Between Life and Death

The X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. were thrown into chaos by Professor Charles's sudden coma, while Lin Ze's mind had cleared thanks to Professor Charles's Telepathy.

"Professor Charles, are you still there?"

"Professor Charles?"

Lin Ze asked twice. No answer came from the empty room, nor did a voice sound in his mind. He relaxed.

Just moments ago, a fragment of memory absent from the game's story had suddenly appeared in his mind. Then Professor Charles, who had offered to help Qiqi recover her memories, had fallen silent.

Had he accomplished his mission and left?

That was what Lin Ze thought, but that one fragment hadn't really told him anything.

He had thought he might get to see moving images of Qiqi's past. After all, the game only offered text and two-dimensional images, so he had been looking forward to it.

Still, casually letting Professor X invade his mind with Telepathy had been far too risky.

What if he saw something he shouldn't, such as memories of the Transmigration Management Bureau?

Never mind having his pay docked-Lin Ze could even get fired.

After all, barriers existed between worlds. Letting the people of this world learn too much wasn't a good thing.

It seemed that merging too deeply with a character was a mixed blessing. Qiqi was too innocent, had no sense of danger, and was easily fooled.

Lin Ze covered his face. He had let his guard down, too. These past few days, he had been so busy watching cartoons and playing that he hadn't checked his mission's progress at all.

He opened the mission list.

!!!

Huh? Why has my mission box turned red?

Has something happened to Tony?

Professor X's sudden involvement and the abnormal mission list filled Lin Ze with unease.

No, I have to go check.

Lin Ze couldn't stay in the room any longer. He had to check on his mission target. With that thought, he opened the door and ran toward Tony's room on Qiqi's short little legs.

A faint worry gnawed at him.

Has something really happened to Tony?

Qiqi's room and Tony's were on separate floors, so Lin Ze had to take an elevator to reach him.

Anxious, he dashed out the instant the elevator doors opened. But before he had taken more than a few steps, Qiqi's entire body was lifted off the ground.

"Ah!"

He cried out, his eyes wide as his dangling legs kicked wildly.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A lost little lamb? Oh, I see. I remember you. You're Qiqi, aren't you?"

Obadiah looked darkly at the little "pet" Stark had brought home, dangling from his hand.

It seemed Tony Stark would never understand that Stark Industries wasn't a playground for children to play house in.

"Qiqi remembers you. You're the nice grandpa."

Once Lin Ze saw who had stopped him, he gave up struggling. Wasn't this man Tony's elder and close friend?

Obadiah had been considering how to deal with the little thing, but Qiqi's words made him set the child down instead.

"You know me?" Obadiah looked at Qiqi with interest.

The little girl nodded.

Remembering that the child seemed to possess some unusual abilities, Obadiah put on a genuinely kindly expression and asked Qiqi:

"Clever child. What brings you here so late?"

Qiqi pointed toward the room inside.

"Qiqi came to play with Tony."

Obadiah blinked and raised his eyebrows in apparent helplessness. He took Qiqi's hand and walked toward the elevator as he spoke.

"What unfortunate timing. I just left Tony's room. He's a little tired today and has already gone to bed."

The elevator doors closed. Obadiah gripped the girl's hand tightly, a stark contrast to his gentle tone.

"Good children don't disturb other people's rest, do they? Qiqi is a good child, isn't she?"

Qiqi thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Good girl. Off to bed, then. Good night."

"Good night, nice grandpa." Qiqi waved to him, opened her door, and went inside.

As soon as the girl disappeared from view, Obadiah dropped his smile and pressed the button to close the elevator doors. Watching the floor numbers descend, he slowly curled his lips into a cold sneer.

What he hadn't expected was that, the very next second after the elevator left, the "good child" who should have been in bed was racing downstairs like mad.

Like hell I'd believe you! You rotten old man!

Lin Ze cursed inwardly as he ran. Hadn't Obadiah thought it through? What business could an old man like him possibly have visiting Tony's bedroom in the middle of the night? He was definitely up to no good.

Thank goodness Professor Charles had inadvertently reminded Lin Ze of his mission. Otherwise, Qiqi might really have been fooled.

Lin Ze reached Tony's room. The door was ajar, standing halfway open.

He ran inside and found Tony sprawled limply on the sofa. He really did seem to be resting.

But Lin Ze couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Mr. Tony?"

Rather than leave, Lin Ze approached quietly, worried he might actually disturb Tony's rest. But before he got halfway there, his expression changed abruptly.

Tony wasn't resting at all. He was slumped on the sofa, unable to control his body. The spot on his chest where the reactor should have been was empty, and the clothing around it showed signs of having been torn.

Whatever Obadiah had done to him, the man's face was as pale as a corpse. Dark blue veins stood out beneath his skin, and his wide eyes were filled with fear.

Tony wanted to say something to Qiqi, but Obadiah had used a weapon that induced temporary paralysis. Even with all his strength, he couldn't make a sound.

Lin Ze's heart sank at the sight.

"Tony, Tony!"

When he failed to respond, Qiqi drew her sword.

Ice-blue snow swirled through the room in glittering flurries of frost.

"Fortune-Preserving Talisman, Adeptal Art: Herald of Frost!"

Cryo erupted as Qiqi unleashed the adeptal power sealed within her, providing continuous healing to her teammate.

A flush briefly returned to Tony's pale skin, and the swollen dark-red veins on his face quickly faded.

"Qiqi!"

Tony could finally call the girl's name.

"Mr. Tony, are you all right?" Lin Ze hurriedly asked.

Although Qiqi had healed him, without the reactor powering his chest, Tony would soon go into shock again.

"Good girl, do me a favor..." Tony could feel his body temperature beginning to drop. While he was still conscious, he had to hurry and tell Qiqi to fetch his old reactor.

Fortunately, when he had given the old reactor to Potts, she hadn't actually thrown it away as he'd told her to. Instead, she had turned it into a commemorative gift and returned it to him.

"Go to the workshop... on the table with Sheriff Leo, there's something shining... in a clear glass box... hhh... bring it to me..."

He tried to prop himself up, only to slide helplessly off the sofa.

Tony forced the words out of his throat with difficulty. "It's right on the table. Hah... you'll see it straight away."

"Sheriff Leo. Qiqi knows."

With no time to tend to Tony on the floor, Lin Ze sprinted toward the workshop.

Every second counted now. Once he reached the workshop, he went straight to a corner where a duck doll stood.

Sheriff Leo was a character from the cartoon Qiqi had been watching lately-a white-feathered duck in a police uniform.

Sure enough, the old reactor was sitting beside it.

He rushed back upstairs with the reactor in his arms. Tony lay on the floor, no longer making a sound.

Without hesitating, Lin Ze smashed the box against the floor.

Crash!

Picking the reactor out of the shattered glass, Lin Ze laid Tony flat and pressed it straight into the large hole in his chest.

"Aaaah!!!"

Tony's eyes flew open in pain. He craned his neck to look at his chest.

"Pfft... Qiqi... it's backward..."

Lin Ze: Aaaah!! I'm sorry!!! And don't laugh at a time like this!!