The bus's air conditioning had broken down. Hot, diesel-scented wind poured in, scattering Ted's snores to the four winds. Lin Mo leaned against the scratched window, watching the desert race backward outside. The dunes looked like gold melted by the sun, rolling endlessly toward the horizon. The wristband on his arm grew faintly warm, its screen occasionally glowing pale blue, as though responding to something.
"Two more hours to Pepper Town!" the driver shouted, yanking the steering wheel through a sharp turn that nearly flung Ted from his seat. The man jolted awake, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth as he blinked in confusion. "Are we in Las Vegas?"
Lin Mo smiled and handed him a bottle of water. "We're almost at Pepper Town. Your cousin's gas station is up ahead." He twisted open his own bottle and took a long gulp. The icy mineral water slid down his throat and into his stomach, but it could not quell the heat inside him—not because of the weather, but because the wristband's vibrations were growing stronger by the minute.
This was already their second day on the road. When they had left Queens, Martha had stuffed half a bag of cookies into Lin Mo's pack, Aunt May had given him a thermos full of still-warm braised eggs, and Peter had secretly slipped him a hand-drawn map with the "approximate location of the hammer" circled in red. When Carlos approved his leave, he had stared at Lin Mo's arm for a long while before tossing out a single warning: "Don't cause trouble, or I'll dock your pay when you get back."
"We're finally going to see the legendary hammer!" Ted rubbed his hands together and stared excitedly out the window. "Do you think that thing is really that amazing? Even tanks can't pull it out? My cousin said a truck driver tried to prove everyone wrong a while back. He tied chains around it and tried to yank it free, but the chains snapped, and even the truck bed got torn off."
Lin Mo did not answer. He merely touched the wristband. Ever since they had entered New Mexico, it had not stopped vibrating, while prompts intermittently appeared on the screen: [High-intensity Asgard energy field detected] [Energy source: approximately 10 kilometers away] [Recommendation: maintain a safe distance].
He knew what it was. The information Peter had compiled said that the hammer was called Mjolnir, Thor's weapon. Only those recognized by it could lift it. S.H.I.E.L.D. had thrown an ironclad perimeter around the area, Phil Coulson was personally overseeing it, and even Hawkeye had been called in—everything pointed to the fact that this hammer was far more than a "piece of metal that fell from the sky."
By the time the bus entered Pepper Town, the sun hung directly overhead, baking the asphalt until heat shimmered above it. The town was even smaller than Lin Mo had expected. It had only one main street, lined with low houses. Most of the shops were closed, and only a little place with a sign reading "Hammer Bar" remained open. A few beer-drinking cowboys gathered outside, pointing toward the distant desert.
"Is that the blockade?" Ted pointed at the barbed-wire fence at the edge of town. Warning signs reading "No Entry" hung from it, while several soldiers in camouflage patrolled with rifles. Farther away, white mobile laboratories stood in view, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s emblem printed on their sides.
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. The security was tighter than he had imagined. The soldiers' equipment looked advanced. What hung at their waists were not ordinary pistols, but weapons resembling energy guns—very similar to the S.H.I.E.L.D. components he had repaired before.
"Let's go to your cousin's gas station first." Lin Mo pulled Ted toward town, deliberately avoiding the soldiers' line of sight. Dynamic Vision let him clearly identify the position of every surveillance camera, making it easy to skirt the hidden ones.
The gas station stood on the other side of town. Its red canopy sagged crookedly, and thick dust coated the pumps. One glance was enough to tell business had been slow. A bearded man was dozing against the register. Hearing them approach, he looked up, and his eyes lit up when he saw Ted. "Ted? What are you doing here?"
"Cousin!" Ted rushed over excitedly and hugged the man. "I brought you a New York specialty!" He pulled half a bag of moldy cookies from his pack—Martha had forced them on him. "This is Lin Mo, my friend. We came to check out the desert scenery."
The bearded man sized Lin Mo up, wariness in his eyes. Only after Ted quietly said, "He's the one who can do magic," did the man smile. "I'm Dale. Make yourselves at home. Fill up on gas whenever you want, it's on me."
The gas station's break room was tiny, with only a cot and an old television. The screen was replaying news about the hammer. A reporter stood outside the barbed-wire fence with a microphone, speaking excitedly into the camera. "...This mysterious hammer has drawn curious visitors from all over the world, yet no one has managed to move it even an inch. Witnesses claim that last night, a blond man attempted to lift the hammer, only to be taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents..."
