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[Frog] Chapter 176: The God of Mischief and Deception
🕑 Added 2024-11-26 03:45:54 +0000 UTCSomewhere in the world, Clint Barton, known as Hawkeye, walked cautiously down a dimly lit street. Wearing a hoodie that partially concealed his face, he scanned his surroundings vigilantly.
After ensuring no one was following him, he turned into a narrow alley and approached a door. Knocking in a specific pattern, the door creaked open.
Clint gave one last wary glance around before slipping inside. He addressed the figure within, “Sir, I’ve brought the food.”
Loki, seated nearby, glanced at Hawkeye and marveled at the power of the scepter he held.
Under its influence, these people had become completely obedient puppets. If he’d possessed this artifact back when he tried to take over Asgard, who knows whether he or Thor would have emerged victorious?
“I don’t consume such lowly fare. Distribute it to the others,” Loki said dismissively.
The others in the room, clearly starving, didn’t hesitate. At Loki’s command, they rushed forward to take the food from Hawkeye.
Only Dr. Selvig remained at his station, meticulously working on something.
Before him, the Tesseract rested in a briefcase, emanating a faint glow.
Loki walked over and asked, “How is it? Any progress on activating the Tesseract?”
“Sir, everything is prepared, but…”
“But what?” Loki pressed.
Selvig explained, “Activating the Tesseract requires a massive energy surge to stimulate it. The cube’s temperature must reach a critical threshold in an instant—that’s the only way to open a portal through space and time.”
“The problem is, the equipment needed for this is either controlled by the military or the government.”
Loki frowned. He understood that, with his current resources and the motley crew he had gathered, storming such heavily fortified facilities would be tantamount to suicide.
While Earth was a relatively weak technological civilization in the grand scheme of the cosmos, it wasn’t so weak that he could simply barge in unopposed.
Was there truly no other way?
Loki paced to one side, racking his brain for alternatives. Even the self-proclaimed God of Mischief and Deception found himself at an impasse.
Meanwhile, Selvig scratched his head in frustration, trying to think of a solution.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on a poster hanging on the wall.
The poster featured none other than Tony Stark—Iron Man himself.
“That’s it... the Arc Reactor!”
Selvig’s face lit up with realization. He immediately thought of Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor technology. Recently, Stark had made headlines for an ambitious new initiative: retrofitting the old Stark Industries power system and connecting it to the Stark Tower.
The project aimed to provide renewable, 100% pollution-free energy for the entire building—a revolutionary step in clean energy.
Selvig had even attended Stark’s presentation on the topic.
He quickly searched on his computer and located the Stark Tower’s coordinates. Coincidentally, just last night, the tower had been fully integrated with its new energy system and was ready for operation.
“Sir, look at this!”
“I’ve found an energy source that meets the requirements!”
Loki’s expression brightened at the news, and he walked over to examine Selvig’s findings. After listening to Selvig’s explanation, Loki smirked.
“Then let’s take over Stark Tower directly.”
“It will serve as our first base of operations for conquering Earth.”
Hawkeye, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
Loki couldn’t join in the technical discussion earlier, but now the conversation had shifted to his area of expertise.
“It’s useless,” Clint Barton said. “With Tony Stark wearing his Iron Man suit, his combat strength is formidable. Besides, if I’m not mistaken, Nick Fury has already approached him and invited him to join forces against us.”
“Nick Fury has been quietly assembling a special task force known as... The Avengers.”
Hearing this, Loki smirked dismissively. “Then we’ll make sure their entire team falls apart.”
“In matters like these, don’t forget—I am a god.”
“Barton, bring me all their information.”
“Yes, sir,” Clint responded.
---
In Asgard, Heimdall observed Loki’s actions on Earth through the Bifröst. Afterward, he turned and made his way to Odin’s chambers.
Upon hearing Heimdall’s report, Odin tapped his fingers rhythmically on the throne before finally speaking. “Summon Thor and have him prepare to head to Midgard.”
“Use dark energy to transport him there.”
Shortly after, Thor eagerly arrived before Odin. “Father, are you really sending me back to Earth?”
Looking at his son’s excited expression, Odin felt a pang of unease. Sending Thor to Earth earlier seemed, in retrospect, like a mistake. Thor’s heart now appeared entirely focused on Midgard, with no thought of assuming the throne of Asgard.
Though displeased, Odin masked his feelings. This would be another trial for Thor.
“Thor, prepare yourself to journey to Midgard,” Odin commanded.
“Yes, Father!” Thor replied enthusiastically, his joy evident. He was finally going back!
But Odin’s next words were like a bucket of cold water dousing Thor’s excitement.
“Your brother, Loki, is also on Midgard.”
“What?” Thor couldn’t believe his ears. Why was Loki on Earth?
Before Thor could ask further, Odin continued, “I can sense that this time, he carries both hatred and power. He has gone to Earth with the intent to conquer it and crown himself the ruler of a planet.”
“You must stop him!”
Thor’s face darkened. “Father, Loki can’t achieve this alone. Someone must be pulling the strings behind him!”
Odin’s expression brightened slightly—his son wasn’t entirely a brute after all.
“Yes, I believe so too,” Odin agreed. “That is why, besides stopping your foolish brother, you must uncover the mastermind behind all of this!”
“Father, I will find out who it is,” Thor vowed solemnly.
At this moment, Heimdall stepped forward. “Prince, please follow me.”
With Odin’s nod, Thor followed Heimdall out of the palace.
---
Not long after Thor and Heimdall departed, Odin, who had been meditating on his throne, suddenly opened his eyes. A flash of golden divine lightning flickered within his gaze as he looked out into the endless cosmos beyond Asgard.
“Mephisto...”
“Who are you fighting against?”
...
