Lynn walked to the end of the corridor, then stopped.
The corridor lights cast long shadows on the ground, and the muffled sounds from the training room in the distance could be faintly heard.
He stood there for a while, then turned back and pushed open the door to the private laboratory.
Tony was still standing in front of the workbench, his fingertips flying across the holographic screen, lines of formulas appearing and then being crossed out, clearly already absorbed in the task.
He didn't even look up when he heard the noise. "Why are you back again? Did you leave something behind?"
"I'd like to talk to your tenant about something."
Lynn walked back, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "I need to go back in and see if the two people chasing him are the ones I know."
Tony paused, glanced up at him, and then put down the pen. "Okay. They're used to hiding things; they definitely didn't tell you everything last time."
The two closed their eyes, their consciousness sank, and they fell back into that old laboratory.
The figure was still sitting behind the workbench. When he saw the two of them come in, he raised an eyebrow.
His movements were exactly like Tony's. "Why are you back again? Wasn't what I just said enough?"
"Not enough."
Lynn pulled up a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point, " Reed Richards, he's been chasing you for three hundred years. What kind of interdimensional equipment does he possess? What are his conventional combat methods?"
The figure scoffed, "You're quite direct."
It paused, tapping its fingertips lightly on the table, and slowly began to speak, " Reed's core equipment is an inter-universe jump device, installed in the core of his spaceship. It can jump short distances between parallel universes with high precision and almost no energy leakage. His body has been modified with Unstable Molecules, allowing it to stretch and deform freely, making physical attacks very ineffective against him. His brain is his most powerful weapon; his ability to deduce on the spot is extremely strong. He can calculate your attack pattern even after you've only hit him halfway."
The figure spoke bluntly, "Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it. He believes his logic is always the optimal solution. His greatest strength lies in his tactics and strategies; given enough time, his combat potential is extremely high. However, if you can overturn his deductions in his area of expertise, he'll fall into a long period of self-doubt. His molecular stability has a critical value; energy shocks exceeding that threshold can temporarily disrupt his body structure. While they won't kill him, they can stun him for a while."
Lynn nodded and then asked, "What about Kang? Since he's not on TVA's home turf, how much are his abilities limited?"
Mentioning Kang, the figure's tone noticeably sombered. "There are significant limitations. The source of his power is the time-warping device, bound to his Sacred Timeline. Coming from across the universe, the power of his machinery is reduced by at least 70%, making it impossible to directly erase the entire timeline or prune its branches on a large scale."
"Then what else can he do?"
"Local time loops, short-term predictions, accelerating one's own time flow, and time cages."
The figure said, "The most troublesome thing is precognition. In the original universe, he could foresee a very long period of the future, but here I can't confirm the limits of his ability."
Tony frowned. "Isn't there anyone who can control him?"
"Have."
The figure glanced at Lynn. " The Space Stone's power can tear apart his time prison, and the Reality Stone's ability to rewrite the laws of matter can also disrupt the flow of time. He expended a great deal of energy crossing universes, making it impossible for him to continue high-intensity combat for an extended period. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for him. The sooner we deal with Reed, the better; the longer we deal with Kang, the better."
"Will they bring any helpers? Like TVA or something?"
The figure said, " Reed will most likely go it alone; he doesn't think much of the others. Kang might bring him along; he has quite a few men in TVA."
A few seconds of silence filled the lab. Lynn stood up. "Okay, all confirmed. You stay put and contact Tony immediately if there's any new development. Don't wait until it's impossible to hide it anymore before you speak up."
"I know, I know, you've said it so many times already, you're so long-winded."
The figure waved its hand, its tone a little impatient, "Like a nagging housekeeper."
As his consciousness returned to reality, Tony rubbed his temples and opened his eyes, his eyes still showing signs of fatigue from information overload.
"That's quite a detailed question."
He picked up the cold coffee on the table and took a sip. " Reed is arrogant, and Connors can't afford to lose. So, it's not entirely hopeless."
"It wasn't as dramatic as you think. If we didn't care about the consequences, I could lead you to their door right now."
Lynn stood up. "But you can't underestimate them. There's a meeting tomorrow. You organize this information, and I'll notify the others. I'll contact Thor and the others. I've already made an appointment with Strange in the main conference room tomorrow morning."
"OK."
Tony nodded, his fingers already typing on the screen. "I'll go through the plan overnight, and we'll discuss the division of labor tomorrow."
Lynn didn't say anything more, closed the door and walked out, the distant mountains and forests disappearing into the night. He took out his phone and sent messages to Thor, Banner, and Ivan in turn, the messages were simple: Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, in the main conference room, there's big trouble to discuss.
