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*****
"..."
Feny was speechless for a moment before shaking his head. "I was teleported to an alien planet. I can't exactly tell you where that place is, but anyway, it's very, very far away."
"Also, you'd better find Loki as quickly as possible. He has an alien army at his disposal. If he uses the Tesseract to open a portal, you'd better start preparing for war!"
Hearing Feny's words, the expressions of both Nick Fury and Clint Barton shifted instantly. Recalling Loki's earlier threats, they couldn't help but imagine the catastrophic state the Earth would be in if he actually succeeded.
"Why were you teleported to another planet in the first place, and how did you get back? Why were you with Loki?" Nick Fury asked, his mind flooded with a massive pile of doubts.
"That cube didn't like the look of me, so it played a dirty trick on me. As for why I came back with Loki, it's because he's the one who activated the stone. I just hitched a ride."
Listening to Feny's vague and evasive answers, Nick Fury frowned. However, he understood that the priority right now wasn't prying into Feny's personal circumstances, but recovering the Tesseract.
"Issue a global manhunt for Loki. Notify Hill and prepare to initiate maximum combat alert!" Nick Fury barked several orders at Barton. Once finished, he looked at Feny, who was already heading for the exit, and couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"
"Home, obviously!" Feny replied over his shoulder, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The situation is this dire, and you're going home?" Nick Fury asked, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
"Opening a sustained portal isn't that easy. Besides, it won't be too late to contact me once you actually find him." Feny sighed and continued, "I've been away from Earth for half a year. What's wrong with wanting to go home first?"
Fury frowned and contemplated for a long time before finally compromising. "Fine. I'll go gather the team first. Stay in touch at all times. Is your phone still working?"
"Yes!" Feny nodded.
This made Barton, who hadn't left yet, look back with a flash of surprise. It had been half a year—how on earth did the phone still have a charge?
Nick Fury, meanwhile, was thinking even deeper. From the fact that the phone was still functional, he even wondered if the alien planet Feny had visited possessed a highly advanced civilization.
Feny didn't actually walk out of the base. Instead, he found a deserted corner and immediately used a portal to return home, unable to wait a second longer.
Looking at the familiar surroundings of his room, Feny was overcome with nostalgia. Judging by how tidy the house was, Skye had clearly been cleaning it regularly during his absence.
Seemingly hearing the noise of his return, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door. Then, the door swung open, and a pleasantly surprised Skye appeared before his eyes.
"Feny!"
Skye lunged forward and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
Feeling Skye's intense emotion, Feny gently patted her back and comforted her. "I'm back. Didn't I have the Teacher tell you already? I'm fine."
"Speaking of that..." Skye released him, looking angry as she began to lecture. "It was bad enough when you were messing around on Earth, but now you've started running off to alien planets! Aren't you afraid that one day the whole universe won't be big enough to hold you?"
"Then I'll just switch to a different universe!" Feny replied with a grin. Looking at the fuming Skye, he gently pinched her cheek and asked, "Has everything been okay while I was gone?"
"Mostly." Skye nodded, then shook her head before continuing. "Except for Mom and Dad. I didn't tell them you were stranded on another planet; I just said you were busy."
"Got it." Feny nodded, not minding Skye's deception. After all, telling his parents would only cause them unnecessary worry.
"What were you actually doing? Were you really stuck on an alien planet?" Although the Ancient One had told her the news, she still harbored a seed of doubt until this very moment. Now that Feny was back, she could finally confirm it.
"Well, how should I put this... a certain stone thought I was too handsome and wanted its friends to get a look at me, so it unluckily teleported me to another planet." Feny gave her a brief, simplified version of the events.
"A stone!?" Skye stared at Feny blankly. "Have even stones started mutating now? How did it 'look' at you? Why would a stone think you're handsome?"
"Beautiful faces are all the same, but an interesting soul is one in a million." Feny shrugged and sighed. "Perhaps my handsomeness has already permeated my very soul, so much so that even a stone can sense it."
"..."
What should have been a moving reunion scene now left Skye feeling slightly speechless. However, seeing that Feny was still the same as he had always been, she felt a profound sense of relief.
"By the way, pack some things later. You should go stay at Mom and Dad's for a few days."
Hearing this, Skye, who still had a mountain of questions, froze. "Why?"
"New York won't be very safe for the next few days. It's better if you aren't here." Although he was certain the Battle of New York wouldn't be lost, Feny felt there was no need for Skye to stay.
"Not safe?" Skye looked at him in confusion.
"There might be an alien army invasion!" Feny hesitated for a moment but decided to tell her the truth. Once it happened, there would be no hiding it anyway, so it was better to let her prepare in advance.
Hearing that things were escalating toward an interstellar war, Skye was stunned. Fortunately, her experiences over the last few years had toughened her up, so she wasn't completely overwhelmed.
"Is it because of you?" Concern flooded Skye's face again. It was only natural for her to think so—Feny had just returned from space, and now an invasion was imminent; anyone would link the two events.
"No, it has nothing to do with me." Feny shook his head. He had been stranded on Vormir, while Loki was bringing Thanos's subordinates, the Chitauri. There was no connection between the two whatsoever.
"Then are you leaving too?" Skye looked at him. Although it was a question, she felt she already knew the answer.
"I have to stay and help."
Feny's answer didn't surprise her, so she said, "Then I'm staying too!" Seeing Feny frown as if to refuse, she quickly added, "My abilities have improved a lot lately. I can definitely be of help."
"No!" Feny was firm in his refusal.
Truth be told, Feny didn't doubt whether Skye could help. If she were given a safe vantage point, she could probably tear a Chitauri mothership apart.
But just because she could help didn't mean it was necessary. Given Skye's low defensive capabilities, a single stray bullet could leave her critically wounded or worse. He wouldn't trust anyone else to protect her, and if he had to protect her himself, it would be better if she didn't get involved at all.
"Why not?" Skye asked indignantly.
Feny didn't want to tell her that her defense was too weak and that her presence would be a burden, but he couldn't find a better reason. So, he looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Because I don't want you to get hurt."
(End of Chapter)