Even Lin Hai himself didn't know that.
Since the Thor Incident ended, he hadn't faced a situation that called for the Wood Dragon. If an enemy on the Leviathan's level hadn't appeared, it might have been a long time before he discovered these changes.
Before, Lin Hai had to keep part of his mind focused on the Wood Dragon to control its every movement. He had to think constantly about what it should do next. The slightest lapse made its movements stiff and mechanical.
But now it was different.
Lin Hai found that he only needed to send the Wood Dragon a clear instruction through his Life Force, and it would move on its own. The process demanded not another shred of his attention.
He quickly found the answer. The only thing that could have caused this change in the Wood Dragon he'd created was his recent contact with the Mind Stone.
The stone had strengthened his mental power, and the Wood Dragon's "consciousness"—or rather, its "spirit"—was built on that power. As his mental power grew stronger, its spirit naturally grew stronger too.
With the answer settled, Lin Hai stopped thinking about it. He looked up at the Chitauri Leviathan swimming through the air, now not far above him, and gave it a command.
The Wood Dragon uncoiled and snapped its head upward, its whole body launching into the air. Its wooden body, more than twenty meters long, traced a smooth arc. All four claws spread wide, its jaws gaped open, and it lunged at the Leviathan.
Near the front of the Leviathan's underside was an enormous fin. It beat slowly through the air. That was the Wood Dragon's target.
Its jaws clamped down, wooden fangs biting deep into the seam at the fin's base. The Leviathan shuddered. Dark-gray metal