Chapter 71: Time Is of the Essence

However, given the limited clues at present, Tony did not blame Captain America for the inaccurate information he had provided. After all, within such a short span of time, it must be exceedingly difficult to discover the weakness of a race that had destroyed an alien civilization.

After cutting off communications, Tony and Dr. Banner immediately prepared to open the spatial rift. Now that a shoggoth was in pursuit, opening the space portal had become a matter of utmost urgency. Perhaps the Hulk could hold back the shoggoth, but recalling Steve's message, Tony felt far from confident.

Yet this also piqued his curiosity: which was stronger, the Hulk or the shoggoth? Perhaps the answer would soon reveal itself.

Steve and his team hurried toward the location Tony had provided. After their communication, Tony had sent a red dot marking his position to every member, ensuring they would not lose their way amidst the endless expanse of white snow. William, having exhausted his strength, lagged behind, forcing Steve to carry him over his shoulder.

After a relentless run, the group finally reached the cave where Tony and Banner were waiting. Once inside, Qu Yi Zhi sealed the entrance tightly with thick layers of ice, not only to hold back the shoggoth but also to serve as an early warning.

Seeing the entrance thoroughly blocked, Tony raised his eyebrows. "Wow, what's this? Frozen?"

Steve set down the still-shaken William and looked at Tony. "Miss Qu can manipulate ice and snow. The ice she conjures is strong enough to stop Natasha's bullets. We owe much to her help in escaping."

Tony blinked, gesturing toward another direction. "And what’s that? Snow White? Prince?"

Steve looked at the ice coffin Qu Yi Zhi had brought back. As they escaped the ancient ones' ruins, she had conveniently carried back the person previously sealed inside. Of course, Steve and his group had checked with her in advance—if it proved too difficult, she could simply bury the body, for in such perilous times, the living outweighed the dead.

But Qu Yi Zhi assured them she could bring it back with ease. From William’s account, they already knew this man was the captain leading the current operation, so his corpse might prove useful for future research.

"How long until the spatial portal can be opened?" Natasha glanced at the projection in Tony’s hand, unable to make sense of it, so she asked Dr. Banner.

Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses. "Tony, using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database and its prior research on the Cosmic Cube, has found a way to open the portal. But we still need to calibrate the device, and an external signal must be provided—that’s the mechanism we pressed when entering. Tony instructed Jarvis to press it every ten minutes. We can only calibrate during each signal cycle."

"Banner's right," Tony said as he paced back. "By studying the hypercube, I've found a way out, but there are anomalies here, so we need constant external signals for testing. Fortunately, Banner and I have nearly finished the calibration. Once the next signal comes through, we can leave."

Natasha frowned. "How long until the next signal? The shoggoth could appear at any moment."

Tony glanced at his screen and shrugged. "Seven more minutes. If we can hold out..."

Before his words were finished, everyone felt the ground tremble. Steve quickly peered outside through the ice wall Qu Yi Zhi had erected.

The ice wall’s purity made it resemble thick glass, allowing everyone to clearly observe the scene beyond.

Across the nearby plain, a massive form appeared. Each movement sent faint tremors through the earth, like a giant armored vehicle rolling across concrete.

Tony saw the distant figure, but before he could speak, Barton interjected, "Its body has grown larger."

Hawkeye’s vision was well respected by the group, so Steve took a deep breath. "Could it truly change size at will, as the legends say?"

Tony rolled his eyes. Though the shoggoth was chronicled in Odin’s journals, it was also artificially created. Thus, Tony was certain the creature must still obey the fundamental laws of the universe—namely, the law of conservation of energy.

But with so little data, and their foe rapidly approaching, Tony estimated it would reach them in three minutes. They had to buy five minutes: four to open the portal, one to retreat.

"We can’t simply wait for death. We have to hold it off." Tony summoned his armor and signaled to Qu Yi Zhi to open the passage. "Banner and I must leave at least one person behind to open the portal. You said the shoggoth is immune to attacks; I suspect it’s highly resistant to physical damage. So, I’ll try it myself, and Elsa will assist."

"Elsa?" Qu Yi Zhi paused before realizing Tony was addressing her. She hadn’t seen Frozen, but from Tony’s tone and gestures, she could guess.

"So, do you know any other magic?" Tony asked as they stepped through the passage, eyeing the shoggoth as it drew nearer.

"I don’t know. My memory is incomplete." Qu Yi Zhi smiled apologetically. She hadn’t even fully mastered her powers over ice and snow, let alone anything else.

"Well, looks like I’ll be fighting alongside a lady with amnesia." Tony didn’t seem discouraged; after all, he knew her situation better than almost anyone.

As they talked, the shoggoth’s silhouette loomed before them. With his armor’s shielding and auxiliary programs, Tony, aware of the creature’s psychic contamination, was confident he would not fall victim. Qu Yi Zhi had already donned her special glasses.

Seeing two lifeforms before it, the shoggoth shrieked in rage, "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"

Having experienced its powers before, Qu Yi Zhi covered her ears with ice crystals, blocking out the sound. Tony, meanwhile, attempted to analyze the data-converted audio for any lingering effects, only to fall victim himself. He quickly ordered Jarvis to cut the audio feed.

"So, I underestimated you… psychic contamination even affects audio? Then surely video as well." Tony’s expression darkened as he stared at the shoggoth. After silencing the audio, he soared into the sky, hoping to use aerial advantage against the creature—and soon realized why it kept growing larger.