The next morning.
New York, Justice League base.
Inside the conference room, all members of the Justice League had assembled.
Apart from Tony, Steve, and Wong, who were still learning magic in Kamar-Taj, everyone else was present.
Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy Daisy, Wanda, Pietro, Bruce Banner.
And Matt Murdock and Frank Castle, who just joined the company last night.
On the projector in the center of the conference room, satellite images captured by JARVIS were being played.
The scene shows a desolate town in New Mexico, with yellow sand swirling in the air.
In the middle of the desert, there is a huge pit.
At the bottom of the pit, a simple-looking short-handled warhammer lay quietly.
"Everyone, take a look at this."
Luca walked to the projector with his coffee and pointed to the hammer.
"We all know that yesterday, this hammer smashed into this desert."
Then, Luca snapped his the Snap.
The scene shifts to outside a fast food restaurant in a small town.
It was captured by a surveillance camera.
A burly man with long blond hair was being pinned to the hood of a police car by two local police officers.
Although the blond man was subdued, he continued to struggle and roar wildly.
"Let me go, you ignorant mortals!"
The man's voice came through clearly.
"I am Thor, Son of Odin of Asgard! That hammer is Mjolnir, my weapon! You have no right to stop me from taking it back!"
There was a two-second silence in the conference room.
Then.
"Pfft!"
Pietro couldn't help but burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Hahaha! Good heavens, is this guy some kind of lunatic who ran away from a comic convention?"
" The God of Thunder of Asgard? Son of Odin? Does he really think he's a figure from Northern Europe mythology?"
Peter scratched his head awkwardly.
" Mr. Luca, you didn't call us all here just to arrest a mental patient in New Mexico, did you?"
" Arkham Asylum in New York... oh sorry, I mean the mental hospital is full?"
Even the usually taciturn Frank frowned, a hint of impatience in his eyes.
" Stark, if you called me here to deal with paranoiacs, you've got the wrong person. Bullets are expensive; they're only good for the scum of Hell's Kitchen."
Although Matt couldn't see the screen, his keen hearing and senses allowed him to detect a slight change in Luca's tone.
"Boss, is there anything special about this hammer?" Matt asked in a deep voice.
Luca glanced at Matt and nodded in satisfaction.
"Mr. Murdock is smart. Don't be fooled by appearances."
Luca put down his coffee, his expression turning serious.
"After the hammer fell, local police and some curious residents tried various methods to remove it."
Luca pressed a button on the remote control, and the screen switched again.
In the video, a high-powered pickup truck is seen using a steel cable to secure the handle of a hammer.
The driver then slammed on the gas, causing the tires to spin wildly on the sand, emitting thick white smoke, and eventually even the bumper was torn off.
But the hammer didn't budge an inch!
It's like it's taken root, firmly embedded in the soil.
"Did you see that?"
Luca pointed at the screen and shrugged.
"The pickup truck couldn't move it, and the excavator couldn't budge it an inch."
JARVIS conducted a preliminary analysis of the material.
"The conclusion is that this hammer is not made of Earth materials. Moreover, it contains a high-level and stable energy structure."
At this point, Luca's gaze swept across the crowd, observing their reactions.
"A hammer of unknown material, with an extremely high energy level, which no one can lift no matter how much force they use. Add to that a madman who claims to be the hammer's owner and shouts the names of Northern Europe gods."
"Don't you think this combination is too coincidental?"
Banner frowned, his intuition telling him the seriousness of the situation.
" Luca, you mean... this guy who calls himself God of Thunder might be telling the truth?"
Are the gods in Northern Europe mythology truly some advanced civilization we have yet to encounter?
Upon hearing this statement...
The atmosphere in the conference room changed instantly.
Pietro's smile froze.
Peter's mouth dropped open.
If this speculation is true, then this is no longer just a farce of arresting the mentally ill.
That was the first contact between humankind and a divine civilization!
"Whether it's true or not, we'll find out when we go."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Luca chuckled softly.
"Gentlemen, what is the mission of Stark Industries?"
"It's about exploring the unknown and taking control of the future."
"Whether this guy is a true god or a homeless man, and whether the hammer is a divine artifact or some high-tech weapon."
"Once it falls on Earth, on United States soil, it is ownerless."
" S.H.I.E.L.D.. is currently busy playing in the mud with Hydra in Washington and has no time to bother with things like this. This is a golden opportunity."
"Therefore, the Justice League's mission today is very simple."
