Chapter 16.
Nick Fury's face twisted in surprise upon hearing Li Yue's words.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Li Yue replied calmly. "HYDRA has already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. from within. Your former director, Alexander Pierce, along with many others, are working for HYDRA all along."
"And only you—the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D.—along with a few of your trusted subordinates, have been left completely in the dark."
As Li Yue finished, silence fell over the room. Everyone present was stunned. They didn't want to believe him—couldn't believe him.
Suddenly, Tony Stark burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I can't help it, this is just too funny. An organization created to protect world peace… and it's full of HYDRA agents? –That's rich."
Nick Fury's face darkened. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, shot Tony a glare but had no words to counter him.
"Mr. Li Yue, can you guarantee the truth of what you've said?" Fury asked, now dead serious.
"Of course," Li Yue replied casually. "If you don't believe me, conduct your own investigation. I'm sure you'll find the answers soon enough."
Nick Fury closed his eyes, deep in thought. They had originally come here because Natasha reported seeing Li Yue—someone they believed had vanished. On top of that, Li Yue had mentioned strange happenings in New Mexico, and there had been a sudden attack on Tony.
Fury had only intended to question Li Yue. He didn't expect to hear such earth-shattering news the moment he stepped into Tony's villa.
With no desire to stay any longer, Nick Fury handed over responsibility to Coulson and left the villa immediately. He intended to launch an investigation into how deeply HYDRA had embedded itself within S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Hill left with him, leaving only Natasha, Captain America, and Coulson behind.
"Mr. Li Yue," Coulson spoke up after Fury left, "The Director originally came because you reported some strange activity in New Mexico. He wanted more details from you."
"But no one expected something this big to come up. Now that the Director has left, he's put me in charge. So, can you tell us what exactly is going on there?"
Coulson's words sparked fresh curiosity in the others, finally distracting them from the earlier revelation.
"So… the hammer has already appeared in New Mexico?" Li Yue asked, meeting the eyes of the curious group.
"Yes. Thanks to your earlier warning, we've been closely monitoring the region. Just today, we detected unusual weather phenomena over New Mexico. Upon further investigation, we discovered a silvery, unknown object—what appears to be a hammer. But no one has been able to lift it."
(Note: The timeline has been slightly advanced, but it doesn't affect the story.)
"You can't even lift a hammer? Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. should just disband," Tony scoffed, throwing a side-eye at Natasha. He still hadn't forgiven her for deceiving him.
"Why don't you try lifting it yourself, Mr. Arrogant?" Natasha shot back, unfazed. She believed Coulson completely—this wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fault. The hammer was simply… otherworldly.
"I might just do that," Tony replied defiantly. "So you can see how useless your S.H.I.E.L.D. agents really are."
The tension was thick.
"Let Mr. Li Yue explain the hammer," Captain Steve Rogers finally spoke up, interrupting the squabble. "I doubt something like that is ordinary."
"You're right, Captain," Li Yue nodded. "That hammer isn't of this world. It's Mjölnir—the hammer of Thor, from Norse mythology."
"Norse mythology? Thor's Hammer? Did I wake up in a dream today?" Tony muttered. "Feels like I'm living on a fake Earth."
Everyone was stunned by Li Yue's statement. First, they learned HYDRA still existed. Now, Norse mythology wasn't just myth—it was real. No one could easily wrap their head around it.
"Yes, it's Thor's hammer. For reasons of his own, Odin—the king of Assgard and Thor's father—stripped Thor of his divine power and exiled him to Earth. He then enchanted the hammer so that only someone worthy could lift it and gain the power of the God of Thunder, becoming the new Thor."
Although Li Yue explained it simply, he knew the full truth. This was all part of Odin's plan—a trial to humble Thor and make him a worthy king.
As for picking up Mjölnir now? Don't even dream of it. Unless someone had more power than Odin himself, they wouldn't be able to lift it—and if they did, they wouldn't even need Mjölnir.
At this stage, Li Yue believed not even Captain America could lift the hammer. Even if Mjölnir deemed him worthy, Odin definitely wouldn't.
"Mr. Li Yue, although what you're saying might be true, it's still incredibly hard for us to believe," Coulson said, glancing at the others, who nodded in agreement.
"It's difficult to accept that myths and ancient stories could be real."
"In that case," Li Yue replied calmly, "let me explain it in more detail. Earth is not alone in the universe. It is one of nine –interconnected realms known as the Nine Realms."
"The Nine Realms include: Asgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim, and Niflheim."
