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Chapter 552 Thanos's Conspiracy and Trickery
"SHIELD, the Avengers, Wakanda, and Asgard, all four factions were attacked almost simultaneously, with forces strong enough to annihilate them."
Clint, who had just woken up, couldn't help but shudder, seemingly recalling something unpleasant.
"The previously established alliance is practically useless. No faction can spare the energy to support the others. We've been scattered."
Yang Le's eyes flickered. In the comic universe, Thanos is an exceptionally powerful military strategist. Compared to his unparalleled combat power derived from his Eternals heritage, in the comics, Thanos prefers to rely more on his brain.
Almost all of Thanos's actions are launched after careful deliberation. Except for a moment of diminished intellect when facing the Goddess of Death earlier, this cosmic emperor is virtually without weakness.
Almost every time he makes an entrance, Thanos uses his all-encompassing brain to devise brilliant strategies, making fools of superheroes, other supervillains, and even gods and Buddhas.
However, in the movie, honestly, although Thanos always puts on an air of having everything under control, Yang Le still feels that the movie only showcased Thanos's powerful combat power and barely demonstrated his military and strategic abilities. This is a minor regret.
But now it seems, the movie universe's Thanos is not weak in this aspect. After learning the news that his opponents were prepared, he didn't rashly attack. Instead, he began to gradually understand the various hostile factions on Earth.
Among these moves, the most brilliant was contacting Hydra. Hydra, which had infiltrated SHIELD so thoroughly it was like a sieve, knew all the information Thanos wanted. It can be said that once Hydra was in his grasp, the balance of offense and defense completely shifted.
Hydra's frequent appearances are likely related to Thanos. Although it's unknown how he managed it, it's estimated that Hydra was already under Thanos's command even back then.
Earth had almost no privacy before Thanos. For this planet that once held four gems, Thanos showed ample respect, laying out his plans step by step, and finally seizing victory with lightning speed.
"The first to fall was Asgard. Under the combined assault of Surtur and Hela, God King Odin and Queen Frigga perished in battle. Thor, gravely wounded, led the surviving Asgardians in retreat. Thanos withdrew triumphantly with the Reality Stone."
Natasha leaned back in her chair, her expression dazed.
"Next came SHIELD and the Avengers. During the Avengers' Civil War, Hydra suddenly revealed itself, catching us all completely off guard. Thanos dispatched two capable subordinates who entered the fray, killed Vision, and seized the Mind Stone. My eyes were ruined at that time as well."
Clint touched his eye socket, a wry smile appearing on his face.
"Wakanda was the last to fall." Steve crossed his arms, his expression serious. "T'Challa had just been plunged into grief over his father's death. His cousin Erik seized the opportunity to ambush him, winning against T'Challa in the battle for the throne, resulting in T'Challa's entire family becoming prisoners. During this time, Erik voluntarily offered the Space Stone."
Yang Le couldn't help but click his tongue. Just from the brief description, the tragic nature of the battle was evident. He estimated that the heroes who had died in the past few years were certainly more than just those mentioned, otherwise they wouldn't have brought Hawkeye, this blind man, along.
"It sounds like Earth has fallen into a desperate situation." Yang Le sighed. "How many remaining forces do you have now? It's not just the people here, is it?"
"Though our numbers are dwindling, we're not so depleted that we only have enough manpower to play a game of beach volleyball."
Steve gave a wry smile, then said, "I won't introduce Natasha and Clint. The young man who came with us is called Sam Wilson, code name Falcon. Before the 'Great Collapse,' he was just an ordinary soldier. I discovered and trained him, and now he's a warrior who can hold his own."
"Excuse me for interrupting," Yang Le interjected, holding up a hand to stop Steve. "What exactly is this 'Great Collapse' you mentioned?"
"It's when Earth completely collapsed." Clint took over, continuing the explanation. "Don't think we're making light of it, but we held out for a long time before we finally lost. And our defeat doesn't mean Earth itself is defeated."
