Seeing this, Apocalypse threw a roll of large-denomination U.S. bills at the owner. At the same time, he smashed his glass against the floor and said, "What are you standing around for? Bring out the strongest liquor. I'm covering all the drinks here today. We're not leaving until we're drunk!"
The owner unrolled the cash, and his face immediately broke into a grin. He hurriedly motioned for the burly men to sit back down.
That thick roll of hundred-dollar bills was more than he usually earned in a month. As long as the money kept coming, what did a smashed glass matter? It was not like they were worth much.
Thor burst into laughter. "I never expected to find a brother who suited my temperament after coming to Earth. You're not bad. I'll be your friend."
"Hey... hold on. I don't make friends with people who can't hold their liquor. Beat me at drinking first," Apocalypse said.
Thor had not expected anyone on Earth to challenge his authority. His fighting spirit immediately rose.
The two drank cup after cup. The enormous beer mugs that burly men usually used for draft beer went down their throats as smoothly as water. Once they finished one, they tossed it away, and shattered glasses soon littered the floor with a chorus of clattering.
The other drinkers all turned to look.
"Impressive! Brothers, we can't let two outsiders outdrink us!" a burly Westerner shouted.
"Drink!!!"
A group of local burly men began guzzling as well. Since someone was paying for the whole place, they simply copied them, smashing their glasses onto the floor after emptying them.
The atmosphere in the bar instantly reached its peak, overflowing with masculine energy.
Jane and the busty Daisy stared in stunned disbelief, then looked at each other. What kind of creatures were men? How had smashing a few glasses corrupted all of them?
Daisy nudged Jane. "Professor, compared to that Eastern guy, Thor actually seems pretty normal. It's a shame such a handsome man seems to have something wrong with his brain."
Jane said helplessly, "All men are the same once they start drinking."
Although Thor's physique far surpassed that of an Earthling, he had been stripped of his divine power. How could he possibly outdrink Apocalypse's monstrous body? After more than a dozen huge cups, his face had already started to redden.
Fortunately, he was a good drunk. Rather than causing trouble, he just kept calling Apocalypse "friend."
Thor had been born into privilege and had fought countless battles throughout his life. Everything had always gone his way.
This clash with his father was already the greatest setback of his life, so it was only natural that he felt heartbroken.
But Apocalypse knew that Thor's darkest days had yet to come.
Compared with the disasters awaiting him in the future, this little setback was nothing more than child's play.
Thor finally collapsed drunk, muttering things like "Father, Mother, Loki."
As for Eric, he had long since slumped over a chair and started snoring.
Apocalypse dragged one man in each hand and said to the stunned Jane and the busty Daisy, "Where are you staying? I'll take them back to sleep."
Jane said, "I'm staying in the RV. There's no room for two grown men. Take them to a hotel."
"That won't do." Apocalypse shook his head. "You hit this guy with your car. There still seems to be something wrong with his head, and he refuses to stay in a hospital. If you don't look after him, who will?"
Kind-hearted Jane had no choice. That actually sounded reasonable, so she reluctantly agreed.
She never imagined that Apocalypse was deliberately bringing them together to steer the original plot back on track.
In the original plot, Thor and Jane poured their hearts out to each other in the RV and eventually became lovers, triggering a series of later events, including the crucial turning point involving Aether—the Reality Stone.
Apocalypse tossed Thor into Jane's RV.
Eric naturally had to be taken back to the hotel. Otherwise, with two smelly men sleeping in one bed, how was the plot supposed to progress?
After settling Eric in, Daisy sidled up to Apocalypse and stroked his arm. "Handsome, do you want to rest too? My room is upstairs."
Apocalypse's looks and physique met the standard for a handsome man in both East and West.
More importantly, the aura of strength around him and his invincible confidence were deadly to women.
Western girls really were open. Apocalypse looked at the busty Daisy beside him. He would be lying if he said he had no improper thoughts as a man.
But he already had Black Widow, and Black Widow had not yet completely given her heart to him. He did not want to create more trouble.
"I'm a married man," Apocalypse said.
Daisy was even more tempted. She whispered seductively, "I don't see a ring on your finger. Where I'm from, no ring means you're not married, so it's okay to break the rules for a little while~~~~~"
Apocalypse did not understand Western customs. Here, a large number of men were afraid of responsibility and afraid of marriage.
Sleeping together was fine. Living together was fine. Even having children was fine. But getting a marriage certificate?
NO!
As a result, married men had a special kind of appeal. Women usually thought such men were more responsible and more charming.
So many men deliberately wore rings in bars, pretending to be married as they hunted for women.
Apocalypse still had things to do and did not want any complications. Leaving behind a resentful-looking Daisy, he turned and left.
When he appeared again, Apocalypse was already in a desert dozens of kilometers outside town.
This was where Thor's Hammer had fallen!
At first, the locals thought it was some kind of meteorite. People who specialized in collecting meteorites rushed over to search the area, only to discover the hammer's strange nature.
It did not look very large, yet it weighed thousands of pounds. No one could lift it.
Word spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. Before long, the whole town knew about it.
