Chapter 27: The Invasion
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
After Lin Chen finished speaking with Fury, he used his incredible speed and disappeared in a flash.
"Let me clean up this mess first," he said quietly to himself.
Lin Chen's form became a black blur as he rushed toward Natasha Romanoff's position. The sound of gunfire filled the air, and bullet holes covered the walls everywhere.
Da da da da!
Controlled agents fired their weapons continuously.
A black shadow flashed past like lightning. The mind-controlled agents suddenly flew backward, slamming into the walls like rag dolls. Lin Chen's mental power surged through them, breaking Mind Stone control and restoring their minds.
The agents collapsed, confused but no longer hostile.
"Hey, did you miss me?"
Lin Chen turned to Natasha Romanoff and smiled.
Natasha's face showed both relief and admiration. Over the past year, she and Lin Chen had worked together on several S.H.I.E.L.D. missions. She had become one of his close friends and teammates, and she genuinely admired his power and competence.
"Lin Chen! you're here already," she said, her professional composure cracking slightly.
Lin Chen replied calmly. "What's the situation now?"
"Stark and Captain are trying to repair engine three."
"Alright, I'll head there now. You go back to the main control room and coordinate with the other agents."
"Got it!" Natasha nodded and moved quickly, leading the recovered agents back toward the main command area.
---
Tony Stark flying inside the massive turbine engine. The engine was beginning to accelerate too quickly.
"Okay, Captain, you can pull the control lever now!"
Tony called out through his suit's communication system.
"I'll do it right now!"
Steve Rogers replied, moving toward the control panel.
But before Steve could reach it, several soldiers burst through the rear hatch, submachine guns raised.
Da da da da!
Bullets sprayed across the sounding, forcing Steve to duck down immediately.
"Help! The turbine is accelerating too fast!" Steve shouted.
The massive turbine blades spun faster and faster. The fan speed became dangerous.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The turbine blades struck the metal casing repeatedly. Tony was still inside, dangerously close to the spinning blades.
Then suddenly, a powerful mental force burst through the wall. It hit all the attacking soldiers simultaneously, clearing their minds and breaking Mind Stone control.
The soldiers collapsed, finally thinking clearly again.
"I hope I'm not too late," Lin Chen said calmly, appearing in the doorway with a slight smile.
"Thank you!"
Steve took a deep breath and immediately pulled the control lever.
"Call out!"
The turbine's speed began to decrease.
"Got it!"
Tony felt the blade speed drop and quickly flew out of the engine, his armor badly damaged from the close encounter.
"Tony, are you okay?"
Lin Chen called out, seeing the tattered Mark VI armor.
"Good timing, buddy! Where were you this whole time?" Tony complained, his voice filled with frustration. "If you'd come earlier, I wouldn't have had to nearly become a pancake in there!"
"I was dealing with the Hulk," Lin Chen said, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Right. Well, I need to handle something else. Let me clear every mind on this carrier at once," Lin Chen said seriously.
His mental power surged outward like an invisible wave, spreading across the entire Helicarrier. Every mind-controlled agent suddenly felt the control snap away. Their consciousness returned to normal.
"Wait—where did he go?" Steve looked around in confusion.
"He just teleported," Tony said, staring at the empty space where Lin Chen had stood. "That guy... his abilities are absolutely incredible."
"Tony, how strong are Lin Chen's powers?" Steve asked in amazement.
Tony shook his head helplessly. "The first time I saw what he could do, I was even more shocked than you are now. He's simply not human."
The other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had witnessed Lin Chen's power stood in awe. His speed, his mental power, his control—it was all far beyond anything they had ever seen.
"He's more powerful than the Hulk," one agent whispered.
"It's like he's a monster," another added.
After order was restored, Tony took back control of the Helicarrier and carefully piloted it to the coast of North America, where they could land it safely.
---
Lin Chen found Bruce Banner slowly regaining consciousness.
"Did I... did I hurt anyone?"
Bruce asked weakly, holding his head.
"No," Lin Chen replied gently. "The Hulk only lasted a few seconds before I dealt with him. I'm guessing he's the one who's injured, not the other way around."
Bruce looked around, confused. "Where... where am I?"
