Chapter 360 Convincing Hank Pym about Time Travel

Regardless of why Hank Pym had come to DC Company or found his way to Anton, he was already at the door.

Anton wasn't the type to evade a meeting with Hank Pym.

Even though Hank Pym was the original Ant-Man, with considerable capabilities, it wasn't enough to make Anton back down he was merely curious and puzzled.

"Let him in," Anton instructed.

After Anton command, Betty quickly invited Hank Pym into Anton office.

Inside the room, on the sofa where discussions were held, Anton and Hank Pym exchanged glances, the latter with a calm expression but a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

"Hello, nice to meet you for the first time."

Hank Pym said, "I know this visit is quite presumptuous, but it necessary. I have a question, and I hope to get an answer from you."

"Please, go ahead."

Anton narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't detect any hostility in Hank Pym tone, but clearly, the ostensibly friendly demeanor wasn't entirely genuine.

"About the Pym Particles, the data on the Wasp suit..."

Hank Pym slowly said, "The Justice League has acquired it through some means, right?"

When he mentioned "some means," Hank Pym emphasized the words.

This former top SHIELD agent had obviously reviewed the timeline thoroughly and deciphered the secret of how Anton obtained the data on the Wasp suit.

Anton looked at Hank Pym somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected that the other party would see through his strategy, or rather, discover the fact that the Wasp suit data had leaked.

"That correct."

Anton didn't deny it.

Since the other party had come to him, it indicated that a seed of suspicion was already planted. No matter how much Anton denied it, the other would believe what they wanted to believe, so denying it was pointless.

Besides, even if he openly admitted it, what could Hank Pym do to him?

Although Hank Pym had returned to the company, changing cross Technologies back to Pym Industries, the current Pym Industries posed no threat to Wayne Enterprises whatsoever.

With Hank Pym capabilities, it was unlikely he could do anything special that Anton would find threatening.

Seeing as Hank Pym wasn't a significant threat, there was no need for secrecy.

"We indeed acquired all the data on the Wasp suit."

Anton looked at the silver-haired Hank Pym across from him, his expression calm, and said softly,

"But to be honest, it wasn't Wayne Enterprises who acted, but the Justice League."

"Why?"

Hank Pym was puzzled. "Why would the Justice League be interested in the Wasp suit?"

At this point, he truly couldn't understand.

If it were Wayne Enterprises interested in the Wasp suit, that would make sense.

After all, Wayne Enterprises is now an emerging giant in the arms industry.

The Wasp suit could help Wayne Enterprises secure a stronger and faster foothold in the arms market.

This was Hank Pym confidence in the Wasp suit.

After all, the Wasp suit was a product born from Hank Pym research.

Despite Hank Pym reluctance to bring the Wasp suit into the world, it doesn't mean that he doesn't recognize its value.

On the contrary, he understands the value of the Wasp suit better than anyone.

However, if the ones seeking the Wasp suit information were the Justice League, that something Hank Pym couldn't quite grasp.

The capabilities of the Wasp suit, though formidable, surely couldn't be enough to interest the Justice League—almost universally regarded as the strongest superhero team, standing at the pinnacle of this world, shrouded in mystery.

With the array of superpowers within the Justice League, would they really need just one Wasp suit?

"It not the Wasp suit that interests the Justice League, but the Pym Particles," said Anton calmly.

"Pym Particles are a key to unlocking the truths of the world," he continued.

"A key to unlocking the truths of the world?" Hank Pym looked baffled, staring at Anton, feeling as though he was being misled.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" he asked.

"Pym Particles are a significant discovery, and despite you being their creator, you haven't fully realized their potential," Anton explained.

"Fortunately, the Justice League has the capability to use Pym Particles for even greater inventions and discoveries."

"What are you referring to?" Hank Pym frowned, feeling like Anton was pulling his leg.

"Time travel," Anton revealed.

"When an object is reduced to the size of molecules, it enters the quantum realm.

The quantum realm is chaotic in terms of space and time and holds the secrets to time travel… You should be more familiar with this theory than I am."

Silence followed.

Hank Pym fell silent. About thirty years ago, as Ant-Man, he and his wife, Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp, undertook a mission.

During the mission, Janet shrank to the size of molecules and was pulled into the quantum realm, her fate unknown to this day.

He had made many efforts to rescue his wife, and after numerous unsuccessful experiments, he had become disheartened, yet always believed that Janet was not dead.

Hearing Anton words now, his emotions were mixed.

"Do you believe that Pym Particles are the key to the gateway of time, that we could use them to access the quantum realm and achieve time travel?" Hank Pym asked slowly.

"Yes," nodded Anton.

"But there is no theoretical proof that the quantum realm holds the key to such a gateway," Hank Pym argued.

"Your guesses are unfounded and baseless."

"Coincidentally, I have an idea, and since you are involved, perhaps you could answer my question from your perspective," Anton proposed.

"Before that, I'd like you to answer a question for me," Hank Pym said.

"Everyone knows about your fallout with Howard Stark, but if you told me it involved SHIELD designs on your research, I might believe it, given my distaste for SHIELD. But do you truly believe that Howard Stark would conspire to steal your research?"

"What do you mean? What are you trying to say?" Hank Pym frowned.

He was reluctant to revisit these past events.

