Chương 135: Chapter 135: Beep, Expert Consultation Registered 

Deep in the frigid vacuum of the Martian asteroid belt, a colossal, pitch-black dimensional rift hovered in the silent expanse. Massive, writhing tentacles composed entirely of hyper-concentrated dark energy violently erupted from the rift, aggressively snatching up thousands of shattered asteroid fragments and ruthlessly hurling them through a nearby Sling Ring portal directly into the Dark Dimension. 

Luke floated in a cross-legged meditative posture within the void, casually observing the highly efficient, automated mining operation. 

He had been aggressively expanding his dimension for several hours. Glancing at his internal chronometer, he decided his daily quota of physical labor was sufficient. He mentally canceled the magical arrays, causing the tentacles to retract and the spatial rifts to collapse. 

Stretching lazily in his environmental suit, Luke rubbed his stomach. All this cosmic mining really builds up an appetite. Time for a midnight snack. 

He drew a Sling Ring portal and stepped directly into the bustling streets of Kamar-Taj. 

However, the absolute microsecond he arrived, he noticed something was profoundly wrong. 

The usually vibrant, chaotic night market—which had been packed with joyous, feasting sorcerers just yesterday—was completely, deathly empty. A heavy, oppressive silence hung over the ancient sanctuary. 

Frowning deeply, Luke sensed the drastically altered atmosphere. He quickly intercepted a lone, heavily armed Kamar-Taj patrol sorcerer jogging down the street. 

"What happened here? Where is everyone?" Luke demanded. 

The sorcerer stopped, recognizing Luke immediately. His face was pale and drawn with grief. "Lord Luke. The traitor, Kaecilius... he successfully completed his corruption ritual and actively submitted to Dormammu. He orchestrated a massive, coordinated terrorist assault against the London Sanctum earlier today. He utilized a devastating, highly concentrated dark energy bomb, causing catastrophic casualties among the senior Masters." 

The sorcerer paused, his voice trembling slightly. "The Chief Librarian, Wong, sustained critical, life-threatening injuries defending the core. Master Mordo... sacrificed himself." 

Luke froze, absolutely stunned by the devastating report. 

Wong was highly respected and deeply beloved by almost everyone in Kamar-Taj. And Mordo, having recently established the highly profitable magical armory, had significantly improved the living conditions of the lower-tier disciples, earning their profound respect. 

And now, one was critically wounded, and the other was dead. 

"The Sorcerer Supreme has officially declared a state of absolute martial law," the sorcerer continued, his voice tight. "We are currently operating at maximum defensive capacity. The vast majority of our forces, from novices to Senior Masters, have been permanently deployed to fortify the remaining two Sanctums in New York and Hong Kong to prevent a secondary breach. Only a skeletal garrison remains here to secure the primary compound." 

Luke nodded slowly, his mind racing. "And what about Stephen Strange and Tony Stark? Were they caught in the blast?" 

"No, my Lord. They were unharmed," the sorcerer replied, a brief flash of genuine admiration crossing his face. "In fact, they were utterly instrumental in the aftermath. Doctor Strange single-handedly performed dozens of miraculous surgeries, and Mr. Stark provided immediate, highly advanced logistical support. Without their intervention, our casualties would have been catastrophic." 

Luke nodded, dismissing the patrol sorcerer. He stared down the empty, silent street, his mind a chaotic mess. 

This makes absolutely no sense. 

Logically, given that he was actively supplying a massive, highly potent stream of pure dark energy to the senior Kamar-Taj defenders, they should have been vastly superior to Kaecilius. Even if they couldn't outright kill him, they should have easily fought him to a standstill! How did Kaecilius manage to critically injure so many highly augmented Masters?! 

Unable to deduce the tactical failure, Luke pushed his confusion aside and immediately flew directly toward the Ancient One's private pavilion. He needed answers. 

Entering her tea room, he found the Ancient One sitting completely motionless, staring blankly at the glowing Eye of Agamotto resting on her table. 

"What happened?" Luke asked, his brow furrowed deeply. Her posture was completely wrong; she looked profoundly disturbed. 

