Chapter 51 I still owe you a dance
Lin Chen's words, "It's not quite the same now," were like a basin of cold Water poured over Steve's fervent heart.
However, the light in his eyes only dimmed for a moment before rekindling.
"It doesn't matter!"
"As long as she's still alive, it doesn't matter!"
His knuckles turned White from gripping Lin Chen's shoulder so tightly.
What if it's seventy years?
As long as he could see her again, even if only for a moment, it would be enough.
Lin Chen looked at him, acting like a 'lover', and clicked his tongue in wonder.
Tsk, he truly lives up to his official CP status; the pungent smell of this love can't be covered even by seventy years of ice.
Alright, My Lord, today I'll play matchmaker and tie this red thread for you two!
He stepped forward and put an arm around Steve Rogers's shoulder.
"Hold on tight, old ice pop."
"I'll take you to experience 21st-century express delivery!"
The next second, Steve only felt a blur before his eyes, and the biting cold wind, mixed with ice and snow, instantly struck his face like bullets... Washington, D.C.
A highly classified sanatorium, not on any map, affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D..
In the corridor, Steve Rogers stood before a plain, unadorned door, his body as rigid as a steel plate.
His breathing, for the first time, became so rapid.
He had fought Nazis, been on battlefields, and crashed a plane into an iceberg without batting an eye.
But now, he was afraid.
Seventy years of distance were now condensed behind this thin door.
Behind the door was the love of his life, and also the regret of his life.
Lin Chen leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed, and couldn't help but chuckle at the rare display of timidity on the super soldier's face.
"Scared? That's not right, you're Captain America, Steve."
"Or, before you go in, should I pour you two bottles of vodka to bolster your courage?"
Steve ignored his teasing, his eyes fixed on the doorknob.
Lin Chen put away his smile, his tone softening slightly.
"She waited for you her whole life, Steve."
"Go in, don't make her wait too long again."
These words became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Steve's body trembled, a flicker of pain in his eyes.
Then he took several deep breaths, raised the hand that once held the Star Shield, and with a slight tremor, slowly pushed the door open.
After he entered, Lin Chen gently closed the door behind him.
With a soft "click," two worlds were separated.
Lin Chen quietly pressed his ear to the door, his face full of a gossipy aunt's smile.
OK, the strongest wingman in history is officially online.
Next, it's time to witness a miracle... oh no, to witness love...
The room was very quiet, with only the faint "drip-drip" of medical equipment.
On the hospital bed, an old woman with a full head of silver hair and a wrinkled face lay peacefully, an oxygen tube in her nose, sleeping in a dream.
Steve's steps had never been so heavy.
Each step felt like it was treading on his own broken heart.
He gently sat down on the chair by the bed, his gaze greedily tracing the familiar yet unfamiliar face.
Time had carved cruel furrows on her face, but the heroic spirit in her brows and eyes was still faintly as it had been back then.
Steve's eyes unknowingly turned red.
He reached out, wanting to touch her, but stopped midway, afraid of disturbing her dream.
"I'm sorry, Peggy..."
His voice was hoarse, like it had been abraded by sandpaper.
"I'm late."
As if hearing this call across time and space, the old woman's eyelids trembled slightly.
She slowly opened her eyes, and as her cloudy gaze focused, it fixed on Steve's face.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
The next second, tears burst forth.
"Steve...?"
She tremblingly raised her withered hand, seemingly wanting to touch the face that had only appeared in her dreams.
Steve quickly clasped it, pressing the cold hand tightly against his cheek, warming it with his body temperature.
"It's me, Peggy."
"It's me."
Feeling the warmth and strength, not of a dream, emanating from his palm, Peggy Carter's tears flowed even more fiercely.
"Is it you? You... you finally came back?"
"I'm not... dreaming, am I?"
"It's not a dream, Peggy." Steve shook his head, tears also streaming down his cheeks, "It's me, I'm back."
Receiving the affirmative answer, Peggy Carter could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
In her cries, there was the joy of reunion, and even more, the grievance and pain of seventy years of long waiting.
"I'm sorry... Steve... I'm sorry..."
"I tried to find you... but I... I lived... I lived out my life..."
"I know."
Steve gently wiped away her tears.
"It's not your fault."
"Hey, don't cry."
He tried to force a smile, though it looked worse than crying.
"Did you forget? I still owe you a dance."
"A dance..."
Hearing that word, Carter cried and laughed at the same time.
She began to babble, talking about a world without him, about how she founded S.H.I.E.L.D., and about her constant longing.
Steve just listened quietly, holding her hand tightly, occasionally responding gently.
The old woman's emotions miraculously calmed down...
Outside the door, at the other end of the corridor.
Nick Fury was striding along.
He saw Lin Chen's stealthy posture and was about to speak when Lin Chen, quick as a flash, appeared in front of him and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Shhh..."
Lin Chen put his index finger to his lips and winked at him.
"Don't go in and be a third wheel, Director My Lord."
"Give this ill-fated couple some private space, OK?"
A complex emotion flickered in Fury's single eye, but he eventually nodded.
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks."
Lin Chen lowered the hand covering his mouth, then suddenly changed the subject, his eyes becoming sharp.
"I just want to ask, Director Fury, does your S.H.I.E.L.D.have a project called 'Project T.A.H.I.T.I.'?"
Fury's pupils suddenly constricted.
His entire demeanor instantly became wary.
"What are you talking about? I don't know."
"Heh..."
Lin Chen scoffed, his expression as if he were watching a three-year-old lie.
Still trying to fool me? Egghead, you're still too green.
Your little secrets are as transparent as glass to me.
"Come on, Nick."
He called him by his first name, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.
"Don't give me that official jargon, it's pointless."
"I'll just ask directly."
Lin Chen's gaze became extremely aggressive as he said, word by word:
"GH-325 serum, give me a dose."
Fury's single eye stared intently at Lin Chen, as if trying to see through him.
Damn it, he really knows everything!
"What do you want to do?" Fury's voice was low and dangerous.
Lin Chen didn't answer, but just turned his head, looked through the small window on the door at the two people embracing inside the room, and a mysterious smile played on the corner of his lips.
"Bring it."
"You'll know."
(Official recommendation, five updates today, thank you all for your suggestions, I've read all the comments and will strive to do better!)
Chapter 52 GH-325
Lin Chen's smile held a hint of playfulness and absolute confidence.
These words, like an irresistible command, were seared into Fury's mind.
The iron-blooded Director stared at Lin Chen's eyes, which seemed to penetrate everything, and remained silent for a full thirty seconds.
Finally, he turned and walked away quickly.
He had vaguely guessed what Lin Chen wanted to do... Two hours later.
The murmuring in the room gradually faded, replaced by a warm tranquility, as if time stood still.
Lin Chen calculated the time, felt it was just right, and returned to the door.
"Knock, knock."
He symbolically knocked on the door, then, without waiting for a response, pushed it open and entered.
Steve saw him and immediately stood up, bowing deeply to him without any hesitation.
His handsome face was filled with inexpressible gratitude.
"Lin, thank you."
His voice was incredibly solemn.
Peggy, on the hospital bed, also turned her head, her aged voice filled with sincerity.
"Thank you, young man, for allowing us... to meet again."
"I heard Fury mention you..."
Lin Chen lazily waved his hand and walked to the bedside.
"The main show is just about to begin, don't be so quick to give out good person cards."
As he spoke, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of White teeth.
"It's too early to say thank you now."
"I brought you a gift, just as... a celebration for your reunion as a couple."
Steve's old face uncharacteristically reddened, and he scratched his head a little awkwardly.
Lin Chen's direct words made him somewhat flustered.
Immediately after, he saw Lin Chen pull something out of his pocket.
It was a syringe containing a light blue liquid, which shimmered with a strange light under the lamp.
Before Steve could ask, Lin Chen's gaze had already fallen on Peggy Carter's face.
"This is GH-325 serum."
His voice was not loud, but it sounded like a thunderclap in Peggy's ears.
"Ms. Carter, I imagine you are not unfamiliar with it?"
Peggy Carter's pupils trembled violently.
