"The rumors about Hydra are actually true. They don't keep their word at all."
Jane's best friend followed Jane and hid behind a rock. The two of them were quite clever; before meeting Hydra, they made an excuse to go to the bathroom and hid. The two Professors couldn't wait to see the leader of Hydra. After handing over the answer, these guys not only didn't keep their promise, but instead killed one of the two doctors. That gunshot already explained everything; these guys never intended to fulfill their promise. As for why they left the other Professor, only one guide was needed. The more people there were, the more it increased the risk of exposure. How long had it been since Hydra occupied Washington? Now Hydra was hated by everyone, and they knew their situation. So, in order not to increase the risk of exposure, the guys who knew the truth had to be silenced forever.
Facing such a situation, Jane and her best friend covered their mouths and hid, not daring to get any closer. Even if they wanted to save people, they had to ensure their own safety first. Since Hydra didn't intend to fulfill its promise, Jane could only pin her hopes on S.H.I.E.L.D. Fortunately, she had had contact with them. That man who smiled as gently as an Aunt had given her his contact information. Because of material and instrument problems, although she didn't like them, fortunately, she hadn't forgotten the other party's contact information.
"How can you be so untrustworthy?"
Just as Jane and her best friend had guessed, the thin Professor, holding his good friend's corpse, looked angrily at the leader in front of him. These guys had agreed to release the people, so why did they suddenly take out their guns and shoot directly without hesitation? The thin Professor saw it very clearly; this guy didn't even blink, as if it were as easy as breathing air. Such a guy was definitely a murderous maniac, and he didn't know how many people's blood was stained on his hands.
"We never promised anything, Professor. It was you who took it for granted. Only one guide is enough. Think clearly, your family is still waiting for your reply."
The leader put away his gun and said expressionlessly, then waved to his subordinate on the side. The subordinate immediately took out a tablet computer and placed it in front of the thin Professor. The thin Professor, in helpless anger, looked at the video connection on it. His wife and daughter were tied up, and there were soldiers walking back and forth with guns nearby. Although they were dressed differently from the ones in front of him, it was certain that they were also Hydra people. The image of his family was right in front of him, and their lives were being threatened. The thin Professor took off his glasses, closed his eyes, and fell into powerless pain. The heart that had just risen to fight to the death was instantly extinguished. He now clearly knew that these guys in front of him might not keep their promise, but he had no choice. He could only blindly comfort himself, maybe they had discovered their conscience!? Perhaps they would let his family go. With this thought, the thin Professor wiped his glasses with his clothes, put them on, and nodded to the leader, indicating that he agreed.
"There are also two chicks who didn't appear here. Do you think we should..."
After the Professor agreed, he was taken away by them. Just as the leader was planning to leave as well, a subordinate realized that there were still two women. So he said to the leader, meaning, should they go and hunt down these two women? Hearing this, the leader frowned. He had also forgotten about the two women. After all, their main goal was the two Professors, to let them solve the mystery and find the legendary treasure.
"No need. If we are fast, we can transfer the treasure before S.H.I.E.L.D. acts. Let's set off now."
"Ms. Jane, are you sure you're not joking?"
Just as Phil was enjoying some sweet time with his dearest Captain, he received a call from Jane. Although the signal on the other end was poor and there was some static, Phil definitely understood the word 'Hydra'. Since this name had appeared, it was no laughing matter. Everyone believed that Hydra would not appear before the world again in the short term, yet here it was, popping up again so soon. This made Phil doubt the authenticity of the matter. After all, there had been many guys on the internet recently spreading rumors, saying Hydra had appeared here or Hydra's army had been seen there. S.H.I.E.L.D. had hurried to investigate, but they all turned out to be hoaxes by people looking for clout. Although they paid the price by going to jail, S.H.I.E.L.D. had spent a lot of manpower and energy on it. There were still many guys who would spread false intelligence just to get famous. That was why Phil was so cautious when he received Jane's call, hoping this lady knew what she was doing. If she couldn't find the so-called 'Hydra', this young lady would likely be spending some time in prison, or perhaps she would be rescued by her boyfriend who wore a red cape and carried a big hammer.
"Although I find you very unpleasant, at least I can tell the difference in this matter. Please have S.H.I.E.L.D. deploy immediately, thank you. Also, please rescue the families of the two archaeology Professors. I will send you the address immediately, including our current location. As for their purpose, we will talk when we meet. It must be fast."
