After listening to Pepper's trembling voice recount the whole story, Lynn didn't say much and strode towards the private laboratory. Phastos and Banner were already waiting in the corridor, both looking rather grim. Ivan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed.
"How about it?"
Banner stepped forward first, his voice low, " Phastos and I had JARVIS compare his data from the past three days. His mental activity level is more than four times the normal baseline, which is abnormal."
"I see."
Lynn didn't stop walking. "Let's go in and take a look."
The footsteps of the group were very soft in the empty corridor; they all subconsciously slowed their pace. The research and development floor was already quiet, and the corner where the private laboratories were located was even quieter.
The door was ajar, but there was no sound from inside.
When Tony opened the door, he was still sitting on the pile of draft papers on the floor, pen in hand. He looked up and saw them, especially Lynn. His lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh but didn't.
"... It's really nothing, no need to make a fuss."
Lynn didn't reply. Instead, she walked over, squatted down, and stared into Tony's eyes for a few seconds. Tony's pupils were slightly dilated, with bloodshot veins covering the whites of his eyes. His gaze was unnaturally bright, as if his brain had a generator that wouldn't stop.
"You all get out."
Lynn said without turning her head, "I'll take a look alone. Pepper, stay here, just stand back."
Phastos and Banner exchanged a glance, asked no further questions, and tiptoed out. Ivan followed, closing the door behind them, and the corridor remained quiet.
Lynn stood up and placed her hand on Tony's forehead.
"Don't move, and don't resist."
Tony was about to retort, "Are you treating me or performing an exorcism?" but he swallowed the words back. He could feel a gentle yet profound power seeping in from between his eyebrows, spreading along his nerves deep into his brain.
Lynn's consciousness, enveloped in the faint light of the six gems, swept across Tony's cerebral cortex like a searchlight.
The surface layer is a surging mass of formulas and parameters: the armor's energy circuits, satellite orbit calibrations, gamma shielding optimizations—all crammed together densely. This is why Tony can't stop.
Sweeping deeper, fragments of memory drifted by: the image of his father holding him up to look at a machine tool when he was a child, the first rough suit of armor in an Afghanistan cave, the wormhole over New York, the ashes when Thanos the Snap, and Pepper smiling as she handed him coffee.
The edges of each memory were enveloped in a faint orange glow; that energy seeped into each memory like moisture, as if nurturing it, or perhaps marking it. Deeper still, in the brainstem, he found it.
A pale orange ball of energy was quietly embedded there, pulsating slowly like a heart. Its energy was fine and dense, extending outwards in strands, wrapping around every neuron and synapse, spreading throughout Tony's entire brain along the nerves.
It is definitely not a curse, parasitism, or any known form of energy.
It grew together with Tony's nerve tissue.
More precisely, its information has been written into the underlying structure of every neuron in Tony. They are intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish which part belongs to Tony and which part belongs to it.
Lynn paused for a moment.
When he saw this scene, the first thing that came to his mind was the Infinity Stones.
But no, he has all six gems on his chest.
The frequency, structure, and fluctuation pattern of this energy are completely different from those of the six gems.
Unfamiliar, ancient, yet carrying a strange sense of familiarity.
Mind Stone?
When the thought popped into Lynn's head, he was stunned for a moment.
The legendary seventh Infinity Stones. A will that existed since the beginning of the universe, it is the "white blood cell" of the universe itself.
It will only appear automatically when the universe encounters a major crisis that is enough to shake the very foundations of its existence.
But why now? The Celestials ' issue has been resolved, the rifts in the multiverse are healing, Earth is peaceful and stable, and there's nothing that could be described as a "cosmic-level crisis." Or is it... some crisis he hasn't noticed, one that's already imminent?
Lynn suppressed her thoughts.
Regardless of what it is, let's try to separate it first.
He activated the power of the Reality Stone and released his analytical abilities, trying to extract its information from Tony's nerves along the edge of that energy.
The red light of the Reality Stone seeped into my senses, cutting like the most precise scalpel at the junction of the energy cluster and the nerve.
Using its full power, it analyzed the material information on both sides: the firing frequency of neurons, the chemical signals in the synaptic cleft, the base sequence on the gene chain...
He tried to cut " Tony's" and "it" in one stroke. But as soon as he touched the boundary, Tony's body trembled violently, his back arched instantly, cold sweat poured down his forehead, he let out a muffled groan, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
Lynn stopped immediately.
no.
