Unfortunately, Nolan and David, having never been to Asgard, didn't get the chance. Nor did Wong, who, with eyes wide open, was just beginning to admire the magnificent, golden scene of the celestial palace before them.
The magical wooden boat, having just appeared in mid-air, was suddenly enveloped in a thick, disorienting white mist. The terrifying, groaning sound of space being squeezed returned, and then the boat dropped. It plunged rapidly toward the ground below.
Bang! Bang! CRUNCH!
Accompanied by a violent series of collision sounds, the extremely hard keel of the hull tore through a huge canopy of dense leaves. Branches snapped and scraped loudly against the wood. The boat embedded itself deep in the rugged, green-covered ground in the blink of an eye, throwing up clods of dirt and splintered wood.
If the passengers hadn't all been extraordinary, reacting quickly and firmly grasping the boat's structure, they would have been thrown clear by the sudden, violent deceleration.
Only then did the white mist surrounding them slowly dissipate. The terrifying sound of invisible space being squeezed and broken also vanished. The glowing runes covering the boat's outer hull flickered and gradually extinguished.
Old John, his one eye wide, spat. He carefully observed the dense woods in front of him and the towering, misty mountains visible behind the tree crowns. He turned to the others, who were still tense from the impact, and said, "Wake the fuck up!"
"This 'Cave of Time' smuggling plan was a complete success! We are on the land of Asgard." He sniffed the air, which smelled of pine and damp earth. "Let me see where we are... This time the landing point is in Frigga Valley. This place is relatively far from the Immortal Palace, but over this mountain range is the Rainbow Bridge!"
The words just fell.
Nolan, wearing his diamond-shaped helmet, drove the Terminator armor. Servos whined as he slowly stood up from the cramped, damaged boat. His thick magnetic boots set foot on Asgard's territory for the first time with a heavy thud.
Then, David, his eyes flashing with blue light, hunched his metal body. He casually picked up Wong, who was leaning over the side, retching repeatedly, and quickly left the magical wooden boat.
Thor, taking a deep breath of Asgard's fresh, clean air, also slowly stood up. His entire demeanor had changed. With a solemn expression, he said to Old John, who had just propped himself up with his silver cane, "I have thought about it repeatedly along the way. I need to obtain the command authority of the Immortal Palace Guards as soon as possible, and at the same time look for the help of more friends... or my mother!"
"A total of ten thousand Asgardian troops were dispersed into thousand-man teams stationed in the Nine Realms. Even if Loki usurped power, he wouldn't dare recall all of them. In a short period, we need to face up to two thousand people: the team of Asgard guards responsible for guarding Asgard, and the thousand-man team withdrawn from Alfheim. If I can successfully get the Asgard guards on my side, the armed force in Loki's hands will be greatly weakened!"
"Furthermore, I think Loki must have obtained some powerful, mind-confusing treasure from the treasury in order to control the Frost Giants and use them as cannon fodder. Otherwise, Laufey would not have obediently followed Loki's orders and come here just to die."
At this moment, Thor, having returned to Asgard, seemed to have regained his IQ as a prince and general.
His coherent words not only made Old John's beard tremble with surprise, but even Nolan, wearing his diamond-shaped helmet, stopped what he was doing to look at him with admiration.
Maybe Thor wasn't just a hammer-wielding fool. He was just used to using muscles and thunder to solve problems. When those abilities temporarily lost their effect, Thor also began to use his brain, which seemed to have not been functioning for hundreds of years.
At this moment, the one-armed Old John, wearing his broken red armor, stepped forward, holding his silver cane. He stared deeply at Thor with his only eye.
Then, smiling, he turned his gaze. He looked at Nolan, who was sorting through supplies brought by David, his servo-arm clicking as it worked to replenish the fire array.
"Hey! Boy Nolan! The old man thanks you for killing the Frost Giant King for all the sentient beings in the Nine Realms. You are truly worthy of being the Midgard warrior Thor praised. You kill the enemy without any delay!"
"Are you interested in coming with me? There are many Berserker veterans retired in Asgard. I don't know how many are alive, or how many are willing to fight, but we can never have too many people!"
Old John just finished speaking.
Nolan, leaning over slightly to control the servo-arm as he loaded more bombs, turned his helmet.
He said to everyone in a low, metallic voice, "I have a simpler plan here. Thor still goes to fight for the command of the Asgard guards. Old John tries to search for retired veterans. I will attack Asgard alone. I will attract the attention of Loki and all the Asgardian soldiers and engage in a mobile battle with them."
"If Thor cannot obtain command, or Old John cannot find manpower, then we can directly search for Loki. As long as Loki dies, I think whatever spell he used will become completely ineffective, right?"
"The only question now is, Thor, are you ready to kill your brother with your own hands? I'm not worried about Old John, but don't hesitate on the spot."
At this moment, Nolan, his fire array reloaded, drove the Terminator armor forward with a heavy thud. He lowered his head to check the Masterwork Bolter hanging on his waist. The C'tan Phase Sword was firmly attached to his power backpack.
Nolan stared at Thor, whose expression was gradually becoming solemn, through the helmet eyepiece.
"Thor, I really don't care about Loki's life or death. Even if your counterattack plan fails completely, I can just turn around and withdraw to Midgard and speed up preparations for war. My technocrats are quite fanatical about the troop explosion plan."
After listening to Nolan's cold, detached words, devoid of any personal emotion, Thor, his expression solemn, blinked his azure eyes slightly. He took a deep breath, his jaw tightening, clearly about to express his determination to Nolan.
The next moment, a burst of crisp, slow applause and low, condescending laughter echoed from everywhere at once.
The huge, shimmering illusions, condensed from crystal green light, completely shed their disguise. The tall trees surrounding them dissolved like smoke, presenting the true scene: a wide, barren site that had been cleared by cutting down all the trees.
About a kilometer away, Asgardian soldiers wearing dark golden armor and horn helmets surrounded them in neat, massive battle arrays. A forest of sharp, gleaming spears stretched forward, aimed firmly at them.
Accompanied by the loud, synchronous clang of armor colliding, the Asgardian soldiers in the front rank raised their round, golden shields and long swords, which flashed with energy light, ready to charge at any moment.
At the same time, sleek, floating airships, larger than the magical wooden boat, quickly turned their long-range weapons. The narrow, dark muzzles aimed at everyone, glowing as they prepared to fire.
"My stupid brother... I really miss you so much!"
A faint mockery from Loki, his voice amplified by magic, slowly sounded, floating in everyone's ears.
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