What?!
Jane Foster entire research team had vanished?
Anton frowned slightly.
This wasn't the outcome he had anticipated.
He had expected that once Jane Foster and her team made progress, they would report back first. But instead, they had taken it upon themselves to step into an unknown dimension for exploration.
Were they trying to get themselves killed?
Across the Nine Realms, humanity was the last to rise.
Thousands of years ago, when human civilization was still in its primitive state—hunting with crude weapons and living in caves—other realms saw them as little more than intelligent apes.
Even now, human technology had yet to reach the level of the Dark Elves or Asgardians.
If not for certain cheat codes—or sheer luck dictated by fate—humanity would have long been wiped from the pages of history.
A single natural catastrophe could have been enough to erase them.
But that was beside the point.
Right now, Jane Foster reckless decision had caught Anton off guard.
"How long have they been missing?" Anton asked John.
"Based on when they stepped through the portal, over 24 hours."
John shrugged. "If that weren't the case, I might have been calling you with good news instead."
"The good news" John had mentioned, of course, would have been the research team returning safely from the other side of the portal.
"Is the spatial passage still stable?"
Anton asked.
"Of course."
John nodded. "As foolish as their actions were, I have to admit—they're brilliant when it comes to research."
"Get ready. I'm going in to find them."
Anton didn't hesitate.
"Wait a minute."
John expression changed. "You're going in yourself?"
He had called Anton here to discuss a plan—not to have Anton personally step into the unknown.
Anton was making it clear that he intended to enter the other world on his own, which completely caught John off guard.
"From the fact that the research team hasn't returned, we can assume the other side is dangerous.
Anton, I don't agree with this. There no reason for you to risk yourself because of their reckless behavior."
"John, I'm the most suitable person for this mission."
Anton replied calmly.
"Besides, I'll be fine."
As he spoke, he raised his wrist, revealing a teleportation bracelet.
"Look—I have this. It locked onto Earth coordinates. If I run into danger, I can teleport back at any time. Even if the portal collapses, I won't be trapped in that world."
teleportation technology!
John had worked at Wayne Enterprises long enough—and with the Jamieson family connections, he was well-informed about many technologies the Justice League had developed.
"You're sure about this?"
John asked one last time, "Even with the teleportation bracelet, if you run into danger and don't have time to activate it, you could die at any moment."
"No," Anton smiled. "Like I said, I'm the best choice for this."
"You have to understand—I'm not the only one with a teleportation bracelet."
Oh?
John mind clicked. As he looked at Anton confident expression, he suddenly understood why Anton was so certain.
Of course. Every member of the Justice League had a teleportation bracelet.
Once Anton crossed the spatial passage, he could use his bracelet to lock onto the other world coordinates and summon the entire Justice League.
"...Alright."
John sighed in resignation. "But you must be careful. No matter what happens, your safety comes first."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Anton nodded.
Before long, John led him to Jane Foster research lab.
It was located in what looked like an ordinary warehouse in New York City.
Spanning nearly a thousand square meters, the warehouse had been converted into a fully equipped lab, packed with research instruments and high-end computers.
Streams of complex data flowed across the screens, displaying various calculations about the spatial passage.
At the center of the warehouse was the portal.
The air around it twisted and shimmered with occasional flashes of light. At times, projections of the other world flickered into view.
It was a vast, pitch-black wasteland—sandstorms howling, barren and lifeless.
It looked extremely dangerous.
Meanwhile, a massive semicircular device was operating continuously, facing the spatial portal, supplying energy to ensure its stability.
"According to the data, the spatial portal is currently very stable. As long as the energy supply remains uninterrupted, the portal will stay unchanged for the next 72 hours… Based on the projection of the portal, the other side appears to be a planet with a terrain similar to Mars—an endless desert…"
When John and Anton arrived, a Wayne Enterprises researcher, who had been stationed there in advance under John arrangements, reported the situation to them.
"We sent a drone through, and it transmitted back some images and data… The air composition there is similar to Earth—humans can breathe. However, we haven't found any signs of other lifeforms.
That said, we believe there must be something over there. To test the other side, we even conducted an experiment using a living creature.
