"I now know why those of you who have been in contact with him don't like him."

In Hank. After Pym's projection dissipated, Merlin walked over to the depressed, almost autistic Dr. Foster, patted him on the shoulder, and said in an understanding tone:

"Sure enough, as you say, this is a real bastard to be liked."

"But you've also seen his amazing intelligence."

Sitting in a chair, Fosterpos was writing on a drawing, and without raising his head, he said to Merlin:

"Hank is such a man, he is arrogant, he is cold, he is impersonal, he is terrifying... The problem is, he has the capital to do this, his wisdom, Merlin, there are always people in this world whose wisdom we can't match, no matter how hard you try... You can't catch up with him, that feeling is really unpleasant. ”

"He gave us a plan, even though I didn't understand it."

Merlin looked at the drawings in Dr. Foster's hand and asked:

"Are you sure this plan works?"

"Hmm."

Dr. Forster nodded, and said to Merlin, somewhat dismayedly:

"Pym's taunt was right, I did ignore a lot. When you first handed me the drawings of the Quantum Restraint, I knew that the Restraint could be used to suppress quantum activity by stacking numbers, but that thing would also oppress Ava's spirit, and if she wore more than 3 Restraints, it would be a terrible burden for her. ”

"However, I have overlooked another application of this restraint."

The doctor pointed to the drawing he had just made, and said to Merlin:

"What Ava needs is not a wearable restraint, she needs a set of clothes that can shield from quantum activity, a closed restraint field that can suppress the growing quantum energy in her body."

"Oh, a combat suit?"

Merlin looked at the strange, fully enclosed armor on the drawing, and rubbed his chin, and said:

"Like a movable bin?"

"No, it's not at all the same in principle."

Dr. Foster looked up at the beehive-like binning chamber in front of him, and said:

"But that's no problem with you describing it that way... As long as Ava wears this suit loaded with several restraints, she can maintain the integrity of her body, and after training, she can even manipulate the quantum energy in her body, which can greatly reduce her pain and allow her to move freely in the outside world. ”

"But she can't take it off unless she returns to this barn."

The doctor said with some regret:

"You've heard Pym say that he's grumpy, but he doesn't usually lie, and he says he can't solve Ava's problem, which is probably true."

"In other words, my poor Ava will only be able to walk around in this suit like the future soldier?"

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, he looked at Ava in the binding, his eyes full of pity.

But soon another thing occurred to him, and he said to Dr. Foster:

"Just now Hank. Pym told us that he said that if his experiments went further, he would be able to cure Ava... Do you think, this is lying, or is it? ”

"It should be true."

Dr. Foster continued to refine the blueprints as he said to Merlin:

"Although I don't know what Pym has been doing all these years, I can probably guess that he is probably working on a method that can allow him to enter the quantum world, which cannot be done theoretically, but you and I both know that theory can only constrain ordinary people, and for a genius like Pym, general perception can be broken at any time."

"Once Pym does find a way to get in and out of the quantum world safely, it means that he can collect free energy from the quantum world, the kind of energy that only exists in that microcosm, which can be used to repair and stabilize Ava's body."

The Doctor said as much as Merlin could understand:

"The energy of those quantum worlds maintains relative stability in that world, and we only need to inject those energies into Ava's body to make the deranged atoms in her body reach a relatively stable state..."

"Of course, this stability will go back into confusion over time, but if Pym does find a way to enter the quantum world, it means that we can recharge Ava at any time."

Dr. Says:

"That means that Ava will return to the world of normal people, and she can enjoy her life freely like other girls... Or even getting married and having children. ”

"Sounds pretty good."

Merlin rubbed his forehead, and he said:

"Then we can only hope that the grumpy old man's experiment will make progress in the near future."

"It's not that easy, Merlin."

Dr. Foster sighed:

"Pym has probably spent more than a decade perfecting that experiment, which shows that the experiment has encountered much greater difficulties than we imagined, and unless there is a breaking point, it will be difficult for a genius like Pym to achieve a breakthrough in the short term."

"But you're right, we inferior intellects can't do much other than wait."

"Looks like you've been shadowed by him."

Merlin patted Dr. Foster on the shoulder, and said:

"Don't listen to his nonsense, you're smart too, Bill, at least in my opinion, you're one of the smartest people in the world."

"Ugh."

Dr. Foster touched his somewhat bald head, and he looked at Merlin, and said:

"I always think you have something to say... But, Merlin, it's not enough to be smart, people like Pym, or Reed, Stark, you can't describe them as smart, it looks like humiliation to them. ”

The Doctor sighed, and he said to Merlin:

"In the next period of time, I will design this combat suit for Ava, if it goes well, after half a month, she will be able to move freely in the outside world."

"Give it a name."

Merlin looked at the drawings in the doctor's hand, rubbed his chin, and whispered:

"Let's call it 'Ghost', it's a name that matches Ava's abilities, doesn't it?"

"Indeed."

Dr. Foster nodded, and he said:

"It can pass through most solids, be immune to any physical attack, be able to freely transform between the virtual and the real, and can truly achieve concealment in various senses, which is indeed too similar to the ghosts in mythological stories."

"Lord Merlin, you have a new newsletter."

A sudden reminder interrupted Merlin's small talk with Dr. Foster, and on the lens in front of him, a communication message from Kansas caused Merlin to blink.

He turned to Dr. Foster and said:

"Doctor, I still have some things to attend to, so I'll go first."

