SSC Base, Medical Room.
Lynn leaned against the hospital bed, his chest wrapped in thick bandages. The light of the Six Infinity Stones shone faintly through the gaps in the bandages, slowly repairing his damaged organs and bones.
Arishem's final punch was indeed powerful. Although he deliberately weakened his defense, it was a solid punch to the chest, no joke.
Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, peeling an apple, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were completing some task.
"Actually, I can eat it myself," Lynn said, looking at the pitiful state of the apple.
"Shut up." Natasha didn't even look up. "A patient should act like a patient."
Lynn had no choice but to shut up.
The door opened, and Tony Stark walked in, holding a cup of coffee in one hand, his other hand in his pocket, and sporting his signature smug grin.
"I heard you got punched and sent flying?"
Tony pulled up a chair and sat down, looking Lynn up and down. "A dent in his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, fleeing in such a sorry state... Tsk tsk, if word gets out, where will you, the great master Lynn, put your face?"
Lynn smiled. "The version that gets out is that I challenged the Celestials and got severely injured."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "So you did this on purpose?"
Lynn rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. If I were really fighting, Arishem would still be picking up armor fragments in that star system right now."
Tony paused for two seconds, then put down his coffee cup, his expression becoming more serious. "Is the injury serious?"
He broke three ribs and suffered a lung contusion. He should be fully recovered in about a week.
Tony nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He stood up, patted Lynn on the shoulder, and turned to leave. At the door, he paused, his back to Lynn, and said, "Next time you do something stupid, just let me know beforehand. I'll get you a suit of armor to follow you. If you really can't hold on, at least someone will collect your body."
After saying that, he walked away without looking back.
Lynn watched his retreating figure and smiled.
That's just how this person is—tough on the outside but soft on the inside. They might say sarcastic things, but they're worried more than anyone else.
Tony had just left when the door opened again. A figure in a red and blue suit peeked in—it was Little Peter.
" Mr. Lynn? Are you alright?"
Little Peter cautiously walked in, holding a bouquet of flowers. They looked like they had been picked casually from the base's garden, and some of the flowers were wilted.
Lynn smiled and said, "I'm fine. Sit down."
Little Peter sat down on the edge of the bed, placed the flowers on the bedside table, and then stared wide-eyed at the bandage on Lynn's chest. "Was that really done by the Celestials? The one... that giant alien that appeared before?"
"Yes."
Little Peter suddenly remembered something, "That's right, Mr. Lynn. Those people you said lived for over seven thousand years have arrived and are in the hall now."
" Eternals?" Lynn raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it's them."
Little Peter nodded. "That guy named Phastos didn't leave the lab once he entered, staring intently at Tony's armor, his eyes practically glued to it. Tony's expression wasn't good."
Lynn smiled. He could picture it: seeing Tony's nanotech armor was like a cat seeing a fish—it was perfectly normal for it to be unable to move.
Lynn pulled back the covers and said, "Help me up. Let's go see them."
SSC Base, Lobby.
Ajak, Sersi, Thena, Gilgamesh, and Phastos stood in the hall, curiously looking around. The technological level of the SSC base far exceeded their imagination—floating holographic screens, autonomously walking robots, flowing energy patterns on the walls, artificial sunlight on the ceiling... everything was novel to them.
Phastos is going crazy.
He stood in front of a holographic projection table, his fingers slid through the air, flipping through the technical documents on it, constantly exclaiming "Wow!" "Oh!" "I see!" His eyes gleamed with the fervent light of an engineer seeing cutting-edge technology; he wished he could dismantle the entire base and study it thoroughly.
Tony stood a short distance away, arms crossed, looking rather grim. His armor lab had been taken over by this "antique" who had suddenly barged in, and the other was even criticizing his nanotech armor, saying things like, "This energy conversion efficiency still has room for improvement," and "The molecular structure of the nanomaterials isn't stable enough." Tony was so angry he almost lost his temper on the spot.
