Hidden

"I think Loki should be hiding somewhere in New York right now, preparing to use the Space Stone at some point to open a cosmic wormhole, bring the Chitauri to Earth, and conquer it."

"Yes, you're right. That's what I think too."

Chen Xu asked Thor,

"Is that huge black monster really that strong?"

Thor looked directly ashamed.

"Yes. He is Black Dwarf, one of Thanos's subordinates, a warrior renowned throughout the universe for his physical strength."

Chen Xu thought,

It seems the movies differ from the real world after all. Black Dwarf was originally the most pathetic one to die. Everyone thought he wasn't particularly strong, even weaker than ordinary soldiers. But now it seems they were wrong. I can't judge this world through the lens of the original movies. I need to reevaluate it.

"It seems we can only seek guidance from the Sorcerer Supreme."

Thor was not surprised. He naturally knew of the Sorcerer Supreme, the powerful figure who had once driven them off Earth. Honestly, because she had once expelled them from Earth, he felt somewhat embarrassed about meeting her now.

Chen Xu headed toward Ancient One's residence, with Thor following behind him. Before long, the two arrived at its door.

"Come in!"

Chen Xu and Thor were both stunned. How did Ancient One know they were coming?

Chen Xu performed a sorcerer's salute, while Thor gave an Asgardian salute.

"Sorcerer Supreme, this is Thor, son of Odin of Asgard."

Chen Xu briefly introduced Thor's identity, yet it carried great weight.

"Oh, I know."

"Since you already know, I won't beat around the bush. I'll get straight to the point."

"We want to know where Loki is right now. He has already obtained the Space Stone and could bring the Chitauri army to Earth at any moment. This is a huge threat to Earth. We need to find him quickly and stop him."

"I know the situation is urgent, but I don't know where he is either."

"What? Even you don't know? Can't you use the Time Stone to find him?"

"Yes. Even with the Time Stone, I can't find him, because everything in the future has changed. All of this happened because of your appearance. You disrupted every trajectory of the future."

"Originally, Loki should have appeared atop Stark Tower at this time, opened a cosmic wormhole, and released the Chitauri. In the end, he would have been stopped by the Avengers and taken back to Asgard. But now, the future has become blurry and no longer follows its original path or development. So I don't know where he is either. He could be right under your nose, or anywhere in the universe."

Chen Xu fell into deep thought upon hearing this, while Thor stared at him in shock.

"I never thought our world would head into the unknown because of your existence. You're actually that kind of person?"

Meanwhile, Loki, who had escaped from Chen Xu, was in a luxurious villa, furiously smashing a table with the Mind Scepter.

"Master, Hawkeye has been captured. That means our plans and arrangements have all been discovered. Should we stop the plan? Leave first and preserve our strength."

"No, there's no need. As long as one possesses enough strength, all schemes are nothing but clouds. Hurry, have Dr. Wade finish the device and open the cosmic wormhole. Once that happens, everything will be easy."

"Yes, I'll go right away."

"Should we send someone to assassinate that mage?"

"What? Are you joking? Do you know how powerful he is? Even Dormammu is no match for him, yet you want to assassinate him?"

"Who is Dormammu?"

Loki was helpless over that question, unsure whether he should explain it. Even if he did, she would not understand.

"You are merely mortals. You don't need to know about this, nor is there any need for you to know. Just hurry up and do what you're supposed to do. That is enough."

"The rest is beyond your control, and you don't have the ability to interfere."

"Alright, I'll handle it now."

"Kamar-Taj, Chen Xu, just you wait. I will make both Kamar-Taj and you disappear from this universe."

Then he drained the red wine in his hand in one gulp.

Thor and Chen Xu had been searching for Loki's whereabouts, trying to find where he was and stop him from opening the cosmic wormhole and releasing the Chitauri. Yet it was all in vain. With the Space Stone, if Loki wanted to hide, no one could find him.

Until a massive cosmic wormhole opened above Stark Tower. The entire city of New York fell into panic. Everyone stared at the enormous spatial wormhole in the sky above New York, and the American Consulate learned of it immediately.

"Nick Fury, do you have the ability to control all this now? Can you control that hole above New York?"

Nick Fury was silent at first, then said bluntly,

"If even I can't control all this, then no one can. I believe my team can stop it."

"Those few people? Can that powerful mage help us? What is his stance right now? Do you know?"

"About that... I don't know what his stance is either. But I believe that since he is on Earth, he will definitely act in the end."

"How can you be sure? And what would you say if he joined others in conquering Earth?"

"If that day truly comes, it will mean that Earth is completely finished."

Nick Fury hung up the communication.

Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, they watched the spatial wormhole above New York and the endless stream of troops flying out of it. They did not know what to do. They were helpless, powerless to stop it from happening.

Thor and Chen Xu immediately arrived above Stark Tower. Looking at the Cosmic Cube enveloped by an energy shield, Chen Xu launched a spell at it. Yet it only caused a faint ripple across the shield before everything returned to calm, as though nothing had happened.

"I'll try Mjolnir and see if it works."

Thor swung Mjolnir, carrying powerful lightning energy, but it was directly pinned in place by the energy shield, unable to move.

"It seems my thunder has no effect either."

Dense swarms of Chitauri flew out of the cosmic wormhole in the sky, scattering in every direction as they launched an attack on Earth.

"No choice! We need to stop the Chitauri invasion first and figure out another way afterward."

"Alright."

Thor swung Mjolnir, carrying powerful lightning energy as he struck directly at the Chitauri.

Chen Xu unleashed Omega Rays from his eyes and swept them across the battlefield. In an instant, a large swath of them died.

Thor stared at Chen Xu in a daze for a moment, then charged straight at the Chitauri.