We tied a mouse to a rope and sent it through. But when we pulled the rope back, it was severed—and the mouse was gone…"
He shook his head. "So, I believe that world is extremely dangerous. On one hand, we have no absolute certainty that we can bring them back.
On the other, even if we enter that world and manage to track them down, they've already been missing for over twenty-four hours… There no guarantee they're still alive."
Clearly, the researcher held a pessimistic view regarding Jane Foster and the others fate.
"Understood."
John nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."
The researcher acknowledged, and upon noticing John reluctance to say more, he tactfully excused himself, leaving the space to John and Anton.
"Let confirm one last time."
John looked at Anton. "You're sure about this? You really want to go alone—into an unknown place, facing unknown dangers? I can have Wick go with you."
"No need to say more. I'll be perfectly fine."
Anton shrugged. "Before you came here, you already asked the old man opinion. I'm guessing he didn't tell you to stop me."
"…"
John had nothing to say.
Because Anton was right.
After understanding the situation, the old man had made no attempt to stop Anton. Instead, he had instructed John to assist him.
"Alright, enough talk."
Anton nodded at John before stepping up to the spatial portal.
"I'm making my move now!"
Without waiting for John response, he bent his legs slightly and launched himself forward in a powerful leap. In an instant, he vanished into the portal.
"You—"
John instinctively opened his mouth, his eyes widening as he stared at the portal that had just swallowed Anton whole.
His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally blurted out, "Shit, that was way too sudden!"
…
On the other side of the portal—an alternate world.
Anton had expected John reaction, but he didn't dwell on it.
He surveyed his surroundings and found himself standing in a vast desert.
The barren landscape stretched endlessly in all directions, littered with jagged rocks.
Above, thick clouds loomed ominously, casting an eerie gloom over the land. There was no sign of life anywhere.
In the distance, beyond the reach of the dark clouds, a patch of brilliant starlight broke through, revealing a foreign sky filled with unfamiliar constellations.
The alien star patterns made it impossible for Anton to determine his location.
This world lacked any recognizable landmarks, leaving Anton unable to confirm which of the Nine Realms he had stepped into…
However, based on the original events, this place was most likely the homeworld of the Dark Elves.
The Dark World—Svartalfheim.
From Anton limited understanding of the Dark World, also known as Svartalfheim, it did bear a striking resemblance.
A barren wasteland, a sky shrouded in thick, oppressive clouds, an atmosphere devoid of life—among the Nine Realms, no other place matched this description quite like the long-abandoned homeland of the Dark Elves.
"If this really is Svartalfheim… what kind of danger would Jane Foster and the others be facing?"
Countless thoughts flashed through Anton mind.
Though he had only been here for less than a minute, he had already formed several conclusions.
However, the most pressing matter right now was to locate Jane Foster and the others—dead or alive.
More importantly, based on the original events, Jane Foster was a key factor in his search for the Reality Stone…
"I wonder if Jane Foster will still end up finding the Reality Stone this time…"
As he pondered—
Shua!
With a mere thought, his Kryptonian battle suit materialized around him.
His entire form shifted—his face, height, and build transformed. And with this change came an overwhelming surge of near-limitless power.
Whoosh!
He unleashed his full perception.
His ears twitched slightly as he opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the entire planet in an instant, locking onto a specific location within this desolate world.
It wasn't too far from where he stood.
"So that how it is…"
He murmured, "A trap, huh?"
As soon as the words left his lips—
Anton vanished in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
The ground beneath him caved in, cracks spreading outward for dozens of meters as the sheer force of his departure shattered the terrain.
On the other side—
The research team, consisting of Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis, had been trapped on this desolate planet for over twenty-four hours.
Now, they had completely lost hope.
They were caught in a trap with no way out.
To understand how they ended up in this situation, one had to go back to when they first arrived on this strange world.
Twenty-four hours ago, after stepping into this alien realm, they had walked a short distance and discovered a massive, dilapidated palace.
Even in its ruined state, the palace still exuded a sense of its former grandeur, an undeniable testament to its past glory.
Excited by their find, the research team approached cautiously.
Judging from the decay and erosion inflicted by time, they assumed the palace had long been abandoned. Feeling somewhat reassured, they moved closer.
Near the palace, a cluster of floating stones caught their attention.
One of these stones, the largest among them, was etched with intricate crimson veins.
