The long night stretched on, and tonight had not yet welcomed the end of darkness.
Regardless of the ongoing battle in New York, on the desolate outskirts between the temporary SHIELD base in the Mexican region and Puente Antiguo.
A dusty RV leaned against a small mound. Kyle and his companions set up tents for camping. A lively bonfire blazed between the RV and the tents, dispelling some of the thick night darkness and bone-chilling cold. While Kyle remained consistently calm and gentle, the others appeared defeated, as if they had returned after a string of bad luck.
Especially Thor, who had lost his divine powers and hammer. Erik, in the guise of an elderly astronomer, had him released from the SHIELD temporary base's confinement. Thor sat on a lonely stone mound, gazing vacantly at the ink-blue night sky adorned with twinkling stars.
"My friend, you must face this challenge alone. I cannot help you with this," Kyle glanced at Thor in the distance before he sighed softly, and then turned his attention back to the fire.
He skillfully set up a barbecue grill using the rocks, placing the cleaned chicken wings seasoned with oil on it. The fire lit up, and the aroma of roasting meat wafted into the air.
Controlling the fire, roasting, brushing oil, flipping, seasoning...
Soon, the chicken wings sizzled and turned into a golden brown, emitting a tempting fragrance.
"Wow, it smells amazing," Darcy's mouth watered, and she couldn't resist reaching out to grab the hot grilled chicken wings.
"This barbecue technique... Mr. Carl, have you professionally trained as a chef?" Jane was extremely surprised. She thought she had seen through Kyle's identity, but during the verification process, she now found herself in a state of confusion.
The young man in front of her, with an exceptionally high level of astronomical knowledge, also possessed a mastery of some culinary-related expertise. A heavy veil shrouded his true identity.
Even considering the starting requirements of an urban talent, he had already achieved perfection.
"No, I just learned a bit during company gatherings," Kyle chuckled. He slapped Darcy's hand playfully, saying politely, "Wait a little longer; they're not fully cooked yet."
"Alright, compared to what Jane grills, it's probably ten times better. I'm willing to wait even if it takes all night," Darcy said, sitting with her legs crossed, looking at Kyle with increasingly affectionate eyes.
"Well, tonight, Mr. Carl, you'll be solely responsible for the barbecue ingredients," Jane said while staring directly into Kyle's eyes. To her surprise, Kyle nodded willingly, saying, "No problem, leave it to me."
"That's great!" Darcy smiled happily, completely unaffected by the recent SHIELD events.
"Um, you don't need to grill mine; I'm not hungry," Erik, listening to their conversation, wiped his forehead in secret, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.
Among the people here, he alone knew Kyle's true identity. This was the most dangerous aspect— no one dared to enjoy Symbol of Peace's barbecue casually. It was feared to be a life-shortening experience!
"Professor, you said it yourself so don't come asking for it later." Darcy grinned even more, meaning she could eat a bit more tonight.
A while later, with Kyle holding the professional cooking Ability Card, the first batch of grilled chicken wings was ready.
Darcy picked one up, disregarding the hot temperature, and bit into it eagerly. Jane held three chicken wings but didn't eat them. Instead, she glanced hesitantly in Thor's direction.
Kyle noticed this scene, smiled with a decided look, and said, "By the way, that big guy and the SHIELD agent had a fight. He's probably hungry too. Who wants to bring him some food?"
Erik was about to speak but was met with a stern glare from Kyle. Darcy, already immersed in the joy of eating, showed no intention of leaving.
After a moment of silence, Jane stood up, took a grilled chicken wing, and whispered, "I'll go."
"Thank you," Kyle nodded, watching Jane walk towards Thor. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel sentimental. "Brother, I can only help you up to this point. Perhaps you need a bit of 'love' to get through this."
On the hill.
Thor stared blankly at the starry sky, lost in thought. Suddenly, a skewered chicken wing was presented to him. "Here."
"Thank you." Thor nodded as he recognized Jane approaching and accepted the grilled chicken wings she offered.
Seating herself on the other side of the stone where Thor sat, Jane looked at his weathered profile and casually said, "Your Highness, those SHIELD people didn't harm you, did they?"
"They are only mortals; they naturally couldn't harm me," Thor snorted as he spoke before he unexpectedly looked at Jane and asked, "Do you believe that I come from Asgard? "
"You've fought so hard for it so if it's not true, then you're a madman... but you clearly don't look like a mad person," Jane stared into Thor's eyes as she spoke.
The gaze between the two intensified, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
Blushing, Jane turned her head to avoid eye contact.
Thor suddenly pointed to the sky, saying, "Asgard is in that direction, but it's far beyond Earth, separated by the boundaries of several worlds. Only by activating the Bifrost can one return to it."
"Bifrost, the mythical space bridge that can help someone travel through space?" Jane asked with admiration.
"Indeed. But it's not a myth; it truly exists," Thor's voice lowered, and he said with bitterness, "Unfortunately, I am now an exile. I probably can't return to Asgard through the Bifrost anymore."
Jane gripped Thor's hand, encouraging him, "Cheer up; I believe you can."
"Thank you, Jane. If I can recover my power, I will definitely take you to Asgard for a visit," Thor held Jane's delicate hand, sincerely saying.
The gaze between them once again exchanged closely, and the air began to warm up due to the ambiguous atmosphere, causing each other's hearts to uncontrollably beat faster.
At this moment, Darcy inappropriately ran over, shouting, "Jane, I have something..."
Seeing the intimate handshake between the two, she awkwardly said, "Um, did I interrupt you?"
"Huh?" Jane and Thor were slightly stunned, looking at their joined hands. They separated as if electrified, unconsciously taking a step back.
"Don't think too much of it," Jane said seriously.
"Yes, yes, yes, I came to you for something." Darcy approached, grabbed Jane's hand, and teasingly stuck out her tongue at Thor, saying, "Thor, I'm taking her away for a while. I'll return her to you later."
"Uh," Thor didn't know how to respond and could only scratch his head.
"Hurry up." Jane's face blushed again as she dragged Darcy away, creating some distance from Kyle and Thor.
After pulling away from Kyle and Thor.
Jane pushed away Darcy's tightly clasped arms and asked in annoyance, "Alright, what's the matter? Why did you nervously drag me to a secluded place?"
"I have a favor to ask, and I need your help," Darcy took a deep breath, nervously leaned in close to Jane's ear, and shyly whispered a sentence.
After hearing it, Jane wore an expression of disbelief, opening her mouth wide and exclaiming, "What did you say? You want to date Kyle..."
Before she could finish speaking, Darcy hurriedly covered her mouth, stifling the second half of the sentence back into her throat.
By the distant campfire.
Kyle bit into a grilled chicken wing, looked disinterestedly at the night sky, and murmured, "Youth is a blessing."
(End of this chapter)
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