In Coulson's mind, the most effective way for Loki to secure the crown would be to eliminate all competitors.
From what he'd gathered from Thor and Li Feng, Loki's only real rival was Thor.
So Coulson figured there was an eighty percent chance Loki would send troops to eliminate Thor.
But then again, Thor was still a member of the Asgardian royal family. If Loki openly turned against his own brother without justification, it might jeopardize his claim to the throne.
Therefore, Loki would most likely send a trusted subordinate to quietly dispose of Thor.
At this thought, Coulson twitched his lips and glanced toward the RV, rubbing his temples with a bitter expression.
If Thor died on Earth, the planet would be in deep trouble. Odin was still alive, after all—who knew how he might retaliate?
As for pinning the blame on Loki—no way. By then, Loki would already be Asgard's sole heir. Unless Odin decided to pass the crown to an outsider, he'd have no choice but to let Loki, his only remaining son, take the throne.
What a mess. Just days ago, the Demon Prince had come to Earth to expand his territory, thinking he couldn't outlive his father through sheer longevity.
Now, Odin had thrown Thor to Earth to temper his character, only for a fraternal power struggle to unfold—and of course, it had to happen on Earth again.
What did Earth ever do to deserve this? In their eyes, it was just some backward little territory—so why did every prince feel the need to come here and stir up trouble?
"Austin," Coulson sighed deeply. "Stay on high alert these next few days. I suspect more Asgardians will come looking for Thor—and they'll be armed."
With that, he shook his head and hurried into the base, ready to report all the intel and deductions to Fury. This was way above his pay grade—he was just a small-time agent, after all.
Li Feng stared blankly at Coulson's retreating figure. What the hell? How did he piece all that together? And most importantly—did my "prophetic" warning go to waste? If you don't consult me, how am I supposed to claim my reward?
Scratching his head and rubbing his growling stomach, Li Feng turned back toward the RV. Hopefully, the biggest prize hadn't slipped away.
Before he could even open the door, the sound of a glass shattering on the floor reached his ears, followed by Thor's booming voice:
"Kreech! Another round!"
Ah, the Asgardian drinking culture—smashing cups after every toast. If I started exporting glasses to Asgard, I'd make a fortune in days.
Wait a minute… I don't have enough cups for Thor to break, do I?
Puzzled, Li Feng stepped into the RV to find Kreech standing dutifully by Thor's feet. The moment Thor shattered a glass, Kreech would silently restore it with magic before eagerly refilling Thor's drink.
Across from Thor, Selvig—who had clearly drunk far too much—was already passed out on the table, snoring loudly. Needless to say, Selvig had already demonstrated with his actions early in the morning what happens when you try to match an Asgardian in drinking.
As Li Feng boarded the vehicle, Thor let out a belch strong enough to be smelled from 10 meters away and said, "Mage, perfect timing to drink with me."
Heh, while my alcohol tolerance isn't bad, drinking with an Asgardian? Am I stupid or are you overestimating me? Li Feng subtly rolled his eyes and said, "Kreech, give Dr. Selvig some hangover remedy."
As he spoke, Li Feng sat opposite Thor, casually tossing a few peanuts into his mouth while saying, "Just call me Austin."
"Actually, not many people on Earth know about mages. This is partly because most mages prefer staying home, and partly because the government worries about what might happen if ordinary people learned about the world of mages. So please keep the title of 'mage' confidential in front of the public."
Seeing Thor nod in understanding, Li Feng turned his head curiously and asked, "What are your plans?"
Thor's drinking motion froze momentarily before he shook his head with a bitter smile. "What else can I do? Find a job first, since I need to eat too."
Li Feng nodded in agreement with Thor's thinking—of course, this was under the assumption that Thor truly couldn't return to Asgard.
As someone who knew Thor was a doting elder brother, Li Feng felt that if he were to say, "Your brother wants to kill you and take the throne," Thor wouldn't believe it at first, then would jump up and accuse Li Feng of trying to drive a wedge between him and Loki.
But coincidentally, Coulson, with his incredible deductive skills, had roughly guessed what Loki was up to.
Though Li Feng believed Coulson, like himself, lacked concrete evidence, since someone else was already taking the blame for sowing discord between the brothers, there was no harm in telling Thor certain things.
After some thought, Li Feng turned his head and said, "Coulson seems to know something." He feigned hesitation, pausing for a few seconds before continuing, "Something about Loki deceiving you."
"Loki?" Thor frowned, puzzled. "What did he deceive me about?"
Li Feng shrugged. "I don't know the specifics. Coulson and I aren't part of the same organization—they keep plenty of things from me. If you really want to know, you should ask Coulson yourself."
Thor seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head. He took a large swig of his drink and muttered softly, "Never mind. If he deceived me, so be it."
"Austin, can you do me a favor?"