Although Jane was very angry at being questioned like this by Phil, and even said the 'truth', for the sake of survival and to solve the Professor issue and stop Hydra's conspiracy, Jane hurriedly explained the situation and requested Phil to rescue the families of the two Professors. This made Phil realize that this was not a joke, so he could only look at the Captain regretfully, apologize to the Captain, and run to the side to call his black-hearted, dark-faced boss, Nick Fury.
"Two Quinjets, plus fifty Level 5 Special Agents, and two Level 7 Special Agents."
After briefly reporting to Nick, Nick agreed to the operation, but the number of people Phil requested almost made Nick spit out a mouthful of old blood. A flash of anger crossed his one eye. You gay, you actually want so many people, are you trying to rebel? Are you trying to kill me? There are so many things for S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with right now, where would I get so many people for you to use? And you want two Level 7 Special Agents? Why don't you go to heaven! Have you been with the Captain for too long lately, feeling a bit carried away? Besides, the people you take out have never been brought back in one piece by me.
"One Quinjet, twenty Level 5 Special Agents, one Level 6 Special Agent. That's it."
Directly stating his bottom line, Nick hung up the phone. This made Phil on the other end of the line reveal a bitter smile. The Director was still so stingy, and he had even cut his request in half, which was really helpless. But he was an old boss he had followed for so many years, so Phil had long known what Nick would do, which was why he had raised the projected staffing requirements so much. Phil nodded with satisfaction; this matter did not exceed his expectations. If Nick had agreed, Phil might have thought this was a fake Director. After adjusting himself, Phil called another guy, and soon a Quinjet appeared in front of Phil.
"Sharon, the Director actually sent you over."
The moment he stepped onto the fighter jet, Phil looked at the beautiful woman in front of him in astonishment. Isn't this Sharon? How could he have sent this girl over? But on second thought, there was nothing wrong with Sharon coming here. Her Aunt was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and they were destined to be mortal enemies with Hydra. It made perfect sense to have Sharon come over to hunt down the remnants of Hydra. There was no one more suitable than her, and the other party was also a Level 6 Special Agent, although she had only recently been promoted.
"Mr. Phil, we should get going."
Facing Phil's somewhat rude inquiry, Sharon did not blame him. After all, her status was here; it was somewhat similar to being a second-generation official, only she was a second-generation Special Agent. Even the Director had to give her some face in the bureau. This made Sharon feel that her efforts were seriously insulted, but other people's opinions were their own; she just needed to do her best. This was what she had learned from Artoria. After Artoria's guidance, she no longer cared about what others thought of her. As long as her ability was strong enough, no one would think she was just a person who used connections and went through the back door in the future. Having figured this out, Sharon did not care about Phil's words, but instead reminded him not to waste time.
"Let's go, to the destination..."
Embarrassed, he rubbed his nose. Phil also knew he had been rude, but the other party didn't seem to mind, which made him feel better. So, he took the cue from Sharon and hurriedly gave the order to depart, though he thought to himself that this child had indeed grown up. With his order, the fighter jet flew rapidly into the distance. They did not know what kind of test was waiting for them.
"Something big happened."
Wearing warm clothes, Phil, with Sharon and the others, began to head toward the destination under Jane's guidance. Unexpectedly, before they even reached their destination, the ice surface began to shake, and huge cracks bloomed on the ice. Phil and his team didn't dare to move. The vibration was fast, but what happened next made Phil and his companions widen their eyes, their jaws dropping to the ground. A snake head as large as a mountain suddenly rose from the ground, and its long body began to coil. The giant snake's head, with its huge golden pupils, released a silver light that made people shudder. Phil was considered lucky; the unfortunate ones were Hydra and the thin Professor. They had inadvertently triggered the seal, liberating the world Serpent Jörmungandr from its confinement, and tragically became its rations. Although Jörmungandr did not actively hunt, when it opened its head-sized mouth and took a breath, this group of guys all entered Jörmungandr's mouth and became snake dung.
Regardless of what his companions thought, Phil quickly dialed a familiar number and shouted this, leaving Nick on the other end full of question marks. What happened? What big thing happened? Tell me what happened! Nick's heart was full of desire to complain, but facing the person executing the mission, Nick held back the urge to complain. After all, they were working so hard, so it was appropriate to vent a little. As long as the mission was completed, they could settle accounts later.
