Chapter 124:
In front of everyone.
The glow of the Tesseract suddenly intensified, shifting from a deep blue to a blinding white.
Fury had to raise his hand to shield his eyes. The violent pulsing image of the cube still lingered in his vision.
The entire base began shaking violently, as if it would collapse at any second.
"Evacuate! Evacuate immediately!"
Fury's voice cut through the alarm. He grabbed the nearest scientist and pushed them toward the exit.
Hawkeye had already drawn his bow, aiming a special arrow toward the Tesseract, though he wasn't sure what good it would do.
Selvig, however, stood motionless in an unusual manner. The light of the Tesseract reflected off his glasses.
"It's beautiful."
The professor murmured, "It's creating a quantum tunnel."
Before he finished speaking, a blue energy beam suddenly erupted from the center of the Tesseract, punching straight through the laboratory ceiling.
Concrete debris rained down like hail. The alarm blared sharply.
Fury saw something coalescing within the energy beam — a humanoid silhouette was forming.
His finger was already on the comm device: "All units, red alert! We may have…"
But he never finished the sentence.
The energy beam suddenly contracted, like a tide being sucked back in.
After a brief silence, a shockwave spread outward with the Tesseract at its center, flipping over every unsecured object in the laboratory.
Moments later, Fury struggled to his feet from the ground. He saw a tall, slender figure standing ahead.
The man held a strangely shaped scepter. His gold-and-green armor made him stand out distinctly.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
The newcomer gave a slight bow, his voice elegant.
"I am Loki, of Asgard. I believe you've been expecting me?"
His smile was elegant and dangerous. The gem at the top of his scepter glowed with the same blue light as the Tesseract.
The laboratory alarm continued to blare, but at this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on this suddenly appeared god.
Fury's single eye narrowed slightly. His hand discreetly moved toward the gun at his waist.
He didn't need Selvig's instruments to feel it — the real trouble had only just begun.
........
Some Luxury Hotel
The New York night sky unfolded outside the floor-to-ceiling windows like a black satin sheet studded with diamonds.
Wanda stood quietly in front of the window, her eyes curiously scanning the scene below.
From dozens of floors up, the city lights looked like an endless sea of stars that never went out.
"It's hard to imagine this is a world so similar to ours."
"These buildings, these lights — it feels even more prosperous than our New York."
Yang Jian stood behind her, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
In his eyes, the city wasn't just its glamorous surface.
He could see office workers in Wall Street banks working late, sleeping bags of homeless people curled up in alleys.
He could even see the evening news playing in an apartment building in Queens.
Every detail was as clear as if viewed under a microscope.
"It's developed, sure, but it's also quite disaster-prone."
Wanda was about to turn around and ask what he meant when she suddenly noticed Yang Jian's body stiffen slightly.
His pupils contracted, and a faint golden light flashed in his eyes — almost imperceptible.
"What's wrong?"
She turned to face him, asking with confusion.
Yang Jian's expression shifted from focused to one of expectant amusement.
"Nothing. Just found some fun."
He said, his gaze piercing through the hotel walls toward some invisible point in the distance.
"What kind of fun?"
Wanda frowned, even more curious now.
Yang Jian didn't answer immediately.
His super vision acted like the most precise telescope, penetrating layer after layer of obstacles.
It locked onto an underground tunnel.
There, a modified black pickup truck was speeding dangerously fast.
In the truck bed, a blond man crouched to keep his balance, holding a staff that emitted a blue glow. Even from this distance, Yang Jian could clearly see the man's pale skin, sly smile, and the distinctive gold-and-green armor that clearly didn't belong on Earth.
Loki — the Loki they had fought alongside just days ago.
But not the same Loki. This was the movie universe's Loki.
In the driver's seat, Agent Clint Barton (Hawkeye) controlled the wheel with an expressionless face, but deep in his pupils was an unnatural red glow.
Clearly, he was being controlled.
In the passenger seat, Professor Selvig nervously adjusted some kind of instrument, muttering nonstop.
"I didn't expect it to start so soon."
Yang Jian said softly, his gaze shifting slightly.
About two hundred meters behind the pickup, another modified vehicle was in hot pursuit.
Maria Hill sat in the driver's seat with a serious expression, flooring the accelerator as if she wanted to catch up immediately.
Her lips were pressed tightly together.
Wanda waved her hand in front of his eyes: "Yang?! Wanda calling Superman?!"
"Sorry, darling."
He smiled and took her hand, naturally adjusting his focus.
"There's an interesting chase happening in the underground tunnel."
"A guy who calls himself a god just stole something from S.H.I.E.L.D. and is escaping with a controlled Hawkeye and a scientist. Agent Hill is chasing behind them."
Wanda raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "Controlled? Mind control?"
"Exactly. It's the effect of that scepter." Yang Jian nodded.
"The blue energy is quite different from the red of your Chaos Magic."
Outside the window, an unusually bright blue light suddenly erupted from the ground in the distance. Even from dozens of blocks away, it was clearly visible.
A few seconds later, a faint vibration reached the high floors of the hotel. Wine glasses on the mini-bar clinked gently, producing a crisp sound.
Yang Jian understood — the Tesseract's energy fluctuation had begun. It looked like S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters had already collapsed.
Wanda's red lips parted slightly: "What was that?"
"An anomaly from the Tesseract. Nothing major."
Yang Jian continued watching the show with his super vision.
He saw Loki suddenly turn around, pointing his scepter backward. An energy beam struck the hood of Hill's car.
"From what you're saying, it looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to have a long night."
Wanda suddenly smiled and wrapped her arms around Yang Jian.
"Are we going to join the fun?"
Yang Jian pretended to think for a moment: "No, we're not going. Tonight we're just watching the show."
He pointed at the bathrobes they were both wearing.
"And I bet that cotton machine Fury won't send us an invitation."
As he spoke, another bright blue light flashed in the distance, this time accompanied by a faint explosion.
In the distant sky, several S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopters began heading toward the incident site.
Wanda shook her head helplessly. "So are we waiting until they're done fighting before going, or are we going now to clean up the mess?"
Yang Jian admired the way she put on her coat. Every movement appeared elegant to him, like slow motion.
Wanda didn't know the full story. After all, in their world, S.H.I.E.L.D. was Yang Jian's private property.
So it was normal for her to want to help.
"No, we'll keep watching this episode of Law & Order."
He pointed at the TV show that was currently playing.
"This matter can be handled by S.H.I.E.L.D. for now. Let the event ferment for a while first."
Wanda nodded thoughtfully, then tossed him a pillow: "You're becoming more and more like a chaos enjoyer."
Yang Jian neither confirmed nor denied it. He easily caught the pillow while splitting off part of his attention to continue monitoring the underground chase.
He saw Loki suddenly turn around, pointing his scepter backward. An energy beam struck the hood of Hill's car.
Hill's vehicle spun out of control and finally flipped sideways against the tunnel wall.
"The situation is still manageable for now," he said, picking up the pillow and sitting down on the sofa.
"Hill just flipped her car, but she's fine. If no one stops them now, that God of Mischief is going to get away with the Tesseract."
Wanda had already sat down beside him, still peeling a piece of fruit for Yang Jian.
"So, before saving the world, shall we kiss, Mr. Superman?"
Yang Jian smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
In this brightly lit New York night, in a hotel room dozens of floors high.
Two visitors from another universe were about to conduct the oldest human experiment,
and one that everyone would study.
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