However, this back-and-forth still affected his father's magical progress. Once, a rash Chitauri soldier on a flying vehicle crashed directly into his father's antique shop, and by sheer bad luck, into his father's study.
If it weren't for his father's swift reaction and Tru's timely intervention to subdue the soldier, the uncontrolled magic would have leveled the entire antique shop and several surrounding buildings.
Though stability was restored, the replica's progress was greatly delayed. Fortunately, after days of sleepless effort, his father finally succeeded in replicating the Eye of Horus to perfection.
"Alright, Tru, bring me the Eye of Horus."
"Yes, sir."
Tru went to the bookshelf, retrieved a small box from the third shelf, and opened it, revealing the Eye of Horus.
This entire operation left Phil Coulson, who was watching from the doorway, dumbfounded.
This was the Eye of Horus, a legendary weapon capable of instantly destroying a city, openly displayed in such a conspicuous place.
His father took out the replica he had made, held it, chanted an incantation, and poured a potion onto both eyes.
Under the potion's effect, the real Eye of Horus emanated immense heat, causing the study's temperature to skyrocket.
The visible effect was that both his father and Tru's skin turned red, like boiled crabs.
Fortunately, they were prepared.
Tru took out two bottles of pre-prepared potion, poured one on himself and the other on his father.
The potion quickly took effect, forming a thin film that enveloped them, blocking all the heat from the Eye of Horus. Their body temperatures soon returned to normal.
However, Chen Long and Phil Coulson outside the study were not so lucky. The entire antique shop's temperature became like a sauna on a hot summer day, and it continued to rise. Phil Coulson, who was peeking through the doorway, was hit by a wave of heat, almost fainting.
Fortunately, Chen Long reacted quickly, dragging the semi-conscious Phil Coulson out of the antique shop and across the street. He doused Phil Coulson's face with three bottles of ice water, which finally woke him up.
Phil Coulson, groggily waking up, touched his pounding head and looked around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
But Phil Coulson quickly regained his senses and grabbed Chen Long's arm, asking, "How is it? Did you get it out?"
Chen Long shook his head and pointed to the antique shop across the street, saying, "It's still ongoing."
Following Chen Long's gaze, Phil Coulson's spirits sank.
The antique shop had transformed into a heat source, radiating heat outwards. Even from a distance, one could feel the waves of heat. Looking from afar, the entire shop seemed to shimmer and distort slightly.
If this continued, a fire was inevitable.
As a precaution, Phil Coulson made a call, summoning two fire trucks to stand by.
As expected, soon a burning, scorched smell emanated from the antique shop. Through the windows, small flames could be seen.
The fire department didn't dare to delay. They evacuated the onlookers, then broke a window and aimed their water cannons at the flames inside.
However, everyone had underestimated the terrifying temperature released by the Eye of Horus. The extreme heat could no longer be controlled by water cannons.
The high-pressure water streams were vaporized by the surrounding heat before they could even enter the antique shop. Even more terrifying, the steam produced further fueled the flames inside.
But this situation didn't last long.
Chen Long waved his hand in front of him and said, "Do you feel cooler?"
Phil Coulson hadn't noticed at first, but after Chen Long's reminder, he paid attention and realized it had indeed become much cooler.
"It seems Dad's magic is complete."
When the temperature returned to normal, the two re-entered the antique shop. Pushing open the door, they found obvious signs of scorching. Many valuable antiques had suffered varying degrees of damage.
They continued inside and pushed open the burned-out study door. As soon as they entered, they sensed something was wrong. Compared to the outside, the study was remarkably well-preserved. There were no signs of a fire, and the books on the shelves were the same. Apart from the high temperature in the room, it was no different from usual.
Phil Coulson also noticed this, but at this moment, he didn't have time to dwell on such trivial matters. He was only concerned about whether the replica of the Eye of Horus was finished and when he could take the real Eye of Horus back to report.
His father, of course, saw through Phil Coulson's intentions. He gave Tru a look. Understanding, Tru raised his hands, opening them to reveal a brocade box in each hand. Both boxes contained identical Eyes of Horus. At least, to Phil Coulson's eyes, they were indistinguishable.
Only when Tru revealed the answer did the truth become clear.
But as Phil Coulson reached out to take the real Eye of Horus, Tru stopped him, quickly closing the box.
"What do you mean by this?"
He then looked at his father and said, "Sir, I hope you haven't forgotten your promise to our director."
His father didn't answer. He walked slowly to Phil Coulson and, before the latter could speak, flicked his forehead.
"Dad hasn't forgotten, of course."
"And there's one more thing. Our agreement was to give you the Eye of Horus after we rescued Xiao Yu. It's not time yet."
"Also, hurry up and contact the Holy Lord to rescue Xiao Yu safely. Then you can get the Eye of Horus sooner."
"I know that, of course."
Phil Coulson said no more and turned to leave the study. He found a room and took out a satellite phone to contact Nick Fury.
The high command of the military was very efficient in certain aspects. As soon as the Battle of New York ended, Nick Fury's position as director was reinstated.
Nick Fury received Phil Coulson's call just as he was coming out of confinement.
The Tesseract had been stolen by a mysterious individual, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had no clue about the perpetrator's identity. Hearing Phil Coulson's report, he finally received some good news.
Nick Fury acted decisively and immediately dispatched personnel to escort Chen Long's family to the Helicarrier. After all, the transaction was with the Holy Lord, and utmost caution was required. To this end, Nick Fury summoned many senior agents and experts from S.H.I.E.L.D., putting aside their heavy workloads to discuss the matter together.
Two hours later, when Chen Long's family arrived on the Helicarrier and met Nick Fury, before Chen Long could speak, Nick Fury handed him a thick stack of A4 papers.
"What is this?"
Nick Fury stated directly, "This is a strategic plan formulated by our S.H.I.E.L.D. experts before your arrival."