American Comics: BOSS Invasion

San Francisco, Hank Pym's secluded residence.

Raising his head from the lab bench, Hank stretched his arms, feeling a faint ache in his back.

He grabbed his mug and took a sip, only to find the coffee had gone cold.

He pushed the monitor aside, clutching the mug as he walked out.

He was getting on in years; his wife had died thirty years ago, and his daughter lived independently away from him. He lived alone, his days filled with research and experiments, monotonous and dull.

Ever since his falling out with Stark, he had been living in seclusion.

He had been in Los Angeles for the past few years, only moving to San Francisco this year.

He hadn't wanted to come, but his daughter and a student had started a company together in San Francisco.

Though he was tough on the surface, he was getting old and wanted to be closer to his children.

After a period of hesitation, he had moved to San Francisco.

There was also a hint of surveillance involved; he didn't like his daughter's student, who was quite ambitious, and recently, his research on Pym Particles was getting closer and closer to the real formula, which worried him.

He had tried to dissuade her a few times, but his daughter didn't understand.

So, these days he had been inspecting the Ant-Man suit, preparing to find a successor in case of need.

Pushing open the door, Hank was startled.

The living room was dark, with a lithe figure sitting upright on the sofa.

Sitting silently, as if not even breathing.

This was Hank Pym's residence, after all. Although it seemed unremarkable on the surface, in reality, every corner of the house was covered with ant sentries.

It was by no means easy for an ordinary person to enter, and to be able to enter without being discovered was even harder than ascending to heaven.

Hank became more alert.

Click!

The living room lights were turned on, and Natasha greeted him with a smile: "Dr. Pym, I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but we need your help."

"I'm Natasha! What do you think?" Natasha said with a smile, as if stating a fact.

Hank naturally knew what she meant, glared a few times, but didn't spit out the curse words in his mouth.

This was an old friend, after all, and a woman, so he should be mindful of his language.

Hank exhaled and walked into the kitchen with his mug. "You should leave. I'm retired!"

Natasha stood up, approached slowly, and said sincerely: "Dr. Pym, I would like to show you some information!"

"It's about what happened in New York, isn't it? I already know, but I'm not interested. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, this is just a small problem!" Hank said lightly.

He turned on the automatic coffee machine and filled his mug halfway.

"That's the city center, you can't use high-powered bombs. And this thing is very troublesome. Strong regeneration ability is only one aspect; it carries a toxin that can spread through the air and erode the human body."

Hank paused. "Toxin? What kind of toxin?"

"It should be similar to a gene virus, but the laboratory doesn't have definite results yet. Moreover, we don't have much time left. After last night's rampage, the Dragon is entering a dormant period, and after 12 hours it will expand again.

The laboratory's preliminary prediction is that its size will expand to more than a hundred times its current size in a short period of time.

Therefore, we need your help, Doctor," Natasha said sincerely.

She took a tablet from behind and started playing the footage obtained last night directly.

Screams, panicked crowds, and a rampaging monster that swelled wantonly rushed into Hank's eyes.

Hank was silent, and after a few seconds, he put down the coffee cup in his hand.

Natasha was overjoyed and said even more sincerely: "Doctor, we don't have any time left. Tony Stark is completely useless. His Iron Man armor can't even destroy any part of the organism. He's helpless against the Dragon!"

Hearing this, Hank narrowed his eyes, his expression softened significantly, and said proudly: "Of course, the Starks are all playboys, showy clowns. Wanting to be Iron Man with a few pieces of iron, how ignorant."

Natasha's expression remained unchanged, but she laughed inwardly.

Although she knew that Hank Pym and the Stark family were at odds, she didn't expect that belittling Tony would have such a miraculous effect.

She continued her efforts: "According to the information we have obtained, the Dragon will enter the second stage in a few hours, at which time it will spew out many small monsters, actively chase humans, and release more toxins.

Therefore, the Director hopes that you can quickly shrink the Dragon and enclose it in an isolated space in order to eliminate it."

"Eliminate? I think you want to study it."

Hank sneered: "That's how S.H.I.E.L.D. is. You want to grab everything in your hands, always fishing outside, never looking back at yourselves. Don't blame me for not reminding you, when something goes wrong, you'll be in trouble."

Natasha smiled faintly, pretending not to hear.

"This thing is called a Dragon? Who came up with the name? It's not appropriate at all!"

"The intelligence calls this thing Dragon."

Hank said in slight surprise: "You caught someone? Who instigated it?"

"Not yet, the specific situation is a bit complicated. Why don't we get on the plane, and I'll give you a detailed report on the way back."

Hank glanced at the window, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "As expected of a secret agent, you made two preparations before departure. If I don't go with you, are you going to use the commando team outside?"

"How could we? Dr. Pym is a valuable talent," Natasha said.

"Stop with the pretty words!"

Hank glanced at the video on the tablet again, slowly turned around and said: "Wait a few minutes, I need to get something!"

Natasha nodded lightly, overjoyed, knowing that this matter was settled.

In fact, Hank also had his own considerations.

He didn't care about S.H.I.E.L.D. or anything, but the disaster in New York was indeed very big, and he had been planning to come back before.

The successor would definitely cause some commotion, and if he had too stiff a relationship with the authorities, he would have less room to maneuver.

He was stubborn when he was young, but he understood some things when he got old.

Sometimes it's easier to go with the flow.

Of course, there was also some intention to compete with the Stark family.

In academics, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second. Which scientist is convinced by whom?

A few minutes later, the Quinjet slowly took off, accelerated sharply, and disappeared into the sky.

Ten seconds later, two cars stopped next to the yard, and seven or eight fully armed commando members silently walked out from various corners.

The leader made a gesture, and everyone deftly climbed over the courtyard wall and jumped into the cars.

The headlights of the front car turned on, and the two cars disappeared one after the other at the entrance of the alley.