190

Chapter 190: Accident

Satisfied, Thor left Kamar-Taj.

It was evident that when principles weren't at stake, the Ancient One's boss was quite approachable. He had cheerfully lent Thor the Eye of Agamotto and even refilled his beer.

"System, where's my reward? The task is clearly completed."

The calm voice of the system's AI responded, "The reward is being processed..."

Processing...

Thor sighed, "What's the hold-up this time? Don't tell me it's another pointless delay..."

The last time something like this happened was six years ago when he was given the Rune King quest. It required the complete restoration of the World Tree and the Fountain of Wisdom—neither of which were achievable at the time. The quest was a failure.

There was also a supposedly impressive resurrection technique, but it was limited. The Rune King ability lacked awakening and could only resurrect targets weaker than himself, and only if a corpse was available...

"Don't worry, this time it should be available soon, probably, hehe..."

The system's AI apologized.

"Jingle Bell…"

The phone rang, and Thor glanced at the number.

It was Kingpin. Normally, Kingpin wouldn't call him out of the blue.

"I've found the girl you were looking for."

Thor's mouth twitched.

It's already 2014. Not only did I find her, but I also know all about it!

"Wanda Django Maximov and Pietro Django Maximov, the siblings, are undergoing experiments inside a military fort in Sokovia."

"I know," Thor replied tersely. "Why are you telling me now?"

Kingpin had been searching for the siblings, especially Wanda, for over a decade. He had narrowed the search to Sokovia early on and even provided their names.

In a small place like Sokovia, with Kingpin's resources, even a census would be thorough. Yet, he was unreliable...

Kingpin's voice was tinged with frustration: "In fact, my agents discovered these two thirteen years ago. But for some reason, I had a strong subconscious feeling that they weren't the ones. This intuition was so strong that I dismissed them. It wasn't until recently..."

"Alright, I understand."

Thor nodded, ceasing his reproach of Kingpin.

He didn't intend to disrupt the Scarlet Witch's development too much, and Kingpin couldn't be held entirely accountable.

Kingpin had mentioned that choas Magic Power had subconsciously protected itself, influencing others' thoughts. This protection was probably weakened now due to the Mind Gem, allowing Wanda to control her powers more effectively.

It seemed likely that the Avengers would soon raid Sokovia's HYDRA base and bring in their strongest member.

What Thor didn't know was that the situation was far more complex than he imagined...

In Sokovia, inside a heavily fortified fortress, countless HYDRA soldiers patrolled.

A HYDRA agent in black entered an office where Baron Strucker was engrossed in the spiritual scepter before him.

Upon hearing the door, Strucker asked, "Any new bad news?"

The HYDRA agent hesitated before saying, "An hour ago, two major strongholds in Western Europe were neutralized."

Baron Strucker cursed under his breath, "This damned woman has uncovered too much about us over the years. She should have been dealt with at all costs 20 years ago!"

The agent remained expressionless.

Years ago, they had attempted to assassinate Peggy Carter multiple times, with disastrous results. Thor had even dismantled several strongholds.

After venting his frustration, Baron Strucker calmed down and smiled coldly, "It's no longer important. Just distract those ancient monsters with peripheral agencies to divert their attention."

He activated a surveillance camera. The video showed a man and a woman testing their super abilities in two adjacent cells.

"This world is no longer just an era of spies or even heroes, but of miracles!"

Suddenly agitated, he ordered, "They're moving too quickly. They'll find this place and these twins sooner or later. Increase the energy output of the scepter. We must complete the transformation before they arrive!"

With the order, the machine started, and a powerful energy emanated from the psychic scepter, penetrating the cells where Wanda and Quicksilver were held.

At that moment, an unexpected incident occurred...