Asgard.
Odin rarely strolled across the still-unrepaired Bifröst Bridge. Following the dimmed rainbow light, he arrived beside Heimdall.
"Your Majesty."
Heimdall bowed to Odin, who nodded slightly in return.
He seemed to want to say something, but after hesitating for a long time, he merely passed by Heimdall, his gaze fixed on the shattered bridge and the boundless cosmos beyond.
As he stood there, Heimdall softly asked,
"Your Majesty, are you worried about Prince Loki? He appeared on Earth briefly but vanished again soon after."
"Not exactly…"
Odin replied, letting out a long sigh.
"I just have an ominous feeling, as if it's connected to an old enemy.
Last night, I dreamed of Fenrir, the wolf that devoured me, once more. It feels like a constant reminder that Ragnarok is approaching."
He said this, shaking his head helplessly.
Hearing Odin's words, Heimdall calmly replied, as he always did,
"Your Majesty, Fenrir has already been slain by you. It will never escape the realm of the dead. You can rest assured."
"I hope so…"
Odin nodded, falling completely silent.
…
Meanwhile, Thor, still on Earth, could never imagine the immense pressure his father had been bearing all these years.
At this moment, Thor showed no trace of the despair and pain from days earlier.
At the Heisenberg Nightclub, Thor had become the top regular, indulging in wild parties day and night.
He had long surpassed the club's drinking record.
When Heisenberg arrived, Thor was pulling two members of the Nuke Gang, drinking with abandon!
Seeing Heisenberg, he showed no particular reaction, downing a large bottle of liquor before laughing and asking,
"Hey, buddy, come join me for a drink!
Midgardians can't hold their liquor, haha! I've never seen anyone who can outdrink me!"
As he spoke, he handed Heisenberg a bottle of beer. Heisenberg didn't hesitate, popping the cap off with a flick.
"Cheers, for Midgard!"
Thor clinked bottles with Heisenberg, then downed it in one go.
Heisenberg matched him, finishing his bottle just as quickly.
Setting down his drink, Thor showed no signs of stopping, prompting Heisenberg to shake his head helplessly.
Ignoring Thor's relentless drinking, Heisenberg looked toward the edge of the club, where a large crowd had gathered.
Even Hawkeye was there, constantly observing the center of the crowd.
Heisenberg approached Hawkeye and patted his shoulder.
Hawkeye turned, startled.
"Boss?!"
"Yeah, what are you doing here? Still trying to lift Mjolnir?"
"I…"
Asked the key question, Hawkeye glanced unhappily at the drunken Thor in the distance…
"I just think, if this thing really requires qualifications, then how the hell can that damn drunk Thor lift it, but I can't?!"
Saying this, Hawkeye shook his head helplessly.
"If only Thor could lift it, fine—after all, he's an Asgardian, the God of Thunder from myth.
But even Captain America can lift it, and he's just a regular guy!"
"So, you're really frustrated?"
Heisenberg asked with a smile, his question prompting Hawkeye to shake his head again.
"Boss…"
Hawkeye said,
"Frustrated, of course, but… it's more about a craving for power.
It's like a woman on stage stripping down to the last piece, but refusing to take it off.
No matter how much I pay, she won't satisfy me…
That just proves it's not about the money, but about me.
I'm not upset that I can't have her, but that she thinks I'm unworthy…"
Saying this, Hawkeye walked away from the crowd, downing a large gulp of alcohol in disappointment.
On the other side, Barbara, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, saw Heisenberg leave the theater and approached with a drink in hand.
Finding Hawkeye sulking with his drink, Barbara simply joined his table, knowing Heisenberg would be there soon.
Sure enough, Heisenberg sat down beside them, opening a bottle like the others.
"Tsk tsk, Barbara, it's been a while since I've seen you circling around me."
Heisenberg smiled, clinking glasses with Barbara. After taking a drink, Barbara muttered helplessly,
"Can't be helped. You moved, and the area around the theater is full of your people. I can't sneak in there!"
"Hmm, have you ever thought about why you can't become one of my people?"
Heisenberg said, pointing to the communication patch behind Barbara's ear.
"I know Hill can hear you. After all, you're… very concerned about me.
So, hand over that patch, and let me have a chat with Hill?"
As he spoke, Heisenberg, without waiting for Barbara's consent, used his energy field to move the patch from behind her ear to his own.
Though he could hear the patch's transmission from afar, let's respect Earth's backward technology, shall we?
Seeing this, Barbara shrugged helplessly.
"Sir, do you really have to chat with another woman right in front of me? That's so impolite."
"Hehe…"
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