144

Chapter 144: Reunion

"Sorry I'm late."

Thor's voice rang out as he entered the room.

"Wow, you're finally back! All the beautiful ladies here have been waiting! But wait, who is this stunning woman?"

Stark turned his head, first showing an exaggerated expression and then spotting an unfamiliar woman beside Thor. He looked speechless. Every time Thor showed up, there seemed to be different women around him. Wasn't this a bit too much?

He glanced around and noted that, apart from the models he had invited, the women present had complex relationships with Thor. Natasha Romanoff, Jane Foster, Peggy Carter...

There was also Helen Cho, the renowned scientist who had recently moved to Maya Hansen's research center. Even Dr. Christine Palmer, the surgeon who had treated him last time, had recently become the family doctor at Trudheim Manor...

Many of the models were also giving Thor flirtatious glances.

Minerva, at the bar, suddenly brightened up, ran forward, and looked Thor up and down. "Are you—Vers?"

During their time in the Star Force, their relationship hadn't been the best, and now, after twenty years apart, they weren't well-acquainted. But it was still somewhat emotional to reunite with an old acquaintance after so many years.

Carol glanced at her and replied with a faint smile, "You've got my name wrong. I've always been Carol Danvers; 'Vers' was never my name."

"Carol Danvers?" A deep voice came from the other side of the hall. Following the sound of footsteps, a familiar figure rushed over.

"Are you Nick?" Carol said apologetically, seeing his one-eyed face. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean for Goosw to cause you to lose an eye."

"Meow..." An orange cat on the sofa, hearing his name, ran over joyfully and leapt into Carol's arms.

At that moment, Steve, looking puzzled, said, "Uh, didn't you say, Director, that you got that injury because you mistakenly trusted someone?"

So it turned out the cat was the one captured!

Nick Fury felt slightly embarrassed but quickly recovered. "Yes, you must have misunderstood. Let's not dwell on this. When did you get back, Carol?" He swiftly changed the topic.

"I called her back to help me with a major adversary. Here, this is the trophy."

With a wave of Thor's hand, a circle of light appeared in midair, and a huge black object descended from the portal. It was a humanoid creature covered in armor resembling dragon scales, its stout body nearly as powerful as Hulk's.

"Black Dwarf! This is my father's strongest fighter!" Nebula quickly identified the creature, her face showing concern. "The enemy His Highness mentioned—Thanos! Are you alright?"

Others also grew serious.

Thor had previously shared information about Thanos with many of them, revealing that Thanos was his most feared enemy and a significant threat to Earth.

"It's alright," Thor said, waving his hand. "Although I'm not yet capable of defeating him alone, if Carol and I team up, we can handle him."

A silence fell over the room, and then everyone looked at him with surprise.

Natasha slapped him hard. "You should have said something earlier! You had us all worried. You're actually doing quite well!"

Thor smiled and said, "Actually, calling it 'handling' might be an exaggeration. Carol and I can't break through his defense completely. If his men weren't so ineffective, we'd probably be in trouble. Moreover, he didn't mobilize a large army this time—only a few of his followers came."

Many Avengers appeared relaxed. Thor and Wanda, along with Carol, returned unscathed, while Thanos lost a key figure. It seemed clear who had the upper hand...

Thor didn't offer further explanations; ignorance can be bliss.

The ease of the battle was largely due to the absence of Thanos' army and Sanctuary Fleet. This allowed Wanda to exert her full strength, enabling Thor and Carol to focus on dealing with the Black Order.

Had there been a large-scale conflict, Wanda's effectiveness would have been reduced by at least 70%.

"I'm back now, but I'll be leaving again soon. During my absence, Carol will remain on Earth temporarily. Nebula, Minerva, come with me. I need two guides."

Carol pouted. She was very busy, and if Thor hadn't mentioned a looming crisis on Earth, she wouldn't have planned to stay.

"Leaving again? In such a hurry?"

"Yes. Thanos' defenses are incredibly strong—nuclear bombs can't even harm him. I need to find materials to forge a weapon truly worthy of a king."

"An artifact capable of killing Thanos."