Marvel: Little Genius - Chapter: 385 (Patreon)

"We're currently facing a difficulty in the construction of the quantum tunnel. During yesterday's debugging and testing process, an overload of power caused a complete circuit meltdown, and this is the problem we urgently need to solve."

Mark wasted no time and made a proposal, which Dr. Pym didn't refuse. They immediately began discussing the issue at hand.

While Dr. Pym presented his quantum tunnel blueprints and calculation data to Mark, he explained the specific problems he had encountered in the practical process, hoping to jointly find a solution to accelerate the project's progress.

"Well, I have a rough idea of where the problem lies."

After carefully reviewing the documents provided by Dr. Pym and listening to his explanations, Mark quickly identified the key issue.

"Where's the problem!?" Dr. Pym looked at Mark with pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected that Mark would find the problem that had been troubling him for so long in such a short time.

"The issue isn't with the quantum tunnel blueprints you designed, but rather with the data and the materials used for construction equipment.

Your laboratory is limited by hardware computational capabilities and software assistance capabilities, and some of these calculations have deviated, with some lacking precision.

If they are only used as a basis for theoretical verification, there is no problem, but if they are meant to actually produce a quantum tunnel, they will fall short by a wide margin.

Moreover, the materials you purchased from the black market have issues. In order to provide sufficient operational energy for the quantum tunnel, you used a chitauri energy core purchased from Adrian Toomes.

However, this energy core was originally designed as a pulse energy source for weapons, and using it for a quantum tunnel that requires stable power, it definitely won't achieve the desired results. The power overload issue you encountered earlier was likely due to this reason.

My suggestion is to add a graphene capacitor to the electrical circuit and replace the core energy source with Stark Industries' latest Arc Reactor. This will solve the power overload problem.

Furthermore, there are issues with the algorithm model you've constructed; there are errors in the variable parameters used to locate your wife."

"No, no, no! I can accept the other points you made; those are all deviations and mistakes caused by objective circumstances. But those parameters cannot possibly be wrong. I've gone through countless calculations to verify them." Dr. Pym stubbornly insisted.

"Is that so? I don't believe it!

If you're confident that your calculation abilities are superior to my intelligent life form, Baymax, then I can accept your viewpoint. But if not, I think it would be better for you to listen to me."

"In the field of quantum physics, calculations involving probability fields require precise data processing. The subatomic frequency range you've chosen is too broad, and it won't achieve the desired positioning effect. This parameter needs to be narrowed down to between 0.4 and 0.6."

When it came to research and experimentation, Mark only believed in scientific research methodology and cautious verification. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. He wouldn't compromise his principles for Dr. Pym's sake.

However, in the face of Mark's insistence, which didn't spare any face, Dr. Pym didn't get angry. Instead, he burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You truly live up to being Howard's grandson. Although you and he never had a chance to meet each other, you are just like him in every way.

Back in the days at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research team, other scientists were afraid of my reputation and status and never dared to contradict my opinions. Only your grandfather would point out my mistakes without hesitation, regardless of the time or place. Maybe that's why I disliked him so much. But now that I'm old, and my skin has grown thicker, hearing such a rebuttal unexpectedly makes me feel a bit nostalgic.

Mark, go ahead and have Baymax recheck the data. If what you're saying is correct, then we'll follow your approach.

For someone of my age, be it identity, status, wealth, or power, they are no longer important. I just want to find my beloved Janet and spend the rest of my life with her."

"Father..." Hope, who was standing nearby, saw her usually strong-willed father yielding to someone else for the first time and gently embraced his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Dr. Pym. Since our deal has been reached, and I've promised to help you find your loved one, I will not go back on my word.

By the way, I noticed that you used Pym Particles to enlarge worker ants and controlled them by stimulating their central nervous system with electromagnetic waves. It's a very clever method.

Although it won't affect the progress of the quantum tunnel experiment, you know that researchers like us always want to have more advanced and refined products. So, I have a small suggestion in this regard.

If you've been following the products released by my Mark Research Center, you should have noticed that I successfully developed a technology application called 'Brain wave device' in the field of brain-computer interface. Through this application, I can simultaneously control billions of micro-robots to work together.

I believe the same technology, when applied to ants, can yield excellent results."

Upon hearing Mark's words, Dr. Pym, who had previously appeared kind and gentle, once again stiffened his expression.

