Chapter 29: The Calm Before the Storm, Initiating the Second Simulation
The night sky over Washington was completely torn apart.
The waters of the Potomac River churned violently as three gargantuan steel beasts broke through the surface, ascending by force with a piercing mechanical roar.
The pale blue exhaust from their anti-gravity engines cast a ghostly white glow upon the thick clouds, while gale-force winds, laden with freezing rain, slammed relentlessly against the glass curtain walls of the Triskelion.
"Full-spectrum jamming initiated! Officer, we have completely lost contact with the outside world!"
In the command center, the technician's voice was laced with uncontrollable panic.
Alexander Pierce stared fixedly at the three slowly rising blips on the radar screen, his eyes bloodshot.
Like a gambler who had lost all his chips, he had bet his entire fortune and life on these three helicarriers that had not yet fully charged.
As long as the helicarriers reached low Earth orbit at 30,000 feet, the physical fire control system would be able to lock onto that safe house in Brooklyn.
He intended to use the maximum yield plasma main cannons to erase that damn Agent and that world-ending Witch from Earth.
"Accelerate charging speed. Anyone in our way is to be executed without mercy."
Pierce gritted his teeth, squeezing the words out through his clenched jaw.
Meanwhile, at an abandoned container terminal dozens of kilometers away, a soaked Steve Rogers kicked open a rusted iron door.
He gasped for air, his jacket torn by a long gash from a stray bullet.
Inside, Natasha, clutching a wound on her abdomen, and Sam Wilson, who had just donned his mechanical wings, were standing by.
"Fury's coordinates have disappeared, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal network is completely locked down."
Natasha's face was pale, a blood-stained USB drive held between her fingers.
"Pierce has gone mad; he's initiated the Insight Projectahead of schedule."
Steve tightened his grip on his scratch-covered Vibraniumshield as rainwater dripped down his resolute jawline.
His mind echoed once more with the mocking words Lynnhad spoken at the café— "S.H.I.E.L.D. is a tree that has rotted to its roots; those executives are nothing but rogue ninjas wearing the cloak of justice."
"We have three hours."
Steve raised his head abruptly, his gaze burning like a torch.
"Before the helicarriers reach their designated orbit, we must shoot them down."
The storm outside had spiraled into an irreversible abyss.
However, in that safe house on the outskirts of Brooklyn, New York, the scene was entirely different.
The warm, dim light of a floor lamp filled the room, and the air was thick with the sweet scent of butter cookies and the slight bitterness of freshly ground coffee.
Lynn leaned back on the soft fabric sofa, his legs crossed.
Wanda, like a cat suffering from extreme insecurity, was curled up entirely in his arms.
She was wearing that oversized, thick-knit sweater, her cheek pressed tightly against Lynn's chest as she listened to his steady, powerful heartbeat.
"It's very noisy outside."
Wanda frowned slightly, her fingertips tracing unconscious circles on Lynn's lapel.
Even from hundreds of kilometers away, she could sense the hostility brought by those steel monsters ascending into the sky.
A trace of scarlet Chaos Particles swirled quietly in the depths of her eyes, carrying a suffocating desire for destruction.
"Shh."
Lynn's slender fingers ran through Wanda's chestnut hair, his fingertips gently massaging her scalp with movements as soft as if he were soothing a fragile piece of art.
"Just a bunch of rats that die when exposed to light."
Lynn's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a strange, calming power.
"I set a trap to make them bite Captain America. Tonight, no one can disturb us."
He picked up the coffee at his side and took a sip; the warm bitterness slid down his throat, keeping his mind absolutely clear.
Wanda looked up, and those eyes, which had originally been filled with madness, instantly transformed into a pathological obsession the moment they met Lynn's gaze.
She leaned forward, greedily inhaling the scent from the hollow of Lynn's neck.
"You promised me, Lynn."
Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet her arms wrapped around the man's waist like iron bands.
"Never leave me. If anyone tries to snatch you away from me... I will crush their bones inch by inch."
As her words fell, a visible wave of scarlet energy spread out, silently seeping into the walls and floor.
In just a few seconds, the entire safe house was completely sealed off by a layer of absolute defensive Chaos Magic.
Forget a plasma main cannon; even if a tactical nuclear missile were dropped here, this barrier would keep them completely unscathed.
"Of course, my little Witch."
Lynn lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Under this extreme display of tenderness, the scarlet in Wanda's eyes finally faded away.
The mental strain and magical exhaustion of the past few days had left her weary, and amidst the steady rhythm of Lynn's heartbeat, her breathing gradually became even as she fell into a deep sleep.
Confirming that Wanda was fast asleep, the gentle curve of Lynn's lips vanished instantly, replaced by absolute calmness and depth.
He gently moved Wanda's head onto the sofa cushion and sat up straight.
The situation outside had completely exploded according to his script; HYDRA and Captain America were tearing each other apart.
He had secured a precious three-hour window.
But Lynn knew very well that this was not enough.
Although Wanda's Chaos Magic was a Skyfather-leveldimensionality-reduction strike, this "jade" was too uncontrollable.
Once this yandere Witch discovered any sign of his "betrayal," this power capable of tearing apart a helicarriercould turn on him at any moment.
He had to polish his "vessel" to the extreme and stack up enough trump cards for self-preservation before the Shura field erupted completely.
"System."
Lynn spat the two words out coldly in his mind.
A pale blue light screen instantly unfolded on his retina, dispelling the warm light in the room.
[Host Current Status: Chaos Magic Affinity(Incomplete)]
[Simulation Cooldown: Finished]
[Initiate next 'Undying' simulation?]
Lynn's gaze swept rapidly across the light screen.
He needed an ability that could provide early warnings in extreme danger, as well as a physique capable of supporting high-intensity physical confrontations.
The shortcoming on the magic side had been filled; now, he needed the ultimate evasion on the physical side.
A briefing that had flashed on the edge of a wanted poster crossed his mind, along with that agile figure wearing a black-and-white suit, swinging by spider-webs in the night sky of New York.
"Target selected—Gwen Stacy."
Lynn murmured in his heart.
