Change Zhang ye to Arthur
Chapter 6: Desert Rescue
As the light of the Portal faded, a wave of heat slammed into their faces.
Arthur squinted at the cave in the distance, while Wanda stood beside him, clutching a faint ball of red light in her hand.
"The location hasn't changed," Arthur said. "Tony is still inside, and so is Yinsen. However..."
He paused for a moment, his Super Hearing scanning the cave like a radar.
"There are a dozen more guards inside than yesterday. And..."
"And what?" Wanda asked.
"The energy signatures inside a few of the people are fading," Arthur said, frowning. "Like batteries about to run out of power."
Wanda closed her eyes to sense them.
"It's true," she said, opening her eyes. "Yesterday they were very clear, but today it's like... they're about to disappear."
Arthur grinned. "That's perfect. While they're weak, let's go in and grab them."
Wanda nodded. With a flick of her finger, red light spread from her body, covering them both like a thin mist.
"Invisibility plus interference, double insurance," she said. "The guards won't be able to detect us."
"Let's go."
The two moved like shadows, silently creeping toward the cave.
The guards at the cave entrance were yawning while holding their guns, completely unaware that two people had just walked past them. Wanda's Chaos Magicinterfered with their perception, making them feel that "everything is safe here, there's nothing unusual."
Once inside the cave, Arthur activated his X-ray vision to the fullest.
The rock walls became translucent in his eyes. He could see the position of every guard, and even the dark red signatures inside them—some of which had faded to the point of being almost invisible.
"Turn left at the third fork," Arthur whispered. "Tony and Yinsen are in the innermost cave, and there are four guards at the door."
Wanda flicked her fingers, and four imperceptible wisps of red silk floated out and drilled into the heads of the four guards.
The guards swayed in unison, their eyes becoming vacant.
"It's done," Wanda said. "They now feel that 'this place is boring, and they want to go look somewhere else.'"
Arthur chuckled. "Your magic is becoming more and more like psychological suggestion."
"The Ancient One taught me," Wanda said with a hint of pride. "She said that Chaos Magic isn't just for destruction; it can also influence emotions and cognition."
The two slipped into the cave.
Tony Stark was sitting in the middle of a pile of scrap parts, a glowing disc on his chest connected to wires. He held a welding torch in his hand, struggling with a metal plate.
Doctor Yinsen was passing him tools from the side.
"Faster," Tony said without looking up. "They could come in to check at any time."
"I'm already going as fast as I can," Yinsen said, wiping his sweat. "But we don't have enough materials, and many parts have to be hand-finished..."
Before he could finish, both of them froze.
Because two people had appeared out of thin air at the cave entrance.
A man and a woman, wearing ordinary clothes, without a speck of dust on them.
The welding torch in Tony's hand dropped to the ground.
"You..."
"We're here to rescue you," Arthur interrupted. He walked over, squatted down, and looked at the pile of parts. "Mark I? Making good progress."
Tony's eyes widened. "How do you know..."
"Don't ask, the answer is magic." Arthur reached out, grabbed the iron chain of the prison door, and squeezed it gently.
The iron chain shattered like a cracker.
Yinsen gasped.
Tony stared at Arthur's hand for two seconds, then looked at Wanda.
Wanda was staring at his chest, her brows slightly furrowed.
"What are you looking at?" Tony instinctively covered his chest.
"There is something inside you," Wanda said. "Missile shrapnel, and... something else."
"Something else, what?"
"The same thing as those guards outside," Arthuradded. "But yours is weaker, like a lingering trace."
Tony's expression changed.
Arthur didn't give him a chance to ask more questions and hoisted him up.
"Let's get out of here first; we'll talk on the way."
Wanda also nodded to Yinsen. "Doctor, keep up."
The four of them headed out.
The guards along the way were either left delirious by Wanda's magic or silently knocked unconscious by Arthur. The whole process was absurdly fast; Tony didn't even see how Arthur did it.
Once out of the cave, the night was deep.
Arthur chose a spot behind a wind-sheltered sand dune and set Tony down.
"It's safe now," he said. "The Ten Rings won't be able to find us here for a while."
Tony plopped down onto the ground, caught his breath, and then looked up at Arthur.
"Who are you?"
"Just concerned citizens passing by," Arthur said.
"Don't give me that," Tony stared at him. "Can an ordinary person crush an iron chain with their bare hands? Can they make my guards stand still like idiots?"
Arthur laughed.
"Fine. My name is Arthur, and this is my wife, Wanda. We are..."
He thought for a moment.
"Part-time security for Earth, you could say."
The corner of Tony's mouth twitched. "Security?"
"Yes, specifically handling the trouble you rich people can't deal with," Arthur sat down next to him. "For example, your kidnapping; there's more to it than meets the eye."
"What do you mean?"
"The Ten Rings that kidnapped you aren't ordinary terrorists," Wanda said, her voice very soft. "They have abnormal energy signatures inside them. That kind of energy... doesn't belong to this world."
Tony looked at Wanda, then back at Arthur.
"Are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Arthur pointed toward the cave. "The guards I just dealt with all had those signatures inside them. But strangely enough, the signatures are fading."
"Fading?"
"Like someone is remotely shutting down the signal," Arthur said. "I suspect the real mastermind behind your kidnapping might be ready to pull out. The Ten Rings is just a shell, the kind you throw away after use."
Tony was silent for a few seconds.
"How do you know all this?"
"Because we're investigating something similar," Arthursaid without going into detail. "In any case, your kidnapping this time isn't just some business rival playing tricks. Something of a higher level has gotten involved."
Tony touched the electromagnet on his chest.
"Then the missile shrapnel..."
"Resonated with the energy signature," Wanda said. "Very weakly, but it's definitely there. The shrapnel inside you might have been contaminated by that energy."
Yinsen was listening, completely bewildered.
"So... the missile that hit Mr. Stark wasn't an ordinary missile?"
"It was a Stark Industries missile," Wanda looked at Tony, her expression serious. "But do you know where all these missiles are sold to?"
Tony paused.
"I..."
He opened his mouth, then realized he couldn't answer.
He had always assumed that Stark Industries' weapons were sold to the the military, to the government, to "legitimate clients." But their specific distribution? Which troops? Which countries? He had never paid attention.
"You don't know," Wanda said for him. "You only care about making them, not selling them."
Tony's face darkened.
"Obadiah is responsible for sales..."
"So he might know," Arthur added. "Or he might not. But one thing is certain—you were blown up by weapons you created, and those weapons ended up in the hands of people they shouldn't have."
The night wind blew over the sand dunes, kicking up fine sand.
Tony sat on the sand, the glowing disc on his chest blinking in the darkness.
He didn't speak for a long time.
Arthur didn't rush him, instead pulling a canteen from his pocket and handing it to Yinsen. "Want a drink?"
Yinsen took it and thanked him.
Wanda sat down next to Arthur and asked in a low voice, "What do we do now?"
"Wait for him to pull himself together," Arthur said. "Then we'll send them to a safe place."
"Aren't we going to find the mastermind behind this?"