The Ancient One slowly blinked, snapping out of her trance. She looked up at Luke, her expression clouded. 

Luke walked over and sat down directly across from her. He stared at the Eye of Agamotto, then looked directly into her eyes. 

"When you previously utilized the Time Stone to verify the timeline... did you actually foresee Mordo's death?" Luke demanded sharply. 

The Ancient One's head snapped up. She met his gaze, and Luke instantly recognized the profound, undeniable emotion swimming in her ancient eyes: Regret. And deep, terrifying uncertainty. 

"I did not," she whispered, her voice losing its usual serene, absolute confidence. "Do you remember the localized temporal projection we viewed together? In that specific iteration of the future... Mordo, Wong, and Stephen all fought alongside each other in Hong Kong." 

Luke stared at her, analyzing her incredibly shaken demeanor. 

She genuinely didn't know. The timeline has violently fractured, and she is suddenly navigating completely blind. 

Luke exhaled a slow, shaky breath. Well, at least she isn't an absolute sociopath who intentionally allowed her most loyal disciple to die just to preserve a theoretical timeline. 

However, the reality of the situation was arguably worse. If the Time Stone was no longer providing accurate intelligence, they were entirely reactive. 

Luke immediately stood up. 

"I need to go check on Wong's condition," he stated, pulling out his phone and dialing Stephen's number as he walked out of the pavilion. 

He quickly secured the exact coordinates of the hospital and flew directly to New York. 

Arriving at Metro-General Hospital, Luke found T.H.U.R.S.D.A.Y. (occupying the physical drone) standing guard outside the primary entrance. She offered a crisp nod and silently escorted him inside. 

"The influx of critically wounded combat sorcerers severely overwhelmed the facility's standard capacity," T.H.U.R.S.D.A.Y. explained as they walked. "Consequently, Mr. Stark immediately initiated a hostile corporate takeover and formally purchased the entire hospital network to ensure absolute, uninterrupted medical priority for the Kamar-Taj casualties." 

Luke nodded approvingly. Tony is incredibly efficient when properly motivated. 

Glancing through the reinforced glass of the passing ICUs, Luke saw dozens of sorcerers connected to advanced life-support systems. 

They eventually reached the highly secure, VIP Intensive Care Wing. Tony and Stephen were standing tensely outside a heavily guarded private suite. 

"What's his exact condition?" Luke asked immediately. 

Both Tony and Stephen looked visibly relieved to see him. 

"His physical injuries were incredibly severe," Stephen reported, his voice tight. "We miraculously managed to surgically stabilize his physical vessel and repair the organ damage. However... he remains in a deep, highly anomalous coma. He hasn't regained consciousness." 

Luke nodded solemnly and looked at the closed door. "Can I go in?" 

"Yes, but you must maintain absolute silence. His neurological state is incredibly fragile," Stephen warned. 

Luke nodded, gently pushing the door open and stepping inside. 

Wong lay motionless in the center of the room, completely surrounded by highly advanced, aggressively beeping medical monitors. 

Closing his eyes briefly, Luke aggressively channeled a highly concentrated flow of dark energy directly into his optic nerves, instantly activating his 'Soul Sight.' 

Opening his eyes, he peered completely through Wong's physical body, directly observing his ethereal, glowing astral form. 

Luke's breath caught in his throat. 

Wong's soul was an absolute, horrifying disaster. The glowing ethereal structure was massively fractured and heavily degraded. More terrifyingly, thick, highly aggressive tendrils of pitch-black, corrupted energy were violently coiled around the soul! The corruption was most densely concentrated directly over the massive abdominal wound. 

As Luke analyzed the corrupted energy, he instantly felt a wave of profound, absolute malice and cosmic hatred radiating from it. For a terrifying, fleeting microsecond, he swore he could see a colossal, burning eye glaring back at him from within the darkness. 

Luke blinked, instantly dropping the Soul Sight. His expression darkened into a mask of pure, murderous fury. 

Wong's soul is actively being devoured by Dormammu's dark energy. 

