Chapter 1318 Mission

Novel is finished on my Patreon so you can read all the advance chapter till last on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395

When Bucky returned an hour later than estimated, Scott didn't ask too many questions. After all, Scott had no intention of bossing Bucky around; as long as Bucky didn't cause trouble, he was welcome to stay.

Regarding Bucky's previous excuse of taking a vacation, Scott took it at face value. Even SHIELD's advanced agents deserved a break, right?

Since it was a vacation, it was only natural for Bucky to explore the area. Bucky had spent the last few days cooped up in the house, which had been unusual. But then again, Scott had no intention of involving Bucky in his scientific research; Bucky's expertise was beyond him.

Bucky didn't say much either. Based on the information provided by Sky's Eye, Bucky easily located the group of rogue Vigilantes causing trouble and reprimanded them within ten minutes.

Dealing with ordinary people like them bored Bucky, far from the exciting experiences he'd had following Jackson.

After Bucky had dealt with the troublemaking rogue Vigilantes, he finally received a message from Lin Rui.

This time, Lin Rui gave him a relatively clear mission: to leverage Scott's relationship with Hope and Dr. Pym and gather information about Dr. Pym's progress in the field of quantum research.

The Ant-Man storyline had already come to an end, with Darren Cross being a minor character. What Lin Rui was interested in was Dr. Pym's quantum research from decades ago.

Lin Rui had a feeling that this "black technology" would play a significant role in the future, which was why he had sent Bucky here to find Scott.

As the new Ant-Man, Scott might not have received full recognition from Dr. Pym yet, but it was likely to come in the near future. When that happened, Scott would naturally become a part of Dr. Pym's research. 

If Bucky were here at that time, he could conveniently become part of Scott's life and work. It was similar to a few months ago when Lin Rui had sent Bucky to Wakanda, resulting in favorable outcomes.

Lin Rui trusted his gut feeling, and as a tool— no, as the seasoned Winter Soldier, Bucky was still quite useful. As long as he kept Rogers from finding Bucky, Lin Rui believed he could make the most of him.

So, once Bucky had settled in, Lin Rui gave him this Quest, allowing him some breathing room. After all, Lin Rui had plenty on his plate at the moment.

After establishing an alliance with T'Challa, Lin Rui had been summoned back to New York by Tony. Lin Rui had spent two days at home, letting his parents see that he was doing well. 

Then, he joined Tony in the lab to work on nanotechnology and deciphering Pym Particles. If they could quickly master these two technologies, it would undoubtedly boost their alliance's strength.

In fact, after establishing a formal alliance with Wakanda, Lin Rui could directly transfer knowledge of nanotechnology to them. Tony was only reexamining it from his perspective, which might lead to further advancements.

As for Pym Particles technology, it was even more advanced than nanotechnology. Dr. Pym had disappeared for decades after leaving SHIELD, and his recent reappearance had piqued Tony's interest.

However, Lin Rui only had a limited supply of Pym Particles. They had been consumed during the Dormammu attack, and Bucky hadn't acquired more from Scott. Therefore, they had to be careful with their research.

Tony wanted Lin Rui to procure more Pym Particles, but Lin Rui knew that Dr. Pym still harbored ill feelings towards SHIELD and Howard. Therefore, sharing his technology wasn't a possibility at the moment. Lin Rui believed that Scott would eventually share the technology, and for now, they had to conduct their own research.

Lin Rui was confident that they would succeed because, in addition to Wakanda's ongoing analysis, he possessed the extensive research material that Darren Cross had worked on for so long. 

It was inconceivable that Darren Cross could replicate Pym Particles while Tony and Wakanda couldn't. The resources and technology available to the two sides far surpassed Darren Cross's capabilities.

Speaking of which, Lin Rui had quite a lot on his plate at the moment. As a so-called "diplomatic ambassador," he was linked to multiple superpower factions, including Nightcrawler Team, Iron Man, SHIELD, X-Men, and the Earth Sorcerer, encompassing technology, superpowers, magic, and official forces.

Apart from these overt factions, Lin Rui also kept an eye on ongoing recruitment programs for superpowered individuals, explored Venom's headquarters, observed the ongoing rivalry between the Mutant Brotherhood within the X-Men, occasionally contacted Star-Lord, who had left with Ego, and managed the daily affairs of Asgard, specifically Thor's activities.

Of course, while assuming his role as a "diplomatic ambassador," Lin Rui also remembered to continuously enhance his own abilities. The Dormammu attack hadn't been too long ago, and Lin Rui was aware that his power, while substantial on Earth, was only average in the broader cosmic context.

So, after returning from Wakanda, Lin Rui spent most of his time practicing meditation, saving the world and the universe wasn't a simple feat, and he had to be prepared.

After the Wakanda incident had passed, Lin Rui felt he could finally enjoy some stability for a while. Most of the Nightcrawler Team and SHIELD's matters could be handled by his team, and not everything required Lin Rui's personal intervention.

Moreover, due to Phantom Knight's extended absence from the public eye, Spider-Man fans on the Nightcrawler official website had finally surpassed Lin Rui in popularity.

On this particular morning, after confirming that everything was in order with his various contacts, Lin Rui was preparing to enter the laboratory to find Tony when he received a special call from his communicator.

Glancing at the caller ID, Lin Rui raised an eyebrow, "Ah, this gentleman. It seems the path to finding your children isn't going smoothly, huh?"

The caller was none other than Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr, the boss of the Mutant Brotherhood, who hadn't been heard from in a long time.

Back when Hydra was still active, Magneto's children had briefly appeared. However, at the time, Magneto was unaware of their existence, and it was Lin Rui who informed Professor Charles Xavier about it, leading to Magneto's realization.

Subsequently, Magneto embarked on a journey to reunite with his wife and children. But according to Lin Rui's guess, given Magneto's personality, this path was likely challenging.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Rui answered the call.

"Phantom Knight, I need your help," Magneto's voice came through the moment the call was answered, without any preamble.

"Let me guess, Wanda and Pietro don't want to be with you?" Lin Rui didn't beat around the bush and directly voiced his guess.

"You're right. Every time I try to find them, they're already gone. It seems they're deliberately avoiding me," Magneto replied affirmatively.

"So, how can I help you?"

...