Valeria's holographic projection vanished abruptly, without even a polite farewell, and the office fell silent once more.
The air, which had been buzzing from the aftershocks of the battle, seemed to freeze at this moment.
Emma Frost and Betsy stopped confronting each other; the tense atmosphere from just moments ago was completely washed away by this sudden bad news.
Emma Frost straightened her slightly disheveled suit jacket and walked over to Thor from the mess. Her high heels made a soft sound as she stepped on the diamond shards and wood chips from the coffee table.
The previous anger had vanished from her icy blue eyes, replaced by a hint of seriousness.
"Could it be that powerful being you mentioned last time, hiding in Frost City?" Emma Frost frowned, referring to the mysterious figure Thor had mentioned but had been vague about.
Thor knew perfectly well who Emma Frost was talking about.
Jaspers, the Omniverse Level Mutants disguised himself as an ordinary Tuotuo -aged shopkeeper in Frost City.
Thor shook his head inwardly, immediately dismissing the guess.
This old man's target is himself; he craves a contest of equal strength, one that could even liberate him.
Kidnapping Morgan and Peter?
To him, this method was too low-level and too boring.
To Tony Stark, someone like Jaspers was no different from a slightly smarter ant.
If he really wanted to deal with Tony, a sneeze or a breath from him could wipe out an entire multiverse of Iron Man.
There was absolutely no need for this kind of sneaky kidnapping; it's neither in line with his image nor his personality.
"It wasn't him," Thor said calmly. "His target was me. If he were going to make a move, he would have come straight for me, not tried to crush a few ants."
He paused, then added, "Besides, he wants to see a good show. Kidnapping is too low-class for him; he wouldn't stoop to it."
Emma Frost listened and nodded thoughtfully.
She knew very well Thor's assessment of that being; since Thor said so, it probably wasn't.
She had an almost instinctive trust in Thor's judgment.
"Who could it be?" Emma Frost pressed.
"Is it possible that it's the Council of Kangs?"
Betsy had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
She had already sheathed her psionic blade, but she still resembled a drawn blade, exuding sharpness.
She walked to the other side of the sofa, her deep purple eyes fixed on Thor: "You're going to cause them trouble, so they attacked our people first."
Thor's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this guess.
Yes, the Council of Kangs.
He quickly started to calculate in his mind.
With Valeria's level of technology, it's top-tier even in the entire multiverse.
To be able to block her tracking and erase all traces is something that no ordinary civilization could do.
But if it's Kang, then it makes sense.
Those guys are a bunch of lunatics who manipulate timelines and high technology. Their technological reserves come from countless futures, so it's not surprising that they can do this.
Moreover, the motivation is sufficient.
Just as he was about to eliminate them, they launched a preemptive strike, capturing people important to his side as bargaining chips—this was exactly Kang's style.
"That's possible," Thor nodded, acknowledging Betsy's analysis, "And it's highly likely."
He looked at Betsy and noticed a hint of... excitement in her eyes?
Thor found it amusing; this guy had been in Frost City for so long, his bones were probably practically rusting.
Aside from arguing and fighting with Emma Frost every day, there's not much fun to be had.
Now, he gets all fired up at the first opportunity to fight.
"Are you going?" Betsy asked directly, her tone filled with eagerness, "Take me with you."
Emma Frost listened silently, but her eyes drifted over.
Clearly, she took this matter very seriously.
Frost City is her territory, and if anyone dares to touch her people, she, as the city lord, naturally cannot sit idly by.
Thor glanced at Betsy, who was eager to try, and then at Emma Frost, who was standing beside him without saying a word but was clearly waiting for his decision. He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa.
I'll definitely go.
But not now.
Since the other party dared to make a move, they must have set a trap, waiting for me to walk right into it.
Kang and his gang are masters of manipulation and time Paradox; rushing in rashly would play right into their hands.
"Okay," Thor finally said, granting Betsy's request.
Betsy's eyes lit up.
"But," Thor changed the subject, "We'll go after Tony gets the information."
He leaned back into the sofa, his posture returning to its somewhat languid state, but his words carried an undeniable calmness and rationality.
"Since they were able to take three people away so quietly, it means they were very well prepared. It wouldn't be a good idea to alert them now."
Thor glanced at Emma Frost and Betsy, and explained calmly, "Their intervention is simply an attempt to muddy the waters and throw us into disarray. The more anxious we are, the happier they will be."
"So... we're just going to wait like this?" Emma Frost frowned slightly; this feeling of passively waiting made her very unhappy.
"Wait," Thor smiled, picking up a grape and twirling it between his fingers. "But we won't just sit and wait."
His gaze shifted to the messy office floor, where diamond shards and wood chips were mixed together, looking quite pathetic.
" Emma Frost, remember to put the bill for your fight on my personal account. Also, notify the logistics department to get a sturdier set of furniture, preferably made of Uru metal."
Emma Frost: "..."
Betsy: "..."
What kind of time is this to be concerned about this?
"And," Thor stopped, looking at Emma Frost with a meaningful smile, " Dark Strange, Kara, Loki... do you really think I sent those three out just to 'find someone'?"
Emma Frost and Betsy were both taken aback.
Yes, that lineup was almost too luxurious.
The Dark Supreme Sorcerer, a Kryptonian of Universe Level, plus the cunning Classic Loki.
These three people together are not an exploration team at all, but a small-scale world-destroying army.
Thor slowly tossed the grape into his mouth and chewed it gently.
" The Council of Kangs... if they really did it, they'll soon find out just how powerful they've become."
"Before the real storm arrives, there always has to be a little appetizer, doesn't there?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down Emma Frost and Betsy's spines.
They suddenly realized what a raging fire of anger was hidden beneath Thor's calm.
It's not that he's not anxious; he's just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, a chance to eradicate the enemy completely and eliminate any future threat.
And Dark Strange and his two companions were the first stepping stone Thor threw out, and also the first... death warrant.