"The signatures are fading, which means they've already called it off," Arthur looked toward the darkness in the distance. "We wouldn't catch anyone even if we went now. Better to wait for them to show their own flaws."
Wanda nodded.
A few minutes later, Tony finally looked up.
"You..." he paused. "Why did you save me?"
"It was on the way," Arthur said.
"On the way?"
"Yeah, we were passing by, saw someone being kidnapped, so we saved them," Arthur grinned. "Is that not allowed?"
Tony stared at him for a long time.
"It's allowed," he said. "Very allowed."
He pushed himself up from the ground and brushed the sand off his pants.
"Then now, can you send us back? I mean, back to the United States."
"We can," Arthur also stood up. "But we have to wait until dawn. Opening a Portal now is too conspicuous."
"A Portal?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"A magic thing, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it," Arthur waved his hand. "Just rest for now, we'll leave when it's light."
Tony didn't ask again.
He walked to the edge of the sand dune and looked at the mountains in the dark distance, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Wanda leaned on Arthur's shoulder and whispered, "He seems... very devastated."
"It's normal," Arthur said. "Discovering that you almost died by your own weapons would leave anyone dazed."
"Then should we tell him more?"
"Take it slow," Arthur stroked her hair. "Let him build the Mark I first. Some paths he has to walk himself."
Wanda gave a soft hum of agreement.
The night grew deeper.
The stars in the desert were very bright, hanging in the sky one by one.
Tony stood there for a long time, then turned and walked back, sitting down opposite Arthur.
"That energy signature," he said. "If it's really like you said, something cross-dimensional..."
He paused.
"Then why would it target me?"
Arthur and Wanda exchanged glances.
"Maybe because you're special," Arthur said. "Or maybe because... you got in someone's way."
Tony didn't speak.
But Arthur could see that something in his eyes was slowly changing.
When it was almost dawn, Arthur stood up and drew a circle.
Golden sparks rotated in the air, expanding into a Portal.
On the other side of the door were the streets of New York, where the morning sunlight had just begun to fall.
"Let's go," Arthur said. "Sending you home."
Tony looked at the Portal, then at Arthur.
"This thing... can it be learned?"
"You can't learn it," Arthur chuckled. "Just honestly build your armor; that thing suits you better."
Tony curled his lip and was the first to step into the door.
Yinsen followed.
Wanda and Arthur walked last.
Before the Portal closed, Arthur looked back at the desert.
Those caves were still hidden in the darkness; the guards should have already woken up.
But the signatures had faded.
The real mastermind had already withdrawn.
"We will meet again," Arthur whispered.
Then he turned and stepped into the golden light.
The desert fell quiet again.
Only the wind and sand remained, along with the gradually brightening light of day in the distance.
Chapter 7 The Arms Dealer's Choice
The Portal closed in the New York Sanctum library.
Arthur plopped down into a chair, grabbed the water glass on the table, and took a big gulp.
"I'm exhausted. That desert place is really no place for humans."
Wanda sat down next to him, flicked her finger, and the tablet on the table automatically floated over.
"Check the news."
The screen lit up, flooded with news of Tony Stark's rescue.
"Stark Industries CEO returns safely! The the militarysuccessfully rescued him at the Afghanistan border!"
"Tony Stark appears at the U.S. base, in good health!"
"Exclusive: Stark Industries stock price surged 8% at opening today!"
Arthur leaned in to look.
In the footage, Tony was wearing a wrinkled shirt. The glowing disk on his chest was covered by his jacket, but its outline was still visible. He stood in front of a group of reporters, his face a bit pale, but his eyes were bright.
"The press conference is about to start," Wanda said.
Arthur nodded and dragged his chair forward.
The live feed cut to the press conference scene.
Tony walked onto the stage, not wearing a suit, just a simple T-shirt. The camera flashes below clicked incessantly.
"Quiet down," Tony said into the microphone, his voice a bit raspy. "I'm just going to say a few words."
The venue went instantly quiet.
Tony stood for a few seconds and took a deep breath.
"I have seen it."
He spoke, his pace very slow.
"I have seen our weapons, Stark Industries weapons, used on innocent people. I have seen children... die under those missiles marked with the Stark Industries logo."
Someone in the audience gasped.
Tony touched his chest, where the outline of the disk could still be seen through his clothes.
"I also nearly died under them."
He paused for a moment.
"So, from today on—"
Wanda suddenly sat up straight.
Arthur felt it too.
A faint energy fluctuation emanated from the screen.
It wasn't really emanating from it; it was Wanda's Chaos Magic capturing something. Her eyes were fixed on Tony's chest, red light flickering slightly in her pupils.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked in a low voice.
"Inside him..." Wanda whispered, "those fragments... are resonating."
On the screen, Tony was still talking.
"—Stark Industries will permanently shut down its weapons manufacturing division."
The venue exploded.
Reporters all stood up, firing questions like cannonballs. Obadiah, off-stage, looked livid and tried to rush onto the stage, but was blocked by bodyguards.
Tony ignored them and turned to leave.
But the moment he turned around, Wanda grabbed Arthur's arm tightly.
"Did you see that?"
"What?"
"The position of the fragments." Wanda pointed at the screen. "Just now, when he was speaking, the energy reaction of those fragments... manifested."
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
In Wanda's magical vision, a blurry shadow emerged at the location of the missile fragments in Tony's chest.
Ten rings, interlocked, like rings.
"The Ten Rings Symbol," Arthur said.
Wanda nodded, her fingers swiping rapidly on the tablet, pulling up the previously recorded energy signature data of the Ten Rings.
The comparison chart popped up.
The similarity was 92%.
"It's not a coincidence." Arthur stood up and paced around the library. "The signatures in those guards were fading, but the fragments in Tony's body retained resonance nodes. Just now, his emotional excitement intensified the energy fluctuation, and the nodes manifested."
Wanda stared at the screen; Tony had already left the venue, and the feed cut back to the studio.
"So the Ten Rings kidnapped him, not just for weapons?"
"Definitely not." Arthur stopped pacing. "Ordinary terrorists want money and weapons. But what do cross-dimensional forces want? Tony himself? His technology? Or..."
He looked at Wanda.
"Those fragments in his body?"
Wanda thought for a moment: "The fragments were left by Stark Industries missiles. If the missiles were contaminated by that kind of energy, then the fragments are the carriers of the contamination."
"Carriers..." Arthur rubbed his chin. "What can a carrier do?"
"Location? Surveillance? Or... act as a coordinate?"
The two exchanged a look.
Arthur walked quickly to the bookshelf, pulled out the book "Seventy-Two Methods for Stabilizing Dimensional Rifts," and flipped through it to a middle page.
"Look here." He pointed to a passage. "Cross-dimensional anchor theory. If one world wants to connect to another, it needs to set up energy anchors in the target world. The stronger the anchor, the more stable the connection."
Wanda leaned in to look.
"You mean, those missile fragments... are anchors?"
"Possibly failed anchors." Arthur closed the book. "The guys behind the Ten Rings wanted to use Stark Industriesweapons as carriers to spread their energy signature. But ordinary weapons couldn't bear that kind of energy, so only the fragments that directly hit left a little bit behind."