"Asgard is the home of Odin and Thor. In 965 AD, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim invaded Earth, and a war broke out in Tønsberg, Norway. Odin led the Asgardian army to defend Earth, fighting the Frost Giants on our soil."
"Eventually, a truce was agreed upon. The events witnessed by humans at that time were recorded and passed down through generations, later being labeled as 'myth'—the Norse mythology people now believe is fictional."
"But the Earth—known as Midgard in their language—was merely one of the realms caught in the middle of this cosmic conflict."
As Li Yue explained the truth about the Nine Realms, everyone present was left stunned once again.
"So… beings like gods actually exist?" Tony asked, still reeling from the shock. He had spent the most time with Li Yue and was starting to realize just how true his words were. Out of everyone, he seemed the most shaken.
"Enough talk. Let's go see Thor's hammer for ourselves," Li Yue said, breaking the silence as he noticed everyone deep in thought.
"How do we get there?" Captain America asked, clearly intrigued.
"I'll prep the jet," Natasha offered, already turning toward the door.
"No need," Li Yue interrupted with a smile. "We'll use a faster form of transportation."
Natasha paused and looked back at him in surprise. What could possibly be faster than a jet? Was it one of Stark's inventions?
Everyone –turned to Li Yue with curiosity, waiting to see what he meant.
Li Yue stood up from the sofa and approached Natasha. Then, under everyone's gaze, he calmly raised his right hand and traced a circular motion in the air.
Moments later, a glowing portal appeared, its edges crackling with blue sparks. Through the portal, they could see a different place entirely—something unfamiliar.
"This is it. Let's go," Li Yue said, stepping directly into the portal.
The others were frozen in awe. Tony was the first to react. He had known Li Yue had some kind of teleportation ability, but this was the first time he saw it in action.
Trying to play it cool, Tony followed Li Yue into the portal, but not without tossing a sarcastic remark over his shoulder at Natasha.
"Amazed? Shocked? Don't worry, it's not embarrassing."
Hearing Tony's voice snapped the others out of their daze. Natasha, Coulson, and Captain America followed one after another. Once Coulson stepped through, the portal slowly began to shrink until it vanished completely, leaving behind only a few glowing blue sparks drifting in the wind.
When they looked around, they were stunned to find themselves standing on a hillside overlooking a construction site. Below them, a team of people were erecting fortifications.
Coulson recognized them instantly—S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been dispatched to New Mexico to secure the area.
"So… we just traveled from Tony's villa to New Mexico in a single step?" someone whispered, still in disbelief.
Even though they had all experienced extraordinary things, this kind of instant travel was still shocking. If they hadn't just gone through it themselves, they would never have believed it possible.
"Coulson, I think you'd better explain the situation to them," Li Yue said, nodding toward the armed agents below who had started approaching their group cautiously.
"Mr. Li Yue, leave it to me," Coulson finally responded after Li Yue's reminder. He quickly stepped forward to intercept the approaching agents.
"I'm Agent Coulson. Stand down and lift the alert!" he ordered, showing his ID.
One of the agents, a man dressed in black and carrying a bow, stepped forward. It was Hawkeye.
"Sir, how did you get here?" Hawkeye asked, clearly puzzled. "There were no aircraft or vehicles detected. Did you walk? That's impossible…"
"We'll talk about that later. First, take us to see the hammer," Coulson said, gesturing toward the rest of the group that had just arrived behind him.
"Follow me," Hawkeye replied, leading them toward the restricted area where the hammer was secured.
They soon arrived at the heavily fortified site surrounding the mysterious hammer embedded in the ground.
"This is the hammer that no one's been able to lift?" Tony was the first to speak, eyeing the seemingly ordinary weapon.
"You give it a try, then!" Natasha shot back sarcastically.
Tony didn't waste time arguing. Stretching a little as he walked up, he casually warmed up his body.
"Do we stop him?" Hawkeye asked Coulson, unsure who this man was.
"No need," Coulson replied calmly.
Tony approached Mjölnir, rubbed his palms together, and placed one hand on the handle. He pulled with some effort, then added his other hand, straining with all his strength. His face turned serious—but the hammer didn't budge an inch.
Defeated, Tony let out a breath and stepped back.
"How's that? Looks like our Iron Man isn't quite worthy, can't even lift a hammer," Natasha quipped.
"Jarvis, initiate Mark 7 startup. Also launch F-HK2. Target coordinates: my current location," Tony muttered into his phone, clearly not ready to give up.
Watching Tony's failure made the Captain a bit curious himself. He couldn't resist the urge to try. Stepping forward, he placed his hands on the handle of the hammer without any showy movements.
