Standing in the massive circle left behind by the Rainbow Bridge, Thor tilted his head back and shouted with confident pride, "Heimdall, open the Rainbow Bridge!"
Among those present, Sif and the other Asgardians had not only seen the Rainbow Bridge before but had ridden it countless times, so they were unfazed by the atmospheric anomalies it caused.
But Coulson and Jane had never witnessed it. They followed Thor's gaze skyward with curiosity, especially Jane, whose expression mixed anticipation with a hint of smugness.
My boyfriend's about to summon the Rainbow Bridge just to impress me.
Unfortunately, there wasn't even a hint of the Rainbow Bridge in sight. The weather remained perfectly clear—ideal for hanging laundry out to dry. Before long, Jane, who had spent years hunched over her research and already had a bad neck, rubbed her sore muscles from looking up at the sky. She blinked her big eyes at Thor with a puzzled expression, as if asking: Where's the Rainbow Bridge you promised? Did you think being a god gives you the right to trick me? If you embarrass me today, don't even think about sleeping anywhere but the couch from now on.
Meeting Jane's gaze, Thor felt a little embarrassed. He grumbled inwardly: Heimdall, are you slacking off on your gatekeeper duties? I brought a girl here to show off, damn it!
While silently cursing, Thor gave Jane an apologetic look, then tilted his head back and raised his voice—as if his deep, booming tone could carry all the way from Earth to Asgard—and called out again, "Heimdall?"
Unfortunately, at that moment, Heimdall had been forcibly imprisoned in a block of ice by Loki. As for Loki's reasoning, perhaps the newly crowned Allfather simply pitied Heimdall for standing guard day and night, enduring wind and rain without a single day off, his once-tall frame now darkened by the sun. How tragic.
So, in a rare act of kindness, Loki had fashioned a freezer to let Heimdall "cool off" inside. This meant that even if Heimdall heard Thor's voice, he was in no hurry to break free from the ice. I finally get some rest, and now this? Give me a break!
Meanwhile, after repeatedly calling for Heimdall with no response, Thor finally shifted his focus from wooing Jane to the awkward situation at hand.
Though Thor sensed something was wrong, there was no way to make a long-distance call between Earth and Asgard.
All he could do was keep shouting, "Heimdall, we need your help!"—since he couldn't think of any other way to make contact.
That said, even if phones existed, given that Thor's brain was currently filled with nothing but plasma, Li Feng doubted the guy could even remember Heimdall's number.
Watching Thor go from eager show-off to visibly frustrated, Li Feng couldn't help but feel the god was suffering the classic case of trying to show off and getting humiliated instead—with the humiliation coming from the very woman he was trying to impress.
After a moment's thought, Li Feng scratched his brow and offered some half-hearted comfort: "Thor, maybe Heimdall's off duty? Or maybe it's Asgard's lunch break, so he's not at his post?"
"And on Earth, delays in planes and cars because the drivers are eating are totally normal. So don't stress too much, alright?"
Before Li Feng could finish, the clouds above began to shift.
Glancing up, Li Feng suddenly felt his own face sting metaphorically. He rolled his eyes discreetly. Well played, Heimdall. First you humiliate Thor, now you make me look like an idiot.
Luckily, everyone's attention was fixed on the changing sky, sparing Li Feng some embarrassment.Maintaining the Rainbow Bridge required an enormous amount of energy. Thor knew he didn't have much time for farewells, so after hastily sharing a few passionate kisses with Jane, he swung his red cape and strode into the Rainbow Bridge, eagerly leading his companions back to Asgard.
Watching the extraterrestrial friend Thor and his companions head home, the others present should have dispersed as well. But Jane, who was utterly smitten by Thor, insisted on waiting there. She fantasized that Thor might return immediately after deposing Loki from the throne, swiftly crushing the "rebels" before riding the Rainbow Bridge back to Earth to watch the sunset with her.
To this, Li Feng could only roll his eyes and think: What kind of cheesy TV dramas has she been watching? Her imagination is so wild even Earth can't contain it.
Since Jane refused to leave, Selvig, who treated her like his own daughter, naturally couldn't leave her alone in the wilderness. What if she encountered danger?
After all, Mexico was a dangerous place these days. He knew that not long ago, the Demon Prince had been fighting for territory on Earth, and now he had personally witnessed the Asgardian prince whisking away his protégée. Who knew if the next moment would bring a Wolf Prince or a Giant Prince to knock Jane unconscious and take her as emergency rations? At his age, what could he do then? How could he ever face Jane's parents?
On the other hand, Li Feng was equally helpless against a woman in love. He had originally planned to chat with Selvig somewhere to build some camaraderie, but now he had no choice but to stay and act as temporary bodyguard for the group.