He paused.
"Those in Tony's chest are the remnants."
Wanda sat back in her chair, her fingers tapping the table unconsciously.
"Then why did they kidnap Tony?"
"Two possibilities." Arthur held up two fingers. "One, Tony has fragments in his body that they want to recover or activate. Two, Tony's technology can help them create better carriers."
"Jericho missile?"
"Or something even more powerful."
The library was quiet for a few seconds.
Wanda suddenly said: "Does Ancient One know?"
"She knows now."
Arthur walked to the table and picked up a quill—the one Danny left behind. He dipped the tip into the silver liquid in the inkwell nearby and wrote quickly on the parchment.
"What are you writing?" Wanda asked.
"A report." Arthur didn't look up. "Organizing our findings to send to Ancient One."
He wrote very quickly.
Dimensional rift fluctuation characteristics, Ten Ringsenergy signature data, the resonance phenomenon of the fragments in Tony's body, and the manifestation timestamp of the Ten Rings Symbol shadow.
Finally, he added a speculation: The source of the abnormal energy has a cross-dimensional connection with the concept of "The Ten Rings," suspected to be a high-dimensional force attempting to establish an anchor in this Universe.
After finishing, he rolled up the parchment and drew a circle on it with his finger.
Golden runes lit up, and the scroll turned into a beam of light, disappearing into the air.
"Done." Arthur clapped his hands. "Now we wait for a reply."
Wanda stared at him: "What do you think Ancient One will say?"
"She'll definitely say 'Continue observing, don't alert the enemy'." Arthur imitated Ancient One's tone. "'The two of you keep a low profile, don't cause trouble—although even if you do, I can handle it, but it's a hassle.'"
Wanda laughed.
"You sound just like her."
"Of course, she is my master after all."
The two waited for a few minutes.
Ripples appeared in the air, a golden light flashed, and the parchment returned.
Unfolding it, a few more lines of text appeared.
The handwriting was Ancient One's.
"Connection confirmed. The Ten Rings Symbol is indeed a cross-dimensional identifier; the source has not yet been identified. Continue observing Stark Industries' subsequent movements and strengthen monitoring of the Sanctum's dimensional rifts. Do not initiate contact; wait for it to expose itself. Additionally: The resonance of the fragments in Tony Stark's body has been recorded; report immediately if there is any unusual activity."
The signature was a simple rune.
Arthur handed the paper to Wanda: "See? I told you."
Wanda finished reading, rubbed her fingers, and the parchment burned to ashes.
"So what do we do now?"
"Wait." Arthur sat back in his chair and pulled the tablet over. "Wait for Tony to cause trouble, wait for the people behind the Ten Rings to show their faces, and wait for that rift under the Sanctum to move again."
He switched the news page.
Stark Industries' stock price began to dive.
It was up 8% just a moment ago, now it's down 12%.
The comment section exploded.
"Is Tony Stark crazy?"
"Without a weapons division, what's left of Stark Industries?"
"Will Obadiah take the opportunity to seize power?"
"How will he explain this to the the military?"
Wanda looked at the screen and suddenly said: "Doing this... will cause him a lot of trouble, right?"
"Big trouble." Arthur grinned. "But he has to do it. If he doesn't shut down the weapons division, he will never wake up."
"And what about us?"
"We watch the show."
Arthur pulled a bag of potato chips from the drawer, tore it open, and handed it to Wanda.
"And keep an eye on that rift under the Sanctum. If the Ten Rings Symbol is really related to cross-dimensional matters, there will definitely be movement from the rift."
Wanda took the chips and ate one.
"What kind of movement do you think it will be?"
"Don't know." Arthur also took one and stuffed it into his mouth. "But it definitely won't be anything good."
The two just sat there, eating chips while watching the news.
Stark Industries' stock price was still falling.
Tony's mansion was surrounded by reporters.
Obadiah was giving an interview, saying, "Tony has experienced trauma and needs time to recover; company operations will not be affected."
But anyone with a discerning eye could see that the impact had already begun.
Outside the window, the sky over New York slowly darkened.
The lights in the Sanctum turned on automatically.
Wanda suddenly put down the chips.
"Arthur."
"Hmm?"
"The rift moved."
Arthur stood up instantly, his super senses fully activated.
A faint vibration came from the floor beneath his feet.
Very light, but it was definitely there.
Unlike yesterday, this fluctuation... had a rhythm.
Like a heartbeat.
"Did it move when the Ten Rings Symbol appeared?" Arthur asked.
Wanda nodded: "Almost at the same time. But with a delay of a few minutes."
Arthur crouched down and pressed his hand to the floor.
His perception extended downward.
Three hundred meters deep, the rift was still sleeping.
But the energy flow at the edge of the rift was pulsating in a certain pattern.
Thump, thump, thump.
Each beat matched the frequency of the resonance of the fragments in Tony's body.
"Good grief." Arthur stood up. "Remote synchronization."
Wanda's expression was serious: "What does this mean?"
"It means the Ten Rings Symbol isn't just a mark." Arthur walked back to the table and quickly drew a diagram on the paper. "It's a key, or a switch. The resonance of the fragments in Tony's body is equivalent to flipping the switch, and then there's a reaction from the rift."
"Then what if the resonance gets stronger?"
"The rift might wake up."
The two exchanged a look.
The lights in the library flickered.
Danny pushed the door open, carrying a stack of books.
"You two are still here? It's time for dinner."
He put down the books and glanced at the floor.
"Was that just now..."
"The rift moved," Arthur said directly. "It has to do with Tony Stark."
Danny frowned: "That arms dealer?"
"Former arms dealer," Wanda corrected. "He doesn't make weapons anymore."
"Regardless of whether he makes them or not." Dannywalked to the wall and pressed the rune wall. "The rift's fluctuation suddenly strengthened just now, although it quickly subsided, but..."
The light grid on the wall displayed a string of data.
The energy peak was 40% higher than usual.
Duration: three seconds.
"Just three seconds," Danny said. "But it's very dangerous. If the peak were higher, or the duration longer, the barrier might not be able to hold it."
Arthur looked at Wanda.
Wanda whispered: "The resonance was strongest when Tony announced the closure of the weapons division."
"Energy resonance triggered by emotional fluctuations," Arthur summarized. "The more excited he is, the stronger the fragment reaction, and the more active the rift becomes."
Danny understood half of it: "So you mean that arms dealer... former arms dealer, has become a living signal transmitter?"
"Something like that."
"Then what do we do? We can't just kill him, right?"
"That's not necessary," Arthur waved his hand. "First, stabilize the rift, don't let it wake up. As for Tony..."
He looked at the tablet.
The news was replaying the clip of Tony's press conference.
The man stood on stage, his eyes determined.
"I will find a new direction," Tony said to the camera. "Stark Industries will not fall; I will make it better."
Arthur smiled.
"Let him toss and turn," he said. "Anyway, we're watching him."
Wanda nodded.
Danny looked at Arthur, then at Wanda, and sighed.
