novel-bin Chapter 103. Thor: Using me as bait?
Chapter 103. Thor: Using me as bait?
Chapter 103. Thor: Using me as bait?
One morning in New Mexico, the damp, cool air rushed into my chest, bringing a refreshing coolness that invigorated me.
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary base for extraterrestrial research.
"Bang bang bang!"
A rapid knocking sounded, so forceful that it seemed the door would be smashed to pieces at any moment.
The door led to Thor's room. The urgent knocking meant nothing to him; he could sleep soundly even on the battlefield, so what was this?
When there is a deadly danger, Hammer reacts, so he scratches his shoulder, turns over, and goes back to sleeping soundly.
But Thor has now made a fatal mistake—he doesn't have a hammer.
"Tear—"
The steel door was ripped open, and Steve, his eyes blazing with rage, stepped into the room, his gaze precisely fixed on Thor, who was still asleep.
He was helpless. It was already eight o'clock, and Thor still hadn't gotten up. If it were during his previous training, he would have been knocked unconscious by the instructor's punch long ago.
That way I can sleep forever.
Shaking his head, Steve grabbed Thor by the neck with one hand and lifted him up.
The sudden feeling of weightlessness jolted Thor awake, and he opened his eyes, grumbling, "Who is it? I'm Thor—"
Before he could finish speaking, he met Steve's calm yet angry eyes and immediately snapped back to reality.
He jerked to his feet by the bed, straightened his back, and said with a grin, "Steve, what brings you here?"
Steve gave him a cold, wary look, but didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "What is the typical lifestyle of you Asgardian gods? No, wait, what is your lifestyle?"
Thor pondered for a moment before replying, "Eliminate the enemies who started the unrest, fight against the various races of the Nine Realms, and then there will be delicious food and feasts."
At this point, his eyes lit up: "You know, the wine in Asgard is absolutely top-notch, much better than in Midgard. I'll definitely take you to try it sometime."
"So when do you get up? And when do you train?"
"Hmm—I'm usually woken up, but I don't know the specifics. As for training, I just train when I'm awake."
Steve nodded, his gaze softening. He roughly understood that this prince wasn't exactly pampered; his training methods were simply irregular. Given the long lifespan of their race, sleeping for several days at a time shouldn't be difficult for him.
"From now on, you need to set a time to get up and train with me. This is your first step in getting a basic understanding of ordinary people's lives."
"We won't be here for long. After this is over, I'll be very busy. During that time, you'll have to experience everything on your own. But if you encounter any difficulties, you can go to Ji Yuan. He will help you. I'll teach you some basic necessities of life later."
Thor didn't react much; it was just about getting up at the designated time and living his life as usual, nothing to brag about. However, he asked curiously, "What exactly is the plan? You and that divine messenger both mentioned it."
Steve didn't answer immediately, but said, "Come out with me first. There are some things you should know."
After saying that, he jogged out.
Seeing this, Thor quickly followed.
Since Thor's hammer fell more than ten kilometers away from the town, the food was purchased by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in disguise.
Steve was running with Thor along the desert path, maintaining a moderate pace as they headed towards the town.
Thor and Steve ran side by side; this speed was nothing to him.
He asked with great curiosity, "Steve, what exactly is the plan? Why are you being so cautious?"
Steve looked ahead: "It's not just a plan. There's a big problem within humanity as a whole. We need to purge some terrorist organizations to prevent them from endangering human safety."
"The doctor and I originally planned to get rid of those woodworms as quickly as possible."
"But your arrival has given us an opportunity to gather their deeper members and cleanse the deepest members, which would naturally be the best."
Thor understood now. He said, "So, I've become the bait? They're very interested in me, a god?"
He felt insulted that a mortal dared to inscribe on the words of a god!
Steve nodded: "You could say that. There are many, many people who are interested in you."
Thor's eyes lit up, and he said with a hint of excitement, "Shouldn't I be given some compensation for being the bait? Like a divine blessing from a messenger of the gods?"
He had been eyeing that blessing for a long time; that level of power already surpassed that of his father.
Steve gave Thor a strange look, wondering why this big oaf would pull something like this. He chuckled softly, "Compensation, huh?"
"Once you've grasped your own power, normally your old man will have to pay us protection money."
Thor ran up to Steve, turned around, and asked, "What do you mean? Why should my father give up the treasure when I'm the bait?"
