Johan had lost his composure and became anxious and furious. His face was flushed as he almost pointed at the screen and cursed. Everything he had just witnessed, it was simply too much. With a single wave of a hand, a living person instantly became a pile of blocks.
"How can anyone fight this?!"
The holographic projection continued to play while Johan's assistant hurried over to calm him down. Everyone else wore grim expressions.
Tonio's eyelids twitched violently. "It's the power of the Reality Stone. It can alter the rules of reality at will according to Thanos' wishes. It's far too powerful."
There was simply no way to resist it.
Darwin rubbed his head and sighed. "I thought it was just an illusion before but it's countless times stronger than any illusion. It directly rewrites reality. Every Infinity Stone is unimaginably powerful."
The Director already looked hopeless. Who could possibly counter such an ability? Could the Avengers really survive?
The audience was equally stunned.
"He obtained the Reality Stone!"
"He's too powerful! How can anyone fight him?"
"I don't even think he needs all six Infinity Stones. Just three are enough for him to dominate the universe."
"I still think that if the Ancient One, Odin, or even Hela were still alive, Thanos might not have dared to begin collecting the Infinity Stones."
"Are there really so many powerful beings in the universe?"
"And this is happening on Terra?"
"Quill and the others were terrible teammates. They were supposed to stop Thanos, yet they were completely defeated."
"When you're facing someone overwhelmingly stronger, there's nothing you can do without enough power."
While everyone on Terra was still in shock over the Reality Stone's terrifying power, the recorded footage continued.
Drax's body remained scattered into countless blocks while Quill and Mantis, hiding behind the wall, stared in disbelief.
Thanos didn't stop as he turned the gauntlet toward Mantis. In an instant, she transformed into a paper-cut figure. She bounced lightly into the air, then crumpled onto the ground.
Everyone watching held their breath.
Quill couldn't endure it any longer. He stepped out from behind the stone pillar, raised his blaster at Thanos, and shouted angrily, "Let her go, Grimace!"
Hearing this, Thanos tilted his head while Gamora, who was being held captive, cried out, "Peter."
Quill replied, "I told you to go right."
Gamora answered, "Now? Really?"
Quill raised his voice. "You let her go!"
Thanos smiled faintly, his tone carrying a strange amusement. "Ah, the boyfriend."
Quill grimaced. "No. Like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing, long-term booty call. Let her go."
Gamora looked at Quill, her heart aching. "Peter."
But Quill continued provoking Thanos. "I'm gonna blow that nutsack of a chin right off your face."
Gamora stared at Quill and said firmly, "Not him."
Quill froze. He remembered the promise Gamora had once made him, and their eyes met. Gamora looked at him with pleading eyes while Quill's expression stiffened and tears gradually welled up.
Gamora struggled desperately. "You promised. You promised."
The audience watched anxiously.
"Gamora is trying to make Quill kill her."
"She doesn't want Thanos learning the Stone's location."
"But Quill loves Gamora. How could he possibly kill her?"
"Precisely because he loves her, he'll do it. He'll honor her wish."
"This is heartbreaking! Thanos really is a monster."
"Quill's insults are hilarious though."
"What a legend."
"By the way, why didn't Thanos kill Thor earlier?"
"Gamora's life is nothing but tragedy."
"If I were Quill, I couldn't do it."
"Wait... Quill's actually preparing to shoot."
"There's no escaping this...
"...Huh?!
"What the...?!
"A bubble gun?!"
"Damn it! It's the Reality Stone! Thanos changed the gun!"
Quill looked at Gamora's sorrowful expression. Suppressing the grief in his heart, he aimed his weapon at her. He had to kill Gamora. Otherwise, once Thanos learned the secret, an even greater catastrophe would follow.
Thanos calmly observed everything. "Oh, daughter. You expect too much from him. She's asked, hasn't she?"
"Do it." He looked at Quill mockingly.
Quill glanced at Thanos, then back at Gamora. He still couldn't pull the trigger. He simply couldn't bear it.
"Mmm." Then Thanos casually shoved Gamora toward him, pressing her against the gun barrel. "Do it!"