"The ancient text was correct. This snake is the second of the three children born to the God of destruction and disaster, Loki, and the giantess Angrboda, the world Serpent Jörmungandr."
Phil, who was communicating with his superior, did not notice Jane's muttering. If he had known, he would probably have let Jane talk to Director Nick to have a good chat about this monster. Jane looked at Jörmungandr's huge body, feeling like she had lost her mind. She never thought that an ancient prophecy could actually manifest today. Everything made Jane feel magical, and even her established worldview felt a bit shaky. But the next moment, she thought, if this prophecy was true, then Thor might die in a fight with this monster, and that might also become a reality.
Jane instantly began to worry about her 'boyfriend' who was still eating, drinking, and playing with friends in Asgard. In her heart, she prayed to God that this matter would not come to pass. Whether her prayer would work, she didn't know, but many powerful beings knew that God in Marvel had long since kicked the bucket. It was questionable whether Heaven even existed, so Jane's prayer was in vain. When she was praying, Jörmungandr was coiled on the glacier, motionless. It seemed that it had not fully awakened yet. It did not care about the gaze of Phil and the others not far away. After a while, its brain, which was still groggy after being sealed, finally returned to normal. The light revealed in its huge eyes was brighter than before, and the cold and massive violent energy erupted from its body. The monstrous hatred made it roar angrily at the sky.
"Odin~! Asgard! Destruction!"
Three words suddenly came out of that huge snake mouth. Black liquid flowed out of Jörmungandr's mouth and dripped onto the ice surface, instantly corroding the ice and revealing the sea. The surface of the sea began to float with dead fish of all sizes, showing just how toxic the liquid coming out of the snake's mouth was. Its voice was loud, shaking everything around like thunder drums. Phil and his companions were shaken to the ice by the sound, only Jane covered her ears in pain.
After Jörmungandr said these three words, its head extended upward, and its huge body left the ground and flew toward the sky. Such a scene stunned Jane, whose ears were still buzzing. It could actually fly. Watching the figure like a pillar reaching the sky quickly leave the glacier, Jane endured the discomfort brought by Jörmungandr's voice just now, took Phil's phone, and dialed his superior again.
"No need to say anything, Phil, I've already seen it."
How could I not see it? Such a big guy, do you really think I'm blind! After connecting the call, Nick said this and hung up, completely unaware that the person on the other end had changed. Nick's one eye stared straight at the video sent by the satellite. It was a giant python-like behemoth. At this moment, a huge black hole suddenly opened in front of this behemoth. The giant python didn't hesitate at all and dived straight in. It seems it opened it with its own power. Such a powerful monster was definitely not something people on Earth could deal with right now. Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to have any interest in Earth and didn't do anything, just walked away. This was the greatest stroke of luck in misfortune!
"Oh no, this guy has broken the seal."
At this moment, such a big thing happened on Earth, and the powerful people on Earth, regardless of their motives, felt that something was wrong. The most intuitive one who could feel it was Gaea. How could she not know what Odin had done on Earth? She could even recall exactly what Jörmungandr looked like when it was sealed. Now that this irritable Beast had broken the seal, this was a really big deal. Although this matter had nothing to do with her, Gaea knew that once Jörmungandr broke the seal, it would definitely go to Asgard to seek revenge on Odin. If Odin failed, this guy might push over the world Tree, and then the Nine Realms would all be destroyed. This was not a good thing. Thinking of this, Gaea's face turned dark, because Earth was her main body, and she could not leave Earth, otherwise her strength would weaken. Although she could sneak attack when Jörmungandr left, she really did not want to fight Jörmungandr on Earth. That would be bad for her!
"What's wrong? Suddenly feel like something terrible has come out? Do you know what it is? Gaea."
Artoria had also entered the level of the strong, and could intuitively feel the powerful aura brought by Jörmungandr's seal breaking. This made Artoria very curious about what kind of thing had come out. Seeing Gaea's face so ugly, it was obvious that Gaea knew what this seal-breaking guy was. Mordred was crying with fear from the aura. After all, she was a child. Sometimes children's senses are much more sensitive than adults'.
