Call Me Uncle

At nine in the morning, Lu Qi drew a circle and came to this small town from New York.

"A portal really is pretty damn handy." Lu Qi took off the Sling Ring and slipped it into his pocket. Though the thing worked well, it still got in the way of movement.

With this thing on, he couldn't even open a can of cola.

The moment he stepped out of the corner, he saw an RV drive past him.

Looking through the glass at the three flustered people inside, Lu Qi recognized them as several main and supporting characters from Thor's story.

What a coincidence. Lu Qi silently followed them to the hospital entrance and watched them hand Thor over to the doctors.

Lu Qi came outside Thor's ward. Watching Thor get examined by a crowd of doctors and nurses inside, he shook his head.

This guy was seriously unlucky. He had just come down from the Bifrost when he got sent flying by a female driver. He had barely survived that, only to be knocked out by a tiny women's stun gun.

"You're really disgracing Thor. Maybe no Thor has ever been knocked unconscious by electricity." Lu Qi lightly tapped the glass a few times and noticed Thor's hand twitch inside.

One of the doctors turned toward the glass in confusion, but saw nothing.

Who was playing a prank? The doctor shook his head and turned back, preparing to draw some blood from Thor for testing. Though the man's injuries were external, that did not stop them from running another examination and making a little more money.

"You dare harm the great Thor!" The moment Thor woke up, he found himself pinned to a bed, surrounded by people holding all sorts of things and apparently trying to do something to him.

With an Asgardian God's physique, Thor easily threw the people around him aside. But at the doctors' cries, a large group rushed into the ward and pinned him tightly to the hospital bed again.

Jane, Darcy, and Erik stood outside the glass window, somewhat surprised as they watched the man get held down by a crowd.

"If he's this healthy, then... we don't need to take responsibility, right?" Darcy adjusted her glasses and hesitantly asked Jane.

"True." Jane nodded. The three were about to leave when they noticed someone beside them taking pictures with a camera.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jane looked at him. Was he some tabloid reporter who rushed over the moment he heard there was news?

"Nothing. Just taking some keepsakes. After all, someone just arrived here."

Lu Qi answered ambiguously. It was impossible to tell whether he meant himself or the guy inside had just arrived.

"Oh my god!" Darcy cried out in surprise.

"You're the Shadow Lord?"

Lu Qi raised his brows. He had not expected this lovestruck girl to recognize him.

"Hello. I'm the person you're talking about, but I prefer people to call me Lu Qi."

"So, who's the Shadow Lord?" Jane asked helplessly.

"You don't know?" X3

Seeing everyone say it in unison, Jane looked thoroughly exasperated.

"Why would I know?"

"Do you never go online?" Darcy shouted. She pulled out the smartphone she had just bought, searched for information about the Shadow Lord online, and handed it to Jane.

"Oh, this phone looks pretty nice." Jane first gave the phone a brief evaluation. If it was not expensive, she might buy one too.

After looking over the information displayed on it, Jane was stunned.

"Uh, is it still 2010?" Jane asked weakly as she looked at the long list of information.

"So your channels for getting information are even fewer than mine, an old man's." Erik spoke helplessly.

"So what are you doing here?" Erik asked Lu Qi. Thanks to having a mysterious friend, he was fairly accepting of this sort of thing.

"Just here to watch the excitement. I happened to be traveling around this area recently." Lu Qi said that, then left directly.

"Strange guy," Jane said, but did not continue.

Lu Qi did not care what the three thought of him. He happily held his camera and looked through the photos inside.

But just as he walked out of the hospital, he was pulled into the Mirror Dimension.

"Uh, greetings, you two big shots!" Lu Qi looked at the two figures watching him and became somewhat restrained.

"Mm, nice photos." With a wave of her hand, The Ancient One somehow had the camera in her hand. She looked through the photos, then handed it to Odin.

Seeing his son inside, Odin also looked somewhat helpless. However, compared to his previous frustration at Thor's failure to meet expectations, Odin was in a much better mood now.

As long as his life could continue, he could give Thor and Loki enough time to grow!

"If Thor sees these photos, he'll definitely go mad." Odin smiled. He still knew his son quite well.

The current Thor was still proud, arrogant, and fond of showing off. In some ways, he resembled Tony a great deal. Both were so full of themselves, but both would change.

After flipping through several photos, Odin's eyes held worry and helplessness, but also pride.

Leaving aside Thor's talent as a ruler, he was absolutely an outstanding warrior in battle.

