Chapter 379: Attack on Shield and Iron

The spatial vortex connecting the Movie Universe with the X-Men Universe was unique; it had a fixed coordinate on the Movie Universe side, but on the X-Men Universe side, its coordinate was not fixed. From the last experience, it seemed not to travel too far; essentially, it would appear wherever one intended to go.

However, there are always exceptions. To avoid any unexpected occurrences, Clark felt it was more reliable to personally control the vortex.

Consequently, under his guidance, six small spacecraft were sent to key planets in the X-Men Universe. Clark himself was the last to enter, arriving directly at the familiar Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

Clark's plan was perfectly laid out, calculating for a smooth execution that would ultimately thwart Dormammu's long-brewed plans.

But as a being of multiversal significance, would Dormammu simply watch his schemes being effortlessly dismantled by the Avengers?

Placing himself in Dormammu's position, Clark felt he would definitely try everything to stop their plans.

For prudence, Clark thought it best first to find those he knew well and assess the situation.

However, upon stepping in, Clark's brow furrowed deeply. The stray dark energy in this reality was more than ten times denser than during his last visit! Clearly, due to the difference in time flow between the two universes, what was a week in the Movie Universe had been much longer here—possibly a year or more. The academy's buildings, previously destroyed in Jean and Lois's battle, were now fully restored and didn't look recently renovated.

Extending his psychic powers, Clark discovered that the school was completely deserted. Even within a hundred miles of the area, not a single mutant could be detected.

Attempting to extend his psychic reach further, he frustratingly found that in this universe, heavily contaminated with dark energy, his psychic powers could no longer cover a broader area.

Clearly, Dormammu was well-prepared.

With a thought, Clark's figure appeared atop Mount Rushmore—err, Rashmore Mountain.

Rashmore Mountain, also known as Mount Rushmore, famously features sculptures of four prominent U.S. presidents. Its design concept inspired one of Neon Country's top three labor comics, *Naruto*, particularly the Hokage Rock.

Before his travels, Clark had seen images of the back of Mount Rushmore online, which turned out to be photoshopped; in reality, there was nothing behind the presidential sculptures.

Clark chose this location precisely because it had no direct relation to him.

Given the current situation, it was likely Dormammu had anticipated his plan and made specific arrangements. The empty state of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was proof enough.

There would definitely be traps, but Clark didn't want to let the enemy execute their schemes too smoothly. At least, he wanted to command from a place the enemy wouldn't predict.

Neither the Avengers headquarters in New York nor his villa in Los Angeles fit this criterion, so he needed a location completely unrelated to him.

Thus, Clark stood on the head of the first president, invisible to the tourists below. He pressed the communicator by his ear and said, "Things are looking grim. Dormammu is probably well-prepared. Everyone, be extra careful. What's your current situation?"

Daisy: "All smooth! I've successfully landed on Morag, calculating the placement for the 'foundation stone' and the Zhutian sword."

Daisy led the first team, including War Machine, Nebula, Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Mantis. Clark expected little trouble for this group, so the members weren't the strongest—without him, this group could barely manage a draw against Thanos with his sword.

Thor: "I'm back in Asgard, and I must say, this place is in terrible shape! It's desolate! But the location for the 'foundation stone' and the Lutian sword was easy to determine. The best spot is where the palace used to be, I know exactly where that is."

Thor's team was standard: Thor himself, Lady Sif, and Captain Marvel. If they encountered Thanos without his gauntlet, dismantling him wouldn't be an issue.

Hulk: "All smooth! Lois and I are at Svartalfheim, calculating positions now."

Doctor Hulk's team was smaller, just him and Lois. Hulk handled the calculations, foundation stone placements, and piloting... Lois handled any contingencies. If this pair encountered Thanos, Lois alone could handle him.

Natasha: "All smooth! We've arrived at Vormir, and it's quite oppressive here, giving off a bad feeling. But Mr. Fantastic has calculated the best position, and we're about to start placing the 'foundation stone'... that's all."

When arranging this team, Clark was conflicted, especially about sending Black Widow close to Vormir, considering it a risky move. This group was the weakest: Natasha, Hawkeye,

 and the Fantastic Four providing backup.

His rationale was ultimately based on an intangible belief in luck.

Black Widow's luck wasn't great, so Clark paired her with members who were exceptionally fortunate, hoping to boost her chances of survival. This mission, theoretically, carried minimal risk, and sometimes luck was more crucial than strength in handling the unexpected.

Hawkeye's luck needed no introduction; he was a mascot of sorts for the Avengers.

With him, they won in Avengers 1; won in Avengers 2; lost in Avengers 3 without him; and won again in Avengers 4 when he returned.

As for the Fantastic Four, they were even luckier.

Others say Spider-Man is Marvel's favorite, but to Clark, Mr. Fantastic was truly Marvel's golden boy. Almost all good things seemed to naturally gravitate towards him: the smartest brain, a son who's a messiah, and a daughter who's a top student—his luck was clearly five-star.

Imagine Mr. Fantastic and The Thing playing Angry Birds and knocking out Galactus—can you believe it?

In the Marvel world, superheroes can be categorized into three major groups:

X-Men: Constantly cleaning up messes caused by other mutants and targeted by humanity, they are the most beleaguered.

Avengers: Receive accolades when merited but are also held accountable for their mishaps, representing a more realistic portrayal.

Fantastic Four: Cause their own troubles, clean up significant casualties and damage, and then are treated as heroes...

That's the disparity, a painful one!

Relying on such a group with incredible luck, elevating Black Widow shouldn't be an issue.

Actually, Clark wasn't too worried about the first four teams. Putting himself in their shoes, he wouldn't focus on them as primary targets. His real concern was for the last two teams, particularly Captain America's team.

In the X-Men universe, where Clark hadn't detected any alien civilizations and Earth's technology was insufficient for space travel, the odds of encountering trouble were theoretically low.

Captain America's team, tasked with finding a suitable location in the Himalayas on Earth to place the "foundation stone" and the Zhantian sword embedded with the Time Stone, was the most critical. This universe's most dangerous beings were mutants, primarily located on Earth. Hence, Clark had allocated the most resources to Captain America's team.

In addition to Captain America himself, the team included Falcon, Doctor Strange, Wong, Mindy, Wanda, Quicksilver, Fury, T'Challa, Scott, and Hope—a total of twelve people!

As expected by Clark, after the first four teams reported safety, Captain America's grave voice came through the communicator: "Clark, it seems we've run into some trouble."

"Old man's luck is always off, I've always said, you should take a bath before every mission," Tony's voice came through in typical mocking fashion, a habit rather than actual schadenfreude.

After his customary tease, Tony quickly added, "I'm nearly done here, and I'll head back to provide support as soon as I'm finished... Wait, am I seeing things? Shit! Bang!"

The communication cut off, indicating that Tony's group had also encountered an emergency!

Tony, leading the last team, was accompanied by Star-Lord, Gamora, Mantis, himself, Pepper, Ava, Eros, and Spider-Man—a diverse group of nine tasked with placing the "foundation stone" and Potian sword embedded with the Mind Stone in the Dark Quadrant.

The previous four swords, while made from rare materials by Clark, lacked irreplaceability. If destroyed, he could simply forge new ones.

However, the last two swords, driven by the Infinity Stones, were critical. If they were damaged or taken, not only would Clark's plans be derailed, but his path could be permanently blocked.

Dormammu had not disappointed; both sides had simultaneously encountered issues!

Now, Clark faced a dilemma: which side should he prioritize for reinforcement?

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