United States, New York, Stark Industry Tower – Tony’s Private Office.
Tony was swiftly dealing with the tasks Pepper had left for him with J.A.R.V.I.S.’s assistance. In reality, most of it was J.A.R.V.I.S. providing suggestions and results after Tony listened, so he wasn’t all that occupied.
“J.A.R.V.I.S., let’s leave it at that. From now on, Pepper can handle these decisions herself. No need to bother me with them,” Tony spoke while sitting comfortably in his office chair while twirling a pen in his hand.
“Understood, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice responded in agreement to Tony’s words.
“By the way, any updates from Jackson? Have they found him and that Asgardian Thor?” After finishing up some tasks, Tony remembered the recent notification from J.A.R.V.I.S. about Lin Rui’s disappearance.
“Not yet, sir.”
“Alright, noted. I think I’ll take a rest for now. That kid better not be causing any more trouble…” Upon hearing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s response, Tony reclined in his chair, laying down while speaking.
“Of course, sir.” Upon hearing Tony’s words, J.A.R.V.I.S. adjusted the floor-to-ceiling window behind Tony to block out the sunlight and gradually dimmed the room’s lighting.
However, just as Tony settled in, with the sunlight and indoor lights having just dimmed, J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly received a message. Subsequently, the previously dimmed lights brightened again.
“Hmm? J.A.R.V.I.S…” Tony, who had just closed his eyes, noticed the change in lighting and called out in confusion.
“Sir, the Bifrost detection initiated.” Tony hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, and J.A.R.V.I.S. was already sharing crucial news that demanded his attention.
Swish!
Upon hearing this abrupt message from J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony jolted, almost falling off the reclining chair that had automatically adjusted its position. After stabilizing himself in a flurry of movements, Tony stood up from the chair.
“Bifrost?! Where is it appearing?!” Gripping the edge of the desk in front of him, Tony’s gaze fixated on the faint blue light in front of him, his urgency evident in his voice.
The concept of Bifrost wasn’t foreign to Tony and his group; anyone involved in the Dark Elf invasion on Earth was aware that Bifrost was a technology of Asgard used for interstellar teleportation across vast distances.
Therefore, every appearance of Bifrost signified either the arrival or departure of someone from Asgard.
At this moment, whether Asgardians were arriving or departing, was a matter of great concern for Earth. Furthermore, both Lin Rui and Thor had disappeared.
If Bifrost was here to take someone away, and if Lin Rui was taken to Asgard along with Thor, Tony was indeed going to have a major problem on his hands.
“The Bifrost’s appearance this time is… in the northern Sahara Desert.” In response to Tony’s anxious inquiry, J.A.R.V.I.S. promptly provided an answer.
“In the Sahara Desert? Why would the Bifrost appear there? Could it be… J.A.R.V.I.S., did our satellites happen to be passing by there?” Upon hearing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s response, Tony furrowed his brow, muttered a couple of perplexed remarks, and then quickly questioned again.
“I’m sorry, sir, our satellites won’t be passing by that area for another twenty-three minutes. However, I can tap into SHIELD’s satellite system with Captain Rogers’ authorization,” J.A.R.V.I.S. answered Tony’s query instantly and offered a suggestion.
“Authorization from Rogers? No problem, I’ll call him now! Start a video call!” Upon hearing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s response, Tony swiftly exclaimed.
“Understood, sir. Connecting with Captain Rogers.”
Exhale~
After J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed, a semi-transparent screen appeared before Tony. It displayed the waiting connection screen for a video call. Tony didn’t have to wait long; the video call was swiftly answered. It seemed Captain America Captain Rogers wasn’t busy at the moment.
“Hey, Steve, need a favor from you,” Tony called out as soon as Captain Rogers’s image appeared on the screen.
“What kind of favor?” Captain Rogers responded without wasting any time, getting straight to the point.
“About your satellites.”
…
In the northern Sahara Desert, at the heart of the battlefield where Lin Rui and Thor were sparring, Jack hadn’t yet deactivated the protective shield. Ever since Loki appeared, he and Thor had been trading verbal jabs.
Loki, being the God of Mischief, seemed to have only one pastime in life: pranking his brother Thor. Conversely, Thor had endured various forms of Loki’s “torture” since childhood.
“If I hadn’t yet fully recovered my strength, do you think you could be standing there blabbering so much to me?!” The verbal sparring was escalating, and Thor’s patience with Loki was wearing thin.
“And you have the nerve to say that?! Who was it that was fighting with that weak Earthling and almost lost? Even if you won, you would’ve been a mess,” Faced with Thor’s straightforward words, Loki retorted disdainfully while casting a glance in Lin Rui and Jack’s direction.
“You had the audacity to secretly watch us for so long?!” Upon hearing Loki’s words, Thor’s face turned red, and he coldly questioned.
“Form this simple defensive shield? Do you really think I needed to hide and watch?” Loki gestured upwards, pointing to the protective shield that Jack had erected over the pit, his tone still dripping with disdain.
It seemed that for Loki, the protective shield Jack had conjured, which could block a substantial amount of energy impact and obscure vision, was hardly worth mentioning.
“This guy sure likes to talk big! Is he really Thor’s brother? Why are their personalities so drastically different?” Hearing Loki’s words, Jack frowned and turned to Lin Rui, seeking an answer.
“Uh… well…,” Lin Rui was at a loss for words in response to Jack’s question.
Swish!
Just as Jack finished speaking, and while Lin Rui was grappling with how to respond, a distinct magical fluctuation suddenly swept over them from above. Moreover, it was evidently headed their way.
“Hmph!” Sensing the magical disturbance from above, Jack snorted coldly and swiftly conjured a defensive spell.
Humming!
The next moment, just as Lin Rui was about to alert Jack to the approaching magical fluctuation, a circular shield composed of golden light appeared above them.
The shield was just forming as the magical disturbance collided with it. With a loud bang, the golden magical shield trembled but managed to withstand this sudden strike.
“Hmm? Decent reflexes,” Upon sensing the magical disturbance being thwarted by Jack, Loki, who was about a dozen meters away from them, raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
Upon hearing Loki’s words, it was apparent that he had been the one behind the magical energy that had been directed at Jack and Lin Rui just a moment ago.
……
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