Chapter 130

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"Are you guys going to try lifting that hammer again? Who's up this time?"

The Red Guardian, who had been cooped up in prison for decades and was desperate for some action, rushed out at the sound of commotion with great enthusiasm. Despite the fact that they had just returned from an attempt with the hammer not long ago, the confinement had clearly been too long for the Red Guardian.

Unfortunately for him, neither Nick Fury nor Black Widow, nor Tony Stark aka Captain America, paid him much attention. Although the true identity of the Red Guardian was concealed, his heavy Russian-accented English was quite awkward to listen to. Everyone present could guess that there was more to the Red Guardian's background than met the eye and preferred to keep their distance.

Nonetheless, the Red Guardian didn't care and kept chattering away as if he hadn't spoken in decades.

Squeak!

Amidst this atmosphere, the two S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles that just left the crater returned. Captain America, Black Widow, and others, under the watchful eyes of Coulson and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, approached Thor's hammer once again.

Captain America stood before the hammer, inspecting it without any visible emotion on his face.

"Sir, is it the Captain's turn to lift the hammer this time?"

Coulson, Captain America's avid fan, suddenly grew excited and couldn't help but ask Nick Fury in a whisper. Receiving a nod, Coulson was convinced, "If it's the Captain, I'm sure he can do it!"

"Captain, do you need a moment to prepare?" Black Widow asked, noticing Captain America hesitating, she gave a small shrug to urge him on.

Captain America took a deep breath and without further hesitation reached for Thor's hammer.

"Ridiculous!"

"All of this is too ridiculous."

Thor himself couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. He wondered why he had bothered to get involved in this farce. In his mind, no one but he should be able to lift his hammer—it was a cosmic joke! Certain that it was only a temporary situation, Thor was confident he would reclaim his hammer in time.

Yet, unbeknownst to Thor, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Iron Man, and the others watched intently as Captain America inhaled and began to test if he could lift the hammer. To everyone's surprise, he lifted it with ease—a feat no one else could accomplish no matter how hard they tried.

Yes, Captain America had just picked it up, unlike in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" where he had struggled, only managing to slightly move it until the final battle.

This led to the question: Why was there such a discrepancy between the events in "Age of Ultron" and the "Endgame"? The movies didn't explain, but the screenwriters who worked on both "Captain America" and "The Avengers" series did mention that during the period of "Age of Ultron," Captain America's character hadn't been quite impeccable. At that time, he kept the truth about the death of Tony Stark's parents from him!

Now the situation was different. Captain America was completely unaware of the event. To his belief, Bucky Barnes had died seventy years prior on that cliffside. He, therefore, had no need to deceive or betray Tony Stark, allowing him to lift Thor's hammer with ease.

More than just lifting it, Captain America felt the hammer was incredibly light, even lighter than his shield. It was exceptionally comfortable to hold.

"It's lifted!"

"The Captain has lifted it!"

A low murmur of astonishment rose among the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who found it quite unexpected.

"I just knew it!" Coulson was the most excited of all, his admiration for Captain America deepening. His idol was indeed worthy of lifting the hammer no one else could.

Nick Fury, in contrast, breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have believed in the diary's spoiler until he saw with his own eyes Captain America lifting the hammer.

"Impossible!"

"How can this be!"

"Why is this happening!"

Thor was dumbstruck, as if he had been struck by lightning. After several seconds of disbelief, he vehemently began to protest. This couldn't be true! How could someone other than him lift his hammer? How could a mere mortal from Midgard do what even he, Thor, couldn't?

"No!"

Thor collapsed to his knees, howling into the sky, confronted with a challenge he couldn't fathom.

But what Thor couldn't realize was that this was only the beginning. Captain America, now holding Thor's hammer, felt a rush of excitement and surprise. He sensed a profound connection with the hammer the moment he grasped it—a connection beyond words. It almost seemed alive, calling out to him.

Focusing on the feeling in his heart, Captain America experimented and—crack! A burst of lightning erupted, startling the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around him who had no idea that the hammer could also unleash lightning.

Such a miraculous artifact!

"This guy, he actually became Thor," Tony Stark couldn't help but mutter in amazement. Despite having come across spoilers in his journal, knowing and seeing with his own eyes were two completely different things! Even someone as proud and arrogant as Tony couldn't help but internally praise Captain America. At this moment, Cap looked somewhat handsome! Of course, this is just an inner thought, something Tony would never say out loud.