As one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., she certainly knew what it was!
It was developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. using alien technology, and its core function was to promote cell regeneration, allowing the dying to be revived.
But... she tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing a bitter smile.
"Of course, I know..."
"But what's the use?"
"I already have one foot in the grave, and Steve has only just returned..."
Her voice was filled with helplessness and sorrow.
"This thing, at most, will only reduce a few wrinkles on my old face, but it can't stop death."
Carter sighed; she had once thought of injecting herself.
But with Steve gone, what was the point of staying young?
But now... fate truly plays tricks on people.
However, Lin Chen laughed.
That smile held an incredibly confident arrogance.
"If others can't stop it, it doesn't mean I can't."
"With me here, death has to step aside."
He shook the syringe in his hand, his tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather.
"The key is, what do you think?"
"Do you really want to stay with your sweetheart, to grow old together, White-haired... oh no, Black-haired until old age?"
"Can you really..."
Carter trembled all over; these words, like a bolt of lightning, split open all the gloom in her heart.
A bright light suddenly burst forth from her cloudy eyes.
Without reason.
An unprecedented flame, named hope, suddenly ignited in her dying body, giving her an indescribable impulse.
This feeling was very strange; it just appeared suddenly.
In the depths of her being, she just felt that this mysterious Eastern man in front of her could do what he said!
He had that aura of turning the impossible into possible.
She looked at Steve.
Steve was also looking at her, his eyes filled with an unyielding tenderness and... a hint of anticipation.
Seventy years of waiting had already made him lose too much.
He didn't want to lose anymore.
If it could really be done... no, as long as he could stay with Carter for a little longer.
No matter the cost, he was willing!
Their eyes met, everything unspoken.
Peggy Carter took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and nodded heavily at Lin Chen.
"Then... I'll trouble you."
The curve of Lin Chen's mouth grew wider.
"It's no trouble at all; it's my honor."
As soon as he finished speaking, he came to the bed, precisely inserted the needle into a blood vessel in Carter's neck, and slowly pushed the light blue liquid in.
The moment the liquid was injected.
His palm swiftly brushed over the lope belt at his waist.
The Horse Talisman and the Dog Talisman lit up one after another.
Two invisible, mysterious energies, like warm tides, instantly enveloped Carter's body.
Of course, he knew that GH-325 was just a catalyst; he didn't expect it to make Carter young again, but merely wanted to use it to activate Carter's cellular activity.
The real effect would come from his Talisman combo.
The Horse Talisman could heal all diseases and injuries.
The Dog Talisman, on the other hand, could bestow Eternal youth and immortality!
Even if Carter wasn't a holder, the combination of the three was enough to allow her to live another lifetime.
And Steve watched all of this, his face growing increasingly excited.
A miracle really happened!
Peggy Carter's body suddenly trembled.
Her aged body was undergoing earth-shattering changes at a visible speed.
Her cloudy eyeballs became clear and bright!
Her head full of silver hair was rapidly replaced by a beautiful mane of brown hair!
The wrinkles and age spots on her face were erased as if by an invisible eraser, and her skin became smooth, firm, and delicate!
Her withered body regained its fullness and vitality!
Almost in the blink of an eye... the old woman, on her deathbed, transformed into a beautiful, spirited, and peerless beauty in her prime!
Time, it seemed, had flowed backward seventy years for her.
"Peggy!"
Steve's voice trembled; he widened his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"You... you're young again!"
Peggy Carter slowly sat up on the bed; she looked down at her hands, which had regained their smoothness, and was completely stunned.
"Quick! The mirror! Give me the mirror from the bedside table!"
Steve quickly handed her the mirror.
Looking at the young, incredibly familiar face in the mirror, a face she hadn't seen in decades, Peggy Carter's tears once again burst forth.
But this time, they were tears of joy.
She suddenly leaped off the bed, barefoot, with a face full of tear streaks, and threw herself into Steve's arms!
"Steve!"
"I'm back!"
The two embraced tightly, as if wanting to meld into each other's bones and blood, to make up for the seventy years that had been stolen.
Lin Chen leaned against the wall, admiring the touching scene, and snapped his fingers in satisfaction.
Done, time to go home.
Matchmaker moon, part-time God, I really am a genius.
Chapter 53 Is this still a human being?
The door clicked open from the inside.
Nick Fury, who had been guarding the door with a tempestuous heart, instinctively straightened his back.
He had mentally prepared himself for anything.
Whether it was Steve's interrogation or Agent Carter's final wishes.
However, the moment he saw the scene inside the door, this battle-hardened King of Agents' brain immediately crashed.
His single eye widened more than a brass bell.
His jaw almost dislocated and hit his shiny leather shoes.
What did Fury see?
He saw Steve Rogers, Captain America, carefully supporting a young and beautiful lady.
The lady had beautiful long brown hair, eyes as clear as water, and a slight post-illness blush on her face, leaning against Captain's embrace like a small bird.
That face... that face was clearly Peggy Carter's youthful appearance!
Fury felt like his Worldview had been run over by a dump truck more than a dozen times.
Oh, Egghead's CPU seems to have burned out.
Lin Chen's heart was calm, and he even felt like laughing.
This shock, for Fury, was no less than personally witnessing Agent Coulson and Agent Natasha holding hands to get their marriage certificate, and then passionately kissing for three minutes in front of him.
No, it was ten thousand times more outrageous than that!
"Lin... Chen..."
Fury's voice was incredibly dry, like rusted gears turning.
He painstakingly turned his neck to look at the instigator.
Lin Chen grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of White teeth.
"Don't be modest, call me a living Lei Feng."
Fury took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, as if to completely release the shock in his chest.
He solemnly gave Lin Chen a thumbs up.
This man constantly redefined his understanding of "possible" with miracles.
Afterward, Fury's gaze turned to Peggy Carter.
He could no longer maintain the demeanor of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, adopting a very humble attitude, even bowing slightly.
"Ms. Carter..."
This address was filled with genuine respect.
Peggy smiled gently at him, a smile that seemed to melt all the ice and snow in the world.
"Director Fury, thank you for finding Steve."
She paused, then looked at her beloved beside her with deep affection.
"Now, I want to go with him to complete a... seventy-year-late date."
"I wonder if you could give him a leave of absence first?"
"No problem!"
Fury answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
"Of course, no problem! Whatever you need, just ask! A car? Security? Or... money?"
Peggy shook her head, burying it deeper into Steve's arm.
"I don't need anything."
Her voice was overflowing with happiness.
"I just want to... quietly be with him."
...He watched the two drive a Chevrolet into the traffic of Washington, disappearing around the street corner.
The expression on Fury's face was still dreamlike.
He turned his head to look at Lin Chen, who was leisurely beside him, a never-before-seen fervor flashing in his eyes.
"That..."
He rubbed his hands, a hint of undetectable flattery in his tone.
"Consultant Lin Chen, you see, I'm not young anymore, constantly working, and my hairline is..."
He pointed to his smooth Egghead head.
"Could you... give me a youth package too?"
Lin Chen looked him up and down.
That gaze was filled with undisguised disdain.
Give it to you?
If I used it on you, what good would this Egghead be, besides becoming darker and shinier?
Wasting my Talisman energy.
The next second, under Fury's expectant gaze, Lin Chen's feet left the ground, and the Rooster Talisman activated.
"Whoosh—!"
He directly transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky, instantly disappearing into the horizon.
Only a sentence lingered in the Wind.
"Dream on."
Nick Fury: "..."
He stood there, looking bewildered.
Did I... did I say something wrong?
...Malibu, Tony Stark's luxurious ocean-view Villa.
Lin Chen walked leisurely into the basement workshop with a slice of pizza.
"Buzz buzz—"
Inside the workshop, robotic arms were tirelessly working, and the air was filled with the smell of scorched metal and circuits.
Tony was wearing goggles, fully focused on operating a laser welder.
After optimization, the brand new Mark X "Symbiote" armor already stood silently on the display rack, its dark red streamlined body full of power and beauty.
And at this moment, Tony was building a brand new contraption.
It wasn't armor.
At least, it didn't look like it.
