Arrogant looked annoyed, and yet he managed to say with pursed lips, "No chance, Batman would recognize me."
"Then you turn to Black Sun, Skrull logs in, and then I log in as him."
"You game too much."
Minutes later, Shiller walked out along the corridor of the Time Management Bureau. Before he could even get to Nick's office, he could already hear him cursing non-stop within. Shiller automatically filtered out the bad language, and quickly grasped the gist of the remaining tenth of useful information. Loki's absence from work had led to a week's delay in the completion of an important task.
Shiller pushed the door open, and Nick, upon seeing him, halted his impending outburst, and asked uncertainly, "Shiller?"
"Yes, it's me. Skrull just called me over. What happened that has made you so angry?"
"Loki has been missing work for almost a week now," Nick, hands akimbo, heaved a deep sigh and continued, "As you know, Loki and Thanos are the only ones with real influence in interstellar society. Thanos is both expensive and dangerous, so we can't really use him. Now, we're relying exclusively on Loki to gather news about the Interstellar Society."
"Thor has locked up Loki. He's not working, the information update is too slow, six project teams have had to stop work with him, and we can't set up the information network that spans all the individual universes."
Nick rubbed his temples vigorously, then went behind his desk and sat down looking worn out and discouraged. Shiller shrugged and said, "I can't help. You know I'm not field agent material."
"I also don't intend to make you a field agent, that would be a waste. I'm trying to get in touch with all those special humans in pan-human cultures who can change their appearance at will. Mystique is unavailable right now. Rakshasa Woman and Mastermind are all in the hands of Magneto. That man won't let them go easily. The mages are too busy to break away. Spider Man is so truthful, he gets the hiccups after every lie he tells, so he definitely can't do intelligence work."
Nick sighed deeply once again. Shiller poured him a glass of water, which Nick gulped down greedily. Wiping his mouth, he said, "I called you in, in part, to have you talk to Thor. He never seriously took action against his little brother when they were fighting for the throne in Asgard. Why has he locked him up now?"
"His excuse of preventing Loki from overworking is laughable. We three humans haven't even voiced a complaint. Could a Frost Giant actually die from exhaustion before us?"
Shiller nodded in agreement and chimed in, "I think they're making a big fuss over nothing. But just as Stark always has his eye on me. It's because they can. They're stronger."
Nick sighed again, "If I had known this would happen, I would have found a way to strengthen your powers first, so you at least can escape if caught."
"Not a chance." Shiller shook his head and leaned against the office desk.
"Another thing," Nick tapped the desk with his fingertips, "I cannot discuss anything with that paranoid control freak Magneto. He doesn't trust me because S.H.I.E.L.D. did indeed chase him once. But it seems you two get along."
"Gwen Spiderman just told me that she and Shadow Spider-man have completed their task of transporting the M'Kraan Crystal to the Netherworld. The mutants will definitely contact you to ask for your advice on how to handle the M'Kraan Crystal."
"You can use this opportunity to negotiate with them. Ask those two old foxes not to hold onto mutants like Rakshasa Woman and Mastermind. Does he really expect them to reproduce?"
Nick slammed his knuckles on the table and said firmly, "I will never agree to their terms of ransom! My bottom line is 20 battlesuits of the same standard as Spider Man's! Not a single one more, doctor, remember this!"
"Of course, out of respect for Professor X, I can offer a three-year warranty and maintenance, along with training for their personnel that they send over. Those mutants are practically illiterate. They should appreciate this!"
Shiller laughed and sat down opposite Nick. He placed his hands on the desk and looked into Nick's eyes, "I think there's no rush to give an offer, the mutants will be much more anxious than you in due time."
Nick narrowed his eyes, lightly touching his forefinger with his thumb, studying Shiller's earnest expressions. Then he widened his eyes in surprise, "Are you suggesting? With Tony Stark watching you, you could possibly..."
"I always find a way."
"Speak." Nick pulled his chair forward, placing both hands on the desk, leaning forward and taking an attentive listening posture.
"It will not be long before the M'Kraan Crystal is likely to reveal its true power, and mutants cannot control it at all."
"Did you meddle with it?" Nick frowned, the seriousness in his eyes seeming to query whether Shiller's action was a bit over the top. He pondered for a moment, touched the undersides of his nose, and said, "Doctor Shiller, I have heard about your advancements in the field of science and technology, but Tony and I share the same opinion on this matter, not every bulb-like entity must be tampered."
Shiller waved his hand, implying that he was entirely misunderstood, and said, "I am not capable of tinkering with the M'Kraan Crystal, and I am aware of its dangerous capabilities."
"But at the same time, I am aware of its unique property. Its essence is actually a channel to other universes, similar to the subway I opened for Eternity but not exactly the same."
"What's the difference?"
"The M'Kraan Crystal is more unstable." Shiller shakes his head, "You can see it as a bomb that can open a transfer gate at any moment, which is why I suggest to the mutants that they place it in the Netherworld."
Nick laughs and says, "Yes, because the Skull cannot die again."
"No snide remarks." Shiller frowned and said, "But that is irrelevant actually, the most crucial factor is that Hela's Netherworld has a very close connection with the Realm of Death, and the power of the kings that Hela wields also originates from the death of this world."
"So what's the significance of that?" Nick hinted Shiller to clarify his statement.
Shiller leaned back, placing one leg over the other, revealing a smile and said, "Soon, a group of monsters who ruthlessly killed the death of their world, will arrive in this universe via the route opened by the M'Kraan Crystal, and their purpose is to perform an 'autopsy' on the embodiment of death in this world, to kill it, and kill the death of this universe."
"Landing in Netherworld full of death will allow them to understand the death of this universe better, and accelerate finding the embodiment of death in this universe."
Nick narrowed his eyes slightly.
Shiller, on the other hand, stood up from the desk, looked out into the starry sky outside the window of the Time Management Bureau office, and said, "I need a good target to see if the sword I've been honing for so long is sharp enough."
Nick sat in his spot, just looked up at Shiller.
"An examination?"
"An examination."
Nick's fingers kept tapping on the desk; a minute later, he asked, "And how do you ensure everyone will unite together to resist the enemy?"
"They have to."
"Oh?"
Shiller turned back and looked into Nick's eyes.
"Because the embodiment of death in this universe is me."