Nolan's attitude, the unprecedented gravity in his words, and his description of an enemy that would destroy every form of existence were like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's hearts.
This was not like any crisis they had faced before; it was not just some powerful enemy or faction, but an erasure directed at the World itself!
Even Tony, who was always cavalier, had completely lost his smile, his eyes filled with gravity and... a trace of imperceptible fear—not for himself, but for the people he cherished.
"Leader."
Tony's voice rang out, devoid of his usual banter, carrying only a near-pleading sincerity. He did not even address him as "Nolan," but used the most formal title.
"I will not run. My life, my intelligence, my armor—they are all on this ship, and I will fight them to the bitter end!"
His voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling.
"But Morgan, Pepper—they did not choose this war. Can you let them go to another Universe? At least give them a chance?"
The look he gave Nolan was filled with the pleading of a father and a husband.
This was the only retreat he wanted to protect at this moment.
The gazes of everyone in the conference room instantly focused on Tony, then immediately shifted to the head of the table.
General Zod frowned deeply, Loki's eyes flickered, Professor Charles sighed, and Magneto remained silent...
No one mocked Tony's request. In the face of absolute destruction, seeking a glimmer of hope for one's loved ones was the most instinctive reaction of human nature.
Or rather, they all had the same thought.
To let their families take refuge in another Universe; if they lost, their families could still survive.
Nolan's gaze fell upon Tony, and he remained silent for a moment.
This brief silence felt as long as a century to Tony, and he had a very bad premonition in his heart.
Then, Nolan slowly shook his head.
"Tony."
His voice remained calm, yet carried a weight that was despair-inducing.
"I understand your request. But..."
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"There is no other Universe."
"Beyond the Universe?"
Tony repeated subconsciously, his face instantly turning pale, as a terrifying conjecture formed in his mind.
"Correct."
Nolan's voice sounded like a final verdict.
"Their target is everything. What they want to erase is not just a certain Planet, not a certain dimension, not a certain Universe bubble, but everything under the concept of 'Universe'!"
"We have no way out; we have no choice."
"Either we win, or... we meet the end together with everything!"
There was no way out.
At this moment, everyone felt unprecedented pressure and despair.
But soon, flames reignited in their eyes.
A kind of frantic fire, mixed with anger and determination, born after being pushed to the brink.
"Now, return to your positions! Use everything! Get stronger! Prepare for war! And then... achieve victory!"
The doors of the conference hall swung open with a bang, and like war beasts shot from a bowstring, they rushed toward their respective home turfs.
Nolan stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. His golden eyes pierced through the city, through the atmosphere, and through the endless sea of stars, as if he could see that terrifying shadow intending to destroy everything.
"Come, Thanos!"
"This time, I will kill you completely."
——
Nolan then came to a Villa in the Himalayan Mountains.
Nolan pushed the door open and walked in naturally. It was not a spacious living room, but a study filled with books.
A blonde woman in a white robe was writing something at a desk.
Nolan walked over to take a look, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
magic homework?
"I say, Yao, at a time like this, you still have the heart to write this?"
"Master, you said that this is necessary learning."
Yao finished writing the last word, closed the homework, and handed it to Nolan with a smile in her eyes.
"Necessary learning..."
Nolan sighed and tapped his finger on the magic homework book he had left behind.
"Yao, do you know what time it is? Even Tony Stark has forgotten how to be glib; everyone is preparing to risk their lives. And I should be desperately gathering combat power to plan for the coming war, and even you..."
Yao interrupted Nolan.
"Even I have to go to the battlefield, but Master, you have a bit of anxiety right now, and such emotions are not conducive to solving problems."
"The more it is at a time like this, the more you need to calm down. Grading homework is a very good method."
Nolan looked at Yao. On that young face, which already held wisdom beyond her years, her clear blue eyes reflected the flickering firelight of the study's fireplace, as if the catastrophe sweeping across the entire Multiverse outside was just an insignificant snowstorm.
"I didn't expect to be lectured by you in the end."
Nolan walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, sat down, and began to read through it carefully.
"The one who knows more is the teacher."
Yao's voice was peaceful. She stood up and placed a cup of hot tea next to Nolan.
Yao sat back in her seat, picked up another book, and read it quietly.
Nolan's fingertip traced a rune chain where the energy node calculation was clearly wrong, and he frowned slightly.
He picked up the quill pen on the desk dipped in magic ink, drew a concise cross at the error, and added a note on the side.
"Energy overflow at Node 3, refer to... If you make this mistake again, copy the'Space Stabilization Spell' one hundred times."
As he finished writing, he was stunned himself.
This kind of comment, at such a time, was so absurd it made him want to laugh.
However, when he finished annotating this page, his gaze inadvertently swept over the erroneous model Yao had just deduced, and a faint spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.
That erroneous path of energy dissipation... although it completely contradicted basic theory and caused the model to collapse, its direction of dissipation and the pattern of spatial ripples it triggered... actually had an extremely vague, almost inverse similarity to a certain incomprehensible, chaotic energy turbulence he had observed from Thanos not long ago?
He suddenly lifted his head and looked at Yao.
Yao seemed to sense his gaze and also looked up from her book, with a hint of inquiry.
"Master?"
Nolan did not answer immediately.
He lowered his head again, staring intently at the erroneous deduction he had just sentenced to "death." Deep within his golden pupils, countless complex magic runes and cosmic star charts began to swirl, deduce, and compare frantically.
An indescribable feeling seized him—it was not that he had found the answer, but rather... a possibility?
An extremely small, perhaps even illusory, breakthrough?
------------------------
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