Chapter 97 Under the Mask
From deep within the gigantic blue wormhole above New York City—
Several enormous shadows began descending slowly.
Not ordinary Chitauri troop carriers this time.
These were Leviathans.
Gigantic biomechanical war beasts hundreds of meters long.
Their bodies were wrapped in thick alien bio-armor reinforced by metallic plating.
And mounted atop each Leviathan—
A massive stellar cannon radiating dark crimson light.
The charging energy illuminated half the night sky blood-red.
Five cannons.
Five different trajectories.
Each one aimed directly toward major civilian evacuation shelters across Manhattan.
Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly behind the glasses.
At nearly the same moment—
Voices erupted frantically across the battlefield communication network.
"My God… what ARE those things?!"
"The cannons are charging!"
"They're targeting the shelters!"
"I can't reach them!"
"My reactor output isn't enough to climb that high—!"
"Where's Thor?!"
"Loki trapped him inside Stark Tower!"
Then—
One final message silenced the entire channel instantly.
"Emergency Security Council authorization confirmed."
"A nuclear missile has been launched toward New York."
Silence followed.
Even the battlefield itself seemed to pause momentarily.
Lynn slowly placed the coffee cup down onto the table.
At that exact instant—
The system interface exploded with crimson light inside his consciousness.
A priority warning unlike anything previously seen.
[Ding! Random Epic Mission Triggered!]
[Mission Title: Demonstrate the Power of Miracles]
[Mission Requirement:]
[Single-handedly destroy the Chitauri interstellar Leviathan fleet using absolute overwhelming force.]
[Announce the arrival of a higher-dimensional existence to the world.]
[Mission Reward:]
[Permanent Highest-Level Authority Unlock — Universal Everything Analysis Data Network]
[Warning:]
[This mission may only appear once.]
[Failure or refusal permanently removes access.]
Lynn's pupils contracted faintly.
Universal Everything Analysis Data Network.
The meaning behind those words was terrifying.
Once unlocked—
Analysis of All Things would no longer remain restricted to Earth-based civilizations.
Any known cosmic creation could be analyzed instantly.
The Infinity Gauntlet.
Darkseid's Omega Effect.
Celestial-level weapons.
New God technology.
Anything observed—
Could theoretically be understood.
Weaknesses.
Structures.
Energy frameworks.
This reward represented a complete evolutionary leap.
The value was immeasurable.
Enough to force Lynn into direct intervention personally.
But not as Doctor Lynn.
His gaze shifted calmly toward the operating table nearby.
Captain America had already returned to the battlefield after recovering consciousness earlier.
Good.
Lynn walked silently toward the darkest corner of the battlefield medical pod.
No cameras.
No external windows.
No surveillance coverage.
Only shadows.
He removed the white coat slowly and folded it neatly beside the control console.
Then closed his eyes.
[Biological Symbiotic Adaptability] Activated.
Immediately—
Every cell throughout his body entered microscopic reconstruction.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
His spine elongated gradually with unsettling grinding sounds.
Height increased from 1.83 meters to nearly 1.95.
Shoulder bones expanded laterally.
Collarbones lengthened.
Then came the musculature.
Back muscles thickened explosively.
Deltoids swelled.
Pectorals hardened like forged steel beneath the skin.
Every muscle fiber compressed toward absurd density.
His arms expanded until they resembled hydraulic machinery more than human limbs.
Blue veins pulsed beneath the skin carrying terrifying stellar energy.
Then—
The face changed.
Jawbone broadened sharply.
Cheekbones elevated.
Nasal bridge sharpened.
The refined scholarly features vanished entirely.
In their place appeared a cold, rugged face resembling an ancient battlefield executioner.
Even the vocal cords shifted.
The Adam's apple lowered.
Resonance chambers deepened.
His voice would no longer resemble Doctor Lynn's in any detectable way.
The entire transformation required less than five seconds.
Then—
The transformed man opened his eyes.
Reflected faintly in the polished alloy wall—
Stood an enormous black-haired figure covered in explosive musculature.
No trace of the gentle doctor remained.
Even Batman personally performing skeletal-analysis comparison would fail to establish any connection.
Perfect separation.
Lynn opened a hidden compartment beneath the console afterward.
Inside rested prepared combat equipment.
A pure black tactical combat suit.
Constructed using alien alloy fibers acquired earlier from Lex Luthor's private research stores.
Lightweight.
Flexible.
Yet stronger than military ballistic armor.
Lynn put on the combat suit calmly.
Finally—
He picked up the mask.
Pure white.
No eyes.
No mouth.
No nostrils.
Only a smooth blank surface resembling an expressionless human face stripped of all identity.
He placed it over his face.
Internal sensor systems activated instantly.
Vision.
Breathing.
Environmental analysis.
All fully functional internally.
But externally—
The mask resembled a faceless ghost.
An existence instinctively disturbing to look at.
Preparation complete.
The next second—
Boom—!!!
The air exploded outward beneath his launch.
Lynn vanished from the medical pod entirely.
…
Fifth Avenue.
The battlefield had entered its most chaotic phase.
Far above—
The five Leviathan cannons glowed brighter and brighter.
Charging nearly complete.
Once fired—
Entire evacuation shelters containing tens of thousands of civilians would vanish instantly.
Several nearby Chitauri infantry units noticed the black-clothed figure appearing suddenly in the middle of the avenue.
Energy rifles raised immediately.
Whoosh—!!!
Whoosh—!!!
Green plasma fire struck directly toward him.
The blasts impacted his body—
And dispersed harmlessly like rain hitting solid steel.
He never slowed down.
One Chitauri soldier lunged directly into his path.
Lynn casually swung one arm sideways.
Boom—!!!
The alien soldier and its armor exploded instantly into metallic fragments and biological debris.
The shattered remains smashed into a nearby wall several dozen meters away.
He continued walking forward calmly.
Meanwhile—
Captain America's urgent voice sounded across battlefield communications.
"Unknown combatant detected at one o'clock!"
"Black combat suit!"
"White faceless mask!"
"Identity unconfirmed!"
A brief pause followed.
Then Steve Rogers added tensely:
"…He just pulverized a Chitauri soldier with one strike."
"What?"
Tony Stark's voice interrupted instantly.
"Another monster?"
"Was today discount superhuman day in New York?"
"I don't know who he is."
Steve's tone remained tense.
"But he's heading toward Central Avenue…"
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