43: The Hunt Begins! Who is the Hunter and Who is the Prey?

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A few days later, in the CEO's Office of Stark Industries...

Tony stepped out of the laboratory and spotted Lynn sitting on his luxurious sofa, leisurely sipping red wine.

"I have to ask, why are you constantly coming to me these days? Do you have nothing better to do?"

Tony casually poured himself a glass of wine and looked at Lynn with a puzzled expression.

"Of course, I came to find you," Lynn replied, snapping his fingers. There was a sudden commotion in the makeshift kitchen, and a wrapped Roujiamo floated out, making its way towards Tony.

Tony was no stranger to the wonders of magic. He took the Roujiamo, relishing its delightful aroma, and expressed his satisfaction. "Well, even if we're partners now, I would still help you just for the delicious food you've been preparing for me. So, what's the matter this time... tell me"

"Not yet," Lynn replied with a smile, keeping his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

Suddenly, the TV screen flickered.

"Breaking news: Live reports from Washington reveal that mutants have attacked the Oval Office of the White House, resulting in the assassination of the President and Vice President..."

Tony's expression suddenly changed. "A mutant assassinated the President?"

He quickly finished the Roujiamo, looking at Lynn in disbelief. "Don't tell me... this is what you've been waiting for?"

"How is that possible? I'm not a prophet."

Lynn glanced at him and innocently shrugged his shoulders. "It's just that the download count of Daily X has been quite high recently, and the X-Men documentary has spread widely. In this situation, there will definitely be dissatisfied individuals who can take action..."

Tony remained skeptical. "So, you mean someone assassinated the President to blame mutants?"

"No it's not about blaming them," Lynn pointed to the TV screen displaying surveillance footage. "The assassin is indeed a mutant."

Tony grew even more puzzled. "So, you came to me for help in finding this assassin?"

"Is it really necessary to bother you with such a trivial matter?" Lynn stood up, finished his glass of wine, and stretched. "I'd like to trouble the famous Iron Man to take action. We need you to arrest someone"

"You want me to find and arrest someone?"

Tony instinctively wanted to refuse, thinking, "Don't cause trouble."

Although he had just upgraded his Iron Man suit to a new generation, he still lacked confidence when facing Lynn's peculiar magic.

Just to apprehend a mutant assassin, surely Lynn didn't need his help, right? The X-Men could handle it! Why would they need him?

A spark of inspiration flashed in Tony's mind, and he suddenly realized, "You want me to be a witness?!"

"Exactly!" Lynn nodded straightforwardly. "The X-Men don't have the authority to enforce the law. Even if they catch an assassin, it's likely to be dismissed as a staged event, an act to deceive the public..."

"Tony, the reputation of the X-Men is crucial!"

Tony's expression took on a peculiar look.

Recently, he had gathered information on mutants, and with Jarvis's abilities, he could access even the highest-level classified secrets. Consequently, he was aware of many hidden truths.

Among the mutant community, the major organizations that had emerged—the Hellfire Club, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and the X-Men—all had one characteristic in their actions:

Disregard for rules. Intentionally or unintentionally, those mutants never seemed to consider seeking rights for mutants within the confines of human society's rules.

But Lynn standing before him was completely different. He voluntarily integrated into the rules, and even exploited them. This was evident from what he was doing now.

"Alice, connect with Kitty..."

Lynn took out his cellphone and first called Kitty. "Are you currently at the academy? Record a video message for Professor Charles and send it to the mutant channel. State that the assassination of the President is a significant event and that the X-Men will capture the assassin within a day and uncover the truth"

"Understood!" Kitty responded promptly, having been waiting for the call.

Lynn continued, "Once the video is released, have Professor Charles use Cerebro to locate the assassin's whereabouts, and the X-Men will depart immediately..."

Hearing this, Tony instinctively wanted to suit up, join the X-Men, and capture the assassin.

Unexpectedly, Lynn's next words caught him off guard. "Report the crime to the NYPD and claim that you've found clues to the assassin"

"The NYPD?!" Tony looked perplexed, thinking he had misheard. "You want the X-Men to report to the NYPD?!"

According to the information he had, Professor Xavier seemed to have some connection with the CIA. If they were to cooperate with authorities, they should approach the CIA, right? How did the NYPD get involved?

Before he could make sense of it, Lynn had already ended the call and made another one. "Mr. Eddie Brock, as per our previous conversation, if you can be at the entrance of the NYPD headquarters within half an hour, you will receive breaking news that will make the whole world remember your name."

"You must be kidding me, Mr. Lynn!"

From the other end of the line, an impatient voice came through. "I may be a reporter for the Daily Global, and I may be eager for a promotion and salary increase, aspiring to become a top-notch journalist, but why on earth... should I trust someone I've never even met?"

A reporter from the Daily Global? Tony's confusion grew. Wasn't their objective simply to capture a mutant assassin? Why involve a reporter? What was Lynn trying to achieve?

"Mr. Brock, you're missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Lynn calmly stated. "As a media professional, I believe you've been following the news, and you're aware of the President's assassination..."

Before Lynn could finish his sentence, the person on the other end of the line abruptly became short of breath.

"Is this news related to the President's assassination?!"

Eddie Brock exclaimed, and then spoke at an astonishing speed that Tony couldn't keep up with. "Wait for me! I'll be there in ten minutes, without fail"

Subsequently, a series of beeps, bangs, and occasional expletives filled the background noise.

Lynn ended the call.

Tony couldn't contain himself any longer. He watched Lynn with hesitation, opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words.

Thousands of words boiled down to a single expression of sentiment.

"Lynn, you're different from all the other mutants... so different"

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