Luca turned the [Hextech Crystal] over in his hand, his understanding of his cheat system's crafting rules sharpening with each passing moment.
It seemed that no matter how unrelated the source materials were—as long as they matched the names listed in the crafting panel—the resulting item would be functionally and visually identical to the original.
Not just in appearance or utility, but even in seemingly unscientific, conceptual properties—like residual magical resonance or quantum instability.
Of course, cheat systems weren't bound by science to begin with, so Luca didn't lose sleep over it.
What did trouble him was the [Hextech Core]—another item hopelessly out of reach for now.
The first required component was a "stable miniature reactor." The only thing Luca could think of was Tony Stark's Arc Reactor, and good luck getting that. Stark guarded it like his last breath.
The second requirement—"four distinct magical runes"—was even more daunting. He'd probably need to raid Kamar-Taj or Asgard to find those.
With both materials light-years beyond his current means, Luca carefully tucked the glowing crystal away.
That left the remaining [Monkey Bombs].
"These might be the only three Hextech Crystals in existence… Using them as mere bombs feels like burning gold for warmth."
Still, he didn't separate the other two crystals.
When survival was on the line, even priceless relics couldn't outweigh his own life.
He wrapped each bomb tightly in padded cloth strips—Hextech Crystals were far more volatile than Chitauri energy cores. A hard bump could set them off like grenades.
While packing, Luca also noticed the counter beneath "Twin Cities War World" on his interface had shifted: 1/5 → 2/5.
"Maybe something happens once I collect all five core components from the same world?"
He filed the thought away for later and surveyed the wreckage of his apartment. After a beat of hesitation, he decided to ditch the two headless Chitauri corpses.
His place was already half-ruined and had just been "invaded" by alien forces. Once the Battle of New York wound down, SHIELD—or worse, Damage Control—would sweep through.
Two Chitauri pulse rifles and a stray energy crystal? Concealable.
But two full-sized alien corpses? Too conspicuous. Better to dispose of them now than risk interrogation—or worse.
Luca crept to the gaping hole in the floor, peered down into the alley below, and—after confirming it was empty—dragged the first corpse to the edge and pushed it over.
But the moment he heaved the second body down…
"AAAAGH—!"
A scream cut through the distant gunfire and explosions—sharp, terrified, and unmistakably human.
"Shit! Did I hit someone?!"
Luca leaned out again, heart pounding—only to freeze at the sight below.
Standing in the alley were four people he knew all too well.
And crouched beside the fallen corpse was a towering figure of green muscle, gently checking on the person pinned beneath it.
With a grunt, the Hulk casually grabbed the Chitauri carcass—the same one Luca had strained to lift—and hurled it twenty feet down the street like a soggy trash bag.
The unfortunate soul struck by the falling corpse—dressed in a dark red leather jacket—grimaced and tried to push himself up.
Two others stood nearby: one in a blue bodysuit, gripping a circular metal shield, and another in a sleek black jacket, his face eerily familiar to Luca... because he'd just seen a younger version of it on the news.
Indeed, the four figures who had suddenly materialized in the street were none other than Bruce Banner (sans Hulk), Scott Lang (Ant-Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), and Tony Stark (Iron Man).
More importantly, Luca knew with absolute certainty that all four were from the future.
"Damn it! Isn't this straight out of Avengers: Endgame?!"
Before he could process further, all four simultaneously looked up—directly at him.
Luca's expression shifted in an instant. Panic flickered across his face.
"I—I'm so sorry! My house was just invaded by aliens! I swear I didn't see anyone downstairs…"
"Oh my god! You're Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk! I've seen you on TV!"
His flustered, slightly incoherent babbling seemed to reassure them. The four exchanged glances and visibly relaxed.
Tony Stark, ever the quickest to react, pointed at Luca with a half-smirk.
"Hey, kid—this isn't your fault. Go back inside. Keep yourself safe."
Steve immediately caught on. They had just popped into someone's backyard without warning—and poor Scott had taken a corpse to the head through sheer bad luck. Remembering what he looked like ten years ago, Steve straightened his posture and called out firmly:
"Get inside, son. We're handling alien hostiles—but it'll be over soon."
Luca, who'd had zero intention of getting involved in the first place, nodded quickly and turned to leave.
But before he could retreat—
"ROOOOAAAR!"
A roar, thick with fury, ripped through the air.
From the main road, a Hulk several times larger than Bruce Banner—clutching a crumpled car like a toy—leapt over the fence with a thunderous crash. Without hesitation, he slammed the vehicle down onto a nearby Chitauri warrior, then unleashed a brutal flurry of blows until both car and alien were flattened into unrecognizable scrap.
Only when the wreckage was thoroughly pancaked did the enraged Hulk let out one final bellow… and vanish as suddenly as he'd appeared.
...
An awkward silence settled over the yard.
All eyes—including Luca's—swiveled to Dr. Banner, who was now covering his face with both hands, utterly mortified.
"Uh…" Luca ventured carefully, "Was that… the Hulk's brother?"
The four time-travelers remained frozen, clearly thrown off-script.
Seeing no one else stepping in, Luca played along.
"Yeah! Right! He's the Hulk's brother—the… uh… Green Block! That's it!"
Scott, still rubbing his head, jabbed a finger toward Bruce. "Wait, hold on—he's Bruce Banner! The Hulk is him!"
Then, as if realizing he'd said too much, Scott added brightly:
"Oh! And you can call me Ant-Man! …Though I haven't been on TV yet."
The others stared at him in stunned silence.
Taking that as his cue, Luca gave a quick wave.
"Good luck, everyone!"
And vanished back into the house before anyone could ask more questions.
Outside, the four exchanged wary looks and immediately activated their time GPS devices—but as they prepared to jump, Tony shot Scott a sharp whisper:
"You really shouldn't have revealed your identity. Could mess with their timeline."
"Yeah," Steve added grimly, "especially since you just told that kid your real name—Lang."
Tony sighed. "Worse. He called him Luca Orange."
Scott blinked. "…Wait, what?"