Chapter 39 The Crawling Darkness

Tony explained the situation he had encountered to Pepper, and then how he managed to settle Colonel Rhodes down, keeping him in his villa and telling Rhodes, who had turned into a Lizard-man, that he had a way to turn him back to normal.

"What's going on with those people you mentioned?"

"I have no idea either. Maybe opponents I offended earlier with my big mouth? But to be honest, too many people envy me; how can I possibly remember all of them?"

Pepper gave Tony a sideways glance and sighed helplessly.

"You're always like this, but that's just the usual you. Welcome back, Tony Stark."

"And Obadiah?"

"As for him, he might soon be rescued by those agents from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. But Tony, you need to mentally prepare yourself; things are a bit complicated."

"I know, Pepper, I know."

---

As for how Tony Stark would deal with Obadiah afterward, Lynn didn't really care. But either way, Obadiah in this world had managed to cling to life because of Jessica, and Tony Stark had finally officially become Iron Man.

"Perhaps he'll meet Steve Rogers in a couple of days."

Lynn sat in the top-floor suite of Chronos Hospital, toying with the Arc Reactor Jessica had brought back for him. Psychic tentacles emerged from the void, weaving in and out of the device, and quickly figured out the Arc Reactor's internal structure.

"Miniaturizing an entire cold fusion reactor, the acceleration coils within it..."

"Lynn, is this thing really that high-tech?"

Jessica sat right beside Lynn, watching him hold Tony's Arc Reactor as those psychic tentacles looped back and forth inside it several times over.

"Hmm... from a technical standpoint, it's more advanced than the largest nuclear power plants we have today. It gives me some inspiration."

"Is it really that exaggerated, Lynn?"

"Naturally it is."

Lynn put down Tony's Arc Reactor. He had pretty much grasped the underlying principles as well as Tony's unique design philosophy. Duplicating the Arc Reactor wouldn't be particularly difficult, but there was no need for it right now. New York was currently a gathering place of storms and clouds, and Lynn had other, more important matters to ponder.

Setting the Arc Reactor aside, Lynn asked Jessica, "How was your first actual combat experience? Compared to those vampires from before, how did that Iron Monger armor feel to you? Would you consider it a tricky opponent?"

"There wasn't really anything special about it. It was even worse than the guys I usually spar with. Lynn, to be honest, that robot was trash—slow-moving and lacking in defense. Frankly, it wasn't impressive at all."

"I see... So that's how you feel."

Through Jessica's remarks, Lynn formed a preliminary concept. Now, as a completely mass-producible ordinary war machine, Iron Monger had no competitive edge even when compared to his heavily downgraded prototype Guyver.

However, specific data still required analysis by Lynn.

"Come with me to the underground laboratory. I want to examine your combat data to help me prepare for the battles ahead."

"Lynn, will there still be a lot of this kind of thing happening in the future?"

"Far more than you can imagine, Jess. Maybe aliens and hell demons will show up later on."

"Really? I thought those things were still a long way off. Look, we haven't seen any aliens for all these years, have we, Lynn?"

Hearing Jessica's question, Lynn asked with some curiosity, "Why aren't you asking if there really are hell demons and aliens, and instead you've already accepted that they exist?"

Jessica scratched the bridge of her nose, then pointed at her own chest, her brows twitching slightly as she gave Lynn a subtle look.

"You said it yourself, didn't you, Lynn?"

"Indeed. Let's go, come to the laboratory with me. I need to check if your Control Metal has any issues."

A few hours later, Jessica had already gone to the top floor to rest, while Lynn remained in the underground laboratory. In the biochemical reactor beside him, two host bodies floated quietly: Sanguirus, captured from the vampire underground palace, and Jekutor, who had undergone adjustment from the very beginning. After several rounds of adjustments, their combat capabilities had stabilized.

Sanguirus had not yet seen actual combat, but Lynn estimated his combat effectiveness would be fine. His adjustment standards were identical to Jekutor's, and his host body was superior, so he could only perform better.

At the same time, Jekutor had completed adjustments at the Super-Zoaform level, though his current condition wasn't suitable for frequent sorties. His structure was far too conspicuous; when all his bio-heat ray cannons fired simultaneously, he would be the brightest star in all of New York.

