When it came to talent and resources, S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly had them in spades. In just half a day, they had built a makeshift military base centered around Mjolnir. The base had only been completed for a few days when Coulson enthusiastically invited his neighbor, Comrade Li Feng, to come for a visit.
Feeling like he was either watching movies or drinking beer all day in the RV—almost bored to the point of growing mold—Li Feng thought it over and nodded in agreement to Coulson's invitation. Soon after, accompanied by Coulson, he strolled casually through the base.
To be honest, at first, Li Feng genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to wander around the base. Even though he knew Coulson's accompaniment was a form of surveillance, the feeling of having a group of agents trailing behind him still gave Li Feng the sense that he was some kind of leader inspecting the base's operations.
Especially considering he had never been treated as a leader since childhood, Li Feng couldn't help but adopt the posture of a landlord surveying his vast acres of farmland—even his walk carried a hint of swagger.
However, there was one place in the base that Li Feng decided to steer clear of, especially after seeing Coulson—who usually maintained a cheerful smile—look utterly exasperated when Li Feng persistently avoided the center of the base. This only strengthened Li Feng's resolve to never, under any circumstances, go near that particular spot.
Unfortunately, Coulson didn't allow Li Feng to bring a camera. Otherwise, he would've loved to capture Coulson's exasperated expression and personally hand the photo to Melinda in front of her ex-husband. That would've been quite amusing, he imagined.
After wandering around half the base while deliberately avoiding Mjolnir, Li Feng concluded that exploring the base was far less entertaining than watching movies in his RV.
First, there was the issue of beer. Coulson and his team were here to work, and drinking on the job was naturally prohibited. As a result, not a single bottle of alcohol could be found in the entire base. For Li Feng, who treated beer like water, this was a deal-breaker. He immediately lost interest and wanted to go home to his mom.
It was bad enough that there were no song-and-dance performances or banquets arranged for his inspection—after all, this leader wasn't fond of food prepared by any chef other than Kreacher. But to not even have a single drink when he was thirsty? That was downright disrespectful to his leadership!
Next, there were the TVs. Sure, there were plenty of them—dozens lined up together, which seemed impressive at first glance, ensuring he wouldn't miss any of his favorite shows.
But the quality? Li Feng found the screens too small and the speakers broken, the volume so low he had to cup his hand behind his ear to hear anything. Compared to the 3D projection and surround sound system in his RV, the equipment here was downright pathetic.
Coulson gave him a deadpan look, glancing between the satellite surveillance screens and the monitors covering every corner of the base, then back at Li Feng, who was boasting about how big his RV's TV screen was. Seriously? Using surveillance screens to watch movies? What kind of logic is that?
Lastly, whether it was because the field agents had all been sunburned beyond recognition or some other reason, Li Feng couldn't find a single beautiful woman in the entire base.
So after half a lap around the base, Li Feng patted his stomach and announced that his mom was calling him home for dinner. He'd come back to hang out with his little buddies another time.
Coulson immediately put his foot down. Who the hell do you think you are? Did you really think I invited you here just to tour the base?
"Finish the actual business first, then you can leave."
"Austin, the reason I called you here is because I need your help with something," Coulson said, stepping in front of Li Feng and gesturing toward Mjolnir. "How much do you know about Mjolnir?"
I knew you wouldn't invite me here for no reason… Too bad, I really don't know how Mjolnir was forged.
The corners of Li Feng's lips curled up slightly as he spread his hands and said cheerfully, "I've told you everything I know. The rest? I genuinely have no idea." Seeing Coulson's expression of disbelief, Li Feng ignored him and walked toward the base exit, saying, "I'm just a wild mage with no background. Do you know what a wild mage is? It means all knowledge has to be gathered by myself, so what I know is usually fragmented. I have to piece together information to come up with a vague conclusion."
"What about Thor?" Coulson quickly followed behind Li Feng and asked, "Do you know what he looks like?"
Li Feng shot Coulson an annoyed glance. "How would I know what Thor looks like? Even if there are descriptions of his appearance in books, so what? The ancestors of camera inventors weren't even a puddle of liquid when Thor last visited Earth. Can you sketch Thor's portrait just from descriptions?"
Coulson shrugged. "I don't have a choice. We've been here for days, but we still haven't found Thor. I'm a bit worried."
Li Feng knew what Coulson was worried about—nothing more than buying into Fury's nonsense that Thor had already kicked the bucket, making their protection of Mjolnir completely unnecessary.
But how could Thor be dead? That guy has protagonist halo written all over him.
Still, Li Feng couldn't figure out how to explain that Thor had already arrived on Earth and might currently be getting cozy with some beauty somewhere.
