More than a dozen hours earlier.
"I call it the 'Cosmic Energy Dampener.'"
At a press conference hosted by the Future Foundation, Reed presented his design to the public.
As he spoke, the enormous outline of Planet Eater appeared in the holographic projection behind him. Complex layers of red curves then extended outward from Galactus's body, intertwining with the surrounding fabric of space-time.
"First, I need to make one thing clear."
Reed looked toward the reporters and government representatives from countries around the world.
"This is not a weapon."
"We cannot create a super bomb capable of defeating Planet Eater, nor is there any evidence that humanity's current power alone can kill him."
"But it can temporarily reduce the efficiency of the coupling between Galactus's Cosmic Energy and external space-time, suppressing his energy loss to a certain extent."
A reporter immediately raised a hand.
"Dr. Richards, does that mean this machine can weaken Planet Eater?"
"In a sense, yes."
Reed did not avoid the question.
"But that is not what it was designed for. It can only temporarily place a portion of Galactus's highly active Cosmic Energy into a low-response state, and the duration is extremely limited."
"More importantly—"
Reed reached out and swiped across the projection, and the image suddenly shrank.
Galactus, who had occupied the center of the screen, rapidly contracted into a point of light. Then the entire Earth appeared before everyone.
Dozens of blue nodes lit up one after another across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the major ocean regions.
Arcs of light connected them one by one, eventually forming an enormous network that covered the entire planet.
The moment they saw it, a commotion broke out in the venue.
"This is the real reason we called this press conference today."
Reed