We're All Going to Die Here

"These occurrences—the unexplainable phenomena—could pose a substantial threat not only to our nation but to the entire planet's safety. The Department of Defense has established an Emergency Joint Council, and I'm here as a representative to request your help. If you assist in solving this issue, the nation will make every possible effort to provide support, be it financial aid or technical resources."

The Department of Defense's offer would be enough to tempt any civilian scientific institution in need of resources. But the issue lay in the fact that all the information Reed Richards had was what Miss Stark had left him. He hadn't even been aware of what was going on and had been completely absorbed in the preparations for his upcoming wedding to Susan. Even if he could help resolve the situation, would he really do so by appropriating Stark's findings?

"Uh… perhaps you won't believe this, but regrettably, I wasn't the one who obtained this information—it was left here by a guest of mine."

Clearly, Reed Richards wasn't one to take credit where it wasn't due; otherwise, he wouldn't have become a superhero. He told Brigadier General Hager exactly what had happened, explaining that although he could offer some help, perhaps they should seek out the person more qualified to address these matters—the lady who had left the information with him.

"So after all this, this guest of yours—is there any way we could meet her?"

General Hager hadn't expected Reed Richards to respond by absolving himself, but he was now curious about the woman who had left such detailed intelligence in Reed's care. The satellite surveillance images and photographs were all classified as top-secret, and nearly everyone with access was monitored by the Department of Defense. This woman's presence outside those records piqued the general's interest.

"No need to look any further, gentlemen—the person you're after should be me."

Miss Stark's timing was impeccable. Before Reed could introduce her, she and Susan were already emerging from the elevator, making their way across the hall to Reed and General Hager.

Is Miss Stark frequently in the spotlight? Not particularly, though lately, her presence had been on the rise in the media. Still, when she appeared now, nearly all of the military representatives' expressions changed to ones of shock and disbelief.

Stark Industries had long been the Department of Defense's largest defense contractor, with annual orders totaling billions of dollars, a legacy maintained since Howard Stark's era. Moreover, there were rumored but unverified ties between Miss Stark and U.S. Army General Thaddeus Ross, which seemed to gain credence recently when Ross borrowed an Air Force launch facility to send Stark Industries' civilian satellite into orbit. These connections, coupled with Stark Industries' standing, meant that Miss Stark's presence took the assembled military officials by complete surprise.

"Ah—yes, this is the young lady who left this information. On this matter, she is far more qualified to speak than I am."

Spotting her arrival, Reed immediately turned the conversation over to Miss Stark. His introduction brought a serious look to General Hager's face as he scrutinized the woman before him. With her rumored ties to General Ross, he'd proceed cautiously.

"Reed, what's going on here? Why is the Department of Defense here?"

Susan, who'd been concerned since receiving the call, was even more anxious after Stark's high-speed drive. But Stark hadn't offered any explanation, leaving Susan impatient and pressing Reed with questions, though she kept her voice low given the timing.

"I think you might want to ask her instead, Susan. So, what did you two get up to?"

Reed cast Stark a glance, his expression complicated, realizing that Susan had spent the entire afternoon with her. Curiosity gnawed at him.

"Oh… we just spent the afternoon shopping for wedding dresses."

Susan blurted out her reply, then hesitated, realizing that some details might best be left unmentioned. So she chose to omit certain specifics, brushing off the topic lightly.

Though Reed caught the slight deflection in her answer, he trusted his fiancée as she had always trusted him, putting aside his doubts.

As Reed and Susan exchanged whispers, Miss Stark was explaining to the Joint Council something that stunned them all. Once she had laid everything out, she paused, observing the shock rippling through the room before she spoke again.

"The Devourer Swarm is a unique entity, comprised of individuals with a unified consciousness. Its purpose is evolution, but evolution requires immense energy. To achieve this, the Swarm consumes everything it encounters, from single organisms to entire planets. Any source of energy for evolution becomes food to the Swarm."

"Through my research into the Devourer Swarm's feeding methods, it first deploys a silver entity to the target planet, which drills unfathomably deep pits down to the core. When the Swarm arrives, its tendrils, composed of countless swarm entities, envelop the planet and penetrate its core. The target planet is then left like a dehydrated husk, utterly destroyed. So yes, we're all going to die here."

Knowing her audience of high-ranking officials likely lacked scientific training, Stark simplified her description of the Swarm's behavior, ending with a resigned shrug and a sigh, as though she were a terminally ill patient awaiting the inevitable.

