to hum. This was Friday activating the ventilation system, allowing fresh air to circulate within the safe house.
However, the safe house was virtually identical to how it was when Morgan left, with no dust accumulation.
Little Morgan's eyes held a look of reminiscence as she wandered around the safe house; she was familiar with this place.
The first floor of the safe house didn't contain much. It was primarily Little Morgan's entertainment area and a workspace.
That workspace was intended for Tony's use.
Little Morgan ran to the sofa and picked up a stuffed toy she had forgotten to take with her.
It was from her birthday.
"Sir, is that you?"
The female voice belonged to Friday, the artificial intelligence created by Tony, intentionally stripped of emotional and interactive systems.
"Yes, I'm back..."
Tony's eyes flickered, and the lie came easily to his lips.
"Sir, welcome home. Congratulations on successfully overcoming the zombie virus."
"And Ms. Pepper, welcome home..."
Friday did not question why Tony, who had turned into a zombie and died, had returned.
However, the identity verification was successful. Based on the observational programs Tony had left behind, Friday had been continuously monitoring since Tony and Pepper appeared and had confirmed by now that the two had transitioned out of their zombie state.
The weapon systems that had been quietly activated within the safe house now entered standby mode...
"Friday, retrieve all logs since the outbreak of the zombie virus!" Tony began issuing commands, wanting to understand what this world had become...