Let me explain.
In the previous chapter Lynn and Thanos found Thanos and obtained all four Infinity Stones.
The main reason is that Lynn is unique, which is why Tony and Banner discovered that Lynn was not in the timeline they came to.
The gems were not uniformly stored in the SSC underground vault.
It's not a bug in the settings.
To avoid any questions, I've thought about it for a long time and decided to explain it here.
SSC Base Laboratory.
Everyone has arrived.
Tony and Steve brought back the Tesseract and extra Pym Particles from 1970. Banner clutched the container containing the Time Stone, Scott held the Mind Scepter. Ivan and Thor brought back the Reality Stone. Lynn and Thanos brought back the Soul Stone and the Power Stone.
All Six Infinity Stones are mine.
JARVIS placed the six gems one by one onto a specially designed containment table. Each gem emitted a faint glow of its own color, and the six beams of light intertwined, illuminating the entire laboratory.
Tony stared at the six gems for a long time, then turned and walked towards the workbench.
He spoke while designing on the virtual screen, "I'll remake one using nanotechnology; it can be done within three days."
For the next three days, Tony barely slept.
During this time, Lynn also copied the remaining two Infinity Stones that he didn't have.
Three days later, a brand new Infinity Gauntlet lay on the workbench.
The red-gold gloves shimmered with a metallic sheen, with six gem-encrusted grooves evenly distributed on the knuckles and back of the hand. They were a size smaller than Thanos's original gloves, making them more suitable for human hands.
"Done!" Tony clapped his hands. "Who will snap their the Snap?"
The laboratory fell silent.
Everyone knows what the Snap means; he has to withstand the energy released by Six Infinity Stones simultaneously.
"I'll go," Thor was the first to speak.
"I am a god, my physical strength..."
"You're in such a state that even sneezing is a struggle," Tony interrupted him rudely.
What do you think flows in my body?
Rhodey: "Cheese sauce?"
Everyone agreed with Tony's judgment.
Nobody knows what this big goofball was thinking when the Snap.
Thor opened his mouth, but gave up on refuting it.
Banner stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
"Banner..." Steve frowned.
"These stones primarily release gamma rays, which is somehow like the meaning behind my existence."
Banner adjusted his glasses. "My physical structure makes me the most suitable candidate out of everyone."
Everyone fell silent.
Lynn leaned against the wall, remaining silent.
He gazed at the light emanating from the six genuine gems on the containment platform, while the counterfeit gems on his chest felt slightly warm beneath his skin.
Over the years, the counterfeit gemstone had been growing alongside his body, and he could clearly feel that the gemstone in his chest was slowly absorbing something.
Like breathing, it grows stronger without you even realizing it.
As everyone was discussing, he closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his chest.
The authority over counterfeit gemstones is now much clearer than before.
Six months ago, they were just vague sensations, but now they have a certain physical texture.
"That's settled then. "Banner walked to the workbench and reached for the gloves.
"Wait a minute."
Lynn walked out from behind the wall.
All eyes were on him.
"You're all right."
His tone was calm, "But the most suitable person is me."
Lynn...
"I've carried this fake gem for so long; my body has grown alongside it." He raised his hand, his shirt opening slightly, revealing the faintly glowing gem patterns beneath his skin.
While I can't say I'm completely immune to the impact of the gemstones on my body, at the very least, I'm the optimal solution.
Banner frowned as he looked at the faintly glowing lines on his chest.
Your body...
"We'll talk about that later; our main goal right now is to bring everyone back."
Lynn walked to the workbench, picked up the Infinity Gauntlet, and slipped it onto his right hand. The nanometal automatically contracted, fitting snugly into his palm, and the six gems lit up in sequence.
Six beams of light of different colors surged from the gemstone, spreading along the arm to the shoulder, and then from the shoulder to the whole body.
Lynn took a deep breath.
The energy was violent, but much gentler than he had expected. The fake gem on his chest acted as a buffer, filtering out the destructive energy released by the genuine gem, reducing the impact on his body by more than half.
