"Keep an eye on..."
Arthur felt a bit speechless. Was his promise really so cheap?
Yet a faint smile played on his lips. "Go on."
"There's a young man I have some expectations for, and I've already begun preparing him. However, I'm concerned about potential complications during the process, so..." Hank chose his words carefully. "I was hoping to secure your assistance."
In essence, he hadn't said anything substantial. If Arthur hadn't known the original plot, he would have been completely in the dark.
But now he understood Hank's meaning.
The successor to the Ant-Man Suit had clearly been identified and was already undergoing training.
From this perspective, an irreconcilable conflict with Darren Cross of Pym Technologies must have already begun. Ultimately, the new successor would inevitably face a life-or-death struggle against his predecessor.
Any disruption to this process would be unacceptable to Hank. That explained why he was calling now.
Still, the vagueness of his explanation left Arthur uneasy.
After a moment of silence, Hank sighed helplessly. "If you have time, could you come over? We could discuss it in person."
"No problem," Arthur agreed readily.
...
Arthur revisited Hank's home, this time not as an uninvited guest. Hank was waiting at the door.
After parking his car at the entrance to the yard, Arthur smiled. "It's been a while."
"Not that long, really," Hank replied, returning the smile. He stepped forward and gave Arthur a light hug. "Come in."
"I thought I'd see more people here," Arthur said, glancing at the empty yard. "Where's the young man you value so highly?"
"Out running an errand," Hank said. "Let's talk inside."
In the study, the two men sat down. Hank hesitated for a long moment before sighing. "I imagine you already know everything about me."
"There's no direct evidence to prove I know everything," Arthur shrugged.
"In fact, that's a perfectly satisfactory answer," Hank said with a smile. "Otherwise, why would you have come to see me in the first place?"
"Can't argue with that," Arthur nodded. "So, what happens next?"
"After I left SHIELD, I founded Pym Technologies from the ground up," Hank said, his gaze drifting as if lost in those turbulent times. "Later, I had a promising student, but unfortunately..."
"I know, Darren Cross. It's clear he didn't live up to your expectations."
"He not only failed to meet my expectations, but actively worked against them." Hank's brow furrowed as he looked up at Arthur. "You see, I never gave him the complete formula. But in recent years, his research has begun to terrify me. From what I've gathered, his experiments are on the verge of success. When that happens, the entire world will erupt in unimaginable chaos."
Arthur didn't deny this.
Pym Particles, the Ant-Man Suit, the Wasp Suit…
Each of these technologies possessed extraordinary power.
Once unleashed on the conventional battlefield, they would inevitably become instruments of mass slaughter.
A being who has obtained such immense power would never be content with mediocrity or simply use it for self-protection.
Not everyone in this world is a superhero, and perhaps that's precisely why superheroes exist...
"So, I plan to destroy it all," Hank admitted truthfully this time. "But this is my own problem. I can't rely on others to solve it. The one who must carry out this task is my successor. But he's still immature, full of uncertainties. I don't know how this will ultimately turn out. After all, if anything goes wrong during the process, it could lead to the outcome I fear most."
Arthur nodded. "Is that why you're keeping an eye on him?"
"Exactly," Hank confirmed.
Arthur smiled. "I promise. This is something I owe you."
Hank seemed relieved and stood up from his chair. "Thank you very much."
Arthur shook his head. "You helped me once, that's all... Besides, I'm really curious to meet your successor. I want to see what kind of person he is. If possible, I could even help train him. I'm just bored and have some free time lately."
Being bored was, of course, a lie.
But he genuinely wanted to recruit Ant-Man into his team.
He didn't need the Pym Particle; he just needed the new Ant-Man himself.
Moreover, Hank wasn't without his own ideas.
In fact, if Arthur could use clues about the Quantum Realm as bait, this man might well join his ranks.
"It'll have to be slow and steady," Arthur mused. If he could get Hank to incorporate similar features into all his team's battle suits, his team would become even more formidable.
As Arthur's thoughts wandered, he heard Hank say, "Alright, that's fine."
He glanced up at Hank and saw that the man was also staring at him.
When their eyes met, Arthur suddenly smiled.
'Could this guy be scheming something similar to what I'm plotting?'
...
It didn't take long before the sound of an engine came from outside the gate, and the two people chatting turned their attention to it.
But several minutes passed before the gate finally swung open.
A tall woman entered first, her expression as cold as if someone owed her money.
Behind her followed a man who, to be generous, was at least thirty-five, but to Hank, he might still seem quite young.
After they entered, the woman was the first to notice Arthur. She stared at him in surprise, clearly not expecting a visitor.
The man behind her was still speaking: "I wonder whose car that is outside. It looks pretty nice, but why is it parked at our gate?"
"Because its owner is standing right in front of us," the woman said coldly, turning to look at Hank with a puzzled expression.
(End Of This Chapter)
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