Quill's eyes overflowed with tears as his mind was in complete chaos. "I told you to go right."
He wasn't really speaking to Gamora; he was trying to suppress the unbearable pain.
Gamora looked into his eyes. "I love you more than anything."
Quill's lips trembled. "I love you too."
He forced himself to bury the agony. Grinding his teeth, he pulled the trigger while Gamora quietly accepted death.
But in the next instant, the expected gunshot never came. Instead, a stream of colorful bubbles floated from the muzzle, accompanied by cheerful popping sounds.
Quill's face instantly changed as the blaster in his hand dissolved into bubbles before disappearing completely. He stared in disbelief.
"A bubble gun?!"
"The Reality Stone... it changed the weapon!"
"Did you all notice? Quill is a true hero! He was willing to kill the woman he loved to save the universe!"
"That's incredible..."
"It's over..."
"Gamora didn't die."
"Now Thanos will learn where the Soul Stone is."
"Damn..."
"This is unbearable."
"We're watching Thanos gather the Infinity Stones one after another, knowing he'll eventually wipe out half of all life with a snap."
"A bubble gun? Seriously?"
"Thanos really is terrifying."
"Gamora... I respect you."
"She's truly incredible."
Everyone was stunned.
Thanos looked at Quill and smiled faintly. "I like him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Space Stone on the gauntlet rippled. A spatial vortex opened behind him, instantly swallowing both him and Gamora.
On the ground, Drax's body gradually reassembled, and the paper-thin tentacled woman slowly returned to normal. Quill silently picked up the broken sword lying on the ground; it was Gamora's weapon.
Everything around him had been reduced to ruins.
Viewers watched all this with an inexplicable mood.
Inside the Administration.
The Director pulled a blackboard and recorded above: Thanos Infinite Stone Acquisition Progress
The first: Power Stone, function unknown; obtained.
The second: Space Stone, allows free spatial teleportation; obtained.
The third: Reality Stone, can alter reality and temporarily ignore the laws of nature; obtained.
The fourth: Time Stone, capable of manipulating an area's time, including stopping and reversing it; will be obtained soon.
The fifth: Soul Stone, function unknown; repelled.
The sixth: Mind Stone, function unknown; will be obtained soon.
He looked at the Stones on the blackboard with a dull expression. All the connected experts were extremely depressed. At present, all clues regarding the Stones... were in Thanos' hands. Except for the Stone on Vision's forehead, which was temporarily protected, the other Stones all seemed destined to fall into Thanos' hands soon.
Johan suddenly said, "Maybe Thor's new weapon really can do what he claimed."
At this point, this was the only hope they could place on the information they already knew.
Tonio shook his head with a bitter smile. "Unfortunately, Tony's Nano Armor doesn't seem to perform very well in this kind of combat environment."
Hawking instead said, "We haven't seen the Nano Armor's true capabilities yet, so I'm very optimistic about the combat power it can unleash. Because it has limitless potential."
Everyone's hearts stirred, but their mood did not improve.
At the Apollo Research Center.
Eliott frowned as he looked at a nearby computer. It was the Observer system he used to prevent connection failures. However, there had just seemed to be a slight, unexpected fluctuation.
"Strange... Did I see it wrong?" He checked the source code again, but there wasn't a single difference from the original.
Rubbing his eyes, he continued focusing on the connection between the Network and Apollo. The synchronization progress had reached 55%, so it should not take much longer before the connection was fully established.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he turned his attention back to the broadcast.
The captured images switched one after another.
On Earth.
At the location of the new Avengers base, Falcon and the others quickly landed their aircraft. Inside the conference room, several government officials were holding a meeting through holographic projection while Rhodey sat quietly at the side with a lonely expression.
The official leader asked, "Still no word from Vision?"
Rhodey replied calmly, "Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh."
On the holographic screen, the officials continued discussing. "On a stolen Quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals."
Rhodey stood up immediately. "You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?"
The official leader looked at the file in his hand. "My God, Rhodes. Your talent for horseshit rivals my own."
