Thor Descends

Not long ago, Allfather Odin had been preparing to pass the throne to Thor.

But during the coronation ceremony, Frost Giants were discovered infiltrating the weapons vault, intending to steal the Source of Power. They were killed by the guardian automaton—the Destroyer.

Naturally, Thor was furious that the Frost Giants had caused trouble at his own coronation. He said they had broken the peace treaty and wanted to attack the Frost Giants' lair—Jotunheim—and teach them a lesson.

But Odin said, "That is the thinking of a warrior, not a king. This was only the action of a few Frost Giants. It is not worth making such a fuss over."

How could the hot-blooded young Thor possibly listen? Father and son argued, then parted on bad terms.

Afterward, Thor gathered his younger brother Loki and his comrades—Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Valkyrie Sif, and the others—planning to sneak into Jotunheim.

To travel from Asgard to the Nine Realms, one had to pass through the Rainbow Bridge.

The guardian of the Rainbow Bridge—Heimdall—could use the power of the rainbow to observe the heavens. So long as he wished to see or hear something, nothing escaped his knowledge.

Yet this time, enemies had actually sneaked in right under his nose. Strictly speaking, it was a failure of duty on his part!

So, he too wanted to know how the Frost Giants had concealed themselves from his sight and infiltrated Asgard. Thus, he agreed to Thor's plan.

Thor and the others crossed the Rainbow Bridge and were transported to the Frost Giants' lair—Jotunheim. There, they caused havoc and directly confronted the Frost Giant king.

But in someone else's territory, even as Thor, how could he withstand their overwhelming numbers?

Before long, they were surrounded by countless beasts and Frost Giants.

At the final moment, Allfather Odin descended upon his steed, allowing them to escape.

But this also enraged the Frost Giant king, and war between the two realms was on the verge of breaking out!

In the end, to ease the tension between the two realms, Allfather Odin issued a divine decree:

"Thor disobeyed the king's orders, acted without authorization, and led the people toward war and destruction. He is unworthy to be king. His divine power is hereby stripped, and he is banished to Earth!"

Still, Thor was his biological son. It was impossible for Odin to truly abandon him.

Odin also cast Thor's Hammer down to Earth, not far from where Thor landed.

Then he pretentiously placed an enchantment upon Thor's Hammer: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor!"

As long as Thor came to understand, he would be able to lift Thor's Hammer again, awaken his divine power, and become Thor once more.

Apocalypse recalled this part of the story. Surely his existence would not cause a butterfly effect in Asgard, so far away on the other side of the universe?

At least not before he came into contact with Thor.

The western desert town was surrounded by endless yellow wasteland as far as the eye could see.

Tumbleweeds rolled with the wind, scattering everywhere and adding an unusual hint of life to the barren desert.

The town was clean, free from the clamor of a bustling city, and still retained the cowboy charm of the nineteenth-century western expansion.

The moment Apocalypse entered town, he heard a burst of shouting.

A tall, handsome man with long golden hair was running out of the town hospital in a hospital gown, with several nurses and security guards chasing after him.

Needless to say, this man was Thor!

When he had landed, Jane, the astrophysicist, had struck him with her car. He fell unconscious and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

After waking up, Thor had caused a commotion in the hospital. The doctors and guards could not hold him down, and he ran outside.

Although he had lost his divine power, his muscles had not grown for nothing. Combined with over a thousand years of combat experience, how could ordinary people possibly stop him?

"Hey, friend, have you seen a hammer?"

Thor spotted Apocalypse and bluntly asked him.

Apocalypse frowned. No wonder Jane and the others had thought he was insane at first.

Wearing a hospital gown and stopping random people on the street to ask about a hammer—no normal person would do that.

"Shouldn't you deal with the people behind you first?"

Thor said disdainfully, "They are merely mortals. I simply do not wish to hurt them."

At that moment, the nurses and hospital guards caught up, surrounding Thor and trying to restrain him so they could give him a sedative.

Apocalypse quickly stopped them. "He is my friend. He got drunk last night and woke up suddenly in the hospital, so he got a little agitated. I apologize on his behalf."