Tony lowered his voice and said to Pepper Potts beside him, "He says there's a problem with the energy conversion efficiency of my armor? My armor's energy conversion efficiency is 94.7%, the highest in the industry! What does some old relic in bronze armor know?"
Pepper Potts suppressed a laugh, "They've lived for seven thousand years; they've probably seen more technology than you've eaten meals."
Tony retorted, "So what if it's been seven thousand years? He still hasn't created a nanotech armor in seven thousand years."
Just then, Lynn walked down the corridor, with Natasha supporting him. His chest was still bandaged, but he could walk on his own, though his movements were a little slow.
Ajak was the first to see him, quickly walking over. Looking at the bandage on his chest, his face was full of apology. "Your injury... it's all because of us."
Lynn waved her hand, "It has nothing to do with you. This is my own decision. Besides, the injury isn't serious; I'll be fine in a few days."
Sersi came over, her eyes filled with worry. "How could it not be serious! Arishem's attack... we all know what that means."
Lynn smiled and said, "It's really nothing. I'll be fully recovered in about a week. But what are you guys doing here instead of staying on the farm?"
Ajak and the others exchanged glances, then said, "We came to see you, and also... to discuss the future with you."
What will happen in the future?
Ajak's voice held a hint of bewilderment. " Arishem has revoked our mission. We are free. For seven thousand years, we have been carrying out the Celestials ' mission, protecting the embryos, and fighting against the Deviants. Now that the mission is over, we... don't know what to do."
Lynn looked at them.
Ajak's face was filled with confusion, Sersi's eyes held both expectation and unease, Thena was calm but her fingers were trembling slightly, Gilgamesh scratched his head with an indifferent expression, and Phastos was still looking at the data on the holographic projection table without turning his head.
The sudden disappearance of a mission spanning seven thousand years is like a person who has worked their entire life suddenly retiring; they will feel lost and disoriented. This is perfectly normal.
"What are your plans?" Lynn asked.
The group exchanged glances, and finally, Sersi spoke first.
"I want to stay on Earth." Sersi's voice was soft but firm. "I worked at a museum in London for many years. I loved the job, and I loved being with people. Before, I always felt like an observer, watching people grow old, get sick, and die, unable to invest much emotion. But now it's different. I'm free. I can truly live once, like an ordinary person."
Lynn smiled. "You're just an ordinary person, except for living a little longer and being able to change your physical form, of course."
Sersi was amused by him, and her tension dissipated considerably.
Gilgamesh said in a deep voice, " Thena and I are planning a trip. For seven thousand years, we've been constantly on edge, never having had a chance to properly see the world. Thena says she wants to see the aurora borealis, and I want to try cuisines from all over the world."
Thena nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips, "I always thought I had plenty of time, that there would be plenty of opportunities later. Now I realize that in seven thousand years, I haven't had a single day that truly belonged to me."
Lynn asked, "Where's Druig? Why didn't he come?"
Ajak sounded somewhat helpless. "He sent a message saying he went to Las Vegas. He said, 'The first thing I'll do when I'm free is gamble to my heart's content,' and then I couldn't get in touch with him."
Lynn laughed. That's so Druig. That guy lived for seven thousand years, suppressing himself the whole time. Now that he's free, the first thing he thinks of is going to the casino...
Lynn looked at the engineer who was still clinging to the holographic projection stand, "Where's Phastos? What are your plans?"
Phastos finally turned around, adjusted his glasses, and his face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "I want to stay! In this base! The technology here is so advanced—nano suits, artificial intelligence, energy weapons...everything is worth studying! Lynn, can you let me stay? I can help with the research, no salary needed, just meals!"
Tony scoffed from the side. "Free meals? My cafeteria isn't cheap."
Phastos looked at Tony, his eyes lighting up. " Tony Stark? I just saw your armor design, it's very creative! But there are a few areas for improvement! For example, the molecular arrangement of nanomaterials; if a hexagonal close-packed structure were used, the stability could be increased by 30%, and the energy conduction efficiency could also be improved..."