"In a rest room, inside the Helicarrier. You'll be fine. Rest for a moment." Lin Chen said calmly.
---
Steve Rogers stood with Tony and looked at the map of New York City.
"Now that Loki has escaped with the Tesseract, and our gamma ray detection equipment is damaged, how can we find him?" Steve asked with frustration.
"The Tesseract requires a large amount of stable energy to activate," Bruce Banner said thoughtfully. "We need to find a location that has both tremendous power and visibility."
"That's up to Tony," Lin Chen said with a slight smile.
Tony suddenly went pale.
"Oh no! My Stark Building!"
"What about it?"
Steve asked.
"My newly built Stark Tower has exactly what they need—powerful, stable arc reactor energy and a tall structure that reaches into the clouds. There's no better location on Earth," Tony said, his face showing genuine concern.
"Then that's where Loki will go," Lin Chen confirmed. "Everyone, get ready. Meet on the top floor of Stark Tower in five minutes."
After saying that, Lin Chen disappeared through a portal.
"My building!" Tony shouted, activating his armor's flight systems and immediately heading home with maximum thrust.
"I won't let Loki escape this time!"
Thor roared, waving Mjolnir as he flew toward the Stark Building with thunder trailing behind him.
"We'll take the Quinjet there immediately," Steve told Natasha. "Nick, I'm leaving the evacuation of civilians to you."
"Understood," Nick Fury nodded grimly. "All agents, contact local authorities immediately. We need to evacuate people away from Manhattan."
The war was about to begin.
---
Lin Chen materialized on the rooftop just as Dr. Erik Selvig was making final adjustments to the Tesseract device. The blue cube glowed with increasing intensity.
"Oh? Dr. Selvig, I didn't expect you to break into private buildings," Lin Chen said with a slight sneer.
"Stop him! Doctor Selvig, stop immediately!" Thor shouted, flying up to the rooftop just behind Lin Chen.
"It's too late! Once the Tesseract is activated, it cannot be stopped!"
Dr. Selvig laughed maniacally, his eyes glowing with the influence of Loki's scepter.
"It will open a gateway to a new universe!"
"You're wrong, doctor," Lin Chen said coldly. "You didn't open a gateway to a new universe. You just opened a door to hell."
Thor ignored the doctor and rushed forward, raising Mjolnir high. He brought his hammer down hard on the Tesseract device.
"BANG!"
But the Tesseract had already begun operating. A brilliant blue shield formed around the device, blocking Mjolnir's impact and reflecting the massive force back at Thor.
With a thunderous crash, Thor was sent flying backward through the air, unable to control his flight.
"I'm here!"
Tony Stark arrived just in time to see Thor being knocked away. He raised his repulsor cannon and fired at the Tesseract.
"BOOM!"
But the blue energy shield rejected his attack. His own energy of beam reflected back at him, hitting his armor and sending him tumbling backward.
Lin Chen knew that ordinary energy attacks wouldn't break through this protective shield. Only something like the Mind Stone could disrupt it.
However, Lin Chen had other plans. He didn't actually want to stop the portal from opening. This invasion would be the Avengers' first real test as a team. They needed to learn to work together.
But he had already taken precautions. Before arriving at the tower, he had created numerous protective energy shields as wide as football stadiums across Manhattan. All major buildings and crowded areas were now protected. He had also specifically instructed Nick Fury to evacuate people to these safe zones.
Loki walked out onto the rooftop, his expression filled with confidence as he watched the portal beginning to form.
"The Chitauri army is coming soon," Loki said proudly. "There's nothing you can do to stop it."
"So what if they come to Earth?"
Lin Chen stepped directly in front of Loki. "Where did you get the courage to let those creatures destroy this planet?"
Loki's confidence grew as he felt the Chitauri army approaching through the portal. "You see nothing! That army is massive! Both their technology and combat power far exceed yours! And I, the God of Asgard, am here to lead them!"
"Tremble, mortals!"
Loki laughed maniacally. "You will eventually kneel at my feet! Hahahaha!"
"Poor child," Lin Chen sighed deeply. "It seems Odin was absolutely right not to give you the throne. Your brain is broken."
Before Loki could react, Lin Chen stepped forward with incredible speed and delivered a controlled power punch.