---

As Lynn pondered his next steps, Carol's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Doctor, the prototype Guyver is operating very stably on Miss Jessica. It provides a strong amplification to all her abilities, and no collapse occurred even during low-pressure combat. The Control Metal has done a perfect job constraining the zoA-cells, almost exceeding the parameter setpoints. Based on the metrics you established, I believe we can enter the next stage and consider working toward the F-type."

The prototype Guyver did not employ the most cutting-edge technologies. Beyond the gravity control orb and the chest particle cannon, even the subspace technology utilized by the Guyver in its unarmored state had not yet been implemented by Lynn.

Technology and practicality were two different things; Lynn needed to test them item by item to complete the entire Guyver system.

"I will push forward with the subsequent work. What about Maria? How are the tasks assigned to her coming along?"

"I'll go check."

---

As the person in charge of managing the entire Chronos Charity Hospital, Maria was granted immense authority by Lynn. Aside from Carol and Lynn, virtually no second person could direct her work, unlike Daken, who had frequently meddled in her affairs and occasionally required her to act subserviently.

Lynn and Carol hardly ever inquired about the details, which immensely satisfied a woman already driven by a fierce lust for power.

Case in point: right now, she was draped in a thin sheer sleeping gauze, lying amongst several robust, well-built men while holding a glass of red wine and indulging in the various sensory stimuli brought by a human physical form.

She rested both feet on the belly of one of the men, a look of profound comfort blooming across her face.

Until Carol's voice echoed directly within her mind.

"Come down and report on your work."

This voice snapped her back to reality. Maria's expression shifted instantly; she wiped away her arrogant demeanor, scurried in a panic toward her wardrobe, grabbed her most professional work uniform, bit a hair tie in her mouth with one hand while slipping into her high heels with the other.

Like an office worker running late, she bolted frantically out the door.

Leaving the robust men she had summoned staring after her with wide eyes.

A few minutes later, Maria arrived at the underground laboratory with a sycophantic expression on her face.

Lynn sat in the office chair within the underground laboratory. The machinery throughout the lab operated automatically under Lynn's psychic control; the buttons and AR panels flashed furiously with no human operators present. The cavernous laboratory seemed to maintain its functions without requiring a second person.

That ordinary-looking chair bore no superfluous embellishments, yet Lynn merely sitting there was enough to break Maria out in a cold sweat.

"Speak."

Only after Lynn spoke did the hair-raising sensation subside slightly. She lifted her head slightly. By this time, Carol had already brewed a cup of coffee and handed it to Lynn.

"Relax. As long as you complete your work, the Doctor has no interest in your little indulgences."

"It... it was the Sword Claws' Saurus who attacked Scylla. According to my investigation, the battle that night was on a rather large scale, seemingly engulfing several blocks. The Smoker was killed by Saurus because Saurus apparently acquired a Black Knight—that fellow possesses magical powers."

"You didn't figure out why they suddenly turned on each other in an internal feud?"

"According to those from the Sword Claws, Saurus has been acting very abnormal lately. He seems to be hallucinating that he has become the King of the Night, about to take over the world and even attack something called the Sanctum... Though we don't know what the Sanctum is..."

Maria had no clue what the Sanctum was, but Lynn knew all too well. He hadn't heard of any magicians in fancy dress battling on the streets of New York yet.

That meant Earth's Sanctum was still guarded by the Ancient One. The Sorcerer Supreme might have all sorts of troubles to deal with, but she was definitely not an opponent some minor vampire could handle...

Lynn roughly guessed why that vampire had gone so mad.

The vampire named Saurus most likely possessed the Darkhold, which was what was causing his mind to unhinge. He might not actually attack the Sanctum, but his actions were undoubtedly accelerating the Darkhold's gathering of itself.

Chthon the Elder God would not let slip any opportunity to break free.

"Do you have any other findings?"

"Regarding this matter... Doctor, the Keepers of the Secret and the Mulancksa seem somewhat alarmed. They've successively lost contact with Nosferatu and Scylla, and with the Sword Claws acting so abnormal, they appear to have formed an alliance intending to deal with the Sword Claws together."

