But since he had casually agreed earlier, Tao Yu didn’t mind coming over to take a look.
It was a good chance to check on the research progress of the Cosmic Cube.
Right now, Eagle Eye was completely out of sight—he must have gone off with Eric and the others who were working on the Cube.
"One thing: Steve’s recovery speed has plateaued at this point, and I was hoping you could see if there’s anything that can be done. Moreover, he’s now starting to have some psychological issues..."
Fury, in fact, just wanted to seize the opportunity to spend more time with Tao Yu and instill his own philosophies into him.
Although, Steve himself did have some real problems now.
After all, he’s just a mere mortal. Being frozen for so long, Captain America couldn’t compare to his peak state anymore.
Additionally, he couldn’t seem to adapt to society at the moment.
"Why not hand him over to me? I’ll take him to experience cutting-edge technology, and let Tony show him some extravagant nightlife. Trust me, he’ll quickly fit into this era."
Tao Yu patted Fury on the shoulder.
"As for the minor issues with his body, I can handle those."
While speaking, Tao Yu looked towards Steve.
"Come, extend your hand."
After Steve extended his hand, Tao Yu grasped it and infused a gentle stream of life energy into his body, carefully smoothing out the accumulations left by years of being frozen.
This pure life energy treatment had an instant and remarkable effect, which caused Steve’s face to subtly twist into an awkward expression of pleasure.
After a moment of reacquiring his senses, he twisted his arm in surprise and said,
"Oh, this is incredible! What... what is this? I feel like I’m so behind the times."
Steve was a little unsure and worried it might involve some advanced technology he’d never heard of.
"You can think of it as magic."
Tao Yu didn’t bother to veil the truth, then turned back to Fury and said,
"Well, are you going to hand him over to me?"
"Oh, I think I’ll figure it out on my own. I’ll find him a psychologist."
To Fury, Captain America was a prized asset—a rare answer to other supernatural abilities he needed to counter.
Although Fury still had Captain Marvel’s communicator, it was clear he couldn’t use that recklessly.
Just as Fury was preparing to chat further with Tao Yu, Tao Yu’s next statement made Fury freeze in place.
"So, how’s the research on the Cosmic Cube going?"
Fury’s face showed a carefully crafted look of cluelessness.
This naturally made Tao Yu chuckle.
"I’ve already mentioned it; you don’t actually think I don’t know, do you? It’s a treasure that was left on Earth by Asgard years ago but was accidentally claimed by Red Skull first."
Tao Yu’s words made Fury immediately respond,
"Oh, that’s not going to happen. Asgard might be powerful, but they can’t use just any reason to demand that we hand over something representing eternal energy."
Fury tried to sound firm.
He truly hadn’t expected that the Cube was something left behind by Asgard!
And given Asgard’s unpredictable ability to descend via the Rainbow Bridge, it admittedly gave him a headache.
"I’m not a representative of Asgard, so you don’t have to explain anything to me. Hogan might not even know."
Fury’s eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this and quickly said,
"Oh, my friend, Master Jack, you’re also standing on Earth’s side, aren’t you? So this absolutely has to stay on Earth."
"I agree with that, but who gets to keep it—that’s something we’ll have to negotiate further. I don’t think you can protect it properly. The secrets tied to the Cosmic Cube will attract a lot of attention."
Tao Yu’s expression was casual, as if he didn’t care much.
"I believe I can protect it."
"Alright then, let’s keep it with you for now. If anything goes wrong, I’ll retrieve it immediately. You know my job is to prevent dimensional Demon Gods from invading, and the Cosmic Cube happens to be capable of that."
Tao Yu didn’t intend to argue with Fury, but with a faintly meaningful smile, he said,
"Besides, sooner or later your research is bound to attract... something."
Elsewhere, on a meteorite surrounded by an asteroid belt, sat a towering, muscular figure with purple skin on a giant throne.
Loki was respectfully kneeling behind him.
Thanos gazed into the deep vastness of the starry sky, his eyes seemingly carrying a trace of concern.
After examining the Mind Scepter in his hand for a moment, he casually tossed it backward to Loki and said,
"It’s time for you to showcase your abilities. The Zirita army is temporarily under your command."
"Rest assured, my revered Lord Thanos, I will lead the Zirita troops to annihilate them completely!"
Loki’s eyes burned with intense flames.
Yet, there was an unspoken sentence that he kept to himself.
I’ll also make sure to drag out that Mage who hit me with a hammer and shove this Mind Scepter into his rear!