Chapter 28:
A look of realization dawned on Mark's face as he glanced at the items in Steve's backpack.
"So that's how it works. This thing actually functions like this."
Mark finally understood.
The blocks Steve absorbed, like Thor's hammer before, were labeled "dirt" as an item name. But everything else, including the suffix, was a jumbled mess.
Mark had Steve dig up the ground beside him.
Soon, a 1x1 square pit reappeared, and Steve successfully picked up another dirt block. But this item was also a chaotic mess, and the main problem was that it couldn't be stacked. Each dirt block took up a single slot in the backpack.
Looking closely at the two dirt blocks, Mark noticed some differences. The first one seemed to have more sand in it, while the second one had tiny pebbles mixed in.
From this, Mark figured out the underlying principle.
First, Steve's pickaxe was an enhanced Tinker's Construct Silky Jewel Pickaxe, enchanted with silk touch.
Mark guessed that collecting resources in the real world wasn't impossible, but it required precision. Otherwise, the blocks would just be destroyed, like trying to dig snow with your bare hands in a game where nothing drops.
Also, real-world resources were unique, unlike in the Minecraft world.
Items in Minecraft were super pure, with gold blocks, iron blocks, and other materials being 100% pure.
Dirt, sand, and similar blocks followed the same pattern.
In the real world, this meant that the blocks in the Minecraft world were measured with almost atomic precision. Every drop of liquid, clump of soil, even each grain of sand had identical internal structures. That's why Steve's backpack could stack them together.
But the real world was different.
If Steve started digging in New York, he'd hit concrete, asphalt, then layers of soil mixed with cables, pipes, and who knows what else...
Steve's backpack couldn't stack these things together because the internal data of the items didn't match.
Even though they were both dirt blocks, one had a bunch of construction waste in it, and the other was mostly sand. How could Steve's backpack combine them? And how would they be separated later?
"Excellent, I'm starting to get it."
Understanding this, Mark felt a sense of relief. He hadn't expected to uncover another layer of Steve's abilities.
"Looks like our technical advisor has unlocked another secret of magic," Nick Fury chimed in, noticing Mark's pleased expression. "How about it? Ready to declare 'I have achieved greatness' again?"
"Whatever, I did overcome a tough challenge."
Mark was in a good mood and ignored Nick Fury's sarcasm.
"You seem happy," Nick Fury commented. "Let's get back to the hammer. I suggest you don't destroy it."
"It's just a useless hammer. I don't care about it."
Mark waved his hand dismissively. "As powerful as Thor's hammer is, can it surpass the might of a Tinker's Construct hammer? How about the Infinity Hammer? One swing can shatter planets, even obliterate the core of a star..."
"What kind of crazy thing is that?" Nick Fury asked, palm on his forehead. "Is that another weapon of the gods?"
"Nope," Mark replied, shaking his head. "It's mine."
"..."
There was a brief silence before Nick Fury finally spoke, "...are you serious?"
"Of course, but I can't make it right now," Mark waved his hand dismissively. "That thing is beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. I've been playing Minecraft for so long, and I've never seen anyone dare to grind the End purely by hand. Without guidance or the right tools, it's impossible to create..."
"Sounds incredibly dangerous," Nick Fury remarked. "So, is your real goal to create some magical Infinity Hammer?"
"Don't worry, I'm not a supervillain," Mark reassured, understanding Nick Fury's concern. He smiled. "I'm mainly here to enjoy the good life. Destroying the world... there's no benefit in that. Only idiots do that kind of stuff."
"Aliens don't see it that way," Nick Fury countered. "The power struggles between galaxies are terrifying. I've seen the consequences firsthand. Frankly, they could wipe us out for no reason at all."
"While that's true, it's not entirely their fault," Mark interjected.
"Why?" Nick Fury seemed puzzled. "If not them, then who's to blame? Should we blame ourselves for being too weak?"
"It's not that," Mark shook his head thoughtfully. "Actually, have you ever considered... with so many planets in the universe, why do villains always target Earth? Instead of pointing fingers, maybe we should look inward. Maybe we're making too much noise and attracting the attention of extraterrestrial beings."
"Your way of thinking..." Nick Fury's expression darkened. "I'm being serious here. Can't you take this seriously?"
"I'm not arguing," Mark responded directly. "I've heard of the Kree, but as far as I know, Earth is the most vulnerable planet to invasion. After all, humans tend to repeat the same mistakes. Don't you study history as part of your spy training? Don't you understand this?"
"That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. is dedicated to protecting Earth," Nick Fury replied promptly.
"Forget it," Mark chuckled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is practically infiltrated by Hydra. I don't even know how much of the gold I gave you has ended up in Hydra's pockets. How about I capture a live Hydra agent and bring him to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters? Those guys are all over the Twilight Forest. You can keep him there... then you'll see how many people salute Hydra every day."
"What did you just say?" Nick Fury's expression suddenly changed.
Even Hawkeye, who had been silent, frowned deeply.
"Are you sure about what you're saying?" Nick Fury's demeanor became serious, his face stern. He asked with determination, "Is there any way to get their membership list?"
"Getting the list is pretty tough," Mark couldn't resist mocking. "Have you ever met a fortune teller who can predict the winning lottery numbers?"
"In that case, we'll find a way to at least..." Nick Fury furrowed his brow, but before he could finish his sentence, Mark's attention was drawn away by a system prompt.
[System Prompt: Tinkers Construct TAIGA add-on Alloy downloaded. Do you want to load it?]