We Choose to Believe in Hope

Thor had no interest in studying trivial matters; what he wanted most now was to regain his powers.

Jane understood this, so the two of them, without even bothering to rest, booked a flight to New York overnight.

By this time, news of a rainbow beam descending on New York, suspected to signify an alien arrival, had spread across social media and the internet.

"That's the Bifrost. It can take you to any of the Nine Realms you wish to visit," Thor explained with a smile.

Thor smiled as he explained to Jane. The Bifrost had appeared numerous times in his mythological stories of past victories, so Jane was no stranger to it. She had even seen it up close when Mjolnir first landed.

At this point, Jane switched into her scientist mode, pondering the scientific explanation for the Bifrost—perhaps it was an Einstein-Rosen bridge, commonly known as a wormhole.

It was only then that Jane remembered Professor Erik Selvig, whom she had left in Old Bridge Town, along with their driver, research assistant, personal helper, and comic relief, Darcy Lewis.

Not just those two, but all her equipment and research data were also left behind. Without those, she couldn't continue her study of the Bifrost.

With that in mind, Jane decided to call Darcy Lewis to check on their situation and casually brag about her recent experiences. "Ever heard of instant cosmic travel?"

As soon as the call connected, Darcy's anxious voice came through.

"Jane, where are you? In New York? Did you know another Bifrost just appeared outside Old Bridge Town? We're heading there now to check it out!"

Darcy's voice was unclear, as if she were in a moving car, which reminded Jane of the night they first encountered Thor.

That night, they had also been driving, chasing the Bifrost, and ended up hitting Thor.

Just as Jane recalled this, she heard Darcy suddenly scream on the other end, followed by the sound of screeching brakes.

"Jane, I think I hit someone again!"

Jane wanted to remind her that she had hit Thor that night too, so this should be standard practice for a road menace like her—nothing to fuss over.

"Crap, this time I think I hit more people!"

On the other end, the chaotic sounds of Darcy scrambling could be heard, along with Erik Selvig's sarcastic remarks.

"You just knocked four people flying. You really should be driving a tank!"

Bifrost, four people?

Thor didn't dwell on it; his mind was entirely focused on his hammer. "Let's hurry to New York. Finding the hammer is the priority!"

Boom!

At that moment, a rainbow beam shot down from the sky.

That night felt extraordinary for America. The miraculous Bifrost beams kept appearing randomly across the country, sending Americans into a frenzy.

The last beam landed directly in front of Thor, just a few hundred meters away.

Thor was at Los Angeles International Airport. Though it was nighttime, the airport was bustling with passengers.

The Bifrost landed on the airport runway, coincidentally in the path of a C-40C aircraft. The plane was instantly obliterated, leaving no survivors, including the crew.

This wasn't just any plane; it was a government aircraft, one that only high-ranking officials could use—essentially someone at the "wicked witch" level and above.

But now, it didn't matter whether it carried nobodies or witches. It was all just a pile of ash.

Neither Thor nor the passengers and staff at the airport paid attention to the ashes. Their focus was on the massive steel figure that appeared as the Bifrost dissipated.

"Wow! Is this Tony Stark's new armor? It's so cool!"

"Iron Man! So awesome!"

"Tony! Tony! I'll have your babies!"

Some clueless passengers in the crowd began cheering. Iron Man was the pride of Los Angeles, just as Spider-Man was for New York.

Although Iron Man had taken a slight hit during the Hammer Industries Expo, it wasn't a big deal. In the end, didn't he and War Machine take down that scheming Russian?

Uh, that's not how the news told it. They claimed Batman did it and defeated three Iron Men, including Iron Man himself.

To the people of Los Angeles, this was obviously fake news, concocted by New York to smear Iron Man and boost the popularity of Spider-Man and the Green Guy.

They even made up Batman for this purpose.

Whether Batman was real or not, nobody knew. No one came forward, and the footage was unclear, so they could say whatever they wanted.

Either way, Los Angeles residents refused to believe in Batman's existence. To them, Iron Man was still the one and only hero.

So, when they saw the massive steel figure land, their first thought was that their hero, Iron Man, had arrived.

This was Iron Man's first public appearance since the Hammer Industries incident, and he was sporting a completely different design, style, and color scheme. What surprise did he have in store this time?

Whether they were Iron Man fans or not, everyone eagerly watched the massive steel figure, anticipating its next move.

Just then, the steel giant's faceplate suddenly opened, but instead of Tony Stark's face, there was only darkness—a hollow opening.

So, it wasn't Tony Stark himself but rather a remotely controlled drone?

Hammer Industries had showcased drone Iron Soldiers before. Although Iron Man hadn't ventured into this field previously, it clearly wasn't beyond his capability.

Truly Tony Stark! Truly Iron Man! Even in the field of drones, nothing could stop him!

As everyone praised Tony Stark's brilliance, a ball of fire suddenly ignited in the hollow faceplate of the steel giant.

"No, this isn't good!"

Someone had a sinking feeling, but it was already too late.

The firelight instantly became a fiery beam, shooting from the steel giant's face straight into a nearby turning passenger plane, which exploded into a massive fireball as if hit by a missile.

"Ahhh!"

"What is that?!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Help!"

Chaos erupted across the airport. The steel giant, seemingly a drone controlled by Iron Man, had inexplicably attacked a passenger plane…

Could someone explain what the hell was going on?

How did this dumb thing even land safely in the first place?