Live Another Five Thousand Years

Three Quinjets flew in at full speed. Aside from the pilots, each aircraft carried ten fully armed combat personnel—the Strike Teams S.H.I.E.L.D. liked to talk about. That made thirty people in total, including one special member: Skye.

That was right. After several months of intensive training, coupled with the formidable physical enhancements brought by the Green Goblin Serum, Skye had become an outstanding field operative.

After repeatedly coming up short against Wang Khan, Nick Fury had no choice but to take a risk and recruit the unstable factor that was Skye as an agent. She had started out as a Level 5 Agent, with the same clearance as Emma Simmons and the other two technical personnel.

At this stage, even Hawkeye Barton was only a Level Six Agent, while Coulson was merely Level Seven.

It could be said that Skye's starting point in S.H.I.E.L.D. was already very high!

When the Quinjets arrived above the base, everyone saw the enormous crater below, and their expressions turned grim.

At the sight of it, Skye clenched her fists tightly.

The cabin doors opened, and thirty Strike Team members rushed out carrying heavy weapons. Coulson, dressed like a beggar, came forward to meet them.

"Sir, the Strike Team has thirty members. We await your orders!"

As the Strike Team captain, Rumlow saluted Coulson. Coulson glanced over the agents, and when he spotted Skye among them, his expression shifted slightly.

"Shockwave has appeared. He attacked us, and his abilities have evolved again. Ordinary infantry weapons can't hurt him at all."

"Sir, let me deal with him!"

Skye stepped forward. Back then, Wang Khan had captured her and subjected her to a series of human experiments.

Unfortunately, she had remained unconscious from beginning to end. She knew nothing and had not even seen Wang Khan's face.

That was why she desperately wanted to capture Wang Khan and ask why he had treated her that way, as well as where her superpowers had come from.

At this stage, Skye was intensely obsessed with discovering her origins. The reason she had agreed to join S.H.I.E.L.D. was to search its records for clues about her background.

Her desire to capture Wang Khan now stemmed from the same reason.

Coulson frowned slightly upon hearing that. Unlike Nick Fury, who believed in extraordinary powers, Coulson took a cautious attitude toward them. Especially after witnessing Wang Khan's terrifying strength, he had become even more wary.

That was also the attitude of most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They were instinctively vigilant and hostile toward these superpowered individuals.

"All actions are to follow orders."

With a wave of his hand, Coulson began organizing people to treat the wounded.

Meanwhile, Wang Khan had already piloted the new Quinjet above the clouds. With its stealth function activated, not even satellites could detect it, much less radar.

At that moment, Wang Khan handed control of the aircraft over to Red Queen. Using the plane's simple laboratory equipment, he began analyzing Thor's blood.

"Perfect. Such powerful cellular activity, and vitality so vigorous it practically bursts forth. No wonder Asgardians can live for five thousand years. Compared to them, Earthlings are practically unevolved apes."

The more Wang Khan studied it, the more excited he became. He now possessed considerable physical abilities, as well as powerful mind-control powers. In terms of combat strength alone, he was no weaker than an Asgardian.

He was even stronger than ordinary Asgardians, but when it came to lifespan, he fell far short.

The Green Goblin Serum and Super Soldier Serum of this universe had no life-extending effects, so he was extremely envious of the Asgardians' longevity.

"Under the laws of this universe, there are only two ways to break the limits of lifespan on Earth. One is to steal Dormammu's dark power to prolong life, like Ancient One did, but that's practically drinking poison to quench thirst. The side effects are far too severe, and it's still uncertain whether I even have any talent for magic."

"On the technological side, only the Extremis Virus remains. With my Super Brain and the Meditation Experiment, I should be able to create a perfect Extremis Virus, completely eliminating the risk of self-destruction and turning directly into a humanoid fire-breathing dragon."

"But just how much this virus can extend one's lifespan is still unknown. If it only adds a few hundred years, that would be awkward. So Asgardian bloodlines are still the most valuable research material. Once I study them thoroughly, a five-thousand-year lifespan is guaranteed. The temptation is simply too great."

Wang Khan carefully stored Thor's blood sample as though it were a family heirloom. Then Red Queen's voice sounded.

"Guardian, I have discovered the secret passage Loki used to leave, but we cannot reach it for the time being."

"We can't reach it? We can travel freely to and from the moon now, and you're telling me there are still places on Earth we can't go?"

Wang Khan looked utterly unconvinced.

"It is inside a massive rift twenty thousand meters beneath the sea. Our Quinjet does not have submarine capabilities."

"What? Twenty thousand meters? That really is a problem."

Wang Khan tapped his fingers against the armrest.

"But it's not an insurmountable problem. We've already produced Vibranium. Once production increases after a while, we'll use it to build a submarine. I refuse to believe we can't reach twenty thousand meters below the sea. For now, mark the coordinates. Besides, this isn't the best time to go to Asgard, so there's no need to rush."

In Wang Khan's plan, the best time to head to Asgard would be after the events of Thor: The Dark World.

By then, Odin would have been cast out by Loki, Thor would be busy on Earth fighting Hydra, and afterward he would roam the Nine Realms because of Ragnarok. Even Heimdall, Asgard's all-seeing guardian, would have been dismissed by Loki.

It could be said that this would be the period when Asgard's defenses were at their weakest, and the best time to infiltrate it.

Even if he were discovered, Wang Khan could still retreat unharmed with Asgard's strength at that time. He had nothing to fear.

Over the next dozen or so hours, New Mexico was like the calm before a storm. Everything appeared peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents surged beneath.

S.H.I.E.L.D. built another base and once again enclosed Thor's Hammer. At the same time, they set up a large number of heavy weapons within the base to prevent Wang Khan from pulling off another Justice from Above.

Meanwhile, Thor managed to drink and flirt without neglecting either. He first drank Dr. Erik under the table.

Then he gave Jane Foster an astronomy lesson, and their relationship quickly warmed.

Using a satellite's ultra-high-definition camera, Wang Khan listened to Thor's grand explanations almost as if he were attending an online class, gaining a deeper understanding of the Nine Realms at the same time.

"Red Queen, record everything Thor says, then compare it with telescope observations and see whether it matches. Although these Asgardians seem as if they still live in the Middle Ages, their technology is far ahead of Earth's. Compared to them, we're uncivilized natives."

"Guardian, with Earth's current spaceflight capabilities, it will be difficult to make use of this knowledge unless we can build a faster-than-light aircraft."

At the mention of a faster-than-light aircraft, Wang Khan immediately thought of the one from Captain Marvel, then of Project Pegasus and the Space Stone.

"Don't worry. In another two years, all of this can be achieved. What we need to do now is build up our strength, then seize those things by force when they appear."

The trial recommendation period has begun. If favorites exceed 1,000, I'll add an extra chapter; if recommendations exceed 1,000, I'll add one as well. Thank you, everyone.