40

Chapter 40: The Trail of the Vers

Compared to the stagnant years before, the Marvel universe had become increasingly lively starting this year.

A notable event was when Carol Danvers passed the Air Force flight crew assessment and subsequently joined Dr. Lawson's Pegasus Project, disappearing during an operation.

…

Two years later, Howard Stark was assassinated by Bucky, now known as the Winter Soldier.

History had reached another turning point. Winter Soldier's misfortune was noteworthy.

He caused a car accident, resulting in the crash of Howard's vehicle. Unexpectedly, besides Howard, there was a remarkably large man in the car, weighing over 500 kilograms...

This corpulent man, with his extraordinary strength, proved more formidable than Bucky, who had undergone enhancements. He effectively taught the Winter Soldier a lesson. If not for the Winter Soldier's enhanced agility, the outcome might have been different...

Thor had not been idle over these years.

On the surface, he was a major shareholder in Stark Industries, second only to Howard and Obadiah.

Secretly, however, Thor's activities were limited, though he did save a mother and her child from an assassination attempt.

This act earned him the allegiance of Kingpin, who had initially intended to retire from his criminal enterprises.

In essence, this was more of a transaction. Thor could call upon Kingpin's resources for any challenging adversaries, strictly within the underground world.

Kingpin, not the most astute, readily accepted the reality of Thor being a god. Human nature is indeed curious.

This resolved one of the critical risk factors in the coming superhero civil war. With Howard expected to enhance security measures, it would be considerably harder for HYDRA to carry out another assassination attempt.

Even if they tried, it was unlikely they would use Bucky again, which was a relief.

…

The year was now 1995.

"A peculiar event has recently occurred. A village on the outskirts of New York was found with all its residents dead. The bodies showed no signs of injury but appeared to have succumbed to old age and frailty upon inspection. When our agent arrived, only one baby remained, and the child is being sent to an orphanage."

Peggy Carter glanced at Thor as she spoke.

After all these years, she no longer questioned Thor's identity. Too many aspects of Thor's existence defied scientific explanation.

In matters of the supernatural, Thor was more knowledgeable than she was.

Thor chuckled and said, "Haven't you retired? Why are you still involved in Bureau affairs?"

Peggy Carter shrugged. "I can't help it; it's a professional hazard. I don't feel like someone who should retire."

Thor took her hand and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, your retirement is only temporary. There will always be opportunities for you to reappear before the world."

Peggy Carter's condition was not a particularly well-kept secret within S.H.I.E.L.D. Many knew she would not age. In theory, she had no reason to retire.

However, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated long ago. As one of the last remaining senior members, Peggy was a thorn in HYDRA's side. Thus, after Howard's assassination, Thor arranged for Peggy's retirement.

Though Peggy was reluctant, high-ranking officials in Washington, under Kingpin's influence, and HYDRA operatives, coupled with Thor's persuasion, led to her "honorable retirement," accompanied by a pair of medals.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. was rebuilt after HYDRA's downfall, Peggy Carter's veteran status would ensure that S.H.I.E.L.D. was firmly under Thor's control.

As superheroes began to emerge, the public would easily accept these characters from seventy years ago.

"Let's ensure the baby is well-cared for in the orphanage. It may be important later."

"I'm heading out for a while and might not return for a few days."

Thor bid farewell and left the manor.

…

"Activate Multiverse GPS Navigation!"

"Locate Target: Carol Danvers!"

In Thor's mind, countless galaxies appeared, rapidly zooming in until the view focused on the Milky Way, then the solar system, and finally zeroed in on the orbit near Earth.