It's not just Loki who has objections; almost all the Great Wall Guardians' contestants have expressed some dissatisfaction with this competition system.
But unfortunately, the rules of the Canyon War were just that—no matter who you were, even if Thanos himself entered, you still had to start at Level 1, slowly accumulate experience, level up, buy equipment, and unlock abilities.
Moreover, the players from Thanos' side are already accustomed to this canyon mechanism. The Great Wall Guardians can only find a way to adapt; otherwise, they might as well just concede.
Soon, the first match was over.
Sanosi's team of super female heroes, leveraging their familiarity with the game's mechanics and map, still managed to win despite having a less optimal hero lineup compared to the Great Wall Guardians.
"This won't do," Tony, Captain America, and Zheng Xian approached Su Ye with furrowed brows.
It wasn't that they couldn't adapt to these game rules—it was just that the competition was too time-consuming. Plus, Su Ye suggested playing for an entire season, a full three months—who could endure that?
"So, could we change the control mode? Modify it with my AI design, let Jarvis simulate our physical attributes, and control our bodies to compete in the canyon?"
Tony gestured as he spoke.
"This way, we would be freed up to handle other matters. You know, there's still a war going on down there!"
Tony pointed toward Earth.
Although the atmosphere here was peaceful, down on Earth, the alien invasion of 30 cities in the Great Beautiful Nation was still ongoing.
Thanos was dead, but his army was not, and no one had told them that he was gone.
Thus, thousands of Thanos' troops on the ground were still sacrificing themselves one after another to fulfill their leader's vision.
What excited them even more was that, despite their numbers still being far smaller than the military forces of the Great Beautiful Nation, they continuously received reinforcements from the skies.
Whenever more than a third of them were killed, landing pods would act like respawn points, deploying another massive wave of alien troops.
And so, it repeated, endlessly.
The Red Shield Bureau's agents held back the first wave of monster attacks, giving the city's residents a glimmer of hope.
But due to the overwhelming enemy numbers, that was all they could manage. Most of the city and its surrounding areas had to be abandoned.
Soon, the military of the Great Beautiful Nation arrived, engaging in a massive battle with Thanos' army on the city outskirts.
From the very start, this war was an apocalyptic battle of ultimate proportions.
Thousands of fighter jets rushed to the battlefield, but over half were lost in the first engagement.
This enraged the military leadership, causing them to slam their desks in frustration.
"Where are the Great Wall Guardians? Where is Iron Man? What about his army of Iron Soldiers? Are they really leaving us to handle this alien invasion alone?"
A subordinate stepped forward, looking distressed as he lowered his head.
"Sir, we were the ones who insisted on limiting the number of Iron Soldiers and Red Shield agents and restricting their activities on our soil. Based on their response, a few thousand agents are already the best they can provide."
"..."
The military chief hesitated for a moment before slamming the table again.
"Then can't they at least enhance the agents' abilities and equipment? If each one could fight like a thousand men, we wouldn't be struggling so much!"
The subordinate lowered his head again.
"Sir, we previously insisted that the agents should not be enhanced to the level of superheroes, as that would pose a threat to our national security. So, the current agents' capabilities are already at their limit."
"..."
The military chief wanted to slam the table again, but a sharp numbness and pain shot through his hand. If he kept doing this, he might end up breaking it.
"What about the superheroes?"
The subordinate sighed.
"Shortly after the invasion began, they were summoned away. It seems they went into outer space to fight an extraterrestrial enemy, leaving the pressure on the ground entirely to us!"
"An enemy from outer space?"
Before the military chief could finish his sentence, a massive spaceship appeared on the screen in front of him.
The Sanctuary II hovered silently in outer space, its enormous form so vast that its outline was visible to the naked eye from the Earth's surface.
Such a terrifying alien spacecraft indeed required a concentrated, powerful force to confront it.
The superheroes had a valid point.
The military chief sighed helplessly.
"So, what do we do now? Are we really going to throw all of our military forces into this?"
The subordinate shook his head.
"We don't want to either, but it seems we have no choice. We must throw in everything we have and fight a national war, a battle for the fate of our country!"
"A battle for the fate of the nation?"
The military deployed a second wave of fighter jets, and most of the ground tank forces were also dispatched.
If all these forces perished on the battlefield, then even if they won the war, the military strength of the Great Beautiful Nation would be significantly weakened.
However, neither the politicians in the Black House nor the military chiefs would agree to involve foreign military forces in the fight. The Red Shield Bureau was already the limit—if foreign troops were brought in, the consequences would be unimaginable.
It's easy to invite the gods in, but hard to send them away!
The military chief's concerns were also shared by Tony and the others.
This country—the Great Beautiful Nation—was, after all, the land that raised them. If it were truly conquered by aliens, they would shed a few tears, one way or another.
Whether those tears were from a fox or a crocodile.
After listening to Tony, Su Ye nodded in agreement.
"Your concerns are valid. In that case, I'll send you back to help on the ground. But we can't just leave the canyon battle unattended."
"Here's what we'll do."
Su Ye pondered for a moment before speaking.
"You guys go down first, but I will keep your abilities here. That is... I'll use the Infinity Stones to create your clones, which will only participate in the canyon war. Is that okay?"
Tony and Captain America exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
"No problem!"
"Then it's settled. You go ahead. I'll find replacements to continue the canyon war."
"Trust me, even without you, this battle will be won—and even more smoothly than if you were here!"
"?"
Tony and Captain America both frowned at the same time.