Harvey had no interest in playing the superhero. He cast a magical shield and flew straight through the hail of bullets.
He landed inside the factory.
Scanning his surroundings...
The first thing he felt was a bone-chilling cold; the temperature was at least seventy degrees below zero.
In the center of the factory was a five-meter-high, ten-meter-long spatial rift.
Hideous frost monsters were pouring out of it.
Many three-meter-tall Frost Giants were roaring and charging out, wielding metal axes with heavy, thumping steps.
Harvey frowned and searched for Jane's exact location.
His sharp gaze finally landed on a familiar phase meter lying on the ground in the southeast corner.
He hurried over.
Sure enough, an invisible spatial pull emerged beside the device.
Harvey didn't resist, letting the force drag him into a gloomy alien dimension.
Entering the dimension, he raised his guard to the maximum and scanned the area thoroughly.
He soon found Jane Foster, in her white shirt, unconscious beside a rough, empty stone altar.
"It seems the original plot hasn't changed too much. Jane, the unlucky woman, has been parasitized by the Aether after all."
Staring at the faint red glow radiating from her, Harvey looked thoughtful.
He had expected this, so he wasn't surprised.
If he had wanted the Infinity Stone early, he wouldn't have let Jane continue her research at the factory.
So now, it was just a matter of waiting for Jane to wake up, and for Thor to descend out of concern for his girlfriend.
Then he could hitch a ride to Asgard.
That was right: Harvey's goal wasn't just the Aether; he also wanted to go to Asgard to learn Runic magic and increase his strength.
He had set this plan over six months ago.
The development of his upgraded spells was becoming slower and slower, hitting a bottleneck recently.
So Harvey intended to learn more magical systems, hoping to use that knowledge to break through the bottleneck.
Now, the critical moment had finally arrived.
Harvey waited patiently for five minutes.
Jane groggily woke up, opening her eyes to the empty dimension.
Recalling something, she scrambled to her feet and fumbled around, trying to leave this godforsaken place.
Suddenly, Jane looked up at the ceiling.
The dimension had just shuddered.
"Spatial tremors? Why now?"
Harvey, hidden in the shadows, was stunned to hear this. Linking it to Yukio's prophecy, his expression grew grave.
Whatever you fear most, happens.
An even stronger tremor occurred, and a series of "crack-crack" sounds echoed as the dimension began to fracture.
The worst-case scenario was unfolding. Harvey, having prepared for this, remained relatively calm.
He grabbed Jane's shoulder, intending to Apparate her out.
But then, the unexpected happened.
The moment he touched her, the Aether inside Jane was triggered, releasing a powerful shockwave that threw Harvey back.
Regaining his balance, Harvey worked to stabilize the dimension while opening a portal to the outside.
Jane, seeing a stranger appear and open a portal...
Had no time to think. She charged straight toward the portal.
...
Ten minutes earlier.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, the Triskelion.
In the online conference room.
Nick Fury had just taken his seat. The six seats beside him displayed the projections of five major Security Council members and his superior, Council Minister Alexander Pierce.
"What is the current situation in London?" Pierce, in his sharp suit, asked Nick Fury.
Lately, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been undergoing a massive "purge," with many mid-to-high-level staff being reassigned.
No one knew why the Director was abusing his power.
But the old and crafty Pierce saw at a glance that while the reassignments seemed random, the majority were Hydra members.
Thus, Pierce had prepared for the worst—the exposure of Hydra—and was using all his influence to accelerate Project Insight.
Now, in this meeting discussing how to handle the monsters in London...
Pierce took the lead in questioning his former subordinate, Nick Fury.
Nick Fury had no idea the leader of Hydra was sitting right beside him. He could tell Pierce was impatient but assumed he was just stressed about the London event.
He made a swiping motion, and a holographic projection of the area around the London factory appeared in the center of the table.
"According to the drone footage near the battlefield, the situation is currently stable."
"With the combined efforts of the British military and the Avengers, we have intercepted all monsters attempting to break the perimeter."
"We have the confidence, the experience, and the resolve to handle this crisis!"
Before the Council members could speak, Pierce pointed at the footage and asked coldly:
"Countless elite soldiers are dying every second, and the defensive line is about to be overrun. This is what you call stable?"
"Nearly ten million Londoners are facing a lethal threat, and we are placing all our hopes on this fragile line?"
"Director Fury, how can you utter such irresponsible statements?"
Nick Fury was stunned. Wasn't Pierce on his side? Why was he targeting him?
The naturally suspicious Black Egghead didn't believe in coincidences. He forced a smile and maintained an air of being in control.
"Please, Council members, rest assured. No matter the cost, we will not let a single monster break the line!"
But it seemed the heavens were against him.
The moment he finished, the drone footage showed a Frost Giant, relying on its thick hide to tank a hail of bullets, breaking through the perimeter.
It was heading straight for central London.
Pierce seized the chance, questioning harshly:
"Is this your guarantee? We cannot wait any longer. I move that we immediately initiate Stage 3 emergency protocols and deploy the Helicarriers to London to take control!"
The other members discussed quietly for a moment, raising no objections.
"Agreed."
"Agreed..."
Seeing the Council pass an emergency resolution right in front of him, Nick Fury's heart sank.
The die was cast; he had no standing or reason to stop it.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
A look of ruthlessness appeared in Nick Fury's eye, and he made a decision that went against his conscience.
"Deploying unfinished Helicarriers will cause unnecessary economic losses."
"I suggest we simply drop a tactical nuke on the target zone. It might resolve the source of the monsters directly."
"That would be the most cost-effective solution!"
At this proposal to pull the rug out from under them, the Council members fell into a dead silence.