Phastos nodded and didn't ask any more questions. But his eyes held the fervor and longing that engineers have when they see technology that is ahead of its time.
"I also have a question."
Druig spoke, his tone slightly amusement, "You said you could stand up to the Celestials. Is that true, or just empty talk?"
Everyone looked at Lynn.
This is a crucial question. If Lynn can truly fight against the Celestials, then the final obstacle to the transplant plan will be removed. If he's just boasting, then it's all just empty talk.
Lynn looked at Druig, but instead of answering directly, he raised his right hand and snapped his the Snap.
Smack
A crisp the Snap.
Then, time stopped in the entire cabin.
The wind outside the window stopped, the flames in the fireplace froze in mid-air, the steam rising from the coffee cup hung suspended in the air, and even the light became thick and slow. Everyone remained in the same position, motionless, only their eyes could still move.
Lynn stood up, walked to the window, reached out and tapped three times lightly on the wall above the fireplace through the frozen air. Then he returned to his seat, sat down, and snapped his the Snap.
Smack
Time resumed its flow.
The wind continued to blow, the flames continued to burn, the heat continued to rise, and everything returned to normal.
But everyone's expression changed; they had clearly felt time stop.
In those few seconds, their minds were still working, but their bodies were completely paralyzed; they couldn't even blink.
Lynn picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said, "That was just a small demonstration. If I wanted, I could stop time on Earth, then slowly dig out the embryo and put it back. To you, it would probably only take a moment."
He put down his coffee cup and looked at the Druig: " 6 Infinity Stones plus my own abilities, do you think I'm joking with you?"
Druig opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
He thought he had seen it all, but that sudden stop in time shattered his pride. Faced with absolute power, his abilities were as laughable as a child's toy.
Sersi's hands trembled slightly. She too had been trapped by the time stop, and the suffocating feeling of those few seconds left her shaken. But more than anything, she was shocked—if Lynn could stop time at will, then every word he said was not empty talk.
Gilgamesh swallowed hard and looked at Thena. Thena nodded slightly, her eyes conveying a clear message: This is someone we can't afford to offend, but more importantly, this is someone we can trust.
Phastos, however, reacted quite differently. He pushed up his glasses, walked to the fireplace, and reached out to touch the wall where Lynn had just knocked. There were three faint finger marks on the wall, made by Lynn when time stopped. He stared at the three finger marks for a long time, then turned his head, his eyes filled with an almost devout fanaticism.
"While time stops, it can maintain its ability to move and interfere with the physical environment..."
Phastos muttered to himself, "This is no longer simple time manipulation; it's complete control over the laws of time. To be able to achieve this level..."
The living room remained quiet for a long time.
Finally, Thena stood up.
She walked up to Lynn, the wariness in her eyes vanished, replaced by something she hadn't seen in seven thousand years... hope.
"Seven thousand years."
Thena's voice was soft but firm. "We've been waiting for someone who can change all of this. I thought we'd wait forever."
She held out her hand. "If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime."
Lynn took her hand. "Yes."
Gilgamesh stood up and said in a deep voice, "Count me in for the fight. You might not need it, but more hands make light work."
Druig shrugged, but a slight smile played on his lips. "I have no interest in saving the world. But if this really works, I won't have to take orders from the Celestials anymore... I'll join."
Phastos adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with an engineer's fervor. "I'll join too. I'll never have the chance to encounter a project of this magnitude in my entire life. The opportunity is right in front of me; even if it's just to broaden my horizons, I have to go."
Sersi looked at everyone, her eyes slightly red. "Thank you."
Ajak didn't speak. She stood by the window, looking at the wheat field outside, her back view appearing somewhat lonely.
" Ajak?" Sersi called tentatively.
Ajak slowly turned around, looked at the crowd, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Her voice was tired, "This is a huge matter; I need to think about it."
She looked at Lynn: "Give me three days. I'll give you an answer in three days."
She paused, then added softly, " Lynn, I've lived for seven thousand years and seen countless people claiming they can change fate, and they all failed in the end. You're the first person who makes me feel... maybe you really can succeed. But if you fail in the end, if the Celestials really do descend..."
Lynn interrupted her, her tone calm but firm. "There are no 'what ifs.' Even if Arishem really comes, I will stand in front of the earth. This is a promise I made, and I will not break it."
Ajak looked into his eyes, eyes that were deep, like a bottomless lake, but calm and unwavering, without hesitation or fear. She remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
Lynn nodded, "I'll come back in three days."
He stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait a minute," Ajak suddenly called out to him, "That barren planet you mentioned... have you found it?"
Lynn said, "I'm not sure what you're thinking, I haven't looked yet. But I'll find it in these three days. When we meet in three days, I'll bring you the planet's coordinates and detailed data."
Ajak nodded and said nothing more.
Lynn said goodbye to everyone, then opened a portal and left the farm.
Back at the SSC base, Lynn did not rest.
He went directly to a secret room deep within the base, his private room, which no one else was allowed to enter under normal circumstances. The room had no windows, no furniture, only a huge, complex magic circle drawn on the floor.
This is Star Chart Magic Circle " that he developed himself, combining the magic of Kamar-Taj with the power of the six gems.
Lynn walked to the center of the magic circle, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
The light from the Six Infinity Stones emanated from his chest, spreading out along the patterns of the magic circle. The entire room was enveloped in six-colored light, and the air was filled with dense energy fluctuations.
He has one thing to do—to search the universe for a suitable barren planet for embryo transfer.
The conditions are very strict:
First, there can be no intelligent life on the planet. Although he is not a saint, he cannot comfortably shift the blame for disaster onto others.
Second, the planet's mass and density must be close to Earth's, and its core structure must be stable enough to accommodate an embryo.