After a moment's thought, Li Feng pointed in the direction of Mjolnir and said, "I don't know much else, but I do know Thor is definitely still alive. Otherwise, Odin would never allow Mjolnir to remain in the human world."
Coulson rubbed his temples and sighed. "We've analyzed that too. We even speculated that Thor might be somewhere on Earth right now. But as you know, Earth is a bit too vast for humans, and even though S.H.I.E.L.D. is massive, we can't scour the entire planet to find Thor in a short time."
At the end of his speech, Coulson looked at Li Feng expectantly and said, "Don't you practice divination? Could you help divine Thor's current location? Even a rough estimate would be better than us searching like we're fishing for a needle in the ocean."
Coulson's words made Li Feng look at him differently. Damn it, I cast a spell on you to make you my subordinate and help me gain more benefits. Now, before I've gotten anything from you, you're asking me to solve your problems? Who's casting spells on whom here?
"Fine, I'll take a look for you. But don't get your hopes up—my divination skills..."
Before Li Feng could finish his sentence at the base entrance, thunder suddenly roared overhead, followed by a torrential downpour.
Li Feng smacked his lips and looked up at the night sky. The area above the base was covered in dark clouds for kilometers, but farther out, stars were still visible.
This thunderstorm was clearly unnatural...Without needing Li Feng to explain, Coulson, who was also gazing at the distant starry sky, asked curiously, "Does this mean Thor is nearby?"
"Unless God suddenly wanted a smoke and that was just His lighter sparking? That lightning was clearly showing off—Thor is already inside the base, okay?" Li Feng spread his hands and was about to walk toward Mjolnir to wait for Thor when he suddenly paused. Turning to Coulson, he asked, "Did you prepare a 'Welcome' banner?"
As if he'd actually prepared a banner. Coulson shook his head irritably and pulled out his walkie-talkie to issue several commands.
He's a prince, after all. How could there not even be a banner? Grumbling internally, Li Feng shot a burst of flames into the sky, shaping them into a line of text:
"Welcome to Midgard, Prince of Asgard, the Great Thunder Wielder, Thor Odinson."
To be honest, when Coulson saw this brilliantly illuminated text, his first thought was that the imposing image of the mage Li Feng had instantly crumbled.
It was impossible not to crumble. Just days ago, Li Feng had stood fearlessly before the demon lord Mephisto in front of Coulson, exuding an unmistakable "bring it on" attitude. It had left Coulson and the others utterly stunned, unable to resist giving Li Feng a mental thumbs-up: You've got guts.
But now, without even seeing Thor's face, Li Feng's aura of profound mystery had instantly transformed into that of a sycophantic bootlicker.
They say devils change faces fast, but you're not far behind.
Then, Coulson's eye twitched as he recalled Li Feng's attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D. when he was still weak—avoiding them at every turn. But once his power became unfathomable, he immediately turned dismissive, constantly asking what benefits he could get.
How can such a shameless person become a mage? What kind of world is this? Shaking his head, Coulson walked straight back into the base.
Meanwhile, Thor, who had easily infiltrated the base, was equally baffled as he stared at the giant words welcoming him in the sky: What's going on? Do the people of Midgard know I'm here?
And that fiery text looked unmistakably like a mage's handiwork. Since when does Midgard have mages?
After some thought, Thor decided it was best to be cautious. What if this is a trap? He'd stick to his original plan—sneak closer to Mjolnir, reclaim the hammer, restore his power as the Hammer God, and then talk to the mage.
And so, Thor carefully made his way deeper into the base.
As for the conflict between Thor and the agents seen in the movies—Coulson already knew who was coming. Only an idiot would send agents to intercept him. Forget whether they could even stop Thor—what would they do if they did? He was a prince. If he beat up a few agents, what could they do? Afterward, Thor would just walk away, leaving the injured agents to demand medical compensation from Fury. If Thor gets injured, heh, are you agents who intercepted him ready to be remembered by a god?
Beside Mjolnir, Li Feng held up a rainproof shield, smiling as he watched the drenched Thor suddenly appear before him.
Before the bewildered Thor could ask anything, Li Feng gestured for him to take Mjolnir and said, "Prince Thor, save your questions for later."
Thor glanced at Li Feng, then at his beloved hammer: A mage? Without divine power, fighting him would be a bit tough. But since the guy isn't stopping me, I'd better speak with strength as my foundation.
Thinking this, Thor couldn't help but break into a radiant grin as he strode eagerly to Mjolnir, reaching excitedly for the hammer's handle.
The outcome, of course, was predictable. Odin had sent Thor to Earth with the intention of tempering him. But since Thor hadn't undergone any change in mindset and remained as reckless as ever, simply retrieving the hammer now would defeat the purpose of Odin's trial. Would it just be a vacation for Thor on Earth?