He gradually increased his strength, focusing hard. As he did, Li Yue noticed a faint electric arc flash across the hammer. The sky overhead began to shift—the wind picked up slightly, and dark clouds started forming.
Everyone stared intently at Captain America. Coulson's eyes lit up with excitement. He remembered what Li Yue had said: whoever could lift the hammer would possess the power of Thor.
But the phenomenon didn't last long. After a few seconds, the arcs vanished, the wind died down, and the sky cleared. The Captain had failed too.
Tony mumbled under his breath, "Thunder, light rain… why didn't I get any fancy effects?"
"Mr. Li Yue… would you like to try?" Coulson asked, clearly disappointed but still curious.
Although Li Yue didn't believe he could lift it (and no, not in that way!), Coulson's words stirred something in him. He slowly walked over to the hammer.
Placing both hands on the handle, he gradually exerted force. His physical strength now far surpassed Captain America's, enough to move a ten-ton boulder.
Still, despite putting his full strength into it—his feet even sinking slightly into the ground—the hammer didn't budge.
Li Yue sighed in defeat. So even he couldn't lift it. Or could he?
A sudden idea struck him—everyone had been using brute strength. But what if he added energy?
He quickly channeled blue space energy from his spiritual sea. The glowing energy flowed down his arms, visible to everyone.
And then—it happened.
As the blue energy made contact with the hammer, Mjölnir lifted effortlessly into the air. Li Yue held it high above his head, stunned by how light it felt.
He nearly stumbled from using too much force, but caught himself just in time.
Instantly, the sky turned pitch black, thick storm clouds gathered, and thunder cracked violently. A massive bolt of lightning struck the raised hammer with deafening force, illuminating the entire area in a blinding flash.
Everyone instinctively backed away, terrified of the apocalyptic scene. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing.
Was this… the power of Thor?
Lightning coursed through Li Yue, but instead of pain, he felt an exhilarating surge of energy. His body began undergoing strange changes. He could feel immense power flowing into him from Mjölnir.
The energy traveled into his spiritual sea, where it was absorbed by the swirling starfield. Most of it turned into shimmering blue particles, orbiting a central sphere. A smaller portion was absorbed by a dim third point of light, which began to glow brighter with each pulse of energy.
Li Yue closed his eyes, immersed in the blissful sensation of power entering his body. It was intoxicating.
Meanwhile, not far away in a small diner, four people sat around a table. One of them, a tall man with long blond hair, downed an entire drink in a single gulp.
"This is excellent! Another!" he bellowed, slamming the empty mug onto the floor.
The crash startled everyone in the shop. All eyes turned toward them.
The man across from a beautiful woman quickly apologized to everyone, saying he didn't mean any harm.
"What are you doing?"
"It tasted great. I want another drink," the man replied innocently.
"You can say that politely instead of smashing the cup!"
At that moment, the man suddenly stood up, his expression shocked.
"That's Mjolnir!"
"Meow-meow? What meow-meow?" asked the girl with glasses in confusion.
"Mjolnir! It's my weapon—I must retrieve it immediately!"
Without explaining further, the man bolted in the direction of the energy he sensed, dashing across roads without regard for traffic, causing drivers to honk and curse.
"What do we do now?" the girl with glasses asked, snapping everyone else out of their daze.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, the God King sat silently on his throne, holding the Eternal Spear Gungnir in his right hand, eyes closed in contemplation. Recently, his "Odin Sleep" had become more frequent.
For the Asgardian gods, power is proportional to age just like Olympians. When one accumulates too much energy, it must be stabilized through periodic slumber.
Odin could sense the approach of this moment—that's why he was eager to pass the throne to Thor. But Thor was still reckless and impulsive, just like Odin once was. He had yet to learn how to be a worthy king who considered the needs of his people. That was why Odin exiled Thor to Midgard—to teach him what it meant to be a true ruler.
But suddenly, Odin's single eye snapped open, disbelief flashing in it. He had just felt the spell placed on Mjolnir get broken—someone had lifted the hammer and inherited the power of Thor!
Odin's expression turned stormy. How could this be? Mjolnir was meant only for Thor. No one else had the right to claim it. Rising from his throne, he slammed Gungnir down with force. An invisible shockwave spread from Asgard, rippling instantly across the Nine Realms.
Loki, who was just approaching to meet Odin, staggered from the sheer pressure. He had never seen Odin like this—so furious, so sharp. The power emanating from him was terrifying.
