Two days later, the special plane landed on the base's helipad.
Everyone carried their bags down the river. Peter, with two bags of unfinished fried dough twists in his arms, kept telling Harley that he wanted to go again next time, to ride the cable car across the river, and to see the night view of Hongya Cave.
Phastos held a tightly packaged hot pot base in his hands, frowning as he studied the ingredient list, muttering to himself that he would go back and analyze it to make a base that better suited his taste.
Tony walked at the back, Pepper linking arms with him, the two chatting leisurely. Having just returned from the humid heat of the Mountain City to the dry chill of New York, he was still a little out of sorts, the aroma of food seemingly lingering in his mouth.
But as soon as Tony reached the corridor of the research and development floor, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Pepper sensed something was wrong. "What's wrong?"
Tony frowned and closed his eyes.
After the fusion, the Mind Stone remained quiet, as if it had completely merged into the depths of his consciousness.
Over the past few days, it has been like a stone submerged at the bottom of the water, so well-behaved that one almost forgets that there is still a tenant living in one's mind.
But at this moment, that ancient and steady consciousness suddenly surfaced, carrying a urgency he had never felt before.
Gem's voice echoed deep within his mind, low and menacing, "Call Lynn over. I have something to say to him."
Tony opened his eyes, his expression darkening.
He didn't explain in detail to Pepper, but simply patted her hand. "It's nothing, I have something to discuss with Lynn. You go back and rest."
Pepper didn't ask any more questions. She knew Tony too well; this was the expression Tony only wore when faced with something truly difficult.
But she only reminded me of one thing, "Don't stay up all night again."
"Know."
When Lynn arrived, Tony was leaning against the workbench in the private lab, tapping his fingers on the table, his expression not good.
The lab lights were dim, the holographic screen wasn't on, and only a few scattered indicator lights were flashing on the workbench. A cup of coffee, now completely cold, sat in front of Tony.
"What's wrong?"
Lynn pulled up a chair and sat down, her tone still relaxed from her recent vacation, "Did you get food poisoning from hot pot?"
Tony raised his eyes. "Stop joking, it has something to tell you."
Lynn's smile vanished instantly.
He nodded, raised his hand and placed it on Tony's forehead, the soft yellow light of the Mind Stone seeping into his consciousness.
Tony closed his eyes, his consciousness sank, and he followed him inside.
After the fusion, Tony's consciousness no longer needed Lynn's unilateral guidance to enter; he only needed to relax and let the gem's consciousness "pull" him in, like sinking into a familiar deep sea.
The consciousness space was still that old laboratory.
The figure sat behind the workbench, the mist on his face less noticeable than before, revealing a resemblance to Tony's features, though his eyes held a sharp edge beneath their weariness.
Tony pulled up a chair and sat down, while Lynn stood beside him with her arms crossed.
Lynn cut to the chase, "Finally willing to talk properly? Last time I asked you what happened, you dodged the question with a laugh. Now you're coming to me on your own initiative, you can't avoid me anymore?"
The figure chuckled, a hint of weariness in his voice. "You probably wouldn't have believed me even if I'd told you before. Now, they'll be able to touch the edge of this universe in a little while. It can't be hidden anymore."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
The figure ignored his teasing, his tone quickly turning serious. "Two pursuers. One's been chasing for a long time, the other's in big trouble. Neither of them are easy to deal with."
Lynn did not respond immediately.
He lowered his head and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, as if mentally reviewing all the formidable figures in the multiverse who were worthy of being hunted across universes.
After a few seconds, he raised his eyes, his tone unhurried. "I can only think of one. Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards. A scientist so intelligent he's arrogant, he certainly has the ability to track people across the universe, and he also has the motive. But the other one... I really have no clue."
He paused, looking at the figure. "Who's the other one? There aren't many who can chase you across the multiverse until you're exhausted."
The figure didn't answer immediately. The blurry outline in the consciousness space leaned forward slightly, its voice a degree lower than before. "The other one is Kang."
Lynn was stunned.
His fingers hovered over his knee. After two seconds, he spoke, his tone carrying a hint of confirmation. " The He Who Remains? The Kang who founded TVA?"
