After the people from the Asgard arrived, the Pacific Ocean Experiment Base was completely transformed.
The once spacious assembly area was now crammed with Asgard soldiers. Asgardians in golden armor carried weapons around, while dozens of dwarven craftsmen surrounded the mecha skeleton, arguing about which runes were more suitable to be inscribed on it.
The Earth engineers couldn't understand the language of the Asgard, so they could only follow behind, carrying their equipment.
What's more troublesome is that these alien grandpas have absolutely no sense of being visitors.
Some people used the weapon racks as dining tables, while others complained that the chairs in the lounge were too small and brought in transport crates. Several dwarves even dismantled the base's ventilation ducts, claiming that the internal structure severely hampered the heat dissipation of the forging furnaces.
By the time the support staff arrived, the ventilation system on the second floor was gone.
Rest area.
Fury stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the chaotic base below, then glanced down at the bill in his hand.
Food consumption increased sixfold.
Energy consumption has increased ninefold.
The high-strength alloys from the three warehouses were taken away by the dwarven craftsmen as if they were ordinary iron blocks. The two newly built rest rooms at the base were also converted into temporary taverns by the soldiers of the Asgard.
Incidents of provoking trouble and fighting have increased fifteenfold! Fifteenfold!!
There's another line of red text at the very bottom.
Logistics costs are projected to exceed the budget by 670 percent this month.
Click.
Fury's cigar was bitten in two.
These were limited-edition cigars he had seized from Hydra's Europe base yesterday. The person in charge claimed they were from a private collection, Fury confiscated three whole boxes on the spot, intending to improve his working environment.
It now seems that this batch of cigars won't last more than a few days.
Steve sat on the sofa, silently gazing out the window.
Clint sat next to him, holding an arrow in his hand. Natasha, holding a cup of coffee, had been sitting there in a daze for several minutes.
"I suddenly realize that my shield is a bit outdated."
Steve glanced down at the shield in his hand, his expression complex.
Clint twirled the arrow shaft and said seriously, "Captain, look on the bright side, at least your shield can still smash robots, while my bow is practically becoming a base souvenir."
Natasha took a sip of coffee, her gaze falling on the fifty-meter-tall mech below.
"When I was learning to fly planes, I never imagined I'd be flying something like this in the future."
Clint looked at her.
"Um, are you sure that thing needs to be opened?"
Natasha paused for a moment, then put down her cup.
The traditional job of a secret agent is to infiltrate, interrogate, steal intelligence, and sabotage the enemy's plans.
In recent operations, infiltration relied on physical methods, with a group of burly men simply dismantling doors; interrogation relied on new technology to directly access memories; and sabotage plans were handled by Tony with firepower.
It seems all they can do is stand back and do odd jobs.
"We're not completely useless."
Steve sat up straight, trying to boost morale.
Clint looked expectant.
"For example?"
Steve opened his mouth.
He thought for a long time, and finally looked at Fury.
"We can still do what we're capable of doing."
Clint leaned back onto the sofa.
"For example, writing action reports? My God, you might as well retire."
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded outside the lounge.
Thor strode into the rest area, carrying a huge wooden barrel in each hand. The two barrels were at least half a person's height, and their openings reeked of alcohol.
"Friends, look what I've brought!"
Thor placed the barrel on the table, causing the glasses to bounce slightly. He patted the barrel, his smugness impossible to hide.
"This is a rare spirit from the Asgard royal palace. My father specifically asked me to bring it to give to the warriors who fought alongside me."
Loki followed behind, his hands behind his back.
Since being brutally beaten by Chen Mo and having his divine power drained by the Ancient One, he has become much more obedient. However, in front of Earthlings, he still can't help but raise his chin.
"Just a heads-up, this is a drink from the gods."
Loki swept his gaze across the crowd, a faint sneer playing on his lips.
"Human bodies are too fragile; it's best to just smell it. Otherwise, you might need to call a doctor before you even swallow the first sip."
Thor frowned.
Loki, they are my friends.
"Please, Thor, I'm just stating the facts."
Loki spread his hands, his smile widening.
After listening, Steve silently stood up.
As an old-school soldier, he disliked backing down in front of guests. Besides, Thor had already brought him the wine, and it would be somewhat impolite not to drink it.
I can give it a try.
Thor's eyes lit up, and he immediately opened the bucket lid, poured a full cup, and handed it over.
The strong smell of alcohol spread instantly.
Steve took the glass and smelled it first. His super soldier physique would metabolize ordinary alcohol directly, so Earth's strong liquor had almost no effect on him, and he figured the spirits from the Asgard wouldn't be much different either.
Thinking of this, he tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
The next second, Steve's face turned bright red.
"Cough cough... cough!"
He bent over, covered his mouth, and coughed repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes. The glass of wine felt like a scalding flame, burning down his throat and into his stomach.
Clint immediately moved to the side.
"Captain, should I call a doctor for you?"
Steve waved his hand, unable to speak.
Loki, witnessing this scene, finally regained some of the superiority that belonged to a god. Just as he was about to burst into laughter, Fury turned away with a dark expression.
Snap!
The thick bill was slammed onto the table.
"Put the wine down first."
Fury stared at Thor, then pointed out the window to the Asgard soldiers carrying food.
"Let's talk about the support your father sent, and the food expenses they've had these past few days."
Thor's smile froze.
He looked down at the bill and, for the first time, found the numbers on it even more unsettling than those of the Frost Giants.
"Um, this is just friendly support, do we still need to bring our own food?"
Just as Fury was about to speak, a red alarm suddenly lit up above the rest area.
The piercing sound instantly filled the room.
Natasha put down her coffee, Clint grabbed his bow and arrows, and Steve, suppressing the burning sensation in his throat, raised his hand to grip his shield.
Fury quickly looked toward the door.
What happened?
Bang!
The alloy door dented from the outside and was then kicked open.
Chen Mo yawned as he walked into the lounge, his gaze sweeping between Loki and the two barrels of liquor before a slow smile spread across his face.
"Hey, so you're eating alone behind my back?"
The mocking smile that Loki hadn't had time to fade from his face froze instantly.
He silently took half a step back and stood behind Thor.