He raised his right hand.
" Lynn," Tony's voice was a little tense.
Lynn did not turn around.
He snapped his the Snap.
A burst of white light erupted from the glove, rapidly spreading and engulfing the entire laboratory.
After the white light dissipated, Lynn knelt on one knee, his right glove charred black, with large areas of nanometal destroyed.
He had several burn marks on his arm, and his skin was only slightly red.
It was far less damage than Banner suffered in the original timeline.
"Are you alright?" Tony rushed over and helped him up.
"It's nothing." Lynn flexed her fingers, "Just a minor injury."
He looked up at the containment platform.
"Send someone to investigate the situation."
Lynn stood up. "The missing half should be returning."
JARVIS quickly retrieved global monitoring data.
"Large-scale spatial fluctuations have been detected globally, perfectly matching the disappearance event from five years ago. Confirmation in progress... Confirmation complete. The missing population is gradually returning."
A suppressed cheer erupted in the laboratory.
Scott plopped down on the ground, covered his face, and his shoulders trembled.
Tony leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.
Thor stood there silently for a long time, then turned around and walked out of the lab. He was going to make a phone call.
"The gems must be returned." Lynn took off his gloves and threw them on the workbench. " The Time Stone to the Ancient One, the Reality Stone to Asgard, and the Tesseract to Howard in 1970. Who's going?"
"What about the Power Stone and the Soul Stone?" Tony asked.
" The Power Stone was originally in Thanos's possession. Thanos is dead, so who should I give it to?"
Lynn glanced at Thanos standing in the corner, "I'll gladly accept it."
Thanos did not object.
" The Soul Stone was obtained from the Thanos of the past, and likewise, he is dead."
He glanced down at his chest. The fake gemstone glowed quietly beneath his skin, warm and serene.
JARVIS issued a global announcement, informing everyone that the missing people were returning and urging local governments to prepare to receive them.
"I understand."
Lynn led Thanos and Gamora through the corridor and found an empty lounge.
The room wasn't big, just a sofa, a table, and a window. Outside the window was the base's garden, where a few trees swayed gently in the wind.
Thanos stood by the window, Gamora sat on the sofa next to him, her arms wrapped around her knees like a wary cat.
"What are your plans next?" Lynn sat down across the table.
Thanos remained silent for a moment.
"I want to take Gamora the Garden."
His voice was flat, as if he were talking about something he had already thought about.
"She's never been there, and I want her to see it."
Gamora and glanced at Thanos. She still didn't quite trust him, but she didn't refuse.
"If you need anything, please feel free to contact me anytime."
Thanos looked at Lynn and said, "I'm very grateful that you've given me a chance to atone for my sins."
Lynn nodded.
He didn't say anything polite like "You're welcome." Thanos didn't need that kind of thing anyway.
He opened the portal, and orange sparks lit up the room.
Thanos stood up, walked to the door, and paused. He glanced back at Gamora, Gamora had already stood up and walked to his side.
The two of them walked into the portal together.
The light curtain dissipated.
Lynn was left alone in the room.
He sat on the sofa for a while, watching the leaves rustling in the wind outside the window, then stood up and went outside.
In the base's communications room, everyone was busy confirming data on the returning population with contact points around the world.
When Lynn found Carol, she was standing in the hallway with her arms crossed over her chest, looking rather pale.
"Why are you sulking here?" Lynn walked over.
Carol glanced at him but didn't say anything.
"Take a break first."
Lynn leaned against the wall, "In a few days, I'll take you to see some things."
"What is that?"
"You'll see when you see it."
Carol frowned, seemingly wanting to ask further, but Lynn had already turned and left.
Wait a minute...
"We'll talk about it later." Lynn waved her hand without turning her head and quickened her pace.
He didn't wait for Carol's reply.
Lynn returned to her lounge and closed the door.
The room was quiet.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness extending outwards, passing through the walls of the base, across the city skyline, through the atmosphere, searching for that familiar scent in every corner of the universe.