[Target locked.]
[Loading simulation space-time...]
[Warning: This simulation node is a high-risk conflict zone. Host's initial identity: S.H.I.E.L.D. Field Agent.]
[Current Node: The Clock Tower Final Battle.]
[Wish you a fitting death.]
Hum—!
Lynn felt a violent tugging sensation deep within his brain.
The warm light of the safe house, the bitter taste of coffee, and even the faint scent of roses on Wanda were violently stripped away in that instant.
Replacing them was an extremely violent, high-altitude cold wind that scraped across his cheeks like cold blades.
"Hee hee hee hee—!"
A piercing, manic laughter stabbed into his eardrums like steel needles.
Lynn opened his eyes abruptly.
No warm sofa, no absolute defensive barrier.
He found himself standing on the edge of a massive Clock Tower hundreds of meters in the air.
The gale caused his Agent trench coat to flap violently, and the concrete edge beneath his feet was severely cracked; a single misstep would send him falling into the abyss.
The pungent smell of ozone and the burnt odor of burning machine oil rushed into his nostrils.
Less than ten meters directly in front of him, the massive Clock Tower gears were spinning wildly, emitting a deafening metallic friction sound.
And above that pile of deadly gears, Gwen Stacy, wearing the Ghost Spider suit, was being driven into a corner.
Her suit had been slashed in several places, blood staining the white fabric, her chest heaving violently and rapidly.
In mid-air, the Green Goblin, riding his glider, was raising a pumpkin bomb flickering with a deadly red light, his eyes filled with cruel mockery.
"Look at this poor little spider, today is your death day!"
The Green Goblin laughed wildly, his arm muscles bulging as he threw the bomb in his hand with force.
Gwen's web-shooters had jammed, and she watched in despair as the bomb magnified before her eyes, with the bottomless Clock Tower shaft behind her.
Lynn narrowed his eyes.
No Chaos Magic, no Vibranium arsenal; he was now just a mortal body that was slightly stronger than average.
The system had arranged an absolute hellish start for him.
Yet, a curve of extreme excitement hooked the corner of Lynn's mouth.
"Looks like I'll have to play a big one."
Lynn's muscles tensed instantly, his gaze locked firmly onto Gwen in mid-air.
Just as the pumpkin bomb was about to explode, he kicked off the shattered railing, used the blind spot of the shadows to perform an extremely subtle feint, and leaped into that deadly abyss without hesitation, like a hunting leopard!
No parachute, no superpowers.
He was going to use this mortal body to forcibly reverse the Ghost Spider's death trap!
Chapter 30: Battle at the Clock Tower, Ghost SpiderFalling into the Abyss
The gale felt like countless dull knives, scraping madly against Lynn's cheeks. A sense of weightlessness instantly gripped his stomach, his internal organs churning violently within his chest cavity.
He wore no high-tech combat armor; he had on only a thin S.H.I.E.L.D. field trench coat.
Below was the bottomless atrium of the Clock Tower, where complex, massive gears turned and interlocked in the darkness like the fangs of a giant beast.
"Boom!"
A blinding orange-red fireball exploded overhead. The Impact of the pumpkin bomb, mixed with the acrid smell of gunpowder, slammed hard against Lynn's back.
The shockwave of the explosion sent Gwen Stacy flying through the air. Ghost Spider's white suit was covered in scorch marks, and her prized web-shooters had jammed during the fierce battle just moments ago; now, she could only wave her arms in despair, trying to grab onto anything for leverage.
But there was nothing. Only the rapidly receding, dilapidated brick walls.
Just as Gwen thought she was about to be splattered into pulp, a black figure smashed down from diagonally above like a meteorite.
Lynn forcibly twisted his waist and abdomen in mid-air; his Agent-level muscle control allowed him to forcefully alter his falling trajectory amidst the gale.
"Snap!"
Lynn's palm clamped tightly onto Gwen's wrist.
The immense pulling force caused Lynn's shoulder joint to emit a dull thud, and sharp pain instantly shot up his arm nerves to his brain. But instead of letting go, he pulled hard, drawing Gwen into his arms.
Gwen widened her eyes beneath her mask, looking at this suddenly appearing man in disbelief.
"Who... who are you?!" The gale tore her voice into shreds. "You didn't even bring a parachute—are you crazy?!"
An ordinary person, just to save her, jumped directly from a height of several hundred meters?
Lynn did not answer this foolish question. He wrapped one arm around Gwen's slender waist and quickly drew a tactical dagger from the outside of his thigh with his other hand.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. field Agent, serial number 734." Lynn's voice was cold and hard as iron, without a trace of fear in the face of death. "Long story short, Spider-Girl. Can your shooters still work?"
Gwen was stunned by his extreme professional composure and subconsciously looked down at her wrist: "The slot is deformed... I need three seconds to reset it!"
"I'll buy you five seconds." Lynn's gaze was cold and sharp; his eyes looked past Gwen's shoulder, staring fixedly upward.
"Hee hee hee hee! A touching rescue! Then go to hell together!"
The Green Goblin stepped on his flying glider, trailing a ghostly green exhaust, and dove down like a giant bat. The rotary machine gun at the front of the glider had already locked onto the two falling figures.
"He's caught up!" Gwen exclaimed.
Lynn remained expressionless, his brain whirring like a precision computer.
He only had a mortal physique now; taking a machine gun strafing head-on would mean certain death. But the one thing he didn't lack was the ability to control the situation by utilizing information asymmetry and tactical deception.
"Duck!" Lynn barked, suddenly pressing Gwen against his chest.
Just a split second before the Green Goblin opened fire, Lynn unbuckled his trench coat with one hand and threw it upward with force.
The large black trench coat billowed instantly in the gale, blocking the Green Goblin's line of sight like a shield.
In Agent tactics, this is called a "visual decoy."
"Da da da da!"
Dense bullets instantly tore the trench coat into shreds. But Lynn had already used the reaction force to glide three meters laterally toward the load-bearing pillar on the left, holding Gwen.
Taking advantage of the split second the Green Goblin lost vision, Lynn pulled a flashbang from his waist, flicked the pin with his thumb, and threw it precisely into the glider's air intake.