Countless curious burly men partied here, taking turns trying to see whether they could lift Thor's Hammer.
Some saw a business opportunity and set up simple barbecue stalls. Their business was unexpectedly good.
Some people even tied Thor's Hammer to chains and tried to drag it with pickup trucks.
The pickups roared as their engines reached maximum power. Their tires spun against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, but the hammer did not move in the slightest.
Then, with a sudden Bang!, the truck bed broke loose. The pickup had failed!
Someone tried digging up the soil beneath Thor's Hammer, only to find that it could not be moved at all. It seemed as though the clump of earth supporting the hammer had fused into one with it.
It was extremely bizarre!
Thor's Hammer had been forged by the Cosmic Dwarves using a dying star. Its own weight was already unimaginably terrifying.
More remarkably, it could judge whether the person holding it was worthy to lift it.
To those worthy, it was as light as nothing; to those unworthy, it weighed as much as a star!
In the original plot, Captain America was the only Earthling who lifted it.
Another person who might have been able to lift it was Vision, but only might have. Until Vision died, he was never shown truly lifting it.
However, Vision's core was the Mind Stone, so it would not have been strange if he could lift Thor's Hammer.
When they saw Apocalypse slowly approaching, the group of burly Western men could not help mocking him.
"Hey, Eastern guy, your thighs aren't even as thick as my arms. Don't bother. It won't be good if you strain something."
"Come on, come on, I'm taking bets! Ten-to-one odds that the Eastern guy can lift it."
"Damn it, that's a scam. Even a truck couldn't drag it just now. Do you really think a human can lift it?"
"One hundred to one! Anyone want to bet...?"
Apocalypse remained unhurried. He walked up to Thor's Hammer and carefully examined the divine artifact.
The hammer was ancient and imposing, covered in strange patterns. If its wielder gained Thor's Hammer's recognition, those patterns could release the power of lightning and strengthen the wielder's attacks.
Moreover, it could carry someone through the air. It was truly an essential divine artifact for home, travel, and showing off.
Apocalypse gently gripped the handle, gradually increasing his strength.
One Hulk's worth of strength!
It did not move!
Apocalypse had expected that. In the original plot of The Avengers 1, Hulk had tried to lift Thor's Hammer after it fell onto the deck of the Helicarrier. Unfortunately, he had cracked the alloy deck beneath his feet, yet Thor's Hammer had not moved at all.
Two Hulks' worth of strength!
The muscles across Apocalypse's body bulged as terrifying power forcibly ripped apart his tight-fitting clothes.
On the surface, neither the hammer nor Apocalypse moved, but the terrifying force had already spread into the ground. The earth around them trembled continuously, as though there had been an earthquake.
The burly men nearby were so frightened that they all stared.
"Did that Eastern guy cause that? That's terrifying."
"How is that possible, Old Noah? I think it might be an earthquake."
"Could it really be that much of a coincidence?"
"Even if it is an earthquake, there's nothing to fear. We're on flat ground."
Apocalypse ignored the noise and began to erupt with power.
Three Hulks' worth of strength!
Overwhelming brute force exploded in an instant. The ground around him immediately cracked, fissures stretching more than a hundred meters away. Wherever those cracks passed, rocks burst apart, and flying rubble sent the burly men scrambling for cover.
Yet Thor's Hammer still did not move in the slightest!
The ground around the hammer had sunk half a meter, but the soil directly connected to Thor's Hammer seemed to have been blessed by some mysterious force and remained completely unaffected.
Apocalypse tried smashing the earth beneath the hammer, only to find it was no different from striking the hammer itself.
Vaguely, Apocalypse seemed to sense ridicule coming from Thor's Hammer.
Was that an illusion? Apocalypse wondered.
So he struck the soil beneath the hammer again, and that faint, almost imperceptible ridicule appeared once more.
Sure enough, Apocalypse understood what was happening.
Divine artifacts had spirits!
In his previous life, countless fans had debated the strange characteristics of Thor's Hammer.
For example, if an unworthy person placed Thor's Hammer in an elevator, then lifted the elevator itself, could he lift it?
Or if it were placed in a car or an airplane, could he drag the car or plane along?
Now it seemed there was no paradox at all. As long as Thor's Hammer did not want you to move it, there was no way to move it—unless your power completely overwhelmed Thor's Hammer!
Just as in the plot of Thor: Ragnarok, which had not yet happened, Thor's Hammer was crushed one-handed by Thor's sister, Hela, the Goddess of Death.
Thinking of that made Apocalypse feel even more horrified!
With three Hulks' worth of strength, he could not even lift it, yet Hela had crushed Thor's Hammer with her bare hand?!
How terrifying was that level of power?!
And how powerful was Odin, the Allfather who had sealed Hela away?
Then there was the bull-headed monster Surtur, who would bring about Ragnarok, destroy Asgard, and ultimately eliminate Hela. Just thinking about his towering body made Apocalypse feel powerless.
The more he thought about these details, the more terrifying they became. Increasing his strength could not wait.
However, Apocalypse still wanted to make one final attempt.
Before you continue