"Hm? It seemed Earth wasn't entirely full of weaklings after all."
Holding Mjolnir and watching Captain America withstand his fierce lightning barrage with his shield, Thor could not help showing a trace of admiration in his eyes.
"Unfortunately, humans are still only human. They can never compare to true gods!"
The next moment, Thor's gaze hardened.
The lightning unleashed by Mjolnir instantly became even more violent.
Under the ravaging thunderbolts, even ordinary people standing several meters away could feel a berserk energy surging relentlessly toward them.
They could only retreat again and again, completely leaving the battlefield to these two inhuman beings.
Yet although Captain America was known as the strongest human and supposedly able to fight anyone to a draw,
his essence as a human had never changed.
Under the impact of the incomparably violent lightning, even though his sturdy shield could block and absorb some of the current,
the overwhelming force still drove his body backward again and again.
His feet carved a deep trench into the ground.
"Ah..."
Captain America's powerful will kept him struggling on. Even as his body was forced backward, his resolve did not waver in the slightest.
"Good! Human, you possess an incomparably strong will. You are worthy of becoming my true opponent."
Seeing Captain America erupt with such tenacious determination beneath his assault, even Thor was moved.
"Next, I will make you understand with true power that no matter how strong one's will may be, it can never bridge the enormous gap in strength!"
The serious Thor actually gave up on continuing to use the power of thunder. Instead, he slowly tightened his grip around Mjolnir, stared fixedly at Captain America, and filled his eyes with soaring battle intent.
"I'll return those words to you. Humanity will never submit to any arrogant fool who calls himself a god. That was true decades ago, and it remains true decades later!"
Gripping his all-too-familiar shield in one hand, Captain America seemed to return to the battlefield of decades past. His eyes brimmed with determination.
"Enough chatter. Since I couldn't find that guy called Superman, I'll use you to warm up instead!"
Thor hesitated no longer. He leaped several meters into the air, gripped Mjolnir tightly, and viciously smashed it down at Captain America.
Captain America reacted just as quickly. The instant Mjolnir descended, he raised his shield.
Boom!
The moment Mjolnir collided with the Vibranium Shield, a terrifying explosion of sound erupted.
A powerful shockwave swept outward in an instant, and the terrifying force directly flipped several nearby cars into the air.
However, the scene from the movies, where Thor was sent flying by the Vibranium Shield's recoil, did not occur.
Instead, after both sides retreated some distance, they charged at each other once more, swinging shield and hammer as they fought to their hearts' content!
Meanwhile, as Thor and Captain America battled fiercely,
a laboratory located in a remote suburb of New York City was bustling with activity.
Countless science enthusiasts and several media reporters had been invited there to witness what was said to be the greatest invention of the century.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are fortunate to have come here, because you are about to witness history."
"You and today's experiment will be recorded in the annals of history."
At the center of the somewhat shabby laboratory, a plainly dressed, slightly overweight middle-aged man confidently addressed everyone present.
"Energy has always been the bottleneck restricting humanity's development. Just like the famous barrel effect, energy shortages determine the upper limit of human technological progress."
"But today, you will have the privilege of witnessing history and seeing the most important moment in the history of human energy."
"After today, humanity will no longer have to worry about insufficient energy."
"You will witness the birth of a new kind of energy—safe, sustainable, perhaps even permanent energy that will provide cheap electricity for everyone!"
Even now, Doctor Otto's face was full of an incomparably confident smile.
"Next, allow me to introduce my assistant..."
As he spoke, Doctor Otto slowly walked over to a device covered with cloth nearby, then suddenly yanked the cloth away.
"Wow... What is that thing?"
Upon seeing the strange mechanical device with four metal tentacles, everyone present except Peter let out cries of amazement.
"Peter, you don't seem surprised at all?"
Even Gwen, who stood beside Peter and was Doctor Otto's intern, was seeing these Doctor Octopus mechanical arms for the first time.
Yet she was curious why Peter did not seem excited in the slightest.
"It's just a pair of mechanical arms. What's so surprising about that?"
Peter answered calmly.
Indeed, if these mechanical arms had been brought to his previous world, they would undoubtedly have been a great invention.
But in this Marvel world, where black technology was everywhere, they simply were not impressive enough to inspire amazement.
"These four mechanical arms are Intelligent Mechanical Arms I created specifically for today's Nuclear Fusion Experiment. They can withstand high temperatures, magnetism, and radiation."
As Doctor Otto spoke, he slowly removed his shirt, revealing his somewhat overweight upper body, and stood before the mechanical arms.
Then the arms activated. A mechanical restraint resembling a human spine slowly attached itself to the spine on his back.
At that moment, Doctor Octopus was born!
"Damn, that thing looks painful!"
Even Peter had to admire Doctor Otto. To complete the experiment, he had practically gone mad.
After all, those mechanical arms did not merely attach to the skin.
The device securing them behind him penetrated directly into the nerves of his spinal cord. Only then could they be controlled through thought.
"Peter, do you think Doctor Otto can succeed?"
Watching the scene before her, a bad feeling suddenly rose in Gwen's heart. It was not Spider-Sense, yet it made her even more uneasy than Spider-Sense ever had.
She felt that something might go wrong next.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Though he said that, Peter looked completely calm, as if he were not worried about an accident at all.
"Please keep your eyes wide open, because the grand finale is about to begin."
At that moment, Otto, transformed into Doctor Octopus, had arrived before the Laser Ignition Device.
"Oh, and I must thank Oscorp Industries for generously sponsoring the rare element—Tritium!"
As the mechanical arms slowly placed the rare element known as Tritium at the center of the ignition device, the invisible magnetic field within instantly locked it in the exact middle. It floated slowly in the air and began spinning at high speed.
"Fasten your seat belts. We're about to get started."
Putting on his sunglasses, Otto spoke slowly as he pressed the Laser Ignition Device.
The next moment, several laser beams precisely struck the Tritium at the center of the device.
The terrifying high temperature instantly activated it, and a brand-new miniature "star" slowly blossomed at the center of the device.
"Wow, could this be an artificial Miniature Sun?"
Even though the scorching heat and powerful radiation had been completely blocked by the Magnetic Field Shield, the people present still could not stop their cries of astonishment from rising one after another.
"Sorry, Gwen. I need to leave for a moment."
Just as Gwen was still inexplicably feeling that faint unease in her heart, Peter beside her suddenly spoke.
"Peter, what is it?"
Gwen wanted to ask further, only to discover that Peter had already chosen to leave without hesitation.
"Damn..."
Watching Peter's departing figure, then turning to glance at that dazzling "star," Gwen ultimately did not follow him. Instead, she retreated behind the crowd and walked into a corner where no one else could see her.
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