Stark Tower, Top Floor Workshop.
Tony Stark stood within a "city" constructed entirely of Holographic Projections.
Beneath his feet were layers of intersecting blue lines, like the capillaries of a city—this was the complete Underground Pipe Network and Sewage System of Queens, New York.
"Jarvis, based on the Fluid Dynamics Model, simulate the effect of deploying the infrasonic pulse generator into Jefferson Reservoir."
While giving the order, Tony swept his hand through a stream of blue data.
This was the first solution he thought of: utilizing "High-Frequency Vibration." Simple, brutal, and consistent with the style of Stark Industries.
"Sir, the simulation is complete." Jarvis's voice sounded. "Considering the vastness of the water body and the complexity of the Piping System, a single pulse source cannot generate effective High-Frequency Vibration covering the entire district in a short time. It is estimated that at least 72 hours will be required to affect 90% of the water."
"Three days?" Tony irritably waved his hand, dismissing the Holographic Model. "By the time my sound waves get there, half the people in Queens will be having a party at the mental hospital."
He paced restlessly, Lin Huai's diagnosis constantly circling in his mind.
[High-Frequency Vibration] and [Intense Light].
Vibration offers Wide-Area Damage, but it is too slow to take effect.
Then... light?
"This thing is a Light Source itself." Tony subconsciously tapped the arc reactor on his chest.
But the problem returned.
The invisible "Whispering Leeches" were scattered throughout the Queens water supply; this was Surface-Level Contamination, not a point target.
He couldn't possibly replace all of New York's Water Pipes with Fiber Optic Cables, could he?
The cost was too high, and it was ridiculous.
He needed a Lure.
A Lure that could attract all the "leeches" to one spot, and then... Capture Them All In One Go.
This line of thinking already exceeded the scope of pure physics.
Tony stopped pacing, a trace of annoyance flashing in his eyes, but he still picked up the Encrypted Phone.
For professional matters, one must consult a professional.
The call was answered almost immediately.
"Mr. Stark, has your Engineer's Mindset hit a Bottleneck?" Lin Huai's voice was calm and steady, as if he had been waiting for this call.
"I prefer to call it Technical Problem-Solving." Tony got straight to the point. "I can create light, and I can create vibration. But your 'leeches' are free-range. I need a way to gather them up and throw a grand Bonfire Party."
"That is the correct approach." Lin Huai agreed. "They are Spiritual Creatures, and naturally, they will be attracted by intense 'spirituality'."
"spirituality?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Speak English."
"You can understand it as a 'Spiritual Signal.' Everyone contaminated by them emits a faint signal, which is their scattered food source. But what if... a Signal Source amplified ten million times appears, like dropping an entire cake in front of a group of ants smelling breadcrumbs."
"They will swarm to it, right?" Tony understood instantly. "Can you create that 'cake'?"
"Of course. This requires a 'Spirituality Amplification Ritual.' I will select a suitable location, set up the Ritual, and become that unique Lure."
Lin Huai's voice paused and became serious.
"And your mission, Mr. Stark, is not to fight, but to Purify."
"Forget your missiles and bombs. This time, what you need is Pure Light."
Pure Light... Tony's gaze once again fell upon his chest.
That small arc reactor was emitting an Ethereal Blue Glow, steadily outputting Immense Energy.
This was his proudest invention, the future of Clean Energy.
And wasn't its most fundamental form light and heat?
"I know what to do." Tony hung up the phone, and the kind of zealous, confident smile belonging to a genius appeared on his face.
He stopped agonizing over combat and returned to the field he excelled at—Creation!
"Jarvis!" His voice was filled with unrestrained excitement. "Pull up the Backup Blueprints for the Miniature Arc Reactor, adjust the Energy Output Mode to 'Broad-Spectrum Intense Illumination,' and give me the parameters closest to the Solar Spectrum!"
"Connect the Mobile Chassis of the heavy Engineering Robot 'Hercules,' and strip off all Armor and Weapon Systems! I only want the chassis and the Energy Core!"
"Install a 360-degree rotating Focusing Illumination Platform on top! I want that damned place lit up brighter than Times Square!"
"Sir, are you saying we are going to build a Large Mobile Searchlight?"
