Luke hung up the phone and didn't bother giving the matter a second thought.
Even if the God Emperor of Mankind himself came striding through the door, he wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over it.
Besides… It was just the President of the United States.
After all, the almighty Lucky Cat still sat proudly in the store.
No matter who you were, President, Prime Minister, or self-proclaimed galactic overlord, you were leaving with your wallet lighter whether you wanted or not.
But Wanda, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop, clearly didn't share his indifference.
The moment she heard the words "President of the United States," her eyes lit up like a kid hearing the ice cream truck down the street.
"Luke, I'll head down and have a look. Red's still too green for this, I'm worried he won't charge enough."
She spoke as if the president showing up was a once-in-a-lifetime bargain sale.
Luke blinked at her, speechless.
This was the same girl who had a helicarrier worth more than a small country casually parked over her house, yet she was still thinking about squeezing a few extra bucks from the shop.
Then again, Wanda wasn't asking for permission, she was merely letting him know what she had already decided to do.
Before Luke could say a word, a crimson light flared around her.
Three steps later, she was at the helicarrier's edge and without hesitation, she leapt off.
To the uninitiated, it probably looked like she was committing suicide in broad daylight.
But to Luke, it was just Tuesday.
Wanda wasn't the only daredevil on board; Sharon took several dives like that every day.
With the commotion gone, Luke's world returned to its lazy rhythm.
The swimming pool construction was still ongoing.
Venom and Riot's showdown? Not for a while yet.
By his calculations, following the normal script, it would be days before they squared off. And even with his meddling, the big clash wouldn't happen until Drake got Riot and started preparing to launch that ridiculous rocket into space.
Only then would it be Luke's cue to step in.
Until then? He was stuck in peaceful monotony, half walking the dog, half playing his favorite game.
The game itself had become a bit of a joke.
His "pet" in the game was basically a raid boss on a leash, slaughtering everything that moved. Luke could solo raid bosses with the thing, which had turned once-challenging gameplay into something akin to mowing the lawn.
Boredom eventually drove him to extend his real-life dog-walking sessions.
Not that Doggo was much easier to manage these days.
After merging with Phage, his stomach had turned into a bottomless pit.
Any outing with him quickly turned into a quest to find the next restaurant.
Today's quest led them to a cozy, pet-friendly eatery tucked into a quiet corner of the city.
The sight inside was… unusual, to say the least: one man and one plump dog sharing a table like old friends.
Doggo inhaled his food as though the plates were trying to escape, stacking the empties into miniature mountains, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded.
Luke, on the other hand, sat back with a pair of glasses perched on his nose, scanning the room. He'd never been here before, yet there was a faint sense of familiarity he couldn't quite place.
And then he saw her.
A slender woman with soft curves and a quietly striking face, framed by long brown hair. Her cheeks had a natural flush, as if the world itself had conspired to keep her in a constant state of gentle embarrassment.
The familiarity clicked into place immediately.
'Oh.'
This was that scene from Thor: The Dark World. The one where Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster, tries her hand at a blind date.
No wonder the place looked familiar, it was practically a movie set.
Luke adjusted his glasses and studied her openly.
No question about it, he could see why the God of Thunder was smitten. She was graceful, poised… and yes, the figure didn't hurt either even if he thought she could do with a few extra meals.
After New York, Thor had been tied up in Asgard dealing with unrest across the Nine Realms, leaving Jane to wait… and wait… until patience gave way to loneliness.
She wasn't getting any younger, and the idea of holding out for an alien prince forever was, while romantic, a terrible dating strategy. So here she was, burying her feelings for Thor under the polite small talk of a blind date.
Jane scanned the room, spotted a lone man at a table, and offered a shy smile before heading over.
Luke's mind chimed in right on cue.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for meeting Jane Foster, a core Marvel supporting character, for the first time. 1 plot point obtained.]
Luke's lips curved into a small smile.
Well, well, what were the odds? Was this some sort of protagonist luck kicking in?
If Jane was here, it meant Thor wouldn't be far behind. And if Thor was coming, so was Malekith, the Dark Elf king.
Doggo kept eating like the world's first canine black hole, oblivious to the world shifting around them.
Luke lingered, waiting for Jane's quirky assistant, Darcy Lewis, to arrive. Purely for scenic appreciation, of course. Nothing perverted, scout's honor.
Right on schedule, Darcy appeared. Gorgeous in her own right, though perhaps a step behind Jane in elegance. Still… Darcy had two very big convincing arguments for making the case otherwise.
After a leisurely dose of people-watching, Luke tapped Doggo. "Alright, let's go."
Doggo crammed one last piece of steak into his mouth and rolled off the seat, wobbling after Luke like a well-fed penguin.
Back aboard the helicarrier, Luke told Bumblebee to pull up the latest news.
Sure enough, there it was, Dr. Selvig in all his glory. Naked at Stonehenge. Waving strange instruments around like a madman while bewildered tourists filmed everything.
If there was any doubt before, it was gone now, the Nine Realms were about to align.
Which meant Malekith would be making his entrance. And Asgard? It was going to have a very bad day.
Luke's brow furrowed. Frigga, Odin's wife and Thor's mother, was likely doomed.
Earth only had so many core characters he could interact with. But Asgard? Asgard was crawling with them. Should he go?
It was tempting, plot points galore. But the Dark Elves wouldn't arrive overnight. Thus he had plenty of time to think about it and relax.
Or so he thought.
Because apparently, Riot and Drake hadn't gotten the memo about pacing.
Bumblebee found him a few days later. "Boss, something's up with the Life Foundation."
"Oh?" Luke's eyes brightened. "What happened?"
"Eddie Brock was just caught by their security team at a hospital. He's being taken to their headquarters now."
Luke froze.
If Eddie was already in their hands, the final battle wasn't "approaching", it was right on the doorstep.
"Bumblebee, move it!"
He grabbed Doggo mid-nap and vaulted into the Camaro.
The car's engine roared, flames spat from the exhaust, and the yellow blur shot toward San Francisco at full speed.
…
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