Lynn had only just stepped through the portal when he instinctively narrowed his eyes.
The deserts of Afghanistan and the comfort of the New York Sanctum were practically two different worlds. He glanced down at the Sling Ring on his hand. His fingertips twitched, and a pale white magical barrier silently spread out, keeping the wind and sand away from him.
"Tony Stark should be somewhere around here," Lynn muttered, rapidly recalling the plot of the Marvel movies. "The militants' base, hidden among the mountains, an abandoned cave..."
He did not act rashly. After all, the militants were armed to the teeth. Although he could now easily conjure magic swords and throw fireballs, there was no need to create unnecessary complications. The Ancient One's words still echoed in his ears. He had yet to fully understand his abilities. If he accidentally exposed himself and disrupted the original plot, no one knew what chain reaction it might cause.
Most importantly, he did not want to change how Iron Man came to be.
Lynn knew very well that Tony Stark's desperate struggle for survival in the cave, the process of building his first suit of armor out of scrap metal, and Yinsen's death were the keys to his transformation from arms dealer to Iron Man. Without that experience, there would be no Iron Man to protect Earth later, much less the subsequent series of Marvel storylines. He had not come here to steal the credit. He only wanted to save Doctor Yinsen, who was supposed to die. As for Tony, he was the chosen one. He would not die that easily. Whatever he was meant to experience, he still needed to experience for himself.
Steadying himself, Lynn raised his hand and drew a small circular rune in the air. Glowing with faint white light, it drifted silently into the distance. This was a spell he had simplified himself using the scouting magic in the Sanctum's books.
The rune darted through the air, sweeping over rolling dunes and bare mountaintops, and soon found the hidden cave. Several tents made from camouflage netting stood in front of the entrance. Two militants holding rifles stood at the mouth of the cave, their vigilant eyes scanning their surroundings. A heavy machine gun was set up nearby as well. The defenses were extremely tight.
Lynn focused, looking into the cave through the rune's perspective.
The cave was dimly lit. Wearing a white tank top covered in grease, Tony Stark crouched beside a heap of scrap metal and parts, his face smeared with soot and his hair disheveled. With tools in hand, he was intently grinding down a metal plate. Bandages were wrapped around his chest, and his face was somewhat pale. He was clearly injured, yet his eyes held an unyielding tenacity.
Beside him was a gentle-faced, middle-aged man in a white coat, busy welding parts. This middle-aged man was none other than Doctor Yinsen. The two occasionally exchanged a few quiet words. There was no trace of despair in their voices; instead, there was a hint of hope that they would survive.
"Good." Lynn breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the rune. Work on the armor had only recently begun, so there was no need to rush into action. He only needed to lie low nearby and save Yinsen when Tony broke out and Yinsen was in danger.
His gaze swept across the surrounding mountains, and he soon settled on a nearby peak. It was high up with an open view, offering a clear line of sight to the cave entrance. Its slopes were steep and covered in low shrubs, providing excellent concealment. It was an ideal observation point.
A faint white glow appeared beneath Lynn's feet. He leaped lightly into the air and, with the aid of magic, reached the peak in just a few steps. Finding a huge jutting rock, he hid behind it, then used magic to spur the growth of several patches of shrubs, concealing himself completely and leaving only a gap through which to watch for activity at the cave.
Once his hiding place was ready, Lynn leaned against the rock and watched the distant cave, working through his plan. He remembered very clearly that Tony Stark finally finished his armor, burst out of the cave, and displayed his might one morning, when the militants were at their least vigilant.
"There's still plenty of time anyway. I can't just stay here living on air." Lynn pursed his lips. Remembering the food at the New York Sanctum and the bed with its thick quilt, he instantly found the desert before him even harder to endure. "How about this? I'll go back to the Sanctum for meals, head back to rest at night, and come check on Tony's progress every other day. That way, I won't delay anything, and I won't have to put myself through this."
With that decided, Lynn immediately got to work. After confirming that nothing was amiss nearby, he raised his hand and opened a portal. Orange sparks quietly blossomed in the desert. On the other side was the familiar hall of the New York Sanctum, and he could even faintly smell the aroma of bread wafting through.
He glanced back toward the cave and raised a hand in a gesture of encouragement. Quietly, he said, "You've got this, Tony. I won't interrupt your progress fighting monsters and leveling up."
With that, he stepped into the portal. The orange sparks gradually faded, and the desert returned to its usual silence, as though no one had ever been there.
Inside the New York Sanctum, Wong was still leaning against the second-floor railing, reading. When he saw Lynn emerge from the portal, he did not even lift his eyelids, merely asking flatly, "Was Afghanistan fun?"
"Nope. Nothing but sand, and no food." Lynn brushed the dust off himself and headed straight toward the dining hall. "I'm going to eat, then come back and get some sleep. I'll take another look tomorrow."
Wong lowered his book, his gaze falling on the portal closing behind Lynn. A flicker of puzzlement crossed his eyes, but he asked no further questions.
Since the Ancient One trusted this young man to do what he wanted, Wong only needed to look after the Sanctum.
In the dining hall, steaming food had already been laid out. Lynn picked up a plate and helped himself to a generous plateful, eating as he worked out when he would next visit Afghanistan.
What he did not know was that when he withdrew his detection spell, Tony Stark suddenly stopped working inside the cave. He looked up toward the entrance and frowned. "Just now... did something pass by?"
Doctor Yinsen stopped welding and looked at him in confusion. "What thing? I didn't notice anything."
Tony shook his head and rubbed between his brows. "Maybe I'm just too on edge."
He gave it no further thought, picking up his tools again and continuing to grind down the part in his hands. He did not know that someone had been hiding on a nearby peak just moments ago, silently watching over his transformation while waiting to save the life that was supposed to end.
Meanwhile, Lynn was sitting at the Sanctum's dining table, taking great mouthfuls of food, with only one thought in his mind: When Tony breaks out, I have to get there in time, save Yinsen, and then quietly be a "behind-the-scenes observer."
Oh, right, right, there's also Iron Man's first crash. Hmm, tomorrow I'll borrow some money from Wong and buy a phone with a better camera. A moment like that has to be recorded.