In the laboratory, the deathly pale fluorescent lights crackled with sharp, piercing electrical noises as they flickered on, as though countless little bugs were crawling through the tubes.
Lin Xiu's fingertips hovered above the Quantum Field Generator's start button. He stared intently at the display, its stream of data dancing like a green brook reflected in his pupils, the flickering light swaying endlessly in his deep eyes.
The moment the Oracle System's prompt ended, fine goosebumps suddenly rose across the skin on the back of his neck, every pore like a startled little beast.
It was not the chill from the air conditioner. It felt more like the gaze of something beyond the laws of physics, clamping onto his nerves like icy tweezers and making him shudder.
"Inject the quantum flow," he murmured into the air, his voice half a tone lower than usual, deep and restrained as though it came from the bottom of a dark valley.
The Nanocore at his spine grew faintly hot. The heat spread outward from his spine like a red-hot coin pressed beneath his skin, and he could clearly feel his flesh being lightly scorched by that blazing temperature.
It was a burning sensation he had not felt since the Battle of New York, every trace of heat like a sharp needle pricking his nerves.
The Vibranium button on the console sank beneath his fingertip with a crisp click.
The electrical noise suddenly rose, sharp as an alarm tearing through the night. A humming buzz came from within the generator, as though a swarm of enraged bees was churning inside.
A pale blue halo of energy seeped through the gaps in the base. Like a dreamy veil, it cast spiderweb-like traces of light over the floor, flickering unstably like mysterious constellations in the night sky.
"Energy parameters stable at the critical threshold." For once, the Oracle System's electronic voice carried a fluctuation, a faint hint of tension. "Nanocore resonance frequency: +30%. Non-electromagnetic energy interference detected..."
Before it could finish, a stabbing pain exploded in Lin Xiu's temples. It struck like lightning, making his head feel as if it were about to burst apart.
He staggered half a step and slammed his palm onto the Vibranium console. The metal surface was immediately covered by the Nanite Swarm, which wove silvery patterns beneath his hand.
The patterns glimmered with an uncanny sheen, like mysterious runes, giving off faint coolness.
Outside the window, the night seemed to have been drenched in ink. The stars visible moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced by a viscous darkness, as if something alive were writhing beyond the glass.
That darkness seemed alive, flowing slowly and radiating an eerie, hair-raising presence.
"What is that?" He gritted his teeth, his nails nearly digging into his palms, the sharp pain making his hand tremble slightly.
The Nanocore's heat began to spread, shooting from his spine to the back of his neck before crawling along his blood vessels to his ears.
He could feel the heat winding through his body like a tiny, blazing snake.
This was not a combat warning. It was more like the scrutiny of some higher being—like a rabbit suddenly realizing it had been locked onto by a hawk.
At the same time, the space around the laboratory suddenly began to twist strangely. A mysterious blue beam flashed like lightning, linking the laboratory to the Bifrost Hall of Asgard.
Within Asgard's Bifrost Hall, Mjolnir in Thor Odinson's hand slammed into the floor with a boom. The tremendous sound thundered through the hall, making the entire chamber tremble.
Seated upon the golden throne, he abruptly opened his eyes. Lightning churned in his blue gaze, and the golden hair at his temples stirred without wind.
The lightning flashed in his eyes like flames of rage.
"Balder..." he muttered, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice low and full of uncertainty.
That barely perceptible aura was too faint, as faint as ashes soaked by rain. Yet the divinity contained within it made his divine power tremble instinctively—it was an energy frequency belonging only to Asgardian god-blooded descendants, carrying the lingering warmth of stardust from the Bifrost's forging.
But that could not be right. Balder clearly... His fingers suddenly clenched, his knuckles whitening, the taut muscles revealing his shock and confusion.
Mjolnir's hammerhead burst with blazing lightning, scorching black marks into the floor. The electric light flashed with a blinding brilliance, like an enraged roar.
Thor rose to his feet, his cape snapping behind him as the runes on his golden breastplate glowed.
The sound of his cape whipping in the wind was like a battle flag flying high, filled with the air of war.
"Heimdall!" His voice shook the crystal chandeliers in the dome, booming like a great bell as though it could pierce the universe itself. "Open the Bifrost's sight. I want to locate that fluctuation!"
The Bifrost's watchman emerged from behind the clouds, his single eye as deep as the universe. "That power is mixed with the metallic scent of mortal technology, my lord." Heimdall's voice cracked like splitting ice, cold and clear. "It is on... Earth. Brooklyn."
Thor's pupils contracted violently, a trace of vigilance and resolve showing in his gaze.
Without hesitation, he raised a hand and pressed it to the rune on his chest. Divine power erupted from him like a volcano.
That divine power surged from his body with searing heat.
The next second, his consciousness left his flesh, transforming into an azure-gold streak that pierced through the Bifrost and carved a bright trail across the universe.
Like a meteor streaking through the night sky, it was beautiful and awe-inspiring.
In the laboratory, Lin Xiu suddenly covered his ears.
He heard it—not a sound, but a tremor beyond hearing, like the hum of colliding stars exploding into fragments within his skull.
The tremor crashed through his mind like an invisible wave, leaving him dizzy.