"Fine, as long as you know what you're doing. Shall we go eat?"
"Let's go."
The three left the library.
Before the door closed, Arthur looked back at the floor.
The rift was still below.
Sleeping.
But it could wake up at any time.
He touched the Eye of Agamotto around his neck.
"Interesting," he whispered. "The arms dealer doesn't make weapons anymore; he's switched to being a signal tower."
Wanda took his hand.
"And what about us?"
"Us?" Arthur grinned. "We're security guards. If someone wants to tear down the tower, we beat them up."
The two walked out of the room.
The lights turned off automatically.
In the darkness, the rift beneath the floor pulsed gently once more.
Thump.
Chapter 8: The Ten Rings
After that slight throb beneath the floorboards, the library returned to silence.
Arthur stared at the floor for a few seconds, then turned to ask Wanda, "Heartbeat frequency?"
Wanda closed her eyes to sense it. "It's the same frequency as the resonance from the fragment in Tony's chest, but much weaker, like... an echo."
"Then that settles it." Arthur plopped back into his chair and pulled the tablet over. "That kid Tony has become a human signal tower. Whenever he gets emotional, the crack reacts."
The news page was still refreshing.
Stark Industries' stock price had already gone from a 12% drop to an 18% drop.
The comment section was unreadable.
"Tony Stark is crazy!"
"Without the weapons division, what will Stark Industriesrely on to make money? His skills at picking up women?"
"When will Obadiah take over?"
Wanda leaned in to look. "He must be under a lot of pressure, right?"
"More than just a lot." Arthur swiped across the screen. "The shareholders want to tear him apart, the the militarywants to cause him trouble, and the media is waiting to watch the spectacle. Anyone else would have cracked by now."
"But he didn't crack."
"Right, he didn't crack." Arthur grinned. "That's why he's called Tony Stark."
Just as he finished speaking, Wanda suddenly pressed her hand on his.
"It moved again."
Arthur immediately sensed it.
It wasn't the floor.
It was the air.
The dimensional energy around the entire New York Sanctum rippled like a surface of Water broken by a pebble.
It was faint, but the range was immense.
"It's not just the crack." Wanda stood up and walked to the window. "It's the entire New York... the surrounding dimensions are all fluctuating."
Arthur walked over as well.
Outside the window was the New York nightscape, brightly lit with traffic flowing like a loom.
Ordinary people couldn't feel a thing.
But in magic vision, countless tiny specks of light were floating in the air, like fireflies scattered by the wind, vibrating in a certain pattern.
The source of the vibration pointed toward the center of Manhattan—the direction of Stark Tower.
"Good grief." Arthur said. "This signal tower has quite the power; it's broadcasting to the whole city."
Daniel pushed the door open and rushed in, his expression looking quite grim.
"There's a problem with the barrier."
Arthur and Wanda exchanged glances.
"The crack?" Arthur asked.
"Not just the crack." Daniel walked quickly to the wall and pressed his palm against the rune wall. "A crack has appeared in the entire defensive barrier of the Sanctum. It's very thin, but it definitely exists."
The light grid on the wall appeared.
On the pale golden 3D map of the barrier, near the east outer wall, there was a black crack as thin as a strand of hair.
"When did it appear?" Wanda asked.
"Just a moment ago." Daniel stared at the crack. "When Tony Stark announced the closure of the weapons division, the barrier fluctuated. I thought it was just a normal disturbance, but I didn't expect..."
He tapped his finger on the light grid.
The crack magnified.
Energy data popped up.
[Abnormal Resonance Source: Identifying...]
[Match Rate: 92%]
[Associated Target: Tony Stark (Biological characteristics recorded)]
[Fluctuation Type: Cross-dimensional Anchor Resonance]
Arthur whistled.
"It really is him."
Daniel turned to look at him. "Do you know what's going on?"
"A little." Arthur walked to the light grid and pointed at the crack. "Tony has missile fragments inside him, and those fragments were contaminated by some kind of cross-dimensional energy. Just now, when he got emotional, the energy nodes in the fragments were activated, causing a resonance with a'signal source' somewhere else."
"Which place?"
"I don't know." Arthur said honestly. "But it's definitely not here."
Wanda added, "It could be the world that the crack connects to, or it could be somewhere else."
Daniel frowned so hard a fly could get stuck in it.
"So the current situation is that an arms dealer—a former arms dealer—has become a living signal transmitter. Whenever he gets worked up, he can say hello to an unknown place across dimensions, and by the way, crack the Sanctum's barrier?"
"Accurate summary." Arthur gave a thumbs up.
Daniel wanted to curse.
But he held it back because the light grid on the wall flashed again.
The crack had grown longer.
Although it only grew by about a millimeter, it had definitely grown.
"This won't do." Daniel said. "We must notify the Ancient One."
"Already notified." Arthur pointed to the Eye of Agamotto around his neck. "As soon as the fluctuation started, I sent a message."
Just as he finished speaking, the air in the room suddenly froze.
The temperature dropped a few degrees.
Golden sparks rotated in the center of the room, drawing a circle.
The Ancient One walked out of the Portal.
She wasn't wearing her usual yellow robes, just a simple gray gown, and looked like she had just woken up—though Arthur knew she didn't need to sleep at all.
"Master." Arthur and Wanda spoke at the same time.
Daniel also bowed.
The Ancient One nodded, walked to the light grid, and looked at the crack.
She looked at it for three seconds.
"The Ten Rings." She said.
Arthur was stunned. "You know about it?"
"I know a little." The Ancient One traced her finger in the air, and more information streams appeared next to the crack's data. "This symbol is recorded in many worlds. It represents ten rings, or ten commandments, or ten... dimensional anchors."
She turned to look at Arthur.
"You reported before that members of the Ten Rings had abnormal energy marks in their bodies?"
"Yes." Arthur nodded. "But those marks were dissipating. Only the fragments in Tony's body retained resonance nodes."
"Not retained." The Ancient One corrected. "Activated."
She tapped her finger, and the energy scan of the fragments in Tony's chest popped up on the light grid.
At the location of those fragments, a phantom of the Ten Rings Symbol was slowly rotating.
"The marks dissipated because the existence behind them has already completed the initial anchoring." The Ancient One said. "The nodes in Tony's body are the anchors themselves. They don't need to remain active all the time; they just need to be activated at critical moments to establish a stable connection."
Wanda asked quietly, "What kind of critical moments?"
"When emotions fluctuate violently." The Ancient Onelooked out the window. "Anger, fear, despair, or... major decisions."
Arthur understood.
"So when he announced the closure of the weapons division, he got emotional, and the node activated. Once activated, it connected to a 'main signal tower' somewhere, then the dimensional energy began to fluctuate, and the Sanctum barrier was cracked."
"Basically correct." The Ancient One said. "But that's not all."
She waved her hand, and the image on the light grid changed.
It turned into a star map.
It wasn't a star map of this Universe, but a dimensional star map. Countless points of light represented different worlds, and lines represented connecting channels.
One of the lines extended from a dim point of light, passed through the dimensional barrier, and pointed toward... New York.
