The trucks driven out by the agents were created by Su Ye using the Reality Stone. Their design and functionality were inspired by the MCV (Mobile Construction Vehicle) from Red Alert—essentially, a mobile base that can move on its own.
When deployed, each base covered tens of thousands of square kilometers, standing four or five stories tall. The entire structure was metallic, its surface reflecting a metallic sheen, giving off an immediate sense of security.
As the base vehicles unfolded, tanks rumbled out from within. The agents, clad in exoskeleton armor and wielding energy weapons of distinct designs, stood ready, eyes fixed on the sky.
In the sky, countless meteor showers spread out like scattered flowers, splitting into more than thirty groups before crashing into the cities where the base vehicles were located.
Only then did everyone realize—it was not a meteor shower at all, but massive, hundred-meter-tall black pyramid-shaped landing pods.
As these landing pods settled, their side doors burst open, and an overwhelming number of alien creatures charged out.
Among them were the familiar Chitauri soldiers and their Leviathan transport beasts. But in addition, there were entirely new types of alien warriors never seen before.
Most of them resembled hairless hyenas, with mouths full of densely packed, abyssal fangs. Their eyes were indiscernible, but their ferocity was unmistakable.
These were the Vanguard Guards—Thanos' feral war hounds, bred for galactic conquest. More aggressive, more brutal, and more vicious than the Chitauri, they had nothing in their minds but attack and slaughter.
Beyond them, there were also massive, towering creatures over ten meters tall, resembling Behemoth-class monsters.
The moment these aliens landed, the buildings around them crumbled like paper, instantly reduced to rubble.
Led by the Vanguard Guards, all the alien creatures began a frenzied charge toward the agents' base.
Su Ye used the Reality Stone to imbue the base vehicles with energy signatures similar to the Infinity Stones. In Thanos' scanners, each of these bases could potentially contain an Infinity Stone.
As a result, every base vehicle became a primary target for Thanos' forces.
Better to kill wrongly than to let one escape!
Many citizens hadn't even grasped the situation before nearly half the city was already leveled by Thanos' army.
The same scenario was unfolding simultaneously in thirty cities across the United States.
The top thirty cities in the U.S., apart from New York, which had already been destroyed, and Los Angeles, which was being used as the Red Shield Bureau's headquarters, were all targeted by the alien invasion—including Washington, D.C.
As Thanos' army commenced its assault, Sanctuary II, which hovered outside the atmosphere, began providing support with its ship-mounted cannons.
These space-based shipborne laser cannons were, for terrestrial nations, an absolute case of overwhelming force.
In Washington, emergency countermeasures were activated, deploying aircraft and surface-to-air missiles in an attempt to attack Sanctuary II.
Unfortunately, under the radar surveillance of Thanos' ship, these modern weapons—though top-tier by Earth's standards—were utterly outclassed, like children being effortlessly overpowered.
Before the aircraft could even take off, the airports were obliterated.
The same happened to the missile launch bases—whether launched or still in their silos, all were destroyed by the concentrated firepower of the ship's laser cannons.
Within moments, smoke and fire filled the skies. Explosions erupted across military bases throughout the U.S. The entire country was plunged into chaos, filled with the sounds of destruction, screams, and desperate cries for help.
This day felt like a historical cycle repeating itself from centuries past.
Aliens wielding advanced technology bombarded the defenses of the so-called "native Americans," ruthlessly attacking their land and taking whatever they wanted.
Those who once considered themselves superior among Earth's people—akin to the so-called "Heavenly Dragon People"—now fell like mere weeds under the onslaught, much like how the Native Americans had nearly been wiped out centuries ago.
Karma is a cycle—who can escape the wrath of heaven?
Yet, the destruction of the natives was merely a side effect of the real objective of Thanos' army.
Their true targets were still the heavily fortified and nearly indestructible base vehicles.
Soon, Thanos' forces clashed with the Red Shield agents, and a brutal battle erupted.