After sending the message, he looked up at the night sky. The stars were bright, showing no sign of an approaching storm.
At nine o'clock the next morning, in the main conference room, long tables were arranged in a U-shape, and a holographic screen in front of them was lit up, projecting a map of the star system.
Everyone had arrived. Thor sat on the far left, clutching a half-empty bottle of beer, still in his armor, his cloak draped over the back of his chair.
Strange sat calmly beside him. Banner had a notebook open in front of him, pen already clutched in his hand. Ivan leaned back in his chair, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, looking impatient.
Harley and Peter sat in the back. Harley sat up straight, clutching his notebook, while Peter leaned close to him, whispering something and nodding occasionally.
The conference room fell silent for a moment when Tony and Lynn walked in from outside.
"Everyone's here, let's get down to business."
Tony walked to the head of the table and sat down. He tapped his finger on the table, and the holographic screen immediately switched, displaying two silhouettes of people with their names labeled next to them: Reed Richards and Kang the Conqueror.
Two things.
Tony cut to the chase, "First, two interdimensional pursuers are heading this way, their target being the lodger in my head. Second, we need to finalize our defenses, division of labor, and backup plans before they arrive."
As soon as he finished speaking, Thor took a sip of beer and mumbled, "That's it? I thought it was something serious. Two people from outer space, just fight them off. I'll take the Asgard warriors and guard the edge of the Solar System; we'll smash them one by one."
"It's not that simple, Thor."
Strange spoke, his voice steady, "Intercosmic beings, each carrying the physical laws of a different universe. A head-on collision would only cause serious problems due to energy spillover."
"The monk is just a coward."
Thor curled his lip. "Back when the Dark Elves attacked, you weren't this worried."
Strange frowned. "That's within the Nine Realms, where the rules originate from the same source. These two come from completely different cosmic systems; the problems they've caused are definitely not insignificant!"
"Alright, stop arguing."
Tony tapped the table, and the holographic screen switched to display the detailed ability parameters of the two men. "The first one is Reed Richards, nicknamed Mister Fantastic, the top scientist in the Ultimate Universe. His body can freely shapeshift, he has extremely high physical resistance, possesses an inter-universe warship, and his brain is his greatest weapon. He is arrogant and his goal is to reset the entire metaverse order."
Banner pushed up his glasses and stared at the screen. "Reset the metaverse? He's insane? Countless universes of life, just reset them like that?"
He doesn't think he's crazy.
Tony shrugged. "He thinks the greatest evil is the chaos of the universe, and that unifying rules and order is the only way to save the world. Typical genius arrogance, a bit like me when I was young. Of course, he's not as handsome as me."
Ivan scoffed, "Still haven't shaken off your narcissism."
Tony ignored him, swiping his finger to switch to Kang's silhouette. "The second one, Kang the Conqueror, the founder of TVA, possesses a time-warping device and controls an entire Sacred Timeline. His abilities will be weakened when he crosses universes, but he'll still be very difficult to deal with. His goal is to obtain or erase the Mind Stone and eliminate the instability in the timeline."
A few seconds of silence filled the conference room. Peter raised his hand, his voice a little nervous. "Um... what's a time-warping device? Is it very powerful?"
Ivan glanced at him sideways. "Scared?"
Peter immediately straightened up. "I... I wasn't scared! I was just asking!"
Don't worry, it's not that scary.
Lynn spoke up; he had been leaning against the window, but only now did he come over. "Kang's journey across the universe has taken a heavy toll; he can't sustain high-intensity combat for long. If we really get into a fight, just stall for time."
All eyes fell on him. Lynn's tone was flat, without much inflection, yet it inexplicably made people feel at ease.
"Let's talk about priorities first."
Lynn walked to the holographic screen. "First principle: the battlefield cannot be on Earth, or even in the Solar System. If Reed arrives first, we'll negotiate; if we can't reach an agreement, we'll move the battlefield to outer space. Kang, when you arrive, we'll fight immediately; we must stop him at the edge of the universe."
Thor nodded. "I like hearing that. Seeing it means doing it!"
Tony continued, "Prepare in three directions. First, Earth's homeland defense. Strange be in charge of the magical side, including the Mirror Dimension's front layer and inter-universe space shielding arrays—build as many layers as possible. Banner will be in charge of the global monitoring network and inter- Cosmic Energy early warning systems; the higher the accuracy, the better, providing advance warnings."
Banner nodded, quickly jotting down notes in his notebook. "No problem. I'll work with Phastos, and we can get a basic framework up and running within two weeks."
