"Grand Commander? Universal Demolition Office?"
Thanos repeated these two terms that were incredibly foreign to him.
As an overlord who traversed the Universe, he had heard countless titles.
Leader of the Black Order, Mad Titan, Lover of Death...
But this 'Director of Universal Demolition Office' sounded so... cheap?
And that Frieza Force.
Could it be some kind of emerging cosmic mercenary organization?
"You don't understand?" Frieza looked at Thanos's unworldly expression, a graceful smile forming on his lips.
He extended a finger and gently shook it. "The current you is like a frog that just crawled out of a well. It's normal not to comprehend the vastness of the sky but it's okay."
Frieza clasped his hands behind his back, pacing on the cracked deck. "Once you join our big family and become a glorious employee of the Frieza Force, there will naturally be dedicated personnel to train you for the job."
At this point, Frieza stopped. He turned around, and revealed that uniquely capitalist, hypocritical yet 'sincere' smile.
"Don't worry, Thanos. I am a renowned good boss, and the most benevolent emperor in this Universe."
"I have always been outrageously generous to my subordinates."
Frieza patted his chest, his white suit particularly dazzling in the dim hall.
"Even..."
Frieza leaned in closer, his crimson eyes glinting with temptation.
"Follow me, and there's another benefit you can't refuse."
"After all, we're doing legitimate business in Universal real estate."
"Your future task, leading the team, will be to clear out those 'stubborn households' and reclaim the land for me."
"Trust me."
Frieza raised five slender fingers.
"Any planet your team conquers, I can give you five percent."
"That is to say, if you conquer a hundred planets, I will mercifully bestow upon you the right to use five planets."
"Whether you want to sell these five planets, grow potatoes on them yourself, or use them for retirement, I won't interfere."
"How about it?"
Frieza tilted his head, his smile growing brighter.
"Isn't this offer very tempting? Isn't it making your cold Titan heart start to pound?"
Thanos fell silent.
He looked at the eloquent blond man before him. Though still wary, he had to admit that this proposal held a strange appeal.
To own his own planets?
No longer killing for the sake of killing, but for assets?
But he quickly shook his head, the confusion in his eyes replaced by resolve.
"No."
Thanos's voice was deep, carrying the stubbornness of a martyr.
"You misunderstand, powerful one. My goal has never been territory, nor wealth. Those are merely fleeting illusions to me."
Thanos raised his head, a fervent flame burning in his eyes. "What I desire is the balance of the Universe."
"The resources of this Universe are finite, while life expands infinitely. If not curbed, everyone will eventually face extinction."
"What I must do is eliminate half of all life in the Universe. Randomly, fairly, regardless of status."
"Only then can the remaining half continue to exist in this Universe, in an environment with sufficient resources."
Thanos finished his grand aspiration in one breath, his chest heaving violently.
This was his destiny! His lifelong pursuit!
However, the expected shock did not appear.
"Pfft..."
Frieza seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the entire Universe. He first covered his mouth with a light chuckle, then his shoulders shook, and finally, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"Oh ho ho ho..."
"Hahahahaha!"
The laughter echoed in the empty hall, filled with undisguised mockery.
"What are you laughing at?" Thanos frowned, a surge of anger rising in his heart.
"I'm laughing at your stupidity."
Frieza wiped away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye, looking at Thanos with an expression as if he were looking at an imbecile.
"This is your lifelong pursuit?"
"Kill half the people, and the Universe will be balanced?"
"Oh dear, your muscles are well-trained, but has your brain turned to mush?" Frieza extended a finger and gently tapped his own temple.
"Have you ever considered a very simple elementary school math problem?"
"Even if you work tirelessly now, exhausting yourself to snap your fingers and eliminate half of all life."
"Then what?"
"With the astonishing reproductive speed of these lower beings..."
Frieza spread his hands, a look of playful mockery on his face.
"How long do you think it would take to restore the original population?"
"Fifty years? Or less than a hundred years?"
"You might just die, and they'll have already reproduced back."
"At that point, when resources are insufficient, do you kill half again?"
"Then what's the meaning of your so-called balance, your so-called salvation?"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Thanos's head with full force.
Thanos froze, his pupils trembling violently in his deep-set eyes.
He stood rooted to the spot, mouth slightly agape, wanting to retort, but found his throat clogged as if by a stone.
Reproduction... resurgence...
Yes.
Life's most tenacious instinct is to procreate.
He had always been immersed in the self-move of 'sacrificing half to save half'. But he had overlooked this most basic, simplest biological common sense.
If the fundamental problem of resource regeneration or the source of desire isn't addressed, mere slaughter would only delay extinction for a brief moment.
"My... my destiny..."
Thanos stumbled back two steps, his towering figure now appearing somewhat hunched.
In that instant, he seemed to have aged several millennia.
The belief that had supported him through countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood...
In the face of a few words from this blond man, it appeared pale and ridiculous.
"What? CPU burned out?"
Frieza chuckled inwardly, watching Thanos fall into self-doubt.
It was like explaining evolution to a charlatan who had believed in religion their whole life.
Cruel, but effective.
"Seeing how pitiful you are, I will show you a clear path."
Frieza adjusted his collar, resuming his lofty, emperor-like demeanor.
"Instead of engaging in such superficial slaughter, why not turn the entire Universe into our private property?"
"Unified management, unified distribution, mandatory resource allocation."
"As long as everyone becomes my slave, then how much they eat and use is simply a matter of my word, isn't it?"
"This is the true Eternal Order."
Thanos looked up, his gaze towards Frieza changed.
No longer hostility, nor confusion.
But a sudden realization, like seeing a lighthouse in the darkness.
Absolute dominion.
Absolute control.
Was this what this man meant by 'real estate'?
Although it sounded utterly capitalist, it was more feasible and more eternal than his simple killing plan.
"Haa..."
Thanos let out a long, heavy breath, casually tossing his double-edged sword aside.
He looked at Frieza, a bitter yet relieved smile appearing on his purple face. "It seems... I truly am a short-sighted madman."
Thanos slowly knelt on one knee, his proud head finally bowing. "Since my path to balance is unworkable, I am willing to serve you and offer my loyalty to the grand ambitions of the Frieza Force."
Looking at the kneeling cosmic overlord, Frieza's smile almost stretched to his ears.
This is what you call convincing someone with reason!
"A very wise choice."
Frieza stepped forward and patted Thanos's smooth purple head as if petting a dog.