He had thought that after so many years of life's trials and tribulations, his mind had already become as calm as a still pond, not easily provoked by others unless pushed to the limit.

But seeing Mark in front of him pushing his luck again, and once again being intellectually outperformed, Dr. Pym couldn't hold back anymore. His face turned red, and he yelled at the door, "Get out! I'll discuss the deal with Scott when he returns, but as for you—you can leave my lab right now."

Mark touched his nose and gave an embarrassed smile. He hadn't expected Dr. Pym to be so intolerant of other people's opinions and suggestions. With a helpless expression, he bid farewell to the two and walked towards the exit of the lab.

As for Scott's matter, he believed that Dr. Pym, just like himself, would keep his word and not go back on their agreement.

"Wait!" Just as Mark was about to board the elevator, Dr. Pym hurriedly called out to him and shouted loudly from behind, "Don't forget to prepare the quantum tunnel materials we need. It can be delivered in batches, but we must have some of it arrive by tomorrow. The lab's inventory is already depleted!"

Despite his anger, Dr. Pym didn't forget about the important matters and earnestly instructed Mark on the tasks that needed to be completed.

Mark couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. He felt like Dr. Pym, who had always been portrayed as a wise and aloof character in his mind, had completely shattered that image. However, before the elevator doors closed, he replied, "Don't worry, I've got it!"

...

However, when Mark arrived the next day with the prepared materials and equipment, all he found was an empty plot of land. The original lab had disappeared without a trace.

However, Mark quickly spotted Dr. Pym, Hope, and his intended guest, Scott. The three of them were tightly bound in an abandoned van, with pieces of fabric stuffed into their mouths, and they were securely restrained.

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" Unable to speak, the three of them displayed excited expressions upon seeing Mark approaching their location. They made as much noise as possible, hoping to get Mark's attention.

Mark didn't disappoint them. He went straight to the van and opened the car door. "I'm sorry, all three of you. I have no idea what you've been through, but it's clear that I've missed some exciting moments since I left."

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"

"Well, I'll release you now. Even though I consider myself smart, I can't understand what you're trying to express from the sounds you're making through your nostrils."

Mark released the nanobots within his body, and in less than a second, the ropes and duct tape binding the three of them disappeared without a trace.

Finally liberated, the three of them relaxed at this moment, no longer in the desperate state they were in when they were calling for help earlier. They appeared quite exhausted. "It seems like you've been trapped here for quite some time. Here, take this. I need to know what happened to make you all look so disheveled."

Mark took three nutrient supplements from his pocket and handed them to the three captives. They didn't hesitate, as being bound and unable to move or eat or drink had pushed their bodies to the limit. After receiving the nutrient supplements, they quickly sipped them in small sips.

"Now, which one of you wants to tell me about your ordeal yesterday?" The nutrient supplement Mark had personally invented was quite effective. Within a few minutes, the three of them had gone from a pallid complexion to a healthier and more vibrant look.

"I'll go first," Hope said, taking the initiative to recount the events of the previous day to Mark.

"At the time, Scott had just returned to the lab not long ago, and his mission wasn't going smoothly. He couldn't find suitable materials, and he even encountered your companion, which forced him to abandon the mission and retreat.

Meanwhile, my father and I were in the process of replacing the control devices for the ant colony we were managing. Although my father appeared firm on the surface, he eventually accepted your proposal to use a more advanced brain-wave device to control a larger number of ants.

While we were all focused on our respective tasks, a stranger dressed in a white hooded suit with a white mask on her face, like a ghost, phased through the walls of our lab and immediately knocked out my father and Scott from behind.

As for me, I put up some resistance initially, but the abilities of the intruder made it impossible for my attacks to touch her true form, and I soon followed suit and was knocked out.

When we woke up again, we found ourselves bound in this abandoned van, while our mobile lab had been shrunken and taken away by the intruder."

Hope's account was very clear, and combined with Mark's previous knowledge of the original storyline, he had already pieced together the entire sequence of events.

Mark looked directly at Dr. Pym next to Hope and asked, "Doctor, do you remember Elihas Starr?"

Dr. Pym's eyes widened as he looked at Mark, his face filled with shock. However, he seemed to recall something and quickly regained his composure.