"Second, the external defense line."
Tony looked at Ivan, "Upgrade the orbital weapons, deploy some weapons in the outer Solar System. We don't need to kill them, but at least slow them down. You lead the fortifications, and bring in manpower from the logistics team. Give me a list of the materials you need."
Ivan raised an eyebrow and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "A month. I can build three artillery emplacements in a month. But don't expect to stop Conrad or Reed; they'll only be able to take down some grunts."
Tony glanced at him. "If you're strong enough, a brick can fly; even scraping can cause damage."
The two exchanged a glance, snorted at each other, and stopped arguing.
Third, division of labor.
Tony's gaze swept over Harley and Peter behind him. " Harley, the field operations team is yours. Upgrade daily patrols, redo the ground evacuation plans, and ensure coverage of key cities. If a war really breaks out near Earth, the safety of civilians and the maintenance of order on the ground will all depend on you."
Harley immediately stood up straight. "Understood. Mission accomplished."
" Peter cooperate with Harley."
Tony added, "You're familiar with ground containment and civilian rescue. If you encounter a tough opponent, don't fight them head-on; call for backup."
"Receive!"
Peter quickly stood up, nearly knocking over his chair. He hurriedly steadied himself, his face slightly flushed.
Thor slammed his hand on the table, making the water glass jump. "What about me? I'll go head-to-head!"
Lynn spoke up, "You'll definitely be fighting on the front lines. You'll be the main force in the extraterrestrial battlefield, and you'll need to send as many troops as you can from Asgard. You'll be in charge of clearing out Kang's Time Guardians, and if Reed's negotiations break down, you'll be responsible for containing his actions."
Thor laughed heartily, "No problem!"
Tony concluded, " Lynn and I will coordinate. Reed will go first, then Lynn and I will go. If we can talk, we will; if not, we'll just go for it. When Kang arrives, Lynn will lead the charge, and I'll provide technical support. Everyone, follow orders and no one is allowed to act on their own."
No one spoke in the meeting room, which was considered an acceptance of the proposed solution.
Strange suddenly spoke up, "Is there really any possibility of negotiation with Reed? He wants to reset the metaverse, which is no small matter. We can't agree to that."
Lynn said, "We didn't expect him to abandon the plan, but we can negotiate. It would be best if we could reach an agreement, to avoid fighting. If we can't, we won't lose anything."
Ivan scoffed, "Why should he talk to us? Does he think he's some kind of savior who'll listen to you?"
Lynn spoke calmly, yet with unwavering confidence, "He's arrogant, but not stupid. If he doesn't gain the upper hand in a fight, he'll sit down and talk."
Ivan opened his mouth, but didn't refute.
"There's something else."
Banner suddenly looked up, his expression grave. " The Mind Stone is inside Tony. They're after the stone. What if... I mean, what if they can't stop them on the battlefield? What will happen to Tony then?"
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. This was the worst-case scenario. Tony was about to speak when Lynn spoke first, "If it really comes to that, I'll stand in front of Tony. You guys do your jobs well and try your best to prevent the situation from escalating to that point."
Tony tapped the table, steer the conversation back on track, "I have a backup plan. If Reed and Conn arrive one after the other, we'll use their strength against them. Their goals are different, and they don't get along. Conn wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, so we'll do the opposite, letting Reed run into Conn's men first. If they fight, we'll save ourselves the effort."
Thor's eyes lit up. "This is interesting! Let them fight like dogs first, then we'll go and plunder!"
"It's not that easy."
Strange shook his head. "Kang is so shrewd, he won't be easily fooled. We can only go with the flow and not have too much hope."
"Something is better than nothing."
"Let's get the plan done first, then we'll see if we need it later."
Over the next hour, everyone worked out the details one by one.
From the precision parameters of the monitoring network to the deployment locations of the turrets; from the number of layers of the magical barrier to the response time of the field teams; from the evacuation routes of civilians to the assembly points of Asgard reinforcements.
From strategic direction to the allocation of resources.
Banner's notebook was filled with three pages, Peter's notebook was also filled with dense writing, Harley would occasionally add a few details about the ground operation, Ivan would occasionally chime in with a sarcastic suggestion for improvement, Thor would occasionally slam his fist on the table and shout "Just do it!" only to be helplessly dissuaded by Strange.
Tony sat in the main seat, his thinking incredibly fast. After merging with the Mind Stone, his deductive abilities far surpassed what they used to be. When someone posed a question, he could instantly provide three or four alternative solutions, clearly analyzing their pros and cons. Even Ivan, unusually, didn't argue, occasionally nodding in agreement.