Rhodey replied angrily, "If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here."
The official leader stood up. Looking directly at Rhodey through the holographic screen, he said, "I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel."
Rhodey nodded. "That's right. And I'm pretty sure I paid for that."
He had fallen from the sky before, and both of his legs had been severely injured. Now he relied on external support equipment. Without it, he couldn't even stand.
The official leader asked, "You have second thoughts?"
Rhodey shook his head. "Not anymore."
Just then, the door emitted a series of beeps, and both men turned.
Rogers walked in with the others. He greeted the official leader displayed on the holographic screen. "Mr. Secretary."
The official leader looked at them in disbelief. "You got some nerve. I'll give you that."
Black Widow said calmly, "You could use some of that right now."
The official leader frowned. "The world's on fire. And you think all is forgiven?"
Rogers looked directly at the holographic projection. "I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking permission."
He continued calmly, "Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight."
Rogers walked down the steps. "And if you wanna stand in our way... we'll fight you too."
The leader turned toward Rhodey. "Arrest them."
Rhodey curled his lips into a grin and nodded. "All over it."
As he spoke, he reached out and shut off the holographic projection.
The audience immediately exploded with comments.
"The officials back then really weren't very competent."
"Yeah. Earth is literally being invaded by aliens, and they're still trying to arrest people."
"They should have united to fight together."
"Black Widow's hairstyle is amazing. And of course, her figure is still the best!"
"Captain Rogers is even more handsome than before."
"I almost cried when I saw the Avengers base again."
"Yeah, I still remember everyone trying to lift Thor's hammer there."
"By the way, didn't Rogers move Thor's hammer before?"
"He only budged it a little. He didn't actually lift it!"
"Haha! I still remember Thor's confused expression. It was hilarious."
"Now that they're back, everything is different."
"Two years... sigh."
"But why are Rogers and the others here?"
"That's a court-martial." After shutting off the holographic projection, Rhodey looked at Rogers and smiled. "It's great to see you, Cap."
He stepped forward and gave Rogers a firm hug. "You too, Rhodey."
"Hey." Rhodey looked at everyone. "Wow. You guys... really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years."
Falcon supported Vision and replied, "Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five-star."
Suddenly, Banner walked out from behind. "Uh, I think you look great."
He looked at everyone somewhat awkwardly, then smiled. "Uh... Yeah, I'm back."
When Black Widow saw Banner, her expression froze. Then she smiled with surprise. "Hi, Bruce."
Banner folded his arms, remaining where he stood. "Nat."
Falcon quietly whispered from behind, "This is awkward."
Some viewers laughed.
"It's really embarrassing. Banner had feelings for Black Widow before."
"This is their first meeting after many years. I bet they have all kinds of emotions running through their hearts."
"To be honest, when I came home for New Year this year and met my ex-boyfriend, neither of us even knew what to say. We just sat there in awkward silence for a while."
"Falcon is hilarious."
"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter."
"It feels like after a few years, everyone has aged a lot."
"Yeah, Banner even has gray hair now."
"That's a good start. The Avengers are getting back together."
Inside the conference room, everyone rested for a while before discussing Thanos. Rhodey rested his chin on his hand and asked, "So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?"
"And they can clearly find us," Wanda replied.
Banner suddenly said, "We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"
Black Widow crossed her arms and replied, "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."
Banner asked in surprise, "Who's Scott?"
Rogers stood with his hands on his hips. "Ant-Man."
Banner exclaimed, "There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?"
Rhodey nodded.
Banner thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe... and he is not gonna stop until he gets..."
Banner suddenly paused, and his eyes shifted toward Vision. "Vision's stone."
Black Widow immediately said, "Then we have to protect it."
Vision leaned against the wall, gazing out the window. Calmly, he said, "No, we have to destroy it."
Everyone immediately looked at him in confusion while Vision clutched the wound on his abdomen and pointed to the stone embedded in his forehead. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also its composition."
Vision continued firmly, "I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source... something very similar to its own signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail."
As he spoke, Vision slowly walked toward Wanda and looked directly into her eyes.