And with Howard Stark dead for nearly twenty years, bringing up these matters seemed pointless.

"What I'm saying is simple," Anton said.

"Given Howard Stark pride, he would not steal any of your research. That a trait of the Stark family."

"So?" Hank Pym asked emotionlessly, growing impatient inside.

"Are you trying to say I'm senile, that I can't distinguish fact from fiction anymore?"

"No, on the contrary, your feelings are correct, because your experiences are undeniable facts," Anton explained.

"Your Pym Particles were indeed stolen, but not by Howard Stark. They were taken by a group of people trapped in a timeline not their own, unable to return to their original timeline."

Hank Pym eyes widened upon hearing this, suddenly understanding Anton meaning and the context of his words, grasping what Anton was trying to convey.

"You mean..." Hank Pym took a deep breath.

"Time travelers?"

"Exactly," Anton nodded.

"If time travel requires Pym Particles, and time travelers are stuck in a timeline not their own because they've run out of Pym Particles,

then stealing them from me, their creator, would naturally be their first choice..." Hank Pym muttered to himself.

It all makes sense now!

Everything he couldn't understand before was now clear.

At this moment, he also realized why, in his view, the proud Howard Stark would steal his research and yet, with Stark intelligence, no results were ever disclosed.

Originally, Hank Pym thought his opposition had made Howard Stark give up on publishing his own research findings.

Now, it seems he had misunderstood the other party.

The other party had never stolen the Pym Particles.

The thieves were others, a group of unknown time travelers.

As he pondered, Hank Pym breathing quickened, almost completely certain of Anton hypothesis.

This was not merely a fantasy based on his wife being trapped in the quantum realm, hoping she was still alive, but a realistic thought process sparked by illogical phenomena occurring in reality.

"So, is the Justice League research now focused on time travel? Or rather, time traversing?" Hank Pym calmed down and looked at Anton.

According to Anton, the reason the Justice League wanted the Wasp suit data was not for the suit itself but for the Pym Particles, the key component in creating the suit.

"That exactly our next research objective," Anton confirmed.

"Mr. Hank, if you have any other questions, I can bring in Mr. Fantastic, Reed. You should be somewhat familiar with him."

Both being figures in the scientific community, although they had rarely met, Hank Pym was indeed familiar with Reed Richards.

Reed Richards and his Fantastic Four team hadn't made much of a splash in the current world.

However, after the Battle of New York, the Fantastic Four came into public view and garnered some attention through reports in the Daily Bugle.

Reed Richards joining the Justice League was well-known in the scientific community.

Many of Wayne Enterprises research projects were associated with the Justice League research team.

For instance, limb regeneration technology, life potions, and so on.

Hank Pym also knew, through some channels, about the recent Skrull incident.

The devices that turned the Skrulls back into their original forms, performing impressively worldwide, were led by Reed Richards.

"Anton, I want to join you," Hank Pym said decisively.

This was his best chance in years to potentially save his wife, so he was unwilling to let it go.

"Of course, before that, I hope to talk with your people."

As he spoke, his face tensed, looking at Anton, waiting for his response.

"Absolutely," Anton agreed readily, without any hesitation.

In fact, he had anticipated Hank Pym request even before he proposed the concepts of the quantum realm and time travel.

Hank Pym wouldn't pass up such an excellent opportunity.

His affection for his wife, Janet van Dyne, had lasted so many years, and he wouldn't give up upon seeing a glimmer of hope.

Besides, Anton had done this deliberately.

Upon meeting Hank Pym and hearing him discuss the Wasp suit, he had formed this plan.

To draw Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, into researching time travel together.

With Hank Pym, the creator of the Pym Particles, involved, the research into time travel might make some breakthroughs.

Not everyone could be Tony Stark.

Moreover, even in Avengers 4: Endgame, Tony Stark research into time travel wasn't an immediate success.

Long before Thanos successfully crushed the Avengers in their first defeat, Tony Stark, in his struggle, had already come up with the idea of time travel. However, due to countless difficulties, it was impossible to make time travel a reality.

Eventually, persuaded by his daughter Morgan, Tony Stark gave up on the idea of changing the outcome and accepted reality.

It was only with the appearance of the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, and his information about the quantum realm, that a chance to change the ending emerged.

Thus, time travel is not simple.

Although Anton trusts the current Justice League research team and would be delighted to recruit someone as significant as Hank Pym, why wouldn't he be?

This is not just about turning an enemy into a friend, but also about enhancing the possibility of time travel, and advancing the idea to contribute to unraveling the truths of the world.

Soon, Anton took Hank Pym to the underground laboratory, creating an opportunity for these scientists to spark inspiration.

Meanwhile, he curiously asked Hank Pym: "Our operation to steal the Wasp suit from Cross Technologies left no traces.

Why are you so sure that Wayne Enterprises, or we, have the data for the Wasp suit?"

"Because of the materials," Hank Pym replied.

"Pym Particles are a type of micro-atomic particle, and extracting these particles requires unique materials.

These materials are extremely rare on one hand and, on the other, are only needed for a few specific types of research in this world.

Recently, Wayne Enterprises increased their purchase of these special materials, even causing a market surge...

Given the conflict between Wayne Enterprises and Cross Technologies, I naturally drew my conclusion."

"I see," Anton nodded with a sigh,

"Thank you for explaining."