"Go to New Mexico and bring this self-proclaimed god back to slice him up... I mean, bring him back to study him properly."
"By the way, pull out the hammer; let it be the prized possession of our new base."
"Did everyone understand?"
"Understood, boss."
Everyone responded in unison.
Although they still found it somewhat absurd, they began to look forward to this special containment operation.
Half an hour later.
The Justice took off from the base and sped towards New Mexico.
In the rest area inside the cabin.
Peter and Pietro sat together, quietly discussing the new features of the suits.
Wanda sat next to Luca, still behaving obediently, occasionally pouring Luca a drink.
Matt closed his eyes, feeling the unique airflow fluctuations of high-altitude flight.
Frank sat in the corner, saying nothing.
On the other end of the cabin.
Natasha and Jessica carried trays, serving tea and water.
However, today their eyes seemed somewhat distracted, or perhaps one could say they were extremely anxious.
They just heard Luca's entire plan in the conference room.
So, a mysterious warhammer.
An alien who resembles God of Thunder from Northern Europe mythology.
This information is extremely important!!
If all of this is true, then who has this guy and his weapons?
Whoever does so may be able to crack the so-called technological codes of the gods.
This will allow them to occupy an absolutely dominant position in the future power structure.
"This message must be relayed back to headquarters immediately!"
The same thought occurred to both of them at the same time.
So, while I was at the bar getting champagne, I took advantage of the opportunity.
Natasha hid in a cubicle without surveillance cameras.
He then quickly pulled out a signal transmitter from the lining of his shoe heel, encrypted the information, and sent it out.
Meanwhile, Jessica also used the opportunity of going to the restroom to contact Hydra using the same method.
After the intelligence was sent out, the two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
They had no idea how their respective organizations would react to this shocking news.
But what they can be sure of is this:
Neither Nick Fury nor Pierce would ever sit idly by and ignore something of this caliber.
at the same time.
Inside a hidden, abandoned air-raid shelter in Washington, D.C..
This is a temporary safe house that Nick Fury set up.
Inside the cave, several old screens emitted a faint blue light.
Fury sat in front of the computer, his only remaining eye bloodshot, looking utterly exhausted.
"Damn Hydra..."
Over the past two days, he has engaged in fierce battles with his loyal agents and Hydra assassins.
S.H.I.E.L.D.. has been completely infiltrated; now, he can't even tell who the enemy is.
The once-powerful intelligence empire has now become a sieve riddled with holes.
And now he's like a mouse, forced to hide and run.
"Chief."
Coulson strode quickly from the entrance of the air-raid shelter.
His arm was wrapped in bandages, and his face was equally pale.
" Natasha has sent an urgent report."
Coulson handed Fury a freshly printed note, his voice trembling slightly.
"Chief, something terrible has happened!"
Fury frowned as he took the note.
He assumed Natasha had sent back information about some new technology the Stark brothers had developed, or that they were planning another hostile takeover of a company.
But when he read the contents of the note, he fell silent.
A mysterious warhammer, made of unknown material, has been discovered in the New Mexico desert; it is unshakeable by any force.
A man claiming to be Thor, the Northern Europe Thor, has been apprehended by police in the area.
[ Luca Stark has led a team to New Mexico in an attempt to forcibly take the man in and seize the warhammer.]
"God? God of Thunder's warhammer?"
Fury stared intently at the note.
After a brief period of blankness, the brain began to function again.
As a veteran agent, Fury doesn't believe in Northern Europe mythology or gods.
In his mind, if there really is a god in this world, then he is nothing more than an alien who possesses technology that is countless times more advanced than that of Earth.
Like the Skrulls, they are all aliens.
But that's precisely why this intelligence is all the more deadly!
"If the hammer really is a weapon of an advanced civilization... if the guy who calls himself God of Thunder is really an alien..."
Fury's fingers trembled violently; his excitement was impossible to conceal.
"This... this is a godsend opportunity to turn things around!"
Fury suddenly stood up, so abruptly that he almost tipped the chair over.
" Coulson!"
Fury grabbed Coulson's shoulder, his voice hoarse with excitement.
Do you understand what this means?
"We're now completely dominated by Hydra, and the Stark brothers have become lawless again. S.H.I.E.L.D.. has run out of cards to play!"
"But if... if we can get ahead of Stark and seize control of that guy and his weapons!"
