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Life... it has to have some meaning, right?
Arthur wasn't sure if he truly needed so much faith, goals, direction, and the like to live a fulfilling and clear-minded life.
His current biggest dilemma was...
After exhausting every possible strategy and expending all his efforts to defeat Thanos, was Thanos even his match anymore?
If Thanos remained an unattainable goal, then all his painstaking efforts and sacrifices would be worth it.
But now that Thanos hadn't yet acquired the Infinity Gems, and Arthur's own power had soared skyward at an unstoppable pace, was there any need to continue resorting to such extreme measures?
"It's like a train..." Arthur mused. "At first, it pushes forward with all its might. But as it gains momentum, everything seems to fall into place naturally."
Arthur held up a rou jia mo, gazing at the braised pork belly inside. "This must be some kind of inertia, right?"
Lily gave him a curious look. "Have you been feeling lost lately?"
"Yeah..." Arthur nodded.
"So lost that... you're seeking answers from a rou jia mo?"
Lily sighed, her gaze lingering on the rou jia mo in Arthur's hand. "The only thing it can truly do is fill your stomach."
"Hmm..." Arthur pondered. "It also stimulates my sense of smell and makes my mouth water..."
"If you overthink every question this deeply and cling to it so obsessively, the world would become incredibly dull," Lily muttered.
Arthur chuckled. "Perhaps it's precisely because a few people cling to such obsessions that the world remains so fascinating?"
Lily pondered for a moment. "I can't even argue with that."
Arthur, having finished the last bite of his meat-filled flatbread, saw a notification pop up.
He casually opened it and said to Lily, "Tonight..."
"Mm-hmm," Lily nodded before he could finish. "And tomorrow morning?"
"I don't know."
"Are you really going to let a rookie female driver like me take to the road, full of anxiety?" Lily feigned a pitiful look.
Arthur considered for a moment, then nodded earnestly. "Every female driver grows through hardship!"
"...You've changed. You never used to treat me like this..." Lily said, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.
Arthur reached out and gently tapped her forehead. "Performance... 32%. Not even close to passing."
Lily puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
Arthur affectionately ruffled her hair. "Good night."
"Night, night, night..."
…
In a flash of light, Arthur materialized at Camp Lehigh.
The message he had received tonight had been sent by Scott.
No matter how much Hank resented Arthur's methods, he was now powerless to intervene.
Arthur possessed an unparalleled advantage: if he truly decided to abandon Hank and focus solely on curing Ava, the outcome could very likely be an unpredictable tragedy.
Though Hank believed Arthur wouldn't dare go that far, Arthur could afford to gamble. How could Hank possibly bet his wife's life against Arthur's?
Even though Ava's fate remained uncertain, he could never use her life as a bargaining chip.
Therefore, compromise was inevitable.
Since compromise was inevitable, whether it came sooner or later was meaningless.
Coming sooner might at least salvage something.
Even so, Hank's expression remained sour as he glared at Arthur, his face contorted as if Arthur owed him a fortune.
Arthur smiled. "Trust me this once, and perhaps your wife could return to this world sooner. Why let your pride make her suffer? Don't you think?"
Arthur's words lacked force, but their underlying meaning resonated deeply with Hank.
Finally, Hank sighed deeply. "At least, given our current financial situation, I have roughly two plans."
"Tell me about them," Arthur said, glancing at Ava. The girl was wearing another battle suit, its primary function to suppress her Phase Shift ability—or perhaps it was a symptom of her condition.
It's worth noting that after Arthur disassembled her initial battle suit, he had gained a new skill.
But it wasn't Phase Shift... it was Clone!
This was bizarre, and Arthur couldn't quite grasp the logic behind it, but he had no choice but to accept it.
After understanding the skill, Arthur was even more speechless.
His Clone skill didn't grant the clones any autonomy, nor was it some kind of overpowered Shadow Clone technique. Instead, it allowed him to instantly shape multiple clones using the golden energy within his body. The exact number of clones he could create depended on the amount of energy Arthur possessed.
The advanced version of the Clone ability was renamed Energy Clone!
These clones contained energy but couldn't move independently. When attacked and destroyed, they would detonate, releasing the golden energy stored within them. This energy could even trigger chain reactions.
In other words, if Arthur used Clone to surround an opponent and detonated one clone, the surrounding clones would explode simultaneously. The resulting massive blast could completely annihilate the trapped enemy.
Arthur was speechless. Instead of calling this a clone, it would be more accurate to call it a bomb...
Moreover, he felt this ability somewhat resembled the Qi Arts Master's skill from the game Dungeon Fighter Online (DNF).
After settling his thoughts, Arthur heard Hank's voice in his ear.
There were roughly two main plans: first, to find a way to rescue Janet; second, to cure Ava.
Hank had detailed plans for both, though Arthur only understood about half of them.
Ava listened without objection.
Since entering Camp Lehigh, the treatment she received was markedly different from her time with SHIELD.
These people were far more concerned with how much longer her body could endure and what methods could be used to sustain her, rather than... how her abilities could help them kill targets and secure strategic advantages.
For this reason, Ava was willing to wait.
After explaining everything, Arthur clapped his hands cheerfully. "Then, for this matter, I'll need your utmost cooperation. I hope everyone will ultimately achieve their desires."
Foster glanced at Hank, and the two men, with perfect unspoken agreement, turned their gazes away, feigning indifference toward each other.
Arthur didn't mind their animosity as long as the final outcome was acceptable to everyone.
As for himself, he too had his own plans and expectations. He felt his patience wearing thin. If that were the case, wouldn't it be better to act now rather than endure this torment?
'There have been more transactions recently…'
…
(End of Chapter)