"So what's your point exactly, Mister Strange?"
Peter Parker didn't quite catch what Strange was getting at, so he pressed him for clarification.
"What I mean," Doctor Strange explained patiently, "is that Scott may not actually have such powerful companions."
"Let's go over Scott's background," Strange continued. "Before he became Ant-Man, he went to prison because he stood up for someone else's justice, right?"
"Before that, Scott was just an ordinary office worker."
"After serving his sentence, because of family issues, he broke into Hank Pym's house. That incident is what led to him becoming Ant-Man."
"But not long after becoming Ant-Man, he got involved in the airport battle in Germany and ended up under house arrest."
"All things considered, the chances of Scott having many high-level, extraordinary acquaintances are… honestly not very high."
"Wow!" Peter Parker thought it over and had to agree. "So Scott's been arrested three times? Yeah, I guess that kind of résumé doesn't exactly help with making friends."
"Hey, come on!" Scott Lang protested, exasperated. "Who doesn't have an embarrassing past? Do you guys really have to expose me in front of everyone?"
"Scott," Captain America said seriously, looking straight at him. "Let me ask you directly. Do you have any friends who could help you? I mean the kind who are exceptional—capable of dealing with a Ghost?"
"Well… I do have some friends," Scott shrugged, "but friends who can deal with a Ghost? No. I don't."
Dealing with a Ghost was clearly not something ordinary people could do.You'd need an enhanced individual—or at least someone on the same level.
Either incredible equipment, or extraordinary personal abilities.
And Scott Lang's friends?
Just Luis from prison, plus a few oddballs Luis introduced later.
Could those guys really save Scott from Ghost?
"Just because you don't have them now doesn't mean you won't in the future," Thor suddenly chimed in lazily. "Maybe Scott meets one or two powerful figures later on. After all, we all know Scott helped Captain America during the civil war."
"But even so," Tony Stark added, "Scott and Cap weren't close. When he went to talk about time travel, he actually introduced himself."
"That tells us something," Tony continued. "After the airport battle in Germany, they didn't stay in touch."
"I know, I know," Thor waved it off. "I was just giving an example. My point is, it's possible Scott meets powerful people in the future, right?"
"Yes! Mr. Thor is right!" Peter Parker nodded emphatically. "We can't completely rule out that possibility!"
"So… option B stays pending?" Scott glanced around.
"We can't rule it out. Pending," Captain America concluded decisively.
No one objected. With option B temporarily set aside, the discussion moved on to option C.
"This one can be eliminated," Captain America said first. "Ghost didn't seize the lab for money. She likely had no choice. That's not something you can just talk her out of."
"Agreed," Strange said immediately. "Talk-no-jutsu working is already a low-probability event. Real life isn't a movie."
Everyone had seen those movies where villains suddenly change their ways after a passionate speech.
But that was fiction.
In reality?Possible—but extremely unlikely.
Adults make decisions after careful thought. They don't abandon their goals because of a few inspiring words.
"Exactly," Tony Stark agreed. "We already discussed this. Ava took the lab and captured Hank Pym to cure herself. That's not something she'd be persuaded out of."
With near-unanimous agreement, option C was eliminated without controversy.
"What about option D?" Scott said, looking at the screen. "Hank Pym turning the tables with ants?"
He nodded repeatedly. "Honestly, that's very possible. That old man is not someone you underestimate."
"This option makes logical sense," Captain America said. "And we have no direct evidence to confirm or deny it. So… pending."
"Hold on," Peter Parker frowned. "Using ants to turn the tide? None of you find that strange? How do ants change everything?"
"Heh, kid," Scott smirked proudly. "In Hank Pym's hands, ants are no ordinary ants. He once saved my life with them."
Scott was referring to the incident at Cross Technologies, when Hank controlled ants to force Cross to drop his gun just as Scott was about to be shot.
"Ants… saved your life?" Peter stared. "That's insane."
It really was.
"Oh—right!" Peter suddenly remembered. "There was that footage where giant ants were helping Hank Pym work. Those 'big ants' probably aren't easy to deal with, huh?"
"Alright," Captain America said firmly. "Back to the main issue. We need to eliminate one of the two remaining options—B or D."
"Companion rescue, or Hank Pym saving himself?" Strange pondered briefly, then spoke. "I personally lean toward the latter."
He had already analyzed Scott's life. While it wasn't impossible that Scott might meet powerful allies later, the odds were slim.
A man arrested three times doesn't easily build connections with top-tier figures.