It looked more like a set of form-fitting... underwear?
Because it was clearly a black vest and a pair of matching shorts.
Yo, is Iron Can changing careers to fashion design?
Lin Chen curiously approached.
"Hey, Tony, are you preparing a surprise for Pepper? Your taste is a bit unique."
Tony didn't even lift his head, saying smugly:
"Open your eyes and look closely, this is the latest invention of two geniuses!"
"Huh?"
Lin Chen looked puzzled.
Tony was already eager to introduce it, his face full of self-satisfied smiles.
"This is for Banner, made of elastic nanofiber material, whose molecular structure can stretch synchronously with muscle expansion!"
"Moreover, it has nano-level 'memory properties'; when Hulk's transformation ends, it can automatically return to its original state! No more worrying about Banner making headlines with his bare butt!"
He put down his tools and snapped his fingers.
The underwear instantly stretched, covering a mannequin like liquid metal, forming a form-fitting black battle suit.
"Most importantly, when Banner doesn't want to transform, this thing can provide all-round protection, giving him the ability to protect himself!"
Lin Chen looked at this "Hulk-brand anti-exposure battle suit" and couldn't help but sigh.
It really is you, Tony Stark.
I just went out for a stroll, and you've already filled the Marvel Universe's perennial huge pit.
What a diligent little bee.
He patted Tony's shoulder, then glanced at Banner, who was adjusting data nearby, and smiled mysteriously.
"Guess what'surprise' I brought back for you two on this trip?"
Tony took off his goggles, looking disdainful, "What surprise could you have? Did you kidnap an alien?"
Dr. Banner also looked up and smiled gently.
Lin Chen held up a finger and shook it.
"Much more explosive than an alien."
Then, he concisely recounted how the oil team discovered the frozen Captain America, and how he rescued him and played matchmaker and God.
After speaking, he looked at the stunned duo with a triumphant expression, "How about that, pretty explosive, right?"
As his words fell, Tony Stark's eyes instantly widened.
He couldn't help but blurt out a curse.
"Holy Shit!"
"Captain America?!"
"He's actually still alive?!"
He slapped his forehead, looking incredulous:
"Lin, you absolutely must let him visit me! I want to study whether this guy is still considered human now!"
Dr. Banner next to him also pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses flickering with intense curiosity.
"It's incredible..."
He murmured.
"Frozen for seventy years without any life support equipment... This completely defies biological common sense."
"His cells... are simply a living miracle!"
Chapter 54 Can he do it?
"This is really interesting…"
Tony stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with the unique fanaticism of a scientist, as if he could already see Steve Rogers lying on his operating table.
"No, I need to make a call and have Fury bring him…"
"Oh, come on."
Lin Chen interrupted him unceremoniously, shoving the last bite of pizza into his mouth.
"The young couple just reunited; don't go spoil the mood."
He clapped his hands, then casually tugged at Dr. Banner's sleeve to wipe off the grease, a meaningful smile on his face.
"Stop staring at one living miracle; I'll take you to see another 'miracle'."
"And… stretch our muscles a bit."
Tony and Dr. Banner exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
"Where to?"
Lin Chen snapped his fingers, saying meaningfully:
"New Mexico."
"Trust me, you'll enjoy the journey ahead."
…New Mexico, late night, pouring rain.
Large raindrops furiously slammed onto the muddy ground, splashing up turbid Water.
"Ha… ha…"
A tattered young man was stumbling and fleeing for his life in the wilderness, his face filled with extreme terror.
He kept looking back, as if some unseen demon was chasing him, ready to devour him instantly if he slowed down even a little.
Rain and tears mixed together, blurring his vision.
"Bang—!"
Suddenly, the young man slipped, crashing into a solid "object," and fell awkwardly to the ground.
It's over!
He's been caught!
Despair instantly gripped his heart.
He hugged his head tightly with his hands, his body curled into a ball, trembling.
However, after waiting for a long time, the anticipated attack did not come.
Instead, a gentle hand reached out to him.
The young man tremblingly looked up, and by the occasional lightning flash that tore through the night sky, he saw the honest, bespectacled face of a man.
The man was looking at him gently, with a hint of concern in his eyes.
"Child, are you alright?"
"What happened? Why are you so flustered?"
The young man was stunned, his brain momentarily unable to react from the fear.
He instinctively grabbed the hand and was pulled up from the mud by a gentle force.
Just then, another lightning bolt tore through the night sky, illuminating the scene behind the man.
The young man saw it.
Behind that honest man, two other people stood.
One was covered in red and gold streamlined armor, the arc reactor on his chest emitting a faint blue light, like a god in the darkness.
The other was a black-haired young man in casual clothes, calmly holding a black umbrella, unperturbed by the strong wind and heavy rain, his clothes not even a bit wet.
The moment he clearly saw the Iron Man armor, the young man's previously dull eyes suddenly burst with brilliant light!
He cried out in surprise, his voice cracking with excitement.
"You… you are… Iron Man?! Tony Stark?!"
"Hehehe."
Tony immediately let out a muffled, smug laugh, elbowing Lin Chen beside him.
Beneath his mask, his face showed unconcealed pride and triumph.
See? This genius's fame is just that high! He's the center of attention everywhere he goes!
He opened his mask, revealing his globally famous face, and winked at the young man.
"That's right, kid, the real deal."
"That's great!"
The young man was so excited he almost jumped, grabbing Tony's Iron Man arm and pleading urgently:
"Quick! Go save Bonita!"
"That bastard, the Corruptor, has taken many hostages in the church in town! He's demanding Bonita's life in exchange!"
Tony raised an eyebrow: "Bonita? Is she your family?"
The young man's lips moved, but he hadn't had time to speak.
Lin Chen, beside him, had already spoken leisurely, his voice clearly cutting through the rain.
"Bonita Juarez, right?"
The young man suddenly turned to look at Lin Chen, his eyes instantly lighting up, as if he had grasped a last straw of hope.
"Yes! That's her! You know her?"
Tony also looked at Lin Chen curiously.
"Lin, who is this? An old acquaintance of yours?"
Lin Chen held his umbrella, shook his head, and began his on-the-spot popular science lesson.
"She is also a superhero, codenamed 'Firebird'."
"Her abilities are quite impressive; she can control Fire, fly at high speeds, even predict the future to some extent, and is immune to most toxins and diseases."
As he spoke, he subtly licked his lips.
A ripple stirred in his heart.
Good heavens, isn't this an old-fashioned hero from last century's comics?
How did she get mixed up with Hulk's future "good buddy" Rick Jones?
The timeline of this Universe… it's a complete hodgepodge!
"Wow, sounds like a formidable character!"
Tony's fighting desire was also ignited the moment he heard his words.
"But what about that 'Corruptor' fellow? What's his background?"
Lin Chen's lips curved slightly upwards as he explained:
"A very tricky guy, real name Jackson Day."
"His ability is mainly to secrete a psychoactive chemical substance through his skin."
"As long as he touches someone, this chemical substance will quickly invade the other person's brain, covering their social inhibition center. Simply put, it destroys a person's morals and bottom line."
"This makes the victim obey him completely, or exhibit extremely selfish, brutal, and irrational behavior."
"Sounds like a super villain through and through."
Tony snorted coldly.
Dr. Banner, beside him, also nodded in agreement.
No one knew the pain of losing one's mind and being dominated by one's inner darkness better than he did.
Lin Chen's gaze, however, fell on Dr. Banner with interest, and he suddenly smiled.
"Actually… this guy, you and Dr. Banner should have quite a connection."
Dr. Banner was startled, pointing to himself in confusion.
"Me?"
Lin Chen didn't explain, but instead winked mysteriously.
"See? I told you coming to New Mexico would be rewarding, didn't I?"
He patted Dr. Banner's shoulder, his tone full of encouragement.
"Perfect, this big bad guy, I'll leave him to you to practice with, Dr. Banner."
"Aren't you also eager to test out this precious suit Tonymade for you?"
Dr. Banner hadn't had time to speak.
The young man beside him was already scrutinizing the mild-mannered Dr. Banner with an extremely distrustful gaze.
