Stark Industries' transoceanic private jet was flying steadily at high altitude.
The interior of the cabin was less like a plane and more like a scaled-down version of the living room in Stark's mansion moved to the sky. It featured leather sofas, holographic screens, and a bar stocked with top-tier spirits and wines.
Tony Stark hadn't been idle since boarding; his mouth had barely stopped moving. One moment he was mocking Happy for clutching the armrests due to his fear of heights, and the next he was pestering Lin Huai, asking what that so-called Hollywood-level blockbuster drama was all about.
"Hey, Happy, relax. This thing is much safer than those tin cans you drive," Tony said, holding a glass of champagne with his legs crossed. "How about I have Jarvis play some soothing music for you?"
Happy rolled his eyes.
Finding no amusement there, Tony leaned over to Lin Huai, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"I say, Lin, how exactly does that Fool of yours send you the scripts? Email? Or did he install a projector directly in your brain? Is the scene big enough this time? Are the explosions flashy enough? That pillar of purifying light last time was effective, but it lacked a bit of... well, that physical impact the public loves to see."
Lin Huai didn't even open his eyes.
Just then, Jarvis's voice suddenly rang out.
"Sir, we are about to reach our destination, the airspace above the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Additionally, I have accessed the local emergency communication channels and confirmed that the area has been designated a combat zone by the Military. Civilians were evacuated thirty minutes ago."
As soon as Jarvis finished speaking, the massive viewport at the front of the cabin flickered to transparency, and the city landscape below came clearly into everyone's view.
It was a sight completely different from Rio's World-famous beautiful beaches. Densely packed, colorful low-rise houses were stacked on the hillside like building blocks. And inside this currently deserted set of blocks, a true disaster was unfolding.
A green behemoth was rampaging through it. Every time he jumped, he easily crushed a section of roofing; every time he threw a punch, he smashed a wall to smithereens. Bullets hit him like a mere itch, and Military jeeps were tossed aside by him as easily as toys.
"Whoa! Ohhh!!!"
Tony's eyes widened instantly. He sprang up from the sofa and practically pressed his face against the viewport, his expression filled with unmistakable schadenfreude.
"Now that's more like it!!! This is the kind of explosion scene I wanted!!!"
The image on the screen zoomed in rapidly. Several Military armored vehicles were attempting to form a wall of fire with heavy machine guns, but the green giant simply used a torn-off piece of sheet metal roof as a shield and easily broke through their formation.
Seeing the well-equipped army suffer such a setback, Tony shouted with even more excitement.
"Wahoo!!! Look at those arrogant idiots in the Military! Yesterday at the hearing they wanted to tell me what to do, and today they're being beaten senseless by a green fitness instructor! Jarvis! Get me some popcorn! This is more exciting than any Hollywood blockbuster!!!"
Just then, Tony's satellite phone rang urgently.
Tony answered the phone impatiently. Before he could complain about who was interrupting his movie time, Nick Fury's unique, raspy, and serious voice came from the other end.
"Stark, no time for nonsense. Brazil, Rocinha favela. An uncontrollable giant green creature has appeared, codename Hulk. I want you and Mr. Lin to head over immediately to help assess the situation and, if possible, assist the Military in the capture. Tell Mr. Lin we are willing to pay the price of one chip."
Tony paused for a moment, and then a completely unmasked grin, like a cat that had caught a mouse (Tom), spread across his face.
"Jarvis, hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network and share the real-time feed from our plane's cameras with Director Fury."
He spoke into the phone lazily: "Are you talking about that... big green guy? Sorry, Nick, Lin already divined it. We bought first-class seats and have been watching for quite a while now."
...S.H.I.E.L.D., Trident Headquarters.
Alarms blared in the command center.
"Motherfucker!"
Nick Fury slammed his fist onto the console and cursed at the screen that had suddenly been switched.
"Who did this?! Who bypassed the firewall?!"
An Agent immediately reported: "Officer, it's an external signal intrusion from the Stark Industries network!"
On the screen, high-definition footage from ten thousand meters up was steady and clear, fully revealing the Military's pathetic state on the ground and the green giant's Fury. The clarity of the image was even better than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own satellite signals.
Fury's single eye stared intently at the screen while Tony's mocking voice continued to ring through the phone.
The dead silence on the other end caused the fire of violated sovereignty in his heart to quickly cool, turning into a deeper wariness.
Seer?
No! That word echoed in Fury's mind, and then he dismissed it himself. This was no longer just a Seer! Divination is seeking a vague answer, but this Lin Huai—he was essentially providing a precise forecast of the future! He knew the location and time of the event in advance, and could even leisurely take Stark flying there to watch the show!
A Soothsayer who could know everything in advance... this realization filled Fury's single eye with unprecedented gravity. A person who could create Beyonder weapons was a threat, but an existence that could predict the future—that was a fear capable of flipping the entire game table!
"Coulson will have full authority to contact you." Fury's voice became incredibly heavy. He forced down the turmoil in his heart, quickly hung up the phone, and turned to issue a new order to Agent Hill.
"Immediately raise all files on the codename Fortune Teller to the highest security clearance! Level 10! No one except me has the right to access them!"
...Meanwhile, the battle in the favela was nearing its end. After completely tearing General Ross's troops to pieces, the green giant let out a heaven-shaking roar, followed by a few leaps, and disappeared into the night-shrouded mountains, leaving behind nothing but a mess of ruins and stunned soldiers.
"The party's over," Tony said, smacking his lips as if he hadn't had enough. He turned to look at Lin Huai, his excitement gradually replaced by curiosity. "So, you brought me here to see this just to show off in front of Nick Fury?"
Lin Huai shook his head and put away his pendulum.
"Tony, do you remember that [Strength] card I showed you before?"
Tony's eyes narrowed as he recalled the image on that card of a woman gently closing a lion's jaws.
Lin Huai cast his gaze toward the ruins and said slowly, "The next Erosion is related to that big guy."
"He's been eroded?" Tony asked immediately.
"No, he hasn't been eroded," Lin Huai corrected. "An out-of-control scientific accident created him; it has nothing to do with Erosion."
"But, Tony..." Lin Huai's tone became meaningful, "You saw his combat power—invulnerable. This is much more formidable than your uncle. If he becomes the core of the next Erosion event, what do you think will happen? We might not be able to beat him."
"So..." Tony's brow furrowed, "You brought me here to observe a threatening weapon in advance? Or rather, a future trouble?"
"You could understand it that way." Lin Huai's answer was neither a yes nor a no. "I need a controllable force, but right now, the Military will chase him like mad dogs, which will only push him into a more dangerous situation. That doesn't fit my approach to solving trouble."
Lin Huai turned his head and looked seriously at Tony.
"Besides, Tony, I want to help him. This time, I want to compromise with my humanity."
Just as he finished speaking, Coulson's communication request patched into the cabin's public channel.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Stark, this is Agent Coulson," Coulson's mild and polite voice rang out. "Director Fury has ordered us to seek your assistance. According to your divination, may I ask... where will the Hulk go?"
Lin Huai's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something.
He spoke into the communicator unhurriedly:
"Agent Coulson, if you want the next page of my script, of course you can have it."
"But as the screenwriter, I have an idea."