Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Aerospace Carrier and Loki

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“First, survival is the primary need of any civilization; second, civilizations constantly grow and expand, while the total amount of matter in the universe remains unchanged, so…”

“For the sake of competing for resources?” Nick Fury interjected.

“That’s basically it. For more details, just look at what Europeans did during the Age of Exploration—plunder has always been the simplest way to get rich and develop quickly. Even now, the Western world is still enjoying the dividends of that era. Just look at those Eagle Federation countries, especially that one on the continent of Oceania…”

“The whole continent practically belongs to them. They rank sixth in the world in terms of land area, but their population is less than thirty million. Such a small population, yet they enjoy so many resources. If that’s not the dividend of the Age of Exploration, then what is? If that’s not the profit of plunder, then what is? If a single ocean voyage brought such rewards, then what about interstellar voyages?”

“Why wasn’t Earth plundered before?”

“First, because of Asgard’s protection. We really should thank Asgard for that. Second, there’s a group of sorcerers who have separated themselves from worldly affairs to protect Earth.”

“Sorcerers?” Nick Fury was puzzled. Aliens he could understand, but sorcerers belonged to the mysterious, almost unimaginable side.

“Yes, sorcerers. Their leader is what you might call the Sorcerer Supreme. That Ancient One is far more powerful than Captain Marvel. Well… in any case, having Asgard standing in front of us isn’t a bad thing. There was a certain country in the East that, during a unique period, put forward two slogans that suit Earth’s current situation perfectly,” Yang Xin said casually.

“What slogans?” Not only Nick Fury, but even Thor pricked up his ears. Thor always felt that this guardian of Midgard wasn’t powerful in strength, but perhaps was wise beyond measure.

“Learn from the strengths of others to overcome them!”

“Learn from the strengths of others to strengthen oneself!”

“Damn, that’s deep.” Nick Fury and Thor exchanged glances, each lost in thought.

“It really does fit Earth’s current state. Looks like the Security Council could use a couple of lessons—time to study up on the wisdom and strategies of the great nations of the East.”

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“This is the wisdom of the people of Midgard. I may not fully understand it, but it does sound impressive. I should tell my mother about this when I return—perhaps with her wisdom, we can better gauge Midgard’s potential. Maybe Midgard really could become an ally of Asgard.” For once, Thor was beginning to use his head.

In the midst of an awkward but polite silence, the Quinjet quickly returned to the sky carrier. At Thor’s strong request, Yang Xin finally removed Loki’s suit of iron armor, and, just like in the original story, Loki was locked up in the airborne prison.

Loki had already woken up on the Quinjet. Bound in a metal can that restricted his sight, hearing, and even movement, he had suffered greatly. When he finally saw the light again, his hatred for Yang Xin and the others only deepened. After casting a vicious and sinister glare at Yang Xin, he fell silent in his prison cell.

“I still think Loki is up to something, I just don’t know what. The whole process was too coincidental—so much so that it feels like Loki deliberately exposed himself and let us catch him. He also seems to know some of our information,” Nick Fury said, reviewing the footage of Loki’s capture several times, a persistent unease nagging at him. He quickly called Yang Xin over.

“Dr. Selvig. Loki took Dr. Selvig with him, so of course he knows some of our information. As for the coincidences, as the king of agents, you know better than anyone that enough coincidences add up to inevitability. All these coincidences are obviously part of Loki’s plot,” Yang Xin replied easily. After all, knowing the plot is like having the perspective of a god—it’s unbeatable.

“What’s the plot?” Nick Fury asked calmly.

“What do you think of this?” Yang Xin didn’t answer directly but pointed at the scepter.

“That spear? Asgardian cold weapon?” Nick Fury scoffed.

“This is no mere spear—it’s the Mind Scepter. Of course, if you remove the Mind Stone from it, then calling it a spear wouldn’t be wrong.”

“The Mind Stone?”

“Yes, the Mind Stone—one of the six fundamental pillars stabilizing this universe. Its main function is to allow its user to enter the minds of others, enhance mental power, and increase psychic abilities. If amplified by other stones, the Mind Stone can even simultaneously enter the minds of all things that exist,” Yang Xin explained calmly.

“That sounds kind of like the ultimate eye technique, Kotoamatsukami, from the kaleidoscope,” Nick Fury mused.

Yang Xin’s eyes lit up. “Director, since your kaleidoscope Sharingan can absorb the energy of the Cosmic Cube, do you think it could also absorb the energy leaking from the Mind Stone?”

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“You mean the Mind Stone is leaking energy right now?” Nick Fury suddenly felt uneasy.

“Of course. That’s Loki’s whole scheme. Rather than say he was caught, it’s more accurate to say Loki let himself be brought here. Naturally, the Mind Scepter, as a war trophy, would be brought back as well,” Yang Xin shrugged, unconcerned.

“With the Mind Scepter brought back, the one most likely to be affected is Dr. Banner! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Nick Fury’s face turned grim.

“That’s only the first step in Loki’s plan. In any battle, victory depends on two principles: strengthening oneself and weakening the enemy. Since Loki can’t strengthen himself right now, his only option is to weaken the enemy. Using the Mind Stone, he’ll trigger Dr. Banner to transform into the Hulk and cause chaos.”

“Even if Banner turns into the Hulk, we have Iron Man, Ultraman Diga, the Time Warrior Kese, Flower Fairy Natasha, and the cosmic princess Hill—we can suppress the Hulk,” Nick Fury gritted his teeth.

“Banner is just the obvious internal problem. The real threat is the Avengers’ lack of unity. In that situation, what if there’s also an external threat—say, an enemy attack? With an enemy attack as the fuse, and the Hulk as the internal threat…”

“We’ll be completely wiped out!” Nick Fury bit out.

“That’s a bit dramatic. In a hurry, all Loki can do is hire some mercenaries for a raid at best. They’re just elite special forces, nothing more. As for internal strife, as long as Banner doesn’t turn into the Hulk, we’re fine. Even if he does, with all these superheroes around, Hulk won’t run rampant.”

“And you don’t need to worry about Hulk wrecking the sky carrier. With Tony here, it won’t be damaged. Even if it is, we could just use Asgard’s starship as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mobile command center. So, we’re far from being utterly destroyed.”

“Instead of worrying about Loki’s current plot, it’s the next moves you should be concerned about,” Yang Xin said with ease.

“Loki’s next moves?”