American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

324. The Wolverine Returns Home.

"Wait, wait, wait, what do we do now?!"

Herbie's alarm about the temporal radiation leakage made everyone on the scene as frantic as ants on a hot pan. Kate stepped back several paces, ready to retreat from the area at any moment.

"I've never encountered this kind of energy before, and there's nothing similar in the Bat Network's records," Barbara was equally helpless, casting her gaze toward the 'locals'—Star-Lord and Wolverine. "Don't you guys know anything?"

"I dropped out of school before graduating elementary!" Star-Lord shrugged and then turned to Wolverine. "Wait, aren't you an X-Men teacher?"

"I teach history," Wolverine replied with a hint of frustration, striding quickly over to Herbie and lifting the small robot up entirely. "Come on, little guy, explain to us exactly what's going on!"

(Sizzle... Herbie isn't entirely sure... The Fantastic Four's research on time is still in its infancy, and most of their knowledge comes from the Time Stone.)

"Cut the useless stuff and tell us what the crack is going to do!" Wolverine interrupted Herbie sharply, noticing the fissure was growing larger by the second.

(This is the result of an error wave caused by the Multiversal Time Barrier Oscillator, which was destabilized. Without the stabilizer and safety protocols, the oscillator has opened a temporal fissure... one that can connect to all points on a single timeline.)

"Wait, are you saying we can travel through time using this fissure?!" Everyone's expressions shifted to shock.

(Theoretically, yes. However, it's a one-time opportunity with no return.)

Herbie's screen displayed several data streams as the robot answered mechanically.

(Without Reed Richards' help, no one can maintain the Multiversal Time Barrier Oscillator during its operation. This is a chance—an extremely rare one.)

Wolverine and Star-Lord exchanged glances, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.

The two of them, each with their own unspeakable pasts, now faced a potential opportunity to go back in time and change everything. It was a chance they both wanted to seize.

"Another 'Flashpoint,' huh?" Constantine, sitting quietly on a rock, narrowed his eyes.

As someone who had survived the nightmare of the Flashpoint universe, Constantine curiously studied these two old heroes from different worlds. He wanted to see how they would react to a dilemma similar to Barry Allen's.

You can't change the past—this wasn't just something you said for fun.

If they tried to return forty-five years ago to change the history where Red Skull triumphed, they would open up a new timeline, and they'd never be able to return to this universe. For everyone left in this universe, that wouldn't be good.

After hesitating for two or three seconds, Star-Lord was the first to ask, "How big will this temporal fissure grow?"

(The Multiversal Time Barrier is collapsing. If no one enters the fissure to stabilize it, it will expand to cover an area of one mile, absorbing everything within it into the time stream.)

"Herbie, you're the caretaker of the Fantastic Four. Tell me, is there any trace of the Ultimate Eraser here?" Star-Lord moved closer to Herbie, asking seriously.

(The last record of the Ultimate Eraser was from forty-five years ago. After that battle, it disappeared into the time stream.)

After Herbie finished speaking, Star-Lord quickly glanced at Wolverine. In that moment, it seemed as though he had pieced everything together.

"This is it! We can travel back in time, retrieve the Ultimate Eraser, and then we won't have to worry about Galactus anymore."

In fact, without Star-Lord even speaking, just from his expression, Logan already knew what he was thinking. "It's not that simple. Time travel is incredibly unstable. Any action you take can create different outcomes."

"Not necessarily."

At this moment, Barbara suddenly spoke up. "I once talked with Alex about time travel, and he told me that in any timeline, there are always various loopholes."

"Loopholes?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Barbara.

"Yes," Barbara continued. "Alex told me that if a place is in the midst of 'doomsday,' if it is destined to be destroyed in the timeline, then no matter what time travelers do there, it won't affect the normal flow of the timeline, nor will it split off into a new one."

"In other words, if we go to a planet that's about to explode, it doesn't matter if we kill everyone on it because they're destined to die anyway, and speeding up that process doesn't make a difference?" Kate reacted the quickest.

"Exactly!" Barbara nodded immediately. "As long as the explosion erases all traces, there's no problem. Forty-five years ago, the Baxter Building and Loki perished together, and the Fantastic Four were defeated by Kang and disappeared into the time stream. These are all 'destined' events."

"And as long as we don't violate these key points, we won't affect the timeline, right?" Star-Lord picked up the thread, excitement building in his voice. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!"

"It's not that easy. Entering the time stream isn't simple. Temporal radiation can cause instant aging or reverse your age, and there are even more severe effects," Etrigan the demon suddenly chimed in.

The room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Etrigan.

"What? Demons can't have a opinion?" Etrigan raised his eyebrows.

"Alright, alright, no time for this, folks. The fissure is getting bigger. I'll go test it out with the anti-Hulk armor." Without another word, Star-Lord turned and headed for the anti-Hulk armor.

But Logan quickly stopped him. Star-Lord turned back, only to see Logan staring at him with a serious expression.

"Logan..."

Wolverine sighed. Without any extra words, he simply spoke one word in a low voice.

"I'll go."

"What are you talking about? This is my mission."

"Listen, Quill. This isn't about the mission. The anti-Hulk armor can't withstand the effects of temporal radiation. Neither can you. But I'm different. I've crossed timelines before. I can handle it. I've got experience!"

Even though Logan was older now, his eyes shone with the same youthful energy they once had, as bright as they were in the past.

"Logan, didn't you say your healing factor is broken? You told me that yourself," Star-Lord replied, mouth slightly open.

"But this is my destiny, isn't it?" Logan countered, and at the same time, Herbie, still in Logan's hand, emitted a mechanical sound.

(Sizzle Yes, Mr. Wolverine... You said the same thing when we first met... Sizzle Forty-five years ago.)

Hearing Herbie's words, Star-Lord fell silent.

"You heard it, Quill. This is destiny."

Logan smiled.

In that moment, Herbie's words had laid out the inevitable outcome in front of them. The unknown future was already determined in the past.

The one to go on this journey could only be Logan!

.....

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
325. Madame Masque.
326. Days of Future Past!
327. Kang the Conqueror!
328. Return to the Future 1999.
329. The Show Begins.