Perhaps if Loki became king and Thor became a general, Asgard could have a better future.

Odin kept pondering it, feeling that the idea became more viable the more he thought about it.

Oh no, was this big shot planning to smash my camera?

Lu Qi watched Odin hold the camera without moving, then looked at The Ancient One in confusion. Did Odin think I took ugly pictures of his son and want to smash my camera to preserve the last shred of royal dignity?

The Ancient One glanced at Lu Qi, who kept signaling to her with his eyes, then at Odin, who was lost in his fantasies, and lightly coughed a few times.

Odin came back to his senses. Seeing Lu Qi looking increasingly aggrieved, he immediately assumed a dignified air.

Come on, Old Master. Did he really think Lu Qi could not see what kind of Asgardian he was?

Setting aside this old man's identity as the Allfather, he was just an ordinary old man who wanted his daughters to succeed and his sons to become great.

But this old man was rather ruthless. He locked up his eldest daughter whenever he felt like it. Poor Thor did not even know he had a sister...

Seeing the disdain in Lu Qi's eyes, Odin could no longer sit still. He coughed, regained his bearing, and spoke to Lu Qi.

"I am the king of the Aesir, the Allfather Odin. Mortal, thank you for your help in allowing me to continue my life."

Odin spoke with majesty. His battle armor fluttered despite the lack of wind, making him look incomparably powerful.

However, Lu Qi had no idea what kind of role-playing this old man was doing, so he simply continued watching.

Seeing that Lu Qi was not cooperating at all, Odin felt a little awkward. But he quickly put it aside and continued.

"You saved my life, which means you saved the Aesir. Therefore, I have decided! I shall make you an Outer Prince of the Aesir!"

Indeed. Lu Qi nodded. As the Aesir's last great symbol of strength, Odin kept countless enemies among the stars from daring to casually invade Asgard.

The Bifrost being used as a planet-destroying cannon was merely entertaining. A being like Odin, who could shatter a planet in moments, was the true foundation and power.

After all, although Thanos possessed an incomparably powerful fleet, what truly made Thanos famous was his own formidable combat strength.

But Lu Qi could not remain calm when he heard Odin wanted to make him an Outer Prince of the Aesir.

Calling themselves the Lords of the Nine Realms, the Aesir truly had the confidence to do so. With a strategic weapon like the Bifrost, they could travel freely through the stars and transport troops in massive numbers.

And as a renowned powerhouse, Odin possessed the strength to destroy a planet alone. Though age meant he could no longer fully exert part of his power, Lu Qi had just extended his life! That prince's status became even more valuable, and Lu Qi was truly tempted.

If Lu Qi accepted this status now, he would not fear even the Earth Security Council. You dare launch nukes? I'll have the Aesir open the Bifrost for you for a while.

Though another big shot would probably pin him down and beat him for that, it would still give him some confidence.

Odin saw Lu Qi's interest and decided to add a little more pressure.

"Since making you an Outer Prince directly would certainly provoke objections within the Aesir, I will acknowledge you as my brother! Once you have gained sufficient prestige among the Aesir, I will make you a true Outer Prince! Second only to me and my queen among the Aesir!"

Damn, Odin was really putting everything on the line!

Lu Qi nodded hurriedly, afraid Odin might regret it.

Actually, whether he became a prince or not did not matter. He just wanted Thor to call him uncle once. Loki calling him that once would be nice too.

"Then the Asgardian Gods welcome you to join us!"

Odin spoke happily as well. This time, Lu Qi had truly stepped into the trap.

Now that he was Odin's brother and the Aesir's Outer Prince, how could he refuse to help settle the Aesir's internal trouble—his eldest daughter?

But Odin could not send Lu Qi directly against his eldest daughter yet. That would be sending him to his death. Thinking of his eldest son Thor, who was currently undergoing trials on Earth, Odin considered it.

"You should know about Thor by now. He is currently undergoing trials on Earth, and the hammer you picked up earlier is his weapon. Originally, I wanted him to become a true king, but I now have a new idea. Still, I hope he can rid himself of his pride and arrogance. Can you help him change? As his uncle."

Odin emphasized the word "uncle," wanting Lu Qi to understand the importance of this matter. But when Lu Qi heard the word "uncle," he felt he absolutely had to take advantage of this bargain!

So he patted his chest and agreed.

The Ancient One, acting as witness, said nothing. After the two finished discussing it, Odin gave Lu Qi a token and sent him back.