Fragments of Nano Armor seeped uncontrollably out from beneath his skin, forming a translucent shield around him. The Oracle System's alarm nearly tore his eardrums apart: "Divine-level consciousness projection detected! Threat level: Asgardian god-blooded descendant!"
"Fuck." Lin Xiu cursed, cold sweat beading on his forehead and sliding down his cheeks, as though it reflected the fear in his heart.
He violently tore out the Quantum Field Generator's power cable. Sparks burst from the metal connector like blooming fireworks, illuminating the dark laboratory in an instant.
The Nanite Swarm receded into his body like a tide. He grabbed the tactical backpack in the corner and turned to smash through the laboratory's rear wall—a weak point he had long ago corroded with Nanobots. Chunks of concrete came crashing down, revealing a metal staircase descending below.
The crash of the falling concrete was like a mountain collapsing, full of overwhelming force.
"Location interference activated. Target trace obscurity: 92%." The Oracle System's voice finally steadied. "Recommend evacuating to the Vibranium shelter fifty meters underground. It can block 99% of divine-level perception."
Lin Xiu's soles slipped on the stairs. Holding the rusty handrail, he rushed downward, every step as heavy as though he were stepping on cotton.
The handrail was cold and rough, creaking beneath his palm.
The burning sensation at the back of his neck remained, but it had clearly weakened—had that gaze withdrawn?
At the same moment, deep in space, Thor's consciousness projection condensed into a vague humanoid figure above Brooklyn.
He looked down at the ruins shrouded in darkness, his brow furrowing deeply.
The once-clear aura of Balder had suddenly turned murky, like clear water with shattered glass thrown into it.
"Strange," he said softly. The fingertips of his projected form passed through the air, but caught only energy residue mixed with Vibranium particles and quantum turbulence. "This power... resembles both Balder's Divine Blood and machinery forged by mortals."
"Do you need me to send the Third Warrior Corps to investigate?" Heimdall's voice came from the Bifrost.
Thor withdrew his consciousness and descended again before the throne.
He bent down and picked up Mjolnir, its lingering warmth still burning against his palm.
"No." He stared toward Earth, storms churning in his blue eyes. "I'll go myself. But not now—" He paused, his fingertips brushing the runes on the hammer's handle. "Have Heimdall watch that area first. Record every energy fluctuation."
In the underground laboratory shelter, Lin Xiu slid down with his back against a Vibranium wall.
He loosened his collar, his Adam's apple rising and falling as he breathed heavily.
His hurried breaths sounded like bellows pumping, revealing his exhaustion and tension.
The Nanocore's heat had finally faded, but the skin at the back of his neck was still red, as though it had been scorched by a branding iron.
The reddened skin burned and stung, like a mark left by his clash with that mysterious power.
"Was that... a god?" he asked the air, his voice still trembling, betraying the fear and uncertainty in his heart.
"Based on energy signature comparison, it was most likely an Asgardian god-blooded descendant." The Oracle System's voice returned to its mechanical calm. "Bifrost energy was detected within the consciousness projection. Based on fluctuation frequency, the highest-match target is Thor Odinson."
Lin Xiu's fingers tapped unconsciously against his thigh, the rhythmic sound like the drumbeat of his unsettled heart.
He remembered the blond warrior he had seen in the sky during the Battle of New York, the lightning that had split open the wormhole as the man raised his hammer.
"Why him?" he muttered. "Why did he notice me?" Beyond his confusion, fear filled him—fear that he had been dragged into an unknown danger. Yet he was also curious, wanting to uncover the mystery behind it all, and unwilling to let his fate be manipulated so casually.
"Residual energy wave detected," the Oracle System suddenly reported. "Analyzing... 30%... 50%... Analysis complete. The residual energy contains divine-script encoding for the keyword 'Balder.'"
Lin Xiu's breath caught.
Balder—he remembered the Oracle System mentioning that name before. It had been the Nano Armor's original name.
"Balder is connected to Asgard?" He suddenly straightened. "Is it because of the Nanocore?"
"Causality cannot be determined, but there is a strong correlation," the system said. "Recommend activating the energy-tracking module to trace the residual divine-level energy wave in reverse—"
"Wait." Lin Xiu cut it off, pressing his fingers to his temples.
He suddenly recalled the quantum experiment on the day he crossed over, the blue light that had appeared out of nowhere, and the chant resembling divine script that he had heard when the Nanocore fused with him.
All the fragments came together in his mind. His pupils gradually contracted. "This crossing... was never an accident."
A faint breeze drifted from the underground shelter's vent, stirring the loose strands of hair over his forehead.
The breeze was like a gentle caress, yet it could not calm the turbulence in his heart.
Lin Xiu lowered his head and looked at his palm. The Nanite Swarm was emerging from beneath his skin, condensing at his fingertips into a small silver arrowhead—the Oracle System's new prompt.
"Energy-tracking module activated." The system's voice carried a fluctuation he had never heard before, something like... excitement?
"Weak residual energy detected. Locking onto the source..."
Lin Xiu stared at the silver arrowhead, his Adam's apple moving.
Asgard's gaze had already fallen upon him, while deeper secrets beckoned to him from some unknown corner.
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