"Intelligence from the Council of Watchers." The Ancient One said. "Three hours ago, a story world on the verge of collapse showed an abnormal peak in energy fluctuations. The peak time perfectly aligns with the time the nodes in Tony Stark's body were activated."
Arthur stared at that line.
"So Tony's node is connected to that world that's about to finish?"
"Possibly one of them." The Ancient One said. "The Ten Rings Symbol has projections in many worlds. Some worlds use it as a symbol of power, some use it as coordinates, and some... use it as a distress signal."
Wanda blinked. "A distress signal?"
"When a world's story energy is on the verge of collapse, the system will attempt to anchor souls from other worlds to intervene." The Ancient One looked at Arthur. "You were anchored by accident. But Tony Stark... might have been actively marked."
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
Daniel spoke first. "Master, do you mean there's some world on the verge of collapse that wants to establish a connection with us through Tony Stark?"
"Not wants to." The Ancient One pointed at the line. "It already has."
She looked at Arthur and Wanda.
"The Council of Watchers has detected a chain reaction triggered by 'narrative variables.' Your very existence is the biggest variable. And now, this variable is affecting the storylines of other worlds."
Arthur scratched his head. "So the two of us went on a honeymoon and accidentally crashed other worlds in the process?"
"You didn't crash them." The Ancient One said. "It's your existence that made certain connections, which should have remained hidden, visible."
She walked to the window and looked at New Yorkoutside.
"The nodes in Tony Stark's body might have existed for a long time. But until you intervened, until you discovered it, until you observed it—it didn't truly 'manifest'."
Wanda understood. "Like quantum physics? Observation changes the result?"
"Something like that." The Ancient One nodded. "So the Council of Watchers requires you to intervene immediately and stabilize the situation."
Arthur asked. "How do we stabilize it? Remove the nodes inside Tony?"
"Not for now." The Ancient One said. "The nodes are already activated; forced removal could trigger even greater fluctuations. What you need to do is isolate them."
"Isolate?"
"Isolate the nodes' dimensional connection to the outside world." The Ancient One turned to look at them. "Use your magic to build a temporary barrier. Prevent the'signal' from that world from coming through, and prevent the fluctuations from here from going out."
Arthur and Wanda exchanged glances.
"The two of us?"
"Yes." The Ancient One said. "Your magic, combined with Wanda's Chaos Magic, can form a composite barrier. This is the safest method for now."
Wanda was a bit nervous. "Can we do it?"
"You have to, whether you can or not." The Ancient Onemade a rare joke. "Who told you to be variables?"
Arthur laughed.
"Alright, let's get to work."
He took Wanda's hand and walked to the center of the room.
The Ancient One and Daniel stepped aside.
Arthur closed his eyes and channeled his magic energy. Golden lines spread from his palms, interweaving in the air to form a complex 3D magic circle.
Wanda also closed her eyes, and red Chaos Magic energy surged from her, blending into the magic circle like mist.
Gold and red intertwined.
The magic circle began to rotate.
Arthur could feel that the other end of the magic circle was connected to the node inside Tony's body. It was very faint, but it definitely existed.
"Found it." He said.
Wanda nodded, and the Chaos Magic became denser.
Both of them exerted force at the same time.
The composite magic barrier, like a transparent net, passed through the dimensional barrier and silently covered the node.
Inside Tony's body, the phantom of the Ten Rings Symbolsuddenly shuddered.
Then it slowly dimmed.
The ripples of dimensional energy outside the window stopped.
The light grid on the wall showed that the crack in the Sanctum barrier was no longer growing.
"It's done." Arthur let go, and the magic circle dissipated.
Wanda caught her breath, a little sweat on her forehead.
"How long can it last?" She asked.
"It depends." The Ancient One walked over and checked the stability of the barrier. "If Tony doesn't have any more violent emotional fluctuations, it can last for several months. If he gets emotional again... it might break in a few days."
Arthur pouted. "Do we need to find him a psychologist?"
"No need." The Ancient One said. "You have other tasks ahead."
"What task?"
"Closely monitor the movements of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Arthur and Wanda were both stunned.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Arthur asked. "That secret organization that hasn't officially opened for business yet?"
"Yes." The Ancient One nodded. "The turmoil triggered by Tony Stark closing the weapons division isn't just at the commercial level. The the military, the government, and those forces hidden in the shadows... will all make moves."
She looked out the window.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has already noticed the energy anomaly. Although they don't understand magic, their monitoring equipment is very advanced. In the next few days, they will appear frequently near Stark Industries."
Wanda asked. "Do we need to stop them?"
"No." The Ancient One said. "Observe, record, and guide when necessary. But do not expose yourselves."
She paused for a moment.
"The Council of Watchers hopes to see the story of this Universe develop naturally. Your intervention has already created enough variables."
Arthur understood.
"Just observe from the shadows and act as an off-field consultant when necessary?"
"That's one way to put it."
After the Ancient One finished speaking, she drew a circle.
The Portal opened.
"I must return. There are still things to do at Kamar-Taj." Before stepping into the golden light, she looked back at them once more. "Remember, variables can influence the story, but they cannot replace the story."
The golden light dissipated.
Only Arthur, Wanda, and Daniel remained in the room.
Daniel looked at the two of them, then at the light grid on the wall.
The crack was still there, but it was no longer growing.
"So..." He started. "Our security work at the Sanctum now includes moonlighting as a psychologist for an arms dealer, and by the way, monitoring a secret Agent organization?"
Arthur grinned.
"What else? It's not like our pay will increase."
Wanda pulled him slightly and whispered, "Then what do we do now?"
"Wait." Arthur walked to the window and looked toward the direction of Stark Tower. "Wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. to show up, wait for Tony's next move, and wait for that worldthat's about to finish... to send another signal."
Outside the window, the night in New York was very quiet.
But Arthur knew that beneath the silence, the undercurrents had already begun to surge.
Chapter 9: Ripples
The crack closed.
Arthur stared at the spot where the crack had just appeared. There was nothing but air there now, but a burnt smell still lingered in the air, like something had been overcooked.
"Did you see that?" he asked.
Wanda nodded, her fingers trembling slightly. "I saw it. Another... New York? But it was messier, darker. The lights of Stark Tower were completely out, and the streets were full of people, running and smashing things."
"The Mirror Dimension." Arthur walked over to the wall, looking at the dimension-monitoring magical artifacts that were still beeping. "That kid Tony closing his weapons division didn't just mess things up here, he also broke the parallel Universe next door?"
The Ancient One's voice came out of the Mirror Dimension, sounding more serious than usual. "It was not caused by him closing the weapons division, Arthur. It was when you tried to isolate the anchor point, the magic energy came into contact with the phantom of the Ten Rings Symbol, triggering a dimensional backlash. The fate lines of the two worlds were already intertwined, and your intervention made the intersection visible."
"So it's our fault?" Arthur shrugged.
