93

Chapter 93: Phil Coulson's "Sacrifice"

In the breach of the Helicarrier, Stark piloted the armor while instructing Captain America to assist.

"Go to the engine control panel and tell me which switches are overloaded."

"Okay." Steve jumped a few times, reached the control panel, and opened the cabinet.

"Looks like it's just a bunch of circuit boards..." he replied in a rather unhelpful manner.

Stark's expression darkened.

"Boom—"

Natalia fell heavily to the ground, cornered by the Hulk. Hulk charged forward, lifted her high, and prepared to deliver a powerful punch.

Natalia raised her arms in a futile attempt to block, the magic bracelet barely absorbing the impact of three punches. Her hands were numb, and as Hulk delivered another heavy blow, she closed her eyes in despair, thinking—would someone rescue her at the last moment as they had twelve years ago?

"Bang——" The anticipated death didn't come. Instead, a sharp electric shock rang out.

She opened her eyes hopefully to see a figure in black armor and a red cloak standing in front of her...

"Jane, we can't fight him head-on. Avoid direct confrontation!" Although the equipment resembled Thor's, Miss Jane's strength was well-known to her, so she quickly advised.

Miss Jane, gripping the hammer tightly, remained silent and watched Hulk with vigilance. In the previous clash, she realized her strength fell short compared to Hulk's and knew that only by leveraging Mjölnir's power could she have a chance.

Hulk didn't attack immediately but looked confused. Miss Jane's armor triggered some memories of a similar battle against a massive foe who had a deep-seated hatred?

But even Hulk, despite his lack of intellect, could distinguish between a man and a woman. After a few seconds of contemplation, Hulk swung his fist.

Miss Jane, well-prepared, swiftly dodged the punch and struck Hulk's armpit with Mjölnir.

Hulk roared in pain, and a fierce green light flashed from his eyes. He charged forward in fury.

Natalia rushed to assist, and together they fought Hulk.

In a concealed corner, Thor observed their cooperation and nodded in approval. He was determined not to let Natalia be harmed and had arrived on the space carrier through a portal when the explosion occurred. If Miss Jane hadn't arrived in time, he would have rescued her himself.

With the teamwork between Natalia and Jane, Hulk was unable to cause them further harm for the moment, and Thor turned his attention elsewhere.

"Hey, congratulations! You have triggered the Hawkeye-related mission: Mind Barrier. Completing the mission will earn you a reward!"

"Mind Barrier: Agent Barton was controlled by the Mind Gem and became a key element of Loki's plan. This incident is considered a significant personal shame. Henceforth, he will undergo training to resist Mind Control magic."

"Mission Objective: Restore Agent Barton, who has been mind-controlled, to normal. Mission Reward—Immunity to any Mind Control magic."

In a corridor, Clint Barton was moving swiftly, trying to create chaos and buy time.

Thor descended from the sky and landed in front of him.

Hawkeye quickly notched an arrow, aiming it at his allies without hesitation.

Noticing the intense blue light in his eyes, Thor realized that the control over him was still strong.

Typically, mind-purifying magic could resolve such situations, a skill mastered by Queen Mother Frigga.

However, Thor lacked this ability. Although skilled in both magic and combat, most of his magical knowledge was offensive in nature.

If mind purification failed, then physical intervention was the alternative!

"Bang bang bang..." When Natalia and Jane Foster arrived, dragging Bruce Banner, they saw Thor delivering powerful blows to Hawkeye's head.

"Oh my God!" Miss Jane exclaimed. Despite being controlled and temporarily an enemy, the brutality of the fight was shocking.

"Hey, Agent Barton is still a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague. Don't beat him to death!" Natalia joked.

"Ding! Congratulations, the mission Mind Barrier is complete: immunity to any Mind Control!"

Having completed the task, Thor threw Hawkeye aside and handed him over to an agent who had already been stunned.

"Don't worry, I'm not serious. There's something wrong with this guy's mind. I'll wake him up." Thor reassured them and asked, "How's the situation? Where's Loki?"

"The engine has been repaired. Loki has escaped and disappeared. Moreover, Agent Phil Coulson is dead." Natalia's face was somber. She had been close with Phil Coulson.

In fact, Coulson was well-liked by most people.

"Sad news, Loki escaped and killed Agent Phil Coulson." Nick Fury announced gravely. Stark, Steve, and Bruce Banner, who had just regained consciousness, all looked serious and listened silently.

Thor frowned.

"I admit that S.H.I.E.L.D. has used the Tesseract to create weapons. But I never placed my hopes on that but rather on a more ambitious project."

"That's my vision, Stark should know. Let's call it—The Avengers!"

"No matter how powerful a weapon is, it needs exceptional soldiers to wield it. We must gather the best people in the world, so when the world needs them, they will unite to defeat enemies we cannot."

"Phil Coulson believed this until his death. He believed in heroes."

"His death is my responsibility. But now, we must focus on the larger picture."

Neither Stark nor Steve responded.

"Loki's goal is to open the portal, which requires a substantial amount of energy. We might start with the various nuclear power plants." Stark proposed.

"No, I know Loki. His character means he wouldn't choose a sparsely populated area for his plan. He would prefer a densely populated location with significant and iconic buildings," Thor advised.

Stark's expression turned pale with realization: "Damn it! This bastard must be targeting my building!"