On another planet, a bloody battle was unfolding. A towering warrior clad in armor and wielding a twin-bladed greatsword paused mid-swing. He raised his head, revealing a purple face filled with confusion.
"What is that pressure? What could have enraged Odin, Lord of the Nine Realms?"
A subordinate asked nervously, "My lord, what's happening?"
"No need to ask. Continue the mission," he replied flatly, though his eyes still looked to the sky in thought.
The shock of Odin's fury rippled across realms, felt by countless powerful beings. It was the first time in thousands of years that Odin had shown such open rage.
In Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One also felt the disturbance. She immediately understood the reason—someone had triggered Odin's wrath. Her hands performed a complex series of gestures, and the Eye of Agamotto glowed green on her chest. Moments later, she drew a circular portal and stepped through it.
Back at the crater, Li Yue was still enjoying the exhilarating baptism of lightning, the Mjolnir held high in his right hand. (Don't ask how it changed from two hands to one—it just looks cooler, okay?) But all of a sudden, the hammer's weight shifted—it became as heavy as a mountain.
The immense strength that had allowed him to lift it vanished in an instant. Li Yue was shocked to find that time around him had frozen. The terrified expressions on people's faces were suspended mid-reaction, the lightning bolts above him frozen in place.
Even after he let go of the hammer, Mjolnir remained suspended in mid-air.
'What the… even gravity's taking a break?' Li Yue thought, bewildered.
Just then, a familiar voice called out. A glowing yellow portal opened, and a robed figure stepped out—it was the Ancient One.
"Li Yue. Long time no see," she greeted him warmly.
"Master Gu Yi? You're here? And what's going on?!" Li Yue asked, pointing at the floating hammer.
"Oh, nothing. I came to see what could have angered Odin so much that he personally intervened. As for all this, it's just a little time-freezing spell," she said casually, as if she were sightseeing.
"Damn, that old fox Odin played us! He said whoever lifts the hammer will get Thor's power—what a scam!"
Li Yue realized Odin must've interfered the moment he lifted the hammer. Of course, he didn't say that aloud.
"Master, do you think Odin will come down here to kill me?" he asked nervously. He knew Odin's Eternal Spear had a reputation for never missing its mark—great, just his luck.
"Relax. Odin's too tired for that, and besides, he acted already."
That made sense. With Odin on the brink of his Odin Sleep, and the responsibilities of Asgard piling up, he wasn't likely to make a move himself.
"But just a word of advice," the Ancient One added. "Don't touch Mjolnir again."
"I understand, Master Gu Yi."
"Alright then. Farewell, Li Yue."
With that, she turned and stepped back through the glowing portal. As soon as she vanished, time resumed. Mjolnir crashed to the ground with a thud, sending out a wave of energy and dust. The storm clouds overhead disappeared instantly, as if they'd never been there.
The crater was deep.
Everyone around looked confused—they had no idea what had just happened.
"Hey, Li Yue, what the hell just happened? How did the hammer suddenly fall?" Tony asked, being the first to speak up.
"Uh… I'm not sure. It just… slipped," Li Yue lied, trying to play it cool.
"So? How do you feel now? Didn't you say lifting the hammer gives you Thor's power?"
Tony pressed on, curious.
"What do I feel? Thor's power? Let me check…"
Li Yue closed his eyes and focused, using his spiritual sense to examine himself. He could clearly feel that the energy in his spiritual sea had increased significantly, and the third star had begun to glow even brighter…
Li Yue tried to channel his energy, guiding it through his arm and into the palm of his hand. In his mind, he pictured the scene where Thor wielded his powers without a hammer, his bodies enveloped in electricity—just like that moment when lightning surrounded them entirely.
Under the gaze of the onlookers, a faint electric spark flickered in Li Yue's palm. Sadly, it was very weak—barely enough to harm a fly.
"So... after all that buildup, this is it?" Tony couldn't help but scoff aloud. It was like watching someone prepare for a grand performance, only to let out a weak puff of air.
"Ah... probably because I haven't learned to control it properly –yet," Li Yue said, clearly embarrassed. In his mind, he had envisioned himself like Thor, surrounded by dazzling lightning, standing like a god beneath the heavens. Unfortunately, expectations were high—but reality was a little humiliating.
Still, Li Yue noticed something had changed within him, likely due to the lightning power he had just absorbed.
The Mjolnir isn't just a weapon. It was once wielded by Odin in his youth, later passed to Hela, the Goddess of Death, and eventually came into Thor's hands.
Its true purpose was to help Asgardians gradually control their divine power—in essence, it was a beginner's tool. Once they could fully harness their power, the hammer was no longer necessary.
