Chapter 35: Unworthy

At that moment, a chubby middle-aged man behind the restaurant counter turned to his companion and said, "You missed quite a show. They say a satellite crashed in the desert. We were watching it with excitement when some investigators showed up..."

Jane Foster, curious, asked the middle-aged man, "Excuse me, did you say a satellite fell in the desert?"

"Yes," the man replied.

Professor Erik Selvig, sitting at the other end of the table, also looked intrigued. "What does this satellite look like?"

The middle-aged man continued, "I don't know much about satellites, but I know it's heavy. No one can lift it!"

Hearing this, Thor immediately stood up, walked over to the man, and grabbed his shoulder, asking urgently, "Where is it?"

The man, startled by Thor's abruptness, still answered, "Fifty miles west from here..."

As Thor left the diner, the man kindly warned, "Don't bother, though. The military's already there!"

But Thor paid no attention and strode out of the restaurant.

Jane Foster and her companions followed, leaving Alex alone. However, he didn't rush to follow them. Instead, he ordered an egg tart and ate it slowly.

When he finally walked out of the diner, he saw Jane Foster offering Thor a ride from a nearby pet store. "Do you want to hitch a ride?"

As Thor got into the passenger seat, they suddenly heard a familiar, smooth voice from the side, "Mind if I join you?"

Jane and Thor turned to see the white-haired young man from the diner, gently tapping on the car window with his knuckle and flashing them a bright smile.

"Oh... sure, but we're heading into something really dangerous. Are you sure you want to come along?" Jane responded.

"Yes!" Alex replied with a mysterious grin, "I wouldn't miss the chance to meet the legendary Thor."

On the way to their destination, Jane said to Thor, "I've never done anything like this before. How about you?"

Thor gave her a knowing smile, "Many times…"

Before he could continue, the white-haired man in the backseat chimed in, "Mm-hmm, I've done this plenty of times too. It's no big deal!"

Thor, curious, asked Alex, "Oh, Alex, what have you done?"

"I've single-handedly taken down a gang's stronghold, escaped from military and mutant forces, destroyed massive mechs, and fought two terrifying monsters!

Just recently, I had a showdown with the X-Men on the streets of New York, nearly destroying the entire city!"

Thor listened in stunned silence, impressed by Alex's stories but recalling that Alex was cosplaying the so-called White Mutant. Could these really be that person's achievements?

Jane Foster chuckled, "You two are hilarious—one thinks he's the White Mutant, and the other thinks he's Thor…"

Before she could finish, Thor quickly interrupted, "I am Thor, not someone who thinks he's Thor!

Once I regain my powers, you'll see everything!"

Seeing the seriousness on Thor's face, Jane recalled their first meeting when he had fallen from the sky. If he really was Thor, stripped of his godly power by Odin and exiled to Earth, it would explain a lot.

But just as she started to believe Thor, Alex from the backseat nodded and said, "Exactly, I believe Thor is the real deal, and I'm the White Mutant. Jane, you should believe us!"

Hearing this, Jane shook her head, her brief moment of belief quickly fading.

"I must be crazy, doing this with you two… But they stole my life's work, and I have to get it back!"

Hearing this, and noticing the determination in Jane's voice, Thor smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. Once I retrieve Mjolnir, I'll make sure they return everything!"

Alex also nodded solemnly, "Exactly! When we get there, we'll make sure they hand over everything!"

Jane gave a faint smile, not entirely convinced.

As they neared their destination, the trio parked their vehicle in a hidden spot and hiked up a small hill. Using binoculars, they observed the makeshift military base set up below.

By now, the sky had darkened completely, and the only light came from the base's floodlights.

After a brief observation, Thor handed his coat to Jane to keep her warm, then prepared to charge down the hill. Jane stopped him, her expression serious, "You think you can just walk in there, take our stuff, and walk out?"

Thor replied with a confident smile, "No, I'm going to fly out!"

Before Jane could respond, Thor dashed toward the military base.

Boom!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the sky, and bright lightning illuminated the world for an instant. Under the light of the lightning, Thor battled his way through the agents, starting to resemble the God of Thunder.

Watching Thor fight the agents, Jane became increasingly worried.

A playful, magnetic voice came from beside her, "Relax, even if Thor can't regain his power, I'm here. I'll take care of everything."

Jane's worried expression froze. While she was beginning to entertain the possibility that Thor might really be the God of Thunder, she had absolutely no belief that Alex was truly the White Mutant.

Not only was the White Mutant currently in New York and couldn't possibly be in New Mexico, but her impression of that mutant was of a cold, ruthless figure—nothing like the mischievous, smiling Alex before her.

As they watched Thor fight off agent after agent and finally reach Mjolnir, he confidently grasped the hammer's handle, ready to lift it.

But nothing happened.

He tried again, still nothing.

After several more attempts, using all his strength, he still couldn't lift the hammer. Finally, Thor collapsed to the ground in despair, letting out a cry of anguish.

Seeing this, Jane turned and started walking back toward the vehicle, likely to find help.

But a tall, white-haired figure suddenly blocked her path.

Despite the mischievous smile still on his face, there was something different about Alex now. The smile that once seemed playful now felt cold and chilling, making him appear like a stranger.

With a now cold and stern expression, the White Mutant said to her, "I told you, I'm still here."

°°°

A/N: Bros Almight, lol

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