Beyond the Scope of Magic, Nick's Admiration

"This went far beyond the scope of magic. It was a direct manifestation of the universe's fundamental power."

Nick said nothing, but the respect and admiration in his heart grew a few degrees stronger.

Unable to suppress the urge within him, he walked to one corner of the observation room.

Through the thick blastproof glass, he gazed at the Cosmic Cube, which emitted a deep, secluded blue glow.

This ordinary-looking cube contained endless energy and unknown secrets within it.

Yet over the past month, they had poured in manpower and resources, only to remain stuck in place without any substantial breakthrough.

On the path to exploring the Cosmic Cube, the research team had worked day and night, all to lift the veil of mystery surrounding it.

The laboratory blackboards were densely covered in formulas and traces of deduction.

But their efforts seemed to have yielded only a few small weapons. Other than that, there had been no major discoveries.

On several occasions, the experiments had nearly caused disasters, and the entire facility had almost been wiped out.

This enigmatic object before them had left countless top scientists scratching their heads without finding a solution.

But what about Lin Du?

Everyone knew he could solve the Cosmic Cube's problems,

yet the moment he appeared, he made the brothers and sisters of S.H.I.E.L.D. realize

that all the work they had been doing lately had been utterly pointless.

"You actually handled that power in less than a minute?"

Nick abruptly snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Lin Du in disbelief.

"To be exact, forty-nine seconds."

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Du's lips.

Nick knew perfectly well that such confidence did not come from nowhere. It was backed by genuine strength.

"How did you do it?" Nick pressed on. He desperately wanted to know the answer, even if it might leave a faint sourness in his heart.

Lin Du merely shrugged casually. He had heard questions like that so often his ears had practically developed calluses.

"The Cosmic Cube, when all was said and done, was merely a tangible form of some kind of energy."

"And controlling that kind of energy was just a matter of lifting a hand, wasn't it?"

His words were casual, yet they exploded in Nick's heart like a thunderclap.

He had never imagined that such unfathomable power could be understood and mastered in such a direct, simple way.

Nick took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing emotions.

He understood that Lin Du's "touching it" was far from a simple physical touch.

It meant achieving a profound resonance with, and understanding of, the energy deep within the Cosmic Cube.

Nick's brow furrowed tightly. Everything sounded effortless when it came from Lin Du's mouth.

But even the finest ordinary people or genius scientists could only look up at such a process from afar.

For Lin Du, however, it seemed like an inborn instinct, as natural as breathing air.

"What exactly are your true abilities?" Nick decided to approach the question from another angle.

Lin Du laughed heartily, folding his arms across his chest with an unhurried air.

"People always love putting all kinds of labels on those with special abilities, don't they?"

"Unfortunately, I possess far more than just one ability."

"If I had to put it into words, I would rather call myself the Cosmic Coordinator, though that is only the tip of the iceberg."

"Come to think of it, would you like to see the other spatial abilities I unlocked after merging with the Cosmic Cube?"

Lin Du looked at Nick with a teasing glint in his eyes, making Nick seem nothing like the calculating director of S.H.I.E.L.D.,

but more like a child filled with curiosity about everything.

Nick froze for a moment, then slowly nodded, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.

He knew as clearly as a mirror that what Lin Du had revealed was only the tip of his immense strength.

More unfathomable power remained hidden from view.

With a smile on his lips, Lin Du raised his hand again and lightly traced an arc through the air with his fingertip.

This time, he created no crack. With only a gentle tap, the surrounding space seemed to tremble slightly beneath his touch.

In an instant, the scenery around them began to distort and change, as though they had passed through a gate between dimensions.

A fierce wave of dizziness suddenly overwhelmed Nick, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

He stared without blinking at the unbelievable scene.

They seemed to have stepped into a dazzling dream world, surrounded by boundless stars and magnificent nebulae, beautiful enough to steal one's breath away.

Nick could feel immense energy surging toward him from every direction.

It seemed as though that power might engulf him, yet it also appeared to be calling out to him.

At that moment, Lin Du gently took Nick's hand. A warm current instantly flowed through Nick's entire body, and the dizziness vanished without a trace.

He felt as though he had merged with the entire universe and could clearly sense every pulse, every breath it took.

"This is true cosmic space," Lin Du said softly.

"It is vast and boundless, filled with the unknown and miracles."

Nick remained speechless for a long while, the shock in his heart beyond the reach of words.

Meanwhile, just as Lin Du had expected,

the Cosmic Cube's great reputation had drawn countless people who yearned to control its power.

When that doctor learned that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret research base contained the Cosmic Cube,

he arrived before the building, which cleverly blended modern technology with Cold War aesthetics, unable to contain his excitement.

Around him stood a group of scientists and technicians in whom he placed absolute trust.

"Time is tight," the doctor whispered to his companions in a low voice.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. could discover us at any moment."

He forcefully pushed open the heavy metal door and entered the depths of the base.

Dim blue lights flickered along both sides of the passageway, while the walls were covered with intricate devices and densely packed data charts.

The sound of every footstep echoed through the empty corridor, bringing with it an inexplicable chill.

"Doctor, why is it so terrifyingly quiet here?"

A young assistant asked nervously, his voice sounding especially abrupt amid the silence.

"Don't overthink it. Our target is the Cosmic Cube." The doctor's tone was cold, and his pace grew faster.

"Take your positions and proceed according to plan."

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a spacious laboratory.

It was filled with cutting-edge equipment, precious instruments arranged in neat rows, yet strangely, there was not a soul in sight.

The doctor frowned deeply. Clearly, all of this had exceeded his expectations.

"Something's wrong. How can there not be a single person here?" A senior scientist muttered to himself, stroking his chin.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would never casually abandon such an important experimental project."

The doctor fell silent for a moment, a flash of resolve passing through his eyes.