He hesitated to speak, his tone full of doubt.
"Him?"
"Can he… do it?"
Before he finished speaking.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Tony immediately burst into a thunderous laugh, bending over with laughter, even his Iron Man armor trembling slightly.
"Kid, you'll soon find out what a… foolish question you just asked!"
Chapter 55 My future self?
Rick Jones's skeptical "Can he do it?" was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg.
Tony Stark's exaggerated laughter was particularly jarring amidst the roaring thunderstorm.
Banner pushed up his glasses with a wry smile, the lenses splattered with rainwater.
He glanced helplessly at the gloating Tony, then at Lin Chen, who had an "I knew it" expression.
"Alright, alright."
"I'll try to... be gentle."
He said, beginning to unbutton his shirt.
Rick Jones was even more confused.
Be gentle?
Take off his clothes before a fight?
Is this guy... really alright in the head?
However, in the next second, all the expressions on Rick's face froze.
"Uh... ah..."
A suppressed growl squeezed out from deep in Banner's throat.
His body began to swell at a visible speed!
The scholarly demeanor was completely gone, replaced by a primal ferocity originating from ancient desolation!
"Crack! Crack!"
The sound of bones popping made one's scalp tingle.
His casual shirt instantly tore apart from his expanding muscles, turning into flying scraps of cloth.
But his dark pants and vest showed astonishing elasticity.
Tony's specially made elastic nanofiber stretched with the insane expansion of his leg muscles, clinging tightly, perfectly preserving Dr. Banner's last bit of dignity.
"Hulk brand anti-exposure battle suit, you deserve to own it."
Tony was still there, proudly promoting his product.
But Rick couldn't hear him at all anymore.
His pupils, due to extreme fear and shock, had shrunk to pinprick size.
He watched with wide eyes as the honest Dr. Banner's skin turned from white to green, and his size exploded from 1.8 meters to nearly three meters.
That was no longer a person!
That was a moving, green mountain full of destructive power!
A true... monster!
"Hehe, look how scared this kid is, his jaw is almost on the floor."
Tony was absolutely delighted.
He had the expression of someone who enjoys watching a spectacle.
On the way here, the three had discussed finding some villains for Banner to practice on, testing the new battle suit's adaptability from different angles.
This was also why Banner didn't hesitate to transform into Hulk.
"Roar!!!"
Then, an earth-shattering roar tore through the rainy night.
The violent sound waves transformed into a physical Shockwave, shaking the surrounding mud and Water into the sky.
Rick Jones's legs went soft; if Lin Chen hadn't quickly supported him, he would have collapsed in the mud.
The young man's mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make any sound, his mind a blank.
The green giant lowered his head, his bell-like eyes burning with pure rage, locking onto the nearby church.
"Hulk, try to be gentle."
Lin Chen's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Hulk's ears.
"Don't tear down the church, the girl inside is one of us."
Hulk let out a muffled growl in his throat, which served as a response.
Immediately after, he bent his knees slightly.
The next second.
"Boom!!!"
The ground suddenly sank.
The ground beneath Hulk's feet instantly cracked, and a huge crater appeared out of nowhere.
And his massive body, like a green intercontinental missile, tore through the rain curtain, shooting towards the church with unparalleled oppressive force!
The few lonely wild trees along the way were directly snapped in half by the strong wind generated by his jump.
"Wow, cool!"
Tony whistled, engine jets emitting dazzling blue light, following closely into the sky.
"We should follow too."
Lin Chen said to the stunned Rick.
"Follow... follow? How do we follow?"
Rick stammered, feeling his Worldview had been crushed countless times in just one minute.
Lin Chen smiled, but didn't speak.
He just snapped his fingers.
The power of the Rooster Talisman instantly activated!
Rick only felt his body lighten, and he floated uncontrollably, half a meter off the ground.
"Ah ah ah ah! I can fly?!"
The young man let out a pig-like shriek.
"Stop screaming, be a little braver, you're a future nuclear bomb."
Lin Chen flicked his forehead.
Then, holding an umbrella, he walked leisurely ahead, while Rick, like a human balloon pulled by an invisible rope, followed behind him in terror.
The scene was quite comical... Inside the church.
A pale-faced man with purple lips, wearing a worn leather jacket, was tightly constricting a red-haired girl's neck with his arm.
He was "The Corruptor," Jackson Day.
The girl was "Firebird," Bonita Juarez.
Inside the church, there were also a dozen townspeople, their eyes unfocused, with strange smiles on their lips, surrounding Jackson and Bonita like puppets on strings.
They had all been corrupted by Jackson's ability.
"Give up, Firebird!"
Jackson's face was filled with a morbid fanaticism.
"Your Fire won't work on me, and your precognition can't save you! Soon, the entire world will be at my feet..."
"Boom!!!"
However, before he could finish his boast, a loud bang interrupted him.
The heavy oak church door, along with half of the wall, was directly blasted inward with the most violent method!
Wood splinters and bricks flew everywhere.
A massive, green figure, silhouetted against the light, appeared at the doorway, radiating immense rage.
Jackson froze.
The corrupted townspeople also froze.
"What... what the hell is this?"
A hint of astonishment flashed in Jackson's eyes, but was immediately replaced by greed.
He could feel the terrifying power contained within that green monster!
If... if he could corrupt this monster... he would be invincible!
"Big guy, come here!"
Jackson licked his chapped lips, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"Become my strongest puppet!"
Hulk completely ignored him; he only remembered Lin Chen's words.
Save that girl.
He took large strides, each step making the entire church floor vibrate violently.
"Can't communicate..."
Jackson's eyelid twitched, and he immediately changed his strategy.
He directly let go of Bonita, and then flashed towards Hulk, pressing his withered hand firmly onto Hulk's calf, which was thicker than his waist.
Psychoactive chemicals, secreted wildly!
The corrupting power, enough to instantly destroy a saint's moral bottom line, surged into Hulk's body like a tide!
Then... it was like a stone sinking into the sea.
Not even a bubble appeared.
The sneer on Jackson's face froze.
"No... impossible!"
"Why... why aren't you reacting?!"
What was in Hulk's mind?
A moral bottom line?
No!
There was only an endless, raging ocean of anger!
Not only that, the elastic battle suit covering Hulk's calf also blocked a portion of the toxins from entering.
Jackson's remaining corrupting power, even if it did penetrate, couldn't even make a small ripple; it was instantly evaporated by the lava of rage!
"Roar?"
Hulk lowered his head, looking curiously at the little insect that dared to touch his leg.
Then, he raised his fist, as big as a cooking pot.
"Hulk..."
"Hate bugs!"
"Boom—!!!"
The fist, with a sonic boom that tore through the air, smashed down fiercely.
Jackson didn't even have time to scream; he instantly turned into a black Shadow, like a baseball hit, smashing through the church's back wall and disappearing into the pouring rain outside.
One punch.
Instant kill.
The entire church instantly fell into a deathly silence.
As Jackson fell unconscious, the fanaticism in the eyes of the corrupted townspeople quickly faded, and they all collapsed to the ground in a daze.
"Nice job, big guy."
Tony's Iron Man suit descended from the sky, landing steadily at the church entrance, giving Hulk a thumbs up.
Lin Chen also walked in leisurely, bringing the still-floating Rick with him.
"Bonita!"
As soon as Rick landed, he immediately rushed to the red-haired girl and hugged her tightly.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Rick."
Bonita weakly patted his back, comforting him.
Then, her gaze passed over Rick's shoulder and landed on Lin Chen, who was holding a black umbrella.
Her body stiffened, and then her eyes became incredibly complex and profound.
As if she had seen incredible scenes, piercing through time and space.
"I saw..."
Bonita's voice was a little hoarse, with a slight tremor.
She pushed Rick away and walked towards Lin Chen step by step, her eyes filled with awe and confusion.
"In my precognition..."
"I saw a... Dark Throne seated upon the Shadow."
"And you..."
She looked up, directly into Lin Chen's eyes, and said word by word:
"You were sitting on it... I saw many corpses..."
Lin Chen stood silently, holding his umbrella, listening.
The future me?
"That's interesting."
