Chapter 127: Barbecue
"Mmm..." Everyone remained silent.
Peter quietly pulled down his mask, covering his mouth. Little Black managed to eat a few bites to be polite.
Silas leaned back in his chair and said with a thought, "Let me treat you all to some good barbecue instead."
Five Shadowkhan ninjas quickly appeared next to the dining table, clearing away the bad barbecue and other food. They rushed to the kitchen and returned shortly, serving ten plates of deliciously fragrant grilled meat.
"I believe this is going to be good," Tony said, picking up his knife and fork, eager to try it after smelling the aroma.
Thor sat up straight. "I think so too."
Soon after the food was placed, and before the Avengers could start eating, the Shadowkhan brought juice and red wine.
"How much did you pay for these servants?" Tony asked, cutting a piece of meat. He put the barbecue in his mouth. Mmm~ Delicious.
"They cost nothing. They submit to strength," Silas said, seizing the moment to show off.
Tony raised an eyebrow, nudging Banner beside him. "Hey, Doc, quickly call out the Green Guy."
"Come on, Tony. If the Hulk were called out, there wouldn't be any food left for us," Natasha chuckled.
Smash!
Thor smashed a glass. "Delicious! More!"
"Is that a custom where you're from?" Barton asked.
"Yes," Thor replied.
Tony picked up a wine bottle. "You should be fine drinking straight from the bottle."
Thor took the wine bottle from Tony and started drinking. He occasionally asked Loki, who was in the backpack, "Loki, want some?"
"Meow~" Loki refused.
"Ha~ I knew you wanted a drink," Thor said, opening the cat's mouth and sticking the wine bottle neck into Loki's mouth, forcing him to drink. Loki strongly resisted Thor, trying to break free from his grip, but he couldn't.
"Are you sure he said he wants to drink?" Rhodey asked, seeing Loki's resistance.
"Of course," Thor said, holding Loki by the scruff of his neck. "After all these years as brothers, wouldn't I know what Loki is thinking?"
"Meow! Meow! (Idiot! Let go of me!)" Loki shouted.
Rhodey looked at Thor. Thor translated, "He's complimenting me and saying he wants more to drink."
"Meow! Meow! Meow! (Stupid brute, who wants more to drink!)" Loki realized he had no common language with that idiot, Thor.
"See! He's complimenting me," Thor said happily.
Rhodey frowned at Thor. "I'll bet the barbecue on this plate that he's definitely not saying that."
"Who knows," Tony said.
Half an hour later
"Ugh~" Thor burped, rubbing his stomach with his left hand while petting Loki with his right.
Dr. Banner sat alone in a corner, quietly eating his barbecue. Peter was constantly trying to strike up a conversation with Banner. "How did you turn into the green guy?" "Why don't your pants tear? That's so cool. I want to make a suit out of that material."
Rhodey was called back by his commanding officer after only a few bites. Natasha was preparing to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. with Thor to handle Loki. Tony was on the phone with Pepper, who was away on a business trip, assuring her that he was truly fine and his previous call was just a joke. Steve was enjoying the barbecue heartily. Silas ate a small portion and then took his share home. Fortunately, the war hadn't spread to Queens.
Silas's Room
"That barbecue was absolutely delicious," Peter said, making the compliment the first thing he did when he got home and entered Silas's room.
Silas smiled. "Of course. Who do you think made it?"
"These guys in black are so cool," Peter said, very envious of the ability to summon them.
"What's in your bag?" Silas noticed Peter holding a bulging red bag that seemed to contain clothes.
"This?" Peter held up the bag. "These are the Hulk's pants. I stole them back when he transformed back into Dr. Banner."
"..." Silas was speechless. "Why did you take those?"
"The Hulk's entire body was ripped except for his pants. They must be made of extraordinary material. Since he was done using them, I took them back to study," Peter said, already imagining what his new material suit would look like.
"..." Silas wanted to say that the pants would be useless if the Hulk wasn't wearing them.
The Next Morning
Thor was carrying the green cat backpack containing Loki, who hadn't transformed back yet. Mjolnir was hanging from Thor's belt. The cat backpack was made of specialized material, so Loki couldn't escape. Most importantly, a chain was tied to Loki's foot, and the other end was connected to the hammer.
Thor held the device containing the Tesseract. Once the button was activated, he and Loki would be sent back to Asgard. The Avengers had gathered to see Thor off, along with Peter, the little Spider who came to join the fun.
"Try not to let this reindeer cat cause any more trouble," Tony said, looking at Loki in the cat backpack.
Loki cried out in protest: "Meow! Meow!"
"Alright, I know, Loki. You're eager to return to Asgard," Thor said, turning to smile. He thought Loki was impatient to go home.
"Based on his expression, I'm pretty sure that's not what he's saying," Natasha said, staring at Loki's furious face.
"I brought cat food. I heard cats like this," Banner said, hanging the cat food on the backpack.
Thor thanked him on Loki's behalf. "Thank you. I'm sure he'll enjoy it."
"And this! I found it in Mr. Stark's tower," Peter hastily pulled a pink hat out of his coat. Loki saw the hat through the cat backpack, and his face instantly darkened. He hated that hat.
"Haha! Thank you so much! I thought I had lost it," Thor said, taking the hat and hanging it on the backpack.
Steve rode up slowly on his motorcycle. "Goodbye."
"Yes." Thor pressed the device handle and twisted it. The Tesseract burst into a flash of light. Whoosh! In a flash, Thor and Loki were gone.
"He's gone," Tony said, leaving with Banner.
Steve glanced at Natasha, pulled out a helmet, and said, "Want a ride?"
"Of course." Natasha took the helmet, put it on, and sat on the motorcycle.
Vroom! Vroom!~
Steve left with Natasha, leaving only Barton behind.
"Looks like I'll be flying alone," Barton shrugged, turning back to his plane.
"Then I should go too!" Peter shot a web and quickly left the area.
With this, the Avengers dispersed, unsure when they would meet again.
The Shadow Realm
"Begin the experiment." Little Black put on a wrist-mounted sensor. Black armor surrounded him. At Little Black's command, the armor slowly moved, and then—
Bang!
The armor's momentum was too heavy, and it instantly crashed into Little Black, turning him into a cloud of black smoke. Big Black, seeing this from the side, snickered to himself.
"Looks like I need to use someone else for the experiment," Little Black instantly revived. This was a privilege Silas had given him: the moment Little Black died, Silas would be alerted and immediately resurrect him. Big Black noticed Little Black's gaze turning towards him, and it didn't look good.
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