Marvel: Little Genius - Chapter: 421 (Patreon)

Although Mark didn't finish his sentence, the reasons he provided were enough to convince Captain and the others.

Without much hesitation, Mark's proposed team assignment was unanimously approved by everyone.

Only Tony noticed the peculiar aspect of Mark's decision, but he didn't expose Mark in front of everyone.

After the meeting concluded, the group members began preparing for the Time Heist plan, while Tony separately approached Mark, who was also getting ready to leave.

"Kid, what were you thinking when you suggested teaming up with me and swapping with Natasha and Barton for the Vormir mission?"

Seeing Mark's innocent expression, Tony added, "Don't forget, I'm your old man. I could tell something was off with your behavior just now. You're definitely hiding something."

Mark was somewhat surprised that Tony had sought him out and had noticed his hidden agenda. He even detected some emotions in Tony's gaze that he couldn't quite place.

After all, Tony, his old man, had always been somewhat irresponsible and unpredictable. So, Mark was both surprised and touched by Tony's behavior today.

However, despite the gratitude, Mark didn't reveal the answer to Tony. "It's not the right time yet. You'll know the real reason when we get to Vormir."

Having said that, he paid no attention to Tony's peculiar expression and left the meeting room to begin preparing for the mission.

After a night of rest, the next morning, everyone appeared at the Quantum Temporal Tunnel device, full of energy.

In fact, the previous night, many of them were so excited that they couldn't sleep, like elementary school students eagerly anticipating a field trip.

Fortunately, Mark had anticipated the possibility of this situation and had prepared nutrient hibernation pods for everyone in advance. These sleep pods were equipped with a brain-wave device, ensuring that users could efficiently enter deep sleep and get the most restful sleep possible.

Additionally, the nutrient hibernation pods had built-in body repair functions that could help heal accumulated injuries in their bodies while they rested, bringing their bodies to optimal condition.

From the current state and performance of the team members, Mark's preparations were very effective, providing an extra layer of assurance for the upcoming Time Heist plan.

Seeing that everyone had assembled, Mark and Tony both instinctively looked at Captain. The meaning in their eyes was clear: they wanted Captain, the spiritual leader, to inspire the team and give a pep talk before the mission.

Captain, observing the identical expressions on the father and son, rolled his eyes in exasperation. Nevertheless, he stood before the team, ready to address this "unexpected mission."

"Everyone, before we depart, I'd like to say a few words. Five years ago, we all suffered a devastating defeat.

We lost friends, we lost loved ones, and at times, we even lost ourselves.

But today, an opportunity lies before us, one that can help us reclaim everything we've lost.

We trust each other and understand the responsibilities and duties we carry. I want to remind you all that we're about to face our familiar past, but we might also encounter unexpected situations. We must take care of each other and proceed with caution.

This is the battle where we turn the tide in our favor. I believe we will ultimately achieve victory. Good luck, everyone!"

Captain's speech immediately boosted the team's morale to its peak. Everyone was eager and ready, looking like they couldn't wait to start the mission.

Mark wasted no time and gave a direct order to Baymax: "Baymax, prepare to travel through the temporal tunnel for the mission. Cut off magical network communication with our mechanical exoskeletons."

"But, Master, are you sure..."

"Baymax! Execute the order!" Mark interrupted him abruptly, his tone extremely stern.

The team didn't understand the reasons behind this exchange, but they had never seen Mark communicate like this with Baymax or anyone else. Mark had always been calm, gentle, and polite in his interactions.

However, considering that today marked the launch of Mark's personally devised and led Time Heist plan, some changes in his demeanor weren't entirely surprising. The team didn't delve deeper into the unusual conversation between Mark and Baymax.

Only Tony looked in Mark's direction, furrowing his brows with deepening suspicion. He knew that Mark was hiding something, but now was not the time to disrupt the team's high spirits following Captain's successful pep talk.

"It seems I'll only find out what this brat is hiding when we get to Vormir," Tony mused. "I just hope it won't be too late by then."

"Master, the avatars are ready. Magic network connection has been successfully severed," Baymax reported.

As Baymax finished speaking, both Baymax and Mark momentarily seemed lost in thought, their minds elsewhere. After a few seconds, they snapped back to reality. Mark stretched his body, evaluating his physical sensations, appearing somewhat satisfied.

