Thor left, riding the Rainbow Bridge back to Asgard. His father had opened it for him again. John watched him disappear into the swirling colors of the Bifrost.
The reappearance of Thor, one of the Avengers, in London was sensational enough. Not to mention another alien invasion no less significant than New York.
Some people began spreading anxiety. In less than two years, two alien invasions. Each one was substantial in scale. Each one looked like the world was about to end.
Smart people also began to notice the drawbacks of the superhero era.
Ordinary people also noticed the differences between the two invasions. It wasn't just the different numbers, but more importantly, the different damage.
The Battle of New York caused building destruction and economic losses, plus subsequent effects that led to unemployment and a large number of psychological patients. Not to mention the deaths—many people died in that battle. The funeral industry made quite a bit of money during the Battle of New York.
But Greenwich was completely different. No one died, yet the crisis was no smaller than the Battle of New York. In some ways, Malekith was much more formidable than Loki at the time.
Under such circumstances, a devastated New York and an intact Greenwich formed a stark contrast. Even Greenwich's grass was fine.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would probably think those videos were just high-tech CG effects.
Reporters spoke to cameras about the incredible events of that day. There were eyewitness interviews, millions of people saw the spaceship and the Aether. Some said they saw Thor fall from the sky.
One by one, these events left Americans across the ocean bewildered. Why is it that when everyone faces a crisis, you guys come out unscathed?
Back then, how much money did they spend rebuilding New York, and how many insurance companies went bankrupt. But over there, nothing happened. Even the few who claimed property damage were found to have smashed their own cars because they wanted new ones.
It could be said that Greenwich, with zero losses, brought tremendous psychological trauma to the people of New York.
There were also heroes who appeared—elegant agents in flashy suits, snipers who took down Malekith, and wizards who saved people.
Wait, wizards?
After analysis, they finally found what was different between the two events.
Thor—check.
Agents—check.
Heroes—check.
Wizards...
Well, the American people didn't know that the Wizard King was also in the Battle of New York. But at that time, the Wizard King was on vacation and wouldn't fix houses for you.
The result was obvious. They lacked a superhero who could use magic to repair houses.
Poor Thor—no one in the world would think he was a magician, even though he liked sparks and lightning every time he traveled.
There was even a popular question online: Why is Thor called the God of Thunder when he clearly uses a hammer? A full 78% of netizens thought Thor could be called the Hammer God.
As John wished, wizards entered the public eye.
Combined with John's deliberate lack of concealment during New York repairs, some people knew about wizards in advance. So this time, when wizards stood in the open, it naturally caused huge discussion.
Soon, the wizards who repaired houses in New York were dug up. This somewhat overturned people's image of wizards.
Under the influence of various Western fairy tale literature, when mentioning wizards, everyone's first impression was of old witches stirring green, bubbling cauldrons and letting out sinister laughter. Taking poisoned apples to harm Snow White, using young girls' blood to maintain youth—pure evil.
There were almost no good impressions, just like vampires and werewolves, regular fixtures in fantasy literature.
Now you're telling us that those wizards depicted with grotesque strokes are diligently repairing houses?
The contrast made people want to understand more. The thirteen Aurors were a good way to learn.
A photo went viral online. Thirteen Aurors on Greenwich rooftops, strong winds blowing their robes, looking like fearless warriors.
In Britain itself, discussion about wizards remained high. As the birthplace of Merlin's legend, they had higher acceptance of magic.
In the superhero era, if aliens could wield hammers and fight for justice on Earth, why couldn't wizards take up wands to defend the world?
Mycroft succeeded—he successfully created local heroes. John also succeeded—he brought wizards officially into the public eye.
In this world, ordinary people always make up the majority. The masses they represent are powerful but unaware of it. The wizard population is far lower than ordinary people—they represent the minority, displayed before the masses.
Someone discovered their neighbor was a witch. In the past, that person would have had their memory erased immediately. But now, after the Greenwich incident, that person's first reaction wasn't fear but carefully asking about the other's true identity.
The discovered witch was named Delphi, one of the thirteen Aurors from the Battle of Greenwich. This incident quickly fermented, plus Delphi was quite beautiful. She fit Britain's need for local heroes.
She received an invitation from Miracle Children, becoming a member. She was also a rising star among the Aurors.
As the story spread, more and more people accepted the existence of wizards. Even extremists who said wizards were evil would be met with someone saying awkwardly, "But they protected us."
S.H.I.E.L.D. failed to provide support to Greenwich. Fury sat in his S.H.I.E.L.D. office with a grim expression.
Agent Hill walked in holding a tablet.
"Wizards just want to fix houses, what's wrong with that?"
"My God, these are wizards? I always thought they cursed people."
"I knew it, I always believed magic existed!"
"So they've been silently protecting us all along."
Agent Hill quoted the witty online comments in a calm tone.
"They really did it," Fury said. "Wizards moved from the shadows to the light."
Agent Hill put down the tablet and crossed her arms. "MI6 refuses to reveal anything about the wizards."
Hearing this result, Fury frowned. He raised his one eye to look at photos of the Greenwich incident on the screen.
"Superheroes belonging to their own country?"
He savored these words. He opposed nationalizing heroes—or rather, too many artificial heroes. Those weren't heroes; they should be called soldiers.
Captain America was special because he was an upright person with noble character. Put the super soldier serum in someone else, and they'd just become a military soldier, never a captain.
MI6's Miracle Children project replicated the Battle of New York, successfully launching local heroes to rival the Avengers. Those all had government backgrounds—they weren't heroes at all. Just a bunch of agents and soldiers wearing hero skins.
Fury was irritated. This violated his original intention in creating the Avengers. He always believed in the Avengers but was unwilling to trust Miracle Children. But this wasn't something he could control.
"Sir," Agent Hill said, "the Council is waiting for you."
"I know." Fury took a deep breath. The World Security Council was going to trouble his Avengers again.
"Wizards—they want to become the world's janitors," Fury glanced at the Greenwich reports. Not as combatants, but as a post-war cleanup crew.
Wizards' repair abilities would become a major resource needed for superhero activities. This meant wizards' status had changed. Not only did they emerge from the shadows, but their status rose with the tide.
One wizard could repair an entire building. For superheroes and supervillains who caused massive destruction with any action, this was an invaluable restraint. It made superhero activities worry-free.
Fury began to understand why John's departure didn't take away Silver Hand Fashion Architecture. He had calculated that the Avengers couldn't lack such repair power.
"Who exactly are you?"
Fury grew more curious about John's identity. There were no videos online of the Wizard King in action, so he had no idea that the person he sought answers about had brazenly exposed his identity.
Damn Mycroft always kept things from S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury was helpless about this.
Suppressing all emotions, he went to the meeting. The World Security Council seemed challenged. Having countries develop their own heroes didn't serve their interests.
But Fury wasn't worried—after all, Britain was a member of the World Security Council. They would draw fire for him.
In London's streets and alleys, a woman in out-of-place clothing was surrounded. Every city had its share of scoundrels with lustful intentions. Her beautiful face became the reason she was targeted.
"What's this, cosplay?" the thugs laughed maliciously.
But the woman simply touched the red mark on her neck. When she raised her eyes, the slaughter began.
The next day, when people walked down that street, horrifying screams rang out. Several thugs had been pierced through, blood pooled everywhere.
In the crowd, someone wrapped tightly, showing no skin, saw the blood and couldn't help licking their lips, revealing fangs.
He was an even smaller minority.
A vampire.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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