The nuclear attack spread throughout the United States via television broadcast, causing panic among countless people.
Only then did they realize that while Mutants were terrifying, the damage they caused was far less than a single command from certain politicians.
After all, those two nuclear bombs were truly destructive weapons; who could survive within the blast radius?
Moreover, the person who gave the order to launch them was truly terrifying, knowing that hundreds of thousands of ordinary people were within the explosion range of those two nuclear bombs.
Yet, they showed no regard for these people's lives; compared to Mutants, they were the true butchers and executioners.
"Damn it, who gave the order to launch nuclear bombs here? I'm going to have them court-martialed!"
At this moment, the President of the United States, hiding in a sturdy bunker deep underground, roared in fury.
Although he believed this bunker could withstand the energy from a nuclear explosion, as the President of the United States, he was almost hit by a nuclear bomb on his own territory!
This level of danger was far worse than anything posed by the Mutants.
However, unfortunately, the nuclear bombs were launched by the Director of the Homeland Defense Bureau, and the order was given by all the members of the Security Council.
This was an international organization; while the U.S. had a cooperative relationship with it, it could not dictate its actions.
So, even if he eventually learned the truth, he still had no recourse.
Because the U.S. held a seat on the Council, and this decision had been made with its consent.
Leaving aside the President's outburst.
Let's return to the counterattack Shen Mu had just made: those two terrifying heat visions streaked across the sky, carrying chilling, terrifying energy directly towards a certain location.
"Warning, warning! High-energy readings are rapidly approaching the Base!"
"Unknown energy interference! Energy values cannot be detected! Evacuate immediately!"
Inside the Homeland Defense Bureau at this moment, piercing alarms blared, sending everyone inside into a panic.
"Quickly identify the source of the energy readings! No, first, immediately dispatch fighter jets to intercept!"
Pierce was also incredibly flustered at this moment, because this time, the energy's destination was not New Mexico, but his main Base.
However, before the fighter jets he ordered to intercept could even be launched, Shen Mu's heat vision, carrying surging Sun God Power, had already arrived!
Without any obstruction, everything in the path of the heat vision was scorched black, and anything it touched at terrifying high temperatures melted.
The entire Homeland Defense Bureau was instantly split into three, and many Agents were vaporized on the spot, leaving no trace of their bodies.
Coincidentally, Shen Mu's two heat visions directly struck the container holding the Space Stone.
The safe, made of special alloy, resisted for only two seconds before being violently breached.
Then, all the energy from the heat vision was unleashed upon the outer shell of the Space Stone.
The blue Tesseract shell, formed by energy, instantly shattered, revealing the true form of the Stone within.
The next moment, the activated Stone began to release its power; a brilliant blue beam of light rose from the ground, reaching straight into the sky.
A spatial wormhole leading to an unknown realm was thus opened.
Pierce, who had miraculously survived, stared dumbfounded at everything unfolding before his eyes.
"Is... is this the true form of the Tesseract?"
"Have our efforts to develop the Tesseract been wrong all this time?"
Pierce gazed at the beautiful brilliant blue light beam before him with a somewhat dazed look, then instinctively reached out to touch it.
"Swish!"
As soon as Pierce touched the teleportation light beam, he was instantly transported away by a surge of spatial power.
The HYDRA Agents who had also survived nearby watched their boss's disappearing figure in horror.
They then looked at the heavily damaged Base, momentarily stunned and unsure what to do.
On the other side, Shen Mu was still waiting to see Charles in a dress.
However, the strong spatial fluctuations coming from afar made his heart tighten.
Without a moment's hesitation, his figure flickered, disappearing from his original spot as if teleporting.
In less than two breaths, Shen Mu had already appeared before the Space Stone.
Feeling the Stone continuously releasing energy, Shen Mu reached out, intending to draw it over with his telekinesis.
However, the powerful spatial fluctuations distorted Shen Mu's telekinesis, making it impossible for him to grasp the Space Stone.
At this moment, a portal opened beside Shen Mu, and Ancient One stepped out.
"What, Sorcerer Ancient One, are you also interested in this Space Stone?"
Shen Mu, of course, knew that besides cherishing the eye of agamotto, which was passed down from the first Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One had little interest in the other Infinity Stones.
Because with her power, if she wanted to, she could have taken something like the Space Stone without anyone knowing!
There's no way this bunch of small-time HYDRA operatives would have held onto the Stone for so many years.
"Shen, the sudden burst of the Space Stone has temporarily broken through the magic barrier placed by the Sanctum Sanctorum outside of Earth, and it will likely soon attract the attention of some Dimensional Demon Gods."
"The Stone's energy must be calmed immediately."
Ancient One was still Ancient One; the only thing she cared about was the Sorcerer Supreme's inherited mission to protect Earth.
Ancient One crossed her hands in front of her, forming a magic incantation; the eye of agamotto hanging on her chest opened, a green light emerged, and then a green magic circle appeared on her hand.
Ancient One extended her right hand, which held the magic circle, and with a slight twist towards the Time Stone, the Stone's energy instantly retracted back into its interior, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.
However, the Homeland Defense Bureau, now a ruin, and the vanished Alexander Pierce, all indicated that none of this was an illusion.
Looking at the Stone floating before him, emitting a soft blue glow, Shen Mu reached out and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
A strange power began to erode Shen Mu's arm, but that amount of damage was completely negligible for Shen Mu.
The Infinity Stones were forged from the essence of six singularities, containing infinite energy, before the Big Bang, making them treasures of the Universe.
Even a single Stone could grant its user immense power.
And collecting all six Stones would grant power akin to a God of Creation within the Universe where the Stones were born.
However, the six Stones demand extremely high requirements from their user.
In the future, Hulk snapped his fingers and lost an arm; even with his abnormal regenerative abilities, it took him several years to recover.
Thanos, thanks to the Infinity Gauntlet, a divine artifact crafted by the Dwarves, managed to snap his fingers twice, first wiping out half of all life in the Universe, then destroying the Stones.
However, after those two snaps, Thanos was left severely weakened and was beheaded by the Avengers, finishing him off.