Before entering the conference room, Arthur felt a flicker of unease.
But it vanished instantly.
Regardless of what his companions might infer from Future's Natasha's arrival, could the events of the past truly be erased?
After they had repeatedly and unconditionally placed their faith in him, how could he possibly doubt them now?
His composure instantly returned to normal as he reached for the conference room door handle.
He pushed the door open. The room was packed!
The entire meeting lasted a full three hours, with the core discussions focusing on three main points:
1. Could Future Natasha's arrival trigger further dimensional shifts?
The primary concern among the attendees was whether Future Tony, Future Spiderman, Future Thor, and other versions of the heroes would follow.
During this discussion, Future Natasha revealed that Future Thor had become a "fat otaku," sparking Thor's curiosity. After delving into the traits of "fat otakus," he fell into a long silence...
Even with scientific assistance, this question proved difficult to answer. The final conclusion was to remain vigilant and observe.
At least for now, their Dimensional Detector had detected no new dimensional fluctuations.
2. The discussion centered on Future Natasha again!
The main topic was how to send her back to her own dimension.
Arthur had to work with the team to brainstorm a series of potential solutions, such as breaking through the dimensional barriers or attempting to reverse-engineer the method through which Future Natasha had arrived. However, none of these approaches yielded significant results.
Even Tony struggled to offer any constructive suggestions on this matter, ultimately leading to it becoming a new research topic at Camp Lehigh.
They hoped to find a solution in the days to come, but these "days" were clearly numbered. They needed to find a solution quickly!
The third point of discussion concerned the placement of Future Natasha.
After a brief discussion yesterday, today's session delved into the matter more systematically.
Since she was already here, and technically not an outsider after the exchange of information, they hoped Future Natasha would agree to stay at Camp Lehigh temporarily to work.
Once a method to send her back was found, they would send her home immediately.
Future Natasha raised no objections to this arrangement.
With that, the meeting adjourned.
No one delved deeper into any further discussion. An unspoken consensus marked the end of the session, and each member dispersed to their respective tasks.
Just as Arthur was about to leave the conference room, Future Natasha called out to him, "Could you wait a moment?"
Arthur turned to look at her, saying nothing.
Future Natasha paused, then said, "Perhaps... I should thank you."
"Huh?" Arthur asked, confused.
"Because of your existence," Future Natasha explained, "the me in this world seems to be living a very happy life." She gazed at Arthur. "This world is completely different from the one I know... It's hard to imagine that just your existence could have such a profound impact."
Arthur shook his head. "I guess that's the butterfly effect for you."
"In any case, thank you so much," Future Natasha said softly, exhaling gently. She turned and walked deeper into the corridor, a Šumer drone silently following beside her.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, another voice called out, "Hey, I think you might have forgotten something."
Arthur turned around.
Scott said, "I think you should call Hank. For some reason, when I told him what happened here, he got furious and wanted to talk to you immediately! I didn't think yesterday was the best time, but if I don't explain things clearly today, I'm afraid he'll tear me apart."
"Excellent," Arthur nodded in satisfaction.
"?" Scott looked bewildered. "What's 'excellent'? Is it good that he's furious, or good that he'll tear me apart? Neither of those is good, you know?"
Arthur ignored him, tapped his wristband, and dialed Hank's number.
Hank's furious voice erupted through the connection: "You've completely exceeded my expectations!"
Arthur feigned confusion. "What's happened, my friend? You're not getting any younger, you know. You need to control your temper."
"I know exactly what you're planning! And why you're doing it!" Hank spat through gritted teeth. "There's only one way to save that child, but you can't do it this way! You... you can't let Scott give me hope only to plunge me into the deepest despair!"
Arthur paused, then asked, "So?"
"..." Hank fell silent.
Arthur smiled. "I don't want to pressure you, but even an outsider like me understands what the Quantum Realm represents. The child's illness clearly can only be treated through that avenue, and Scott himself returned from the Quantum Realm... It all points to one conclusion: it's not a dead place, not an abyss from which no one ever returns. So... what are your thoughts?"
"I'll save her!" Hank snarled through gritted teeth.
Arthur shook his head. "Save who? Ava? Or... Janet?"
"You damn bastard!" This time, Hank was truly losing his mind.
Arthur sighed. "I just want to offer you a better path. The superhero alliance I've founded is different from the SHIELD you once led. If you're willing, you could accomplish two major feats here! We have everything you need, and all we need is you! If you're willing, I think many problems could be solved with ease."
"You're too despicable!" Hank's face darkened, then he suddenly realized, "No, wait—you couldn't have done something like that! You would never harm Janet! Even if you wanted to, the other superheroes would never allow it."
"Hmm... Are you willing to gamble?" Arthur asked.
This time, all he got was a busy signal.
Arthur smiled and turned to Scott, who had been trailing behind him. "Go get him."
Only then did Scott's jaw drop as he finally understood why Arthur had been going through all these elaborate motions.
Helplessly, he gave a thumbs-up. "Cunning! Despicable!"
"Thank you," Arthur accepted the praise, then sighed softly. "At any cost? Suddenly, I don't even know what I'm so desperately fighting for anymore..."
(End Of This Chapter)
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