The integration is deeper than imagined. That energy is not simply attached to the brain; its information encoding has been broken down and embedded in the core of every neuron and the gaps between every synapse.
Forcibly separating them would be tantamount to tearing Tony's entire nervous system apart at the molecular level. Forget preserving his consciousness, he might not even be able to save his life.
Lynn withdrew the power of the Reality Stone, his brow furrowing even more deeply.
If force doesn't work, then we'll have to talk. He activated the power of the Mind Stone, and a gentle yellow consciousness extended along his senses, lightly touching the ball of orange energy. "Who are you?"
The next second, a voice rang directly in his consciousness.
It sounded familiar. It was Tony's voice. The exact same tone, the exact same mocking tone, with a touch of nonchalant smugness. "Oh, finally taking a serious look? I thought you were going to pretend you didn't see it for a few more days."
Lynn paused for a moment. It was mimicking Tony's speech. Or rather, it had been in Tony's mind for too long, and its way of speaking had long been assimilated... They were both equally annoying.
"You are not him. Who are you?"
The voice chuckled, still Tony's tone, but with a touch of antiquity and languor that didn't belong to Tony: "What's the rush? I should be asking you that, is it polite to barge into someone's head with six Infinity Stones?"
Lynn didn't reply, remaining silent for two seconds.
The fact that the other party neither attacked immediately nor strongly resisted indicates that their hostility was not great.
Lynn asked directly, "Are you the seventh one?"
The voice chuckled casually, "What seventh or eighth one? I am who I am."
That was tantamount to not answering. Lynn didn't press further, instead asking, "How long have you been inside him?"
The voice spoke slowly, "Strictly speaking, it's been quite a while. Even earlier than when that purple sweet potato spirit you mentioned attacked. So long that I almost forgot. I was sleeping the whole time, and only woke up recently when I had enough energy."
Even before the Thanos event. Lynn's heart sank. When was that? The Battle of New York? Or even earlier? What kind of catastrophe could possibly overturn the universe?
As if knowing what he was thinking, the voice chuckled softly, "Don't guess. I mean no harm. If I wanted to hurt him, he would be gone long ago."
"I've just been growing a bit too fast lately, and I can't control it; my energy is overflowing. It's normal for him to be quick-witted and sensitive to sound. Once I grow a bit more and stabilize, it'll be fine."
"His reactions during this period..."
The voice continued, "He's just too anxious, scaring himself. What's with all this talk of losing control, or having strangers in his head? Is it really that serious? I'm just borrowing a place to stay, and maybe giving him a little energy boost. It's only good for him; otherwise, with his habit of staying up all night, he would have collapsed long ago."
Lynn was silent for a moment. It sounded... like there was really no malice involved.
It was more like a being that had been asleep for a long time, just awakened, and hadn't yet mastered its power. The energy that accidentally leaked out caused Tony a series of side effects.
Tony, however, overreacted due to pride and panic.
How long do you plan to stay?
The voice was quite nonchalant, "Just stay here. It's not like I wanted to come, and I can't leave."
After a pause, it added, in Tony's characteristically smug tone, "Don't worry, he won't stay for free. He'll get his share of the benefits."
Lynn didn't reply and slowly withdrew his senses.
In reality, Tony shook his head, gasping for breath as if he had just emerged from the water. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his hair was soaked. "... What did you just do? My head went numb, like I got an electric shock."
Lynn withdrew her hand, stood up straight, and looked at him with a complicated expression. Pepper quickly came over, took out a handkerchief to wipe Tony's sweat, and looked at Lynn anxiously. "How is he? Is he alright?"
Lynn paused for a moment. "There's something in his head. But so far, it doesn't seem malicious. It was just dormant before, and it only recently woke up. Its energy isn't stable yet, which is why it's affecting Tony. It'll be fine once it stabilizes."
Pepper asked softly, "Then... we don't need to take it out?"
"Can't get it out."
Lynn shook his head. "It's fused too deeply. Forcibly removing it would hurt Tony. Besides... it's definitely replenishing Tony's energy. His quick thinking and abundant inspiration lately are all because of it."
Tony sat on the floor, head tilted back, listening silently for a long time. He'd thought it was some kind of ghost or parasite, but it turned out... it was just someone checking in, who'd also given him some kind of cheat code? What kind of nonsense was this?