"Blame the guy who planted the anchor point inside Tony," the Ancient One said. "The dimensional ripples detected by the Council of Watchers have already exceeded expectations. What was originally just a slight fluctuation has now become a chain resonance. If left unchecked, the cracks in the barrier of the New York Sanctum will continue to expand, and by then, it won't be as simple as watching a movie."
Wanda walked over to Arthur's side and asked in a low voice, "Master, what do we do now? Although the crack has closed, the rift in the barrier is still there."
The light net on the wall showed that the hair-thin crack on the eastern outer wall had now thickened, looking like a chopstick.
Moreover, the edges of the crack were still glowing faintly in a light red color, the same color as when the fragments inside Tony resonated.
"Energy residue of the Ten Rings Symbol." Arthur stared at the crack. "Good grief, this thing is contagious?"
The Ancient One's voice continued, "You must contact S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately."
Arthur and Wanda were both stunned at the same time.
"Now?" Arthur asked. "The two of us, magicians, going to say hello to a bunch of Agents? Saying 'Hi, how are you, we are part-time security guards of Earth, and now a cross-dimensional terrorist has planted a virus inside your key monitoring target, so we need to borrow your intelligence network'?"
"Pretty much," the Ancient One said, "but put it more tactfully."
Wanda tugged at Arthur's sleeve. "How do we contact them? Go straight to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters?"
"No need," the Ancient One said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has already noticed the anomalies at Stark Industries. They have sent Agents to operate near Stark Tower. One of them, Phil Coulson, is the person in charge. You can 'accidentally' run into him."
Arthur was amused. "How do we 'accidentally' run into him? Open a Portal right in his face?"
"In your own way," the Ancient One said. "Remember, do not expose your identity as magicians. Right now, you are... enthusiastic citizens, yes, enthusiastic citizens, who happen to know some inside information about Tony Stark's kidnapping and are willing to provide clues."
Wanda thought for a moment. "Then should we tell him about the Ten Rings Symbol and the dimensional anchor point?"
"You can tell him a part of it," the Ancient One said. "Just say you met people from the Ten Rings in Afghanistan and found abnormal energy reactions in their bodies, which might involve some new type of biochemical or energy weapon. As for the cross-dimensional aspect... don't mention it for now."
Arthur understood. "Playing the pig to eat the tiger, then. Pretending to be ordinary witnesses, slowly guiding them to investigate in the right direction."
"Yes," the Ancient One said. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network is wider than you think. They are very efficient in investigating arms deals, terrorist organizations, and abnormal technology. Use their hands to dig out the secular forces behind the Ten Rings first."
"What about the cross-dimensional part?"
"Investigate that yourselves," the Ancient One said. "A dual-line parallel approach. Let S.H.I.E.L.D. run the secular line, while you keep an eye on the supernatural line yourselves. When the two lines converge, the real mastermind behind the scenes will show their face."
The golden light in the Mirror Dimension fluctuated.
"I must go. There are still three dimensional rifts to deal with over at Kamar-Taj," the Ancient One said finally. "Remember, variables can affect the story, but they cannot replace it. Let what should happen happen, just... don't let it develop in a bad direction."
The golden light dissipated.
Only Arthur and Wanda were left in the library again.
The monitoring magical artifacts on the wall were still beeping.
Arthur walked over and slapped one of them.
The magical artifact stopped beeping.
"So noisy," he said.
Wanda walked to the light net, looking at the crack. "Arthur, this crack... seems to be slowly repairing itself."
Arthur leaned in to look.
It was true.
The faint red light on the edge of the crack was fading, and the crack itself was slowly closing at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.
Although very slow, it was indeed closing.
"The composite barrier is working." Arthur rubbed his chin. "Our effort just now wasn't in vain. Although it triggered a backlash, at least we temporarily isolated the node inside Tony."
"What about the Mirror Dimension?" Wanda asked. "Does that world we saw... the one that became even more hopeless after Tony closed the weapons division, really exist?"
Arthur was silent for a few seconds.
"Possibly," he said. "Master Ancient One said that when the story energy is on the verge of collapse, the system will anchor otherworldly souls to intervene. We were anchored by accident. But Tony... he might really be the'savior' or'signal tower' chosen by some world that is about to meet its end."
"So the anchor point inside him is actually a distress signal?"
"Or an invasion coordinate." Arthur walked to the window and looked in the direction of Stark Tower. "It depends on how you interpret it. If it's a call for help, then we have to help. If it's an invasion... then we have to beat them up."
Wanda walked over and looked out the window with him.
The night in New York was still very lively, with traffic, lights, and everything as usual.
Ordinary people had no idea that a crack had just been torn open in the Sanctum, let alone that a world on the other side of the crack was collapsing.
"Are we going to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. right now?" Wandaasked.
"No rush." Arthur glanced at the time. "It's ten o'clock at night, even Agents have to get off work. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Then what are we doing tonight?"
"Continue monitoring." Arthur walked back to the desk and pulled the tablet over. "Let's see what that kid Tony is doing now, and if he got emotional again and shook the crack open."
The news page refreshed.
The headline had changed.
"[Stark Industries Board of Directors Emergency Meeting! Obadiah Stane May Temporarily Take Over as CEO!]"
"[Insider Leak: Tony Stark's Mental State Is Worrying, May Require Forced Leave!]"
"[the military Pressure! Demanding Stark Industries Re-evaluate the Decision to Close the Weapons Division!]"
Arthur swiped the screen. "Good grief, they're all forcing his hand."
Wanda looked at Obadiah's photo on the screen. He was a bald man with a kind smile, but his eyes were very sharp.
"He's the one in charge of weapons sales," Wanda said. "Tony doesn't know where the missiles went, but he definitely does."
"And he might know even more." Arthur zoomed in on a photo, which was a group photo of Obadiah and a man with a Middle Eastern face at a private banquet. "Look at this person, does he look familiar?"
Wanda looked closely.
"One of the leaders of the Ten Rings," she said with certainty. "In the cave in Afghanistan, I saw his photo hanging on the wall."
"Bingo." Arthur saved the photo. "So Obadiah not only knows where the missiles went, but also has connections with the Ten Rings. In that case, did he know about Tonybeing kidnapped?"
Wanda didn't speak.
But the answer was obvious.
Arthur closed the news and brought up the Sanctum's monitoring interface.
Dozens of small windows displayed the situation in various parts of New York, most of them being dimensional energy monitoring points.
One of the windows, positioned near Stark Tower, showed three red dots.
There were labels next to the red dots.
"[Identification: S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent]"
"[ID: 017]"
"[Name: Phil Coulson]"
"[Status: Under Surveillance]"
The other two red dots were his subordinates.
"He's actually there." Arthur zoomed in on the window. "So dedicated, staying up late at night to stake out."
Wanda looked at the photo of the Agent named Coulson. He was a pleasant-looking man, wearing a suit and standing next to a black sedan.
"How do we 'accidentally' run into him tomorrow?"
"Simple." Arthur grinned. "We'll go have breakfast near Stark Tower, and 'accidentally' overhear something we shouldn't, then 'accidentally' say something he knows. Agents are all like that; the more mysterious you are, the more they'll seek you out."
