Just as Lin Huai's [Spirit Vision] locked onto that illusion, Loki on the sand dune also felt the prying eyes.
The mockery on his face stiffened for a moment, then was replaced by an even more arrogant look as he gazed in Lin Huai's direction. As Asgard's Master of Illusions, he was certain his disguise was flawless. In his eyes, this gaze was just an accidental glance from a sensitive insect.
With a curl of Loki's lip, a wisp of dark green magic slipped from his fingertips, silently invading Lin Huai's spiritual World.
The scene he expected—a mortal clutching his head and screaming—did not appear. That magic was like a drop of ink falling into a sea of fire, evaporating instantly.
The expression on Lin Huai's face didn't change; he even looked toward the sand dune and gave a knowing, all-seeing smile.
The smile on Loki's face froze.
He retracted all his contempt, his eyes darkening. He realized he had encountered a Midgardian who could not only resist his mental attacks but also see through his illusions.
This is impossible!!!
In those few seconds of Loki's shock, Lin Huai moved. Without disturbing anyone, he left the crowd silently and walked toward the sand dune. His figure became blurred in the eyes of the other Agents, as if covered by a thin mist; even if someone looked over, they would subconsciously ignore him.
"The Second Prince of Asgard, hiding behind a sand dune watching the show like a voyeur."
Lin Huai's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Loki's ears clearly.
"Who are you?" Loki revealed himself, his scepter glowing slightly as he stared warily at this mortal.
"Just a passing Magician." Lin Huai stood still before him and shrugged. "I was just curious: what kind of family conflict could lead the all-father to personally exile his eldest son? Your Highness, are you also an actor in this play called the Trial of the Crown Prince?"
Every word Lin Huai spoke was like a hammer, pounding against Loki's heart one after another.
This mortal not only knew his identity and the inside story of his brother's exile but even used words like 'play' and 'actor' to expose his current state of mind!
"Shut up, mortal!!!" Loki's face turned ashen, a faint blue light glowing at the tip of his scepter. "You have no idea who you're talking to!"
"Oh, I understand perfectly." Lin Huai's smile remained. He took a step forward and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Son of Laufey, heir of Jotunheim... these little tricks you play aren't very God of Mischief-like at all compared to your true identity."
Loki's mind buzzed, going completely blank.
His greatest secret had been exposed so casually by an obscure Midgardian. That shock was far more violent than when Odin had seen through his lies!!!
Seeing Loki's face distorted by shock, Lin Huai's goal was achieved. He smiled, shook his head, and turned to leave.
"Enjoy the play, Your Highness. Let's hope... no actor decides to change the script at the last minute."
Leaving those words behind, Lin Huai's figure vanished from Loki's sight, leaving him alone on the sand dune, his face turning pale and flushed as he struggled to regain his composure... Meanwhile, several kilometers away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. temporary Base.
A dilapidated research vehicle was driving slowly along the perimeter. The atmosphere inside was a bit stifling.
"What a bunch of unreasonable government Agents!" Daisy complained indignantly. "We were the first to find it! What right do they have to kick us out and not even let us take a photo?"
Jane Foster didn't speak, but stared at the massive camp illuminated by searchlights in the distance, her eyes full of reluctance. Less than half an hour after they found that hammer, a large number of black SUVs had cordoned off the scene and 'invited' them out without explanation.
Just then, the sharp-eyed Daisy pointed to the other side of the sky and shouted, "Hey! Look, everyone, another shooting star!"
A streak of fire cut through the night sky, accompanied by a dull thud as it landed in the nearby sand.
"Let's go!" Jane's curiosity was piqued again. She floored the accelerator and drove toward the new crash site.
The beam of the car's headlights soon illuminated the fallen object—a blonde, muscular man lying face down on the sand, seemingly still dazed.
The man struggled to lift his head, his handsome face full of confusion, but his first words were full of arrogance.
"Mortal! You dare hit me with that iron box? I am Thor, son of Odin!"
Daisy stared at the scene through the car window, dumbfounded, then nudged Dr. Selvig beside her with her elbow. "This guy looks pretty stylish, but his brain doesn't seem to work right."
Before Jane could answer, the man claiming to be Thor staggered to his feet. He looked around and roared at the sky, "Father! I know you're watching! This joke has gone far enough! Transport me back!"
Only the night wind answered him.
Looking at this weird-acting Lunatic, Daisy decisively got out of the car and pressed the switch on her taser.
"Zzzzt—!"
Thor's body suddenly stiffened, his blue eyes wide with disbelief that he, the mighty Thor, could be shocked by such a small toy. Then, he fell down straight as a board.
"It's for his own good." Daisy blew on the muzzle of the taser and said to Jane innocently, "Sending him to the hospital is better than letting him freeze to death here."
..."What? Another one fell?" Beside the hammer, after listening to Coulson's report, Tony's bald head reflected the light under the searchlights. "A person this time? And he can talk? That group of astrophysics college students should really go buy a lottery ticket."
Lin Huai walked back from the shadows, his face expressionless.
"Coulson," he said directly, "that hammer is the weapon of our distinguished guest. He himself should be the drifter Jane Foster and her team picked up. Send people to contact him, but stay polite. Even if he's exiled, he's still a prince."
With that, he briefly briefed Coulson on Thor's identity.
Coulson immediately reported this information to Nick Fury. A few seconds later, Fury's voice came through his headset.
"Copy that. Coulson, cordon off the hammer; no one is allowed to approach it anymore. Even the most calculated villain is no match for a fool's sudden spark of brilliance. Don't let some self-righteous politician muddy these waters even more."
After the order was issued, the public channel fell silent... Half an hour later, Lin Huai's private communicator rang with an encrypted communication request from Fury.
"How is your Project Rebirth progressing?" Lin Huai asked pointedly.
"Harder than expected. The snake's fangs are buried deeper than I imagined." Fury's voice sounded weary. "At this critical juncture, will Asgard's family business be the final straw that breaks the camel's back?"
"Probably not... I guess." Lin Huai looked at the hammer in the distance and replied uneasily. "This is just a father arranging a trial for his foolish son, plus a little story of brothers fighting for the throne. Normally, the script follows the intended path..."
As he spoke, he pulled the [The Chariot] card from his pocket again. The king on the card remained heroic, but the two Sphinxes seemed to show signs of wanting to go their separate ways under his gaze.
"...But," Lin Huai's tone became strange, "my tarot tells me this play might run into an unexpected hitch."
He put away the tarot cards and gave Fury his final suggestion.
"By the way, Director Fury, send someone to evacuate the residents of the nearby small town."
"Reason?"