Peter moved the hammer half a meter aside, and only then could Thor pull his bright-red right hand free.
The burly blond man ignored the pain and scrambled over to the hammer, gripping its handle with both hands. His face turned purple as he poured every ounce of strength into it.
The hammer remained rooted in the mud. Not even a speck came loose.
"No!!!" Thor threw back his head and howled, his voice cracking.
Peter scratched his mask and crouched beside Thor, offering some well-meaning advice. "Buddy, is your blood sugar low? This thing's heavy, sure, but not so heavy you can't lift it. How about I buy you a hot dog to get your strength back?"
Thor turned and stared daggers at Peter, his eyes so red they looked ready to bleed.
That stare gave Peter the creeps, and he backed away two steps. "Don't look at me like that. I swear I didn't glue it down."
Yang Ming handed his coffee cup to Retsu Unohana and pulled a stack of crumpled A4 sheets from his pocket.
"All right, Peter, you're done here. Come see me sometime, and I'll give you a couple of bottles of my special liniment."
"Thanks, sir! I'll get back to patrol, then. There are still a few stray cats in Queens I haven't found!" Peter flicked his wrist, shooting a web at a distant crane. He swung into the air and vanished into the night.
Only Yang Ming, Jessica, Retsu Unohana, and Thor, who was kneeling blankly in the muddy water, remained at the bottom of the crater.
Yang Ming tossed the stack of A4 sheets down in front of Thor.
Printed at the top in bold black lettering was: [Yang Clinic employee service contract (one-hundred-year term)].
"Read it carefully." Yang Ming tapped