The Death of the Red Skull

After he closed the dimensional portal, before Lin Xu could do anything, the Hoggoth bone armor sucked the Flame of Vengeance straight in. The flame didn't resist, either. It seemed to like skeletons, all right...

For now, he didn't know which version it was. There were plenty of versions of Ghost Rider, after all. He would keep it and study it later.

Then he looked at the two faint apparitions beside him. "Don't thank me just yet. I didn't bring you back to the mortal world out of the goodness of my heart. Next, you'll come with me to do something. Once it's done, one of you will be taken away. As for where, I don't know... But I'll find a body in a vegetative state for the other and bring him or her back to life!"

The two apparitions exchanged a glance after hearing Lin Xu out. Then the female soul spoke.

"My lord, I don't know what you need us to do, but I know I can't win against him. He'll do everything he can to bring me back to life, but I don't want to come back. Once it's done, could you send me wherever he goes, too? I just want to be with him!"

"No, don't do this, Juliet~!"

"I have to, Romeo~"

"Juliet~"

"Romeo~"

Lin Xu: ...

Mephisto was a generous man. To restore his souls to their previous progress, he'd actually brought out this pair from his prized collection!!

"All I can say is, I'll do my best..."

Maybe he could discuss it with the Soul Stone when the time came? If not, forget he said anything~

"Don't resist!"

With that, Lin Xu opened the Eye of Agamotto and drew the two souls inside. A magical artifact capable of holding the Time Stone had more than enough room for two souls.

Meanwhile...

At the Avengers Compound, with help from the nanocomputer, the Quantum Tunnel and Quantum Suits had all been completed after a little over ten days.

They had also listed the times when each stone would be easiest to obtain, but everyone present had fallen silent.

The main problem still centered on the Soul Stone.

Thor stood up, his belly still carrying some extra fat, and tossed his hair. "Can any of you help me get in touch with Jane?"

Captain America frowned. "Thor, what are you planning?"

"Get her to sacrifice me for the Soul Stone, of course. It's not like..." It's not like I can bring my brother or Heimdall back anyway~ Thor thought.

"Are you sure Jane still loves you?"

Thor turned to Rhodey, who had made the snide remark, and started to speak, only to stop. The emotion he'd struggled to build up instantly crumbled, and he could only sit back down in resentment.

Well, he wasn't sure himself...

Natasha bit her lip and called softly, "Bruce~"

Doc Green pretended not to hear and turned his head toward the monitor.

"Bruce, for everyone's sake..."

Natasha wanted to say more, but Doc Green cut her off. His voice trembled slightly. "I don't love you anymore."

Silence fell over the room again.

A ring of fire lit up in their midst, and Lin Xu stepped out.

"Oh, playing red light, green light, are we?"

At the sight of Lin Xu, Thor was the first to stand. "Uncle, how did it go? Did you find a way?"

"Hahaha! With your uncle on the job, of course it was easy."

Tony, who hadn't spoken until now, looked curious. "What way?"

"Hehe, I went to the lord of hell and asked him for two souls who truly love each other!"

"You asked, and he just gave them to you? Does Asgard have relatives in hell too?" Rhodey was running his mouth as usual...

Lin Xu: "I insisted..."

Everyone was still confused, but Tony's eyes lit up. "Because hell wants us to succeed too. Reality and hell depend on each other. If there are fewer people in reality, fewer souls will enter hell each year!"

Tony's explanation finally made everyone understand, and excitement followed. At last, none of their own had to be sacrificed.

Only Captain America seemed hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Lin Xu went over and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, those two souls volunteered. It's better to set them free than leave them in the lord of hell's hands to be toyed with. Oh, and you all know them."

"We do? Who are they?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

"Huh??" × n

Next, they split up. Since Nebula was the only one present who knew Vormir's coordinates, Lin Xu didn't remind them.

Once Doc Green had performed The Snap, Lin Xu would simply pry out the Time Stone and slip it into the Eye of Agamotto, eliminating any potential problems.

As for the 2014 Thanos, if he really did come over, Lin Xu would find an opportunity to throw him to Mephisto. After five years of resentment, Lin Xu was sure Mephisto would give him a proper welcome!

The final assignments didn't change much. Since Lin Xu had the two souls, he had to be the one to handle the Soul Stone.

But just in case, he asked for the two remaining vials of Pym Particles, saved because Doc Green hadn't done his experiments. If this method didn't work, they would have no choice but to go to 2019.

"By the way, does anyone want to come with me and meet the Red Skull?"

"Natasha and I will go. As S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, we've never met the enemy's leader!" Hawkeye, who hadn't said a word throughout, spoke up at last. His gaze was firm and resolute.

