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Chapter 28: Pointing to the Zombie Universe
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 17:18:24 +0000 UTC"For example, if the Allied Powers had lost World War II and the Axis Powers had emerged victorious, no matter the cause, a completely different timeline would have been created," Nick Fury said. "I think that’s what Luo Chen’s diary is referring to."
The others nodded in agreement. That explanation made the most sense.
But if that were the case, what kind of catastrophe could be even worse than the one involving the so-called "purple sweet potato" and his infamous snap?
"A completely new timeline… a new concept altogether," Tony Stark mused. "If I handed this over to the physics community, they’d probably lose their minds."
He chuckled to himself.
"So, we’ve got parallel universes, and now we have timelines within those universes? How many surprises is this guy planning to throw at me?"
Tony himself was well-versed in physics, and he could easily imagine the chaos this revelation would cause among scholars.
But then, something else caught his attention.
"Hold on… what could be worse than this ‘purple potato snapping his fingers’?"
As he spoke, new words appeared in Luo Chen’s diary.
[A timeline more dangerous than the one where the purple sweet potato snaps his fingers…]
[There are so many terrifying possibilities.]
[In the comic universe, any one of these characters can restart the universe. Any one of them can destroy entire realities. It’s insane.]
[Thank god this isn’t the comic universe, otherwise, I’d genuinely be worried about getting punched to death by the Hulk. Tsk tsk.]
[But even in the movie universe, where power levels are significantly lower, we can’t let our guard down. If this timeline shifts toward the zombie universe… then it’s game over. Everyone who gets bitten turns, and even the strongest won’t be spared.]
[So many abandoned timelines… and every single one of them is terrifying.]
As Tony read the diary entry, his mind felt like it was about to explode.
Up until now, he had only speculated that the world he lived in was some kind of story—a structured narrative, maybe a series of connected events. But now, Luo Chen had practically confirmed it.
There was indeed a movie universe.
And he was Iron Man in that movie universe.
But it didn’t stop there. Luo Chen also mentioned a comic universe, and it sounded far more dangerous.
Anyone in that world could restart or destroy the universe at will?
Tony could only shake his head.
"The people who write these comics… what the hell were they thinking?"
Who in their right mind would create characters that could casually obliterate entire realities? Where was the logic in that?
"That’s not scientific at all," he muttered.
Then again, none of this was scientific to begin with.
But at least now, he was certain of one thing—there were multiple universes, and their movie universe was fundamentally weaker than the comic universe.
"It must be because comics can come up with whatever absurd power scaling they want," Tony speculated. "But when it comes to movies, budgets put a limit on what’s possible."
He smirked at the irony of it.
In the end, it all came down to money.
In a comic, an artist could draw anything—planets shattering, gods fighting, entire galaxies being rewritten in an instant. But a movie? That was a different story. Special effects cost money, and the more ridiculous the concept, the more expensive it became.
"So basically," Tony muttered to himself, "my comic book counterpart is probably way stronger than me. And in the end, it’s all because of budget constraints?"
It was a ridiculous thought, but in some twisted way, it actually made sense.
However, his amusement quickly faded when J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted his thoughts.
"Sir, I believe the real concern here is the zombie universe."
Tony’s expression darkened.
"According to Luo Chen’s diary, in that timeline, everyone turns into zombies," J.A.R.V.I.S. continued. "Even you, sir. In fact, you may be among the first to have your head cut off."
Tony felt a chill run down his spine.
Even that purple potato bastard didn’t escape the infection?
"Shit," he muttered. "That’s definitely worse than anything else we’ve seen."
Now, he truly wished he had never read this diary.
The more he learned, the more anxious he became.
Aliens, super-criminals, godlike beings… and now an entire world overrun by zombies?
He felt exhausted just thinking about it.
"If zombies exist in a parallel timeline," he said after a moment, "that means there must be something in our world capable of triggering that transformation. Some kind of virus or event that could set us on that path."
The implications made his skin crawl.
Could their own timeline eventually become the zombie universe?
Was that something already in motion?
If so, how?
"Yes, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed. "If a zombie universe exists, then theoretically, our own timeline could shift toward that outcome under the right conditions."
Tony let out a deep breath.
"Luo Chen mentioned this ‘purple potato’ multiple times," he murmured. "That means he must be a major antagonist at some point… but even he wasn’t immune to the zombie virus. That means this thing is no joke."
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the atmosphere was just as tense.
"It's a shame we don’t know how this zombie outbreak started," Phil Coulson said. "If we had that information, we could try to prevent it."
"Even if our timeline isn’t heading in that direction," Clint Barton said, "Luo Chen seems to be saying that there’s a connection—a path leading toward that zombie universe. If that’s the case, then we do have a reason to be worried."
Nick Fury nodded grimly.
"That’s what the diary suggests. There’s at least one possible future where our world turns into that nightmare."
He paused, then added, "And we don’t know if it’s the result of a biological experiment gone wrong… or something else entirely."
"Which means we have no idea how close we already are to that reality," Natasha Romanoff said.
That was the most unsettling part of it all.
Even if they weren’t currently on the path to becoming the zombie universe, the potential was there.
"More importantly," she continued, "Luo Chen isn’t just talking about one timeline. He said there are many different possibilities."
"In other words," Fury concluded, "we might be dealing with at least two dangerous timelines right now. And maybe even more."
A heavy silence filled the room.
None of them liked the sound of that.