This generation's Firebird can actually foresee such fragments of the future?
Chapter 56 You must be an upright person
The air seemed to solidify.
Tony's brow furrowed slightly under his faceplate, and even Banner, who had just returned to human form and was weakly gasping for breath, cast a puzzled look.
Dark Throne?
Corpse?
What was all this about?
Lin Chen's smile, however, remained unchanged; he closed his black umbrella, and the rain seemed to consciously avoid his body.
"Your ability is quite good."
He praised her casually, as if Bonita's words weren't about a horrifying future, but merely a compliment on the day's good weather.
"To see fragments of the future is a very rare precognitive ability."
Bonita was taken aback by his nonchalant attitude; the many questions she had prepared suddenly got stuck in her throat.
"He… who are they?"
She could only subconsciously change the subject, looking at the Iron Man in the red and gold armor and the frail Doctor who had just reverted to human form.
"Oh, let me introduce you."
Lin Chen turned sideways, like a party host.
"This is Tony Stark, Iron Man, you've probably seen him on TV, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, and… a walking trouble magnet."
"Hey! That last part was superfluous!"
Tony opened his faceplate in dissatisfaction, revealing a handsome face, and even winked at Bonita.
"This is Doctor Bruce Banner, the big green guy just now was his… uh, other side."
Dr. Banner smiled apologetically, pushed up his glasses, and nodded at Bonita.
"On the news… I've seen you all."
Bonita's eyes were filled with shock.
She might not have heard of Banner, but Tony Stark's name was probably known by few people in the world.
She just hadn't expected Iron Man to appear in their remote little town?
She took a deep breath, her gaze turning to Lin Chen again, her eyes filled with even deeper reverence.
Anyone who could command such important figures was definitely no ordinary person.
"This isn't the place to talk, if you don't mind… would you all like to come to my house for a while?"
"Of course."
Lin Chen readily agreed.
Bonita nodded and turned to deal with the aftermath.
She first gently comforted the townspeople who had just recovered from their corrupted state and were still shaken.
Her voice carried a peculiar soothing power that quickly calmed the people.
Then, a faint golden Fire ignited around her, and she soared into the air, transforming into a streak of light, flying in the direction where Jack had been sent flying.
A moment later, she flew back with a corpse that was no longer human, its bones shattered, and casually tossed it into the mud in front of the church door.
"He's already dead," she said calmly.
Lin Chen looked at the pile of rotten flesh, his heart unperturbed.
This was the Marvel World; a villain who was arrogant one moment could become a puddle of flesh the next.
Survival of the fittest, an eternal truth.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Coulson, it's me."
"Taos Town, I'll send you the coordinates. A guy called the Corruptor was accidentally killed by Hulk, and there are a dozen mentally controlled civilians who need to be dealt with."
"Yes, we're all here. Send people over as soon as possible."
After hanging up, Lin Chen looked at Bonita.
"Let's go, take us to rest first; don't worry about the follow-up."
"Okay…"
Bonita nodded.
Then, under her guidance, the group of five walked through the muddy streets and arrived at a two-story house with a Mexican flair.
The door opened, and a middle-aged woman in an apron was visibly startled when she saw the few people behind Bonita, especially the Iron suit.
But with Bonita's explanation, her family quickly accepted these "heaven-sent" guests and offered them the warmest hospitality.
A long dining table was laden with tacos, burritos, nachos, and various fragrant dishes whose names they didn't know.
"Try this, it's my mother's specialty."
Bonita handed a golden-brown chicken roll to Lin Chen.
"Thank you."
Lin Chen took a bite; the taste was indeed good.
He looked at Bonita and asked casually, "By the way, when did you acquire your abilities?"
Bonita was eating salad in small bites and didn't hide anything when she heard the question.
"About a year ago."
"I was on a graduation trip in the desert when I accidentally saw a meteor fall from the sky."
"When I found the meteor, I fainted as soon as I touched it, and after I woke up… it was like this."
Lin Chen nodded inwardly.
Indeed, it was similar to the origin in the comics.
Meteor radiation mutation, simple and crude, very U.S..
At the other end of the table, Rick Jones, who had fully recovered from his fright, was secretly observing Dr. Banner with a gaze mixed with admiration, curiosity, and a hint of fear.
He hesitated for a long time but finally couldn't hold back.
Banner happened to hand him a burrito.
"Thank you, Doctor"
Rick took the burrito and mustered up the courage to ask.
"Uh… how did you do it?"
Dr. Banner paused, "Do what?"
"Just… turning into that, that big green guy!"
Rick gestured, seemingly unable to find the right adjective.
"Is the process… very painful?"
Hearing this question, Tony couldn't help but prick up his ears.
Banner smiled wryly and shook his head.
"It was caused by a gamma ray experiment accident."
"I don't feel anything during the transformation because, at that time, I'm not the one in control of the body."
"You could say that Hulk and I are two independent personalities living in one body."
"Wow…"
Rick's eyes lit up as he listened.
"Then you must be very strong, right? I can feel… Hulk has very, very powerful strength!"
Banner smiled noncommittally, not responding.
Rick, however, fell into deep thought, muttering to himself:
"If only I had that kind of power too…"
"That way, the next time I encounter danger, I won't have to just run away with my head in my hands."
The young man's unwillingness and longing were evident.
Lin Chen, who had been silent all this time, suddenly laughed.
"Don't worry."
"You will."
Rick suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly bursting with astonishing light.
"Really?!"
"Really."
Lin Chen nodded.
The future A-Bomb, one of Hulk's good friends, how could he not have power.
However… Lin Chen looked at Rick's expectant face, and a mischievous idea suddenly popped into his head.
The smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an extremely serious and profound expression.
"But, Rick."
He said in a deep voice, in the tone of an elder instructing a junior.
"To become a superhero, you can't just seek power."
"You must remember one thing…"
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Rick was stunned; he looked at Lin Chen's eyes, which seemed to contain endless philosophy, and lowered his head thoughtfully, engraving these words deeply into his heart.
Tony, next to him, twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to laugh but not daring to, stifling it with great difficulty.
Only Dr. Banner glanced at Lin Chen thoughtfully.
And Bonita, upon hearing these words, her gaze towards Lin Chen instantly changed.
Before, it was awe and confusion; now, it was filled with solemn respect.
So… so he wasn't some Dark King.
This was a guide with noble beliefs and upright character!
That phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility," struck her heart like a sacred utterance!
"I can feel that you must be an upright person."
Bonita put down her knife and fork and solemnly said to Lin Chen.
"Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, and you… important people like you wouldn't come to New Mexico just to vacation in our little town."
"If there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask."
"I, Bonita Juarez, am at your service."
Chapter 57 He is indeed God
Lin Chen looked at Bonita's face, which was full of 'going through fire and water,' and smiled slightly.
"Don't rush."
His voice was very soft, but it carried a peculiar sense of calm.
"You'll have your chance to shine."
"For now..."
Lin Chen glanced around the cozy little house, filled with the scent of everyday life, and stretched lazily.
"Just consider it a vacation."
...
Over the next few days, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cleanup crew quietly handled everything in the town, as if nothing had ever happened.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen, Tony, and Banner truly acted like tourists, wandering around the exotic land of New Mexico.
The scorching sun, the vast desert, traditional adobe houses, and unique shops lining the streets, adorned with strings of dried chili peppers.
Everything seemed so... untouched.
"Hey, Bruce."
Tony lowered his voice and nudged Dr. Banner with his elbow.
"Don't you think... this town is a little strange?"
Dr. Banner pushed up his glasses, a bit puzzled: "Strange?"
"Look at that guy selling pottery over there."
Tony gestured with his chin towards a street stall.
A dark-skinned young man was humming a song while gently tracing his finger across the clay of a pottery blank.
And where his fingertip passed, exquisite and intricate totems emerged as if automatically carved from nothing.
"And the owner of that barbecue shop."
Tony pointed to another direction.
A plump middle-aged woman was grabbing roasted meat directly from a pile of fiery charcoal with her bare hands, without even a trace of a burn on her skin; instead, she was smiling radiantly.