That's why, regardless of whether it was Odin, Hela, or Thor, all eventually moved on to new weapons.
Right now, Mjolnir had been enchanted by Odin, allowing even a mortal to wield Thor's power.
A moment ago, Li Yue had likely begun to inherit Thor's powers, but Odin had forcefully interrupted the process. However, due to Li Yue's unique physique—one capable of adapting and evolving—his body slowly transformed under the baptism of divine energy and gained the ability to harness thunder.
But since Li Yue's body couldn't generate thunder naturally, he could only simulate divine power using the energy within his spiritual core.
As his body hadn't fully evolved yet, the lightning he produced was weak.
At that moment, Thor—stripped of his divine power—was running toward Li Yue's location. However, he was still dozens of kilometers away. How could he possibly make it on foot?
Fortunately, Jane had caught up with the exhausted Thor by car, called out to him, and they drove off toward Li Yue's location.
Jane and her team had initially gone to recover their scientific instruments and research materials, only to find everything had been confiscated when they returned.
A group identifying themselves as S.H.I.E.L.D. had briefly interacted with them, but were stopped by the doctor accompanying Jane. He had heard of S.H.I.E.L.D. before—one of his colleagues, who researched gamma rays, had vanished after crossing paths with them. No one knew if he was alive or dead.
Since Coulson was with Li Yue, he hadn't taken part in the seizure. The SHIELD agents didn't even leave Jane's group with enough money to replace their lost equipment.
Ignoring the doctor's warnings, Jane chose to personally drive and catch up with Thor—and they headed straight toward Li Yue.
Time flew by. The sun set in the blink of an eye, and night blanketed the earth.
"So this hammer just stays here? We can't move it at all?" Tony asked, clearly frustrated. Hours earlier, his Mark 7 and F-HK2 armors had arrived one after another. But even while wearing the suits, Tony couldn't budge Mjolnir from the ground.
It was a hard pill to swallow for someone as self-assured as Tony.
"We just have to wait. An unexpected guest will show up tonight," Li Yue said with a mysterious smile.
"Unexpected guest? Coming for the hammer? I'll increase security." Coulson, though surprised, began preparing the team to strengthen the perimeter.
"No, Coulson. The person coming is the hammer's owner—or rather, its former owner. He's no longer worthy," Li Yue replied calmly.
"You mean Thor? The one exiled to Earth? What does he look like?" Tony asked, curious. He was quite interested in this Thor, and the others perked up too.
"Let's wait and see. I believe he'll be here very soon."
An hour passed.
"He's here," Li Yue said suddenly, hearing thunder roll outside.
Sure enough, someone was forcefully charging toward the hammer, knocking down every agent in his path.
Strangely, the previously clear sky began to drizzle, accompanied by rumbling thunder and lightning. The instruments detected that Mjolnir was releasing increasingly strong electromagnetic waves.
Inside a tent, Li Yue, Tony, and the others watched the surveillance monitor. On-screen was a tall, muscular man. The agents stood no chance against him.
"This is Thor? Doesn't seem like much—just a big guy with more brawn than brains," Tony muttered, though he was clearly a little jealous of the man's physique.
"Should I go stop him?" Captain America asked, clearly itching for action as he watched agents being taken down one after another.
"No need, Captain. Coulson, tell your men to let him through." Li Yue smiled slightly and turned to Coulson.
"Stand down. Let him pass," Coulson ordered.
Thor finally arrived at Mjolnir, looked at it standing upright in the ground, and smiled confidently.
"Mjolnir, I'm here!" he declared.
With a firm grip, he grabbed the handle and pulled—just slightly.
But then came the awkward moment, his confident smile froze. No matter how hard he pulled, the hammer didn't move an inch.
Only then did Thor fully understand Odin's words. His powers had been stripped, and he was now just a mortal.
Dejected, Thor slumped to the ground, offering no resistance as the SHIELD agents approached and escorted him away.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Loki had just discovered the truth about his origins—he was actually a descendant of the Frost Giants.
He confronted Odin, demanding to know why this had been kept from him for so long.
Loki also began to realize why, no matter how good he had been all his life, Odin always favored Thor and even chose him as Asgard's next king.
But Loki had misunderstood Odin's intentions.
Odin had planned for Thor to become king of Asgard, while Loki would become king of the Frost Giants—uniting both realms in peace.
That's why, when they were young, Odin had told them, "You were both born to be kings."
Unfortunately, Odin fell into the Odinsleep before he could ever explain the truth to Loki.
...…..
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