Lynn, observing his expression, roughly knew what he was thinking. "Focus on your research, it's nothing serious. Don't push yourself too hard these days, take it easy, don't be too hard on yourself."
He paused, then added, "You need to be mentally prepared; you should be able to talk normally in the next few days. His personality is just as awful as yours..."
Tony: "..."
Only when everyone had left and Lynn was the only one left in the lab did the relaxed expression on his face disappear.
The Mind Stone. If it really is it.
Legend has it that this is the embodiment of the will of the universe, appearing only at crucial moments in the universe's existence.
It had been hidden inside Tony's body for so many years, dormant since before the Battle of New York, only to awaken now.
Does this mean that the real storm is just beginning?
When Lynn walked out of the lab, everyone was standing at the end of the corridor waiting for him. Natasha was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, and only straightened up when she saw him coming.
"How about it?"
"Everything's fine for now."
Lynn walked over and explained to the crowd, "There's something in his head, it's not malicious. In fact, it's good for Tony."
Natasha turned her head to look at him. "Are you worried?"
Lynn was silent for a few seconds before saying calmly, "Its very existence is a problem. The Eternals were just dealt with, and the rifts in the multiverse had just stabilized when it awoke. Normally, this thing only generates when the universe senses an impending major crisis."
No one spoke. They knew Lynn had never made a mistake. The thing hidden in the genius's mind, and the impending crisis, the one they didn't even know about.
Tony still couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the formulas in his mind still spinning slowly, neither stopping nor speeding up, as if knowing he was annoyed, deliberately slowing down to tease him.
What's even more infuriating is that the voice would occasionally chime in, saying things like "This algorithm is wrong" or "There's a better solution over there," which made Tony grit his teeth in frustration.
As soon as you close your eyes, you can vaguely feel something flowing slowly in your brain, warm and gentle, but it just keeps you from falling asleep.
Tony rolled over in frustration and slammed his fist on the mattress.
To hell with it. He threw off the covers, sat up, grabbed his coat, put it on, and slipped on his slippers before heading outside.
The corridor was quiet; at three in the morning, only the emergency lights were on in the base, casting a cold white glow on the floor. Tony turned two corners and stood at the door of Lynn's room. He raised his hand, then lowered it again, hesitated for a moment, and then awkwardly knocked twice.
The door wasn't locked. Lynn's voice came from inside, "Come in."
Tony pushed open the door and saw Lynn leaning against the balcony railing, holding a half-empty glass of wine, the night wind ruffling the hem of his clothes.
"You're still awake?"
Tony paused for a moment. "I've heard you dawdling in the hallway for ages."
Lynn glanced back at him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "What's wrong, still can't sleep?"
Tony hesitated for a moment, intending to stubbornly say, "I just came out for a walk," but Tony's words shut him down. He decided to give up and leaned against the railing. "Of course! If you had a chatterbox in your head, could you sleep?"
Lynn smiled and handed him the drink. "It's normal. Everyone's like this when they first wake up; the energy hasn't been fully absorbed yet. It'll be fine after a while as it stabilizes."
Tony took the drink, gulped it down, and the liquid slid down his throat, but it didn't quell his irritation. "What exactly is it? You said before... the Seventh Infinity Stone?"
"Most likely."
Lynn leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant city lights. " The Mind Stone. Legend has it that it existed since the birth of the universe, like the universe's own 'white blood cells.' It usually lies dormant, but it will emerge whenever the universe senses an insurmountable obstacle."
Tony paused, then asked, "White blood cells?"
"Pretty much. No malice, no ulterior motive. Just staying on someone to give them a buff."
Lynn turned to look at him. "So it's not wrong for you to be anxious, but you're focusing on the wrong thing. It's not here to harm you, it's here to help you."
"Help me?"
Tony smirked. "Stay awake for me for five days? Have you got a chatterbox living in your head who's going to argue with me?"
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "And the benefits don't stop there. Quick thinking, fast recovery, and resilience. All things considered, you've come out on top."
Tony didn't speak, twirling the wine glass in his hand. It would be a lie to say he wasn't flustered. Anyone would be uneasy if something suddenly appeared in their mind. But Lynn was right; he had indeed been experiencing a burst of inspiration these past few days, and his body seemed to be more resilient than before. Although he was mentally disoriented after five consecutive days of working, he would have collapsed long ago.
After a long silence, Tony finally asked in a low voice, "So... how long will it stay?"
Lynn was very frank, "It's highly likely I'll be spending my life with you."