Thanos' troops, who had slaughtered civilians like they were nothing, found themselves stopped dead in their tracks by the Red Shield agents, like a flood hitting a solid dam.
A fierce battle ensued.
The agents were few in number—just over 3,000 in total, spread across 30 cities, with only around a hundred per city.
In contrast, the pyramid landing pods had unleashed thousands upon thousands of Thanos' troops, making the agents seem vastly outnumbered.
However, the agents' superior equipment completely negated Thanos' numerical advantage.
The battle raged on with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Sanctuary II was unable to provide effective fire support, as the base vehicles carried traces of Infinity Stone energy. They dared not risk firing directly at them.
If they accidentally damaged an Infinity Stone, wouldn't their entire mission be for nothing?
On Sanctuary I, only Thanos remained. His elite Black Order and all his subordinates had already been deployed to Earth's battlefield.
Thanos held his massive twin-bladed sword, with the Soul Stone embedded in it, watching the battle unfold below. He frowned, deep in thought.
"Is this battle entertaining?"
A voice suddenly appeared beside him. Thanos turned his head and saw an unfamiliar Earthling standing right next to him.
"Who are you?"
Thanos was somewhat surprised but not alarmed.
Having roamed the universe for so many years, he had encountered countless powerful beings. There had been others who had managed to approach him undetected, but they were all dead now—while he remained standing.
Some of them had even been formidable warriors from advanced cosmic civilizations—yet they, too, had perished.
Thanos did not believe that Earth, a primitive civilization that had not yet ventured far into space, could possibly produce individuals powerful enough to pose a true threat to him.
Even if by sheer luck they had obtained a few Infinity Stones, it wouldn't make a difference.
"Me?" Su Ye scratched his head. "I guess you could say I'm Earth's guardian?"
"Ah, but saying it like that feels a bit embarrassing. I'm just a superhuman with slightly above-average abilities. 'Guardian,' 'hero'—those words feel a little undeserved, hahaha!"
"But people like to call me that anyway. Some are even planning to build a statue of me, as if I'm really that great."
"Honestly, I'd say it's unnecessary. Statues for living people are a bad idea—you never know when they might fall from grace, right?"
"Once someone falls from grace, it's like a crumbling wall—everyone will push it down. The moment you mess up, every embarrassing thing from your past will be dug up, and everything connected to you will suffer too."
"When Brother Qian got into trouble, people rushed overnight to the police station to change their names."
"Just recently, Li Tie's statue got torn down too."
"So, you get what I mean, right?"
"..."
Thanos was dumbfounded. In all his years traveling the universe, he had never met someone so shameless—let alone such a lunatic.
"Did I ask you for all this? Why are you rambling on endlessly?!"
"And why are you acting like we know each other? Who even are you?!"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Su Ye—surname Su, given name Ye. You can call me Grandpa, or if you prefer local customs, you can call me Ye Sus. I don't mind either way!"
As he spoke, Su Ye extended his hand for a handshake, as a customary introduction.
The moment he did, Thanos was nearly blinded by what he saw.
On that outstretched hand was a golden gauntlet, adorned with five gleaming Infinity Stones.
The instant Thanos laid eyes on it, he nearly started drooling.
This was exactly what he desired—the golden gauntlet, the radiant stones. With the full set, the universe would be his!
Yet after all his struggles—sacrificing the Mind Stone and even his own daughter—he still only had the Soul Stone in his possession.
He had already been feeling frustrated.
So, the moment Su Ye reached out his hand, Thanos instinctively swung his massive blade.
"If I cut off this arm, the stones will all be mine!"
Logically, given Thanos' experience and wisdom, he shouldn't have been so reckless—but he couldn't help himself.
Wasn't there an old saying? A man's loyalty is only as strong as the temptations he faces.
For Thanos, this temptation was more than enough.
If this slash landed, it would be just like a thief smashing a jewelry case with a rock—grabbing the gems and running. His opponent wouldn't even be able to chase him on a bicycle.