"That lunatic!" Dale suddenly spat onto the ground. "Every day, he stands outside the blockade yelling, 'That's my hammer!' His voice is louder than thunder. I can't even sleep because of him." He pointed at the blond man flashing across the television screen. "There, that's him. Heard S.H.I.E.L.D. caught him, released him, then caught him again. Like they're walking a dog."
Lin Mo's gaze settled on the blond man's face on the screen—his sharply defined jaw, blue eyes like glaciers. Even surrounded by soldiers, he held his head high like a proud lion. This was Thor? He looked much like his comic-book counterpart, except he was not wearing that iconic red cape.
"I'm going to buy some water." Lin Mo stood up and pretended to head toward the convenience store, though he actually wanted to get closer to the blockade. Dale did not suspect anything, merely reminding him, "Don't get too close to those people in black. They're nasty."
The closer he got to the blockade, the more violently the wristband trembled, like a bee frantically beating its wings beneath his skin. Lin Mo hid behind an abandoned barn and observed with Dynamic Vision. Beyond the fence lay an open stretch of desert. In the center, a hammer with an ancient design was embedded in a boulder. Complex patterns were carved into its head, gleaming dark gold beneath the sun. Even from hundreds of meters away, he could feel its immense energy.
More than a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounded the hammer. Some scanned it with instruments, while others set up more surveillance equipment. Phil Coulson stood at the front in a black trench coat, holding a tablet with a deep frown as he studied something on the screen.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred. The blond man—Thor—had somehow appeared outside the blockade again. He was arguing with a bespectacled agent, his voice so loud that even Lin Mo could hear him from behind the barn. "That is my hammer! You mortals have no right to guard it!"
"Sir, please leave the area, or we will take compulsory measures." The bespectacled agent spoke without expression. His radio crackled, and more soldiers immediately closed in.
"Compulsory measures?" Thor sneered. Then he suddenly exerted himself, shoved the soldier in front of him aside, and charged toward the fence. He moved with astonishing speed. The soldiers had no time to react and could only watch as he slammed into the wire—Clang! The sturdy fence was smashed open with a huge hole!
"My god..." Lin Mo covered his mouth, nearly crying out. Was this the strength of an Asgardian? It was on an entirely different level from his Physical Enhancement.
Thor rushed into the restricted zone and headed straight for the hammer on the boulder. Phil Coulson's expression changed, and he shouted something into his radio. In the distance, a helicopter immediately powered up, its rotors roaring loudly enough to shake the ground.
Just as Thor's hand was about to close around the hammer's handle, something strange happened—he seemed to be blasted away by an invisible force and crashed to the ground with a Thud! He could not get back up for a long while. The hammer remained lodged in the boulder without moving an inch, as though mocking his overconfidence.
"What's going on?" Lin Mo frowned. Wasn't only someone recognized by it supposed to be able to lift it? Why had Thor been repelled too?
The wristband suddenly shook violently, and the words on its screen warped: [Odinforce suppression detected... Energy conflict... Recommendation: leave immediately!]
Odinforce? Lin Mo's heart began pounding wildly. Was this Odin's punishment for Thor? Was that why he still could not lift his own hammer?
Thor struggled to his feet and stared unwillingly at the hammer, his eyes filled with fury and confusion. The soldiers took the opportunity to rush him, locking special handcuffs around his wrists before escorting him toward the mobile laboratory. As he passed Phil Coulson, he shot him a vicious glare. "You will regret this!"
Lin Mo had become so absorbed in the scene that he did not notice Ted until his voice came from behind him. "Mo! What are you doing here? My cousin said he's treating us to barbecue!"
Lin Mo jumped and hurriedly turned around. "Nothing. Just looking at the scenery."
"What's so interesting about scenery?" Ted pointed at the distant hammer, his eyes shining. "That's the legendary hammer? It doesn't look like anything special. It's about the same as the wrench in my toolbox."
Lin Mo followed his gaze. The hammer still glowed dark gold beneath the sunlight, but in Lin Mo's eyes, it was no longer an ordinary piece of metal. It was a divine artifact containing immense power, a bridge connecting Earth and Asgard.
"Come on, let's head back for barbecue." Lin Mo pulled Ted toward the gas station, though his mind was in turmoil. Thor's appearance, the hammer's energy, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tight security, and the wristband's abnormal reaction... all of it meant that his peaceful days were about to end.
When they returned to the gas station, Dale had already set up a grill. Marbled beef sizzled over the coals, its fragrance carrying far into the distance. "Try one of our specialties." He handed Lin Mo a skewer of meat. "It's way better than those crappy New York hot dogs."