Natasha understood. She knew what her old comrade was thinking: if Thor's uncle's plan failed, he intended to offer himself in exchange.

And wasn't she thinking the same thing?

"Tony, Cap, will you be all right on your end?"

"Natasha..."

"It's okay..."

Seeing everyone acting as though they were parting for life and death, Lin Xu didn't interrupt. Although he had great faith in his plan, anything could happen, and there was nothing wrong with preparing for the worst.

Only Thor spoiled the mood. "Hey, Uncle, you really should come back to Asgard with me."

"Better not. Your father definitely wouldn't want to see me."

Wouldn't the truth come out if he went? ...

Soon, everyone put on their Quantum Suits, and the artificial intelligence in the suits set their respective coordinates.

"See you in a minute~"

Morag, 2014.

As soon as Lin Xu landed, he retracted his suit into his wrist and sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Don't mind me. You go ahead and get started. Call me when you're ready!"

This journey was different from every previous one. Before, he'd relied on mystic means. When he went to the Amazing Universe and the Logan Universe, he'd relied on Gungnir.

He'd reached the Three-Spider Universe using Strange's "Ruins of Kaf-Kol," returned to his own universe through Agamotto's divine power, and come here thanks to the Ancient One's might.

Every time, spatial energy had been kept out.

But this time was different. The journey relied entirely on technology, and during the brief transit, with no mystic power shielding him, he could clearly sense fluctuations in time and space!

More than ten minutes later~

"Fengxian, Fengxian?"

Lin Xu opened his eyes, both pleased and disappointed.

These fluctuations in time and space had indeed been caused by traveling to a specific destination. If he could fully comprehend them, he could become like Mundo and go wherever he pleased.

But because he'd sensed them for such a short time, he'd captured very few of the fluctuation curves. To fully comprehend them, he would need to make at least tens of thousands of such journeys.

It looked like he would have to find time to kidnap Dr. Pym...

"Are the coordinates set?"

Nebula was sparing with her words. "Yeah."

"All right, Rhodey, Nebula, I'll leave this place to you!"

Then Lin Xu boarded Rocket's spaceship with the two troubled companions.

On the spaceship, Lin Xu sat in front, while Hawkeye and Black Widow sat in the back. Having learned some things beforehand, the two didn't talk about the past as they originally had.

"By the way, are you two both wondering what kind of cool pose to strike when you go to your deaths later?"

"No!" × 2

"Relax. Nothing will go wrong."

Even though Lin Xu said that, the mood between them didn't improve, so he let them be.

After several jumps, the spaceship finally reached Vormir, a planet covered in water except for a single mountain!

They shrank the spaceship with a shrinking disc, and the three soon reached the mountaintop.

"Natasha, daughter of Ivan~"

"Clinton, son of Edith~"

"Fengxian, son of Bor~"

Lin Xu: ...

Now Lin Xu couldn't quite figure out how the Red Skull's process worked. You couldn't say he was wrong, since that was Lin Xu's public identity.

But if you said he was right, his late father Lin Changchun would have something to say about that...

"John Schmidt, son of Steve Rogers!"

Red Skull: ...

Black Widow and Hawkeye, still reeling in shock, immediately turned to look at Lin Xu, their faces full of questions. Was this the time for jokes?

"All right, I know the whole procedure and everything. Let's skip it."

Without further ado, Lin Xu crossed to the edge of the cliff in a few strides and released the two souls from the Eye of Agamotto. After explaining things to them, he said:

"This is what I need you to do: help me get the Soul Stone!"

Seeing what Lin Xu was doing, the Red Skull seemed hesitant to speak. The Soul Stone had told him Lin Xu's identity. Although he didn't know who Fengxian was, he knew Bor.

After Lin Xu finished, Romeo gazed lovingly at Juliet. Without saying much, he turned and ran straight for the cliff, then leaped off!

Just when Lin Xu thought the deed was done, Romeo floated back up from the bottom of the cliff.

Seeing this, Natasha and Clinton were instantly stricken. Both tightened their grips on their weapons, each hoping to subdue the other at the first opportunity.

"Hey, now you've pissed me off!"

The sudden turn of events made Lin Xu laugh in anger. Without another word, he turned, and Gungnir pierced straight through the Red Skull!

Against a weapon wielded by a god-king, no serum could help. The Red Skull died in an instant. Lin Xu then dragged the corpse to the cliff's edge, grabbed Romeo's soul, and stuffed it inside.

Finally, he placed two seals on it and kicked the corpse over the edge.

Juliet: ...

Black Widow and Hawkeye: What happened?