Li Feng was taken aback: Dude, are you seriously this easygoing? Clearly, Li Feng sensed Thor didn't want to discuss Loki with him—otherwise, wasn't this topic change a bit too forced?
But hearing Thor ask for his help, Li Feng felt both curious and a little excited: Helping Thor—does this mean I've gotten a bit closer to him?
"Tell me what the favor is first. If I can help, I will."
It wasn't that Li Feng wanted to make excuses to refuse Thor, but he simply didn't understand how Thor's thought process worked. What if Thor asked him to help send him back to Asgard so he could, as a self-proclaimed filial son, burn incense for Odin or something? Li Feng would be completely at a loss.
Thor glanced at the driver's seat of the RV and said, "Take me to the nearby town. I want to see someone." Feeling that his words might have been too blunt, or perhaps because he was still new to the taste of romance, Thor felt a little embarrassed. He glanced at Selvig and awkwardly tried to cover it up by adding, "Most importantly, I need to send my friend home so his family won't worry."
Li Feng blinked in confusion. Honestly, he couldn't wrap his head around Thor. His father's mourning period hadn't even ended yet, and here he was already thinking about his girlfriend?
A classic case of choosing beauty over duty.
But this was a favor Li Feng could handle.
He drained the last of his beer, stood up, and headed to the driver's seat. As he cast a spell to start the RV, he also activated its cloaking mode.
At that moment, Selvig, who had been dosed with the magic potion, regained a bit of consciousness and overheard Thor's desire to see his student—Jane Foster.
This left Selvig both delighted by Jane's undeniable charm and worried about her future with Thor.
Jane's allure was undeniable—she had managed to captivate the legendary God of Thunder, after all.
As for the future… well, Thor's remaining thousand-year lifespan alone was enough of a headache. By the time Jane was old, toothless, and bedridden, relying on a ventilator to stay alive, Thor would still be as youthful and vigorous as ever.
Not to mention, Thor and Jane were clearly different species. Who knew how they'd even handle the issue of having children?
Rubbing his still-dizzy head, Selvig wrestled with his concerns for Jane's future while pulling out his phone. "I should probably call Jane first—wait, what?!"
Before Selvig could finish speaking, Li Feng, seated in the driver's seat, swiftly opened a portal. With a press of the accelerator, the RV drove straight into the town. Turning his head, Li Feng asked, "Dr. Selvig, where's your house?"
Though Selvig had already confirmed Li Feng was indeed a mage after touring the RV, seeing a portal in action was a whole different experience.
It took him a moment to snap out of his daze and realize he needed to give directions.
Rubbing his cheeks, Selvig shot Li Feng a slightly awed glance. As he pointed the way, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "I get the feeling pedestrians can't see us?"
From behind, Thor, who was still guzzling beer, instinctively explained, "The car's invisible." Pausing, as if recalling something, he added with a sideways glance, "Loki used to love turning invisible and hiding in corners, then jumping out to scare me when I walked by."
Li Feng glanced at Thor through the rearview mirror. For some reason, he had a feeling Thor was remembering something.
Soon, the RV arrived at its destination, and everyone stepped out.
When Jane saw the group suddenly appear at her doorstep, the worry on her face instantly vanished.
With a bright smile, she quickly walked up to Thor and said, "I'm so glad you're okay."
Knowing that Selvig had always treated Jane like his own daughter, Li Feng leaned over and quietly asked, "Dr. Selvig, how does it feel when a flower you've painstakingly nurtured for half your life suddenly gets taken away, pot and all?"
Selvig's lips twitched as he glanced at Jane, who only had eyes for Thor, and sighed. "Makes me want to punch someone."
It went without saying who Selvig wanted to punch. But setting aside Thor's status, the frail Selvig was no match for the brawny god anyway.
Just as Li Feng jokingly suggested Selvig hit the gym to bulk up—maybe then he could take Thor down—Li Feng suddenly turned his head toward the distance.
Squinting as he scanned the direction of the energy fluctuations, Li Feng said, "Thor, I sense massive spatial disturbances in the distance. Someone must have activated the Rainbow Bridge."
Thor followed Li Feng's gaze but saw nothing beyond the barren wasteland. "Can you tell who's coming?"
Li Feng shrugged, indicating that while he could detect spatial energy due to the Rainbow Bridge's strong energy signature, his eyes weren't telescopes. Even with the Hawkeye Technique, his vision had limits.
Still, not seeing wasn't a problem. Li Feng pointed to the RV and said, "Maybe we should ask Coulson. He has access to satellites—might spot something."
As he spoke, a phone suddenly floated in front of Li Feng, Coulson's voice coming through the receiver: "Austin, we've detected an energy surge."
Ignoring Jane and her assistant's wide-eyed stares, Li Feng picked up the phone. "I sensed it too. Any findings on your end?"
Coulson's voice carried a hint of urgency: "There are three men and a woman heading your way. We're unsure if they're friend or foe. You should bring Thor back to base immediately. We've already set up defenses here."