Before the Storm

Although Coulson fired an energy cannon blast at Loki before dying, it was to no avail. He lost his life, while Loki suffered no serious injuries.

Coulson had devoted his entire life to S.H.I.E.L.D. Though he was an ordinary man, he had done the work of superheroes with a mortal body. He was someone worthy of admiration.

In another timeline of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he survived and became director, leading another group of heroes against villains from all walks of life.

He just did not know which timeline it was, or which Earth.

With that thought, Apocalypse took a Recovery Potion from his storage compartment and handed it to Coulson.

"Keep this potion close to you. When your life is in danger, drink it immediately. Sigh... I don't know whether it can save you."

In the original story, Loki ambushed Coulson and left him lying on the ground, barely able to move even a finger. He might not have had the strength to drink the Recovery Potion.

Still, Apocalypse could not personally protect a passerby like Coulson. This was all he could do. Hopefully, Coulson would be all right.

"Thank you, Mr. Tang."

Coulson gripped the Recovery Potion tightly. A powerhouse like Apocalypse would not joke with him about something like this. There had to be some deeper meaning behind it.

His future brush with life and death would depend on this potion.

It was just a pity that, with his mortal eyes, he could not see who the "one who would kill him" Mr. Tang had mentioned was.

Otherwise, he could have taken precautions in advance.

Since he had given one to Coulson, there was no reason not to give one to Hawkeye, Black Widow's closest friend through life and death.

Apocalypse left behind two bottles without saying anything more, then departed.

Leaving Hawkeye and Coulson staring at each other.

Hawkeye in particular had a hundred thousand unanswered questions in his heart.

"Coulson, who exactly is he? He's so mysterious. When did Natasha find herself a husband like that? Is it real, or just part of a mission?"

"Barton, I'll apply to the director first. Since you've already had contact with him, you should be allowed to access his files."

After the report was sent to headquarters, an encrypted file quickly arrived.

Hawkeye read it from beginning to end, cold sweat forming on his forehead as he silently rejoiced.

No wonder Black Widow and Coulson had both asked whether he was dead or alive when they heard that he had fought Mr. Tang.

If Mr. Tang had possessed even the slightest killing intent, ten lives would not have been enough for him to die with.

At the same time, he could not help feeling happy for Black Widow.

"Natasha, maybe he's the man fate intended for you. If you can solve the problem of having children in the future, your life will have no more regrets."

Apocalypse did not take Thor away. He let him have some time alone in peace.

Although Odin's death was false news, it was still part of Thor's inner journey and personal growth. There was no need to deliberately shatter it.

Someone would take him away later anyway.

Sure enough, not long after Apocalypse left, Jane, Daisy, and Eric arrived.

When Jane heard that Thor had forced his way into a military restricted zone and been captured, she immediately panicked.

"That Tang Tianqi said he was Thor's friend. They came together, but the moment something happened, he ran off. Hmph..."

Breaking into a military restricted zone could be treated as either a serious or a minor offense.

Treated lightly, it was merely a misunderstanding. A civilian did not know what kind of place it was, and taking a wrong turn was perfectly normal.

Treated seriously, he could be considered a spy and taken away for interrogation. No one knew when he might see daylight again.

Naturally, Jane could not let Thor be taken away.

After discussing it with Daisy and Eric for a while, they came up with a lousy excuse.

They claimed Thor was a member of their astrophysics research team, a Princeton PhD who had accidentally hit his head and was currently somewhat confused.

The United States was generally more tolerant toward scholars. They hoped they could bluff their way through.

To make it look real, they even deliberately made a fake ID badge and some hastily printed résumé materials.

Once everything was ready, they brought the fake documents over to retrieve him.

Coulson fought hard not to laugh as he asked, "Ms. Jane Foster, this gentleman named Thor is one of your PhDs?"

"Uh... yes!"

"Then why is he so skilled? More than a dozen of our elite soldiers couldn't stop him last night."

"Well... he likes working out. Yes, that's it, working out."

Looking at the three scholars trying their best to appear calm, Coulson laughed inwardly.

Where had they come up with such excuses? Working out could let someone defeat more than a dozen elite soldiers?

"Hmm... I need to make a call and ask for instructions. Please wait a moment."

Coulson made the call right in front of Jane, Daisy, and Eric without trying to hide it.

However, he did not call Director Nick Fury. He called Apocalypse instead.

"Mr. Tang, a beautiful scholar named Jane Foster has come to take away that guy called Thor. She even made up some lousy excuses. Do you have any suggestions?"

Jane's face instantly flushed red, while the three looked at one another.

"Let them go. But make a copy of their research materials. They'll be useful later."

"All right, understood."

In the original story, Coulson had gone to the town and taken all of Jane's research materials.

He discovered they were very useful. Later, he even invited Eric to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant and research the Tesseract.