"It doesn't hurt to tell you. This guy is called Jörmungandr. It is a very strange creature. It seems to be the opposite of Asgard. It is like a mortal enemy to Asgard. Every time Asgard is reborn, it has to go and trouble Asgard. Perhaps Ragnarok has arrived, and Jörmungandr has also broken the seal. This can also be considered fate!"
Watching Gaea coax the child while listening to Gaea's narrative, Artoria was very confused. How come in Gaea's narrative, Asgard seemed to have been destroyed several times, and every time there was this guy called Jörmungandr going to make trouble, tirelessly destroying Asgard. This news was incredible. This was the first time Artoria had heard of this. She cast a curious look at Gaea, signaling her to continue. Facing Artoria's gaze, Gaea smiled slightly, put Mordred in the rocking chair, and after coaxing her to sleep, Gaea took Artoria's hand and instantly came to the place where Jörmungandr had broken the seal.
"These guys are courting death."
After arriving here, the first thing Artoria saw was the wreckage of an airplane with the Hydra logo. In an instant, she guessed most of the whole thing. Regarding Hydra's behavior of courting death all over the world, Artoria could only spit in disgust and followed behind Gaea, walking into the huge glacier. Except for the big hole knocked out by Jörmungandr, Artoria could see the destroyed seal wreckage below, and those Rune runes that had lost their effect were still showing their presence on the ice.
"This matter was still caused by the Celestials, but Odin also bears part of the responsibility. Back then, he was young and vigorous, wearing the Destroyer armor blessed by the Gods, and went to war with the Celestials. Although this war seemed to be a victory for the Celestials, it also made them see the powerful strength of the Asgardians. This was not a good thing for them. Faced with such a situation, the Celestials made a decision, that is, Odin and Asgard must be eliminated..."
Standing in front of the Rune runes that had a strong sense of presence, Gaea began to tell the cause of this incident. Back then, old man Odin was powerful and young, and gave the Celestials a big slap in the face. Such a slap was too loud, and the Celestials didn't want to lose face, right? So some of the Celestials decided to retaliate against Odin and clean up Asgard. Although all of this went very smoothly, the Celestials obviously did not expect that Odin would find a new solution, to survive in the midst of death, just like wild grass. After being pulled out this year, it would continue to grow next year.
"The gears of fate are turning once again! Jormungandr."
Sitting upon the throne of the God-King, Odin opened his closed eye, a golden light shooting out from his single eye. He already knew that Jormungandr's seal had been broken. Would he be able to lead the gods through this Ragnarok? At the thought, a sense of powerlessness washed over him. Had the world Tree sapling not shown him the hope of escaping this damned cycle, he likely would have given up by now and left the matter to his descendants. Following the example of Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One and leading a life of spiritual dimensional travel seemed like it wouldn't be bad, but it felt a bit like setting his son up for failure.
"Thor, your life-and-Death tribulation has arrived. What should I do?"
Rising from his throne, Odin had long known that Jormungandr's arrival meant his son Thor might die in this battle. This was something even Odin had no solution for, unless someone could become Thor's substitute and fight this battle in his stead; otherwise, Thor had a ninety percent chance of dying. In fact, his previous punishment of Thor was partly intended to find someone who could take over the God of Thunder's destiny, but unfortunately, Loki had disrupted those plans.
With a sigh of fatherly love, Odin walked out of the temple. Looking at the assembled Asgardian elites, Odin raised his weapon, the divine spear gungnir. Instantly, the Asgardian elites clad in golden armor knelt to the ground, offering their loyalty to their great God-King. This included Thor and the others standing at the front; even as the King's son and the First Prince, he had to salute the King—that was the rule. Odin's single eye glanced at Thor before shifting his gaze. He looked around at all the elite warriors, his heart filled with pride. This was the empire he had conquered.
"The Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr, is coming here to fight us to the Death. My brave Asgardian warriors gathered here—! Are you afraid?"
In a typical pre-battle mobilization, Odin's eyes looked deeply at the rows of kneeling Asgardian elites. His tone held no questioning, sounding like ordinary speech, yet it was filled with profound confidence. It was as if all of this were merely dust before him that could be settled with a single breath. Odin's attitude filled the Asgardians with confidence; in their minds, their God-King was invincible.
"Asgard is invincible! XN"
Hearing Odin's encouraging words, Thor—who was Odin's son and whose head was filled with nothing but muscle (hot blood)—was the first to stand up, shouting loudly while holding his Mjolnir. Following Thor's lead, the Asgardian elites stood up in unison and followed Thor in shouting the rhythmic slogan. A towering battle intent soared into the sky above Asgard, and the people of all Asgard began to cheer. When it came to fighting, the martial Asgardians had never feared anyone.
