"Professor, is it really appropriate for you to do this?"
Artoria did not know that an 'acquaintance' was involved in this matter; if she had known, she definitely would not have failed to take it seriously. The name Jane was perhaps only most familiar to Thor in Marvel. At this moment, Jane was speaking with an ugly expression to the two middle-aged men beside her. Her best friend was driving. These two men were archaeological experts she had met two months ago, but they seemed to have been targeted by some force, implicating her good friend (the man from Thor 1), who had also been captured. Their only demand was to unlock the secret on a stone tablet. Looking at the appearance of the stone tablet, it seemed to be related to Thor's world, but Thor was not on Earth now, so Jane had no way to ask him for help. In order to save her friend, Jane could only assist the two Professors with their work.
It just so happened that they had found a very useful clue, only for it to be bought by someone else. After making many inquiries, they finally found this place, but there were too many eyes watching the location where it was stored. The actions of these two people also gave her a shock; they went straight to robbing the place, which she found hard to accept. As a citizen with a very good reputation, she had her own moral bottom line. Even if it was to save her friend, they should have used other methods! Like stealing... ah, phooey! Like taking it.
"We have no choice. We don't have much time left, and they are definitely capable of doing what they say. Our families are currently in their hands. You know the name of this organization, don't you? Didn't they just make big news a while ago? Ms. Jane."
Facing Jane's questioning, the thinner doctor said helplessly. There was a reason they were risking their lives like this. If they didn't solve this mystery within a certain time, then their families would be in danger. Time was extremely tight; there was no time to worry about other things. Now that they had the item, they could continue their research. They needed to find a secret place. They hadn't taken any money; although they would be wanted, no one would care about them if the bounty wasn't high. The most important thing was to hurry up and research.
"We need to go to the outskirts; I have a laboratory there. We must be fast. I am very worried that they will lose patience and shorten the time. Don't forget that Hydra is never a charitable organization."
The calm-faced Professor spoke up to stop the argument. Now they really had no time to dwell on these small matters. If he didn't solve the task handed to him by the other party, his lovely daughter's youthful life would forever remain at thirteen. He pointed out the location of his laboratory, hoping to solve the mystery faster to save his family, but he was still worried deep down. Would Hydra really keep its promise? Would they really return his family to him safe and sound? Thinking of this, a trace of worry flashed across the Professor's face, but he had no other choice now. The Hydra matter was too big; if an accident happened, it didn't matter if he died, he was just afraid that something would happen to his family.
"We need to hurry."
Since the two had said so, Jane wasn't a true saint to dwell on these small things. She told her best friend who was driving to speed up, as at least there wouldn't be so many surveillance cameras once they were out of the city. After hearing Jane's words, her friend nodded and pressed the accelerator to the floor. Their car sped out of the city. Artoria and Nick had not expected Hydra to act suddenly. According to Hydra's previous style, they shouldn't have come out to show their faces after such a big incident.
In fact, over the years, Hydra had long since split into several factions. Their 'heads' were all different. Alexander, Madam Hydra, and the Baron had already acted, and there was another snake lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity. Just like their motto: cut off one, and two will grow back. Alexander's subordinates had already been absorbed in secret. This time, they didn't know which snake was threatening Jane and the others, but their goal was definitely not anything good. Just like that, a small robbery case—because the other party didn't use firearms and no property was lost—was ignored by everyone. It was just the loss of a decorative item. It was just like throwing a stone into the ocean, very inconspicuous.
"Thor, where exactly are you?"
In the speeding car, Jane prayed to her hero. Unfortunately, Thor was busy drinking, and even if he wasn't drinking, he didn't have the ability to listen to others' prayers and couldn't come to Earth to help Jane. In such a difficult and life-threatening time, it was normal to think of her boyfriend as her support, but Jane was a very self-reliant woman. After collecting herself, they arrived at their destination. The two Professors ran inside quickly, and Jane followed to help. Only her best friend was left behind, changing the car's license plate and spraying the car body with paint. Although it wasn't very professional, the white car turned black and was passable. This kind of awareness was quite surprising. Did they often steal cars? Why were they so skilled?
"These are the photos I took. You should be able to translate the text on them. Please, Ms. Jane, we need to study the 'key' described in this document."
As soon as Jane entered the laboratory, the two Professors entered a research state. The thinner Professor took out a stack of photos and handed them to Jane, telling her where the book was stored and asking her to find it herself and translate it. What was this thing used for? What kind of story did it have? Jane accepted it without a word and hurried to the side to study how to translate these characters. Although she studied astronomy, some ancient scripts were connected to astronomical studies. For example, Egyptian hieroglyphs were the most representative. So, she could still translate some of the characters. If the translation didn't go smoothly, there were two Professors nearby she could ask!
"The world... The world Serpent Jörmungandr. Legend has it that this snake is the second of the three children born to Loki, the God of destruction and disaster, and the giantess Angrboda. The body of this world Serpent Jörmungandr will encircle the entire Nordic world, its mouth biting its Tail, head and Tail connected, symbolizing Eternity. When Ragnarok arrives, it will stir up terrible waves, fight against Thor, start the doomsday war, and finally perish together with Thor!"
Spending nearly four hours, she didn't even touch the few cups of coffee her best friend had brought over. At this moment, she was like possessed, analyzing the ancient text and translating it completely. When the meaning connected into a story-like passage, Jane's face showed astonishment. Why would this ancient text record Thor's affairs? And why would Thor die due to the interference of this snake? All of this made Jane feel incredible. What was going on?
"What's wrong with you? Jane."
Seeing her good sister holding a book as if possessed, the young girl patted Jane's shoulder worriedly, wanting to bring her back to her senses. After patting her more than a dozen times, Jane finally came to her senses. This made the young girl heave a sigh of relief. One good friend had already been captured; if this good friend had any mental problems, she would really have no friends left.
"I'm fine."
With an ugly expression, Jane comforted her best friend. Her mood at this moment was very complicated. Thinking about it carefully, she believed that this matter was simply impossible. She believed in science and rejected superstition. After all, aliens had invaded New York, and there were alien princes. The abilities they used were also products of science; after all, their civilization level was many times higher than Earth's. This could not be denied. As for the names, it was just a coincidence of having the same name. Jane comforted herself like this, but she always felt that this matter might be true. Although there was no basis, a woman's intuition told her that this matter definitely had something to do with Thor.
"Have you finished translating it? Ms. Jane."
The two had studied the so-called 'key' almost thoroughly. They had taken out a map from it and had confirmed that this place was located in the North Pole glacier. There was also something like a crystal, but they didn't know what it was used for. They found Jane, hoping to find the answer in those ancient texts.
"It's finished."
Holding a very lucky mentality, Jane told the two Professors and her best friend the results of her translation. This story, which was like a prophecy, was confusing, but since there was a result, they had to take these things and appease the hot-tempered Hydra first. Thinking of this, one of them picked up the phone and dialed the contact information left by the other party. Jane's anxiety became even more severe.
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