"I was actually looking forward to encountering a genuine deity, especially since I didn't win against that angel last time, but unfortunately…" Robert was unaware of the plans of the god-king Odin and the discussions with Clark at this moment. He shook his head, slightly disappointed, and muttered softly.
For Robert, there wasn't much difference between the various pantheons, whether it was Heaven, Asgard, or Mount Olympus, as the powers of the gods varied, but their strength was always impressive.
Among the gods of the Olympian pantheon, Robert had only battled the demigod Diana. His strength had not matched Diana's before, and the next chance to battle was far in the future. As for the angels of the heavenly pantheon, their strength had far surpassed Robert's. Their battles had been one-sided, with Robert finding no joy in the fight.
Now that he had finally encountered the Norse pantheon, Robert had hoped to witness these gods' prowess. However, after hearing Clark's recounting of his experiences and Thor's combat abilities, Robert felt somewhat uninterested.
After all, even if Thor had lost his power, he shouldn't have been so feeble. Such a Thor, even if he regained approval from Mjolnir and the power contained within, could not possibly be considered a true powerhouse! Moreover, with the research into Mjolnir, Robert had discovered that the power within the hammer was indeed greater than that used by its bearer.
Thus, if one could not harness the deep-seated power within Mjolnir, their strength wouldn't reach the level of the All-Father, let alone deal with Lana, and definitely not with Clark and Robert himself.
"No need to go now..." Clark looked at Robert and shook his head, speaking softly, "His strength is indeed still weak, his father hopes he can gain experience on his own, rather than relying on us to save him."
"Exactly, he is a deity after all, relying on others for salvation really is too weak…" Robert nodded, feeling this was the right thing.
Thus, under the watchful, indifferent eyes of Clark and in Tohru's base, Thor, heavily restrained, spent some time being brainwashed and was finally pushed into the experimental chamber.
"How are things? Were the initial preparations successful?" Tohru rarely found himself in the lab, as Thor was indeed more special than other super-soldier candidates—his potential was considerably greater. If successful in injecting the super-soldier serum, he could definitely become an excellent force for Hydra!
"All set, the brainwashing was thorough. We shaped his belief as a deity cast down to the mortal realm for transgressing divine laws, now dedicated to obeying your commands, strengthening Hydra, and retaliating against the divine realm!" McCarthy explained with a low chuckle, "I've been reading some Chinese literature called 'Journey to the West' recently—it's filled with similar plots…"
"That sounds promising. So, he's still Thor then?" Tohru raised an eyebrow, looking at the experimental chamber with a smile, "If that's the case, let's start the experiment!"
"Yes!" The lab technician nodded swiftly, began adjusting the equipment, and prepared the super-soldier serum for injection.
"That's right, he even keeps saying he wants to regain his divine power and become the embodiment of thunder…" McCarthy also watched the experimental chamber, speaking softly, "So, let's hope for a successful outcome, not letting down your trust!"
"Zzzt!" Just as McCarthy finished speaking, the lab technicians started a heavy electrical surge to activate the equipment, and suddenly, a large amount of electricity burst from the experimental chamber!
"What's happening?!" Tohru's pupils dilated slightly; this situation was unprecedented for him, even having undergone the super-soldier experiment himself.
Inside Hydra, mastering the super-soldier experiment was a well-tuned practice—given enough funding, technicians, and subjects, Hydra could continuously produce super-soldiers.
Of course, funds and subjects weren't so easily plentiful, particularly as the experiment inherently demanded high-caliber subjects and carried a high mortality rate, which were the real limits on the creation of super-soldiers. But even so, the technology was considered mature, with only two outcomes: failure or success. Since the days of Steve, there had never been a situation like the current one...
"What is going on?!" Snapping back to reality, Tohru looked at the nearby lab technicians and demanded sharply.
"I... we don't know!" The technicians were also distressed; they hadn't mishandled anything—the malfunction was spontaneous, how could it be their fault?
"Idiots!" Tohru frowned deeply, scolding the technicians harshly, "Aren't you going to check what's wrong?!"
"Yes…" The technicians shrank back, then donned protective suits, first cutting off the power system, then began
inspecting around the experimental chamber, while McCarthy also furrowed his brow, staring intently as if to record every change inside.
"How peculiar are these technological trees, how did Earthlings achieve this step? They even managed to stimulate a trace of the divine power I sealed within Thor?" Meanwhile, in Asgard, god-king Odin's eyes flickered with surprise as he watched the scene unfold within the experimental chamber, unable to help muttering to himself.
But soon, a divine light flashed in the one eye of god-king Odin. The divine power within Thor on Earth re-concealed itself, yet Thor's physique, compared to before he came to Earth, hadn't weakened much. If Thor could utilize the super-soldier power to develop a suitable combat style, his fighting prowess wouldn't decrease much—a situation that had surpassed god-king Odin's expectations.
Originally, Odin believed that with Earth's technology, even if they developed the super-soldier serum, it wouldn't be too beneficial; to elevate Earthlings to the level of ordinary Asgardians was already a leap in life tiers.