"I remember him. He was my colleague at S.H.I.E.L.D., and we worked together on quantum technology at the time. But later, because Elihas had overly radical ideas, I expelled him from my research team. What's the matter? Is this related to Elihas Starr?"

"Indeed, it is," Mark nodded at Dr. Pym and replied.

"More precisely, it's related to his daughter, Ava. From Hope's description of yesterday's attacker, it matches a file I once saw at S.H.I.E.L.D., and the person is Ava Starr.

After you expelled Elihas from your research team, he didn't give up on his research direction but tried to go all-in and complete his research independently.

But Dr. Pym, you are undoubtedly aware of how dangerous research experiments in the quantum field can be. Any risky idea can lead to a massive disaster, and Elihas Starr's reckless attempt ultimately ended in failure.

This failure not only cost him and his wife their lives but also turned his daughter Ava into a creature dominated by suffering.

Elihas's failed experiment resulted in a quantum collapse that leaked some of the energy from the quantum space and subjected Ava to high-intensity, close-range radiation.

Under this energy radiation, Ava gained the ability to change her own molecular structure, making her intangible, which is why you saw her passing through solid walls and evading attacks.

This ability is so powerful that HYDRA, who was hidden in S.H.I.E.L.D at the time, immediately thought of how to harness this miraculous power, giving birth to an elite assassin known as Ghost.

The white suit you saw on Ava is specially designed to help her better control her phase-changing abilities while providing high-level protection.

However, over time, the constant changes in her energy and molecular structure have made her body extremely unstable and can cause her to completely disappear from reality.

So, after the fall of Hydra, Ava, who is now liberated, sought out your other old colleague, Bill Foster, and diligently sought various possibilities for healing herself."

Speaking of which, Mark had not considered Ava's situation before, mainly because she was portrayed as the villain in "Ant-Man and the Wasp," with very little presence, and she even ended up being redeemed, losing her status as a big bad.

However, thinking about it carefully now, Ava's ability to change her molecular structure through energy from the quantum field was quite intriguing to him. It was like the Marvel version of the Sharingan Eye with Kamui – a divine power!

If Ava were to say, "You destroyed the only world I had, so I will destroy your only world," Mark might have thought she had crossed over from the Naruto universe as a gender-swapped version of Madara Uchiha.

Moreover, if this phase-changing ability could be realized, combined with Mark's post-Extremis transformation superheating ability, it would be like a low-budget version of the Logia-type Magu Magu no Mi Devil Fruit!

Although Mark couldn't transform into lava, the ability to generate high-temperature heat and the natural immunity to physical attacks were both being replicated. Mark's mind was starting to get a bit out of control with his inner chuunibyou tendencies.

However, at this moment, a question from Dr. Pym brought Mark back to reality. "But what does Ava want with us, and why did she come to steal my mobile lab?"

"As for that, I suspect it might be a coincidence."

"A coincidence?" All three of them were filled with doubt at Mark's answer.

"Yes, as I mentioned before, Ava's ability to become a ghost is activated by the energy from the quantum field. This makes her highly sensitive to fluctuations in the quantum realm, allowing her to perceive information that ordinary people cannot.

Coincidentally, Scott carries a quantum message from his previous journey into the quantum realm. Janet Van Dyne left a quantum message within Scott's body during his last quantum realm visit, and Ava sensed and decoded it.

Ava was brought to your lab by the signal sent by this quantum message within Scott. As for why she wanted to take the mobile lab, I believe it's related to the information she decoded.

If Ava wants to deactivate her own abilities, she would need a similar source of energy for a secondary stimulus and to extract the energy within her.

The information she decoded appears to have provided her with the answer she has been seeking all along: Dr. Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne, your mother, Hope.

She wants to extract the quantum energy absorbed by Janet Van Dyne's body over the past thirty years to repair her own molecular structure.

So, in a way, her goal in taking the virtual lab should align with yours, which is to rescue Janet Van Dyne. However, her methods may be more aggressive."

"No, this is not just a matter of being more aggressive; what she's doing will tear Janet apart!" Dr. Pym's emotions became heated after hearing Mark's analysis.

"That may not be Ava's primary concern, given her own condition. However, I believe I might be able to treat the issues in her body. In that case, we might achieve a win-win scenario, or rather, a three-birds-with-one-stone outcome..."