Nearby, Coulson noticed Li Feng's reluctance to leave and, after some thought, decided to stay as well. He wanted to see if Thor would return and also to figure out what Li Feng's intentions were with Selvig.
Coulson simply didn't believe that Li Feng's deliberate efforts to befriend Selvig were purely out of admiration for the man's knowledge. If that were truly the case, Coulson wouldn't mind introducing Li Feng to S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy—there were plenty of brilliant scientists there.
Finally, Coulson wanted to ask Jane about certain unknowns—like how she and Thor had fallen for each other in the first place.
Honestly, this was quite important to Coulson. After all, if things went wrong, Jane might end up becoming the queen of the Asgardian race. The odds were slim, but what if?
Coulson knew all too well how love-struck couples could recklessly marry against their parents' wishes—such things happened all the time.
Besides, he was just trying to understand how love sparks flew between an Earthling and an Asgardian. Surely that wasn't a crime.
With that in mind, Coulson took out his phone, dialed a number, and ordered, "Agent Silvert, send a team to clean up the wreckage in the town, especially to search for a metal robot." After a pause, he turned to Li Feng and asked, "Austin, if I recall correctly, you once said that in Asgard, magic and science are essentially the same thing."While casually chatting with Selvig, Li Feng nodded absentmindedly and replied without turning his head, "Right. In fact, from the perspective of many advanced civilizations, magic is essentially just a method of utilizing energy. So using technological means to control energy is a perfectly normal practice."
As he finished speaking, Li Feng suddenly seemed to realize something. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Coulson with a knowing smirk and said in a definitive tone, "SHIELD wants to confiscate the Destroyer and study its technology along the way, don't they?"
Coulson didn't deny it—nor was there any reason to feel embarrassed about it. After all, SHIELD's duty was to protect the normal world from the threats of the supernatural. Although the origins and purpose of the Destroyer had been clarified, and this hunk of metal couldn't be classified as part of the Ghost Armor series—thus not qualifying as supernatural—SHIELD's very name, "Shield," signified more than just defense against the supernatural. It also represented the protection of civilians.
So what if SHIELD confiscated something as dangerously threatening to public safety as the Destroyer? They had every right to do so, with proper documentation and procedures in place. No one could argue against it.
As for Coulson wanting to confirm that Asgard's magic and technology were essentially the same thing, he saw no reason to hide that either.
If Asgard's magic was magic and its technology was technology, and the Destroyer was a magical construct, then Coulson figured SHIELD wouldn't gain much from studying it beyond analyzing its materials.
But now that they knew Asgard's technology and magic were one and the same, why shouldn't SHIELD investigate how this thing was built?
Although Earth's current technological level makes it difficult to fully decipher the Destroyer, cracking a small portion shouldn't be a problem—especially concerning its energy source and remote control capabilities.
If these two aspects could be deciphered, S.H.I.E.L.D.—no, Earth's technology—might experience a minor breakthrough.
Li Feng scratched his head and asked with a smirk, "I have two questions."
Coulson smiled and gestured for him to proceed.
"First, Sif told me before that as long as Odin misses the Destroyer, this hunk of metal will instantly appear before him. Even if you chop it up, wrap it in dumplings, and eat it, this thing will still reassemble into the Destroyer and return to Odin's side."
Li Feng grinned. "So, even if you melt it into molten metal and use it as construction material buried under a building, it's useless. In fact, when Odin summons the Destroyer, it might even collapse the building."
Coulson froze for a moment, then shot Li Feng an exasperated look. "Even a blind man knows the Destroyer's material is precious. What idiot would mix it into construction materials?" After a pause, he sighed. "What's your second question?"
"Second," Li Feng said with a playful smile, "You saw my fight earlier, right?"
Coulson nodded in confusion. Not only had he seen it, but he had also recorded it. But what did that have to do with anything?
Li Feng said slowly, "A portal is still a spatial-type spell, but as you saw, even when I wrapped the portal around the Destroyer, I couldn't cut through its metal shell. What kind of black tech does S.H.I.E.L.D. have that can cut the Destroyer?"
Seeing Coulson completely dumbfounded, Li Feng laughed cheerfully. "I just don't believe you have any method more powerful than spatial cutting."
With that, Li Feng ignored the disheartened Coulson and waved his hand to open a portal connected to the RV. He shouted, "Kreech, bring the RV over." Glancing at the number of people present, he added after a moment's thought, "Tonight, I want a whole roasted lamb."
As soon as Li Feng finished speaking, the driverless RV inexplicably started up and drove through the portal. Shortly after, the clanging of pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen as Kreech prepared dinner.
As the sun set, Li Feng and the others gathered around the campfire, lounging in chairs, sipping beer, chatting idly, and waiting for Thor—who was unlikely to ever return to Earth.