"My Jarvis scanned the area, and there are at least ten similar... super-powered individuals in town."
Tony's voice was filled with astonishment.
"Ten! Do you know what that means?"
"And they're just living here openly, no one calls the police? No one treats them like monsters? No one even gives them a second glance?"
This completely overturned Tony Stark's understanding of the world.
Dr. Banner looked at this scene, a hint of nostalgia and relief in his eyes.
"I used to live in the desert here for a while to avoid General Ross."
He explained softly.
"It's different here than in New York, Tony."
"Most of the residents here are descendants of Native American tribes and early Spanish immigrants; they worship nature and revere the gods."
"In their eyes, whether it's wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, or these innate special abilities, they are all gifts from Heaven."
"They wouldn't even call these children Mutants; in their view, that would be disrespectful to the gods."
Banner paused, then spoke a word.
"They like to call these people, 'Favorites of the Gods.'"
Tony fell silent for a rare moment upon hearing this.
He looked at the genuine, heartfelt smiles on the faces of those with 'gifts' and couldn't help but marvel.
"That's just... incredible."
He felt that his understanding of this country was still too limited.
In any other U.S. state, let alone Mutants daring to open shops and do business like this, even a gun-wielding robber appearing on the street would instantly make headlines and cause public panic for days.
But here, they lived so freely, so naturally.
It was completely at odds with Mutants in other states.
Then, Tony's gaze finally settled on a spot not far away.
Lin Chen was standing in front of a Native American stall, adorned with dreamcatchers and feather ornaments, curiously playing with a roughly carved wooden sculpture.
The sunlight fell on him, making him appear somewhat lazy.
Tony finally couldn't hold back; he strode over.
"I say, Lin."
"The sightseeing experience is over, isn't it?"
"What exactly are we waiting for here? We can't really be here just to experience Native American culture, can we? I'm getting bored out of my mind!"
Lin Chen heard him, took out his phone from his pocket, and checked the date.
"Don't rush."
He placed the wooden sculpture back on the stall, a mysterious smile on his face.
"To see a good show, waiting a few more days is worth it."
Tony rolled his eyes: "A good show? What kind of good show could there be in this godforsaken place? An alien invasion?"
Lin Chen's eyes instantly lit up.
"Something like that."
He carefully chose his words, then slowly uttered a sentence.
"Indeed, we are waiting for an alien."
Tony's expression instantly froze, then he looked at Lin Chen with an expression that suggested he was looking at a madman.
"Huh? An alien?"
"You're saying an alien wouldn't go to the White House, wouldn't go to New York, wouldn't go to S.H.I.E.L.D., but would specifically travel to this remote, impoverished corner of New Mexico?"
"What's in it for him? Does he like the tacos here?"
Tony questioned him with an absurd look.
"What's so special about him? Is he a god or something?"
The smile on Lin Chen's lips grew wider.
He raised his hand and, facing Tony, gently snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
"Congratulations, you got it right, but there's no prize."
"He is indeed, and considers himself to be, a God."
Tony's mocking expression instantly stiffened.
Dr. Banner, standing nearby, also suddenly looked up, staring at Lin Chen in shock.
"Wait... you mean..."
Dr. Banner's voice was a bit dry.
"In this world... there really are Gods?"
Lin Chen looked at the shocked expressions of the two top scientists before him, faces that screamed 'my worldview has been eaten by a dog,' and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, you two really should buy a mirror and look at your expressions right now..."
Teasing these two geniuses really was uncommonly satisfying.
He deliberately straightened his face and, with a tone of disappointment and exasperation, said mournfully:
"Look at you two, one a physics genius, the other a biological giant with seven Doctor degrees."
"We told you to study hard and broaden your knowledge, but one of you insisted on blacksmithing, and the other on farming!"
Tony: "?"
Banner: "?"
Both genius brains crashed simultaneously, their faces filled with question marks.
You have the nerve to call us academic failures?
Who gave you that confidence?
Seeing their frustrated expressions, Lin Chen cleared his throat, finally no longer playing coy.
"Alright, alright, since you asked, I'll give you two a crash course in this area of knowledge."
"Actually, Earth does not exist alone; it is enveloped by a cosmic model called the 'world Tree,' whose branches connect nine different realms."
"Each realm represents a civilization."
"Our Earth, in the language of these alien civilizations, is called 'Midgard.'"
"And at the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, there is a golden, resplendent Asgardian Palace..."
"Its name is 'Asgard.'"
Chapter 58 Visitors from the Air
"Asgard?"
Dr. Banner's lenses reflected a sharp glint, his brain working at lightning speed.
Clearly, Lin Chen's story made him feel a sense of familiarity.
"That sounds... very much like Norse mythology."
Lin Chen shrugged noncommittally.
The expression on his face was like a teacher holding the answer key, watching two students who were weak in certain subjects scratch their heads in frustration.
"You could say that."
"Myths are merely crude depictions by mortals of powerful beings they cannot comprehend."
"And the Master of Asgard is none other than the Allfather, Odin, from Norse mythology, whom you all know."
"Pfft—"
Tony Stark nearly choked.
"Odin?!"
"That one-eyed old man who rides an eight-legged steed and keeps two ravens?"
"You're saying he's real? And he's an alien?!"
Tony felt his CPU was about to burn out.
The amount of information was more explosive than the first time he built the Arc Reactor.
This was literally a real-life mythological advent.
Lin Chen nodded approvingly, as if saying, "You're finally catching on."
"So, the alien you said was coming, he's from Asgard?"
Tony pressed, his eyes full of absurdity and curiosity.
"It can't be Odin himself gracing us with his presence, coming to this backwater to experience life, can it?"
Lin Chen shook his head, the mysterious smile on his lips growing deeper.
"It's not him."
"But, it's closely related to him."
He paused, speaking each word distinctly, like a magician on stage revealing the final mystery.
"It's his eldest son, the future heir to the throne..."
"Thor, the God of Thunder."
"Thor..."
Tony and Banner simultaneously chewed on this word, full of power and divinity, their expressions a colorful palette, like a spilled paint tray.
Tony wanted to ask more questions, like "Does he use a hammer called Mjolnir?" or "Is he a muscular blond man?"
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Lin Chen's movements suddenly freeze.
The relaxed ease on Lin Chen's face vanished instantly.
He looked up, his gaze like lightning, suddenly shooting towards the southwestern sky.
His eyes were focused and sharp, as if piercing through the endless firmament, seeing sights that mortals could not glimpse.
"What's wrong?"
Tony and Banner also subconsciously followed his gaze.
But they only saw a clear, cloudless blue sky to the southwest.
The sun was still scorching, and the air was filled with the scent of dust and cacti.
"There's nothing there?" Tony frowned.
He even stood on his tiptoes, cupping his hands into a telescope shape to gaze into the distance, but the result was still that everything was normal.
However, at the end of Lin Chen's sight.
That azure sky, like a delicate piece of glazed glass, was being forcibly cracked by an invisible, immense force.
A colossal vortex, interwoven with emerald green and golden light, was tearing through space, appearing out of thin air!
It was like a giant eye slowly opening in the depths of the Universe, full of splendor, mystery, and majesty.
Immediately after.
A dazzling speck of light, like a meteor, was "spit" out from the center of the vortex, plummeting towards the ground with an unstoppable momentum.
He's here!
Lin Chen's heart was calm, and he even felt like smiling a little.
Bifrost delivery, mission accomplished.
It's just that the landing method... is a bit rough.
He looked towards the southwest, a dismissive curve forming on his lips.
"Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives."
He withdrew his gaze, clapped his hands, as if announcing the opening of a good show.
"Tony, Bruce, don't just stand there."
"Let's go, to Puente Antiguo, to watch the show."
Tony looked bewildered: "Cao Cao? What Cao Cao? Who is that?"
Lin Chen completely ignored this historically illiterate person.
The next second.
He flashed, instantly appearing beside Dr. Banner, grabbing his shoulder with one hand.
The speed of the Rabbit Talisman and the levitation power of the Rooster Talisman activated simultaneously!
"Whoosh—!"
The two instantly turned into an indiscernible afterimage, soaring into the sky, leaving a straight white contrail in the air, flying rapidly towards the southwest!