At Maria's words, Lynn vaguely recalled the vampire who had previously sold out the intelligence on Nosferatu's underground palace—and he had indeed left a wedge planted there.

However, there was no need to activate that wedge just yet.

"Maria, as Nosferatu's former blood thrall, you've naturally been in contact with the Keepers of the Secret and the Mulancksa, right?"

"That is correct."

"Go as an emissary of Nosferatu. Tell them that Nosferatu has returned and intends to discuss with them matters concerning dealing with the Sword Claws. Hmm, arrange a three-way meeting attended by their lords. You can decide the specific timing yourself."

Maria clearly hadn't expected Lynn to assign her such a task. Gathering intelligence was one thing, but acting as an emissary for Nosferatu was something Maria knew she was incapable of pulling off.

She glanced nervously at Lynn, unsure how to explain her own inadequacy, then looked at Carol off to the side. But the purple-skinned woman was busy tidying up the tea set and showed no intention of speaking.

Swallowing hard, Maria tentatively ventured, "But... Nosferatu has already perished, Doctor. To be honest, I don't possess any token that could represent their former lord, Brutus..."

Before Maria could finish speaking, she felt a piercing pain radiating from the back of her hand. Black magic was carving a brand directly onto her skin.

The evil magic ignited her flesh, eroding her skin until it finally formed the crest that once belonged to Nosferatu. Maria remembered this crest; the vampires who delivered Brutus's orders all bore such a mark on the backs of their hands.

"Now, I think you have enough ink to write a forged invitation letter, Maria."

The dark magic in Lynn's hand gradually dissipated. Maria stared at the brand on the back of her hand, then at the lingering dark magic that Lynn had shaken off his hand and let dissolve into the void.

"I... I understand, Doctor."

Maria scurried out immediately to carry out Lynn's orders, not daring to show the slightest hesitation. After all, when Lynn had first captured her, he couldn't use magic at all.

And now, having wiped out Nosferatu, Lynn had left her with a magical brand she had previously considered utterly incomprehensible.

She had no choice but to rush off and arrange the upcoming tasks.

"It's a good thing vampires don't need to sleep, Doctor."

"Indeed. She gets eight hours more out of a day than ordinary people, which is plenty of time for her to arrange more matters."

---

The next morning, the fried chicken restaurant at Chronos Charity Hospital opened for business as usual, and Lynn casually managed all the operations inside the shop.

Thanks to the surgical success achieved upstairs at Chronos Charity Hospital, the restaurant's business could be described as quite brisk.

As he wiped down a table, he gazed out the street-facing window at the large outdoor screen where Tony was fielding various media inquiries, while Pepper stood in a thoroughly inconspicuous spot wearing a headset.

"It looks like she's remotely piloting Tony to keep him from blurting out anything bizarre."

The reporters' questions were explosive and spicy, questioning not only whether Stark Industries had any remedial measures after causing so many people to lose their jobs, but also casting doubt on Tony's ability to successfully run his own company going forward.

Yet Tony Stark parried every single question with ease. Lynn noticed that even without Pepper prompting him, Tony swiftly found the optimal solutions to answer the reporters without the slightest flaw.

"We are naturally considering the plight of the former employees at those munitions plants. In fact, we've merely given them some time off to rest. As Stark Industries reformulates its strategic plan, they remain our veteran employees..."

"Whether now or in the future, Stark Industries will not decline because of me. Reformers always invite criticism, and time will prove everything..."

It seemed Pepper didn't need to say anything after all. It appeared that after going through this series of events, Tony had finally reined in his sharp-tongued nature and was taking reporters seriously for the sake of Stark Industries.

Finally, a reporter asked, "Mr. Stark, what are your thoughts on Iron Man?"

About a minute later, Lynn heard a customer's order request from inside the shop.

And behind him, Tony Stark's voice echoed across the entire street.

"I am Iron Man."

"Two orders of fried chicken, one order of fries, two large colas. Salt and pepper flavor for the chicken." Lynn smiled as he accepted the customer's order.