Because of Apocalypse's arrival, Coulson's attention had been completely drawn to the hammer, causing him to miss this part of the plot instead.

Since Coulson had asked, Apocalypse conveniently guided the plot back on track.

Coulson hung up and said, "You can take him away. But in exchange, I need all of your research materials."

Daisy cautiously asked, "Sir, was that Mr. Tang you spoke with just now named Tang Tianqi?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, it really was him. I knew he wasn't simple. Is he some big shot?"

Coulson said, "That... isn't something I can disclose."

Jane said furiously, "Hmph, fine, don't tell me. I'll ask him face-to-face later. He's so mysterious. He must be up to something."

Daisy said, "Professor, I don't think Tang is a bad person."

Jane snapped, "You haven't even managed to hook him yet, and you're already speaking up for him? Say another word, and I won't let you pass your thesis."

In the original story, Coulson had forcibly seized all of Jane's materials and equipment. They were the result of years of painstaking research, so naturally she had strongly opposed it.

Although he had paid her, research materials meant far more than money to a scholar.

Now, he only wanted a copy in exchange for Thor. Jane and Eric did not react nearly as strongly, since it would not interfere with their own research anyway.

Very soon, Coulson had his subordinates copy all the materials and arranged for Jane and the others to meet Thor.

In truth, Coulson had not imprisoned Thor. Thor was simply still grieving and unwilling to leave.

Jane's arrival soothed Thor's wounded heart.

When Jane heard Thor say that his father had died and that he could not return to attend the funeral for certain reasons, she felt deeply sympathetic.

No wonder he had been acting so strangely these past few days. His family had suffered such a major upheaval, and his mind had become somewhat dazed.

As they were leaving, Thor passed by the hammer and gently stroked it.

"One day, I'll prove myself and lift you again."

Coulson, who had escorted them out, said, "Buddy, I can't guarantee the hammer will still be here the next time you come."

Thor froze. "What do you mean? Are you going to move it? Other than me, no one can lift it."

"Someone has lifted it before," Coulson said calmly.

"Impossible!" Thor did not believe him.

Coulson shrugged and did not answer.

Thor did not know, which meant Apocalypse had not told him. Coulson could not be bothered to meddle.

"Could there really be someone on Earth worthy of Thor's Hammer? Did Father throw the hammer here because he was waiting for another destined person?"

Having just been struck by a lie, Thor had become less confident as well.

This was a military area, and they should not stay long. Jane pulled him away, intending to return to town first.

After Thor left, Coulson flipped through Jane's materials.

He was not a scientist, so after sorting them out a little, he sent them back to headquarters for professionals to interpret.

When he saw the information about the hammer, his pupils contracted!

Thor's Hammer?!

That hammer was Thor's Hammer?

Coulson recalled what Apocalypse had said—the kind of hammer it was determined what kind of person its owner was.

The man they had just released was Thor from mythology?

No wonder the hammer was so extraordinary. Coupled with Apocalypse's words, Coulson could already be certain of the answer.

He immediately sent his discovery back to headquarters.

The information about the hammer and Asgard had actually been casually collected by Jane.

Thor talked all day about Asgard and how he was Thor. Jane had wanted to learn about her boyfriend's interests, so she had looked up some historical and mythological materials.

Unexpectedly, those notes eventually found their way into Coulson's hands.

Not long afterward, Nick Fury personally called. "Coulson, where's Thor?"

"He just left."

"How could you let him go?"

"Director, Mr. Tang instructed us to be polite to the hammer's owner. Although Thor seems to be an ordinary person now, I didn't dare forcibly keep him without authorization."

"Hmm..." Nick Fury pondered for a moment. "You did the right thing. Since Tang knows his identity and has lifted the hammer, he probably understands what happened best. Make him your priority. Ask for his opinion before taking any action."

"Yes!"

Not long after Apocalypse returned to town, he received an enormous sum of money along with a message from Director Nick Fury. Its contents were simple.

Please take action!

In the original story, this incident only affected one town and could not be considered a threat to Earth.

But Nick Fury did not know that!

He saw that the matter involved gods. The hammer had fallen to Earth, Thor had lost his divine power, and all sorts of signs indicated that the mythical world was far from peaceful.

With his cautious nature, he naturally had to make arrangements in advance.

There was currently no one on Earth more suitable than Apocalypse.

This time, they were facing gods, and it was difficult to estimate their combat power. After all, the stories from mythology were far too distorted to accurately assess the gods' true strength.

Nick Fury could only hope that Apocalypse, that monster, possessed power comparable to the gods.

The town enjoyed two rare days of peace and quiet. Everything remained calm.

Overwhelmed by grief, Thor drank himself senseless every day, while Jane stayed by his side.

But Apocalypse knew that once Loki, far away in another realm, finished dealing with his affairs, something major would happen immediately.