Reality Weaving and Aether Blood

At the core of Sky City, Li Wei examined his condition and the system's recommendation.

[Next world coordinates locked: Thor: The Dark World. Core objective: Reality Stone (Aether Particles/The Aether). Warning: This Stone exists in a non-crystalline form, possesses fluid parasitic properties, can distort reality, and erode its host. Involved factions: Asgard, Dark Elves, Nine Realms convergence phenomenon.]

"The Reality Stone... It alters reality, turns illusion into truth, and reduces truth to nothingness." An unprecedented gleam flashed in Li Wei's eyes. "It is completely different from the Time Stone's 'possibilities,' the Space Stone's 'dimensions,' and the Power Stone's 'energy.' It touches upon the very definition of existence itself. I must obtain it."

The core of his strategy was "precise intervention, reaping the rewards in the end." He would no longer wait for the final melee as he had with the Power Stone. The properties of the Aether Particles meant that once they were activated and began gathering, both the commotion and the risk would become far too great. He intended to seize them before everything began—or at a critical juncture.

Infiltration and concealment—the observer in the shadows.

Li Wei set the timing for just after Jane Foster had been possessed by the Aether Particles, before Thor brought her back to Asgard. He teleported directly to London, near the abandoned factory that led to a "Nine Realms convergence point."

He used Mystique's abilities to disguise himself as an ordinary passerby, while casting the highest-level concealment spell. Combined with Kree phase technology, it made him a ghost that seemed not to exist as he quietly observed the beginning of the events.

He saw Jane Foster and her team investigating the abnormal gravitational field. He saw her pulled into another dimension by an invisible force. And when she emerged, ominous dark-red energy was already flowing through her body.

"Target confirmed. The Aether Particles have already parasitized the host." Li Wei calmly recorded the data. "Host: Jane Foster, an ordinary human woman. She cannot withstand the Stone's power. Her life energy is being slowly drained."

He did not act immediately. Forcibly extracting the Aether Particles now might cause irreversible harm to Jane, making him a mortal enemy of Asgard—especially Thor. That was not in his interests. He needed to wait for a more suitable "opportunity" and "method."

Asgard's shadow—the plundering of knowledge and instruments.

After Thor descended and brought Jane Foster to Asgard, Li Wei moved as well. He did not attempt to force his way into the golden palace. Odin and Heimdall were there, making the risk far too high.

His targets were Asgard's treasury and the Royal Library!

While Thor brought Jane to meet Odin and all of Asgard's attention was drawn there, Li Wei used his exquisite understanding of spatial laws, along with the Crimson Sovereign's brief breach of Asgard's defensive barrier—based on data analysis from the previous Loki's scepter and Frost Giants incidents—to successfully infiltrate the treasury.

His objectives were clear:

Casket of Ancient Winters: This Frost Giants artifact contained the rule-based power to freeze reality and create winter. Its principles bore subtle similarities to the reality distortion of the Aether Particles. He swiftly used a specialized container to collect samples of its leaking energy and structural data.

Infinity Gauntlet: Though it was a fake, the design of its gemstone sockets and energy-channeling structure held immense reference value for understanding how to safely contain the Stones. He conducted a complete scan and copied its runes.

Books: Using telekinesis, he instantly scanned and copied all the knowledge from the treasury's texts concerning the history of the Nine Realms, ancient artifacts, and theories of reality's construction.

The entire process took only minutes. He triggered no alarms—the Crimson Sovereign interfered with the surveillance—and passed through like a breeze, leaving no trace.

Immediately afterward, he infiltrated the Royal Library and focused on copying every ancient record concerning "reality structure," "dimensional overlap," "energy materialization," and "the Dark Elves and Aether Particles." This knowledge would help him understand how the Aether Particles functioned.

Waiting for the prey—the Dark Elves' "gift."

Li Wei knew that the awakening of the Aether Particles would draw Malekith, king of the Dark Elves. He lay in wait in the starfield beyond Asgard, awaiting the Dark Elves' fleet.

When the Curse Warrior attacked Asgard and caused chaos, and Malekith successfully extracted the Aether Particles from Jane Foster's body, Li Wei knew his opportunity had arrived!

Although Malekith had regained the Aether Particles, his initial fusion with the Stone had drained him severely. He was also desperate to reach the "Nine Realms convergence point" and carry out his ultimate plan.

Li Wei did not intercept him in Asgard, where there were too many variables. Like the most patient hunter, he followed the Dark Elves' fleet all the way to the center of the Nine Realms' convergence—Greenwich.

When Malekith descended upon Earth and began guiding the Aether Particles' power, attempting to drag the Nine Realms into eternal darkness, that vast, reality-warping dark-red energy surged into the sky and became the most conspicuous beacon in the universe.

Thor and Malekith engaged in a fierce battle. The structure of reality above Greenwich became extremely unstable, space overlapped, and gravity malfunctioned.

At the most critical moment—when Malekith was exerting every ounce of strength to drive the Aether Particles, on the verge of completing the ritual, and deeply fused with the Stone to the point that he could spare no attention elsewhere—

Li Wei made his move!

This time, he used the vastly enhanced telekinesis gained from his recent fusion with the Power Stone's energy, combined with his command of spatial laws and the "Reality Stabilization Anchor" technology he had derived from studying the Casket of Ancient Winters!

He did not attack Malekith, nor did he attempt to forcibly seize the immense torrent of Aether Particles. His target was the invisible reality tether connecting Malekith and the Aether Particles!

"Buzz—!"

An invisible yet incomparably powerful force, like the most precise surgical scalpel, forcibly severed the core point through which Malekith had connected the Aether Particles' energy to the current dimension of reality!

It was like pulling away the single most important support pole holding up a tent!

In an instant, Malekith's control over the Aether Particles came to an abrupt halt! The dark-red energy filling the sky lost its guidance and began violently spiraling out of control, backlashing against its host! Malekith let out a howl of agony as his body began collapsing beneath the wash of reality energy!

At the same time, the Reality Containment Vessel Li Wei had prepared long ago—built upon the Infinity Gauntlet model and theories of reality stabilization—instantly appeared at the heart of the runaway energy under the Crimson Sovereign's control!

The vessel erupted with immense suction, like a miniature black hole, madly devouring the uncontrolled, ownerless Aether Particles energy!

"No!!!" Watching the power he had planned for a thousand years being forcibly taken away, Malekith released a desperate and unwilling roar before finally turning to ash beneath reality's backlash.

Thor stood frozen in place, staring at the sudden reversal before him without yet understanding what had happened.

Li Wei's figure slowly emerged from the energy storm. He reached out and caught the Reality Containment Vessel, now filled with boiling dark-red fluid. Runes flowed across its surface, firmly suppressing the reality-altering force within that sought to rewrite everything.

He glanced at Thor and said blandly, "This thing is too dangerous. It is better if I keep it."

Without waiting for Thor's response, he opened a portal and vanished into the chaos of Greenwich.

Thor was left alone, staring at the devastated battlefield and the vanished enemy and Aether Particles, his emotions impossibly complicated. The crisis had been resolved, but the Aether Particles had fallen into the hands of an even more mysterious and powerful being.

Once again, Li Wei had taken what he wanted most at the critical moment, and at the smallest possible cost.