"No!" Light flashed in Tony's eyes. "We aren't building a searchlight, we are building a 'Sun' that can move!"
"Notify the Engineering Department, I'll be down in half an hour. I want to see this Robot appear underground in Queens before dark!"
---
Meanwhile, at Jefferson Reservoir.
Several black Chevrolet SUVs silently parked outside the Police Tape.
The car doors opened, and a group of stern-faced men and women in Black Suits stepped out. Leading them was Phil Coulson.
He showed his Identification, and the Police Commander who had previously blocked Tony immediately saluted and cleared the path.
"Officer, the scene has been taken over by us." Coulson's tone was gentle but carried undeniable authority.
He put on Special Goggles and walked into the scene step by step.
"What's the situation?" he asked into the Communicator on his wrist.
"Officer Coulson, the Energy Field Readings here are strange." The voice of a Technical Agent came through. "No Ionizing Radiation, no Gamma Rays, but... there is a very faint but extremely 'ordered' Energy Fluctuation remaining in the space. The residual fluctuation is most obvious in this specific area."
The Technical Agent pointed to the Open Space where Lin Huai had previously established the Wall of Spirituality.
Coulson squatted down and gently brushed his hand over the ground.
His fingertips didn't feel anything, but in his Perception, the air in this area seemed... "cleaner" and more "pure" than the surroundings.
"Compile all Surveillance Footage and Eyewitness Testimonies from when Mr. Stark and his 'consultant' appeared. Focus the analysis on every move of that Asian Youth."
Coulson stood up and looked out at the shimmering reservoir.
"Furthermore, report immediately to Director Fury. Tell him we have discovered a brand new, Unknown Energy Event in Queens, possibly related to 'Stark Industries.' The Energy Source... is unidentified."
---
Night fell.
Queens, underground, B-7 Wastewater Treatment Hub.
This was the junction of several Main Sewage Pipes, a massive, empty, circular Underground Space. Malodorous Wastewater surged in from pipe openings high up on the sides, merging into the deep central channel with a rumbling sound.
Lin Huai stood in the center of this Filthy Place.
He took some simple materials from his Backpack: a piece of Specialized Chalk mixed with Silver Powder, and several bottles of Herbal Essential Oil emitting a strange scent.
He bent down, using himself as the center, meticulously drawing complex and mysterious Symbols and Lines on the damp ground.
As the final stroke landed, the Formation seemed to come alive.
Buzz—
An Invisible Fluctuation suddenly spread outward, centered on the Formation!
In the World of spirituality, this was no less than detonating a Signal Bomb in the silent deep sea!
Something in the slowly flowing wastewater was startled.
At the same time, inside a speeding Truck.
Coulson was staring intently at the Energy Fluctuation Graph on the screen in front of him.
The curve representing the Energy Index, in that instant, shot vertically upward from a steady Baseline, directly breaking through the screen's Maximum Range!
"God Almighty..." The Technical Agent beside him gasped. "What is he doing? Did he light up a Signal Tower?!"
"Notify all Field Units to immediately retreat two kilometers!" Coulson ordered decisively. "Maintain surveillance, do not initiate contact of any kind! Patch in the Real-Time Feed!"
The screen switched, displaying the Infrared Footage captured by a Drone through a High-Altitude Vent.
In the footage, Lin Huai stood quietly in the center of the Formation, eyes closed, Muttering Incantations.
In reality, unseen by the Surveillance Footage, countless tiny, semi-transparent, Twisting Shadows were converging from all directions in the surrounding wastewater, densely packed, in numbers sufficient to make anyone with trypophobia instantly collapse.
Like a school of sharks smelling blood, they frantically surged toward that tempting "Spiritual Lighthouse."
On the other side, Tony Stark stood in the workshop, the screen in front of him displaying the same Energy Monitoring Footage.
His Encrypted Phone was set aside, on Speakerphone.
"The Stage is set, Mr. Stark." Lin Huai's voice came through the phone, clear and steady.
Tony did not reply, but instead pressed a Red Button on the Control Panel.
"'Project Helios,' commencing execution. Cargo Elevator activating. Let our 'Sun'... descend to the place it is meant to illuminate."
"Tell the ground Transport Team they have ten minutes."
On the other end of the phone, Lin Huai's voice sounded again.
"Your Sun is ready to rise."