"Then we need to prepare some 'material'."
"Right." Arthur pulled out paper and a pen from the drawer. "Come on, let's make up a story. We were traveling in Afghanistan, happened to see Tony being kidnapped, happened to take some photos, and happened to discover a strange light inside the bodies of the Ten Ringsmembers... Wait, how do we explain the photos?"
"magic projection," Wanda said. "I can use Chaos Magic to project the scenes from my memory onto paper, making them look like photos."
"Good idea." Arthur gave her a thumbs-up. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow morning, we go to the coffee shop opposite Stark Tower, stake it out, wait for Coulson to appear, and then 'accidentally' run into him."
Wanda nodded, but her brow was still furrowed.
"Arthur."
"Hmm?"
"That Mirror Dimension..." Wanda said softly. "If we don't do anything about it, will it really collapse?"
Arthur put down his pen and looked at her.
"Possibly," he said. "But even if we do, it might still collapse. Master Ancient One said that variables can affect the story, but they cannot replace it. Some things... have to run their own course."
"What if it goes astray?"
"Then we'll bend it back," Arthur smiled. "Otherwise, what do they need us security guards for?"
Wanda smiled too.
She leaned on Arthur's shoulder, looking at New Yorkoutside the window.
The night was very deep.
But not as deep as the schemes some people hid in the dark.
Arthur touched the Eye of Agamotto around his neck.
"Starting tomorrow, we officially start work."
"Acting as an external consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., a remote psychiatrist for Tony, and a temporary ambulance for a world on the verge of collapsing."
"What about the salary?" Wanda asked.
"Free room and board, all you can eat." Arthur put his arm around her. "Come on, let's go to sleep. Rest up, because tomorrow..."
He glanced at Coulson's photo on the tablet.
"We're going to meet our new colleague."
Chapter 10: First Meeting
The light of the Portal had just faded, and the burnt smell in the library had not yet completely dissipated.
Arthur plopped back down into his chair and scratched his head.
"The task Master Ancient One assigned us... sending two mages like us to deal with a spymaster, isn't that style a bit off?"
Wanda walked over to the wall, looking at the still-glowing crack in the light web. "Our style went off the rails a long time ago. Ever since we watched Tony build that tin man in the desert, this story has never been normal."
"True." Arthur stood up, walked to the corner of the bookshelf, and pressed a few spots on a bronze globe that looked like a mere ornament.
A ring of runes lit up on the surface of the globe, projecting a light screen.
Several lines of text appeared on the screen.
[New York Sanctum - Reserved Contact Channel]
[Applicable Targets: Secular Authorities (Specific)]
[Currently Available: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Highest Priority Contact: Nick Fury)]
[Instructions: Send an encrypted message to arrange a time and place. The other party will come.]
Arthur whistled. "It actually has this function. Kamar-Taj's scope of business is quite broad, they even have contact info for secret Agents saved."
"What should we write?" Wanda asked.
Arthur thought for a moment, his fingers tapping on the light screen.
"Just write... 'We have critical intelligence regarding the kidnapping of Tony Stark and the underlying abnormal energy threat. New York Sanctum channel, trustworthy. Requesting a face-to-face meeting with Nick Fury. You decide the time and place, as long as it's secure.'"
After finishing, he glanced at Wanda. "How's that? Mysterious enough?"
Wanda nodded. "Mysterious enough. But will they believe it?"
"Let's give it a try." Arthur pressed the send button.
The light screen flashed, displaying: [Message sent encrypted].
Three seconds later.
The globe buzzed and vibrated twice.
The light screen refreshed.
[Reply received.]
[Time: Tomorrow 14:00]
[Location: Brooklyn, Waterfront Warehouse B-7 (Coordinates attached)]
[Personnel: Nick Fury, Phil Coulson]
[Note: Don't bring weapons. We brought them.]
Arthur was amused. "That was fast. This Director Furyis a straightforward guy."
"Tomorrow afternoon." Wanda glanced at the time. "Then we need to prepare some things."
"Right, we can't go empty-handed." Arthur rubbed his hands. "We're going to talk cooperation, so we need some solid goods. Let me think... the video recording of the Sanctum barrier's crack, and the energy fluctuation data of the phantom Ten Rings Symbol, we definitely need those."
Wanda closed her eyes, her fingers tapping lightly in the air.
A few wisps of red chaos energy flowed from her fingertips, weaving into a dynamic picture in the air—it was precisely the scene fragment of the collapsing Mirror Dimension when the crack tore open just now.
In the image, Stark Tower was pitch black, and crowds on the streets were running and looting in a frenzy.
"Take this along too," Wanda said. "Although we can't show them everything, exporting a small data chart of the energy disturbance should be enough to prove the point."
Arthur fished a palm-sized crystal shard out of a drawer. "Use this, a Kamar-Taj custom 'USB drive' for magic-side data storage. Export the footage and fluctuation data into it."
The two of them busied themselves for half an hour.
Three things were stored in the crystal shard: real-time monitoring footage of the Sanctum crack, the energy spectrum of the phantom Ten Rings Symbol, and the dimensional disturbance data package from when the Mirror Dimension's rift opened.
"All set." Arthur slipped the crystal shard into his pocket. "Tomorrow, we'll use this to trade for information with the spymaster."
At 1:50 PM the next day.
Brooklyn, a cluster of old warehouses by the river.
Warehouse B-7 looked long abandoned, its iron doors heavily rusted.
Arthur and Wanda walked up to the entrance.
"Is this the place?" Arthur looked around; it was abnormally quiet.
"It's here," Wanda said softly. "Two people inside, I can hear their heartbeats. And another one... at a sniper point further away."
"Professional." Arthur grinned and raised his hand to knock on the door.
With a creak, the iron door opened a crack.
A pleasant-looking man in a suit stood inside, a professional smile on his face.
"Mr. Zhang? Ms. Maximoff?" he asked.
"Yes, that's us." Arthur nodded.
"Please come in, I am Phil Coulson." Coulson stepped aside.
The warehouse was empty, with only a table and two chairs set up in the middle.
Standing on the other side of the table was a one-eyed Black man in a black leather trench coat, looking as if everyone owed him money.
Nick Fury.
Arthur muttered to himself; this Real person had an even stronger presence than in the movies.
"Sit," Fury said, his voice deep.
Arthur and Wanda sat down.
Coulson stood slightly behind Fury, his hands hanging naturally, but Arthur's Superman senses could hear the slight tightening of his muscles.
"First of all." Fury stared at the two of them. "What is the New York Sanctum? Who are you? Why use this channel?"
Arthur pulled the crystal shard from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"One question at a time," he said. "The New York Sanctumis a... civilian supernatural phenomenon research organization. We are researchers. We used this channel because we know you are investigating Tony Stark, and we know some things you don't."
Fury narrowed his single eye. "For example?"
"For example, why he was kidnapped." Arthur tapped his finger on the crystal shard.
A light screen projected into the air.
It was the footage of the Sanctum barrier's crack, the glowing fracture clearly visible, with energy data scrolling beside it.
"What is this?" Coulson asked.
