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Chapter Eighty-Two: Man of Steel
"Hey..."
Odin sighed deeply.
Although Loki wasn't his biological child, it was impossible not to develop feelings after years of being together.
On the other hand, this also meant that his policy of peace was officially shattered.
Even though Jotunheim provoked the conflict first, destroying a planet would inevitably make some forces in the Nine Realms restless.
Thor, however, saw things differently. Historically, it was the destruction of the Bifrost that prevented Asgard from intervening in the Nine Realms, leading to widespread rebellions.
With the Bifrost still intact, the precedent set by Jotunheim would likely only serve to make other forces more cautious.
"Don't worry, there won't be any chaos. Besides, Loki will be back too."
Odin remained silent and left quietly.
"Hey, congratulations to the host for triggering Odin's exclusive mission: War and Peace - Blindly avoiding war cannot bring about real peace. In many cases, it is necessary to maintain peace by demonstrating strength."
"Mission Objective: Get Odin to recognize your philosophy. Mission Reward: Passive Skill - Man of Steel."
"Man of Steel: The physical strength of a superhero from DCU with indomitable endurance and defense, without weakness of kryptonite radiation. Regardless of the injuries sustained, you can recover rapidly under the sun."
Man of Steel! Thor was thrilled. It was one of Superman's signature abilities and seemed perfect for him.
After all, he lacked in the defense department.
The exclusive weapon - Stormbreaker - was nearly indestructible, giving him one of the strongest offensive capabilities among superheroes.
But his defense had not been up to par.
Even though he could withstand energy from neutron stars, he was still defeated by Thanos…
The task rewards were substantial, but the difficulty was also high. Odin had adhered to this concept for thousands of years, even refusing to assist his own daughter…
Thor began to understand that, generally, the stronger the target, the more challenging the task and the greater the reward.
This was true for Odin and also for the Ancient One.
The exceptions were Captain Marvel's flight ability and Sif's Infinite Gems experience coupons…
…
As Thor had predicted, all parts of the Nine Realms remained calm, and the previously noisy places had quieted down.
Thor did not stay in Asgard for long and returned to Earth the following day, bringing Sif with him.
This time, he used the portal. After testing it and finding it satisfactory, he determined it to be much more convenient than the Bifrost for small groups of people.
…
At S.H.I.E.L.D., a heated argument was underway.
"Damn it, those bloody savages created such a huge mess and then just left us to clean it up!"
A middle-aged congressman slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Everyone in New York witnessed the destruction and felt the shock. Now Washington is demanding an explanation. How do we explain this? Tell them this is the Manhattan Project 2.0? Hell, this is New York!"
Natasha frowned and retorted, "If it weren't for those so-called barbarians you keep referring to, that armor would have plunged New York into a nuclear winter!"
"Agent Romanoff, mind your position!"
Another senior official said angrily, "I know you have personal ties with him, but right now you represent S.H.I.E.L.D., not him. You need to stop defending him!"
Natasha didn't bother to argue further and thought to herself: The so-called protection is just a pretense. If you want to maintain it, you're also upholding S.H.I.E.L.D. Let you insiders and outsiders bicker while the whole of America suffers for your mistakes!
At this moment, Nick Fury, who had been silent throughout, suddenly spoke: "Why do we need to explain? Why not just tell the truth? Alien civilizations have always existed, and they will contact us sooner or later. In fact, they are already in contact."
"It's time for the public to know the truth."
…