"We're all going to die here." Miss Stark's words pierced the hearts of everyone present. These were senior officers of the Department of Defense, the pride of America's military. But whether individually or as a nation, regardless of how fierce their battles on Earth had been, in the face of impending planetary annihilation, everything suddenly seemed trivial. All actions seemed futile; they could only await the coming doom.

The DoD's elite members looked as though they were mourning. Why did they come here? Why did they ask? Wouldn't it be easier to just wait for the end in ignorance? Now they had Earth's death warrant in hand, and were left with a profound, soul-crushing dread. How were they supposed to report this to the government, or to the people? If Americans knew about this, there would be mass hysteria. Would they even be able to hold it together long enough to go home and explain it to their families, to spend their last days together?

"How much time do we have left… and is there even the slightest chance, no matter how small?"

When Brigadier General Hager spoke again, even he, normally so composed, couldn't hide a tremor in his voice.

Miss Stark's explanation was brutally straightforward. He found it difficult to fully believe, but the information she held aligned precisely with that provided by the Astronomical Association. In fact, her details on the Swarm's process of planetary destruction were even more thorough. Hager had no idea how to report this to his superiors and had no idea if he'd even sleep tonight.

"Oh, please, I'm just an ordinary businesswoman who happened to come across this by chance when my company's commercial satellites went into orbit. Everything I know comes from mere curiosity. How could I possibly save Earth? The future we have left is only a matter of time, anyway. Susan, Reed—forget about these people. Getting married before the end of the world could even be a bit romantic."

Miss Stark didn't reveal that she already had a solution. She merely covered her mouth with a chuckle, using the pretense of casual jesting while watching the group exchange bewildered glances, though deep down, she felt a sense of satisfaction.

She had no desire to disrupt the original course of events but only to seize whatever benefits she could. She wanted to leave the stage to Reed, Susan, and the others, merely observing from the sidelines to claim her own share of the benefits, not stepping in herself. There was no need to disclose her solution.

"So—since we don't have much time left, would you go out with me, darling?"

The moment Miss Stark's words fell, Johnny Storm, who had been waiting quietly on the side, finally seized his chance. He jumped in to make his presence known, trying to use this "final" opportunity to ask her out and savor life's end.

"Not happening, Johnny. You're not my type. But I could introduce you to a good match."

"Introduce me to who?"

"Captain America, Steve Rogers. What do you think?"

Hearing Johnny's offer, Miss Stark raised her eyebrows with a smirk, teasing him with a name that left Johnny looking utterly dumbfounded.

Though Miss Stark's casual deflection seemed to brush them off, the DoD team wasn't ready to give up. Confronted with the reality of Earth's looming destruction, no one could stay calm. The appearance of the pits on Earth's surface had already validated that humanity faced imminent danger. Though Stark's intel remained unconfirmed, it was now their top priority, and Hager was already planning how to report it up the chain.

"However, since Stark Industries is the military's largest supplier, I'll personally give you a useful tip as a business partner."

Miss Stark's words refocused all eyes on her. She sounded remarkably casual, as though she weren't personally involved.

"Before the pits appear, there's always a flash of silver light. I suspect this could be a scout sent by the Swarm, but it's incredibly fast—even satellites can't capture it. I'm still unsure what it is. Perhaps you could try intercepting it and see if there's any way to break through. After all, you don't have many options left. Reed, if you don't mind, I'll need to use your equipment."

Despite her polite phrasing, Stark didn't wait for Reed's permission, striding straight to the control console and bringing up the satellite interface. She'd programmed the system herself, so naturally, she had access to Stark Industries' satellite array. As she demonstrated her findings, a stream of data cascaded down the screen, and glowing lines flickered across the satellite map before converging on a specific location.

"The pathways leading to Earth's core follow a detectable pattern. According to calculations, the last one appeared off the coast of Greenland. The next is due at 51°30′N and 0°7′W. In other words, if my calculations are correct, the location will be on the Thames in London."

"This is the heart of Britain. A tunnel leading to the Earth's core suddenly appearing on the Thames—there's no way they'd be prepared for it. And it's likely to cause enormous damage. The British might even assume some country has used a superweapon against them, and they might start fighting over it, which would be quite entertaining... Our UK subsidiary might even see a surge in orders."

Miss Stark murmured to herself, as if in a casual aside. Her words made General Hager's heart nearly skip a beat.

She was right: if such an incident happened on the Thames, the British government might indeed believe it was under attack. Even if it didn't provoke war, knowing where the next pit would appear was valuable. This might be the only chance to intercept that silver flash.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven