Psychic counterattack, Wanda's declaration of territory
Lynn's nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of Ozone and burning Motherboard. Wanda's pale arm was completely submerged in the dark blue Holographic Screens. It wasn't penetration in the physical sense, but rather the violent Chaos Magic forcibly distorting the boundary between digital code and real space.
The Scarlet particles, like a swarm of greedy Army Ants that have smelled blood, frantically climbed along the Genes map of "Unnamed-001".
Susan was pushed backward by the repulsive force generated by the collision of the two Higher-Dimensional Energy, her back slamming heavily against the marble wall. Her Molecular-level Invisible Force Field, which she was so proud of, was covered with spiderweb-like cracks and as brittle as a layer of cheap plastic film in the face of Wanda's unreserved Chaos Origin.
"Boss! The Supercomputer Matrix's liquid cooling system is about to explode!" Susan shouted through gritted teeth, her ten fingers frantically tapping in the air, trying to salvage the collapsing Source Code. "Sever the physical connection! If this continues, the entire Manhattan power grid will be drained!"
Lynn didn't even glance at Susan.
He stood steadily at the center of the energy storm, blood still seeping from the ruptured capillaries on the back of his right hand. Scalding Dark Gold energy surged from his fingertips, attempting to force its way into his veins. It felt as if someone had shoved a red-hot steel bar into his blood vessel, stirring it wildly.
But he didn't even flinch. In the simulator, he had experienced Soul Shattering and Carbonization a hundred times more painful than this; this burning sensation didn't even qualify him to cry out. He even needed this real pain to maintain absolute rationality in the face of immense temptation.
Instead of pulling his hand back, he suddenly clenched his fingers and gripped the shimmering Dark Gold Data Stream tightly.
Too weak.
Lynn sneered inwardly. The Dark Phoenix was still in a dormant state, tightly sealed by Professor Charles Xavier's Mental Cage cage. This Psychic Power projected across space was merely a result of the greed and probing instincts of a higher-dimensional being.
If he backs down now, it would be like letting a perfect prey escape. He needs this power, but he also knows that he absolutely cannot confront this time bomb that could restart the universe at any moment by going in head-on.
Using someone else to do the dirty work is the easiest way to play the game. What knife could be sharper than a Scarlet Witch driven mad by jealousy and with an extremely twisted sense of territory?
"Wanda," Lynn finally spoke, his voice low, steady, even carrying a hint of deliberate indulgence, "Don't tear the building down. Follow my hand and go find her."
This sentence was like a potent stimulant, injected directly into Wanda's carotid artery.
Wanda, who was still on the verge of exploding with rage because Lynn touched that energy, suddenly trembled. A small cut appeared at the corner of her eye from the excessive force, and a drop of bloody tear flowed out, but it was instantly vaporized by the boiling magic.
Lynn didn't refuse her! Lynn even proactively opened her Magic Circuit, using her own body as a conductor to help her lock onto that clueless "thief"!
"Did you hear that?" Wanda whispered nervously into the void, her expression instantly contorting from anger to extreme fanaticism. The Scarlet in her eyes was so intense it seemed to drip into the floor. "He told me to come find you... He doesn't want you! He's mine!"
Boom!
A blinding red light burst forth on Lynn's retina. He felt a cold, viscous magical energy, carrying an aura of destruction, flow backward up his arm and crash into the Dark Gold Psychic Power with Thunder force.
In the Mental Dimension, invisible to the naked eye, a brutal massacre erupted in an instant.
A colossal Firebird, composed of Dark Gold flames, is attempting to spread its wings in the Abyss. High above, with an arrogant air of incinerating everything, it looks down upon any mortal who dares to challenge it.
But the next second, countless thick, Scarlet Chains pierced through the void, like venomous pythons, tightly constricting the Firebird's neck.
"Who gave you permission to... look into his eyes?!"
Wanda's curses unleashed a Category 10 hurricane in the Mental Dimension. She disregarded all magical rules, directly detonating the purest Chaos Origin. Scarlet Ghost Hands tore open the Firebird's wings, ripping off handfuls of Dark Gold spiritual fragments.
"Close your eyes! Or I'll rip them out and chew them up along with your brains!"
The Dark Gold Firebird let out a silent scream. It tried to resist, attempting to burn through the chains with cosmic-level flames. But Wanda's possessiveness had reached its peak, and with Lynn's precise guidance at the physical nodes, the penetrating power of this mental counterattack was amplified more than tenfold.
The Mental Dimension crushing had a direct impact on reality, causing the physical laws within the Dining Room to completely collapse.
Gravity was disrupted. Marble tiles crumbled and floated in mid-air. Shards of tableware and coffee cups flew about like weightless bullets.
Like a frightened wildcat, Gwen Stacy instantly hung upside down from the ceiling, desperately protecting herself with her high-pressure Bio-Electric Field. Her Spider-Sense went off like crazy, and the Dark Gold energy made her feel nauseous and trembling like never before.
Natasha collapsed to the ground the instant of the explosion, clutching her head and curling up beneath the sturdy Kitchen Island. Though she couldn't draw her gun, her eyes remained fixed on the screen, trying to memorize every feature of the diagram.
"Get out of here!"
Click!
With Wanda's final, piercing scream, the Mental Lock connecting the unknown Dimension was forcibly severed.
In reality, a muffled explosion came from the Supercomputer Matrix on the ground floor of the Baxter Building. The Holographic Screens suspended in mid-air instantly burst into countless blue spots of light.
The moment the Mind Link broke, the air in the center of the Dining Room became violently distorted due to the extreme compression and rebound of energy.
Like a mirage, the live feed from the other end of the internet cable was briefly reflected in mid-air.
Lynn squinted, slowly dusted off non-existent dust from his shirt, and looked up.
In that blurry mirror image, he saw a dark, Ancient Castle basement.
A Red-haired Woman in a silk nightgown was kneeling on the cold floor. She gripped her red hair tightly with both hands, her nails almost digging into her scalp, and the veins on the back of her hands bulged.
Even through the afterimage of the Dimension, Lynn could clearly see the Scarlet lightning that exploded in her mind due to Wanda's mental strangulation.
"Ah--!"
The woman raised her head in agony and let out a hysterical scream.
The moment that beautiful face lifted up, Lynn keenly noticed that a Dark Gold flame, extremely violent and full of destructive desire, suddenly flared up in her originally clear eyes.
It was extreme anger after being provoked, and a deeper greed for the energy emanating from Lynn.
[drop--]
The System Panel in Lynn's mind flashed wildly, with red warning boxes filling his vision.
[Detection indicates that the target Mutants 'Jean Grey ' has suffered a breach in her mental Defense Line!]
[Hidden, corrupted personality ' Dark Phoenix ' awakening progress increased!]
The afterimage in mid-air shattered and dissipated like a bubble.
The Dining Room fell silent again, with only Susan's heavy breathing and the Supercomputer Overload alarm of the supercomputer echoing in the empty hall.
Wanda gasped for breath, her chest heaving. She stared intently at the direction where the afterimage had disappeared, as if memorizing the scent of her prey, the murderous intent in her eyes lingering.
Susan, slumped on the ground, stared at the scene, a flicker of despair in her eyes. Another one? And judging from the energy fluctuations just now, that Red-haired Woman was even more terrifying than Wanda!
Hiding Kitchen Island, Natasha silently memorized the Ancient Castle's architectural features, preparing to scour satellite maps worldwide as soon as the internet was restored.
Lynn stood in the middle of the chaotic ruins, looking at the group of women with different thoughts, a dangerously cold smile slowly curling at the corner of his mouth.
The probing is over.
This Firebird, capable of destroying the universe, was finally brought down from its pedestal by his own hands. The fish began to bite.