Chapter Thirty: The Great Battle Begins!

After Loki was shackled, the Captain took the initiative to walk over to Haoyun.

"Join us. We need your help now."

"Uh... Captain, do you know who I am? You just invite me..."

Haoyun looked at the Captain speechlessly. Steve Rogers was this forward? That never showed in the movies.

"I don't," the Captain replied with a smile. "But you remind me of myself—any young man who saves an elderly person can't be a bad guy."

"Uh... fine," Haoyun pursed his lips. "But I'm just from a civilian research organization. Occasionally, I play superhero and save people. Yes, I only save people, never kill. If you want me to step in, show me a document signed by the United Nations and the US government."

Haoyun explained offhandedly, then immediately switched to official language. Was it a joke? Without a license to kill, why should he join the battle? Who would be responsible for damaged buildings or civilians caught in the crossfire? He wasn't stupid.

"Civilian organizations are that powerful nowadays?" Rogers was at a loss for words and turned to Natasha. She shrugged, "There's only one such group. Their president is Tony Stark, from the Stark family—you know what that means."

"So, Captain, after saving everyone, I'll take my leave!" With that, Haoyun piloted the Skybreaker armor straight up into the sky, leaving behind a beautiful streak as he flew away.

Indeed, not a single innocent harmed, not a building destroyed—perfect!

…………

While S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Quinjet encountered Thor on the way back and the Captain was forced into a fight with him, Haoyun, upon returning, was immediately summoned by Tony to the meeting room to discuss Loki's combat capabilities.

"How strong is Loki in battle? Is he tougher than the Destroyer armor?"

Tony couldn't wait to ask as soon as Haoyun sat down. The epic New Mexico showdown was still fresh in his mind, and even after more than a year of upgrades, Tony wasn't confident he could take down the Destroyer alone.

Haoyun rolled his eyes in annoyance. Was this a joke? Loki's slight build, without the Mind Scepter, even Captain America could thrash him—was that believable?

"Don't overthink it. He's a pushover. Hulk could toss him around with Mjolnir and scoff, 'What a weak god.'"

Everyone's gaze shifted to Banner, then they all booed Haoyun at once.

What kind of comparison was that? Aside from you, who here hasn't been tossed by Hulk?

"Stop messing around, speak up!" Angel strode forward and flicked Haoyun on the forehead. Haoyun rubbed his head innocently. "He really is weak, trust me. Any one of us could wipe the floor with Loki. The only thing that's strong is his scepter."

"That makes it easy," Tony said, rising to his feet. "Rhodes, you focus on Loki. At the first sign of battle, seize his scepter. I'll equip you with thermal imaging, radar, night vision, every detection device available. That scepter is the key to closing the portal—losing it is not an option!"

"Relax, I'm a Colonel in the military," Rhodes replied confidently, patting his chest. If Haoyun said it was doable, handling Loki was no problem.

Meanwhile, on the Helicarrier, Natasha had just extracted intel from Loki and gathered with the Captain, Thor, and others in the meeting room.

"This guy got caught on purpose. Thor, what do you think Loki is really up to?"

After reviewing Natasha's conversation with Loki, the Captain frowned and looked at Thor.

Loki's strength seemed genuinely unimpressive. Captain America couldn't fathom how he dared to storm the base or challenge Earth.

"He commands an army—the Chitauri. They're neither Asgardians nor from any planet. Loki plans to lead them in an assault on Earth, and they'll help him. The price is likely the Cosmic Cube," Thor mused, sharing the intelligence he'd received from Heimdall.

"An army? From space?" The Captain confirmed again. Natasha clarified, "That's why they took Dr. Selvig—to open the portal."

"Selvig? He's my friend!" Thor looked at Natasha, who explained, "Loki used magic to control him—and one of our colleagues."

"Damn it!" Thor cursed, then turned to Nick Fury. "Aren't you the leader of Earth's largest organization? I remember fighting alongside you in Midgard once. At that time, two humans impressed me—one wore armor, the other was almost as strong as me. Why aren't they here?"

Nick hesitated but finally replied, "They're not soldiers, just members of a civilian group. They can't participate in combat..."

"What? You put warriors in logistics?" Thor exclaimed in surprise. "Such powerful warriors would be part of Asgard's elite units. Are you Earthlings so strong that gods walk among you?"

Clearly, Thor wasn't praising them, nor was he complimenting them—it was sarcasm.

Nick gritted his teeth. What could he do? He wanted to assemble Thunder Knight, Hulk, Iron Man, War Machine, but without official orders, how could a civilian group follow his command?

Let’s not forget—in US law, private property is sacred and inviolable! That’s constitutional! And personal freedom is even above property!

"Nick, we need them," the Captain said. He didn’t understand Nick’s hidden motives; he only knew that with Haoyun, Tony, and the others, this war would be far easier.

"You think I don’t want to? But they don’t trust me! Without orders, they won’t come!" Nick retorted loudly. He’d invited them more than once, but the Illuminati led by Tony ignored him. What could he do?

"Have you considered that the problem might be you?" the Captain shook his head with disappointment. "I know how agents operate, but after seventy years, I didn’t expect you’d still be the same."

In the cell, Loki grinned oddly. He hadn’t even started sowing discord, and the enemy was already splitting on their own? Humanity—creatures born for internal strife!

In the meeting room, Nick was silent for a long moment before speaking the truth.

"It’s mainly because of him."

"Huh?" Thor was startled. What was this? As an Asgardian, was he being blamed for Earth’s internal affairs? Hit while lying down?

"Remember New Mexico? Just a few attacks from you destroyed an entire town. If we don’t monitor, warn, what if they rampage everywhere?"

"So, you’re also researching the Cosmic Cube?" Thor shook his head. "Do you know why Loki and the Chitauri have targeted Earth? The Cosmic Cube is a treasure of the universe. Your research is like sending a signal to the cosmos—ready for war! Think the Chitauri are bad? Behind them is a cosmic overlord! One even Asgard won’t cross! Congratulations, your research has drawn the overlord’s gaze to Earth!"

The room fell silent. Not only Nick, but even Natasha and the Captain now felt enormous pressure.

(P.S.: Hmm, recommendation votes hit 500 this week, so here’s an extra chapter! Hehe, thanks for all your support, dear readers!)