Even though Loki had indeed destroyed the colossal Iron Man suit, J.A.R.V.I.S.’s diagnostics indicated that many of the fallen components had temporarily malfunctioned.
Most of them retained their basic functionality, and they could be recovered, repaired, and put back into use.
Furthermore, given that Tony had created such a massive Iron Man suit to counter potential extraterrestrial invasions or to confront a rampaging Hulk, it was unlikely that he would have only prepared one set of armaments.
In the sky above the crater, a shuttle-shaped metal aircraft had been hovering since the appearance of the giant Iron Man suit. This shuttle-shaped craft served as the logistical hub for the giant Iron Man suit, containing at least three sets of interchangeable weapon components.
So, as long as Tony was willing, it wouldn’t take him much time to create another giant Iron Man suit. However, now that his Iron Man army had arrived, along with SHIELD’s forces, Tony felt that he didn’t need to deploy all his trump cards.
“Um… Tony, well… the person who dismantled your Iron Man suit did come from Asgard, but this time it wasn’t because of something I did! He came over on his own and immediately attacked us,” Lin Rui awkwardly explained in response to Tony’s questioning.
“You messaged that this person was a threat, and it seems his threat level isn’t low. Also, didn’t you say Asgard is an ally of Earth? Why would this guy who came from there take action against you?” Tony continued his rapid approach while questioning Lin Rui.
Initially, Tony had been very skeptical, even hostile, towards extraterrestrial civilizations like Asgard. Especially when they first appeared and took Lin Rui away right from his grasp, only to lose him later. However, during the Dark Elf invasion of Earth, the support from Asgard changed Tony’s perspective.
Moreover, after Lin Rui’s return and his explanations, Tony set aside his biases against Asgard. Instead, he had developed an interest in this “God-like” race, which was different from Earth’s development. However, Loki’s current behavior made Tony wary of this enigmatic realm once again.
“Well… the situation is quite complicated. I’ll explain it to you after this is all over. Right now, let’s focus on the immediate issue. Oh, and he’s different from Thor. He’s a sorcerer. His strength might not be high, but his magic is quite extraordinary. Don’t underestimate him,” Lin Rui finally said, vexed by Tony’s continued questioning, resorting to an explanation and a warning.
“A sorcerer? I see. J.A.R.V.I.S. has already analyzed quite a bit of information. We’ll handle him. You really can’t keep yourself from getting hurt even for three days, huh?” Tony’s tone softened after Lin Rui’s reminder.
Through J.A.R.V.I.S.’s scan of the crater’s condition moments ago, Tony had already seen the sorry state of Lin Rui and Jack. Of course, he didn’t know that the injuries that made Lin Rui look so battered were from his clash with Thor, not Loki. However, Lin Rui wouldn’t bring that up with Tony.
“Yeah, we’ll leave it to you. Be careful,” Lin Rui said earnestly as he spotted the dots outside the crater approaching.
Subsequently, Lin Rui temporarily ended the conversation with Tony. However, he remained in communication with J.A.R.V.I.S. This way, he could stay updated on the ongoing battle outside.
As Lin Rui concluded the conversation with Tony, Loki, who had been floating above the crater, had already charged forward. Evidently, he wouldn’t wait in one place for the impending attack.
With Loki out of sight, Lin Rui had no intention of lingering at the bottom of the crater. He supported Jack as they approached Thor, who still appeared dazed on the opposite side.
Thunk!
Upon reaching Thor’s side, Lin Rui placed a hand on his shoulder. Although Lin Rui’s touch wasn’t forceful, it made Thor start and break his gaze from above.
“What?! Why did you do that?” Recovering from his daze, Thor’s eyes finally regained focus, and he blurted out instinctively after Lin Rui had patted him.
“What? Don’t you have anything to say about the current situation? Thor, that’s your brother!” Seeing Thor’s bewildered expression, Lin Rui asked with exasperation.
“Well… look at me now. Do you think I can do or explain anything?” Thor, now fully alert, responded with a sense of resignation upon hearing Lin Rui’s words.
While Loki had been battling Jack earlier, Thor had remained relatively calm. He knew Loki wasn’t truly serious then, and even if Jack had been injured, it wasn’t anything major.
However, the appearance of the giant Iron Man suit had genuinely infuriated Loki. After the battle between the colossal Iron Man suit and Loki, Thor had maintained his dazed expression all the way till now.
On one hand, Thor was taken aback by the giant Iron Man suit’s ability to suppress Loki. On the other hand, Loki’s furious retaliation after being subdued posed a headache for Thor. With Thor’s current state of recovery, he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle Loki when he was both serious and angry.
However, based on the battle between Loki and the giant Iron Man suit earlier, Thor felt that Loki’s subsequent confrontations might not be as straightforward.
“Well, you can’t just stand around here. You have to think of a solution! While I have confidence in my friends, we can’t just let this battle keep escalating. The outcome of that fight isn’t something we want.” Seeing Thor’s frustrated expression, Lin Rui scolded him.
“You saw it too— Heimdall didn’t respond to my call. Even if I intervene now, Loki won’t listen to me. You guys really got him angry. The best solution seems to be summoning the Ancient One. He is the most capable individual to stabilize the current situation,” Thor continued, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
The best way to prevent Loki from causing trouble on Earth was to send him back to Asgard. However, with Heimdall not responding to Thor’s summons and Bifrost unable to descend, seeking the assistance of a more powerful figure seemed necessary.
Among the options, the Ancient One was the best candidate to handle the current situation. After all, the Ancient One’s abilities could be compared to Odin’s in his prime.
“Ancient One? If there’s really no other way, we’ll have to bite the bullet and seek help. I don’t think the Ancient One would truly ignore us,” Lin Rui mumbled with a furrowed brow upon hearing Thor’s words.
Subsequently, Lin Rui and Tony didn’t continue with pointless talk in the crater; they began to climb out of it instead.
……
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