The figure nodded.
Lynn leaned back in his chair and fell silent.
Tony glanced at him from the side; he rarely saw Lynn with that expression.
Lynn spoke again, gesturing with his chin to steer the conversation back on track, " Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards. I know him, the scientist who's so smart he's arrogant. Why is he chasing you? Did you steal something from him?"
The figure shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "I originally came from his Ultimate Universe. But Reed chased me, not because I stole anything. What he wanted was much bigger than that."
How big?
The voice in the figure deepened, "He wants to reset the entire metaverse. Reed has witnessed the collapse and chaos of multiple parallel universes. You can imagine—countless universes, each with its own physical rules, its own level of technology, its own flow of time. Some universes have developed inter-universe travel technology, while others are still stuck in the Stone Age. In some universes, a mad scientist conducted an out-of-control experiment, causing the entire universe to collapse. Reed believes this situation is 'disorderly, inefficient, and dangerous.' Each universe operates independently, with unequal technology and information asymmetry, and could potentially affect other universes at any time due to a reckless experiment in one universe. He feels this chaos must be ended."
Tony frowned. "So he's looking for you..."
"Yes, he wants to get me and, with my help, establish a 'trans-cosmic order.' In his view, only he is qualified to create this order."
He wants to reset those 'unqualified' universes, standardize technological practices, unify information control, and bring all parallel universes into a framework under his control. He calls this 'salvation'.
Lynn and Tony exchanged a glance.
What about Kang?
Lynn asked the most crucial question, "Doesn't Kang have TVA? He controls an entire Sacred Timeline, and his influence extends this far? Chasing you across the universe? What's his motive?"
Mentioning Kang, the figure's tone became noticeably more somber.
"When I was hiding from Reed, I panicked and stumbled into his temporal domain."
Lynn frowned. He knew about TVA, and he also knew about Kang the Conqueror.
That one controls the timeline and maintains its rule by pruning branches.
He had always thought Kang only protected his own timeline, never expecting his reach to extend to the realm of intercosms.
He learned about my abilities.
The figure sneered, "He's afraid. Afraid that someone will obtain me and create a weapon that can fight him. He's afraid that the collision of information from different universes will give rise to countless time branches that he can't control, destroying his hegemony."
So he wants to arrest you?
"Either keep me in his own hands and use me for his own purposes, or eliminate me completely to prevent future troubles. To him, I'm just an unstable time virus. If he keeps me around, I'll explode sooner or later."
Tony suddenly spoke. He hadn't said much until now, leaning back in his chair with his fingers interlaced on his stomach, as if processing the information. Now he looked up, his tone flat. "Why didn't you say so before?"
The figure paused for a moment. A few seconds of silence followed in the consciousness space, as if the question had pressed the pause button.
"I've been running around for many years, I can't remember how many universes I've crossed, and I've even tried to inhabit other people's brains. But I couldn't hold on to any of them. Most people's consciousness shattered the moment I entered them, like pouring a bucket of water into a paper cup."
Tony didn't respond.
"I chose him because only he could bear me. I thought that as long as our consciousness merged deeply enough, they wouldn't be able to sense me. I was betting that after the fusion, I would become a part of him, and they wouldn't be able to track me."
You made the wrong bet.
The figure readily admitted, his tone devoid of explanation, only a resigned acceptance, "They had already pinpointed my approximate location before I even merged with them. No matter how deep the fusion, it was useless. I originally thought that after merging, I could completely disappear from their perception, but they locked onto me much earlier than I anticipated. All this time, I've been betting they're slow to calculate, but now... they're almost there."
The lab was silent for a few seconds. Outside the consciousness space, in reality, Tony unconsciously tapped his fingers twice on the table.
Lynn slowly pieced together the cause and effect.
Two pursuers, two kinds of trouble. Mister Fantastic Reed's initial intentions were "good," but his methods were extreme. He wanted to reset the metaverse and establish an inter-universe order dominated by him, just like Thanos, only his was much larger.