Steve looked at him meaningfully and slowly said, "It seems you know nothing at all."
"I always thought the gods were different from humans. It seems that, just as those people speculated, there are also great internal conflicts within Asgard. What do you mean? We Asgard are the most united!" Thor said confidently.
Steve sighed: "Thor, perhaps this is why your father sent you to Earth and stripped you of your divine power. You've been high above for too long and don't know what it's like to be an ordinary person."
A true ruler must be able to accurately understand the lives of his subjects.
"It's impossible for all the gods in Asgard to be like you; most of them must be beings whose power is far inferior to yours."
"Do you really understand their lives? Do you know how many people live in your kingdom? Do you know what they need?"
Thor fell silent. He truly knew nothing of these things. For over a thousand years, he seemed to have been caught in a cycle of fighting and enjoying life, never having witnessed the lives of ordinary Asgardians.
Seeing him in silent contemplation, Steve couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and continued, "According to Dr. Ji Yuan, when you came to Earth, other forces came to Earth by attaching themselves to that rainbow beam. They haven't shown themselves yet, and I think you can guess what they're after."
Thordell fell silent. Even the most dim-witted person could tell that there must be an internal problem.
The Rainbow Bridge is Asgard's key weapon for traversing the Nine Realms; possessing it allows one to swiftly cross the infinite distances between the Nine Realms.
The one in control is Heimdall, who is unlikely to betray the regime, but it is indeed possible to use the spatial fluctuations during the Bifrost to perform spatial jumps.
However, it requires assistance from someone extremely knowledgeable about the Rainbow Bridge to inform them of the locations of certain nodes. Only the higher-ups in Asgard know this.
Thor couldn't figure out who it was, but he was certain that it was after him, and might even want to get rid of him.
He blurted out instinctively, "Can you handle those enemies?"
He regretted it as soon as he said it; it was just nonsense.
Putting aside the fact that his enemies feared his power, whether he could even defeat Steve was a question.
No wonder Earth is called Midgard; it's not that simple. How could an unknowable super-god be afraid of some so-called assassin?
They weren't far from the town anymore, so Steve quickened his pace and replied, "You don't need to worry about that. Just focus on being the bait."
Thor quickly followed, already able to smell the fragrance.
Walking down the town's streets, he spotted a stall selling all kinds of wraps and quickly walked over, picked up a wrap, and put it in his mouth.
This action startled the stall owner, who fumbled for something in the drawer.
Steve quickly stepped forward, paid the money, and only then did the stall owner smile and take his hand out of the drawer.
Thor glanced at Steve with a puzzled look, sensing that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
After walking a distance, Steve said slowly, "You need to understand, this is the human world, unlike your Asgard, where everything you eat and use is delivered to you by special people."
"On Earth, food and drink cost money, so you'll have to earn your own living from now on."
"What?" Thor's eyes widened in disbelief. "Do we need to do this on Earth? In Asgard, I can just have the royal chefs cook whatever I want to eat; I don't need anything else."
Steve spread his hands and said, "That's how it is on Earth. You exchange your abilities for rewards, and then you exchange those rewards for food. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"
"Our noble Asgardian prince can't even support himself, can he?"
Upon hearing this, Thor immediately puffed out his chest and said smugly, "You underestimate an Asgardian prince. He's just trying to make a living. I'll treat you to a big meal later."
"Then I'll wait and see."
After breakfast, the two embarked on their journey back. Steve's purpose in going was simply to show Thor how ordinary people live, and incidentally, to teach him some basic life skills and rules.
Steve returned to the room and, as planned, took out a syringe and iodine, looking at Thor who was sitting idly to the side.
Thor frowned, looking at the tiny needle in Steve's hand with disgust. "Steve, what are you doing?"
Steve took out a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and said gently, "Thor, completing this plan requires a little of your blood. Don't worry, just a little." Thor swallowed hard. He really didn't want to, but in order to regain his strength, he had to endure it. He frantically comforted himself in his heart, "All of this is for a better tomorrow."
He extended his arm with his eyes closed.
The cool iodine was applied to his skin, and as the metal needle pierced his body, Thor endured the discomfort.
As Steve drew blood, he asked, "Thor, what do you think some of the powerful and wealthy on Earth need?"
Thor thought for a moment and said, "Power?"
"No!"
Steve's expression turned serious, and his voice became low.
"It's about immortality, and for that purpose, they've gone to extremes."