Chapter Twenty-Three: I Am Thor, God of Thunder, For the Glory of the Northern Gods!

What happened next requires little elaboration—Thor swung his mighty hammer and toppled the Destroyer, then shared a tender moment with Jane Foster before returning to Asgard with the Four Warriors of the Aesir. Only Haoyun and Tony remained behind, declining to witness the Rainbow Bridge, instead busying themselves with collecting fragments of the Destroyer.

“This metal has incredible toughness and energy conductivity!” Tony exclaimed, picking up a shard and running a quick analysis. Delighted, he began gathering pieces with even more enthusiasm.

“Of course it does! Uru metal is magical—it’s the vibranium of the mystical world!” Haoyun praised loudly, all the while commanding his nanobots to sweep the area, stowing every last piece of Uru metal into his system’s inventory.

But before they could finish collecting every fragment, four black jeeps approached from the distance, pulling up right in front of them. Out of one vehicle stepped a familiar figure: the high-foreheaded S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson.

“Gentlemen, these fragments are S.H.I.E.L.D. property,” Coulson said politely, though his words held a steely firmness.

“Oh? Tell me, what exactly did S.H.I.E.L.D. contribute to this battle? Did you just stand on the sidelines and cheer us on? Or are you here to steal my spoils?” Tony Stark retorted with three pointed questions. The bit about cheering from the sidelines made Haoyun chuckle.

No combat merit, no intelligence, no coordination—yet they wanted the spoils? There wasn’t a place in the world where that would fly.

“Mr. Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D. operates under the Global Security Council, primarily handling extraordinary incidents. Thor’s appearance qualifies as an alien incursion…”

“Go on, I’m listening,” Tony said absently, analyzing a piece of Uru at the atomic level while conferring with Haoyun about maximizing its utility. Coulson’s face darkened at their blatant disregard.

In truth, this Tony Stark had little patience for S.H.I.E.L.D. Unlike the original timeline, where he occasionally benefited from their intervention, this time S.H.I.E.L.D. had been exposed as infiltrated by Hydra, implicated in his father’s death, and had recently been caught sending spies after him. To put it plainly, Tony trusted the U.S. government more than S.H.I.E.L.D.

And with the Sokovia Accords looming in the future, Tony and Haoyun had already resolved to form an independent Earth Defenders’ League. The authorities could mind their own business.

“Tony, you can’t just—”

“Are we that familiar? Please, call me Mr. Stark!” Tony spun around, jabbing a finger into Coulson’s chest. “Remember, ever since you tried to expose Haoyun’s identity, I’ve had no fondness for your organization.”

Coulson was left speechless. Haoyun smirked; even Peter Parker, schooled in great responsibility by his uncle, wouldn’t dare reveal his identity to officials. Why should he? In this life, with support from Angel, Pepper, and Tony, Haoyun wasn’t some ordinary Spider-Man from a humble family—he had no need for a government stipend.

“We’ve collected enough. Let’s go—what’s left are just scraps not worth the trouble,” Haoyun nodded to Tony, recalling his nanobots and closing his system’s inventory.

Tony eyed the vanishing nanobots and the now-invisible inventory with envy. Someday, he was determined to master space-folding technology and nanobot engineering.

“Let’s get moving. My private jet’s parked at the usual place, ready to fly,” Tony said.

Both donned their armor, jets of flame propelling them skyward, ignoring the S.H.I.E.L.D. staff entirely. After they had gone, Coulson resignedly called the Director to report the situation in New Mexico.

“Come back. I’ll deal with Tony Stark myself—don’t show yourself to him anymore.”

“Yes, Director,” Coulson replied, ending the call with a wry smile. If not for the Director’s orders, must he always play the villain? Wasn’t he supposed to be the affable agent?

Before leaving, Haoyun found an excuse to visit the site where the hammer had landed, checked in, and then boarded the plane back to Los Angeles.

Onboard, Haoyun closed his eyes, feigning sleep as he reviewed his system. Time was passing swiftly; in just one year, Marvel’s first major crisis would arrive. He needed to assess his inventory and abilities.

First, Angel and Pepper were well protected with a Baymax robot and compatible armor, powered by Tony’s new arc reactor. In tests, no suit before the Mark VII could prevail—perfect.

Next, their allies: War Machine was now officially attached to the military faction, and Tony had developed all armors from Mark I to Mark XLII. Further progress would require more time and resources, but for now, things were ideal.

Efforts were already underway to contact Dr. Banner in Brazil, and soon, an unstoppable hero would join them.

Turning to his own status panel:

Host: Haoyun
Physique: Peak human
Abilities: Level 5 Electrokinesis
Items: One cubic meter of nanobots, one weakened Superserum, one set of modified Baymax with combat attachments, one Thor Odinson.

He’d given Baymax to his mother, saved the superserum for a future girlfriend, so for personal use, he only had the nanobots and... wait, Thor Odinson? One of him?

Haoyun swallowed. Thor Odinson—could it possibly mean what he thought? He checked the system log: “Marvel Classic Scene: The Unliftable Hammer—check-in successful, reward: one Thor Odinson from the ‘Ten Chilly Worlds.’” No way—it really was Thor!

Unable to contain his excitement, Haoyun jumped up from his seat. Tony, sitting across from him, eyed him curiously—was he out of his mind?

“Haoyun, mind your manners. We’re people of status now...”

“Tony! I just remembered—I can recruit a powerful, incredibly powerful ally!” Haoyun gripped Tony’s hand, careful not to mention the system, and instead claimed it was an old acquaintance.

“What? One?” Tony’s eyes grew more dubious. Was his girlfriend’s nephew addled from battle?

“Yes, one! A dog as strong as Thor himself! It comes from a northern god-realm called Asgard...” Haoyun spun a tale from his supposed childhood: a kind-hearted boy rescued a stray, only to discover it was a divine canine from a multiversal world, wielding thunder and lightning.

Tony listened, utterly dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning himself. As a scientist, he could accept multiverses, perhaps even a Norse pantheon—but a dog granted the power of Thor, sent by the Allfather as a reward for kindness? Wasn’t that a bit much?

He, Tony Stark, was not so easily fooled.

But when they disembarked, and a charming yellow dog draped in a crimson cape stood on its hind legs before them, hammer in paw, summoning a bolt of lightning that blasted a meter-wide crater in the ground—then Tony finally believed.

“What’s its name?” Half an hour later, Tony scratched the dog’s chin as they rode in a chauffeured car, glancing at Haoyun in the front seat.

Haoyun simply snapped his fingers. Instantly, the dog stood upright on the seat, lightning hammer sparking in its paw, cape billowing behind, the other paw pressing down on the amplifier at its chest.

“I am Thor, God of Thunder, champion of the northern gods!”