Driven by the combined power of All-Things Analysis and Engineering Talent.
The molecular backbone had to be small enough to penetrate cell membranes.
The binding site had to fit precisely, down to the angle of every hydrogen bond and van der Waals force.
He also had to account for the serum protein binding rate. If too much of the molecule was trapped by albumin in the blood, the effective concentration reaching the target would be too low.
The eighteenth minute.
The molecular structure was complete.
Next came synthesis.
Lynn opened the chemical reagent kit in the medical box.
The microfluidic chip in the Stark Portable Lab Bench provided the reaction platform.
He pulled out four basic precursor compounds from the kit and mixed them in the microfluidic channels according to the calculated molar ratios.
The reaction temperature? Body temperature would do. As for the catalyst, a drop of buffer solution containing a specific enzyme.
Two minutes later, a tube of clear liquid dripped from the outlet of the microfluidic chip.
All-Things Analysis verification: the molecular structure matched the design, with a purity of ninety-one percent. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.
"Done." Lynn picked up the tube of liquid.
He pressed his communications earpiece. "Front line, the Reversal Agent has been synthesized. But there's a problem—the Mutants are too numerous. There's no time to inject them one by one. I need a way to deploy it over a wide area."
The commander replied, "Firefighting helicopters? Aerosol dispersal?"
"That could work. But this liquid is concentrated. If we spray it directly, the concentration won't be uniform. I need an Aerosol Diffuser to turn the liquid medication into mist particles between five and ten microns in size."
Engineering Talent took control of his hands.
There was a backup air purifier in the armored communications vehicle, with an ultrasonic atomizer inside.
Lynn took it apart in thirty seconds.
Then he pulled an IV bottle, a length of silicone tubing, and a miniature battery pack from the medical box.
Assembly.
Connection.
He used the analyzer to calibrate the atomizer's vibration frequency, ensuring the droplets it produced fell within the target range.
Three minutes.
A makeshift Aerosol Diffuser the size of a fist sat on the table.
"Get the firefighting helicopters over here," Lynn told the commander.
The commander hesitated for a second.
He glanced toward the front line—another section of barricade had been breached.
"Dispatch the helicopters," he ordered.
Two firefighting helicopters took off from Central City, Manhattan. Seven minutes later, they reached the skies above Harlem District.
Lynn packed the Aerosol Diffuser and diluted Reversal Agent in a shockproof, sealed container. Ground personnel hoisted it onto a helicopter with a winch cable.
He stood on top of the command vehicle, communications device in hand.
"All front-line personnel, listen up." His voice came through the channel into everyone's earpiece.
"I'll be releasing the Reversal Agent over the combat zone in thirty seconds. It will be dispersed as an aerosol and is harmless to normal humans, but to be safe, put on your gas masks or hold your breath."
"The Reversal Agent should take effect about thirty to forty-five seconds after a Mutant inhales it. While it's taking effect, Mutants may struggle violently for a short time. That's a normal part of the body reverting from its mutated state. Front-line personnel, stay protected and keep your distance during that time."
The channel was silent for two seconds.
Captain America's voice came through. "Understood. Everyone fall back to the second line of defense and put on your masks."
Black Widow said, "Got it."
Hawkeye's voice came from the rooftop. "Does this stuff really work?"
"Just watch."
The firefighting helicopters descended and moved over the combat zone.
The spray nozzles on their undersides opened.
The diluted Reversal Agent passed through the Aerosol Diffuser, turning into a fine white mist visible to the naked eye. It drifted down from the sky.
The whole scene felt surreal. White mist suddenly descended over a street torn apart by fighting.
The first Mutant to breathe in the mist was the one with the insect carapace.
He was tearing at an overturned taxi.
When the white mist floated in front of him, he instinctively took a breath.
Three seconds later, he froze.
His six limbs began to tremble.
Cracks appeared across his carapace—not breaks, but signs of it shrinking.
The hard shell covering his upper body slowly receded like the tide, revealing pale human skin beneath.
He began to shrink.
His height dropped from over two meters to that of an ordinary person.
His limbs fell off, twitched twice on the ground, then went still.
At last, he turned back into a human.
A tall, thin Asian man in his thirties, wearing a T-shirt stretched to the point of tearing.
He lay facedown on the ground, gasping for air and trembling all over.
The second Mutant began to recover, too.
The female Mutant whose body heat had been high enough to melt asphalt felt her temperature plummet. The steam rising from her body grew thinner and thinner.
Her skin slowly changed from dark red back to its normal brown.
She fell to her knees and began to cry.
The third. The fourth. The fifth.
The Mutants fell like dominoes, one after another returning to human form.
They collapsed onto the street, weak but alive.
All eighteen Mutants had returned to human form within three minutes.
The front line fell silent.
The soldiers took off their gas masks.
The younger ones looked at one another, their expressions caught between shock and relief.
The veterans were quieter, but they lowered their guns.
Hawkeye put away his bow.
He stood at the edge of the rooftop and glanced down toward the command vehicle.
"WTF," he said.
He didn't say it loudly, but the communications channel was still open.
Everyone heard him.
Captain America said nothing.
His shield was back on his shoulder.
He walked through the line of defense toward the command vehicle.
Lynn stood on its roof, his white coat ruffling in the night breeze.
He saw Captain America approaching.
He jumped down from the vehicle.
Steve Rogers stopped in front of him.
He was half a head taller than Lynn, with shoulders nearly twice as broad.
A few shallow scrapes marked his angular face—left by the Mutants, and already healing.
"Thank you, Doctor." He extended his right hand. "You saved a lot of people today."
Lynn shook his hand.
The instant they made contact, his Super Senses flooded him with information.
The density of the muscle fibers beneath Captain America's palm, the hardness of his bones, the activity of his cell metabolism—all impossibly high.
All-Things Analysis simultaneously provided even deeper data: how the Super Soldier Serum worked inside his cells, the energy output efficiency of his mitochondria, the speed at which his nerve synapses transmitted signals.
He was a precision-optimized human machine.
Perfect to the point of being unreal.
All-Things Diagnosis had automatically completed a comprehensive scan in the background. The results made Lynn remember one crucial detail.
"Captain Rogers." Lynn held his hand, his tone no different from when he was examining a patient. "Has your right shoulder joint been bothering you lately?"
Captain America's eyebrow twitched.
"How did you know?"
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