The Chitauri, led by their collaborator Loki, invaded Earth—only to be met with fierce resistance from the Avengers. At the same time, the elves of Alfheim, whose planet had been conquered by Thanos, sent their princess to Earth in hopes that she could begin a new life.
But the princess, whose personality clashed badly with reality, kept causing trouble. She had ambition, but lacked the ability to match it. Maybe that was why her parents sent her to Earth—to at least live as an ordinary girl.
Now she was in Spider-Man's arms. Watching him take down the Chitauri soldiers in just a few moves, she finally believed what Jason had been telling her all along—there really were powerful people on Earth.
"Hope you enjoyed the ride, lovely lady. Please collect your baggage and get ready to disembark." Spider-Man had spotted Liu A'dou from the air—his go-to love advisor. So he figured Liu A'dou could take care of the long-eared princess for now while he checked out the alien situation.
"Mr. Liu, please take care of this young lady."
But Liu A'dou thought, 'Then put her down already.' Yet the princess had her arms wrapped tightly around Spider-Man's neck and refused to let go.
"Uh…" Spider-Man was clearly stressed. Still, with the mask on, he didn't get shy. "Miss, we've landed. You can let go now."
Liu A'dou was confused. What was up with this girl?
Just then, Jason walked over and said something in a strange language. The girl finally loosened her grip on Spider-Man. Then she spoke to Jason in return.
Liu A'dou and Spider-Man exchanged looks. Yep, definitely aliens.
Jason said, "Princess, allow me to thank this gentleman Spider-Man for saving your life."
"Wait, princess?"
"This is Her Royal Highness Princess Kailan Elwen of the Green Elves of Alfheim."
Spider-Man looked stunned. Then he quickly played along, bowing low in exaggerated respect like a nervous little servant. But the green elves had no such custom. The princess stared at him, clearly puzzled by his behavior.
Another Chitauri ship rumbled in the sky. Spider-Man turned, ready to attack—but the ship suddenly turned around and flew away. 'Cowards.' He muttered, "Lucky you're fast." But then it hit him—that ship was heading toward New York. "What's going on over there?" He pulled out his phone to call Aunt May, but the call didn't go through.
"The Chitauri are really invading New York. The city's probably already half-destroyed," Jason said.
But Liu A'dou replied, "New York's crawling with superheroes. These aliens don't stand a chance. But what about you two? You don't seem like you're with those aliens, but you're not from Earth either."
"No comment," Jason said. He only introduced the princess out of respect for Spider-Man. As for Liu A'dou—he didn't see the punch that stopped his speeding car, so he didn't think Liu A'dou was worth bothering with.
'Tch.' Liu A'dou cursed silently. 'Are these guys dumb? You see me standing here calm in front of aliens, and you don't think I'm someone special? No wonder you're getting chased across the sky.' Of course, Liu A'dou also underestimated the Chitauri. Anyone working under Thanos definitely wasn't weak. They weren't the same dumb cannon fodder from the movies.
From reinforcing the portal, to targeting comms and transportation, and even sending elite squads to delay the Avengers—every move showed that the Chitauri weren't just some thugs riding on Thanos' coattails. They were the real deal.
Think about it—how could anyone who crushes their cosmic competition be some run-of-the-mill nobody?
"Liu, what's going on?" Liu A'dou got a call from Pepper. She was worried something had happened to him.
"It's fine. But something might've gone wrong in New York. Don't say anything for now. Keep the crowd calm until the concert's over," Liu A'dou said.
"What happened in New York? Is it Tony again?" Pepper immediately assumed Tony had caused more trouble.
"It's an alien invasion, but don't worry. There aren't that many of them," Liu A'dou said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can handle it."
That was a lie, of course. But Liu A'dou couldn't just tell her the truth and cause panic. He looked over at the elf disguised as a human, chatting with the princess and glancing repeatedly toward the concert venue. That was all the proof he needed. Their appearance here wasn't a coincidence. Someone else important must be attending the concert, and that's what brought the aliens from New York. Liu A'dou guessed right again.
Suddenly, the princess said something to Jason that made his face change. Then he grabbed her and started to leave. Liu A'dou frowned. This couldn't be good.
"Excuse me, sir, could you explain what's going on? No need to rush. The invaders are gone. It's safe here for now."
"You don't understand anything." Typical arrogant alien attitude. Liu A'dou had just been looked down on again. "As long as the portal stays open, more Chitauri will keep coming. They've got cosmic flyers. They'll definitely come back." With that, he rushed toward the nearby parking lot, planning to find the car Ben had taken and get the princess to safety before returning for his nephew.
'Damn it,' Liu A'dou cursed under his breath. These aliens really were unreliable. Just ditching him like that? And Spider-Man left too without a word. What was it with these people?
But Liu A'dou couldn't leave. If more aliens showed up, he'd have to protect the ten thousand people at the concert. And seriously, wasn't he supposed to be a thief? Why did he keep ending up in these hero moments?
"Hey, babe, how's it going over there?" Liu A'dou used his small universe to contact Ada.
"Still digging," Ada said. "You know New York is under alien attack right now?"
It was all over the news. The reporters were doing their jobs, broadcasting live. Today, everyone in the country felt like a New Yorker.
"Yeah, I know. Thinking of heading over to test your skills?" Liu A'dou said. He actually thought Ada could use the workout.
"I just wanna see aliens up close," Ada laughed.
"If you gcho, be careful. Wear your Gold Cloth. I gotta stick around till this concert ends before heading back. Oh, and bring me a souvenir," Liu A'dou said. He wasn't worried at all. He had more faith in the Avengers than the Avengers had in themselves.
After hanging up, Ada stood at the edge of the giant pit she'd been digging for days. Covered in dust and bored out of her mind, she figured it was time for a little action. Her Gold Cloth had a helmet anyway—no one would recognize her. Time to cut loose.
Ada had always danced with danger. Telling her to sit still was like killing her spirit. So the moment Liu A'dou gave the word, she took off for New York. The Gold Saint was ready for battle.