"Also, when Ava woke up, give me a call, this child hasn't eaten with the children in the family for a long time, and the children miss her."

"Well, there you go, Merlin."

A few seconds later, Merlin arrived on the rooftop of Pagassos' base, where he stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking out at the vast desert in front of him, and then Icarus dialed the phone number in reverse.

"Clark, you haven't been in touch with me for almost a year... Did you call out of nowhere to wish me a Merry Christmas? ”

"Well, you can think so."

On the other end of the line, Clark's voice rang and he said:

"After all, Christmas is coming, but I have another thing to tell you."

"Say it, awkward."

Merlin Says:

"We are friends, and friends have to help each other."

"Well, that's right, I'd like to ask you to help me find a job... It's better to stay away from home, forget it, come here, it's more complicated, I'll tell you in person. ”

——————————————————

A few minutes later, on a hillside not far from Kent Farm, Merlin stepped out of the light of the Transfiguration Charm and saw Clark sitting on the hillside, melancholy drinking beer.

This guy is still wearing that old denim suit, wearing a shabby straw hat, and his sheepdog is lying next to him, and one person and one dog look very leisurely in the winter sun.

"I thought you were going to work on your farm for the rest of your life."

Merlin stepped forward, pulled a portable chair out of his pocket, and sat down beside Clark, saying:

"What the hell happened to make you want to leave the farm and go outside?"

"My mom forced me to get married..."

Clark looked into the distance, and he said with a melancholy expression:

"She and her dad have been looking for a girlfriend for me lately, just yesterday, the family went to the town restaurant for dinner, but when I got there, I saw another family sitting at the table, they were friends with mom and dad, that's not the point, the point is, their daughter was there too... That meal made me eat awkwardly. ”

"I thought old Kent and Martha would respect your choice."

Merlin stifled a smile and said to Clark in a serious manner:

"They will be like other parents, they don't care about your life events at all, and just let you run around the world, but now it seems that they are still quite traditional and will worry about marriage problems for their uneasy son."

"But I don't need to!"

Clark was a little irritated and crumpled the can in his hand into a discus, and said:

"You know my problem, I can't fall in love casually, let alone get married casually."

"Are you afraid of giving birth to a Kryptonian baby?"

Merlin leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said with a leisurely expression:

"But that's fine, honestly, I can understand your parents' concerns... If my son is almost 25 years old, but he has never even been in love, he has not even touched a girl's hand, and he does not pretend to all the women around him, then I also start to wonder, does he not like women? Could it be that the baby son is a gay or something. ”

He glanced at Clark and said:

"Martha is a sincere Catholic, and it's really normal for her to have such concerns. Seriously, if you want to calm your parents' hearts, I can send a female agent disguised as your girlfriend... This is the easiest way to deal with it. ”

"No, I don't want to lie to them."

Clark pulled down his straw hat to cover his face, and said:

"I'm a little annoyed, maybe it's a good idea to leave the house and go out and have a look. But as you know, I only graduated from high school, I didn't go to college, and if I had to look for it myself, it would be difficult to find a job that would reassure my parents, so I can only ask you. ”

"For a madman like you who can read and understand A Brief History of Time in 10 minutes, a Ph.D. is just a joke."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders and said:

"But if you've made up your mind, then I'll help you, it's not that hard. However, Clark, what I'm more curious about is that I've given you a year to think, I haven't intervened in your thinking, I think, a year and time is enough. ”

"What are you thinking about my other invitation?"

"The Avengers?"

Lying on the hillside, letting the sun shine on his body, Clark stroked the head of the little dog beside him who was wagging his tail and said:

"Okay, I'm joining. As you said, it's a loose organization that only rallies when something really bad happens, right? ”

"Hmm."

Merlin replied while searching for current jobs in New York City using Icarus:

"Most of the time it's leisurely, and you're free to go about your life. Speaking of which, do you have any requirements for your new job? ”

"Nothing to ask for."

Clark took off his straw hat and tossed it aside, and he said to Merlin:

"As long as it suits me."

"Well, let me see."

Job postings flashed across Merlin's lenses, and after a few minutes, he seemed to have found a suitable job, and he said to Clark:

"You can hear the voice of a city, you are not afraid of being threatened, you have a sense of justice, and most importantly, you run fast and can be the first to get to the scene... Well, this position is a good fit for you. ”

"What?"

Clark looked at Merlin, who projected information about the job into the air in a stereoscopic projection, and he said to Clark:

"The Planet Daily has been looking for reporters recently, and I think you can give it a try."

"Reporter..."

Clark read the job posting carefully, and he said with a sad face:

"But it requires a bachelor's degree in journalism..."

"It's okay."

Merlin patted Clark on the shoulder, and said:

"I'll help you 'revise' your resume, and I can guarantee that you'll definitely be accepted."

"However, you need to tidy up your image first, you need a suit, you need a device that can change your face, maybe a pair of glasses is good, similar to my style, well, your face shape is more suitable for black-rimmed glasses, it can make you look more stable... Anyway, you go and say goodbye to old Kent and Martha first, and I'll take care of the rest. ”

Merlin stood up, and he said to Clark:

"It's good to go to work at the Daily Planet tomorrow morning."

"Oh, by the way, now that you've joined the Avengers, the necessary training has to be on the agenda, and it just so happens that there is an elderly person who also needs to start resuscitation training, so you can come along."

"Go ahead, Clark, pack your things. I'll be waiting for you in New York. ”