"Bang!"
Blinding white light exploded in the narrow atrium. The Green Goblin screamed, covering his eyes; the glider lost balance and crashed headlong into the massive gear nearby, bursting into a dazzling spray of sparks.
"Now!" Lynn roared in the state of weightlessness.
Gwen's reaction was extremely fast; the moment the flashbang exploded, she had already forcibly straightened the slot.
"Whoosh!"
A strand of white web shot out from her wrist, precisely sticking to a thick steel beam spanning the atrium above.
The momentum of the fall came to a sudden halt.
The immense gravitational acceleration was transmitted to the two of them along the web. Lynn felt as if his internal organs were about to be crushed by this force, and a metallic, fishy taste rose in his throat.
But he still held Gwen's waist tightly, without loosening his grip at all.
The two of them swung violently in mid-air like a pendulum. Below them was the bottomless dark abyss.
"We... we stopped!" Gwen panted heavily, a glimmer of relief from surviving a disaster flashing in her eyes beneath the mask. She looked down at Lynn, who was holding her tightly, and her heart began to beat wildly and uncontrollably.
This man, with a mortal body, had forcibly snatched her life back from the hands of the Green Goblin.
"Nice work, Agent." There was a hint of imperceptible trembling in Gwen's voice.
Lynn did not speak.
He looked up, his gaze deep and fixed on the web that was stretched taut above.
As a top-tier "Player," he knew very well that the system could not possibly provide a script that was this easy to clear.
The SSS-Rank rating for "Undying Love" required the ultimate tragic aesthetic; it required the tearing of the depths of the soul.
Sure enough.
"Ssss—rip—"
An extremely faint sound of fibers snapping seemed exceptionally harsh in the whistling wind.
Gwen's body stiffened suddenly.
She looked up following Lynn's gaze, her pupils instantly shrinking to the size of pinpricks.
The stray bullets from the Green Goblin's machine gun strafing earlier had grazed the base of the web. The specialized web, which could originally withstand several tons of weight, was now already half-severed.
And now, it was bearing the weight of two adults, as well as the pulling force brought about by the violent swinging earlier.
"Ssss... ssss..."
The sound of snapping became increasingly frequent. White fibers broke one by one, as if conducting a countdown to death.
"No... no!" Gwen frantically raised her other hand, attempting to shoot another web.
"Click."
The shooter made a crisp, empty sound. The web fluid was depleted.
Despair, like a tidal wave, instantly submerged the Ghost Spider.
"The web... can't support the weight of both of us." Gwen's voice was laced with tears; she hugged Lynn's shoulders back tightly, her nails almost sinking into his flesh. "Don't let go! I can think of a way! I can definitely think of a way!"
Lynn looked at her quietly.
The gale blew through his short hair, and there was not a trace of fear of death on his stern face.
In his mind, the system panel was flashing with cold blue light.
[Fatal crisis detected.]
[Current target emotional fluctuation value: 85%.]
Not enough.
Lynn evaluated coldly in his heart. To make this paranoid Spider-Girl cross the Universe to find him in reality, this bond was far from enough.
He had to completely shatter this "vessel," then reshape it with extreme pain.
A barely perceptible arc curled at the corner of Lynn's mouth; it was the smile of a chess player preparing to close the net.
He slowly loosened his hand that was holding Gwen's waist.
"You... what are you doing?!" Gwen noticed his movement, and her eyes beneath the mask were instantly filled with terrified bloodshot veins.
Lynn did not answer.
His right hand gripped the sharp tactical dagger in reverse, slowly raising it, the blade pressing against the web that was about to snap.
Above this bottomless abyss, he looked into Gwen's eyes.
His wrist was preparing to exert force suddenly.
Chapter 31: Severing the Web, Paving a Path to Life with My Life
The gale roared madly within the deep Clock Tower shaft, like countless invisible hands dragging the two people in mid-air.
"Don't move." Lynn's voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable coldness.
The cold gleam of a tactical knife flashed through the darkness, its sharp blade pressing firmly against the precarious white web. With just a slight pressure from his wrist, this lifeline sustaining both their lives would be completely severed.
"Lynn! You're crazy! Put the knife down!" Gwen's voice was distorted by the howling wind, and the eyes beneath her mask instantly became bloodshot.
She gripped Lynn's shoulders tightly, her knuckles beneath the suit turning a frightening shade of pale from excessive force. An immense panic, like a cold giant hand, ruthlessly gripped her heart.
"Rip..." Another sound of an incredibly fine fiber snapping. Their bodies plummeted suddenly.
The immense pulling force caused the damaged web to tear even further. The web-shooter slot on Gwen's wrist emitted an unbearable metallic grinding sound, as if it might shatter completely at any moment.
"It cannot support the weight of both of us." Lynn raised his eyes, his deep gaze calmly fixed on the girl inches away.
There was no fear of facing death, no panic from the high-altitude fall, only a near-cruel rationality.
"I can do it! My shooter will reboot in a second! Give me two more seconds!" Gwen shook her head desperately, tears mixed with sweat sliding down and soaking the lining of her suit.
One of her hands gripped the main web tightly; the rough fibers sliced through her glove, and warm blood trickled down the web. Her other hand reached down desperately, trying to snatch the knife from Lynn's hand.
"It's too late."
Lynn let her warm palm cover his wrist, but a gentle arc curled at the corner of his mouth.
He knew the situation too well. The sound of the Green Goblin's glider engine was rapidly approaching from above, and the acrid smell of burning oil had already entered his nostrils. If they continued to hang here, they would only be treated as living targets and riddled with holes.
More importantly, he knew that the timing for this "vessel" was right.
To make a proud superhero completely fall, and even cross the Multiverse with memories to find him, he had to carve the deepest brand onto her soul.
With blood, with death, with the ultimate sacrifice.
"Listen, Spider-Girl." Lynn reversed his grip on Gwen's trembling hand, using force to pull her toward him.
The two were extremely close in mid-air, even able to feel each other's rapid heartbeats. The extreme cold airflow at high altitude penetrated his thin trench coat, but it could not mask the steady aura about Lynn.