Stepping closer to the bed, Luke cautiously extended his hand. He attempted to utilize his absolute authority over dark energy to forcibly strip Dormammu's corruption away from Wong's soul. 

However, the corrupted energy was incredibly stubborn and highly parasitic. It was violently fused with Wong's astral essence. While Luke could forcibly suppress the energy and prevent it from causing further immediate degradation, he couldn't completely sever it without risking catastrophic collateral damage to Wong's already fragile soul. 

Luke lowered his hand, intensely frustrated. If he simply violently ripped Dormammu's energy out, Wong's soul would likely instantly shatter, killing him permanently. 

He needed a highly specialized, incredibly delicate method to actively repair and stabilize the soul while simultaneously extracting the corruption. 

And I possess absolutely zero knowledge regarding delicate soul-healing magic. 

Luke scowled, turning and walking back out into the hallway to face Tony and Stephen. 

"I successfully suppressed the immediate threat," Luke reported grimly. "The core issue isn't physical. His soul is being actively, aggressively corrupted and consumed by highly concentrated fragments of Dormammu's dark energy. I possess the raw power to annihilate the corrupted energy... but I honestly have absolutely no idea if Wong's severely fractured soul will survive the extraction." 

Stephen nodded gravely. "Then our absolute primary objective is locating a highly viable method to actively repair and stabilize his astral form prior to the extraction." 

Tony frowned deeply, rubbing his chin. "But during my extensive review of the Kamar-Taj archives, I discovered very few spells specifically dedicated to advanced soul repair. And none of the spells I found possess the sheer, raw potency required to stabilize catastrophic spiritual degradation on this scale." 

Just as the three men stood in tense, utterly helpless silence, Christine Palmer walked down the corridor. She was holding the exquisitely wrapped, completely empty pastry box Tony had given Stephen earlier. 

"Stephen, are you alright?" she asked gently. "I finished the pastries you gave me. The box is incredibly ornate; I was wondering if you wanted me to keep it or dispose of it?" 

The three men froze perfectly still. They slowly turned and stared at the empty pastry box in absolute, collective realization. 

"THE PASTRIES!" all three men shouted simultaneously! 

They burst into slightly hysterical laughter, profoundly relieved by the sudden epiphany. 

Luke aggressively slapped his forehead. I am such an absolute idiot! 

He had completely forgotten about the Chinese mythological pantheon! Ancient Chinese mythology was literally built entirely upon highly complex theories regarding the soul, reincarnation, spiritual cultivation, and celestial medicine! They were arguably the absolute foremost experts on the planet regarding spiritual repair! 

Luke offered a highly confident smile to Tony and Stephen. He instantly pulled out his phone and dialed Captain Zhao's secure, highly classified diplomatic line. 

Meanwhile, on the exact opposite side of the planet, in Beijing, it was currently the dead of night. 

Captain Zhao was sound asleep in his apartment when his highly secure, encrypted emergency phone violently began blaring its maximum priority alarm. 

Startled awake, Zhao frantically grabbed the phone. Seeing the specific Caller ID flashing on the screen, he didn't hesitate for a microscopic fraction of a second. He instantly answered the call. 

Exactly thirty minutes later. 

Luke drew a massive Sling Ring portal directly in the hospital corridor. 

A highly specialized, completely bizarre team of individuals stepped through the portal. 

Captain Yang led the group. Seeing Luke, Yang immediately stepped forward, extending his right hand for a formal handshake. 

Luke paused for a second, then smiled and firmly shook Yang's hand. 

"Lord Luke, allow me to introduce our specialized response team," Yang stated respectfully, gesturing to the highly eclectic group behind him. "These esteemed individuals are the direct, modern inheritors of the medical techniques pioneered by our nation's most legendary, ancient physicians. Furthermore, we have included several highly specialized practitioners who possess profound, generational expertise specifically regarding spiritual anomalies and soul manipulation." 

Luke nodded respectfully, offering a warm smile to the specialized team. "I sincerely appreciate your incredibly rapid response. Please, follow me." 