Leaving only a stunned Tony Stark, eating a mouthful of dust on the spot.
"Hey! Fuck!"
"When did he get so fast?"
Tony looked at the figure that had almost disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye, muttering a curse incredulously, but his actions were no less swift.
He suddenly raised his wrist and quickly tapped his wristband.
"Jarvis! Follow that bastard!"
"Yes, sir."
As soon as he finished speaking, the trunk of an SUV not far away suddenly popped open.
A dark red stream of light shot into the sky, emitting a piercing whooshing sound!
Unlike the traditional Mark series Iron Man suits.
This suit was like a living mass of liquid metal, rapidly deforming and extending in the air, like a bloodthirsty beast, accurately pouncing on Tony!
"Swish!"
The Symbiote Armor instantly covered Tony's entire body, its sleek lines outlining the muscular contours full of power, and dazzling blue plasma flames shot out from his soles and palms.
"Boom—!"
The next second, Tony Stark shot up from the ground, following closely behind, chasing Lin Chen's trajectory at a terrifying speed exceeding the speed of sound... Meanwhile.
The small town of Puente Antiguo in southwestern New Mexico.
The originally peaceful and harmonious afternoon was completely shattered by cries of alarm.
All the residents, tourists, and even those special ability users referred to as "children of the gods" who were strolling the streets, all stopped what they were doing.
They all looked up in unison, gazing at the sky with shock on their faces.
They saw a colossal, sky-obscuring colorful vortex slowly rotating in the azure sky above them.
The sight was like a miracle, and also like the end of the world!
"What... what is that?!"
"Is God showing himself?"
"Holy crab, is this a mirage?"
People discussed animatedly, some even pulling out their phones to frantically record, wanting to capture this apocalyptic celestial phenomenon.
And just then... a dazzling pillar of light suddenly shot out from the center of the vortex.
It trailed a long fiery tail, like a falling sun, streaking across the sky, plummeting directly towards the desert outside the town with a thunderous crash!
"Boom!!!"
With a deafening roar.
The entire ground trembled violently, as if a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake had occurred.
Outside the town, a giant mushroom cloud of dust instantly soared into the sky!
Many people were swayed by the Shockwave of the blast, nearly falling to the ground.
Everyone's eyes were wide with disbelief.
After a brief moment of dead silence, the crowd instantly erupted!
"My God! A meteor, a meteor has fallen!"
"Damn it, I forgot to make a wish."
"Keys? Where are my keys?! Bring them to me quickly, this must be a valuable big one!"
Countless busybodies' eyes gleamed, their adrenaline surging.
They frantically rushed to their pickup trucks, SUVs, or Harley motorcycles, started their engines, floored the gas pedal, kicking up clouds of yellow sand, vying to rush towards the Shockwave site.
Afraid that if they were even a little slower, they wouldn't get a good spot.
Chapter 59: Falling from the sky?
The desert outside the small town of Puente Antiguo.
The sky-high dust had not completely dispersed, and the air was filled with a scorched smell from high temperatures.
"Boom!"
Two figures suddenly tore through the air, crashing heavily onto the soft sand, kicking up two high waves of sand.
Lin Chen landed steadily, his posture elegant, without a single wrinkle on his clothes.
But Dr. Banner, beside him, was not so lucky.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he collapsed as if his bones had vanished, softly kneeling.
"Ugh..."
Dr. Banner held his knees, took off his glasses, and vomited the Mexican burrito he had eaten last night mixed with stomach acid, throwing up until the world spun.
His gentle face was now as pale as paper, covered in cold sweat, looking even weaker than after three days and three nights of continuous experiments with Tony.
Lin Chen took two steps back in disgust, pinching his nose, a speechless expression on his face.
"No way, Bruce?"
"How is your physical condition getting worse and worse?"
"Were you drained by those passionate Latin ladies in Taos Town a while ago?"
"Ugh... Don't... Don't say it..."
Banner was seeing stars from vomiting, feeling like the entire world was spinning.
He waved his hand intermittently, gasping for breath.
"Lin... Your... Your speed... Too... Too fast..."
"My body... is a bit... unable to bear it..."
"Hmm?"
Lin Chen was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
Too fast?
He subconsciously lowered his head to look at the ancient lope belt around his waist.
In the twelve talisman-embedded grooves, the Rabbit Talisman, representing super speed, emitted a faint, almost imperceptible, ghostly blue light.
Oh right... Lin Chen slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing.
From Taos Town, where the Bifrost was discovered, to this impact point, the straight-line distance was over a thousand kilometers.
He had carried a person, and it seemed... he had only flown for a little over ten minutes?
Converting this speed, hadn't it already broken through Mach five?
Holy cow!
A ripple stirred in Lin Chen's heart.
The speed of the Rabbit Talisman had, unknowingly, become stronger again?
Was it because of the improvement in his physical condition that the power of the talisman was also being unlocked synchronously?
He was a bit puzzled but felt a secret thrill.
His confidence had increased significantly.
Little did he know.
At this moment, high in the sky, hundreds of kilometers away.
A dark red stream of light was frantically chasing at its maximum speed of Mach three. Inside the armor, Tony Stark's forehead was already covered in cold sweat.
"Jarvis! Report target location! Where did that bastard fly to?!"
"Sir, according to energy residue trajectory analysis, the target lost its trace three minutes ago. We... lost him."
"F***!!!"
Tony's roar echoed in the sealed helmet.
"What did he take?! He's faster than a jet! This pervert doesn't even know to wait for me!"
...Tony's frustration was naturally unknown to Lin Chen.
Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care.
Outside the desert impact point at this moment.
Dr. Banner directly sat down on the scorching sand, panting heavily, feeling like his soul was about to be flung out of his body.
"Lin... Let me... Let me rest for five minutes..."
"I swear, I never want to experience that a second time..."
Lin Chen chuckled upon hearing this and clapped his hands.
"No need for five minutes."
"Because we are already here."
He extended a finger, pointing to the huge crater nearby, enveloped by a massive Shadow and swirling dust.
Banner looked in the direction he pointed.
In the center of the huge crater, amidst the swirling sand, the outline of a hammer appeared faintly, quietly embedded in a protruding pile of crystallized sand, emitting an indescribable ancient aura.
Dr. Banner's pupils suddenly constricted, and he was completely stunned.
"That... That is... Thor?"
He pointed at the hammer, his voice somewhat stammering.
"How... How is it a hammer?!"
Lin Chen patted his shoulder, his expression like he was looking at a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
"The hammer is the hammer, the person is the person."
"You rest here for a bit. I'll go look around nearby to see where the Master of the hammer was thrown."
With that, Lin Chen turned and walked around, muttering to himself.
Something's not right.
According to the movie plot, Thor should have been kicked down by Odin before the hammer.
But now the hammer had arrived, and there was no sign of him.
And... he looked up at the scorching sun in the sky.
The timeline was also a mess.
In the movie, it was clearly night, and Jane Foster drove and hit Thor directly.
Now, in broad daylight, where would he find a car to hit him?
Could it be that his appearance had caused some butterfly effect?
Just as Lin Chen was pondering the plot deviation... Dozens of kilometers away, on a road in the small town of Puente Antiguo.
A dilapidated van was creaking along.
Inside the car, astrophysicist Jane Foster was excitedly waving data charts at her two companions.
"Look! Darcy! Erik! I told you my theory was right! That astronomical anomaly just now was definitely an Einstein-Rosen bridge!"
In the passenger seat, her intern assistant Darcy Lewis was bored, scrolling on her phone, and rolled her eyes upon hearing this.
"Come on, Jane, that thing was probably just a weather phenomenon, or some rich guy launching a super rocket."
In the back seat, the gray-haired Doctor Erik Selvig also smiled helplessly.
"Jane, I think we should find a place to settle down first, then set up equipment in the desert tonight. Everyone is tired..."
"Alright, alright..."
Jane put away the blueprints with some disappointment.
However, no sooner had she finished speaking.
"Bang!!!!"
An earth-shattering bang, as if some hundred-ton object had fallen from the sky, smashing heavily onto their car roof!