"This World needs you." Lynn's voice was low, carrying a certain fated determination, his gaze nailing itself into the depths of Gwen's eyes. "And my mission is to ensure you survive."
"I don't need you to save me! I want you to live!" Gwenroared hysterically, the seeds of obsession taking root and sprouting wildly at this moment.
Her superpower, which she took pride in, and the belief in protecting New York that she had always carried out, seemed so ridiculous and powerless at this moment. She couldn't even hold onto the man in her arms!
"Hahaha! What a touching farewell! Unfortunately, you are both going to die!"
The Green Goblin hovered above on his glider, the eerie green exhaust lighting up the dilapidated brick walls of the shaft. He raised the rotary machine gun, the black, hollow muzzle aiming at the space below once again.
Lynn ignored the noise from above.
He tilted his head back slightly, and through that thin white mask, his lips pressed gently against Gwen's forehead.
A kiss that was extremely tender, yet carried the taste of blood.
Gwen's pupils contracted sharply, her brain going momentarily blank in that instant. The surrounding wind, the roar of gears, and the Green Goblin's manic laughter all seemed to fade away at this moment.
"Don't forget me."
Lynn whispered.
The next second, his gaze suddenly turned cold. He jerked his hand free from Gwen's, gripped the tactical knife in his right hand, and swung it down without hesitation!
A cold light flashed.
"No—!!!"
Accompanied by Gwen's heart-wrenching scream, the severed web connecting Lynn was cut instantly.
The sensation of weightlessness, like the abyssal maw of a giant beast, instantly swallowed Lynn.
His body, like a broken kite with a snapped string, plummeted straight into the dark and deep Clock Towershaft. The gale blew his black trench coat, making it snap loudly like a tattered flag.
Lynn kept his eyes open in the rapidly descending gale, his gaze piercing through the darkness, locking firmly onto the white figure above.
Gwen hung in mid-air, half her body leaning out, reaching out in vain, wanting to grab the hem of the coat that had already dissipated into the darkness. Her mask was torn halfway off by the wind, revealing a pale, distorted face covered in tear stains.
In those eyes that had once been clear and firm, extreme despair, regret, and a rapidly collapsing killing intent were now surging wildly.
That was the obsession unique to a Yandere, one that would destroy everything.
Lynn plummeted rapidly in the darkness, the sound of the wind by his ears turning into a sharp screech. Huge gears interlocked beside him, the roar of metal clashing deafening.
Just as his back was about to collide with that deadly steel axis, a split second before his bones were to be completely crushed, that cold and mechanical voice finally sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host has achieved the ultimate sacrifice condition.]
[Target character emotional fluctuation value has exceeded the critical point: 200% (Extreme Darkened state).]
[Simulation Instance: 'Battle of the Clock Tower' has ended.]
[Calculating evaluation...]
Darkness completely swallowed him. All senses were forcibly cut off in this instant.
...
On the outskirts of Brooklyn, New York, in the safe house.
The dim floor lamp still emitted warmth, and the faint, bitter scent of freshly ground coffee had not yet dissipated in the air.
Lynn opened his eyes abruptly, gasping for air.
His back was soaked with cold sweat, his muscles instinctively tense due to the lingering sensation of falling and weightlessness from the simulation.
Only an instant had passed in the real World.
Wanda was still curled up in his arms like a cat extremely lacking a sense of security, her side profile pressed tightly against his chest, her breathing even. That crimson Chaos Magic barrier that isolated everything still steadily enveloped the entire room.
Lynn steadied his breathing, a glimmer of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
The investment was a success. That obsessive Spider-Girl had definitely crossed the line called rationality by now.
He leaned back on the sofa, preparing to check the S-Ranksettlement reward on the system panel.
However, in this 0.1 second of letting his guard down.
"Hum——!!!"
Deep within Lynn's brain, an extremely sharp, stabbing pain suddenly exploded!
The Top-tier Spider-Sense, just brought back from the simulation, issued an unprecedented, extremely shrill, and fatal warning at this moment!
This sense of crisis was ten times, a hundred times stronger than when he had faced the Green Goblin's machine gun fire at the Clock Tower just moments ago!
The hair on Lynn's body stood on end, his muscles instantly tensing to the limit. He glanced towards the window, keeping his expression calm.
Outside the barrier that was absolutely sealed by Chaos Magic.
In the night, less than fifty meters from the safe house, space was suddenly and forcibly ripped open, revealing an eerie blue crack.
A hand wearing a white suit, with dried blood on the fingertips, gripped the edge of reality tightly from the crack.
Beneath the mask, a pair of bloodshot eyes, revealing an extreme and morbid possessiveness, locked firmly onto Lynn, who was sitting on the sofa in the darkness.
Chapter 32: SSS-Rank Evaluation, The Awakening of Gwen's Paranoid Protection
A sharp buzzing sound echoed crazily deep within Lynn's mind.
It was the newly fused Top-tier Spider-Sense issuing a highest-level death warning. Lynn leaned against the back of the sofa, his body maintaining a posture of absolute relaxation; even his fingers, which were wrapped around Wanda's shoulder, did not tremble in the slightest, but his pupils had shrunk to the size of pinpricks in the dim light.
Fifty meters away, the night sky was torn open by an irregular, deep blue rift.
Gwen Stacy had half her body protruding from the dimensional rift. The Ghost Spider suit, originally a mix of pure white and bright pink, was now covered in large patches of dried, dark red bloodstains. Her mask was pulled halfway down, revealing a face devoid of color. Those eyes stared fixedly at Lynn inside the window, the whites covered in terrifying red bloodshot veins, revealing a kind of desperate madness and pathological greed.
Lynn did not look away, confronting those eyes through the bulletproof glass.
He knew all too well what was hidden in those eyes.
At this moment, a cold system prompt projected a pale blue light screen onto his retina, beginning to play the final settlement scene of the simulation dungeon.
[Generating target character's final behavioral logic...]
On the light screen, the gale in the Clock Tower's atrium continued to rage. The moment Lynn fell into the abyss, Gwen, suspended in mid-air, let out a shrill, Beast-like roar. At that moment, the girl who always tried to cover up her inner pressure with sunshine and playfulness had her soul completely shattered.
In the scene, the Green Goblin swooped down while laughing wildly on his glider, preparing to enjoy the desperate state of his prey's death.
But Gwen did not cry. She suddenly lifted her head, and in those eyes, only pure, World-destroying killing intent remained.
"You... killed him."
A voice hoarse to the extreme squeezed out from Gwen's throat. The next second, the originally jammed shooter on her wrist was forcibly reset by the extreme twisting force of her muscles. Countless strands of tough white spider silk sprayed out like a storm; they did not aim at the wall, but instead directly entangled the Green Goblin's high-speed rotating glider engine.
"Boom!" The engine exploded.
Taking advantage of the explosion's Impact, Gwen, like a crazed white ghost, pounced directly onto the Green Goblin's body. She abandoned all flashy fighting techniques and, in the most primitive and brutal way, wrapped the spider silk circle after circle, strangling it tightly into the Green Goblin's neck. Accompanied by the scalp-numbing sound of bones shattering, the Green Goblin didn't even have time to scream before being strangled to death on the giant gears, blood splattering all over Gwen.
Afterwards, she stumbled and leapt to the bottom of the abyss.
In the ruins amidst the torrential rain, Gwen knelt in the mud, clutching Lynn's broken, cold corpse tightly. She did not call for help, nor did she shed tears; she only rubbed her cheek continuously against Lynn's temperature-less face, a hair-raising smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"It's okay... I will fix you... I will find you..."
[Target Corruption Level: 100%.]
[Paranoid Protective Yandere personality has awakened.]
[Emotional bond value has surpassed the Multiversethreshold.]
[Dungeon Evaluation: SSS-Rank.]
[Rewards distributed: Top-tier Spider-Sense (Activated), Extraordinary Flexible Physique (Fusion beginning).]
The instant the system light screen dissipated, an extreme burning sensation exploded along Lynn's spine.
It was the Extraordinary Flexible Physique forcibly reshaping his muscle fibers and bone density. Millions of nerve endings felt like they had been connected to high-voltage electricity, and the severe pain caused Lynn's jawline to tense instantly.
He could not make a sound.
Wanda was resting her cheek against his chest, her breathing steady. If he showed any sign of painful struggle, this Chaos Witch, who was already in an extremely sensitive state, would absolutely go berserk instantly, grinding all life within a ten-mile radius into powder.
Lynn forcibly swallowed the taste of blood welling up in his throat, and using his newly acquired top-tier body control, he forcibly flattened the muscle spasms. Sweat slid down his temples, dripping onto the soft leather of the sofa.
In just five seconds, the reshaping was complete.
Lynn moved his fingers slightly, his knuckles making an extremely faint cracking sound. He could feel his body becoming like liquid metal, possessing both terrifying explosive power and the ability to perform extreme, contorted movements that defied human anatomy. Combined with the Top-tier Spider-Sense, even if he closed his eyes now, he could stroll leisurely through dense machine-gun fire.
This was exactly the trump card he would use to save his life in the upcoming Shura field.
"Hoo..." Lynn let out a long breath of stale air in his heart and raised his eyes to look out the window again.
The deep blue electric arcs at the edge of the dimensional rift were gradually weakening. The portable dimensional travel watch on Gwen's wrist was sparking with charred black sparks; clearly, this crude device, seized from another Universe, had been completely ruined after completing one forced cross-boundary jump.
She couldn't go back.
Gwen ignored the ruined watch. She stepped on the withered branches covering the ground, walking step by step toward the safe house. Her movements were extremely light, without any footsteps, like a true ghost.
The distance closed to twenty meters.
Through the glass, Lynn could even clearly see the torn fibers on Gwen's suit, as well as the undried tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
Gwen stopped her steps.
Her gaze passed over Lynn's face, moving downward extremely slowly, staring fixedly at the woman in Lynn's arms who was wearing a red leather jacket and pressing tightly against his chest.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
Lynn's Spider-Sense issued a sharp alarm again. He clearly saw the muscles on Gwen's pale face twitch uncontrollably. A violent killing intent, known as "territory being violated," erupted from this spider girl.
"That is mine..."
An extremely hoarse whisper, carrying a sobbing tone yet revealing endless resentment, penetrated the bulletproof glass, and even penetrated the outer Chaos Magic barrier, drilling directly into Lynn's ears.
Gwen slowly raised her right hand. The spider silk shooter on her wrist was already aimed at the French window of the safe house.
As long as she pulled the trigger, the specially made spider silk would smash through the glass with tons of Impact.
And at the same time, an unexpected change occurred.
Wanda, curled up in Lynn's arms, frowned tightly. She had not woken up, but her Skyfather-level Chaos Magicinstinctively sensed the pure malice from the outside World directed at her.
"Hum—"
A strong smell of ozone permeated the air. Wanda's fair fingertips twitched unconsciously, and a few wisps of scarlet Chaos Particles, like living little snakes, instantly crawled out from between her fingers, weaving into a dark red net full of destructive aura in the air, directly covering the direction of Gwen outside the window.
That was the subconscious possessive instinct of the Yandere Witch—whoever dared to covet her things must die.
Lynn's back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.
If Wanda's Chaos Magic hit Gwen directly, or if Gwensmashed the glass and rushed in, these two women, who had completely blackened because of him, would absolutely erupt into the Fourth World War right here.
This safe house couldn't withstand it, and the entire New York suburbs couldn't withstand it either.
And he, an Agent still in a "weakened period," would absolutely be caught in the middle and torn to pieces.
Must interrupt them!
Lynn's brain was running crazily at a speed beyond that of an ordinary person. He did not go to wake Wanda, nor did he go to press any defensive alarm.
At the critical moment when Gwen was about to shoot her spider silk and the Chaos Magic was about to rush out through the glass.
Lynn suddenly lowered his head, extremely precisely pressing his lips onto Wanda's forehead.
