Chapter 131: Has the Plot Changed?

Seeing the confusion in Steve and Banner’s eyes, Fury said in a low voice, "Time is of the essence, so I will explain briefly. His name is Luke, the pilot and creator of the Apostle mechs. Of course, you may also call him Apostle."

Banner’s mouth hung open in shock. This child was the Apostle? Was this some kind of joke?

Steve’s reaction was no better. He had thought he had lived long enough to have seen it all, but since boarding this helicarrier, he realized he was wrong. He was old, completely out of touch with the times. Was the world now in the hands of children?

Steve didn’t know much about the Apostle, but he had spent quite a while observing that giant robot outside. At the time, he had thought to himself: if the Allied forces had possessed something like this back then, the war would have been won with ease.

Fury did not leave them much time for shock. With a grave expression, he said, "Loki’s target, it seems, is Luke’s warehouse. I think no one would know better than the owner what is kept there."

Everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Luke, fixing upon him.

Luke’s small, youthful face was puckered in a frown. He was examining his phone; Christina had just alerted him that the laboratory had been breached.

His mind raced as he tried to figure out what Loki was up to.

Simultaneously, he quickly recalled the plot. According to the original story, Loki should be preparing to open the portal right now... Right, the iridium. No wonder Loki had come knocking.

Luke gave a bitter smile internally. The butterfly effect, yet again.

Because his artificial sun required a large quantity of rare elements, he had collected vast amounts of iridium, rhodium, and palladium. Iridium was the rarest of them all; it wasn't produced on Earth at all.

This element was also vital to Loki. Without it, Dr. Selvig could not complete the machine to open the space-time tunnel.

After figuring it out, Luke briefly explained his deduction.

As for his deeper thoughts, he kept them to himself:

Regardless, the plot had already changed due to his actions. But if Loki’s plan remained the same, did that mean if he could stop Loki from obtaining the iridium here, he could change the plot even further?

Without the iridium, Loki couldn't open the portal, the Chitauri army wouldn't arrive, and consequently, the Battle of New York would never occur...

"Hmm, should I give it a try?" Luke mused to himself.

In any case, if he could obtain an Infinity Stone this time, it would be a victory. Loki had essentially express-delivered the Mind Stone to his doorstep; how could he miss such a golden opportunity? As for the war, it was best avoided if possible.

He was not heartless. Seeing that a catastrophe likely to cause countless casualties could be prevented in advance, he had no reason to let it play out.

Did this war benefit him? Not at all.

"You’re saying Loki needs a rare element?" Fury asked, his brow furrowed.

"Beyond that, I can't think of anything else I have that would attract him. This certainly isn't a coincidence. All the iridium on the East Coast, perhaps even the entire United States, is in my hands right now," Luke said with a shrug.

Hearing this, Fury nodded decisively and ordered, "No time to lose. Everyone except Dr. Banner, move out!"

Captain America and Black Widow went to prepare. Luke jumped off his chair and was about to go outside to board his mech when Fury called him back.

Fury whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

Luke was slightly startled, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Without a word, he headed out to find the Four Roses.

Under the cover of night, the G-0 Warlord took the lead, followed closely by four Gale mechs, with a Quinjet trailing behind. The group sped toward Queens, New York.

...

At the Hero Alliance headquarters.

After Luke and the Four Roses left, only the AI remained to watch over the base, along with a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists and a small security detail.

If Fury had known that they weren't just conducting a thermonuclear fusion ignition test, but actually building an artificial sun, he surely would have dispatched ten times as many troops to guard the facility.

Facing Loki, who walked in brazenly, the few guards were dealt with before they could even make a scene.

Luke hadn't yet installed a defense system in this base; otherwise, it would have been enough to give Loki a real headache.

However, there were no such "ifs" or "suppositions" in reality.

Loki entered with ease.

"You are trespassing on the territory of the Hero Alliance. Please leave immediately, or suffer the consequences!" Christina’s figure suddenly appeared on the large screen, her long wine-red hair flowing, her expression stern and serious.

"Hero?" Loki gave a wicked smirk, suddenly raising his scepter. A beam of blue light shot from the tip, shattering the screen into pieces.

Bodies lay on the ground; the researchers had died without a clear reason. Loki had not the slightest interest in the experiments here.

Not far behind him, Hawkeye retrieved the container holding the iridium from a storage locker.

Hawkeye nodded to Loki and exited through the back door with the element. Loki, meanwhile, walked out the front in a leisurely, unhurried manner, as if he were out for a stroll.

Just as Loki stepped outside, a black shadow flew toward him at high speed, striking his chest and knocking him to the ground.

It was a shield.

Loki climbed up, shamed and angry, and fired a blue beam from his scepter at the figure opposite him.

Captain America, having caught his shield as it returned, skillfully raised it to block. The blue light hit the shield and instantly bounced back, knocking Loki down once more.

Loki landed face-first in the dirt, looking utterly disheveled.

In mid-air, a Quinjet hovered ten meters above the ground, a rotary machine gun extending from its underbelly. Black Widow’s voice rang out loudly from the speakers: "Loki, drop your weapon and surrender immediately!"

A flash of blue light—"Whoosh"—a blast of energy was fired by Loki toward the Quinjet.

Black Widow, an expert pilot, had been prepared. The Quinjet performed a nimble barrel roll in mid-air, dodging the energy attack.

After all, Loki possessed the bloodline of a Frost Giant; his combat prowess was far greater than this.

High above, Black Widow saw him engaging Cap in close-quarters combat. The two traded blows, with Loki frequently using Cap’s body to shield himself, making her hesitate to open fire.

Just then, a rhythmic, upbeat rock song began playing in Black Widow’s earpiece. Tony’s flippant voice followed: "Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?"

Black Widow couldn't help but smile helplessly.

In the night sky, a streak of light flashed by—Iron Man had joined the battle.

Facing the fully armed Iron Man, Loki chuckled and, quite obediently, raised his hands in surrender.

At this moment, four more Gale mechs landed one after another, followed by a loud thud as the massive Warlord touched down.

One of the Gale mechs held the unconscious Hawkeye in its hand.

Hawkeye had tried to make off with the iridium, but Luke, having anticipated this, had intercepted him midway, and his escape had failed.

Luke, lying in his cockpit, looked at the captured Loki and Hawkeye, remaining silent. He had rewritten the plot again. If he kept a close watch on Loki, would the Battle of New York truly never happen?

His gaze then fixed on the scepter that had fallen beside Loki.

The scepter emitted a faint blue glow, as if it were whispering to him, "Come and take me." Luke could no longer look away.