Passing through the portal was a strange yet fascinating experience.
One moment, Lynn was standing in Tony Stark's villa; the next, he was on a sunny beach in Miami.
The warm air and ocean breeze instantly lifted his spirits. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw on some swim trunks, stretch out on a lounge chair, and soak up the sun.
"Wow, that's incredible!"
Watching the blood-red portal close behind them, Tony Stark looked genuinely amazed. "Ms. Elsa, is that witchcraft? If it is, could it be integrated into my armor?"
"I mean, doesn't normal magic usually need symbols or some kind of ritual—like a hexagram? If I engraved one on the armor—"
Before Tony could finish, Elsa interrupted calmly. "This is a Bloodstone family ability. As for those 'magic inscriptions' you're talking about, I'm afraid I don't really understand them."
"Alright, fair enough."
Tony shrugged, a little disappointed, then turned to the team. "Anyway, we're here now. Let's get ready."
"The operation starts at nine tonight."
"No problem," Natasha replied. "I'll contact the local authorities and use a training exercise as cover to evacuate the residents in the vampire zone. We can't let any of them escape—or hurt civilians."
As Natasha finished speaking, Steve nodded. "Agreed. Let's move according to plan."
"I'll handle preparations for dealing with the vampires," Clint said, scanning the area. "Anyone want to help me set up ultraviolet devices around the perimeter first?"
"I'll go with you," Bruce Banner replied quietly. "I've done some research on ultraviolet and gamma radiation."
"Wow, Banner, talk about understatement," Tony said with an exaggerated laugh.
Everyone turned to look at Lynn next.
"Don't look at me," Lynn said, raising his hands. "I'll take care of the slowing potion."
He leaned back lazily. "The ingredients are ready anyway. As for now, I'll be on the beach, getting some sun."
Waving casually, he turned and walked off without hesitation.
Seriously—how could anyone expect him to hang around with a bunch of sweaty guys when there were countless women in bikinis right outside?
Watching him leave, Clint frowned slightly. "I don't know if it's just me, but… doesn't it feel like he's deliberately keeping his distance from us?"
"It's not your imagination," Natasha said. "But he's not avoiding us—he just hates trouble."
"With Lynn's personality, he'd rather spend every day lying on the precinct sofa doing nothing than deal with any unexpected chaos."
"Otherwise," she added with a smirk, "the Avengers during the Battle of New York wouldn't have been six—they'd have been seven."
Clapping her hands, Natasha said briskly, "Alright, boys, enough talking. Go get ready. This isn't the time to slack off."
Everyone dispersed to prepare, while Lynn, true to form, checked himself into a nearby hotel.
After changing into swim shorts, he headed straight for the beach, put on a pair of sunglasses, and stretched out lazily on a lounge chair.
Behind those shades, his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
And yes—the women in bikinis around him were exactly as stunning as he'd expected.
Picking up his juice, Lynn took a slow sip and stretched comfortably. "Ahh~ Bliss~"
Now this—this was the life.
Of course, while he admired the beautiful women around him, they were just as captivated by him.
With physical strength five times that of an ordinary peak human, Lynn's body was sculpted to near perfection.
Tall, lean, with smooth abs and muscles that weren't bulky but radiated power—he was hard not to notice.
All the girls around couldn't help but sneak glances at him, some even outright staring.
Within ten minutes, more than a few had come over to strike up a conversation.
Lynn, naturally, never turned away a pretty face.
Well—unless she scored below an eighty-five in his book… or had a flat butt.
By the time dinner rolled around, he'd cleaned up and made his way from the hotel to the restaurant Tony had reserved.
As soon as he arrived, Natasha raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing smile. "Are you sure you'll still have enough energy to deal with vampires tonight?"
At that, Lynn blinked in surprise and took a step back. "I already showered—how can you still smell it?"
Natasha smirked. "So I was right, then."
She'd only been teasing him, but it turned out her hunch was spot on.
Taking a seat beside Steve, Lynn picked up his cutlery and started eating while the others discussed the details of the upcoming operation.
He had to admit, even though this group had only worked together once—during the Battle of New York—their coordination was remarkable.
...
At 9 p.m., in the evacuated district,
Standing in front of a ventilation shaft, Lynn uncorked a vial of slowing potion.
The liquid shimmered faintly before solidifying midair and slipping smoothly into the duct.
Tony Stark, crouched beside him in his armor, tilted his head. "How did you do that?"
"What?" Lynn asked, looking puzzled. "Do what?"
"Change the state of matter—from liquid to solid."
"Tony, now's not really the time for a science lecture," Natasha cut in as she walked over, handing Lynn a mithril longsword. "You can study it later—after we've finished with these vampires."
Lynn gave a nod in acknowledgment.
Natasha secured her rope and rappelled swiftly down the passage ahead.
The others followed one after another.
When Lynn finally landed at the bottom, Steve surveyed the tunnel ahead. "Three paths," he said firmly. "We'll split up into groups."
"I'm with the amazing wizard—we'll take the left path!"
Tony Stark pointed straight at Lynn without hesitation.
Right now, his curiosity about Lynn's mysterious concoctions was off the charts.
Before Steve could even respond, Tony grabbed Lynn by the arm and led him toward the left passage.
Inside, the glow from Tony's armor illuminated the long, dim corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness.
Their footsteps echoed faintly, the sound bouncing off the walls—this place could've been the perfect set for a horror movie.
"So, amazing wizard," Tony said as they walked, "besides that slowing potion, what other weird brews do you have?"
"Plenty," Lynn replied easily.
Knowing exactly how wealthy Tony Stark was, Lynn didn't bother holding back—he began listing and explaining the effects of several different potions.
And the more Tony listened, the brighter his eyes grew.
This was a reaction Tony Stark rarely had.
"How much?" he asked, looking straight at Lynn. "I mean for all of them—every one of those special potions. I want triple the batch."
Lynn held up two fingers—two hundred thousand.
That was the same price he'd charged Natasha and the others.
"Two million? That's it, right? Perfect," Tony said without hesitation. "Jarvis, transfer the funds to his account—now."
"Right away, sir," Jarvis replied as the transaction began.
Lynn: "..."
_______
(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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