He didn't use any force, just kissed her extremely gently, with a soothing implication, while his left hand slid down, tightly clasping Wanda's hand that was overflowing with scarlet particles, their fingers intertwined.
"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
Lynn whispered softly in Wanda's ear in a low, extremely gentle voice.
This highly magical sentence instantly cut off the irritability in Wanda's subconscious. Those scarlet particles that were about to rush out the window paused abruptly, then retreated like a tide, merging back into Wanda's body. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, a satisfied arc curled at the corners of her mouth, and she burrowed deeper into Lynn's arms.
The crisis of destruction inside the house was nonchalantly resolved by Lynn with a kiss and a sentence.
But the crisis outside the window had only just begun.
Fifty meters away.
Gwen saw Lynn's action of kissing that woman in red clearly.
The spider silk that was about to be shot got stuck in the shooter. Gwen's pupils trembled violently, she gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. She looked at Lynn's gentle profile, looking at their tightly clasped hands.
"Liar..."
Two lines of blood tears slid down the edge of Gwen's mask, dripping onto the muddy grass.
"You didn't even want your life to save me... yet you turn around and hold another woman?"
Gwen's voice was completely distorted, carrying a suffocating madness. She suddenly raised her hand, no longer aiming at the glass, but instead pointed the spider silk shooter at the surveillance camera above the safe house.
"Snap!"
The surveillance camera was instantly shattered.
Lynn sat on the sofa, watching Gwen's back disappear into the darkness through the glass. The Spider-Sense alarm not only did not cease but instead became longer and colder.
He knew that this paranoid Ghost Spider had not left. She had just hidden in the shadows, like a patient top-tier hunter, staring fixedly at this house.
She wanted to wait for that woman in red to leave. Then, take back what belonged to her, piece by piece.
Lynn swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling Wanda's scalding body temperature in his arms, and glanced again at the deep night outside the window.
"This balancing act is really not a job for a human."
Just at this moment, the encrypted communicator Lynn had placed on the coffee table suddenly flashed with a blinding red light.
A top-secret text message from the S.H.I.E.L.D. internal network popped up. Sender: Nick Fury.
[Agent Lynn, evacuate with the target immediately. HYDRA's helicarrier has taken off, and the main cannon is locked on the coordinates—your safe house.]
Lynn looked at this text message, a flash of extremely dangerous cold light passing through his eyes.
That old thing Pierce, how dare he aim the cannon here?
Doesn't he know that not only is there a Scarlet Witchsleeping here who can tear the Universe apart at any time, but there is also a Ghost Spider outside who has just crossed dimensions and is in an extremely blackened state?
Lynn's fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, a cold arc curling at the corners of his mouth.
He did not reply to Fury, but instead cut off the power to the communicator with a backhand motion.
"If you want to die, then I will grant your wish."
Chapter 33: Obsession Across the Universe, Ghost SpiderDescends on New York
Time turns back three hours. Universe 65, Queens, New York.
Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, carving mottled light and shadows onto the floor. The rich, greasy aroma of frying bacon wafted from the kitchen, mingled with the static of an old radio broadcasting the morning news.
Gwen Stacy stood before the bathroom mirror, wearing her high school uniform skirt. She held a toothbrush in her hand, her mouth full of minty white foam. Everything exuded a reassuring sense of normalcy.
"Click."
The faucet was tightened, and a water droplet hit the bottom of the ceramic basin with a crisp sound.
In that infinitesimal second, a bolt of white light exploded deep within Gwen's brain.
"Hum—!"
Without warning, a memory that did not belong to this timeline was brutally hammered into her brain like a rusty steel nail.
Gale winds. An abyss. The sensation of weightlessness during a rapid fall.
And the eyes of that man, so resolutely breathtaking, as he backhanded his tactical knife.
"Don't forget me."
"Clang!" The toothbrush slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
Gwen's legs went weak, and her knees slammed onto the cold floor tiles. Her stomach spasmed violently, and she retched, her ten fingers digging desperately into the edge of the sink, her nails scraping a harsh, piercing sound against the ceramic surface.
Cold sweat instantly soaked her back. She gasped for air, every breath bringing a tearing pain in her chest. That was the agony of Lynn's bones being crushed by gears as he fell, synchronized 100% into her senses by the simulator.
"Lynn... Lynn!"
Gwen snapped her head up to look in the mirror. The girl in the mirror was pale as paper, her eyes bloodshot with terrifying red veins in just a few short seconds. Her once clear and firm pupils were now surging with extreme paranoia and regret.
Heavy footsteps sounded outside the door. Police Captain George Stacy knocked on the door: "Gwen? Are you okay? I heard some noise inside."
Gwen bit her lower lip hard until she tasted the strong, metallic tang of blood. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only cold killing intent remained in her gaze.
"I'm fine, Dad." Her voice was terrifyingly hoarse, laced with a repressed, extreme madness, "I just... lost my only 'Jade'."
She didn't go to open the door, but instead turned and smashed the mirror with a punch. Glass shards cut the back of her hand, and warm blood welled out, but she didn't even frown.
She pulled the pure white and bright pink Ghost Spidersuit from a hidden compartment at the bottom of the sink and put it on. Then, she dug out a crudely made metal wristwatch—a trophy she had seized from an interdimensional smuggler half a month ago.
She didn't hesitate to strap the watch onto her wrist and input the soul frequency branded deep into her soul.
"Warning: Forced interdimensional travel will cause device overload. Estimated survival rate is less than 10%." The watch emitted a mechanical electronic sound.
"Shut up."
Gwen slammed the start button. Deep blue high-voltage arcs instantly erupted, scorching the skin on her wrist, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Like a rogue ninja who had completely abandoned her past and was now homeless, she plunged without hesitation into the deep blue rift that tore through space.
"No one is allowed to take you away from me... not even the God of Death!"
Main Universe, reality. Outside Brooklyn, New York, safe house.
Lynn sat on the soft leather sofa, his left hand still maintaining the interlaced-finger pose, tightly clasping Wanda's fair hand.
He lowered his eyelids and glanced at the encrypted communicator whose power source he had crushed with a backhand. The top-secret message sent by Nick Fury now lay on the coffee table as a pile of scrap metal.