Found it.
Lynn opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He opened the portal and stepped out.
Natasha stood in the empty field, completely bewildered.
She remembered that just a second ago she was still in the spaceship, imagining the future with Lynn.
Then a flash of white light appeared, and she was standing there.
"This is..."
A portal lit up in front of her, and Lynn stepped out from the light screen.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to pick you up."
"I was just..."
"You disappeared for five years."
Lynn walked over and stopped in front of her.
Natasha looked at him, her gaze moving from his face to the burn marks on his arms.
What happened?
"It's a long story," Lynn said, extending her hand. "We'll talk about it when we get home."
Natasha hesitated for a moment, then took his hand.
Lynn opened a portal with his other hand, put his arm around her waist, and the two disappeared together into the light curtain.
Everything in the house was exactly the same as when she left.
Natasha stood in the entryway, staring at her old slippers on the shoe rack for a long time.
"Five years," she whispered.
"Hmm."
"A lot has changed outside, hasn't it?"
"A lot has changed. But things are recovering."
Natasha bent down to put on her slippers, walked into the living room, and sat down on the sofa.
Lynn went to the bathroom and ran a hot water tank.
The two took a shower together. In the misty air, Natasha leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, without saying a word.
(4000 words omitted here)
Natasha didn't ask any further questions. She closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became steady.
Lynn didn't say anything for the next few days.
He simply took Natasha shopping, buying her clothes and snacks she liked.
Carrying large and small bags, he looked like a dutiful porter.
In the evening, the two sat on the rooftop of the apartment building, watching the sunset slowly sink below the horizon.
Natasha leaned on his shoulder, a can of beer in her hand, gazing at the orange-red clouds on the horizon.
"You know what?" she said.
"Hmm?"
"While I was on the spaceship, I thought many times about what the first thing I would do after I got back."
What are you doing?
"Do nothing. Just leave it as it is."
Lynn didn't say anything. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, the city lights gradually came on.
Natasha leaned on Lynn's shoulder and slowly closed her eyes.
After resting for two days, everyone gathered again in front of the quantum platform.
Everything that needed to be explained has been explained.
Tony had already explained the order of the gems, the return points, and the precautions for each stop in previous meetings.
This time, we just put them back. Compared to the tension last time, the atmosphere in the lab was much more peaceful.
Steve stood in the center of the platform, already dressed in casual clothes for easy movement, carrying the metal box containing the four gems. Tony stood beside the control panel, having JARVIS double-check the last few time anchors. Scott stood at the back of the crowd, wanting to say something, but in the end only nodded to Steve.
"Have a safe trip, Captain," Banner said.
"Don't be a passerby for too long," Tony said.
Steve smiled but didn't reply. He turned and glanced at Lynn. Lynn was leaning against the wall, as usual, not saying much.
Their eyes met, and Steve nodded slightly to him. Lynn nodded as well.
"Go ahead, do what you want," Lynn said.
The platform activated. The six support pillars lit up in sequence, and a blue quantum flow surged up from the bottom, enveloping Steve completely. A few seconds later, the light went out. The platform was now above air.
Everyone stood still, no one spoke. Steve was supposed to return in five seconds as scheduled.
Tony had already walked to the control panel, ready to check the return signal. But five seconds passed, ten seconds passed, and there was still no response.
"Why haven't you come back?" Scott asked first, his voice a little strained.
"That shouldn't be the case; the return time coordinates are locked." Banner walked to the control panel and checked the data on the screen with Tony.
"Is there a problem with the machine?" Rhodey took two steps forward.
"Impossible."
Tony frowned, his fingers flying across the console. "The data was all correct, JARVIS, check it again."
"It's being re-examined, sir," JARVIS said.
The atmosphere in the lab suddenly became tense again.
Lynn stared at the empty platform for a few seconds before slowly speaking.
"No need to check anymore."
Everyone looked at him.
"It's not a problem with the machine, it's just that the captain chose to keep the appointment."
"He's living the life he wanted," Lynn said.