When that eerie human-faced rose completely took shape in Lin Huai's hand, the entire hall of mirrors maze also changed back into an ordinary, cold building.
The exaggerated Joker makeup on Lin Huai's face slowly faded. He smiled at Tony, his voice carrying a hint of exhaustion.
"Tony, the show's over. Time to clock out."
"Clock out?" Tony climbed up from the ground, glanced at the rose that made his scalp crawl, then looked at Lin Huai. "You call this a show? My armor almost got scrapped, Coulson's leg got taken out, and one of his men went crazy! You have to give me a clear explanation of what you just said!"
On the other side, that surviving Female Agent was supporting Coulson. Coulson endured the intense pain and, through an encrypted channel, reported the entire sequence of events word for word to Nick Fury... S.H.I.E.L.D. Trident Headquarters.
Nick Fury listened to Coulson's report through his headset, a dangerous light flickering in his single eye.
"Director, the supernatural phenomena of the target building have completely disappeared," Coulson's voice was somewhat hoarse from pain, "but I can be certain that the intensity of this incident far exceeds anything we've encountered before... it's more like... a scripted play."
Fury immediately pointed the finger at the only common denominator—Lin Huai.
It must be because of his presence that this damn disaster was "attracted"!
"Patch through Stark and Lin Huai's channel," Fury ordered Hill beside him.
The next second, Fury's majestic and intimidating face appeared on Stark's private jet via holographic projection.
"Mr. Lin Huai," Fury's voice was as cold as a piece of iron, "I think you need to give me an explanation."
Lin Huai looked at him calmly. He had already expected this and was prepared to give the explanation he had already formulated about the Erosion of the World and the trials of the gods.
However, just a second before he spoke, an urgent voice suddenly rang out from Fury's projection!
Maria Hill's anxious voice followed immediately: "Director! Something's happened in New York! Two... giant creatures are fighting in Harlem! One of them is the Hulk, the other is unclear for now, but it's already caused large-scale building damage!"
"What?" Fury's single eye suddenly glared at Hill.
"A call from the White House!" Hill's voice was fast and urgent. "They demand we control the situation immediately, at any cost!"
"Fuck!"
Fury finally couldn't help but swear. He slammed a fist onto the nearby console and roared, "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't here to wipe the asses of those idiots in the Military! Creating one wasn't enough, and the other one is also inextricably linked to them."
But despite his roaring, the orders were issued immediately.
"Hill! Notify Steve Rogers immediately! Have him lead a team and set out first! Evacuating civilians is the top priority!"
After giving the order, he aimed his single eye back at Lin Huai and Tony, his voice urgent but powerful:
"You heard the situation just now. I am now officially requesting the assistance of both of you. Mr. Stark, your armor needs to reach the battlefield as soon as possible. Mr. Lin Huai, you need to tell me other methods that can be used to deal with those two big guys from your 'professional' perspective!"
"As for this Orlando incident..." Fury's gaze swept across Lin Huai's face, "I will visit in person after the New York matter is concluded. I hope by then, you can tell me the story of 'this show' in its entirety."
"We were planning to recruit that big green guy anyway," Tony cut in immediately, glancing at Lin Huai, "We'll take this job."
Lin Huai didn't speak, just nodded silently in agreement... Inside the private jet modified by Stark Industries, the wind howled outside the portholes.
Tony was urgently donning his latest mark armor. Mechanical arms operated rapidly, snapping pieces of gold and red armor onto his body with precision.
Lin Huai sat on the other side, eyes closed, fingers rubbing the [Strength] card, mentally reviewing the plot of The Incredible Hulk combined with the events that had already occurred.
"Tony, it seems this battle of giants isn't that simple. The Fool once told me that the Hulk is a vortex of Erosion. Since everything before was normal, there's a high probability of changes later on."
"Lin, don't overthink it. Leave everything to the great Mr. Stark." Stark finished putting on his armor. "Jarvis, turn our radar to the maximum and avoid Military detection. I don't want to get into a war of words with them."
"Sir, executed. We are entering their scanning gaps."
This already advanced aircraft, like a ghost traversing the urban forest, silently reached the optimal observation point above the battlefield.
On the battlefield, the two big guys were frantically clashing in the streets. The ground and buildings were shattered under the aftershocks of their battle. Steve was commanding S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to evacuate civilians.
On the aircraft's monitoring screen, Jarvis was providing cold physical data—Impact diffusion range, gamma ray energy peaks, and structural damage assessments of the buildings below.
"Lin, I'm going in first. Remember to use your professional knowledge to assist us. Since you think there's a problem, then analyze what it is." After saying that, Stark jumped out of the aircraft.
Lin Huai rubbed the tarot cards and opened his Spirit Vision. In an instant, his pupils constricted. "Tony, I see two energy storms composed of extreme [[Wrath]] and [[Twisted Hatred]] emotions."
"With every collision, I can 'hear' the wails of the real World's rules, like metal fatigue. Space is becoming brittle, like glass being repeatedly struck, with cracks invisible to the naked eye. The World... is groaning beneath their feet."
Just then, the battle below reached a fever pitch. The bone spurs on the Abomination's back became even more hideous, and the Hulk's roar reached a deafening peak!
Lin Huai immediately leaned back in his seat, adjusted his breathing, and silently recited the Fool's honorific name. His whole person quickly entered a state of meditation, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
Lin Huai's consciousness fell into a bizarre dreamscape.
He "saw" the Hulk defeat the Abomination. The Abomination's massive body fell in a pool of blood. Suddenly, the space above the Abomination's corpse distorted like ripples on water, and a pitch-black rift was violently torn open. A plume of black mist, emitting extreme cold and deathly silence, like a greedy venomous snake, darted into the Abomination's remains like lightning!
Lin Huai snapped his eyes open!
He shouted into his headset with an urgent tone he had never used before:
"Tony! Notify Steve and the Black Brine Egg! We can't let them keep fighting like this. Find a way to separate them. Their battle will cause space to shatter, and something is waiting outside of space."
"Jarvis, help me relay Lin's warning to everyone who can receive the signal."
His warning was immediately transmitted through Tony's channel to everyone on the ground.
But at this time, Steve was commanding his team to desperately protect the last group of civilians; General Ross's troops were still frantically pouring useless ammunition onto the two giants in the battlefield; only Stark flew toward the giants' clash point, continuously firing palm cannons and Rocket rounds, trying to draw their attention.
Fury also immediately issued orders to Black Widow and Steve on the scene, telling them to find a way to separate the two giants.
Black Widow looked at the giants, then at herself and the weapons in her hand. She mocked herself, "Officer, can your instructions be a bit more specific? I don't think we can participate in a fight between those two big guys."