"That old dog Pierce is so desperate he's even lost his underwear."
Lynn sneered in his heart. The HYDRA helicarrier's main cannon locking onto this place seemed like a desperate situation, but it was actually playing right into his hands.
Compared to facing the yandere warzone that could erupt at any moment here, he now missed the loser daily life before transmigrating, eating Ichiraku Ramen in front of the screen and watching the sunset at the training ground in anime. But now, he had become the only 'bond' that this group of female madmen had to hold tightly in their hands.
On the oak tree fifty meters outside the window, Gwenhung upside down in the shadows like a ghost. Lynn's Spider-Sense could clearly capture her every extremely repressed breath. That Spider-Girl was waiting, waiting for a chance to snatch Lynn from the arms of the Red Witch.
If Lynn went out to drive Gwen away, Gwen would absolutely go berserk on the spot; if he woke Wanda, Wanda would unhesitatingly grind the bug outside into blood foam. He needed a powerful external force to forcibly break this deadlock.
And Pierce, extremely considerately, had sent this 'tool'.
The night wind suddenly stopped.
The temperature in the air soared within a few short seconds, and a nauseatingly thick smell of ozone and burnt high-energy particles brutally drilled into Lynn's nostrils.
Lynn raised his head and looked through the bulletproof glass at the pitch-black night sky.
Thirty thousand feet above, the thick dark clouds were forcibly shredded by an invisible, terrifying force. A steel behemoth as large as a mountain broke through the clouds, revealing its hideous bottom armor.
The muzzle of the main cannon, capable of leveling half a city block in one shot, was flickering with deep blue destructive light. The energy matrix had charged to the critical point, and the surrounding air was visibly distorted due to the extreme heat.
The target coordinates were locked tightly onto this safe house where Lynn was.
"It's here." Lynn's muscles tensed to the limit at this moment, his superhuman flexible physique making him like a leopard ready to pounce.
At the same time, Gwen, hiding in the shadows of the oak tree, also sensed the anomaly above.
She snapped her head up, her bloodshot eyes beneath the mask instantly contracting. The heaven-destroying energy fluctuation above her head hit her nerves like a heavy hammer.
That was aimed at Lynn!
The Ghost Spider, who a second ago was jealous and crazy, wanting to tear everything apart, in this moment, saw all her paranoia and madness instantly transform into the purest instinct to protect.
"No—!!!"
Gwen let out a scream of extreme misery. She exerted force with her legs, her thigh muscles bulging, and the thick oak branch was crushed to pieces by her bare force.
Like a white cannonball, she desperately rushed out of the shadows, sprinting toward the safe house fifty meters away. Her wrists vibrated frantically, and two thick, specially made spider webs shot through the air, heading straight for the floor-to-ceiling windows of the safe house.
Her brain held only one thought: even if she was blasted to ashes by the main cannon, she had to drag Lynn out! Who dared to kill him again in front of her?!
"Boom—!!!"
Above the firmament, the helicarrier's main cannon fired with a roar.
A deep blue destructive beam of light, over five meters in diameter, tore through the pitch-black night, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, crashing down toward the roof with the force of Mount Tai. The intense light instantly stripped away all color from the surroundings, illuminating the entire New York suburbs as if it were daylight.
Heat waves swept down, and the lawn around the safe house turned to ash the moment it touched the edge of the beam.
The glass began to melt under the high temperature, and Gwen's spider webs were instantly evaporated the moment they touched the window frame.
At this critical moment.
Wanda, who had been sleeping curled up in Lynn's arms, suddenly opened her eyes.
Those eyes, originally carrying laziness and dependence, were completely swallowed within a thousandth of a second by a crimson so thick it seemed it could drip blood.
The absolute domain belonging to a Skyfather-level Chaos Witch was completely enraged by this deadly threat descending from the sky.
"Who gave you permission... to touch him?!"
Wanda's voice was not loud, but it carried an arrogance and tyranny that transcended all rules.
The next instant, Lynn felt his arms empty.
Violent crimson particles, like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten million years, erupted with Wanda's body as the center!
This power, without the slightest reservation, smashed through the load-bearing wall of the roof and rushed against that deep blue destructive beam of light, flowing upstream!
Lynn sat on the sofa, with two energies capable of destroying a city crazily clashing above his head, and outside the window was the Ghost Spider, who had smashed through the glass and was lunging in, covered in blood. He narrowed his eyes, a cold arc hooking at the corner of his mouth.
The yandere warzone and the artillery fire of destruction, at this moment, welcomed their most deadly collision.
Chapter 34: Reality Returns, The Ultimate Standoff at the Triskelion
The deep blue high-dimensional laser and the scarlet Chaos Particles collided violently in mid-air.
There was no ear-splitting explosion as expected, only a high-frequency shriek produced when the two extreme energies annihilated each other.
The air was instantly drained away, and the extreme heat twisted the surrounding light into strange ripples.
Taking advantage of the gap while the main cannon beam was blocked, Gwen crashed through the semi-melted floor-to-ceiling window.
Glass shards sliced through her white mask, and the high heat branded large scorched Marks onto her suit.
She ignored the tearing pain of the burns on her body, rolling on one knee to dissipate the momentum, her bloodshot eyes piercing through the violent energy turbulence, locking onto Lynn on the sofa.
Lynn sat upright on the leather sofa, his breathing frequency unchanged.
He looked at the night sky above, completely swallowed by scarlet, and glanced at Ghost Spider, who was staring at him like a Beast guarding its food, his back molars clenching secretly.
"Compared to being caught in the middle of these two crazy women and potentially being torn apart at any moment, I really want to go back to Konoha Village to eat a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, or lie down and space out under the sunset at the training ground." Lynn's fingertips gently caressed the lingering warmth of Wanda's magic, his heart complaining wildly.
But complaints aside, his brain was operating at an overload.
This main cannon shot from Pierce didn't manage to erase him; instead, it became the perfect "vessel"—the container that completely detonated Wanda's desire for destruction.
In this intelligence game between Agents, HYDRA had already lost everything.