Wanda replied heavily, "Yeah, and you with it. We're not having this conversation."
Vision shook his head. "Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it."
Tears welled up in Wanda's eyes. "That's too high a price."
Vision gently wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. "Only you have the power to pay it."
Hearing those words, Wanda's tears flowed uncontrollably. Nearby, Rogers and the others lowered their heads with sighs.
The atmosphere from the broadcast became heavy. No one expected Vision's gem to become such a heartbreaking dilemma. Wanda truly loved Vision. The two had crossed every boundary to be together. Not long ago, even while facing overwhelming enemies... they never abandoned one another. Never. But now...
"The pain of asking the person you love to kill you with their own hands..."
"What incredible resolve..."
"This is too much!"
"Gamora and Vision both made the same choice."
"They were both willing to sacrifice themselves to stop Thanos from obtaining the Infinity Stones."
"But... asking the one who loves you the most to do it... who could bear that?"
"Even if you destroy the Mind Stone, it won't matter. Strange's Time Stone has already been taken. Thanos can simply restore it."
"Then destroy the Time Stone first!"
"But what if Dormammu destroys the Time Stone?"
"It's heartbreaking... How much courage does it take to say something like that?"
"I'm crying!"
Inside the Administration.
The Director watched the heartbreaking scene in silence, and he was thinking about something. Back when Tony carried the nuclear missile into space... he had begun planning a Hall of Heroes. Originally, only Tony had been considered. But now... Watching Earth's heroes stand against Thanos' invasion... Watching these admirable people willingly sacrifice themselves... Just to secure even the slightest chance of victory... He began considering expanding the Hall of Heroes.
"They all deserve our respect, and they deserve to be remembered." Deep in thought, the Director did not announce the idea as it remained only a concept. Many details still needed to be worked out.
Johan sighed. "If there is no Mind Stone... there is no Vision. If the Infinity Stone is truly destroyed... Vision will die. This spirit of sacrificing oneself for justice... This determination to save countless others... Just like Tony... is exactly what the citizens of Terra lack today."
Everyone nodded. It wasn't self-deprecation. The Federation of Terra had enjoyed peace for too long, so too few people had experienced true hardship. Many had forgotten... That sometimes... Sacrifice is necessary. That was precisely why this scene affected the audience so deeply.
Odom frowned. "Is there really no other way? If someone truly has to die to stop Thanos... Isn't that too cruel?"
Xiaotian sneered. "The Infinity Stone is one of the foundations of the universe's greatest power. Keeping it inside Vision serves little purpose. Destroying it before Thanos can collect them all... is Vision's greatest contribution. I believe he would die without regret."
Tonio sighed. "That's true. People aren't emotionless. How could Wanda possibly do it? Even we can barely bear watching it."
The screen switched back.
Everyone in the conference room had fallen silent; only Wanda's eyes remained red with tears. Vision continued trying to persuade her. "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."
"But it should." Rogers calmly replied, "We don't trade lives, Vision."
Vision looked at Rogers. "Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life... to save how many millions of people? Tell me, why is this any different?"
Before Rogers could answer, Dr. Banner, who had been deep in thought, suddenly spoke. "Because you might have a choice."
Hearing that, the viewers watching froze, then joy quickly spread through the audience. No one wanted to see Vision die. No one wanted Wanda to endure the agony of killing the person she loved. If Banner truly had another solution... nothing could be better.
Banner stepped toward Vision. "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another."
Wanda hurriedly asked, "You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?"
Banner nodded. "I'm saying that if we take out the stone... there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts."
Black Widow asked in surprise, "Can we do that?"
Banner thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not me, not here."
Rhodey immediately said, "Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."
Rogers' expression changed slightly, and he looked up at everyone. "I know somewhere."
The audience immediately became excited.
"What Banner just said was so complicated."
"Well, it is an Infinity Stone. Separating it from Vision can't be easy."
"Rogers knows a place? Where?"
"At least Vision still has a chance to survive."
"Yeah, that's great news."
"Come on, show us where!"
The screen shifted.
A gigantic panther statue came into view.