Tony's expression changed.
He had just thought this old fogey was pretending to know everything, but Phastos's casual remark about "hexagonal close-packed structures" was exactly the area he'd been researching recently but hadn't yet broken through. This old fogey... really knew?
"Tell me more about it." Tony's tone changed, from disdain to seriousness.
Phastos perked up, pulling Tony to the holographic projection table beside them. He traced a complex molecular structure model in the air with his finger. "Look, you're using Cosmic Cube structure now. Its advantage is that it's easy to manufacture, but its disadvantage is uneven stress distribution, making it prone to nanomaterial breakage under high-intensity use. If you change it to a hexagonal close-packed structure..."
The two men huddled together, discussing the topic with increasing excitement. Tony frequently exclaimed, "Oh, I see!" and "Why didn't I think of that?" while Phastos kept drawing new design sketches on the projector.
Everyone around was stunned.
"Tony's actually listening to someone's lecture?" Little Peter whispered to Natasha. "I've known him for so long, and this is the first time I've seen him like this."
"I've met my match," Natasha smiled.
Lynn watched this scene with a smile on his lips. It was a good thing for SSC that Phastos stayed. This engineer, who had lived for seven thousand years, was definitely no less skilled than Tony. The two of them working together on research might just come up with some cutting-edge technology.
Finally, Lynn looked at Ajak: "And you? What are your plans?"
Ajak was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to travel. For seven thousand years, I've been the leader of the Eternals, always making decisions and bearing responsibilities. Now that my mission is over, I want to be an ordinary person, to see the world, and to think about what I really want to do."
Lynn said, "If you can't find something you want to do, come to me. The doors of SSC are always open for you."
Ajak smiled and nodded.
That afternoon, the Eternals members toured the base.
Sersi and Natasha chatted amiably, discussing everything from fashion and food to human history and love, as if they were old friends. Sersi said she had lived for seven thousand years and had never truly been in love. She had had crushes before, but watching them grow old while she remained forever young was too painful, so she never dared to invest in relationships again. Natasha listened with great emotion, saying she used to feel the same way, believing that spies didn't deserve feelings, until she met Lynn.
Gilgamesh enjoyed a hearty meal in the base's canteen, praising the chef's skills and saying he would definitely come back to eat there after his trip. Thena, on the other hand, went to the training room and sparred with several agents, easily defeating the elite ones, but she was very careful not to hurt anyone. Although the agents lost, they were all completely convinced of the power of this female warrior who had lived for seven thousand years.
Phastos and Tony spent the entire afternoon discussing things in the lab, and Banner and Ivan joined them. Four geniuses: an Eternals engineer who had lived for seven thousand years, a genius inventor who created Iron Man Armor on his own, a scientist with seven doctoral degrees, and a master copyist with top-notch hands-on skills.
The four of them argued around the projector all afternoon, filling and erasing the whiteboard repeatedly, and eventually even forgot to eat dinner.
Little Peter, like a devoted fan, surrounded the Eternals, asking them all sorts of questions. "Have you really seen the construction of the pyramids?" "What were you doing when the dinosaurs went extinct?" "What was the Black Death in the Middle Ages all about?" Sersi patiently answered each question, Thena occasionally adding a few words, and Gilgamesh told several stories of his battles against the Deviants, which made Little Peter's eyes light up.
Lynn leaned back on the sofa, watching all this with a faint smile on her lips.
This kind of everyday life is wonderful.
As evening fell, the Eternals prepared to leave.
Sersi is returning to London to continue her museum work. Gilgamesh and Thena are embarking on a trip, their first stop being Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Ajak says she'll first travel to South America, where she has some memories from thousands of years ago. Phastos stays behind; Tony has formally invited him to join SSC's R&D department, assigning him a private laboratory. The two have agreed to continue discussing improvements to nanomaterials tomorrow.
The group said their goodbyes at the base entrance.