107 Poison's Corrosion

Not long after Joss finished handling the fusion matters, he received word from the temporary base that a man with long blonde hair and a beard had broken in, seemingly attempting to do something with the hammer.

However, the man failed to lift the hammer and was promptly detained by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; he was currently being interrogated. A woman and an elderly professor had also arrived with him, which, Joss surmised, could only be Thor, his girlfriend, and his future father-in-law.

Due to the passage of time, Joss found it difficult to recall whether Thor had lost his divine powers at this stage, or if there was some other reason for his capture—or perhaps the timeline had shifted once again. Otherwise, given the physiology of an Asgardian, even without special abilities, carving a path through a group of ordinary S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would have been effortless.

Though he knew the target had surfaced, Joss had no intention of meeting Thor just yet. Thor, currently lacking the tempering of experience, was both arrogant and conceited. If Joss were to approach him now, let alone try to recruit him, his own penchant for sarcasm would likely lead to a massive confrontation. Joss was, in certain respects, quite self-aware.

He had no intention of interfering in Thor’s trial. Given Thor’s current personality and brawny intellect, he needed to suffer a bit to learn the necessary lessons. Joss had left early specifically to avoid an encounter; regardless of how foolish Thor might act, he was ultimately on the side of justice and would not go on a killing spree against ordinary people just for a hammer. Moreover, his primary threat, the Destroyer armor, was likely still in transit, and while his troublemaking brother had arrived, it was not yet time for him to reveal himself.

Under normal circumstances, Thor could complete this trial on his own, and while Joss liked to court danger, he preferred not to drag others into his messes. Having already surveyed the power distribution in New Mexico, he was confident that no unexpected variables would interfere. Thor joining the Avengers was only a matter of time; Joss could simply wait and collect the rewards. As for taking Mjolnir, it was no great issue; the system’s analysis should be finished within the day, and he could return to the base to swap it for the Sword in the Stone, which would not affect Thor’s eventual use of it in the slightest.

"Speaking of which... where is Bruce Banner? Last I heard, he was sucked into a wormhole. Could he have already reached the Grandmaster's arena?"

With Thor’s arrival, Loki’s attack could not be far off. Joss decided that once he finished here, he would attempt to track down Bruce Banner to see if he could bring the powerhouse of the first Avengers film back into the fold.

Click!

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts. Instinctively, he turned toward the entrance.

"Tatsumaki, you're back... wait, what the hell? Who are you?!"

Before he could finish, Joss realized that a young girl in crystal-like armor had walked in, holding some sort of object that she immediately hurled at him. Despite his instinctive attempt to dodge, he had been far too careless; the intruder had already reached his back before he reacted. With the object now only half a meter away in mid-air, there was no escaping it.

Yet, a second later, Joss’s tense body relaxed. Judging by the intruder’s movements, the attack lacked the force of a serious blow, and given the confined space, she would not risk using a high-damage weapon that might harm herself.

"It’s fine, I can block this!" Joss thought, steadying himself and dropping into a defensive stance.

Then, a white, flesh-like creature instantly latched onto his head like a face-hugger.

...

"Joss? Joss? Hey~~~ Joss~~~"

He knew not how much time had passed—it felt like an eternity, yet also like the blink of an eye—before Joss’s consciousness began to recover. As he regained his senses, he heard a soft, persistent voice calling his name, hushed as if afraid of being overheard.

"Is this... a classroom?" Once his mind cleared from the fog, he realized he seemed to be inside a classroom.

"Strange... why am I here? Where was I just a moment ago? Oh... did I fall asleep in class?"

Joss shook his head slightly, feeling as though he had forgotten something. The girl behind him had not given up, continuing to call his name with unwavering dedication. He decided to push the lingering confusion aside and turned to look.

The moment he turned, he was struck by a silent, breathtaking beauty that left him breathless. About forty or fifty centimeters away, a girl with long brown hair was leaning over the desk, watching him.

Under her parted bangs, her smooth, adorable forehead was revealed, and beneath it, a pair of watery, wide eyes stared at him unblinkingly. Even though he had seen her countless times, the sight still made his heart race.

"Are you finally willing to look at me, Joss?"

Her faint smile, reflecting a joy so pure and captivating, caused Joss to blush involuntarily.

"Is something the matter... Takagi-san?" After a moment of thought, he recalled her name, along with the raw, fervent feelings he held for her in his heart.

...

"That should do it, right?" Gwenpool looked at the stunned Joss and muttered to herself, "He should see his favorite person now, and under her guidance, become one of us."

It was a pity that such mental manipulation could be interrupted by external forces; otherwise, dragging him back to her universe would have been far easier than waiting here for the results. With nothing better to do, Gwenpool grabbed a bag of snacks from the desk and began to watch Joss’s reaction as if she were viewing a movie.