61

Chapter 61: The Temptation to Return to Youth

"I didn't expect your dancing skills to be so impressive!"

In the middle of the night, as Thor Odinson was escorting Peggy Carter home, Peggy suddenly sighed. She had initially prepared herself to walk home with difficulty but found that Thor had been guiding her the entire way.

Thor chuckled. "Do you really think I'm just a barbarian who only knows how to fight and kill?"

Peggy smiled, gave him a friendly pat, and asked, "Care to come in for a drink?"

Thor wouldn't refuse, so they entered the house. Sharon Carter had already left, leaving them with some private time.

…

"Oh my God! This is unbelievable!" The next morning, at Maya Hansen's research center, Betty Ross gasped when she saw Maya Hansen, who appeared more than ten years younger in an instant.

Maya Hansen, who had been in her early twenties when Betty first knew her, hadn't changed much in appearance but had matured significantly. Thor, with his eternal life, had suddenly returned her to younger self.

"Now you believe I wasn't lying, right?" Thor smiled at Betty. "You've always been my lucky charm."

Betty blushed and fell silent, glancing at Thor with renewed interest. Although she was still young, many women over twenty-five start feeling old.

At that moment, Natalia Romanoff spoke up, "Hey, what's the relationship between you and Peggy Carter?"

Back when Thor first introduced her to S.H.I.E.L.D, it was Peggy Carter who had specially trained her.

Despite Peggy's efforts to keep her past concealed, Natalia's keen observational skills allowed her to see through the years of deception.

Moreover, Peggy's appearance clearly didn't align with her age.

Seeing Thor's miraculous transformation, Natalia had confirmed her suspicions.

Thor didn't attempt to hide the truth and replied, "You're right. We knew each other more than half a century ago, during the war against Hydra."

"Just as I suspected... you weren't using your real identity back then, were you? I find it hard to believe that someone with your character would remain unknown."

Thor rolled his eyes. "It seems we've only been together for a few days, but you think you know me so well?"

Natalia rolled her eyes in return. "In those few days, I mostly saw you pretending to be tough. It's clear that understanding you is a matter of intelligence..."

She rested her chin on her hand, reflecting. From the records, only a few prominent figures were known to have been close to Peggy, excluding those who obviously weren't...

"Donald Blake? The former lieutenant of the Howling Commandos, and Agent Carter's lover?"

Betty Ross and Maya Hansen looked at each other in shock. Though his name wasn't as famous as Captain America's, it was well-known and, due to his personality, even more popular among women.

"I can't believe the hero I admired as a child is right here! And he once saved me from a gang!" Betty's eyes were wide with astonishment, and Maya was equally impressed.

Natalia wanted to reveal the truth...

At that moment, she felt a pang of jealousy—she had thought she was the first to know Thor, only to find out he had been with Peggy decades ago!

"By the way, how is your father's research progressing?" Thor asked Betty.

"As usual, my father hasn't been able to locate Bruce Banner. He's always wanted to recreate the Hulk but hasn't succeeded. Although they injected the serum into Blonsky, the results were limited."

Thor thought for a moment and said to Maya Hansen, "Inform General Ross of Bruce Banner's location and exchange the information for a super soldier serum. Even if it's a flawed version, I'm sure you can optimize it."

Maya Hansen agreed and asked, "What about Extremis? I sold a batch to General Ross as a research grant last time, and many organizations have shown interest, but I refused."

"Weaken it, market it as a one-time healing potion, and distribute it worldwide."

Thor wasn't concerned about the potion falling into enemy hands.

Extremis had remarkable effects on ordinary people, but for those already powerful, the benefits were minimal. Asgardians, for instance, already had self-healing abilities comparable to the effects of Extremis, when weakened.

Besides, Thor was financially strained. The universe's currency didn't work on Earth. In the future, when he became the leader of the Avengers, he couldn't rely on Stark for everything...