Kang the Conqueror, a pure dictator of time, seeks to eliminate all unstable factors. He holds the power of TVA, and once he takes action, he will be a major problem.
Lynn looked up and asked, "How much time do we have left?"
The figure remained silent for a moment.
"I have no idea."
Lynn frowned.
"I could only vaguely sense that they were approaching."
"So what do you mean by 'coming soon'?" Tony asked.
"It could be a few days, it could be a few months, it could be a decade or more. But it definitely won't be too long."
Lynn and Tony exchanged a glance.
"There's one more thing. No matter who gets there first, the other won't obediently wait in line. Kang knows Reed is chasing me, so he might let Reed make the first move while he waits on the sidelines for the outcome. If Reed forces me out, Kang will save himself some trouble. If Reed fails, Kang can also take the opportunity to see what your cards are."
Tony cursed, "So we have to keep an eye on someone lurking in the corner too?"
"The person crouching in the corner is omniscient. Although he's not in his own territory and his abilities are limited, he's definitely more troublesome than you think," the figure reminded him.
"Okay, okay, the one after that is more troublesome." Tony waved his hand.
Lynn stood up. "Okay, I understand."
The figure looked at him, somewhat surprised. "Don't you have anything else to ask?"
"What's the point of asking?"
Lynn smiled. "They're all here; we can't just hand Tony over. If Reed's willing to reason, we'll sit down and talk. Although, judging from what you've said, his 'reason' sounds a bit far-fetched. If Kang wants to use force, then let's fight. They're both troublesome, but definitely not as much as you think."
The figure paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "You and Tony are really alike. Both equally stubborn."
Lynn turned and walked out of consciousness. "You've been with Tony for so long, but neither of Tony has ever seen me truly fight. So don't worry about us. Remember to let us know in advance if there's anything new, don't wait until you can't hide it anymore."
"Knew."
In reality, Lynn withdrew her hand. Tony shook his head, his temples throbbing. The two stood in the lab, neither speaking first.
"What to do?"
Lynn leaned against the table. "There's nothing we can do. The jewel is on you; it's only a matter of time before they come looking for it. We'll talk if we can, and fight if we can't. But before we fight, we need to think about something."
"What?"
"The battlefield can't be on Earth. Whether Reed or Kang fights, it won't be a minor skirmish. A cross-universe energy clash on Earth would mean defeat even if you won. So my idea is to take advantage of the time we have and prepare for two scenarios. First, you need to contact Strange immediately to upgrade Earth's defenses, setting up planetary-level defensive barriers, orbital early warning systems, and cross- Cosmic Energy monitoring. If the fighting really happens on our doorstep, at least we can't let the battlefield affect the ground. The other is to find a suitable 'away battlefield,' an uninhabited planet, or a vast, empty star system. If they come for the gems, we'll take them and leave."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you want me to act as bait and lure the pursuers outside to fight?"
Lynn looked at him. "You're the focus. The jewel is on you; they're after you. If it really comes to that, I'll take you with me. Fighting outside is better than fighting on Earth."
Tony scoffed, "You're a deserter. Why should I avoid your sharp edge?"
He was being defiant, but his fingers were already tapping lightly on the workbench, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.
After incorporating knowledge of gemstones, many techniques that were previously incomprehensible now have a clear direction.
Lynn saw through his thoughts and smiled. "Don't immediately dive into the lab and work three days and three nights straight. We still have time; there's no rush. First, organize your thoughts, then we'll hold a meeting tomorrow, call everyone who needs to be called, and gather everyone's ideas."
"Okay, okay."
Tony waved his hand, "You go first."
Lynn didn't say anything more and turned to walk out. When he reached the door, he paused and looked back.
Tony stood at the workbench, head down, his fingertips flying across the holographic screen, lines of complex formulas and structural diagrams appearing and being quickly modified by him.
Outside the door, the corridor lights stretched into the distance.
Earth defense, away game location selection, personnel division of labor—none of these can be delayed.
This is really troublesome.
Lynn looked away, took out his phone, and sent a message to Strange, arranging to meet the next morning to discuss the big trouble that was about to befall Earth.
The other end quickly replied with a single word, "Okay."