"SNAP!"
The force of more than fifty tons sent Loki flying backward like a cannonball. He crashed through the wall behind him, leaving a massive hole.
"What a foolish pawn," Lin Chen said with disdain.
Thor landed near them, having recovered from the impact.
"Lin Chen, stop fighting," Thor said urgently. "The portal is about to fully activate. You and Stark need to focus on the outside. I'll handle my brother."
He really did love his brother, despite everything.
"Fine," Lin Chen agreed. "Be careful with him. He's not worth your effort, but I understand family bonds."
---
The Tesseract began rotating faster and faster. Blue light intensified as it reached full power.
"WHOOOOOOSH!"
A massive portal suddenly opened in the sky above Stark Tower, growing wider with each passing second.
Through the gateway, enormous Chitauri soldiers could be seen waiting on flying craft.
[DETECTED: Space Stone (Infinity Stone) ability]
[ANALYZING...]
[DETECTED: Advanced Space Manipulation]
[Space Manipulation properties]
[Previous Space Manipulation ability merged with Space Stone-Space Manipulation]
[NEW ABILITY: Absolute Space Manipulation]
Absolute Space Manipulation includes:
- Manipulate space at the deepest fabric level
- Freeze space at will
- Convert distances into long or short distances
- Cut and slice through space itself
- Create pocket dimensions
- Travel across the multiverse
- Create space loops to trap enemies
- Manipulate spatial geometry
- Perceive all spatial dimensions simultaneously
Lin Chen felt the new power flooding through him. His consciousness expanded even further. He could now manipulate space itself at the most fundamental level. Long distances could become short. Short distances could become infinitely long. He could cut through space like paper or create traps that enemies couldn't escape from.
"Excellent," Lin Chen whispered to himself.
"Lin, do you have a plan?" Tony asked, arriving in his armor.
"Yes," Lin Chen replied. "Make sure S.H.I.E.L.D. does their job protecting the evacuated people. Let Thor and the others handle the Chitauri soldiers below. I'm going to go... somewhere first."
Before anyone could ask what he meant, Lin Chen disappeared in an instant.
"Jarvis! Can you tell how he moved?"
Tony asked.
"Sir, the velocity exceeded all tracked speeds. It is faster than a bullet," Jarvis replied.
"What?" Tony sighed with emotion. Even he, with all his technology, couldn't fully comprehend Lin Chen's speed.
Tony immediately contacted Nick Fury. "Nick, initiate full evacuation. Get every civilian to the safe zones. This is about to get very dangerous."
He then contacted the other Avengers. "Thor, Captain, be ready. The invasion is starting."
---
Lin Chen appeared next to the gateway in an instant. His form seemed to flicker slightly, as if he was moving through space layers rather than through air.
"ROAAAR!"
The portal had fully opened. Chitauri soldiers began pouring through on their flying craft, their weapons already charging.
"Okay, it's started," Lin Chen said to himself, narrowing his eyes. "I should wait a bit and let the Avengers work as a team. They need this experience."
With that decision made, Lin Chen entered a space layer that was invisible to normal perception. He became like a ghost, watching everything unfold below him while remaining completely hidden.
---
Steve Rogers, Thor, Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanoff had all taken positions. Bruce Banner was coming to this location, where his anger can be reasoned.
The sky lit up with blue light as the first wave of Chitauri soldiers flew out of the portal.
"We've got incoming!"
Steve shouted into his communication device.
"Let's Stop them!"
Tony fired his repulsors at the approaching enemy craft.
"For Asgard!" Thor raised Mjolnir and sent lightning bolts toward the invaders.
Natasha moved through the streets, using her training to take down any Chitauri soldiers who broke through the defenses.
But the portal continued to expand, growing wider and wider with each passing moment. More and more Chitauri soldiers poured through.
The battle had truly begun.
And in the space layer above, Lin Chen watched with a slight smile.
Let them prove themselves, he thought.They need to understand what it means to be Avengers. And when things become truly desperate... I'll be ready to help.
The portal continued to grow, now reaching a diameter of more than ten meters. And from it emerged something even more terrifying—two massive black Leviathans, creatures the size of a building, began to slowly emerge from the gateway.
---