Chapter 295: Primitive World
As a scientist achieving top-level breakthroughs in dozens of different fields, Reed Richards's personal safety mattered more to certain people than the President's.
After all, if a President died, you could elect another one. But if Reed Richards died, he was truly irreplaceable.
There had once been two brains this brilliant in the world—Dr. Banner and Reed.
But Dr. Banner had mysteriously vanished three years ago without a trace. Only Reed Richards remained active.
Not everyone knew that Dr. Banner was the Hulk who'd been running from General Ross for three years.
This made Reed Richards—possessing such exceptional intelligence—increasingly valuable.
So when Lunella and Ben Grimm returned carrying the circular device they'd dug up from under Brooklyn Bridge, the alarm it triggered reached a series of relevant government agencies within seconds.
RING RING RING!
Phone lines exploded. Hundreds of calls from different departments hit Baxter Building simultaneously.
Reed Richards had been absorbed in his experiments, feeling his research was one step closer to achieving interstellar travel.
But the insane ringing snapped him out of his immersed state. Reed practically dove toward a control console.
As he rapidly pressed buttons and adjusted complex parameters, the lab's walls became transparent.
Not just the lab walls—as Reed straightened and his gaze swept around, every wall he looked at turned transparent.
This let Reed see directly from his lab through dozens of thick floors to where Ben Grimm and Lunella stood.
Reed started to move, but the chaotic phone ringing forced him to stop.
Every device in Baxter Building capable of receiving external communications was going off—including Susan Storm's and Ben Grimm's personal phones.
"Reed! What's happening!" Susan ran from her room to the lab in her pajamas, watching Reed's gaze rapidly scan every corner of Baxter Building.
"Don't worry, Susan." Reed extended one hand to steady her. "Something interesting triggered the building's alarm system. It's fine."
RING RING RING!
The phones rang even more frantically. People on the other end were jumping out of their skin. Finally, Reed leisurely picked up:
"Hello."
The caller was the current Secretary of Defense. Hearing Reed's voice, he let out an enormous breath, then his words tumbled out rapid-fire:
"Reed? Are you safe? Can you evacuate? I've already dispatched armed helicopters to Baxter Building!"
"NYPD is sending helicopter escorts too! Three minutes! Just hold on!"
Reed pulled the phone away from his ear with amusement. Once the Secretary calmed down, he spoke:
"Mr. Secretary, I triggered the alarm by accident. Don't worry."
"Accident? You—!" The Secretary nearly bit his tongue in agitation. He really wanted to curse this guy out.
The moment he'd received the alert, the Secretary had literally jumped off a subordinate's wife, rushed half-dressed to an empty rooftop, and used his phone to arrange Defense Department helicopters to rescue Reed.
September nights were cold enough. The half-dressed Secretary stood shivering on the rooftop, making God knows how many calls before Reed answered.
But regardless, Reed was fine. An accident was an accident. As always, the Secretary could be replaced. Reed Richards couldn't.
RING RING!
The Secretary was about to say more when Reed cut him off:
"The White House is calling me, Mr. Secretary."
"Oh. Oh, okay." The Secretary said.
"Susan, handle this for me." Reed handed the President's call to Susan, then ran like mad toward the lab exit.
"Hurry, hurry!" Reed left the lab and rushed into an elevator, frantically mashing buttons while anxiously urging it along.
Thirty-five, thirty-four... The floor counter ticked down. Finally, under Reed's impatient gaze, it reached the first floor.
"Lunella! Ben!" Reed practically squeezed through the elevator doors before they'd fully opened. He sprinted toward the main hall corridor while shouting.
"Reed, you're making me think debt collectors are after me." Ben Grimm walked down the corridor with Lunella.
Reed didn't acknowledge Ben. His eyes were completely locked on the circular device in Lunella's arms:
"Lunella, where did you find this?"
"Reed, you know what this is?" Lunella held up the device for him. "We dug it up from under Brooklyn Bridge."
"Right. And it's got a great name—'Batman.'" Ben added.
Reed ignored Ben. He took the device from Lunella. Soil still clung to it—clearly just excavated, as she'd said.
"I don't know what this thing is. But it triggered Baxter Building's highest-level alert."
Reed turned the circular device over repeatedly, then immediately ran back toward the elevator.
Lunella and Ben froze for a moment. Then Ben hoisted Lunella onto his shoulder and chased after Reed with long strides.
"Wait! Reed, what are you doing! I found that!" Lunella called from Ben's shoulder.
"Let me study it!"
---
Two hours later, the chaos from Baxter Building's maximum alert finally faded after Susan Storm's repeated explanations.
Reed Richards and Lunella stood in the lab studying the circular device together. Johnny—Jonathan Johnny Storm—and Ben Grimm stood arm-in-arm to the side drinking, discussing what had just happened.
"Man, Reed owes me a hot girl. You should've seen how awkward it was when my phone went crazy while I was kissing her on the couch." Johnny said, half-annoyed, half-joking.
His words immediately drew his sister Susan Storm's furious glare:
"Johnny!"
Johnny immediately raised both hands in surrender, though his expression made clear he didn't actually care about Susan's anger.
Ben chuckled from the side, about to speak when—
WHOOSH!
The circular device activated under Reed's testing. An invisible energy signal exploded outward like a cosmic lighthouse, tearing through space and time to connect with a world filled with primitive energy!
A yellow-green vortex projected from the device like an image from a projector.
The vortex rapidly expanded. Just as Reed and the others tried to understand what was happening, a savage beast's roar echoed from within the swirling portal.
Simultaneously on Bat Island, Batman frowned and looked toward Baxter Building.
On North Brother Island—separated from Batman by only half the East River—the sleeping Lizard Professor's eyes snapped open.
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