Lin Mo took a bite. Meat juices burst across his mouth, carrying a faint smoky flavor. It really was better than supermarket frozen barbecue. Ted had already wolfed down two skewers and said through a full mouth, "Cousin, your barbecue is so good. Why don't you hire more people?"
"Hire people?" Dale gave a bitter smile. "Ever since that hammer fell, more than half the town has left. The ones who stayed were either hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. or spend every day hanging around the hammer. Who would come here for gas?" He pointed toward the distant blockade. "Those people in black look polite, but they're tyrants underneath. Last time, I tried to bring them some water, and they chased me back."
Lin Mo's heart sank. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control was even tighter than he had expected. Getting close to the hammer would be harder than climbing to the heavens.
That night, they slept in the gas station's break room. Ted fell asleep the moment he hit the cot, snoring hard enough to make it shake. Lin Mo, however, tossed and turned without being able to sleep. The wristband's vibrations had weakened, but that faint sense of resonance remained, like a thread connected at one end to his wrist and at the other to the distant hammer.
He quietly got up and went outside. Desert nights were cold. The wind swept across the dunes with a mournful howl, like someone crying. Searchlights glowed at the distant blockade, their beams sweeping across the night sky like watchful eyes.
Lin Mo activated his Phasing Ability, and his body instantly became translucent. He decided to take a risk and have a look, even if it was only to experience that energy at close range. Physical Enhancement made his steps light enough to be nearly silent on the sand, while Dynamic Vision helped him avoid every surveillance camera and patrolling soldier.
The closer he got to the hammer, the stronger the wristband's resonance became. He could even feel energy flowing through his body like warm water washing over every limb and bone. He hid behind a huge rock and looked at the hammer embedded in the boulder. Under the moonlight, its patterns seemed to come alive, faint golden radiance flowing through them.
Suddenly, the hammer trembled slightly and let out a deep hum. Lin Mo's wristband vibrated along with it, and a new prompt appeared on the screen: [Energy Resonance intensity: 70%... Unknown energy source detected within host... Synchronizing...]
An unknown energy source? Lin Mo froze. Was it referring to his identity as a transmigrator? Or the wristband's own power?
Just then, a low voice sounded behind him. "Who are you?"
Lin Mo was scared out of his wits. He spun around and saw Thor standing there, his blue eyes gleaming brilliantly in the darkness. Lin Mo had no idea how this Asgardian prince had escaped his handcuffs, nor when he had discovered him.
"I... I'm a tourist." Lin Mo forced himself to stay calm, though his palms were drenched in sweat. Physical Enhancement and Phasing Ability were both on standby, ready for him to flee at any moment—he had no desire to fight Thor.
Thor stared at his wrist, frowning. "You carry its aura." He pointed at the distant hammer. "You can feel it, can't you?"
Lin Mo's heart raced. How did he know? Could Asgardians sense this kind of resonance?
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lin Mo took a step back, prepared to run.
But Thor smiled. There was no hostility in that smile, only a knowing sense of relief. "It doesn't matter. When you can lift it, you'll understand." He turned toward the hammer, his eyes full of complicated emotions. "My father said that only the one most worthy of it can possess its power. Perhaps... he wasn't talking about me."
Watching his back, Lin Mo suddenly felt that this lofty prince was actually just like him, searching for something.
"Leave now." Thor looked back at him. "Those people in black are coming."
Lin Mo nodded, turned, and activated his Phasing Ability, disappearing silently into the night. By the time he returned to the gas station, the sky was already beginning to pale. Ted was still sleeping soundly, drool soaking half his pillow.
Lin Mo lay on the cot and looked at the prompt on his wristband: [Energy Resonance interrupted... Synchronization rate: 30%... Please continue approaching the energy source to complete synchronization]. He knew that his connection with this hammer had only just begun.
Early the next morning, they boarded the bus back. Ted was still complaining that he had not seen the hammer up close, but Lin Mo had no mind to listen to his chatter. He only watched the desert gradually recede outside the window, a feeling rising in his heart: before long, he would return here.
The wristband lightly vibrated on his wrist, as though answering his thoughts. Lin Mo clenched his fist and felt the lingering energy inside him. Suddenly, the New Mexico desert made him feel his own existence more vividly than the alleys of Queens ever had.
Maybe this was the meaning of his arrival in this world—not merely to protect the ordinary life of Queens, but to encounter these extraordinary beings and uncover the connection between himself and this world.
As the bus drove away from Pepper Town, Lin Mo took one last look at the distant blockade. The mysterious hammer still stood embedded in the boulder like a silent oath, waiting for the day it would be awakened.
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