Chapter 198: Loki's So-Called Progress

Before Captain America arrived, Han Yu used the Green Lantern Ring to establish an interstellar video call with Thor and Loki, who were far away in Asgard.

It didn't take long for the call to connect.

With a wave of his right hand, Han Yu projected half-body holograms of Thor and Loki into the air.

"Wow, this thing can be used like this? That's amazing!"

The moment the call connected, Loki's astonished voice rang out. Even in Asgard, they had nothing as magical as this communication method.

Thor rolled his eyes, a bit exasperated. Although he was also impressed by the Green Lantern Ring's capabilities, he quickly composed himself and got straight to the point.

"What's up, Han? Did you find more candidates for the Green Lantern Corps?"

Thor's guess hit the mark. Unlike his impulsive past self, he now approached problems with thought before action.

In the past, Thor's first instinct would have been to swing his hammer, but now he considered how to defeat opponents more efficiently and safely. This shift in his approach had made his battles much easier. The once reckless warrior had become a thinker.

"You guessed right," Han Yu replied. "I've found two more candidates. You know them—Steve and his friend Bucky. I'm planning to establish three subgroups for now. I wanted to discuss the plan with you two first; we can decide the rest later."

Thor pondered for a moment before nodding. He had no objections to Han Yu recruiting Steve Rogers.

After all, Steve was a fellow Avenger. During the Battle of New York, Steve's calm and organized command had been crucial in issuing clear, effective strategies.

Having a sharp-minded commander on the battlefield often determined victory or defeat.

Thor knew he lacked such tactical skills, and he wasn't sure about Han Yu's abilities in this regard. However, recruiting Captain America as a leader was undoubtedly the best choice.

Thor even admired Steve's leadership during critical moments. If he had that level of command ability, Asgard might not have fallen so quickly during the three-nation siege.

Upon hearing Steve's name, Loki, however, scoffed. "Him? I don't like that guy."

Loki had vivid memories of Captain America from the Battle of New York. If not for Steve's methodical strategies, the Avengers wouldn't have been able to handle the army Loki brought with such order and efficiency.

Loki had even entertained thoughts of revenge someday. But now, to his surprise, they were supposed to become allies.

Han Yu wasn't surprised by Loki's reaction. He shrugged and smiled faintly. "That's unfortunate. I guess you'll have to step aside then. We really need a capable commander."

Loki, clearly offended, retorted, "Why not me? I've led an invasion of your Earth, haven't I?"

Both Han Yu and Thor couldn't help but laugh at Loki's bold statement.

"Do you think that's something you should be proudly telling us?" Han Yu asked, half-smiling.

After all, the three present included one who had attacked Earth, one who had defended it, and an Earthling. Loki's comment was undeniably awkward.

Perhaps realizing how inappropriate his words were, Loki chuckled awkwardly and added, "Well, a battle's a battle. The cause and outcome don't matter. What matters is that I managed my troops pretty well, didn't I?"

His words were undeniable. Han Yu indeed hadn't witnessed it firsthand, nor did he recall any scenes of Loki commanding the alien invaders in his memory.

However, the fact that those aliens were able to spread out during the invasion, effectively scattering the Avengers' forces, was undoubtedly due to Loki's coordination.

If it hadn't been for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top brass launching a nuclear missile and Iron Man, Tony Stark, risking his life to carry the missile into the wormhole, the final outcome—even if Earth had technically won—would've been far from favorable.

After all, that was a nuclear missile, with a blast radius enough to obliterate New York.

While the alien technology Loki brought was advanced, it wasn't advanced enough to casually withstand a nuclear strike. Like humans, they were pre-nuclear organisms, meaning they hadn't evolved in a post-nuclear explosion environment. They couldn't naturally resist nuclear radiation or withstand the shockwave of a nuclear blast. A simple grenade could still kill them.

Han Yu remarked, "Even so, we still won in the end. And seeing you wielding the title of Asgard's top sorcerer to fight in melee combat just makes me even more convinced you're not up to par."

When someone else mentioned Loki's habit of stabbing people with daggers, Loki became visibly embarrassed. Hurriedly, he said, "I've been working on it! Recently, Hela's been training me in magical attacks, and I've made great progress."

While he spoke, he kept winking at Thor, thinking he was being subtle. It was reminiscent of a student blatantly cheating under the watchful eyes of a teacher—completely oblivious to how obvious it was.

Han Yu looked at Thor with a teasing grin, silently asking for his opinion with his eyes.

Seeing his brother's all-too-obvious attempts at signaling, Thor sighed helplessly and nodded in acknowledgment.

Just as Loki began to puff up with pride, ready to boast about his progress to Han Yu, Thor added, "His progress is indeed remarkable. He doesn't even need to carry a dagger anymore; he can summon several with magic on a whim. And with the Green Lantern ring you gave him, he's now more reckless than ever, conjuring all kinds of daggers at will."

Thor's unintentional sabotage left Loki facepalming. Truly, his brother was an expert at throwing him under the bus.

For the first time, Loki understood what it felt like to be set up by someone else.

He opened his mouth to defend himself but saw Han Yu wave him off dismissively. "Alright, alright, enough chatter. Get yourselves ready and meet me at the general store. Steve is definitely joining the Green Lantern Corps, so you all need to work on your coordination. I don't want any internal conflicts within the corps harming its efficiency."

With those words, Han Yu effectively confirmed Captain America's entry into the Green Lantern Corps. Loki opened his mouth but ultimately refrained from speaking further. He was tactful enough to know that continuing to argue would make him seem immature. Even Thor wouldn't be able to shield him if Han Yu took issue.

Seeing Loki sullenly close his mouth, Han Yu nodded in satisfaction, gave them a quick reminder to hurry up, and ended the communication.

He then turned to head upstairs for a refreshing shower. As he turned around, he suddenly noticed Ultron and Quicksilver standing silently behind him.

"Whoa, what the hell? You two trying to scare me to death?"

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