"This is absolutely impossible. How could this happen!" Thor, already slumped on the ground after taking a ten-thousand-point critical hit, was once again sharply triggered. With his gaze frozen and face stiff, he looked as if he had lost his soul.

Picking up Thor's hammer was one thing, but why was he able to summon lightning? If he can even summon lightning, what's the difference between him and Thor? So, the absurd event described in the journal actually happened! Father, what kind of spell did you cast on the hammer, and why did you do this to me?

"No!" Thor looked up at the sky once more, letting out a roar of helplessness and despair louder than before. Captain America, engrossed in experiencing the hammer, couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Thor. What was with this guy's demeanor? Recalling that Nick Fury had once brought the guy to pick up the hammer, Captain America naturally made a guess. This person must have some connection with the hammer. However, Fury hadn't explained too much to Captain America, leaving him somewhat in the dark. Nonetheless, after contemplating briefly, Cap decided to put the hammer back down.

Yes, the hammer was indeed magical and interesting, but for Captain America, that was all there was to it. He had no other designs on it and was simply treating it as a novel experience.

"Is that satisfactory now?" Captain America glanced at Nick Fury.

"Good work, Captain," Nick Fury nodded in approval, "For the time being, that will do. However, we might need you to take the hammer back later." Since Captain America could lift Thor's hammer, Fury couldn't just leave it there. It was only logical to take it back to SHIELD. Captain America understood what Fury was thinking; he was all too familiar with these guys. Candidly, Captain America didn't particularly like this style of operation. Nevertheless, he also realized that leaving such a wondrous item lying around was not a solution, so he refrained from further comment.

"Natasha, it's your turn," Fury then turned his one-eyed gaze to Black Widow.

Black Widow hesitated for a moment, looking at Thor, who was like a zombie: "Perhaps, in a little while?" She feared that if she managed to pick up the hammer as well, Thor might just die on the spot from shock.

"No, let's do it now," Fury shook his head, "According to psychology, it's best to deal blows all at once, which I believe also applies to gods." 

Moreover, Black Widow might not even be able to lift Thor's hammer. The journal only mentioned that some Black Widows in parallel universes could lift the hammer. But unlike the clear spoiler about Captain America, it did not explicitly state that Black Widow could lift it. So Fury was hopeful but not overly optimistic.

"Alright then," Black Widow didn't say much more but went straight to the hammer and reached out her hand. Thor, on his knees, trembled inwardly as his breathing grew rapid. He almost dared not look. What would he do if Black Widow also managed to lift the hammer? He felt that he might not be able to handle it.

The others, naturally, were nowhere near as tense as Thor, but they all watched intently, eager to know the outcome.

Snap! With eyes fixed on her, Black Widow tried to lift the hammer but unfortunately found it as heavy as a mountain, completely immovable. She simply shrugged and stepped back: "Seems I am just an ordinary person after all."

Fury was outwardly calm, but internally, a hint of disappointment lingered. It would have been nice if Black Widow could also lift the hammer. Though Captain America could lift it, he was beyond Fury's control, unlike Black Widow, who was completely under his command. 

But Fury didn't give up just because of this setback. Indeed, Black Widow couldn't lift it now, but that didn't mean it would be impossible forever. If there was another chance, Fury still wanted to see Black Widow give it another try.

Thor exhaled deeply in relief. If Black Widow could lift the hammer too, he seriously doubted his heart could take it.

"Thor, let's head back. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about, right?" Fury said. "Captain, I'll leave it to you to take the hammer back."

What followed needed no further discussion. Fury greeted everyone at the scene and quickly led them back to the temporary base. The hammer was taken by Captain America and guarded by individuals who had been verified by the journal, like Coulson and Hawkeye Barton, as well as the super-soldiers Captain America and the Red Guardian. Besides, there was also the Whipcord Squad, hidden in the shadows and unknown to anyone but Fury himself.

Fury was confident that even if HYDRA knew about Thor's hammer, they would never be able to take it away. Not to mention the impregnable defenses, just the fact that no one else could lift the hammer eliminated any possibility of theft.

Back at the base, Fury immediately reunited with Thor. Tony Stark was also called over, and the journal holders had a brief meeting.

"You really do have a journal too; I knew it when I saw you start to choke as you spoke," Tony Stark said to Thor, not at all surprised. On their way to the meteor crater, when Thor was discussing the journal with Fury, he was suddenly choked. This odd reaction did not escape anyone's eyes. The others might be clueless, but how could Iron Man be unaware?