"Thanos knows that the Time Stone still exists on Earth. We discussed this in a meeting with Ebony Maw. It's likely that the human traitor group within Hydra told him."
Clint slammed his hand on the desk beside him before continuing, "Once he had three gems, he naturally set his sights on the fourth. Thankfully, no one knows the Time Stone's location."
Afterward, Thanos launched a full-scale invasion of Earth for the Time Stone. Earth's technology was virtually no match for Thanos's army. Countries around the world began to gradually fall, and human society began to collapse. This is the 'Great Collapse'."
Yang Le nodded to show he understood, then gestured for Steve to continue.
"Besides the four of us, there's also Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Her brother and the Dora Milaje worked together to rescue her. Sadly, T'Challa and the others perished during the escape."
Steve sighed deeply, as if pausing for a moment of silence for the deceased before continuing.
"Rhode, also known as War Machine, died on the front line of the battle between America and Thanos's army. The Maximoff siblings are still alive, but their state isn't good, especially Wanda, who is now terrified of battle."
"Doctor Banner is still alive, but Thanos broke both his legs. Hulk is too afraid to emerge now. Tony is also alive, but sadly Pepper is dead, which has made him somewhat neurotic."
"Thor's injuries don't seem to be healing. In theory, he should have recovered long ago. Doctor Banner says it might be psychological, just like his own situation."
"Oh, right," Steve said, as if suddenly remembering something. "We've also gained quite a few new members, including two magicians. One is named Wong, who seems to be of Chinese descent, and the other is Stephen Strange, who was originally a surgeon."
"The others are just ordinary people. We're all living in shelters, hiding from Thanos's pursuit to this day. We came here today for two reasons: first, the resources in our base are depleted, and second, Tony and Shuri jointly located your position, so we came to try our luck."
"Looks like we came to the right place," Steve said, a rare smile gracing his lips. His words weren't absolute. After all, Earth is in this state. Forcing the others to help would be like dragging irrelevant people into a pit of fire.
Although Steve desperately needed their help, he didn't have much hope.
(End of Chapter)
"SHIELD, the Avengers, Wakanda, and Asgard, all four factions were attacked almost simultaneously, with forces strong enough to annihilate them."
Clint, who had just woken up, couldn't help but shudder, seemingly recalling something unpleasant.
"The previously established alliance is practically useless. No faction can spare the energy to support the others. We've been scattered."
Yang Le's eyes flickered. In the comic universe, Thanos is an exceptionally powerful military strategist. Compared to his unparalleled combat power derived from his Eternals heritage, in the comics, Thanos prefers to rely more on his brain.
Almost all of Thanos's actions are launched after careful deliberation. Except for a moment of diminished intellect when facing the Goddess of Death earlier, this cosmic emperor is virtually without weakness.
Almost every time he makes an entrance, Thanos uses his all-encompassing brain to devise brilliant strategies, making fools of superheroes, other supervillains, and even gods and Buddhas.
However, in the movie, honestly, although Thanos always puts on an air of having everything under control, Yang Le still feels that the movie only showcased Thanos's powerful combat power and barely demonstrated his military and strategic abilities. This is a minor regret.
But now it seems, the movie universe's Thanos is not weak in this aspect. After learning the news that his opponents were prepared, he didn't rashly attack. Instead, he began to gradually understand the various hostile factions on Earth.
Among these moves, the most brilliant was contacting Hydra. Hydra, which had infiltrated SHIELD so thoroughly it was like a sieve, knew all the information Thanos wanted. It can be said that once Hydra was in his grasp, the balance of offense and defense completely shifted.
Hydra's frequent appearances are likely related to Thanos. Although it's unknown how he managed it, it's estimated that Hydra was already under Thanos's command even back then.
Earth had almost no privacy before Thanos. For this planet that once held four gems, Thanos showed ample respect, laying out his plans step by step, and finally seizing victory with lightning speed.