"A damage record of a certain defense facility in New York," Wanda spoke, her voice calm. "The source of the damage is a chain reaction triggered by the resonance between the missile shrapnel remaining in Tony Stark's body and a certain cross-dimensional energy signature."
Fury's expression didn't change, but Arthur heard his heartbeat skip a beat.
"Cross-dimensional energy signature?" Fury repeated.
"Yes." Arthur switched the screen, and the energy spectrum of the phantom Ten Rings Symbol popped up. "We detected this symbol inside the members of the Ten Rings who kidnapped Tony. But inside Tony, it has formed an active anchor. Simply put, Tony is now a living signal tower. Whenever he gets emotional, he broadcasts a greeting to somewhere he shouldn't be connecting to."
Fury stared at the Ten Rings Symbol for a few seconds.
"Proof."
Wanda closed her eyes, then opened them again.
A flash of red light gleamed in her eyes.
"Right now, Tony Stark is at the top of the Stark Industriesbuilding, arguing with his board member, Obadiah Stane," Wanda said. "He is highly emotional, and the energy anchor at the shrapnel in his chest is active. The frequency is... three pulses per second, and the intensity is rising."
She paused.
"At the same time, background radiation levels in at least three locations in New York are showing abnormal fluctuations, and the fluctuation pattern matches the energy signature of this symbol. Do you need the coordinates?"
Coulson glanced at Fury.
Fury nodded.
Wanda recited three sets of latitude and longitude coordinates.
Coulson immediately pulled out a tablet and did a quick search. A few seconds later, he looked up, his face serious.
"Director, of the three coordinate points, two are old Stark Industries warehouses, and one is... a temporary stronghold of the Ten Rings monitored in Southeast Asia last week."
The warehouse fell silent.
Fury's single eye moved from Wanda's face to Arthur's face, and then back to the projection of the crystal shard.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
"Specialized equipment." Arthur didn't blink. "Just like you have satellites and listening posts, we have... other means of observation. That's not important. What's important is that the Ten Rings kidnapping Tony wasn't a simple terrorist attack; there is a supernatural purpose behind it. They are using Stark Industries' technology or Tony himself to try to establish some kind of connection."
"Connecting to what?" Fury asked.
"Another world." Arthur switched to the final data package, showing only the curve graph of the dimensional disturbance value without displaying the Mirror Dimensionfootage. "The energy readings show that the target the anchor is trying to connect to is in an extremely unstable, high-energy state. Simply put, that side might be about to collapse, and they want to run a line over to our side."
Fury was silent for a long time.
So long that Arthur thought he was about to draw a gun.
But he merely pulled a phone from his coat, pressed a few buttons, and handed it to Coulson.
Coulson finished reading and looked up. "Director, a newly aggregated report from intelligence. Seven abnormal energy peaks have been detected globally within the past forty-eight hours. One of them is in eastern Afghanistan, highly overlapping with the known activity area of the Ten Rings. The peak characteristics... share similarities with the pulse frequency just described by this lady."
Fury took his phone back and looked at Arthur.
"What do you want?"
"Information sharing," Arthur said directly. "You investigate the Ten Rings's secular operations, track the flow of arms, and look into Obadiah. We monitor dimensional anomalies and keep an eye on the anchor inside Tony. We exchange information to prevent things from spiraling out of control."
"For example?"
"For example, the anchor completely activating and pulling things from that collapsing world over to ours," Arthursaid. "Or the people behind the Ten Rings getting what they want and causing even greater chaos."
Fury fell silent for another few seconds.
"Cooperation is fine," he finally said. "But limited cooperation. You provide intelligence on supernatural anomalies, and we provide secular intelligence on the Ten Rings, Stark Industries, and Obadiah. Neither side interferes with the other's methods of operation."
"Deal." Arthur extended his hand.
Fury shook it with a very strong grip.
"First piece of intelligence." Fury sat down, took a document from Coulson, and slid it to Arthur. "The Ten Rings has been highly active in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe recently, sourcing specific electronic components and rare metals. The shopping list is here. Our analysis suggests they might be trying to replicate or improve some kind of energy device."
Arthur quickly scanned the list, running the Marvelplotline through his mind.
"Understood," he said. "We will keep an eye on dimensional fluctuations. If there are any anomalies matching the energy signatures of these materials, we will notify you immediately."
"Second piece of intelligence," Fury said. "Obadiah Stanehas been getting very close to several high-ranking the military officials recently, pushing for a 'Stark Industries Technological Heritage Preservation Initiative.' Ostensibly, it's to prevent Tony from acting recklessly and ruining the company, but in reality, he wants to bypass Tony and restart certain weapon development projects. The project codename is 'Iron Monger'."
Arthur and Wanda exchanged a look.
Iron Monger.
Obadiah was going to suit up himself.
"Thank you." Arthur put away the document. "In return, we will step up our monitoring. The fluctuations of the anchor inside Tony have been intensifying lately, likely related to the internal pressure within the company. If there are signs of an outbreak, we will warn you in advance."
"How will you warn us?" Coulson asked.
"Call this number." Arthur wrote down a note and handed it over. "The New York Sanctum's external line. Just ask for Advisor Zhang."
Fury pocketed the note and stood up.
"That's all for today," he said. "Keep in touch."
He turned and walked out, while Coulson nodded to Arthur and Wanda before following him.
The warehouse door closed.
Arthur let out a long breath.
"Done."
Wanda, however, frowned. "Arthur."
"Yeah?"
"During the meeting just now, the fluctuations inside Tony... intensified once more," Wanda said. "It hasn't settled down yet. Moreover, I feel like the Sanctum..."
Before she could finish, the Eye of Agamotto around Arthur's neck suddenly grew slightly warm.
The two of them exchanged a glance.
"Let's go back!"
A Portal opened in the Sanctum library.
As soon as Arthur stepped out, he saw Master Danielstanding in front of the light web, his expression grim.
"You're finally back!" Daniel pointed at the wall. "Look!"
On the light web, the crack on the eastern outer wall.
It used to be as thin as a chopstick, but now it was as thick as a finger.
Furthermore, the red light at the edges of the crack was flashing rhythmically.
Just like a heartbeat.
"What did Tony do now?" Arthur asked.
Daniel pulled up the monitoring data. "The Stark Industriesboard meeting just ended, and Obadiah secured the interim CEO authorization. Tony was absolutely furious and was smashing things in his lab. And then... this crack started to grow."
Wanda walked up to the crack and reached out to press against it.
Red chaos energy flowed from her palm, seeping into the crack.
A few seconds later, she withdrew her hand, her face pale.
"The attempted connection strength of the anchor channel is ten times higher than yesterday," Wanda said. "The other side... that world is knocking on the door with all its might."
Arthur looked at the glowing crack and rubbed his chin.
"Fury's intelligence says the Ten Rings is looking for parts."
"Obadiah wants to build the Iron Monger."
"Tony is throwing a tantrum, and the anchor is flashing wildly."
He grinned.
"Oh boy, all three sides are converging at once."
"We're going to be busy for the next few days."