He led the group into the VIP suite. Fortunately, it was a massive, luxury room, easily accommodating the large team. 

Standing beside Wong's bed, Luke quickly and precisely briefed the team on the exact nature of the spiritual corruption and the catastrophic risks of extraction. 

The ancient physicians and spiritual experts immediately huddled together, speaking in rapid, highly technical, incredibly obscure medical terminology, intensely debating various treatment protocols. 

Because Captain Yang had previously provided them with a highly detailed, highly classified briefing regarding Lord Luke's absolute, terrifying power and authority, they treated the consultation with the utmost, absolute severity. They knew they could not afford to fail. 

After roughly ten minutes of intense debate, the lead physician stepped forward, presenting a highly complex, highly viable, multi-layered treatment plan. 

Following their precise instructions, Luke carefully utilized his dark energy to gently, painstakingly levitate Wong's severely damaged soul completely out of his physical body, carefully positioning it directly in the center of a highly complex, intricately drawn runic circle the experts had hastily constructed on the floor using specialized herbs and glowing jade stones. 

Luke then cast a localized manifestation spell, allowing the ethereal soul to become completely visible to everyone in the room. He watched the experts closely; none of them displayed even a hint of shock or fear at seeing a literal human soul hovering in the air. 

These guys are legitimate professionals. 

"Fascinating," a young man wearing traditional Taoist robes muttered, closely examining the black tendrils wrapped around Wong's soul. "This is a classic manifestation of profound, extra-dimensional Demonic Possession." 

Luke looked at the young Taoist curiously. 

Sensing Luke's gaze, the young man smiled respectfully. "Throughout ancient Chinese history, we have recorded numerous, highly catastrophic incidents of extra-dimensional 'Demons' attempting to aggressively invade our realm. Every single incursion resulted in massive casualties and profound suffering. However, roughly a millennium ago, a coalition of our most powerful ancestors collaborated to construct a massive, incredibly powerful, continent-spanning Feng Shui barrier. That barrier effectively permanently sealed our borders against demonic intrusion." 

Luke nodded slowly, thoroughly impressed. "So, given your historical experience, how exactly do your records dictate you treat this specific level of corruption?" 

The young man shrugged casually. "Honestly? Our methodology is highly pragmatic. If the corruption is absolute and the patient is beyond saving, we simply execute them to prevent the demonic entity from manifesting. However, if the corruption is localized and manageable—like this—we simply utilize specialized spiritual blades to violently, aggressively excise the corrupted portions of the soul. We then heavily administer incredibly potent, heaven-grade spiritual elixirs to aggressively stimulate cellular and spiritual regeneration. It's surprisingly effective." 

Stephen, standing nearby, nodded slowly in profound realization. A month ago, his hyper-rational, scientific mind would have completely, arrogantly dismissed this entire conversation as superstitious, primitive nonsense. But now, having directly experienced the multiverse, he was genuinely fascinated by their entirely different, highly pragmatic approach to mystical medicine. He mentally resolved to establish a formal medical exchange program with them later. 

"Alright, the preparation phase is complete. Let's begin the extraction," Luke announced, cracking his knuckles. 

The experts nodded in unison. They quickly ignited several specialized incense bundles and activated the jade runic array. 

Tony watched the bizarre, highly mystical medical procedure with a mixture of intense fascination and profound anxiety. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel an overwhelming, highly irrational urge to start preparing a eulogy." 

Stephen aggressively elbowed Tony in the ribs. "If you have absolutely nothing constructive or positive to contribute, remain completely silent." 

Once the runic array was fully stabilized, Luke took a deep breath. He aggressively channeled his absolute authority over dark energy, precisely, delicately enveloping the writhing tendrils of Dormammu's corruption. 

With terrifying, microscopic precision, Luke slowly began forcefully dissolving and neutralizing the hostile dark energy. 

Simultaneously, the Chinese experts aggressively initiated their specialized spiritual repair protocols! 

As Luke painstakingly stripped away the agonizing corruption, brilliant flashes of multi-colored, highly restorative spiritual energy instantly rushed in, aggressively sealing the microscopic fractures and rapidly regenerating Wong's damaged astral tissue! 