But just as Thanos' blade descended, Su Ye let out a long sigh.
"Oh, Old Thanos… I thought you'd be different. At the very least, I expected you to chat with me about life, discuss our dreams, maybe bond a little. But no—you just rush straight to the main event like an impatient monkey."
"Since you're in such a hurry, I won't embarrass you. Let's make this quick!"
As Su Ye spoke, a flash of white light filled Thanos' vision—then suddenly, his arm was gone.
The severed arm still clutched the massive twin-bladed sword.
"Ahhh!"
Thanos couldn't help but scream. Even as a warrior, even as a being of immense power, losing an arm was something he couldn't simply endure in silence.
Su Ye, on the other hand, simply shook his head.
"You know, seeing you like this… I'm actually pretty disappointed."
"They built you up to be this big, intimidating figure. Expectations were sky-high. And yet, in the end, you're just another weakling who falls in three seconds. How are you any different from those so-called 'great men' who crumble at the first setback?"
"Oh, and by the way—thanks for bringing me the Soul Stone all the way here. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know where to find this thing!"
Avengers: Endgame sacrificed one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most beloved heroines, Black Widow, just for this cursed Soul Stone. That alone was enough for Su Ye to want nothing to do with it.
But now? He got it without lifting a finger.
Su Ye reached out his hand. The massive twin-bladed sword, which had accompanied Thanos through countless battles, let out an unwilling shriek in the air—before shattering into countless fragments with a loud bang.
The Soul Stone, which had been embedded in the blade, slowly floated toward Su Ye, landing gently in his palm.
"With six stones in hand, if I snap my fingers… do you know what happens?"
Su Ye held the final Soul Stone in one hand, but instead of embedding it into his gauntlet—already equipped with five Infinity Stones—he simply held onto it, gazing quietly at Thanos.
Thanos shook his head, staring at Su Ye in confusion. Inside, he was screaming: What the hell are you trying to do?!
Su Ye sighed. "Wiping out half the universe sounds simple, but what's the point?"
"In the short term, countless families would be torn apart. People would descend into an endless hell of despair, some never recovering for the rest of their lives."
"But… the universe would be saved!"
Thanos could no longer hold back—he shouted with passion.
"I am not doing this for certain individuals, nor for myself. I do this for the entire universe! This is to ensure its survival!"
Su Ye shrugged.
"So? How long do you think you've extended the universe's survival? A hundred years? A thousand?"
"Compared to the universe's lifespan, does it really take that long for the population to recover?"
"And how do you know this won't cause a rebound effect, leading to an even greater population boom?"
"In a hundred or a thousand years, not only will the population recover, but it might even surpass its previous levels. Have you considered that possibility?"
"I…"
Thanos was at a loss for words. He had only thought about destruction—never about birth rates and demographic recovery.
"Don't bother responding—there's nothing for you to say!"
Su Ye waved dismissively.
"So, to be honest, what you're doing is completely pointless. Everything you've fought for, your lifelong ambition, your grand goal—it's all meaningless. Do you understand?"
Thanos froze completely.
"Nonsense? My life's work… is nonsense? How… how can this be?"
"No! I refuse to be meaningless! I refuse!"
The collapse of one's belief system can be utterly devastating. Looking at Thanos now, it was clear—he was completely broken, like a shattered soul muttering to himself in despair, just short of repeating some tragic monologue.
"Little Thanos, you're still too young. Your perspective is too subjective, too narrow-minded!"
Su Ye took a step forward, patted Thanos on the arm, and spoke in an aged, wise tone.
But Thanos' spirit had already died. He was numb to everything now.
At that moment, a flash of blue light streaked across the scene. From within it, a purple figure emerged.
She was roughly the same height and had the same purple skin tone as Thanos, but she was much more slender—and notably well-endowed.
Su Ye's eyes widened instantly.
"What the heck? A female Thanos from my cover art just appeared?!"