"The first to fall was Asgard. Under the combined assault of Surtur and Hela, God King Odin and Queen Frigga perished in battle. Thor, gravely wounded, led the surviving Asgardians in retreat. Thanos withdrew triumphantly with the Reality Stone."
Natasha leaned back in her chair, her expression dazed.
"Next came SHIELD and the Avengers. During the Avengers' Civil War, Hydra suddenly revealed itself, catching us all completely off guard. Thanos dispatched two capable subordinates who entered the fray, killed Vision, and seized the Mind Stone. My eyes were ruined at that time as well."
Clint touched his eye socket, a wry smile appearing on his face.
"Wakanda was the last to fall." Steve crossed his arms, his expression serious. "T'Challa had just been plunged into grief over his father's death. His cousin Erik seized the opportunity to ambush him, winning against T'Challa in the battle for the throne, resulting in T'Challa's entire family becoming prisoners. During this time, Erik voluntarily offered the Space Stone."
Yang Le couldn't help but click his tongue. Just from the brief description, the tragic nature of the battle was evident. He estimated that the heroes who had died in the past few years were certainly more than just those mentioned, otherwise they wouldn't have brought Hawkeye, this blind man, along.
"It sounds like Earth has fallen into a desperate situation." Yang Le sighed. "How many remaining forces do you have now? It's not just the people here, is it?"
"Though our numbers are dwindling, we're not so depleted that we only have enough manpower to play a game of beach volleyball."
Steve gave a wry smile, then said, "I won't introduce Natasha and Clint. The young man who came with us is called Sam Wilson, code name Falcon. Before the 'Great Collapse,' he was just an ordinary soldier. I discovered and trained him, and now he's a warrior who can hold his own."
"Excuse me for interrupting," Yang Le interjected, holding up a hand to stop Steve. "What exactly is this 'Great Collapse' you mentioned?"
"It's when Earth completely collapsed." Clint took over, continuing the explanation. "Don't think we're making light of it, but we held out for a long time before we finally lost. And our defeat doesn't mean Earth itself is defeated."
"Thanos knows that the Time Stone still exists on Earth. We discussed this in a meeting with Ebony Maw. It's likely that the human traitor group within Hydra told him."
Clint slammed his hand on the desk beside him before continuing, "Once he had three gems, he naturally set his sights on the fourth. Thankfully, no one knows the Time Stone's location."
Afterward, Thanos launched a full-scale invasion of Earth for the Time Stone. Earth's technology was virtually no match for Thanos's army. Countries around the world began to gradually fall, and human society began to collapse. This is the 'Great Collapse'."
Yang Le nodded to show he understood, then gestured for Steve to continue.
"Besides the four of us, there's also Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Her brother and the Dora Milaje worked together to rescue her. Sadly, T'Challa and the others perished during the escape."
Steve sighed deeply, as if pausing for a moment of silence for the deceased before continuing.
"Rhode, also known as War Machine, died on the front line of the battle between America and Thanos's army. The Maximoff siblings are still alive, but their state isn't good, especially Wanda, who is now terrified of battle."
"Doctor Banner is still alive, but Thanos broke both his legs. Hulk is too afraid to emerge now. Tony is also alive, but sadly Pepper is dead, which has made him somewhat neurotic."
"Thor's injuries don't seem to be healing. In theory, he should have recovered long ago. Doctor Banner says it might be psychological, just like his own situation."
"Oh, right," Steve said, as if suddenly remembering something. "We've also gained quite a few new members, including two magicians. One is named Wong, who seems to be of Chinese descent, and the other is Stephen Strange, who was originally a surgeon."
"The others are just ordinary people. We're all living in shelters, hiding from Thanos's pursuit to this day. We came here today for two reasons: first, the resources in our base are depleted, and second, Tony and Shuri jointly located your position, so we came to try our luck."
"Looks like we came to the right place," Steve said, a rare smile gracing his lips. His words weren't absolute. After all, Earth is in this state. Forcing the others to help would be like dragging irrelevant people into a pit of fire.
Although Steve desperately needed their help, he didn't have much hope.
(End of Chapter)