The room fell into absolute, terrifyingly tense silence. Tony aggressively gnawed on his fingernails, his eyes locked onto the glowing soul. 

Ten agonizing minutes later, Luke had successfully neutralized the vast majority of Dormammu's surface corruption. The only remaining anomaly was the massive, horrific, heavily corrupted spiritual 'crater' directly corresponding to the physical abdominal wound. 

Luke exchanged a highly serious glance with the lead physician. This was the absolute, most critical phase of the operation. 

Taking a deep, composing breath, Luke closed his eyes and allowed his physical body to slowly levitate off the floor. 

Instantly, his massive, terrifying Dimensional Lord true form violently erupted from his physical shell! His colossal, multi-limbed astral projection dominated the hospital room, radiating an aura of absolute, unfathomable cosmic power and terrifying, primordial darkness! 

Captain Yang and the specialized medical team stared at Luke's true form in absolute, mind-boggling shock. However, Luke offered them a reassuring, highly synchronized nod. 

Operating in his true form allowed Luke to access his absolute maximum magical dexterity and precision. 

With absolute focus, Luke reached over his shoulder and grasped one of the massive, terrifying Death Scythes protruding from his back. He mentally commanded the massive weapon to rapidly shrink, transforming the apocalyptic scythe into a tiny, incredibly precise, pitch-black surgical scalpel. 

With surgical precision that would make Stephen Strange jealous, Luke utilized the dark energy scalpel to meticulously, aggressively excise the deeply embedded, corrupted spiritual tissue from Wong's abdominal wound! 

As the corrupted tissue was severed, Wong's entire soul violently flickered and dimmed, teetering terrifyingly close to absolute collapse! 

However, the medical experts aggressively, desperately pumped massive quantities of highly restorative spiritual energy into the array, forcing the soul to stabilize! 

Finally, Luke exhaled a massive sigh of relief. He withdrew the scalpel, and his massive astral form smoothly retracted back into his physical body. 

He rolled his shoulders, feeling incredibly exhausted. 

The medical team maintained the restorative array for several more minutes, ensuring absolute stability. 

Unlike physical injuries, which require significant time for cellular regeneration, a repaired soul reintegrates and restores consciousness almost instantly. 

Within moments, Wong groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. 

"What... what happened?" Wong mumbled weakly, looking around the crowded room. 

Luke instantly shoved his way to the front of the crowd. He aggressively shoved his index finger directly in front of Wong's face. 

"Quick! How many fingers am I holding up?!" 

Wong blinked blearily. "Are you an idiot? That's obviously one finger." 

"Excellent! No permanent cognitive impairment! The surgery was an absolute, resounding success!" Luke cheered loudly. 

He turned to the exhausted, sweating Chinese medical experts, offering them a highly profound, genuinely grateful bow. 

"I cannot adequately express my gratitude. I am fully aware that maintaining that array required the expenditure of incredibly rare, highly valuable heavenly resources. Please, rest assured, if I discover any incredibly rare, highly exotic cosmic artifacts or unique biological materials during my interstellar travels, I will prioritize compensating your organization." 

Hearing the absolute Lord of the Earth casually promise them highly advanced extraterrestrial artifacts as compensation, the experts, who had previously been internally mourning the loss of their incredibly expensive medical supplies, instantly beamed with absolute, unadulterated joy! 

Captain Yang had explicitly briefed them on Luke's unparalleled cosmic wealth. A casual 'bonus' from an entity of his power could easily sustain their entire hidden sect for a century! 

Smiling at their obvious excitement, Luke realized that while Kamar-Taj and Asgard possessed massive destructive capabilities, their specialized medical and spiritual repair logistics were incredibly deficient. Establishing a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the Chinese mystical community perfectly plugged that massive tactical vulnerability. 

After politely escorting the exhausted medical team back through the portal, Luke quickly returned to the hospital room. 

He had some incredibly important, highly urgent questions for the newly resurrected Chief Librarian. 

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