"The Celestials! I really can't figure them out."
In contrast to the Asgardians preparing for war, Artoria was calmly listening to Gaea talk about the Celestials. Although Gaea only knew a part of it, it was enough to make Artoria sigh with emotion. So the Celestials had done so many great things! Of course, some things were very ridiculous, but one could not deny the strength of the Celestials. Artoria's initial contempt for the Celestials had vanished. To become a powerful existence in the Universe, the Celestials must have some real skill. Although they were beings that were torn apart by Thanos and other powerful villains in the comics, this was reality, and it wouldn't play out according to the comics.
"Someone is coming, let's leave!"
After finishing her explanation, Gaea sensed living beings rapidly approaching. She walked up to Artoria, grabbed her hand, and spoke. Gaea's words brought the dazed Artoria back to her senses. Artoria nodded to Gaea, and the two vanished from the place where Jormungandr had been sealed. Soon, a shiny black Nick Fury appeared on the glacier. Looking at Phil and a group of people on the ground, he fell into deep thought. What exactly was going on here?
"Wake them all up."
With such a big event happening, how could he let these guys sleep peacefully? Nick Fury directly ordered his men to forcibly wake up the people on the ground. Using some unknown method, an Special Agent managed to wake Phil and the others. Before Nick could even ask anything, these guys all ran to the side and started vomiting. They had been knocked unconscious by Jormungandr's roar, and their heads were still like mush. Fortunately, they had been far from Jormungandr, so the power of the sound had weakened. Even so, it was a great stroke of luck that they hadn't died on the spot. Being dizzy and nauseous now was considered a very good outcome; those with weaker constitutions would have been vibrated to Death long ago.
"Director, I... bleh!"
The first to regain some consciousness, besides Jane, was Phil, followed by Sharon. Two others had yet to wake up. Seeing her superior's dark face, Sharon couldn't help but vomit again. This made Nick Fury's already dark face even darker. He knew there was a reason, but someone vomiting just from looking at your face didn't feel particularly good for anyone. To understand the situation at the time, Nick eventually had to endure it. He turned his gaze toward Phil. Perhaps due to years of training, Phil was slightly better off than Jane; he had already adapted to the dizzy sensation.
"Something... big... happened, Director."
I know something big happened, just tell me what it is! At this moment, Nick even wanted to disregard his image and grab Phil by the throat to make him hurry up. Taking a few deep breaths, Nick calmed down slightly. If it weren't for the fact that this guy hadn't recovered yet, he really would have done it. Forget it, he'd wait a bit longer. After waiting for five minutes, most of Phil's discomfort had subsided. He still felt unwell all over, but it was no longer that severe.
"Speak, Special Agent Phil."
Seeing that Phil had mostly recovered, Nick stared with his large eye and questioned him. If you don't finish your story, I'll send you to Siberia to dig potatoes. Having been partners for so many years, Phil understood Nick's meaning. Except for matters involving the Captain that could make him lose his judgment, Nick was usually very smart. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Phil began to tell Nick what he had learned from Jane.
"Asgard again?"
After listening to Phil's account, Nick's brow furrowed deeply. There hadn't been many incidents involving Asgard on Earth, only two in total, but both were major events. The man who called himself the God of Thunder, named Thor, dropped a hammer here, which resulted in a high-firepower robot appearing and causing a small town in Mexico to be vaporized. The second time was this God of Thunder's brother, a guy named Loki, who brought a group of aliens to invade Earth, causing massive losses in New York. Now Nick had a headache regarding Asgardian matters, believing that anything related to Asgard was trouble.
"Let's head back first. We'll investigate."
Now that he understood the situation, Nick let the group go back to rest. After all, he wasn't a monster; how could he make employees work while they were unwell? Next, he would go to the site where the seal was broken to see if there was anything he could take back to report and shut the mouths of those politicians. There had been enough annoying things lately, and Nick didn't want to add more. Honestly, he was afraid he might die from overwork. Recently, that girl Stacy had been doing very well and was worth training; perhaps she could take over his current position. Currently, only Hill and Stacy were capable of being his successors; he wouldn't consider anyone else for now.
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