"If we can decipher the energy within the hammer, or pry their civilization's technological secrets out of that guy... S.H.I.E.L.D.. could instantly possess military power surpassing Stark Industries!"
"At that time, what will Hydra be? What will Luca Stark be?!"
"Then we can regain control!"
For some reason, seeing Fury caught up in his frenzy made Coulson feel uneasy.
"But Chief, we are severely understaffed right now."
"If we divert troops to New Mexico at this time, the defenses on Washington's side might collapse. And..."
Coulson swallowed hard and asked the most crucial question.
"Besides, Luca Stark has already led his men there. How can we possibly steal anything from them with the men we have left?"
The fervor on Fury's face froze instantly.
Yes, Luca Stark.
Just thinking about Luca's ambiguous smile sent a chill down Fury's spine.
"OMG Fuck..."
Thinking of this, Fury helplessly released Coulson's shoulder and slumped into his chair.
"Why is he always so fast?! He's a ravenous capitalist wolf who pounces on anything that smells blood!"
Fury closed his eyes in anguish.
He knew Coulson was right.
S.H.I.E.L.D.. is currently in no position to snatch food from the jaws of death.
If we send people rashly, not only will we fail to seize the hammer, but we might also lose our last remaining elite troops.
"Chief, are we giving up?" Coulson asked in a low voice.
"Give up?"
Fury opened his eyes.
"No. What S.H.I.E.L.D.. can't have, Hydra can't have either. Since Stark wants to hog it all, I'll let him have his fill!"
Fury picked up a communicator from the table.
"Since we can't take it, let's muddy the waters."
"I'm going to accidentally leak this news to Pierce."
"Let those Hydra lunatics go after Luca Stark. Hopefully, they can fight to the death in the New Mexico desert!"
The other side of Washington.
Inside Pierce's secret command post.
The atmosphere here was equally tense.
Pierce sat in his chair, the screen displaying the intelligence Jessica had just sent back.
"The Mysterious Warhammer... Thor... An unshakeable energy weapon..."
Pierce muttered to himself, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
His reaction was exactly the same as Nick Fury's.
In this world, no one craves unknown and powerful abilities more than Hydra.
For decades, Hydra has been studying Cosmic Energy, attempting to decipher its infinite potential.
However, progress was slow, and no breakthrough could be achieved.
And now, a weapon containing extremely high energy has simply fallen to Earth!
If Hydra can get its hands on it...
"Minister, this is a golden opportunity!"
The Agent Sitwell standing to the side rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"If the hammer truly possesses technology and energy far surpassing Earth's, as the intelligence suggests."
"As long as Dr. Zola can analyze it, our Project Insight can be completed ahead of schedule! The Helicarrier will possess invincible firepower!"
A greedy glint also flashed in Pierce's eyes.
But he was much calmer Sitwell.
"An opportunity? Do you think Luca Stark would give us something so good?"
At this point, Pierce snorted coldly.
"That guy is a greedy monster."
"Now that he has personally led the team there, he will absolutely not allow anyone to lay a finger on his prey."
"But sir, we can't just stand by and watch Stark Industries continue to grow!" Sitwell said anxiously.
"If they seize control of the divine technology, Hydra will truly have no future!"
Pierce fell silent.
He stood up, walked to the glass window, and looked out at the raging war outside.
He was struggling internally.
On one hand, there is an opportunity that could change the fate of Hydra.
On one side was the invincible demon god who made his soul tremble.
To go or not to go?
If they go, they will inevitably clash with the Justice League.
With Hydra's current forces, can they really defeat a monster that can shatter a shield with a single punch?
But if we don't go...
"If Luca Stark gets the hammer, how powerful will he become?"
Pierce asked himself the question.
The answer is despairing.
We can't wait any longer.
Pierce turned around, ready to go all in.
"We can't sit idly by any longer. If Stark gets the technology, Hydra will be crushed by him sooner or later."
" Sitwell, relay my orders!"
Pierce slammed his hand on the desk.
"Mobilize all the heavy firepower we currently have available! Including those energy weapons that haven't been fully tested yet!"
"Target: New Mexico!"
"But remember, don't go head-to-head with Luca Stark."
"Our mission is to suppress the enemy with firepower and seize the hammer amidst the chaos! If we fail to do that, we'll bring back that guy who calls himself God of Thunder!"
At this point, Pierce's expression turned incredibly ferocious.
"Even if it costs lives, even if we have to bomb New Mexico to the ground, we absolutely cannot let Stark get his way!"