"But the woman who brought him in said he was hit by a car."

"Haha, have you ever seen a patient who was hit by a car and could still jump around like this?"

The crowd thought about it and agreed. Several security guards could not even restrain him; he really did not look injured.

A young nurse said, "But his medical bill has not been paid yet."

"I'll pay for his treatment."

As he spoke, he handed over a roll of hundred-dollar bills.

The nurse accepted the money, but still said, "Sir, you should have your friend come back for an examination. It would be bad if he has internal injuries."

Apocalypse said, "Does he look like he has internal injuries? None of you can even hold him down."

Thor cooperatively struck several bodybuilding poses, making the young nurse giggle. In the end, they could only accept the payment and leave.

It seemed Thor had been born with a talent for being a goofball. No wonder he displayed it so vividly in Thor 3.

Thor patted Apocalypse on the shoulder. "Thanks, friend. I have none of this world's currency. It would have been troublesome if they asked me to pay the medical bill. When I return to the divine realm someday, I will repay you."

Just then, a small RV came speeding in from the edge of town. It braked sharply and stopped almost right beside Thor and Apocalypse.

Apocalypse took one look. Wasn't that the beautiful scientist Jane Foster, along with her well-endowed, sharp-tongued intern Daisy? There was also the elderly astrophysicist Eric.

With driving like that, it was no wonder she had hit Thor twice in the original story.

The moment Jane got out, she hurriedly said, "The hospital just called and told me you escaped. We hit you with our car, so don't worry about the medical bills. We'll cover all the expenses."

In the United States, medical expenses were extremely expensive. Without health insurance, a trip to the hospital could bankrupt an ordinary family.

Many uninsured people would even struggle to say one thing before passing out—never call an ambulance...

Jane naturally assumed Thor had escaped because he was afraid of paying the medical bill.

"Thank you, beautiful lady. But this friend has already paid my medical bill."

Daisy's eyes lit up. "Such a handsome Eastern man. Hi, handsome, I'm Daisy. This is my mentor, Jane, and this is the astrophysicist Eric."

Apocalypse was handsome and tall, no less impressive than any Western man. Moreover, because of his invincible power, he naturally possessed the aura of a king and boundless charm.

"Hello, I'm Tang Tianqi."

Jane asked Thor, "Where do you live? We can drive you back."

Thor said, "Your car cannot reach it. Take me to a bar. I want a drink."

"You were hit by a car last night and just got out of the hospital. You can't drink," Jane advised.

Apocalypse said, "Jane, you don't need to worry about that. With his physique, he would be fine even if he got hit ten more times."

"Hahahaha, exactly. You suit my taste. It is rare to meet a new friend in a foreign land—how could we not celebrate with a drink?"

Thor boldly dragged Apocalypse toward the bar, and Eric naturally followed after them.

Jane and Daisy were left speechless. The moment drinking was mentioned, how did men naturally become sworn brothers?

The town was small. After walking half a block, they reached the bar.

The moment Thor entered, he shouted, "Bartender, bring each of us a glass of your strongest liquor!"

"How could one glass be enough? Bring ten for each of us first!" Apocalypse shouted.

Thor's eyes lit up. How was this fellow even bolder than him?

These were not ordinary glasses, but large beer mugs, each holding nearly a liter of vodka.

Thor and Apocalypse each took a mug. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with masculine challenge, then downed the entire contents in one go.

Poor Professor Eric, who had tagged along for free drinks, had not even finished a third of his mug before he was already dizzy.

Bang!

Thor threw his glass to the floor and shouted, "Bartender, bring another!"

Jane and Daisy watched helplessly. Where had this lunatic come from?

This was completely medieval behavior.

The bar owner remained where he stood, eyeing the two men sideways with an unfriendly expression. He wondered if they had come looking for trouble.

Who still smashed drinking glasses after finishing a drink in modern times? Only people looking to start something would do that.

Several burly western men around them had already stood up and were staring at them.

There were few people in the town, and everyone saw one another constantly, making them all half-friends. Now that outsiders seemed intent on causing trouble, they naturally united against them.