Third, the star system in which the planet resides must be stable, without any stars about to explode or frequent celestial collisions.
Lynn's senses spread along the magic circle, passing through the atmosphere, the Solar System, and the spiral arms of the Milky Way, extending into the depths of the universe.
Countless planets flashed by in his perception.
His senses swept across a planet completely covered in green vegetation, inhabited by an intelligent species resembling insects that had developed a rudimentary agricultural civilization... He couldn't choose that; transplanting there would be tantamount to sentencing the entire civilization to death.
He then scanned a lava planet covered in magma. Its core was active and its mass was suitable, but the star was an old star about to enter the red giant phase. In a few hundred million years, it would expand and devour all the planets... He couldn't choose it. The embryo hadn't even matured yet, and the planet would be swallowed by the star first.
He also scanned a planet made entirely of metal, with an extremely high density and a massive metallic core. However, there were three planets in the entire star system, one of which housed a civilization that had reached the interstellar stage, less than two light-years away from this metallic planet—he couldn't choose that; it was too close to the civilization.
Lynn even spotted a planet almost identical to Earth, with liquid water, an atmosphere, and a rich ecosystem, but no intelligent life on it.
Logically, this was the best option, but Lynn hesitated for a moment and ultimately ruled it out. A planet with a complete ecosystem has the potential to nurture intelligent life; putting an embryo into it would be tantamount to killing a potential future civilization. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to do such a thing.
The best option is a completely desolate planet, devoid of any potential for life.
Lynn patiently sifted through them, eliminating one by one.
He didn't know how much time had passed—it could have been minutes or hours—when his senses suddenly stopped.
In a remote star system, he found a planet that met all the criteria.
This planet is slightly larger than Earth, with a mass 1.2 times that of Earth. It has an active core and a stable magnetic field. There is no liquid water or atmosphere on its surface; it is a barren, rocky planet. It is the only planet in the entire star system, and its star is a stable red dwarf with an estimated lifespan of several hundred billion years.
Most importantly, there is no life on this planet, not even the most primitive single-celled organisms. There are also no known civilizations within hundreds of light-years.
Perfect.
Lynn slowly withdrew his senses and opened his eyes.
The light from the magic circle gradually faded, and the room returned to darkness.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the starry sky outside.
Ajak is probably still considering the South Dakota option. She should give a reply in three days.
He had made all the preparations.
The planet has been found, the plan is in place, and the resources are sufficient.
Now, all we're waiting for is a reply.
Lynn put away the magic circle and walked out of the secret room. The lights in the corridor were soft, and the base was quiet; most people were resting. He turned a corner and saw Natasha leaning against the window at the end of the corridor, holding a glass of red wine and looking at the night outside.
Lynn walked over and stopped beside her. "Still not asleep?"
Natasha glanced at him sideways. "Waiting for you. You've been in the secret room for four hours. I was worried you'd pull off something big again."
Lynn smiled and said, "I'm just looking for something, it's nothing serious."
Natasha was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Is it dangerous?"
Lynn ultimately didn't hide anything; "There was some, but I'm confident I can handle it."
Natasha looked at him, a hint of worry in her eyes, but ultimately just nodded. "Be careful. Contact us anytime if you need help."
Lynn reached out and gently put his arm around her waist. "I know. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
The two leaned against the window, looking at the New York night view outside, without saying another word.
Three days is neither a long nor a short time.
Lynn hadn't been idle for the past three days. He compiled detailed data on that barren planet, including its mass, density, core structure, magnetic field parameters, star system environment, and a map of celestial bodies within hundreds of light-years, creating a complete archive.
With the help of Tony, JARVIS, Ivan, and Banner, he combined his analytical abilities with the power of the six gems to repeatedly simulate various unexpected situations that might occur during the transplantation process, and made more than a dozen contingency plans.
On the morning of the third day, Lynn opened the portal again and arrived at the farm in South Dakota.
Ajak stood in the courtyard, with Sersi, Gilgamesh, Thena, Druig, and Phastos behind him.
The same group of people were all present, but their expressions were much more serious. Ikaris was still absent, as was Kingo.
Ajak said she had contacted them, while Ikaris made it clear that he would not participate in any plans to "betray the Celestials," and Kingo said he just wanted to live his own life and didn't want to get involved in these matters.
"You've come." Ajak stepped forward. She looked more haggard than three days ago, with faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't rested well in the past three days. "Come in and talk."
The group entered the small hut and sat down together. Ajak didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "I've spoken with Arishem."
The air in the living room instantly tensed. Everyone looked at Ajak, waiting for her to continue.
Ajak's voice was calm, but a hint of fatigue could be detected. "I didn't tell her the whole truth. I just said that I had detected some abnormalities in the embryo's energy fluctuations. Arishem didn't suspect anything, only telling me to 'monitor closely and report any changes immediately.'"
Sersi breathed a sigh of relief.
"But this can only be done temporarily."
Ajak continued, "After the transplant, the embryo's energy fluctuations will undergo significant changes, Arishem will notice sooner or later. At that time, we will need a reasonable explanation."
"I'll figure that out," Lynn said. "After the transplant, I'll use the Mind Stone to create a long-term mental barrier around the embryo, simulating normal energy fluctuations. As long as Arishem doesn't personally descend to inspect, he won't detect anything abnormal."
Ajak nodded, then took a deep breath and looked at Lynn: "My answer is—I agree."
The living room fell silent for a moment, then Sersi's eyes reddened, Thena's lips curled into a relieved smile, Gilgamesh slapped his thigh hard, Druig whistled, and Phastos suddenly stood up, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Ajak's voice was a little hoarse, "Seven thousand years. I thought we would wait until the day the Emergence..."
She stood up, walked to Lynn, and solemnly extended her hand. "From now on, we will follow your arrangements."