Asgardian ordinary folk have body densities about three times that of Earthlings, a comprehensive superiority. This was why Asgardians could be considered a divine race. Hence, Odin didn't think the super-soldier serum would significantly improve Thor's physical quality, letting Thor quickly master more combat skills, and incidentally developing his brain was already a huge gain for Odin.
However, the super-soldier serum not only almost broke Odin's seal but also significantly restored Thor's physical condition. It seemed not just a restoration, but as if Thor's mortal body had been enhanced...
"From the moment I threw Mjolnir to Earth, it seems everything has slipped from my control..." Watching Thor regain strength, god-king Odin thought but refrained from further suppressing Thor's divine power, which would have contradicted his earlier plan.
"Huh? What's happening? Is it fixed? What about Thor? Did he die in there?" Back in the lab, Tohru saw the surrounding currents suddenly vanish, his brow furrowed as he asked the technicians around him.
"It should be fixed, but with such an electrical shock, Thor probably couldn't survive, unless he really is the God of Thunder..." A technician muttered to a displeased Tohru.
"Good! Very good!" A cold glint flickered in Tohru's eyes as he stared at the surrounding technicians, his voice stern, "I finally found a talent, and you ruined him like this. If you don't explain yourselves, you might as well join him!"
"No! Please, boss, it's not our fault! We followed the procedure normally, we don't know why it happened!" Hearing this, the technicians panicked, pleading for mercy from Tohru. As for resisting or escaping, they hadn't considered it.
These technicians knew too well the horrifying strength of Tohru and the Hydra here; they were just technicians helping with the super-soldier experiments, but that didn't mean they were super-soldiers themselves!
The mortality rate of the super-soldier serum was too high, even for the strong, it was a risky 50/50 chance. For ordinary people, undergoing the super-soldier experiment usually meant no return; in this era, only well-trained soldiers had a chance of surviving...
If Steve had been born in this era, he might not have survived the new era's super-soldier experiment and become a super-soldier.
With a "click!" at the moment Tohru looked unmoved by the technicians' pleas, the experimental chamber suddenly made a noise, and Thor's figure emerged from within.
"Sorry, boss, no one inside was opening this thing for me, so I dismantled it. Hope that's alright?" Thor emerged, speaking respectfully to Tohru, his demeanor sheepish and a far cry from his previous aggressive self—it seemed Hydra's brainwashing was indeed powerful!
"No problem! You being alive is the best outcome!" Tohru stepped forward, patted Thor's now even more perfect and robust body, nodding with satisfaction and asked with a smile, "How do you feel? How much has your strength improved?"
"Quite a bit, even though I don't have the enhancement of divine power now, my body isn't much weaker than it was in Asgard. With this rate of progress, I think it won't be long before I can lead Hydra to a counterattack against the divine realm, pulling down those stubborn old fools who cling to the heavenly laws!" Thor's eyes gleamed brightly, his voice growing excited and fervent.
"What high and mighty gods? Why should they stand above us humans? Under our leadership at Hydra, humanity will usher in a new era. I think naming this era Ragnarok would be quite fitting, what do you think, boss?"
"I think it's excellent! Ragnarok, we will bring doomsday to the
gods!" Tohru went along with Thor's narrative, reinforcing his brainwashed understanding of the world.
"Too bad after being banished to the mortal realm, I lost my divine power and can't locate the divine realm, otherwise I'd launch a counterattack against it right now…" Hearing Tohru's words, Thor felt a surge of loyalty but soon murmured with reluctance.
"No worries, you'll have your moment to shine. What you need to do now is adapt to your new body, learn proper combat techniques, and let the divine realm realize what a terrible mistake they made by banishing you!" Tohru patted Thor's shoulder, encouraging him, filling Thor's heart with boundless fighting spirit.
Even though brainwashed and successfully injected with the super-soldier serum, Thor appeared still not too bright, or rather, still appeared quite naive, quickly becoming eager to train his body, preparing for an opportunity to counterattack the divine realm!
"..." God-king Odin stared in the direction of Thor, tightening his grip on the eternal spear, feeling an impulse to throw the spear and end Thor directly.
Even though Odin knew this was the result of Thor being brainwashed, Thor's performance was profoundly disappointing to Odin—completely immersed in the story spun by Hydra. Where was his wisdom? His brain? Why didn't he have any doubts?
"Hm?" Odin, furious at heart, suddenly sensed something, looked towards a certain direction in Valhalla, and sighed somewhat helplessly, whispering, "Why does no one make things easy for me?"
"The eldest loves slaughter, eager to conquer everything, even more belligerent than the second; the second needs no mention, doesn't seem too bright either. If he truly inherits Asgard's throne one day, who knows where he might lead Asgard…"
"And the third, always mischievous, albeit with a sharp mind, always scheming, and though Thor may not be the brightest, at least when wielding Mjolnir he can hold his own, unlike the third, who can't even surpass the three warriors of Valhalla, let alone Sif. Ah, my life is indeed hard!"
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