But it was already too late.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
Everyone clearly saw that the bullet, capable of piercing tank armor, eerily stopped a few centimeters from Leon's forehead.
It was as if it had hit an invisible wall; the warhead twisted and deformed under the intense kinetic energy but could not advance another inch.
Then, under everyone's horrified gaze, Leon extended two fingers and nonchalantly pinched the deformed warhead between them.
"I told you, I don't like people pointing toys at me."
Leon still wore a gentle smile, but a cold glint flashed in his pupils.
He waved his hand lightly.
"Poof!!"
There was no whistling, no sound of air being torn.
The warhead instantly vanished, reappearing to have already pierced the eyebrow of the Agent who fired the shot.
The Agent's body stiffened abruptly, his sunglasses slipped, revealing a pair of terrified and bewildered eyes.
There was only a tiny bullet hole on his forehead, with no blood flowing out; the surrounding tissue had been instantly melted by the high temperature.
He didn't even have time to let out a scream before he fell straight backward.
The thud echoed particularly harshly in the silent desert.
The scene fell silent.
Coulson swallowed with difficulty, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
He knew they had provoked someone who absolutely should not be provoked.
This man's terror far surpassed that of the Hulk.
Hulk was merely violent, but this man killed in the blink of an eye, which was more frightening than mere rage.
"Now, can we have a proper talk?"
Leon's voice remained gentle, but to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, it sounded chilling.
He surveyed the rows of stiff Agents and the dark muzzles of their guns, then suddenly chuckled softly.
"Your attacks are like pouting. Very cute, but please stop."
Before he finished speaking, a light emanated from him.
It wasn't an energy shock, nor mental oppression, but an energy barrier.
"Crack! Crack!"
All the firearms in the Agents' hands seemed unable to withstand some kind of immense pressure; barrels twisted, parts flew off, and within seconds, they turned into piles of scrap metal.
"God!"
Coulson stared blankly at the handgun in his hand, now just a grip, his mind a blank.
What kind of monster was he?
"Now, it's my turn to ask questions."
Leon walked up to Coulson, looking down at him.
"Where is my foolish brother now?"
Coulson felt as if his heart was being squeezed, each beat feeling like his last.
He swore that even when facing the out-of-control green giant, he had never felt his life so fragile as he did now.
The man in front of him still wore a gentle smile, as if everything that had just happened was merely a performance.
Coulson's mind raced, assessing the situation.
Resist? Pointless.
Run? Don't even think about it.
He had no doubt that with just a thought from the other party, he and the remaining Agents would follow in the footsteps of that young man.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and offered a smile that he hoped appeared as sincere as possible.
"Sir, are you referring to the muscular man who also fell from the sky and claims to be Thor?"
Coulson carefully chose his words, trying to glean more information from the other's reaction.
His only mission now was to stabilize this guy, buying Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. a little more time to react.
Leon looked at Coulson's face, which expressed 'I'm very professional but currently panicking,' and found it somewhat amusing.
They always showed such interesting struggles when faced with incomprehensible power.
"Muscular man?" Leon repeated the phrase, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.
"Hmm, that's a fitting description. After all, besides muscles, there's probably only a hammer in his head. Yes, he's the one I'm looking for."
Hearing Leon confirm, Coulson breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least the other party's goal was clear, and he wasn't here to destroy the World.
He immediately pulled a tablet from his pocket and swiped his fingers across it rapidly.
"According to our tracking, Mr. Thor is currently in a town eight kilometers away."
The tablet displayed a blinking red dot, marking the town where Thor had created a large crater.
"He seems to be in a pet store, trying to buy a horse."
Leon:... The smile on his face stiffened.
Buy a horse? Was Thor serious?
Did he think the Bifrost Bridge was like a shared bicycle, where he could come and go as he pleased?
Leon was somewhat speechless about his own brother.
He could imagine Thor walking into a pet store and shouting at the owner, "Give me a horse that can return to Asgard..."
Though it sounded ridiculous, it was indeed something Thor would do.
Coulson keenly caught the subtle change in Leon's expression and had a guess.
It seemed the relationship between these two brothers wasn't as harmonious as he had imagined.
This was a point that could be exploited.
"Sir, if you need, we can immediately send a car to take you there," Coulson quickly seized the opportunity, showing a cooperative stance.
"Our purpose is to maintain World peace and assist special international friends like you and Mr. Thor."
Leon glanced at him, a hint of amusement flashing in his pupils.
This guy was quite good at seizing opportunities.
What a pity, though; you're just a village chief in the beginner's village.
"No need," Leon waved his hand, declining Coulson's request.
He didn't want to slowly bump along the sandy ground in a car.
That would be too undignified for him, the Sun God, and too much of a waste of his vacation time.
"You all stay here," Leon's tone was flat.
"Remember, don't follow me, and don't try to monitor me with your little satellites."
He paused, a gentle smile returning to his face, but what he said next slightly surprised Coulson.
"I like a quiet vacation; I don't want flies buzzing in my ear."
With that, Leon no longer paid attention to the pale-faced group; his body began to emit a faint golden light.
"Oh, right."
Just as his figure was about to dissipate, he seemed to remember something else, turning back to look at the pile of scrap metal and the puddle of human ashes.
"When you clean up the scene, remember to send the bill to Thor. Tell him it's his brother's mess."
Before he finished speaking, his figure had already transformed into a pillar of light, soaring into the sky and instantly disappearing into the clear blue horizon.
Leaving behind a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, disoriented in the desert wind.
Coulson stared blankly at the sky, taking a long time to come back to his senses.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and picked up his defunct walkie-talkie: "Calling Headquarters! Calling Headquarters! This is Coulson."
"Yes, Officer! We've encountered another one."
"No, much more powerful than Thor."
"Yes, he's gone, gone to find Thor."
"Also! Officer, we might need a new team member, as well as a huge amount for compensation and vehicle repair costs."
...New Mexico
Puente Antiguo Town.
Thor stood at the entrance of a pet store, looking utterly defeated.
Just moments ago, he had tried to buy a horse with a few Asgardian gold coins, only to be mistaken for a madman by the owner, who almost called the police on him.
"Mortals are truly unreasonable!" Thor irritably ran his fingers through his long hair.
"Can't they see this is pure gold? It's enough to buy their entire town!"
He felt he had never been so frustrated in his life, from birth until now.
His divine power stripped away, unable to lift his hammer, and now even trying to buy a horse got him labeled a lunatic.
Just as he was questioning his life, a familiar voice rang out above his head.
"Thor, if you want to go home, perhaps you should try a plane, not a horse."