GUARDIAN OF THE MARVEL REALM

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After all, Rocky still didn't fully understand the mechanisms of this world.

If more than 3,000 people were to die in close proximity or within a short window, even the shadow government behind the World Security Council would face overwhelming scrutiny and pressure from the public and international watchdogs.

Instead, Rocky dispersed the deaths. These people would perish quietly, individually. One by one, scattered across cities and regions, their ends would be attributed to everyday statistics—accidents, illnesses, suicides. Folded neatly into annual reports. Lost in the noise. The kind of thing media could bury with distraction, unless someone truly invested in saving people intervened.

"Loki—we can't just hand him over," Tony muttered as he removed the chest plate of his armor and strode toward Shen He. "What about his scepter? If I can analyze the mechanism behind it, maybe I can reverse-engineer the mind control effect."

"You're not a neurologist or a telepath. Even with your IQ, you can't unravel psychic architecture that quickly," Shen He replied, calm but direct.

"So we just stand here and watch people die?" Tony's fists clenched. "That's not who we are."

"Or maybe that's what Loki wants," Steve interjected, stepping forward with a frown. "If we divert our attention to rescuing people, his allies could activate the dimensional gate while we're distracted."

"Then let them," Tony shot back, eyes sharp as he turned to Shen He. "That was part of the plan from the beginning, right?"

A silence blanketed the room. Everyone looked at Shen He. Despite their differences, this team still had a nucleus. And at this moment, that was Shen He.

He said nothing at first, tapping briefly into his psychic link. He opened a mental channel to Lelouch. In a few mental frames, he transmitted the situation—Rocky's captives, the scale, and the urgency.

Shen He wasn't sure if Lelouch could psychically intervene, but maybe Lelouch could help identify high-value assets among the victims—people like Barton or others who could serve as a breadcrumb trail to Loki's movements.

Just then, a ripple of spatial interference shimmered in the room.

Lelouch had answered.

The man appeared calmly, clad in his Zero regalia, helmet in hand. His demeanor betrayed no sense of urgency.

"You're unusually available," Shen He remarked, arching a brow.

"It's not too late to intervene," Lelouch replied coolly, taking a seat. "I've reviewed the psychic imprint and energy feedback. Rocky claims to have mentally subjugated 3,642 individuals. Correct?"

"Yes," Steve confirmed with a nod. "He said so himself."

Steve had worked with Lelouch before. Despite his youthful appearance, Lelouch's strategic mind was more akin to a war general than a student.

"It's rare for manipulators to remember exact numbers," Lelouch said, his tone analytical. "Unless they derive gratification from it. He might see it as a kind of ledger of accomplishment—psychotic grandeur."

Steve and Tony exchanged a sharp glance.

They knew what Lelouch was implying.

"You're suggesting Rocky is lying?" Tony narrowed his eyes.

"It's possible," Lelouch replied with surgical calm. "Or, perhaps more accurately, exaggerating. But I sense another layer to this—one we've ignored."

Lelouch wasn't speaking idly. As a master of geass and mental manipulation, he saw mind control as a tool, not a thrill. He'd never cared to count how many minds he'd overridden.

For all his madness, Loki was still royalty—godly in pride, strategic in mischief. It didn't add up that he'd be so meticulous about numbers unless it served another aim.

"Now that you mention it…" Shen He's eyes sharpened. "Huby has been monitoring electromagnetic pulses and psychic bursts across the continental US. If Loki had truly seized over three thousand people, we should've seen the anomalies. But his travel from Mexico to New York—under surveillance by Joan no less—showed no such signs."

"Huby?" Lelouch paused at the unfamiliar name.

"A new ally," Shen He responded briskly. "Regardless, our points are still theory. Even if the number isn't exact, Loki still controls a dangerous number of people."

"Then we examine the control method," Lelouch offered. "To change behavior that drastically, one must implant an overlay—what I call a pseudo-personality. This construct contains the memories of the host but a totally altered will."

"Explain that," Shen He said, intrigued.

"In my case," Lelouch began, "if I command someone to commit suicide, the artificial personality will prioritize that order with zero self-preservation. Their memories remain intact, but their emotional logic is overwritten. Modern psychiatric diagnostics should be able to detect this—people devoid of suicidal ideation wouldn't show that level of consistency."

There was a beat of silence.

"That… makes sense," Tony exhaled, blinking. "If the memory remains but motivations are misaligned, that's a clinical marker for dissociative conditions. A second identity, effectively."

"Didn't peg you for a psychology buff," Shen He quipped lightly.

Tony gave a wry smile. "After my parents died, I buried myself in work so hard I thought I had multiple personalities. Geniuses and lunatics—they say the line is thin."

"I can confirm that," Steve muttered. "I've known some lunatics. Most were brilliant at something."

With no further objections, Lelouch rose and fastened his helmet again. "I'll leave for now. If you need me, just reach out. I can spare a few minutes, even with other plans underway."

His revenge campaign—cold, calculated, precise—was moving steadily forward. It was clear he never let hatred cloud his logic.

As Lelouch exited, the air shimmered again.

Thor stepped in.

His face was grim, jaw tight. Even before he spoke, his rage was evident.

"That bastard!" Thor barked, throwing down a flagon of mead. "He took Jane. Used her as a puppet. Told me if I interfered, he'd erase her mind. I—I mourned him when I thought he died. Mourned him!"

"Sounds like Loki's typical playbook," Shen He replied without much sympathy. "You never really saw through him, Thor. He's the god of lies and illusions for a reason."

Thor couldn't argue. The shame was too fresh.

He paced once, twice—then grasped Mjölnir with purpose.

"I'm going to find Jane. We've only got five days left."

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