A God So Weak

Loki did not yet know about Hydra Squad’s miserable fate. He looked at Benjamin, the warehouse manager, who had shrunk back before slowly getting to his feet. A wicked smile appeared on his handsome face.

"I need some iridium. Can you hand it over?"

Dr. Selvig needed a great deal of equipment and materials to build the reactor, and iridium was the most crucial of them. To open a portal connecting the stars, he needed a stable energy source capable of sustained output. Only then could he use the Tesseract’s immense power to pry open space and expand a quantum passage.

Benjamin nodded tremblingly. Umbrella had indeed purchased a large quantity of iridium recently for Mr. Ivan Vanko’s Laboratory Three. One of the rarest elements in Earth’s crust, it had an average mass proportion of only 0.001 parts per million. Its high melting point, hardness, and corrosion resistance made it highly suitable as an alloy additive.

In particle physics applications, iridium was also required during antiproton production. High-intensity proton beams were fired at a "conversion target" with extremely high density, allowing it to withstand more steadily the shock waves caused by the rising temperature from the incoming particle beam.

"I like your cooperative attitude." Loki waved his golden scepter and nodded with a smile.

Humanity’s obedient attitude pleased him greatly. Once he seized this planet with the Chitauri army, he would become its sole absolute ruler. Then he could take the first step toward conquering the Nine Realms, using abundant resources and advanced technology to create vast, cheap armies of cannon fodder and launch an assault on the Nine Realms.

Loki, who knew Asgard well, had long seen things clearly. Odin was no longer the invincible supreme powerhouse he had been a thousand years ago. Now, he was merely an aging lion who had lost the ambition of a king striving ever forward. The image of a former overlord was gone, and he could only sit peacefully upon the throne, reminiscing over past glories.

The King of Asgard was in a period of declining strength. Forcefully interrupting Odinsleep had greatly weakened him, and his confrontation and battle with Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, had made matters even worse. Even Frigga, the queen closest to him, was deeply worried.

A powerful king would not be as eager as Odin to select an heir, unless there was one reason: he was old. Even by Asgardian standards of long life, that supreme warrior who had once ridden Sleipnir, wielded Gungnir, conquered the Nine Realms, and expanded his territory had now entered his twilight years.

It was precisely because Loki had seen through this that he dared take such an enormous risk and personally lead the Chitauri army into the Nine Realms. Otherwise, given Asgard’s glorious record from ten million years ago, what civilization would dare provoke it so rashly?

Back in the era when Hela and the Valkyrie Legion still marched in conquest, Asgard had been unstoppable and renowned throughout the cosmos. Even the immensely powerful Nova Corps had heard of it, while the infamous Cosmic Overlord harbored the same fear.

"How sluggish…"

Loki raised an eyebrow. Hydra’s members had already completed their mission and carried a crate of iridium out of Umbrella’s warehouse, yet S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Avengers had still not arrived.

The reason he had appeared so openly was to attract S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention and allow himself to be captured by the Avengers. On one hand, he could draw their attention and buy time for Dr. Selvig. On the other, he could infiltrate the enemy and defeat them one by one.

Loki, ever skilled in schemes and deception, had obtained detailed information on the Avengers from Hydra. Hulk, the highest-ranked threat; the arrogant Iron Man; the rigid and stern Captain America… It was clearly impossible to make this group cooperate seamlessly. They had obvious weaknesses and conflicts.

"I prefer this method… Knowledge and wisdom are the most powerful weapons. Heh, how could a brute like Thor deserve Asgard’s crown?" Loki muttered bitterly.

He had always resented Odin’s choice of his brother Thor. No matter how he looked at it, he was more suited to sit upon that supreme throne and rule the nation.

Rumble—

A furious roar rang out. Loki, clutching his golden scepter, looked outside and saw a massive yellow giant crush the SUV carrying the iridium beneath his foot. The Hydra soldiers, sensing trouble, launched an attack, only to be blocked by another group of warriors in black uniforms.

Their leader was a young man who controlled flames with both hands. Waves of blazing heat surged like a tide, and the Hydra soldiers who stubbornly resisted were instantly reduced to ash amid the roaring flames hot enough to melt gold and iron.

A steel body gleaming with a chilling light charged into the panicked Hydra ranks through a dense barrage of gunfire. Heavy fists swung, smashing the fierce, powerful mercenaries into disarray.

These black-clad warriors who had arrived in time were the Mutant Legion, with Blonsky serving as their instructor. After prolonged training, they had gradually learned coordinated combat, easily crushing Hydra.

Seeing that the situation had turned unfavorable, Loki’s elegant, composed expression stiffened for a moment. He then gripped his scepter, preparing to cast an illusion and leave. Since S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Avengers still had not arrived, there was no point in lingering any longer.

Yet fate did not favor him. The incomparably mighty yellow giant suddenly burst in, his back covered in savage bone spurs. His two thick arms bulged with muscles like hills, brimming with overwhelming power.

Heavy footsteps shook the hall. Blonsky swung his arm and smashed the stunned Loki straight into the wall behind him. The Asgardian prince was left in a wretched state, his entire body embedded in the wall like a swatted fly.

"As Umbrella’s first intruder, you will receive exceptionally distinguished treatment," Blonsky said in a muffled voice.

After receiving a message from the young boss, he had quickly led the Mutant Legion over and subdued the Hydra soldiers with efficient action. Based on the location provided by Red Queen, they were now searching for the remaining intruders.

According to the artificial intelligence, most of the intruders in the spire’s main building had been captured alive or shot dead on the spot. However, a few fools had actually broken into Babel Tower, the building used for biological modification. Hopefully, they had not been torn to pieces by the savage beasts the boss kept.

Those unlucky enough to anger the young boss generally did not meet a good end. Blonsky understood that deeply.

"Enough! You lowly, despicable creatures! I am a god!"

Seeing the immensely powerful yellow giant charge at him again, Loki clawed himself out of the wall with both hands. His handsome face was filled with rage. He was an Asgardian prince, of noble status, born to become a king who ruled over all living beings.

"I will not be defeated by ants like you…"

Before Loki could finish speaking, his body lost control, and his handsome face, fit for a noble young lord, made intimate contact with the hard floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Like a punching bag, the Asgardian prince was held in Blonsky’s grip and wildly smashed around. The stone floor cracked, and debris flew everywhere.

"A god so weak."

Blonsky held this weakling who called himself a "god" upside down, staring at his blank expression before instinctively swinging him a few more times.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Loki lay amid the spreading cracks in the floor, his hands resting on his chest and his handsome face covered in wounds. His entire expression was one of despair, as though he had lost the will to live.

Earth was too dangerous… This thought flashed through his mind.