Upon hearing Tony’s response, Lin Rui looked utterly bewildered. He had just been knocked unconscious by Kaecilius, and now the collaboration they had worked so hard to establish had fallen apart like this.
“Uh… what’s going on? Has something happened?” Unable to hold back, Lin Rui asked the crucial question, completely unaware that it was because of his own actions.
“What’s going on? Has something happened?! Are they just letting it slide that you were beaten to this extent and nearly died? According to the information Jack gave us, the Sorcerers deliberately delayed breaking the Mirror Dimension. Otherwise, we would have rushed in to save you earlier, instead of waiting until the last moment!” Tony angrily replied to Lin Rui’s bewildered inquiry.
“Oh… so it’s because of that…” Upon hearing Tony’s response, Lin Rui finally realized.
It turned out that Tony and the others were furious because of his injuries, and it was intentionally caused by the Sorcerers’ delays. Of course, if the Sorcerers had indeed delayed and almost gotten him killed by Kaecilius, Lin Rui would be very angry as well. However, he had a feeling that there were other reasons behind all this.
Just like Lin Rui had contemplated upon waking up, he knew that the Sorcerers were too slow in providing support. However, Lin Rui also knew that the Ancient One had always understood his true identity.
From the Ancient One’s perspective, Lin Rui’s soul didn’t belong to this dimensional world. In other words, in the eyes of the Ancient One, Lin Rui’s existence was similar to Dormammu’s impending arrival.
However, Dormammu’s power and threat were many times greater compared to Lin Rui, who was still a mere fledgling. Yet, if Ancient One were to completely trust Lin Rui, perhaps he couldn’t do it just yet. That’s why he might have allowed Lin Rui to face Kaecilius alone and provided slow support. Of course, this was all Lin Rui’s speculation.
“Seeing your reaction, it seems like you don’t mind at all!” Tony was frustrated by Lin Rui’s calm response.
He was clearly angry because Lin Rui took it lightly, it was as if his own child had been bullied outside, and Tony, as a parent, sought justice and regained face for his child. Yet, the child responded with a casual “It’s okay.”
“Well… I do mind. It’s just that… maybe there’s some misunderstanding here,” Lin Rui awkwardly replied upon hearing Tony’s words.
Lin Rui certainly didn’t want his injuries to sour the relationship between his alliance and the Sorcerers, as they all existed to protect the Earth. Moreover, the Sorcerers’ strength was undeniable.
Most importantly, Lin Rui’s main mission now was to protect the Earth three times, and this invasion by Dormammu was obviously the first one he would face.
“Misunderstanding? There’s no need for any misunderstanding. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Ancient One knew how to lend a helping hand, I wouldn’t let them off so easily. So what if they’re sorcerers? I don’t believe they’re immune to missiles and lasers,” Tony said in a very displeased tone as Lin Rui tried to explain to the Sorcerers.
Seeing Tony’s current annoyance, Lin Rui knew that it was pointless to say anything at this moment, so he simply smiled wryly. However, Lin Rui wouldn’t truly cut off contact with the Sorcerers at Tony’s insistence.
After all, the era of the Earth’s defenders had arrived, and these sorcerers would gradually be exposed to the general public. Their future cooperation was still necessary.
“Jackson, Mr. Stark is right. They’ve treated you like that, so you don’t need to find reasons to explain to them. Besides, since they’ve clearly stated that they don’t need our help, let them deal with the evil sorcerer you mentioned on their own,” Peter added a few words when Tony finished speaking and Lin Rui remained silent.
“Okay, okay, I understand that you’re all angry right now, and I’m not happy with the sorcerers’ actions either. Since you’ve all made this decision, I’ll stay with Tony for now, and we can discuss the future later,” Lin Rui reluctantly compromised in the face of Tony and Peter’s criticism of the sorcerers.
Whether he would truly cut off contact with the Ancient One and the sorcerers was not something Tony and the others could determine.
“Alright, then rest well. Don’t go back home for the next few days. I’ll talk to your parents about it,” Tony nodded in response to Lin Rui’s answer and continued speaking.
Lin Rui could only silently nod in agreement to Tony’s request. Then, Tony and Peter left, leaving Lin Rui in a quiet resting environment. If Lin Rui had any needs, he could simply call JARVIS. Within the Stark Industries building, JARVIS could provide him with anything he needed.
“Sigh! This whole situation is really giving me a headache…” After Tony and Peter left, Lin Rui lay on the hospital bed, gazing at the ceiling above him and muttering to himself in frustration.
Although in the original storyline, Dormammu’s invasion of Earth ultimately failed, the Ancient One did die at the hands of Kaecilius.
Dormammu wasn’t defeated but was trapped in a time loop by Strange, the new Sorcerer Supreme, using the power of the Time Stone. Unable to bear the repeated time loops, Dormammu eventually agreed to Strange’s demand and left Earth.
So, if we follow the original storyline, it’s highly likely that the Ancient One would die. Even if Steven Strange truly becomes the Sorcerer Supreme and gains the ability to use the Time Stone, the Earth’s sorcerers would still suffer heavy losses when facing Kaecilius and his traitorous allies.
This is something Lin Rui doesn’t want to see, which is why he took the initiative to propose cooperation with the Ancient One and the sorcerers to deal with the traitorous sorcerers and Dormammu.
“However, judging from the current situation, it seems like the Ancient One doesn’t intend to let us get involved. Well, our technology doesn’t work very well against magic after all. I almost died at the hands of Kaecilius, so others wouldn’t stand a chance against him either,” Lin Rui contemplated while staring at the empty ceiling.
Based on Lin Rui’s personal experience with Kaecilius, no one in the League of Defenders would be a match for him. Of course, Lin Rui still didn’t know how Jeremy would fare, but he didn’t think he would be able to defeat Kaecilius either.
……
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