Oh no, I've been possessed again.
I spent four hours revising this chapter.
No matter how I change it, it just doesn't feel right.
From now on, I can't read novels before I start writing.
I only glanced at it twice...
This has also been possessed... It's so annoying...
Stepping out of the underground research lab, the corridor was softly lit, and a faint smell of mixed metal oil and disinfectant lingered in the air.
Lynn's relaxed and casual demeanor from his earlier chat with Tony vanished, replaced by a serious look in his eyes, as he headed straight for the base's common rest area.
The sofas in the rest area were arranged in a staggered manner, and many agents were leaning back in their chairs with their eyes closed, resting. Wanda sat alone by the window, casually flipping through an unused leisure magazine. Hearing footsteps approaching, she looked up at Lynn and put down the magazine first.
Lynn walked to the sofa opposite her and sat down. Without any pleasantries, she got straight to the point.
"I plan to go to Asgard with Thor first thing tomorrow morning. I'm leaving everything here in your care. Keep an eye on Pietro, and decide whether to intervene if anything unexpected happens."
He paused, remembering Wanda's innate softness, and deliberately added a bottom-line instruction to prevent her from being soft-hearted and hesitant during the war.
"If Ultron causes any more trouble, don't hold back, go all out."
"But we must control the power carefully, and absolutely avoid affecting innocent agents inside the base or civilians on the surrounding streets. Otherwise, there's no need to hold back."
Wanda nodded slightly, keeping every word of advice firmly in mind, her expression calm. "I know what's important and won't harm anyone innocent, don't worry."
After giving his instructions, Lynn got up and left the rest area, finding Thor admiring the night view.
The observation deck was unobstructed on all sides, and the evening breeze, carrying the cool air of a New York night, swept over him. Thor stood alone, leaning against the metal railing, with half a bucket of chilled beer on the stone table, his gaze fixed on the city lights.
His armor was still covered with the smoke and metal fragments left from the fierce battle on the ferry, and a faint smell of burnt metal lingered around him.
Lynn walked slowly to God of Thunder's side and stood still, stating his request directly without beating around the bush.
" Thor, I have a favor to ask you. Could you take me to Asgard? I'd like to see the Tesseract."
Hearing the sound, Thor turned his head, casually put down the bottle in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes full of confusion, and his words contained a hint of warning.
He straightened his back, adopting the serious posture of an elder instructing a younger person, and said solemnly, "Didn't you come into close contact with it before? The power of that thing is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. I must warn you in advance. It may seem to contain infinite power, but anyone who tries to control it privately will only face utter destruction in the end."
Seeing his serious and worried expression, Lynn couldn't help but chuckle softly. She raised her hand and pulled down her collar, revealing two imitation gemstones on her chest in the night. One yellow and one green, two soft beams of light flowed quietly, standing out clearly in the dimly lit observation deck.
"We've been friends for a long time, fighting side by side, and I'm not going to make excuses for you. The real purpose of bringing you to the God Realm this time is to replicate a weakened version of the Space Stone."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and took off the yellowish, faintly glowing replica of the Mind Stone from his chest, holding it in his palm and presenting it to Thor. The energy flowing inside the stone was gentle, completely lacking the oppressive aura of the scepter.
"You saw me use my abilities Battle of New York. All the Infinity Stones I replicated were weakened imitations, lacking the unique cosmic authority of the original Stones, and therefore could not possibly cause destruction."
Lynn gently stroked the smooth, warm surface of the gemstone with his fingertips, his tone tinged with an undisguised helplessness. "Right now, these two replica gemstones on my chest can only provide slight relief, not eradicate the side effects. I want to try replicating the Tesseract, using its properties to see if I can completely eliminate or further alleviate the side effects. In every battle, I can only watch you guys wreak havoc from the sidelines; to be honest, I've been itching to join in for a while now."
Thor reached out and took the replica Mind Stone, his fingertips carefully sensing the thin, gentle energy fluctuations within. Compared to the violent energy within Loki's Scepter in his memory, the two were worlds apart, posing absolutely no risk of going out of control. After playing with the stone for a moment, he returned it to Lynn, his brow still furrowed with some difficulty.
"The internal energy is indeed weak and peaceful, lacking the power to control the minds of all beings found in the original. However, I cannot take you into the Asgardian Asgard Vault to observe the Tesseract without my permission. This matter must be reported to my father first, and his consent must be obtained before I can take you into the vaults. As long as he nods, you can stay as long as you like. Shall we go now? To summon Heimdall to open the Bifrost, we need to find a spacious place."
Lynn secretly considered the long-standing relationship between the Ancient One and Odin. With the connection of the Sorcerer Supreme, Odin was unlikely to deliberately make things difficult for him. He gently shook his head at Thor.
"You've just finished a fierce battle. Ultron should be hiding right now, frantically forging a new body. He shouldn't have time to cause any trouble in the short term, so there's no need to rush tonight. You should get some rest tonight, and we'll set off for Asgard early tomorrow morning."
After a moment's thought, Thor agreed to the arrangement. Although the melee on the ferry hadn't seriously injured him, the continuous high-intensity fighting had already exhausted most of his strength, and he definitely needed plenty of sleep to recover. He immediately nodded in agreement.
"Alright, then let's set off tomorrow."
Lynn thanked Thor, then raised his hand and drew a pale blue, flowing portal in the air, leading to the winding stone path through the mountains of Kamar-Taj. He stepped into the portal.
The mountain stone road is clean and tidy, and calming incense burns on both sides of the road all year round. Inside the courtyard, there is only the soft sound of the wind rustling the leaves, so quiet that it is untouched by the noise of the world.
Lynn walked straight to the Ancient One's tea room, familiar with the place. The wooden door was ajar, and the rich, lingering aroma of tea slowly wafted out through the crack. The Ancient One sat alone behind the wooden table, holding a ceramic teapot in her hand, slowly pouring hot tea into a celadon teacup.
Lynn gently knocked twice on the door to acknowledge his arrival. The Ancient One glanced at him indifferently and said calmly, "Come in."
Lynn scratched the back of his head, and with a slightly playful smile, he pushed open the door and walked in, sitting down on the wooden chair opposite the Ancient One.
Before he could explain his purpose, the Ancient One had already put down her teacup.
"Tell me, what trouble have you caused me this time? I know your personality all too well. You would never make a special trip to visit me unless there's something important to do. Think about it yourself, from the first time we met until now, when have you ever come to have tea and chat with me? Every time you come with a bunch of problems to ask for my help, asking me to solve them without even giving me a gift. Now I regret picking you up in the first place."
Lynn grinned and tried to defend himself, his tone somewhat ingratiating. " Master The Ancient One, you can't say that. I clearly promised you that I would do everything in my power to protect Earth. Besides, Wanda is now practically your disciple, and she will definitely step forward if Earth faces a crisis in the future. So, all things considered, you didn't lose out at all by saving me back then."
The Ancient One shook her head helplessly, took a sip of her hot tea, stopped teasing him, and returned to the main topic.
"Alright, stop with your smooth talk and just tell me what trouble you're planning to cause me this time."
Lynn immediately dropped all her playful expression, became serious, and fully explained her plan and concerns.
"Tomorrow I plan to go to Asgard with Thor to recreate another Space Stone."
Lynn paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "But Thor said that Odin's approval is needed to enter the vault. I don't know the temperament of that god-king, and I'm afraid I'll offend him if I open my mouth. That's why I've come to ask you for advice."
After listening quietly, the Ancient One did not give an immediate reply. Her deep gaze lingered on Lynn for a long time before she slowly spoke, revealing his true intentions.
"Your excuse of inquiring about Odin's temperament and rules is secondary. Your real intention is to get me to send a message to Odin ahead of time, to pave the way for you and intercede on your behalf, isn't that right? You're still trying to play these little tricks on me."
Lynn scratched his head sheepishly, realizing he'd been seen through at a glance.
"Don't worry, I already told you about this beforehand. After you successfully replicated the Time Stone last time, I mentioned your situation to Odin during a casual conversation. I already knew that, given your personality, you would definitely be eyeing the remaining Infinity Stones. You can just focus on going to Asgard with Thor."
The Ancient One's expression suddenly turned serious, and she gave crucial advice, "Don't beat around the bush when you see Odin. I don't want to beat you up, but Odin is completely different. He hates ambiguity and beating around the bush. If you have any thoughts in your mind, just say them directly and honestly."