"Creak——"
All the tires of the van instantly burst, and the entire car body suddenly sank!
"Crash, crash, crash..."
The next second, all the car windows, front, back, left, and right, instantly shattered into a sky full of fragments.
The car roof, moreover, was deeply dented in an exaggerated arc.
"Ah!!!"
The three people inside the car were instantly dizzy and suffered from tinnitus from the sudden impact, all screaming in terror.
"Car accident! We had a car accident!"
"Jane, I told you not to chat while driving. How much will this cost now?"
Darcy held her head, her voice trembling.
"Quick! Get out of the car!"
The three scrambled out of the deformed car door, looking at their almost scrapped van, still in shock.
But when they saw the "culprit" on the car roof, all three were dumbfounded.
They saw a man... a man with a sturdy build and muscle lines as perfect as an ancient Greek sculpture... a naked man, not even wearing underwear... lying on their dented car roof, clutching his head, struggling to sit up.
"Ugh..."
The man let out a painful groan, seemingly still unclear about the situation, and with a roll, he fell from the car roof to the ground with a "thud."
Jane, Darcy, Erik, three people, six eyes, just stared intently at the naked man on the ground.
A huge question mark simultaneously appeared on the foreheads of all three.
Where did this man... come from?!
They subconsciously looked around; there were only low-rise bungalows, and even the few two-story buildings had their doors and windows tightly shut, with no high-rise buildings at all.
Immediately after, they simultaneously, slowly raised their heads and looked at the cloudless, azure sky.
An utterly absurd thought simultaneously emerged in the minds of the three.
He... couldn't have fallen from the sky, could he?!
Chapter 60: Rebellious Thor
On the highway of the desert town, the air seemed to solidify at that moment.
Jane, Darcy, and Erik, six eyes in total, stared intently at the naked man who had fallen from the sky, their brains collectively crashing, for a moment forgetting to breathe.
The scene was incredibly awkward.
It was Darcy, with her biggest heart and thickest nerves, who first broke the eerie silence.
"Oh my!"
She slapped her thigh, like Columbus discovering a new continent, her eyes sparkling with a mix of gossip and excitement.
"A naked muscular man! A live one! Jane, I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Click! Click!"
As she spoke, she had already pulled out her smartphone with lightning speed, and without even turning off the flash, she frantically pressed the shutter, aiming at the perfect male physique on the ground.
"Hahaha… I need to record this quickly, his body is too amazing, isn't it?"
"Darcy!"
Doctor Erik Selvig finally recovered from his shock; he grabbed Darcy's still-photographing hand, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of exasperation and the concern of an elder.
"What you're doing is very impolite, and…"
He quickly stepped forward, immediately squatted down, and cautiously extended a finger, first checking Thor's breath, then gently lifting his eyelid to examine his pupil.
A few seconds later, he let out a long sigh of relief, but his brows furrowed even tighter.
"Thank goodness, he's not dead; his breathing and heartbeat are strong, he's just unconscious."
Erik stood up and said to Jane seriously, "Jane, no matter who he is or where he came from, he fell from such a height; we must take him to the hospital for a full check-up immediately!"
However, Jane Foster seemed not to have heard him at all at this moment.
Her gaze was completely captivated by the man on the ground.
His bronze skin, under the scorching desert sun, seemed to be coated with a layer of golden honey oil.
The bulging muscle lines exuded an explosive sense of power, every inch as if meticulously calculated, perfect like a deity stepped out of ancient Greek mythology.
This… this was simply the pinnacle of human art!
As a scholar and an adult, Jane should have been more reserved.
But she just couldn't help but stare at him.
All rational analysis was shattered by an inexplicable, primal attraction upon seeing this physique.
She inexplicably reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, wanting to touch that firm chest to verify if this was an illusion.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch that hot skin… the man on the ground, his tightly closed eyes, suddenly opened!
Jane's body trembled.
What kind of wild yet bewildered eyes were those?
Deep like the azure ocean, but now swirling with a storm, carrying an innate majesty and vigilance.
"Swish!"
Thor's reaction was as fast as lightning; he grabbed Jane's wrist, with such force that Jane couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Immediately after, using Jane's arm for support, he shakily stood up from the ground, his tall figure casting a huge shadow that enveloped the three of them.
He looked around, the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by agitation, like a child who couldn't find his way home, muttering in an ancient and pure accent:
"Is this… Midgard?"
The next second, this Asgardian Prince, who had just been so imposing, suddenly started anxiously pacing in circles like a naughty child abandoned by his parents in a supermarket.
"Father!"
He suddenly looked up at the cloudless sky and let out a thunderous roar.
"Father! I know I was wrong! Let me go back!"
"Heimdall! You bastard! Open your eyes and look! Open the door for me! Do you hear me! Where is the Bifrost!?"
Jane, Darcy, and Erik looked at each other, their eyes clearly conveying one thought:
"Oh no, did this guy hit his head and go crazy?"
"It's over…"
Erik clutched his forehead, a look of profound distress on his face. "It looks like it's not just his body; his brain was definitely damaged from the fall. He's already talking nonsense."
"I think so too."
Darcy nodded in agreement.
Then, she cautiously pointed at Thor's bare body and whispered a suggestion:
"But, before we send him to a mental hospital, shouldn't we… find some clothes for him to wear first? People are already gathering around and watching."
As she said, the huge commotion had already attracted the attention of many busybodies in the small town; people were pointing and discussing animatedly.
At the same time.
Dozens of meters away, on the roof of a two-story building.
Two figures appeared silently like ghosts: Lin Chen and Dr. Banner, who had just recovered.
Lin Chen had already sensed the immense energy fluctuation when Thor landed, and he used the power of the Rabbit Talisman to instantly teleport Banner to this optimal "viewing platform."
"See, Bruce."
Lin Chen patted Banner's shoulder, pointing at the naked man below who was surrounded by the crowd and shouting at the sky, a playful smile playing on his lips.
"I told you the Master of the hammer wouldn't be too far."
At this point, he himself was a bit confused, rubbing his chin and muttering:
"But… why isn't he wearing clothes? It wasn't like this in the movie, was it? Did Odin not even leave his son a pair of shorts? That's too stingy, isn't it?"
Dr. Banner pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses filled with a daze and disbelief.
He stared at the strong man below, who was full of vigor and vitality, but whose mental state seemed a bit off, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
He murmured, "This… this is… the Prince of Asgard, Thor?"
"Hmm…"
Banner pondered for a moment, then managed to say, "His entrance… is certainly unique."
As he spoke, he turned to look at the relaxed Lin Chen and asked doubtfully, "Lin, are we just going to watch? Aren't we going to help?"
"What's the rush?"
Lin Chen waved his hand, his expression as if watching an interesting stage play.
"Didn't you notice? This is a classic case of rebellious adolescence syndrome."
"A rebellious brat, thrown into the countryside by his worried old man for a transformation program, hoping to teach him a profound lesson."
He paused, smiling like a cat that had stolen fish.
"The show hasn't even started yet. If we, the main characters, appear now, wouldn't we steal their thunder?"
While the two were "watching the show" on the rooftop, the plot below was developing rapidly.
"I'll get some clothes!"
The highly proactive Darcy had already darted back to the almost-wrecked van, digging out a bright yellow windbreaker from the trunk that she kept as a spare for desert winds.
Holding the clothes, she cautiously approached Thor, who was still roaring.
"Hey! Big guy! Quiet down! Put this on first!"
Thor was currently in a state of anger and panic from being banished, and he couldn't hear the words of a mortal.
He suddenly waved his hand, and a gust of wind directly pushed Darcy into a stumble.
"Don't touch me! You mortals!"
"What… the f*ck!"
Darcy was also provoked by his action; as a girl who grew up in New York, she wasn't one to have a good temper.
"You're really taking advantage, aren't you!"
She cursed angrily, then, with a backhand, pulled out a black, flashlight-like object from her satchel.
It was a high-power Taser she had specially bought online for self-defense.
"Taste this!"
Darcy roared, charging forward and pressing the switch directly against Thor's sturdy side.