Even for ordinary people, meeting someone exceptional is rare.
And how many people in the world could handle a Ghost-level opponent?
As for Captain America and the Avengers—It was already proven Scott wasn't close to them and didn't even have their contact info.
Otherwise, when he had the time travel idea, he would've made a phone call instead of walking into Avengers Headquarters to introduce himself.
After some brief discussion, everyone reached the same conclusion:
Both B and D were possible—but D had the higher probability.
"So the answer is B, then?" Thor cut through the chatter, pointing at the screen. "I choose B!"
[Correct Answer!]
The system notification sounded immediately.
[Congratulations to answerer Thor Odinson for receiving the reward skill: Shinra Tensei!][Reward has been issued. Please check it.]
"Wow! So this is Shinra Tensei?"Thor broke into a broad grin as the knowledge flooded into him. "Excellent. I really like this skill."
"Judging by how happy Thor looks," Scott declared confidently, "this reward is definitely not ordinary."
"Mr. Thor," Peter asked eagerly, "what exactly is Shinra Tensei? What does it do?"
"Simply put," Thor said with a smile, extending his hand toward Peter, "it releases repulsive force."
Shinra Tensei activated.
An invisible force slammed into Peter, sending him stumbling backward several steps.
"What just happened?!" Peter yelped. "Something hit me out of nowhere! That was Shinra Tensei? That's incredible!"
Everyone else watched in amazement.
A silent, invisible attack like that was nearly impossible to defend against—truly godlike, perfectly fitting Thor's status.
"Lightning attacks alone were getting a bit one-dimensional," Thor said smugly. "Shinra Tensei makes up for that weakness."
"With this skill, I could easily level a skyscraper—perhaps even flatten a mountain."
The room fell silent.
Thor was already terrifyingly strong. Now he was even more absurd.
"'The Deva Path: Shinra Tensei,'" Tony Stark mused. "Thor, does this 'Deva Path' include other abilities as well?"
"Yes," Thor nodded. "The Deva Path has two abilities. Shinra Tensei is one. The other is Banshō Ten'in."
"Figures," Tony said. "Wait—Banshō Ten'in? That sounds like the opposite of Shinra Tensei."
"Correct," Thor confirmed. "Shinra Tensei releases repulsion. Banshō Ten'in releases attraction. They complement each other."
"I see," Scott murmured. "Sounds like Banshō Ten'in isn't as powerful as Shinra Tensei."
"But Mr. Thor," Peter suddenly asked, intrigued, "if there's a 'Deva Path,' is there also an 'Earth Path'?"
"Oh, good question," Tony praised him.
"There are other 'Paths,' but not an Earth Path," Thor replied.
"There really are?" Peter exclaimed. "I was just guessing!"
"There are six in total—Deva Path, Preta Path, Naraka Path, and others," Thor explained. "Shinra Tensei is just one part of the Deva Path."
Everyone listened in awe.
They didn't fully understand what the other Paths did—but just the names alone sounded absurdly powerful.
And since the six Paths were parallel, not hierarchical, the others were likely on the same level as the Deva Path.
Judging by Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in alone, the rest couldn't possibly be weak.
[Answer complete. Beginning answer explanation playback!]
As the group continued discussing, the system's voice rang out again.
The text on the screen faded, replaced by video footage.
A gloomy-looking building appeared. A car slowly pulled up outside.
Three people stepped out—Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, and Scott Lang.
"Looks like this is the place," Scott said, poking his head out to examine the building.
With the target confirmed, they moved immediately.
Scott and Hope began suiting up—clearly not a simple operation.
Given the question's context, everyone quickly guessed what was happening.
They were here to deal with Ghost.
"Look at us," Scott said while adjusting his suit. "Two team-ups in one day."
"That makes me think…" Hope replied.
"Think of what?"
"Germany."
"What do you mean?"
"When we worked together. Trained together. And… other things."
"If I'd invited you back then, would you have come?"
"We'll never know," Hope said softly. "But I do know one thing—if I had gone, you wouldn't have been arrested."
She activated her suit, shrinking into the Wasp and flying off.
Scott was left behind, grinning shamelessly.
"They definitely have something going on," Thor laughed.
"'Have something going on'?" Tony smirked. "Where did you learn that phrase? But yeah—you're right. Now I get why Scott works so hard for Hank Pym."
"Looks like Scott's running errands for his future father-in-law," Strange teased.
"Hey," Scott said unapologetically. "I'm single. Hope's single. If something happens, that's perfectly normal, right?"
.......
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