"No~!!"
The sorrowful roar shook everyone present, but in the next moment, Thor was knocked out by an Special Agent. Just now, this guy had been like a big bear, making it impossible for them to handle him. Now that they had the chance, they went up and bound him hand and foot, including his accomplices.
"What should we do, Special Agent Phil?"
Having controlled these guys, they began to ask their superior for instructions.
"Jane Foster, an astrophysicist. As a scholar, why would you run here to trespass on heavy government grounds with this group? You should know that you could be taken directly to court and face a hundred years of imprisonment."
Labeling them with a serious charge, Special Agent Phil spoke to intimidate them. But Jane clearly didn't buy it. She felt these people had issues. What was interesting was that hammer; she had seen it just now. It might be an extraterrestrial mysterious object. With all the UFO legends over the years, this was a major discovery. The government had no right to block the public's right to know.
"I don't know who you people are, but you've confiscated our experimental equipment. You should know that in United States law, private property is sacred and inviolable. I have the right to demand my things back."
Jane didn't back down an inch. She wasn't some naive person who knew nothing. Moreover, the experimental equipment was truly important; she had to get her things back. But she didn't know exactly what department she was facing, or rather, she completely didn't know the nature of this department.
"Miss Jane, this is our final warning. Take your friends and that guy with the brain problem and leave this place. Otherwise, you won't be so lucky next time."
Although he had a mild temper, he was, after all, an Special Agent who performed many shady tasks. Some things were handled quite firmly, especially since Jane's research already involved mysterious events. They couldn't let such things be exposed too much; otherwise, the world would have long fallen into chaos.
"You guys..."
Before Jane could retort, someone led them away.
"Should we make them shut up?"
At this time, Hawkeye walked in. He silently looked at Phil while speaking. He believed that only those who shut their mouths forever could keep a secret.
"No need to worry about them. Let's hurry up and study this hammer."
Phil's words made Hawkeye lower the bow in his hand. Since Phil was the lead for this operation, he wouldn't disobey orders.
"What should we do? The equipment wasn't cheap!"
Supporting the dead-weight Thor, the male assistant spoke with tears in his eyes; that equipment was basically all they had to their name.
"Let's find a place to shelter from the rain first!"
Feeling the dampness on her skin, Jane looked at the unconscious Thor and decided it was best to find shelter. It wouldn't be good if he caught a cold.
"How is there a tavern here? We didn't see it when we came just now. Forget it, let's go in and get out of the rain!"
Although it felt a bit suspicious, Jane decided they should all take shelter. Once inside, they found it was actually a simple restaurant, quite nice in fact. After bringing Thor to a seat and setting him down, they began looking for the owner.
"Could this place be haunted? Why isn't there anyone here?"
"Dear guest, please don't talk nonsense. Am I not standing right here?"
"Ah~~! A ghost! Ahhh!"
The female assistant was muttering as she searched. Just as she finished, an East Asian man's face appeared before her. His lifeless, gloomy expression, combined with the dim lighting, made her feel for a moment like she'd seen a ghost. Terrified, she turned and ran to hide behind Jane.
"Dear guest, that's quite rude! I haven't done anything, yet you call me a ghost. May the Lord guide the lost lambs."
"I'm sorry, Father. We didn't know this was a church. Sorry for intruding."
Looking at the clothes the man was wearing, Jane apologized sincerely. Though he was Asian, as long as he was an agent of the Lord, he deserved respect.
"No matter. This isn't a church, just a restaurant I opened to provide a resting place for travelers. Don't mind it, child."
The 'Father' took two steps forward, and they saw the man clearly. He had messy black hair but a tall, upright build. His clothes didn't have a single wrinkle, and he looked serious and stern—not someone easy to get along with.
"I'm sorry, Father."
"Don't worry about it; it's a small matter. You can rest for a while. Would you like some coffee? I have everything here. Also, my name is Kirei Kotomine. You can just call me Kirei."
The others might not know the significance of this name and simply thought it was hard to pronounce, but any Type-Moon fan would know this man's identity. Of course, the one before them wasn't the real deal; it was Artoria in disguise. This place was far from the town's residential area, so at least it wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. In this regard, Artoria wasn't trying to help anyone—definitely not.
"Please."
"Thank you x3."
She gave each of them a cup of coffee, including the unconscious Thor, though it looked like he was about to wake up.
"Is there alcohol?"
The first thing Thor asked for upon waking was alcohol.
"No alcohol, but there is delicious Chinese Huaxia cuisine. Would you like some?"
Kirei said calmly, nodding to the three who were apologizing to show she didn't mind.
"Give me some, anything is fine."
"Alright."
Seeing how quickly Kirei agreed, Jane felt like something big was about to happen.
"Th-this is?"
"This is Mapo Tofu from Sichuan, Huaxia. It's very good. This is my favorite dish, especially when eaten without rice—it's simply a worldly delicacy."
Four servings of '3-Star Craft Essence' Mapo Tofu were served. The three looked in horror at the Mapo Tofu, which was as red as a volcanic eruption and seemed to be bubbling like erupting magma. Are you sure this is edible? The three stared at Kirei with twitching eyes, but as an Asgardian who had never seen it before, Thor bravely picked up the plate and poured it directly into his mouth.
"Ah~~!"
Thud!
"What a bold way of eating."
Kirei let out a stiff smile. Seeing Thor foaming at the mouth and fainting, a red box flashing with golden light—invisible to the others—popped out. This made 'Kirei' smile even more happily. But in the eyes of the three Earthlings, this person's smile was like a devil's. Especially after seeing Thor's fate, they looked at the Mapo Tofu with even more terror. They knew that Huaxia produced the most 'dark cuisine' in the world, especially Stinky Tofu and Century Eggs. Those two items shocked many young people; they wondered why Huaxia was so formidable that they dared to eat such things.
"I definitely can't eat this. Otherwise, I'll be at the proctology hospital tomorrow. This smell is so spicy it makes my eyes sting, let alone eating it."
Thinking of this, the three felt a sense of admiration for Thor, who was slumped over the table.
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