Chapter 179: Thor, the God of Thunder, in a Pet Store
"I know about that Superboy project. The one-eyed guy mentioned it when he first met me and wanted me to join. But who do I think I am? How could I possibly work for him? So I refused."
At this point, Tony also spoke up.
He had also heard Nick Fury mention something about an Avengers initiative, but Nick Fury hadn't gone into such detail.
"George, did you find any useful clues? Otherwise, just knowing that aliens are going to invade won't help us prepare much."
At this point, Steve raised the key question.
He already believed what George had said, so now he was thinking about how to deploy their forces and deal with the impending alien invasion.
"All I know right now is that the leader seems to be called Loki, and the most recent clue I saw was that he appeared near the town of Old Bridge in New Mexico. So I was thinking, if everyone has time, maybe you could come with me to check it out.
Perhaps we can find some useful clues there."
George finally revealed his purpose.
"I'm in. Take me back to suit up, and I'll go with you to check it out."
Tony was the first to nod in agreement.
George had helped him a lot, so of course he wouldn't refuse. Most importantly, even without George, if he had known about this intelligence, he would have gone to investigate himself to protect the Earth.
"I think we should act quickly. If this is true, we need to set out as soon as possible."
Steve also immediately agreed.
As a hero who had once used his frail body to shield others from a grenade and was willing to sacrifice himself to save a city, how could he possibly refuse?
Seeing Tony and Steve agree, George turned to look at Banner and Betty.
"Would we be of any help?"
Banner asked somewhat unconfidently.
George nodded right away:
"Of course you'd be helpful. You and Dr. Betty are both top-tier scientists. You might be able to find some clues about how the aliens are entering Earth."
"Alright, then we'll join too."
Before Banner could answer, Betty agreed first.
As a scientist, forget about saving the Earth—how could she pass up the chance to witness aliens and their technology?
Besides, with the powerful headmaster, Iron Man, and Captain America around, she didn't think safety would be an issue.
"Good, then it's settled."
Seeing that everyone had agreed, George began making arrangements:
"The Professor will stay behind at the school. The rest of you, go back and get ready. I'll take Tony back to get his suit, and then we'll take the X-Jet to New Mexico together."
The school definitely needed someone to stay behind; otherwise, someone might take advantage and attack their base.
The Professor's psychic abilities could cover the entire school, and he could control the Abomination. If anything happened, he could handle it. Moreover, his abilities overlapped with George's, so it was better for him to stay at the school.
As for why he was bringing Betty, who had no combat ability, it was because she could help guide Banner after he transformed.
Otherwise, the Hulk might end up punching them instead of fighting the Destroyer.
Everyone dispersed to prepare, and George used Apparition again to take Tony back to his mansion.
While Tony suited up in his new Iron Man armor, George took out some of the Hulk's hair and crafted a new set of wands using it as the core.
After testing their power briefly, the results were impressive.
They were even more effective than the wands he had used in the Harry Potter world and were comparable to the magic rings from the *Sorcerer's Apprentice* universe.
In his past life, he had heard that the Hulk's strength wasn't just due to gamma radiation but also because his power was fundamentally connected to some dimensional demon or hellish entity.
That was why even if others obtained his blood and became Hulk-like beings, they would never match the real Hulk and wouldn't have the "angrier, stronger" trait.
Maybe there was some truth to that, which was why using the Hulk's hair as a wand core had exceeded his expectations.
After bringing Tony, now in his Iron Man suit, back to the school, the others were already ready.
There wasn't much to prepare, really.
Captain America had only brought his shield and wasn't wearing his iconic tight suit.
Wolverine's weapons were the Adamantium claws inside his body, so he didn't need any extra gear.
As for Banner and Betty, they had just brought some detection equipment from the school to see if it would come in handy.
So the group boarded the X-Jet and quickly flew toward Old Bridge, New Mexico.
About an hour later, they arrived above the town.
"We need a plan and to assign tasks. We can't just go out there openly; we'll be exposed—"
Steve pulled out a map of Old Bridge and was just about to lay out his plan when Tony, still in his Iron Man suit, flew out mid-sentence.
"I'll scan the area around Old Bridge first to see if there's anything unusual."
"Don't mind him, Steve. Go on."
George smiled and urged Steve to continue.
Every hero had their own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. He didn't plan to recruit them all as his subordinates—he didn't have that kind of domineering charisma or the energy for it.
Take Tony, for example. You could never make him your lackey.
These heroes would naturally learn to work together and appreciate each other's strengths over time.
What George needed to do was bring them together, give them a goal, and let them handle it themselves while he stayed in the background to fill in the gaps and achieve his own objectives.
So if Tony wanted to scout alone, let him.
Besides, his suit was already eye-catching—he'd be exposed the moment he landed, and he knew that.
If Steve wanted to proceed step by step with a solid plan, they'd follow his lead.
"Go on, buddy."
Logan puffed on his cigar and also motioned for Steve to continue.
He wasn't one for overthinking things. If Steve and Tony wanted to strategize, let them. He'd just handle the fighting—less hassle.
Steve didn't hold Tony's actions against him and continued laying out the plan based on the Old Bridge map.
So when the X-Jet landed stealthily not far from Old Bridge, George, Steve, and the others entered the town from four different directions to gather intel about Loki.
George took the east, Steve the west, Logan the south, and Banner and Betty the north.
Not long after entering Old Bridge from the east, George spotted Thor, the God of Thunder, outside a pet store.
"I need a horse!"
Thor, dressed in Earthling clothes, bellowed at the pet store owner.
The owner gave him a look as if he were an idiot:
"Sorry, we don't have horses here. Just cats, dogs, or birds."
"Then give me the biggest one you have."
Thor commanded.
The owner silently pointed at a golden retriever in a nearby cage.
"That's the biggest."
Thor was speechless.
"Sir, perhaps I can be of some assistance?"
George pushed open the pet store door and smiled at Thor.
(End of Chapter)