136

Chapter 136: Prologue

In a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base in New York, Phil Coulson rushed around frantically.

Just ten minutes ago, the Tesseract, which had been stable, suddenly began exhibiting strange fluctuations. Despite all attempts to power it down, the problem remained unresolved.

Turning off the power was futile because the Tesseract was essentially a massive energy source in itself.

Coulson had informed Director Nick Fury, but the energy fluctuations of the Tesseract were intensifying.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing?" Hawkeye, who was the most inconspicuous member of the original Avengers, suddenly shouted. It turned out that a young agent was poking the Tesseract with the tip of his rifle, causing the Tesseract to emit a shockwave that threw him several meters away.

A bald, one-eyed man walked in through the door—it was Nick Fury, accompanied by Lieutenant Maria Hill.

Nick Fury glanced at the scene and said, "The Tesseract is extremely dangerous right now. It's a ticking time bomb. Everyone, stay clear! Did you hear that, Agent Postela?"

The agent named Postela got up from the ground, confused, and asked, "I remember the Tesseract was sent by Thor, right? Shouldn't he handle this?"

Fury shook his head. "No. If this is handled by Thor, he'll have an excuse to reclaim the Tesseract, which we acquired at great cost from the council."

Nick Fury recalled the greedy expressions of the congressmen when they approved the allocation of resources to Thor...

"Have all non-essential personnel been evacuated? Except for the soldiers, everyone else should be out!"

"Already done!" came the reply.

Dr. Erik Selvig, who was in charge of Tesseract research, said, "Its energy is still increasing. Once it reaches its peak, I'm afraid... We're not prepared to handle this power!"

Nick Fury shook his head. "It's too late for regrets now. I just need to know if there's a way to fix this."

At that moment, Clint Barton, in charge of security, approached and said in a deep voice, "We've tried everything, but the Tesseract remains uncontrollable. It might not be us causing the issue."

"Not from our side?" Nick Fury asked, surprised.

Hawkeye, observing from a distance, added, "If the Tesseract is a portal connecting us to another place in the universe, then it should be operable from both ends, right?"

As if to confirm his words, the energy emanating from the Tesseract surged violently, and a blinding blue light filled the room.

Amidst the blue light, a figure wearing a horned helmet and a green robe gradually materialized.

The God of Mischief—Loki!

At this moment, Loki, wielding a staff, displayed a sinister smile...

He might be the only one in this world who could make such a smile seem menacing.

"Hey, sir, what's with the creepy smile?" Agent Postela, who had just recovered, asked, scratching his head.

"???" Loki's expression darkened. "Are you ill?"

He straightened his posture and declared, "Mortal beings, prepare yourselves. Kneel before your great king, the God of Mischief, Loki!"

Nick Fury's face grew serious as the agents around him prepared for a fight, raising their weapons.

"Wait, I recognize you!"

"Really?" Loki turned to look at Agent Postela.

The young agent, excited, said, "I heard Lord Thor mention he has a foolish brother…"

"Boom—"

With a cold expression, Loki raised his scepter and struck Agent Postela on the back of the head.

"Thud—"

Agent Postela fell to the ground, and when he got up again, he looked at Loki with a newfound obedience.

"Now, who am I?" Loki asked, tapping his head.

"You are the most magnificent figure in my heart…"

"Forget that nonsense!" Another blow to the head.

This broke the standoff. The agents and soldiers immediately opened fire, with Hawkeye leading the charge.

After a fierce battle, Loki managed to assert his dominance over the mortals. He captured Hawkeye and Dr. Erik Selvig and left with them.

Maria Hill, struggling to get up, urged, "Let's go. This place is about to collapse!"

Nick Fury nodded. "Yes, they've taken the Tesseract. We need to follow and stop them!"

They rushed to the helicopter to give chase.

Maria Hill, driving the last vehicle, managed to escape the base just before the explosion.

"Boom…"

As she looked back, Loki had already vanished.

Nick Fury piloted his helicopter, pursuing Loki's vehicle.

Loki, looking up at the helicopter, smirked. He raised his scepter, and a bright light shot out.

"Boom…"

The helicopter was struck on its side, spinning and crashing to the ground.

Fortunately, it wasn't a high fall.

Nick Fury, bruised and battered, climbed out of the wrecked cabin with a grim expression and picked up his communicator. "Hill, what's the situation?"

Maria Hill's voice came through. "There are still many people trapped underground. We don't know how many survivors there are. The situation isn't looking good."

Nick Fury nodded. "The Tesseract is lost. All non-essential personnel should track its whereabouts. The war has begun, and S.H.I.E.L.D. must be on high alert."

Maria Hill hesitated before saying, "But Director, they're from another planet. We might not stand a chance against them."

At this point, Phil Coulson, who had been silent until now, said, "Director, I believe they're prepared."

"Then, dispatch the Avengers!"

Nick Fury had a gut feeling that this would be more challenging than dealing with the mindless Frost Giants.

At the very least, the battlefield wouldn't be a sparsely populated place like Greenland...

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