The Power of the Mind Stone and Time Stone

"Hold steady." Nick cut him off cleanly before he could finish.

"Activate the rescue procedures immediately. Evacuate the trapped people as fast as possible."

Before his words had even faded, he had already gripped the communicator in his hand, his fingers flying as strings of commands were sent out in an instant.

Even as he nervously coordinated the rescue, another urgent matter exploded in his mind.

"Thor. The key is finding Thor," he immediately ordered.

"Only he can help us settle this catastrophe."

The agent accepted the order and left. Nick took a deep breath, turned around, and walked toward Lin Du nearby.

"Lin Du," Nick began, deliberately lowering his voice, "is there a way to track Loki?"

As long as Loki remained unseen, they would never know peace.

Lin Du did not answer at once. He merely nodded lightly, a thoughtful look appearing between his brows.

A moment later, he lifted his gaze, sharp light glinting in his eyes.

"Loki's movements are elusive, but his goal is clear—he wants to use the chaos to achieve his scheme."

Lin Du spoke slowly. "But we don't need to look for him. He'll show himself."

"He hasn't had enough fun yet."

Lin Du smiled faintly.

His fingers gently rubbed the two priceless treasures in his palm—the Mind Stone and the Space Stone.

They gave off a faint but impossible-to-ignore glow.

In the original story, the Mind Stone had been Loki's most cherished treasure.

This time, his coming to Blue Star and destroying it had merely been incidental.

His true goal had been to take the Cosmic Cube back from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Yet he had gained nothing and even lost his own treasure.

"Nick, you haven't forgotten, have you? These two stones are lying in my palm. That changes the whole game."

Lin Du raised his head, his gaze passing through the clouds as though he could see Loki lurking in the shadows.

"Right now, Loki is probably scratching his head raw, trying to figure out how to ransom his precious treasures back from me."

"We have plenty of time. Why not sit back and watch the tigers fight while we enjoy the show?"

Nick's brow knotted tightly, and he could not quite understand Lin Du's composure.

However, he soon caught a trace of unfathomable depth in Lin Du's eyes.

"You mean..."

"That's right." Lin Du interrupted Nick before he could finish, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Loki thinks himself unmatched in cunning, never realizing he has already stepped into our trap."

"We'll just take our time. For those two stones, Loki will sooner or later come out on his own."

"When that happens, won't it be up to us?"

With that, Lin Du lightly flicked the stones with his fingertips, producing a crisp chime.

"Lin Du, don't let your guard down."

"That guy Loki has a whole bag of tricks. What if he finds another way..."

Who was Loki? A god of Asgard, capable of turning clouds into rain with a flip of his hand. He was no ordinary opponent.

Yet whenever Lin Du mentioned Loki, he seemed so relaxed, as if the entire situation were already in the palm of his hand. What was going on?

Before Nick could finish, Lin Du smiled and gently cut him off.

"Don't worry, Nick."

Lin Du lightly patted Nick on the shoulder and said with complete confidence,

"For every move Loki makes, I've already quietly placed my own pieces outside his twisted maze of thought."

"Now it's time for us to savor the thrill of being hunters."

Meanwhile, in the shadows on the other side.

Like a phantom in the night, Loki hurried through a narrow, dim alley.

His steps were fast, yet steady as stone.

Though he had finally escaped that perilous situation, Loki did not feel the slightest relief.

Instead, his long-suppressed fury was like a storm imprisoned for too long, finally finding an outlet.

"Damn it!" Loki growled, sparks of defiance and rage dancing in his emerald eyes.

He had thought everything was under his control, never expecting his carefully arranged plan to be disrupted so easily.

Who exactly was this mortal named Lin Du, to possess such power as a mere mage?

Not only had he taken the Mind Stone from Loki, but he had also mastered the power of the Space Stone?

Two stones' immense power had actually gathered within one person...

How could a mortal body possibly bear such surging energy so easily?

Doubt and unease churned in Loki's heart, but he also knew that now was not the time to dwell on such questions.

He abruptly stopped, turned around, and looked through the night, locking his gaze on the two "companions" he had forcibly dragged along—the doctor and Hawkeye.

Hawkeye's eyes were hollow and lifeless. He had completely become a puppet of Loki's magic, blindly obeying every command Loki gave.

Loki's gaze slowly swept over them before finally settling on the doctor's trembling body.

"Before I broke into S.H.I.E.L.D., you were already part of it, weren't you?"

"Come. Tell me, just how much do you know about that Cosmic Cube?"

As soon as Loki finished speaking,

the doctor swallowed, his face pale as paper as an unmistakable flash of panic crossed his eyes.

"I... I only arrived not long ago, Lord Loki."

His teeth chattered, his voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. "When you attacked S.H.I.E.L.D., I... I hadn't had time to investigate it in depth..."

Loki's brows furrowed into a knot. Clearly, he was not satisfied with that answer.

He advanced step by step, and an invisible pressure filled the air.

"Doctor, you'd better not hide anything from me."

"The power of the Cosmic Cube is of vital importance to me."

"You should understand that mortals and gods are worlds apart."

The doctor's body trembled uncontrollably.

Remembering Lin Du's terrifying power, which had seemed capable of toying with the Cosmic Cube at will, an indescribable despair rose in his heart.

If he stayed by Lin Du's side, there was only one outcome: being utterly crushed.

And Loki was clearly no pushover either.

Left with no choice, he could only reveal what he knew.

"I... I don't know much, but I heard something... If S.H.I.E.L.D. found out that I... actually wanted to take back the Cosmic Cube too..."

By the end, his voice had become nearly inaudible, as though even he did not dare imagine what kind of storm those words would bring.

Hearing this, Loki's lips curled into an intrigued smile.

"Oh? So our goals happen to align, do they?"

He lightly patted the doctor on the shoulder. The gesture appeared exceedingly friendly on the surface, but carried an unmistakable warning beneath it.

"Relax. As long as we work together, S.H.I.E.L.D. is nothing more than a minor obstacle."

"As for you, you'll naturally receive the security you've always dreamed of."

A chilling smile curled across Loki's lips.