The red patterns were complex, yet eerily still.
Jane Foster, lacking sufficient caution, reached out and touched the strange markings on the stone.
Boom!
Suddenly, the floating stones plummeted to the ground.
At the same time, the crimson veins on the largest stone began to shift, flowing like liquid.
Before anyone could react, the red substance surged into Jane Foster body, merging with her in an instant.
As Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis rushed toward her in concern, they could only watch in horror as the other stones rained down toward them.
Panic gripped their hearts. They had been too careless—underestimating the dangers of this unknown world.
But in that critical moment, Jane Foster suddenly waved her hand.
An indescribable force erupted from her.
The falling stones disintegrated into fine dust before they could touch them.
The three stood frozen in shock.
Jane Foster quickly realized that something inside her had changed—that the red liquid had transformed her body.
After a brief exchange, the group decided to leave the palace immediately, putting off further investigation.
However, they had failed to anticipate one crucial detail—
Even though the palace had long been abandoned, the ancient traps designed to fend off intruders remained intact, still functioning after all these years.
As they attempted to exit, they accidentally triggered one of the mechanisms.
The floor beneath them gave way, plunging them into a sealed-off chamber—where they had been trapped ever since.
This was a sealed stone chamber.
The walls on all sides were adorned with colorful murals.
From the illustrations, the three quickly understood that these were messages left by the palace former owner—the gist of it was simple: Intruders will be imprisoned here until they turn to bones.
Fittingly, the floor of the chamber was densely covered with skeletal remains of various creatures.
Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis were all researchers, scientists—people untrained for survival in extreme situations. None of them had ever imagined they would end up trapped like this.
Of course, Jane Foster thought of the power she had just acquired.
However, the moment she tried to activate it, an overwhelming weakness washed over her. Her body collapsed like a sack of wet clay, completely unable to move.
Her two companions were horrified.
Time passed.
After what felt like an eternity, Jane finally recovered some strength. Though she was still weak, she had regained a bit of energy.
"I can try again," she said through gritted teeth. "I refuse to believe we're going to die here."
Summoning her resolve, she once again attempted to harness the red energy within her body.
But she failed.
Each attempt only resulted in a splitting headache, as if she were exhausting herself further rather than drawing on any power.
After discussing their predicament, they came to a realization—this power drained Jane life force.
If she couldn't replenish her strength, not only would she be unable to use the power, but she might actually die from exhaustion.
"We have enough food and water to last us a few days," Erik Selvig said.
"Wayne Enterprises must have realized we're missing. They'll send someone to look for us…"
"They won't find us," Darcy Lewis said grimly. "Who would even think to search inside an ancient trap hidden in this palace? This is all our fault."
"…Anton," Jane murmured, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "I don't think Anton will give up on us."
Erik Selvig added, "He a member of the Justice League. Don't forget—it was him who had us research the Nine Realms convergence… It seems he has his own agenda. Clearly, our work is valuable to him, and he'll need our help."
The moment he finished speaking, before Jane Foster or Darcy Lewis could respond, a deep voice echoed in their ears.
"Not bad. You're quite smart."
The sudden voice jolted all three of them into alertness.
They had no idea who the speaker was, but one thing was certain—just as Erik had speculated, this must be someone Anton had sent to rescue them.
"Where are you?"
"God bless, I might actually make it out of here alive."
"This is amazing!"
Tears welled up in their eyes. For the first time in hours, they felt a renewed sense of hope—because as long as they were alive, there was still a chance.
"I'm outside."
The voice came again, but this time, it left them utterly disappointed.
"You're outside?"
"Can you find a way to get us out?"
"This palace is full of traps—you must be careful."
Despite their initial disappointment, they didn't fall into despair.
After all, having someone out there was still better than having no one at all.
A moment later, the voice instructed, "Move to the corners. Don't stand in the center and get in my way."
The three exchanged glances, uncertainty flashing in their eyes.
But without hesitation, they followed the voice instructions and moved to the corners of the stone chamber.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted above them.
A crack split open in the ceiling, allowing a faint sliver of light to pierce through the darkness—an undeniable beacon of hope.
At the same time, the entire chamber trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
Dust and debris surged into the air, filling the space with thick smoke, making it impossible to see clearly.