'What the hell?'
'An entity from another dimension?'
'Breaking through the barriers?'
'Entering our world?'
For a moment, Arthur felt utterly disoriented. 'Am I really facing the most infuriating trope from crossover novels, the double transmigration?'
But if it were a double transmigration, this guy was arriving way too late. Could he possibly be carrying some overpowered "golden finger" that would allow him to skyrocket to power?
While his mind raced with these absurd thoughts, the man's voice continued beside him: "He'll probably arrive here in about three days."
"Three days..." Arthur frowned. "Can you pinpoint his exact location?"
"We'll do our best!"
The two exchanged a glance and suddenly grew excited.
Before coming here, they hadn't been very confident that Arthur would take their claims seriously.
But to their surprise, Arthur actually believed them.
"Then I'm entrusting this to you," Arthur said. "A person capable of crossing world barriers has appeared here... This must be taken seriously, no matter what."
Arthur glanced at Natasha, who nodded and stood up. "What are you waiting for? Time is short, and Quest is urgent. You have permission to mobilize as many suitable personnel as possible and pinpoint this individual's potential locations in the shortest possible time. We don't have much time left to prepare, so don't waste a single second."
"Understood!"
The two men responded with the fervor of fresh recruits before hurrying out of the room.
Within moments, only Arthur and Natasha remained.
Arthur sat down heavily, his mind weighed down by unspoken worries. Natasha poured him a glass of water. "What's bothering you?"
Arthur shook his head. He couldn't quite articulate his anxieties.
Even now, with the confirmed existence of interdimensional entities and the appearance of other crossover individuals, none of it should truly concern him.
With his strength and influence, he was confident he could handle any being that might appear.
Yet, inexplicably... a complex feeling arose in his heart. This incident had reminded him of a possibility...
'Could there be a way back home?'
If so, where would he go and what would he do?
To be honest, he had initially struggled to integrate into this world. Now, it seemed he had become inextricably bound to it.
Here, he had built his career, his team, his friends, his comrades-in-arms, his lover... the goals he had fought for and the hardships he had endured had all distilled into the richest, most intoxicating wine that lingered in his heart.
'Go back?'
'What would he even do back there?'
'Continue guarding his apartment building, being a rent collector?'
Indeed, from every perspective, that world paled in comparison to this one. It lacked excitement; his days were spent playing games, slowly decaying into oblivion...
'He shouldn't even want to return.'
'But... that was where his roots lay.'
'Does a fallen leaf always return to its roots...?'
Arthur tilted his head back and gazed upward, a thousand nameless emotions churning within him. But he quickly reached up and wiped his face. "Everything depends on what happens in three days."
Dwelling on it now would only be pointless self-torture.
In three days, all the answers would be revealed... or perhaps he had simply misunderstood something.
Standing up, Arthur glanced at Natasha and, after a moment's hesitation, said, "It's not worry, it's just... never mind. I don't know how to explain it."
"Then don't," Natasha smiled. "Just do what needs to be done, right?"
"The simplest truths are often the most effective," Arthur chuckled.
"Find accommodations for our two guests today," Arthur said. "Also, their project can start calculating and preparing, but there's no rush to begin. We're still missing one crucial member."
"Hank?" Natasha blinked.
Arthur nodded. "He's essential."
As he walked toward the exit, Natasha asked, "Where are you going now?"
"Home to sleep."
…
Arthur really did go home to sleep, and he didn't return to Camp Lehigh the next day. It wasn't until Scott called him early on the third morning that Arthur finally left the house.
An hour and a half later, Arthur picked Scott up at his ex-wife's house.
"Alright, let me guess where we're going now," Scott said as he got into the car, giving Blackie a good look first. "I bet this car can transform. So when we get to a secluded spot, we can drive it into the air and fly to the base, right?"
Mr. Scott, Blackie feels compelled to correct a common misconception: Blackie is a car. Cars do not fly. Mr. Stark did not install anti-gravity capabilities in Blackie's chassis.
"..." Scott glanced at Blackie, then looked at Arthur. "Is it... talking?"
"Guess," Arthur said, driving the car to a secluded spot and telling Scott to get out.
"We're here already?" Scott hadn't even figured out the talking car problem yet, and the surroundings certainly didn't look like a secret organization's base.
Especially... this place was way too close to his ex-wife's house.
Arthur slapped the car, and in the next moment, the vehicle vanished, leaving a disposable teleportation device on the ground. With a blink of light, he pulled the bewildered Scott onto the device, and in an instant, they vanished from their location.
When they reappeared, they were back in the massive laboratory. The Dark Elf Warship loomed like a landmark within Camp Lehigh.
Scott craned his neck, staring upward until his neck felt strained. "I keep getting the feeling it's going to collapse," he finally said, snapping out of his trance.
"Even before I started kindergarten, I knew it was just an illusion," Arthur said, patting Scott on the shoulder. "Let me introduce you, this is Camp Lehigh."
Šumer reappeared, as if reliving the events of two days prior.
This time, however, Arthur granted Scott Advanced clearance, equivalent to that of other superheroes.
"Since you're already here, it means you're planning to join us. So let's cut to the chase. There's a matter right now that requires your assistance."
Arthur explained Ava's situation in detail, leaving Scott's eyes spinning like mosquito coils.
"Do you really think I can solve a problem like this?"
"At the very least, you know the foremost expert in this field, don't you?" Arthur grinned. "Your combat skills and connections are exactly what we need."
"...Arthur, you're so devious!" Scott exclaimed, dumbfounded.
Arthur nodded. "Sometimes, even I find it deeply troubling."
(End of Chapter)
This work is finished; you can read all the advanced chapters on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395