Back at the hospital entrance, Lu Qi happily hung the token from his waist and swaggered toward where the hammer was located.

The hammer was here anyway. Thor would definitely come here, so there was no need to worry about him running away.

"Hey, Coulson, did you not sleep all night? Your dark circles have gotten worse."

After casually teasing Coulson, who was holding a cup of coffee, Lu Qi glanced at Mjolnir. It was not much different from before, except it sat lower than previously because Lu Qi had lifted it and tossed it back down.

The researchers had now built a small ladder along the edge of the pit. Otherwise, they could not even get down there.

Ignoring Coulson, who seemed like he wanted to say something but held back, Lu Qi ran into a corner to play games and wait for nightfall.

Night soon fell. Lu Qi put his nearly dead phone aside to charge, then ran into the surveillance room and wandered around beside Coulson.

Coulson gave Lu Qi a couple of strange looks, but did not say anything. He continued watching the researchers study the hammer.

Seeing that the day had passed without incident, Coulson let out a breath of relief. He was just about to turn around and chat with Lu Qi when the surveillance screens suddenly began flickering with frequent static.

"What happened, research team?" Coulson glanced at the innocent-looking Lu Qi and called the research team over the radio.

Thank goodness, the radio was unaffected. Otherwise, delayed intelligence transmission could easily create a dangerous gap.

"The magnetic field emitted by this meteor suddenly underwent a massive change. It's enough to affect the surrounding instruments!"

The researcher shouted in shock. No one had expected the hammer, which had remained motionless all day, to suddenly change.

"Alert! The fence at the southeast corner of the base has been breached! An unidentified lifeform has entered the base!"

Trouble never came alone. Another piece of bad news reached Coulson.

The once-clear sky had somehow been covered by dark clouds. A sudden downpour began, as though foretelling that something was about to happen.

"Barton, get to high ground!" Coulson hurriedly called Hawkeye. He glanced at Lu Qi, who had nothing to do beside him, and wanted to say something, but ultimately did not.

This guy... I'd better keep him as a trump card.

With that thought, Coulson quickly had the other agents search the base for the unidentified lifeform.

The agents quickly conducted a thorough search and discovered that several people had already stopped responding.

At once, more than half the personnel in the base hurried toward the place where those people had lost contact, while Barton alone guarded the undermanned area.

If someone tried to create a diversion, Hawkeye would show them what the strength of a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was!

The agents soon found Thor, who made no effort to hide. They immediately fired all kinds of guns, but for some reason, every firearm in their hands malfunctioned.

Whether they were stun guns or any other kind of gun, none of them could fire!

Damn it! That magnetic field!

Having noticed the abnormality, Coulson angrily smashed his earpiece onto the table. He turned to have Lu Qi intervene, only to find that Lu Qi had disappeared from behind him at some point.

At that moment, Lu Qi stood beside Hawkeye. The two used lifting equipment to reach midair and secure an excellent spot to watch the show.

Hawkeye was not affected in the slightest by Lu Qi taking pictures beside him. With a movement of his hand, he nocked an arrow and silently aimed at Thor, who was tearing through everyone in his path.

Thor charged through obstacle after obstacle, beating a large group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like market security guards.

"Coulson, I've got that guy in my sights. Do you need me to take him down?"

Coulson had initially wanted Hawkeye to immediately bring Thor down. But for some reason, remembering all the things Lu Qi had said and how invested Lu Qi was in all this, he said almost instinctively,

"Don't act yet. I want to see what he can do."

Thus, they watched Thor make his way to the pit. Seeing the familiar hammer before him, Thor's face lit up, and he jumped straight down.

Damn. Lu Qi watched Thor jump down, then slip as one foot landed on the mud.

While lamenting that his big nephew did not seem very smart, Lu Qi mercilessly snapped pictures like mad.

Thor wiped the mud off his face and looked around.

No one was there. Great. The great Thor had not embarrassed himself! He definitely had not fallen in an embarrassing way!

Unaware that every one of his actions was being recorded and photographed, Thor grabbed the hammer and tried to lift it as he always had.

But...

The hammer did not move at all. Thor could not believe it. He used both hands, but still could not shift the hammer even slightly.

"No... Father, no!" Thor howled at the sky and collapsed to his knees in despair.

He truly had been banished by his father.

Seeing that the hammer had not moved, Coulson was somewhat disappointed and ordered someone to capture Thor. But a figure suddenly descended from the sky and landed in front of Thor.

"Hey, Thor. I'm your father's brother. You can call me uncle."