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Kai returned to the crowd. Everyone saw that he had disappeared for a while and then came back, so they immediately asked:
"How is it? Can the problem of the nuclear bomb be solved?"
Everyone was worried. If Kai had come back this soon, it might mean there was no way to deal with the nuclear bomb. If that were the case, they would have to evacuate quickly. But that would mean abandoning the people of New York—something none of them could do.
So they all hoped Kai had found a solution. Otherwise, even if they had successfully shut down the portal and driven back the Chitauri, a nuclear explosion in New York would turn their victory into a failure.
Fortunately, Kai smiled and nodded. "The nuclear bomb has been taken care of. I found a good place for it."
"Where?" Tony asked.
"I sent it into space—right into the middle of the Chitauri army. Then it exploded. They're the ones in trouble now."
Everyone was relieved and thrilled to hear this. They hadn't expected Kai to turn the enemy's weapon against them.
Now, not only was the nuclear threat gone, but Kai had also struck a blow against the Chitauri. The whole team felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
At that moment, Steve looked at everyone solemnly and declared:
"We won."
Tony grinned. "Great! Hey, great job, guys!"
Turning to Yinsen, he added, "I say we skip work tomorrow. Take the day off."
With the battle won, the team was in high spirits. Seizing the moment, Kai suggested:
"Have you ever had Chinese food? My family owns a restaurant in Chinatown. You should all come try it."
"Perfect. I was just thinking about having some again!" Tony said enthusiastically. "Hey, guys, you should all come. It's a classic Chinese place, really famous online."
Tony was the first to agree, and he quickly convinced the others. Everyone decided to meet up for a meal the next day.
Just as they were happily discussing what to eat, Thor suddenly spoke up:
"We're not done yet."
His gaze shifted toward the top floor of Stark Tower—where Kai had locked up Loki.
Kai nodded and led everyone to Tony's office on the top floor. With a simple movement, he opened a space portal and pulled Loki out.
With a loud clang, Loki hit the floor hard.
Finally, after what felt like an endless fall, Loki was relieved that the ordeal had stopped. He groaned, crawling toward the stairs. Then, using them for support, he sat up.
Something felt off. He could sense multiple presences around him.
Looking up, he saw Kai and the others surrounding him in a semi-circle, blocking all possible escape routes.
Loki immediately realized there was no way out. The Chitauri invasion had clearly failed. Seeing Tony, he muttered:
"If there's still a chance, I'd like to have that drink now."
No one acknowledged his words. Instead, they simply restrained him.
Banner quipped, "Might want to gag him, too. His mouth is a weapon on its own."
Thor took the advice and silenced Loki. Meanwhile, Steve secured the scepter in a briefcase, and Yinsen carefully packed up the Tesseract. With everything secured, the team took the elevator down.
As they boarded, Hulk tried to step in, but everyone collectively stopped him.
"You take the stairs."
When they reached the lobby, Tony suddenly collapsed—his reactor flickering. The briefcase containing the Tesseract was placed aside as everyone rushed to check on him.
Kai, however, had his eyes on something else.
In the chaos, he noticed a shadowy figure, fully wrapped in black clothing, silently snatching up the briefcase.
The thief turned and headed toward the stairs.
Kai acted instantly, appearing behind the man and gripping his shoulder.
Startled, the figure struggled but couldn't break free. He turned his head, confusion in his eyes, as if he didn't recognize Kai.
Neither of them spoke.
Just then—BANG!
The stairwell door burst open as Hulk smashed his way through. The impact made the thief freeze in fear. If he had kept moving forward, he would have been flattened.
Kai gave him a small smile and said calmly:
"Remember to return it."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving the thief stunned. How did this stranger know about their plan? And why did he say something so cryptic?
But since Kai didn't stop him, the thief chose not to think too much about it. Clutching the briefcase, he quickly disappeared with a certain star-spangled captain.
Back with the team, Thor suddenly had an idea to help Tony.
"Stand back," he instructed.
He placed Mjolnir over Tony's arc reactor and released a small surge of lightning.
With a sharp intake of breath, Tony jolted awake.
Thor beamed. "See? I knew it would work!"
Meanwhile, the same cloaked figure from before reappeared near them. He placed the briefcase down discreetly, glancing around nervously.
His gaze met Kai's.
Without hesitation, the man pressed a button on his device, shrinking down and vanishing into a small portal.
As he disappeared, Kai smirked and muttered:
"Thanks, Captain."
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