"It's a shame we can't restore my information visual ability through technical means; otherwise, this mechanical exoskeleton would be truly perfect," Mark commented.

"But that's alright. If my predictions are accurate, this operation..."

Mark paused, squinting slightly with a serious expression, not continuing his thought.

At that moment, Rocket, wearing a curious expression, approached Baymax and asked, "Hey, what are you guys up to? Seems kinda weird."

"Because...," Baymax began to explain but was cut off by Mark, who shot him a sharp, knife-like glare.

"Uh... I misspoke! It's because my main consciousness and database, usually residing within Earth's magical network, control the body's actions through implanted exoskeleton mind antennae. However, when the Time Heist plan activates, our mechanical exoskeletons will disconnect from this timeline’s magical network, rendering consciousness transfer impossible."

"If we proceed with the upcoming tasks in this state, not only will we be unable to assist you, but we'll also need your help to retrieve our exoskeletons later. So, last night, my master completed this plan alone, creating a mirrored copy of our consciousness and primary databases. This ensures that our volume remains within the exoskeleton's carrying capacity while allowing us to maintain normal cognitive reasoning and logical thinking."

"Mark is quite impressive," Rocket remarked with admiration after hearing the explanation.

Rocket had always heard Baymax describe his owner, Mark, as exceptionally intelligent and capable during their space adventures. Initially, Rocket had doubted these claims, thinking, "What could a primitive species without advanced spacefaring technology possibly achieve?" However, once he came to Earth and interacted with Mark, he realized that Baymax's previous descriptions were modest at best.

With his vast experience in adventuring across the cosmos, Rocket had never come across anyone quite like Mark. He recognized Mark as a true genius, especially considering that Mark had invented a time machine with his own intelligence.

The minor dispute between Mark and Baymax didn't affect the team's readiness. Once all preparations were complete, Baymax took control of the Quantum Temporal Device's operation, initiated the temporal tunnel, and officially commenced the Time Heist.

---

Morag, 2014. On this day, after two years of drifting through space, Baymax would land on this planet and encounter his future adventuring companion, Star-Lord.

However, at the moment when Mark and the others arrived through time travel, neither the Baymax nor Star-Lord from this timeline had reached Morag yet.

This meant that Rhodey and Baymax, who had time-traveled, could easily obtain the Power Stone and then return to their original timeline.

On the desolate and quiet planet Morag, the four time-travelers stood still for a while, trying to alleviate the dizziness caused by their temporal journey. Mark retrieved a capsule and pressed the button on the top.

Bang!

After the classic burst of white mist, a brand-new spaceship appeared on the surface of Morag. This ship was a replica of the Milano, the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship, based on the data in Baymax's database. As for the original ship of Star-Lord, it had long turned into a pile of scrap during the cataclysmic battle on Titan.

"Best of luck to you both, I'll be waiting in the future. And Tony, don't let your bad temper flare up at a time like this. Take care of each other, understand?"

Rhodey spoke as he gave Tony and Mark each a hug and bid them farewell beside the spaceship. Baymax, however, remained motionless, staring fixedly at Mark's figure but making no move.

"Understood, Rhodey. Just don't dig into my secrets again, see you around!" Tony waved at Rhodey and boarded the spaceship. The hatch closed, and following the coordinates provided by Nebula earlier, Tony and Mark set off for the realm where the Soul Stone was located.

"Alright, Baymax, lead the way. It's time for us to take the Power Stone back!" Rhodey looked at the departing spaceship, then turned to Baymax.

"Baymax?" Seeing no response, Rhodey called out again.

At that moment, Baymax finally withdrew his gaze from the now-empty starry sky. "I apologize, Mr. Rhodey."

He offered an apology to Rhodey and began to stride forward to lead the way. However, Rhodey suddenly grabbed Baymax's arm and looked at him with a serious expression. "What's going on? I feel like both you and Mark have been acting strangely today..."

If it were just a couple of unusual occurrences, it could be attributed to coincidence. However, the repeated unusual behavior of Mark and Baymax had raised Rhodey's suspicions.

"Mr. Rhodey..."