Lynn nodded repeatedly, keeping the advice firmly in mind, and thanked the Ancient One again and again. Afterwards, he strolled alone for a while on the mountain trails of Kamar-Taj to calm his complicated thoughts. When he opened the portal again to return to New York, the night was already completely deep, there were few pedestrians on the street, and the city streets had lost their daytime hustle and bustle, with only a few streetlights standing quietly.
Instead of returning to the headquarters lounge, he went alone to the old Chinese-style restaurant he had visited with Natasha before. Nightclub was nearly empty, with only a few tables occupied by customers dining quietly. Lynn ordered a table full of dishes to his liking, slowly sipped a couple of drinks, and after finishing his meal, he strolled along the sidewalk to digest his food, walking slowly back to his private apartment on the top floor of Stark Tower.
The SSC headquarters lounge was fully equipped and well-stocked, but Lynn always preferred her own private apartment. Resting outside always felt like something was missing, and she never slept well.
He pushed open the apartment door, and the motion-sensor light in the entryway automatically and softly illuminated. He first filled the tub with warm bathwater, then took out a set of loose, clean loungewear from the walk-in closet, and sank into the bathtub.
After getting ready and stepping out of the bathroom, Lynn sensed something strange the moment he entered the bedroom. He quickly glanced around the room but found nothing unusual. After a moment's thought, he didn't bother to investigate further. Relaxing, he opened his arms and chuckled to himself, "My dear bed, here I come!" With that, he pounced straight onto the soft bed.
The moment his body touched the blanket, a completely different sensation washed over him, the feeling of unease striking him to the core. Lynn sprang up as if electrocuted, quickly taking two steps back, raising his hand to conjure a pale golden magical barrier in front of him, before retreating to the door and pressing the light switch.
The entire bedroom was instantly illuminated, revealing every corner.
Natasha propped herself up and slowly sat up from under the covers, gently rubbing her chest, which still felt stuffy from the shock, with her right hand. Her eyes stared speechlessly at Lynn was standing at the door, still shaken and on high alert.
"I never knew you had such a childish and impulsive side. Next time, before you pounce on the bed, at least make sure there's no one else there. That last time, I almost died on the spot."
Lynn's eyes widened in disbelief, and the magical barrier slowly dissipated.
"What are you doing here? You should be in the headquarters lounge."
Natasha threw back the thin blanket, her bare feet stepping onto the soft carpet. Dressed in an elegant silk nightgown, she slowly walked to him, the two standing only half a step apart. Her eyes held the weariness accumulated from days of fighting side by side, as well as her intense dependence on him.
"The mattress in the base's rest room is too hard to sleep on, and my bedroom is cluttered with all sorts of things, so I can't get a proper rest. I decided to stay here for the night. I hadn't been lying down for long when you did this to me."
She gently tapped Lynn's cheek with her slender fingertips, her tone tinged with a hint of complaint, yet her eyes remained soft and devoid of any hostility. "You almost hurt me, you should at least give me some compensation."
Lynn looked at her, inwardly grumbling.
A top-tier agent from the Red Room, someone who can stay awake for three days and three nights in the sewers, would he be unable to sleep because the bed is too hard?
Could your excuse be any more flimsy? Besides, your room is cleaned every day, clutter? Where would clutter come from? But seeing the weariness and dependence hidden in her eyes, he swallowed his words. Fine, whatever she says.
Lynn completely let down her guard, her tone becoming gentle and soft. "No problem, what kind of compensation do you want?"
Natasha walked slowly forward, gently wrapped her arms around Lynn's waist, pressed her cheek against his chest, and whispered, "How about I compensate you with yourself?"
Lynn looked down at the person in his arms. Things had come to this point; he couldn't be less than an animal!
He reached out and turned off the main light in the room, then scooped Natasha up in his arms and placed her directly on the bed, shouting, "My dear Natasha, I'm here!"
With a groan of the mattress giving way under its weight, before he could even react, Natasha had already rolled over and pinned him down, her hands gripping his wrists tightly and pressing them above his head.
She leaned forward slightly, her warm breath brushing against Lynn's nose, her slightly cool lips lightly brushing his cheek, her voice extremely low. "Who taught you to use such utterly stupid lines?"
(The next 4000 words are omitted...)