Gwen flicked her wrist, and a web shot through the air toward Lynn's shoulder.
This was an extremely subtle feint.
Her true target was the visual blind spot beside Lynn, attempting to use the secondary rebound tension of the specially made web to forcibly drag him out of this dangerous area.
But Lynn didn't even dodge.
A layer of extremely thin scarlet barrier appeared automatically on his skin, instantly vaporizing the web into a wisp of white smoke.
"Don't waste your effort, Gwen." Lynn lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear, "If you rush over now, she will kill you."
The scene shifted hundreds of kilometers away.
In Washington, inside the Director's office at the Triskelion, the air was filled with the pungent scent of gunpowder mixed with high-end cigars.
Alexander Pierce stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
He held a glass of bourbon in his hand, the ice cubes clinking crisply against the glass wall.
His gaze crossed the Potomac River, fixed intently on the coordinate readings on the tactical screen outside New York.
"The energy peak has already broken the critical point." Rumlow reported through gritted teeth, clutching his bleeding shoulder, "Officer, that variable has been completely wiped from the map by the main cannon."
Pierce tilted his head and finished the strong liquor in his glass, his tense facial muscles finally relaxing.
Lynn, this "rogue ninja" who drifted outside of HYDRA's control, possessed too much top-secret intelligence and even treated that Skyfather-level Witch as his exclusive weapon.
This kind of uncontrollable pawn had to die.
"Bang!"
The heavy blast-proof door was forcibly kicked open by a massive force.
The deformed metal door panel slammed onto the expensive Persian carpet, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Steve Rogers strode in, the edge of his Vibranium shield still dripping with the blood of HYDRA Agents.
Sam Wilson followed closely behind, his mechanical wings folded behind his back, his muzzle pointed directly at the center of Pierce's forehead.
Natasha, disguised as a member of the World Security Council, tore off the silicone mask on her face and shook her short red hair.
"Pierce, the game is over." Steve's voice suppressed extreme anger, his chest heaving violently, "Is your so-called Insight Project just pointing guns at twenty million innocent people?"
Pierce turned around and placed the empty glass on the table in a leisurely manner.
He looked at the group of exhausted Avengers before him, a mocking arc curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Steve, you always think of this World too naively. To establish absolute order, bloodshed is a necessary price."
"You are a complete lunatic." Natasha said coldly, her index finger already tightening on the trigger.
"No, I am a man with vision." Pierce braced his hands on the desktop, leaning forward, his eyes revealing a pathological fanaticism, "You have no idea what you are facing. That low-level Agent named Lynn, he is the real monster! He treated that Witch who can alter reality as his 'jade,' wantonly playing with everyone's bonds and fate!"
Steve frowned, his fingers gripping the shield tightening suddenly: "Lynn? He is just a victim who resisted you to protect his lover. You won't even spare him?"
"Victim?" Pierce laughed out loud as if he had heard a huge joke, "Steve, you have been spun around by his clumsy disguise! Just a moment ago, I ordered the main cannon of the No. 1 helicarrier to precisely lock onto his safe house."
Pierce straightened up, adjusted the tie of his high-end suit, his tone filled with the absolute arrogance of someone in control: "Under a 30,000-foot orbital strike, not even ashes will be left of him. The greatest variable has been erased by my own hands, and the sacred order is about to descend."
Steve's pupils constricted sharply, the muscles in his arms bulging from extreme anger. He didn't expect Pierce to be crazy enough to use the main cannon to bombard a civilian area.
"You actually..." Falcon gritted his teeth and was about to pull the trigger.
At that very moment.
"Beep—beep—beep!"
A piercing, highest-level red alert echoed wildly throughout the office without warning.
The giant tactical screen on the wall was instantly covered in a blinding scarlet.
The smile on Pierce's face froze abruptly. He turned his head sharply, staring intently at the screen.
That was not the feedback screen of the main cannon hitting its target at all.
On the screen, the various sensor readings representing the No. 1 helicarrier were skyrocketing at a speed that defied physical common sense.
The armor integrity plummeted from 100% to 40% in an instant, and it was still dropping at a cliff-like speed.
"What happened?!" Pierce grabbed Rumlow by the collar, his voice distorted by extreme terror.
"Officer... the energy reading at the New York coordinates didn't disappear..." Rumlow's fingers tapped frantically on the keyboard, cold sweat soaking his tactical suit, his voice trembling so much he couldn't form a complete sentence, "That energy... it reverse-swallowed the main cannon's beam! It followed the beam... and climbed up!"
Steve and Natasha exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.
The holographic projection flickered a few times and forcibly switched to the external surveillance view of the bottom of the helicarrier.
In the image, that deep blue beam of light that should have destroyed everything was now tightly wrapped by countless scarlet energy tentacles.
Those tentacles were like living abyss pythons, surging forward against gravity, clinging directly onto the heavy bottom armor of the helicarrier.
"Rip—"
The carrier's hull, capable of withstanding tactical nuclear strikes, was like a fragile wet tissue in front of those scarlet particles, easily torn apart.
Pierce's ultimate weapon, which he was so proud of, was being dismembered alive in mid-air by a pair of invisible divine hands.
"No... this is impossible..." Pierce's legs went weak, and he slumped into his leather swivel chair.
His trump card, which he was so proud of, was simply a joke in the face of such absolute destructive power.
He finally understood that he had provoked a taboo that could not be measured by common sense at all.
The scarlet light on the screen grew brighter and brighter, the blinding red light illuminating the shocked faces of everyone in the office.
Pierce shuddered violently, like a drowning person clutching at the last straw, lunging frantically toward the console on the desk.
He wanted to press the backup firing program for the remaining two helicarriers; he wanted to take all of Washington down with him.
However, just at the moment his finger was about to touch the red self-destruct button.
A cold pistol barrel extended without warning from the shadows beneath the desk, pressing firmly against his chin.
"Director Pierce, I guess you must be very regretful now that you didn't buy a high-value accident insurance policy in advance."
A low, slightly mocking voice of a one-eyed man echoed eerily in Pierce's ear.