Beep-beep-beep-
As the entire cockpit was filled with shrill warning sounds, Star-Lord and his crew, who had just arrived at the battlefield, were all like people under a spell and dared not move.
The reason is simple.
These beeps and red flashing lights meant that the spacecraft was being locked onto by numerous fire control radars.
Combined with the images sent back by the detector, anyone who is not a fool would know that there are thousands of large-caliber energy weapons aiming at this small spaceship.
Anyone who dares to make the slightest movement will immediately end up in heaven.
Star-Lord, who grew up among vicious predators and thought he had seen the most dangerous things in the entire universe, realized for the first time that he was still too young.
Compared with the current situation, the dangers experienced in the past were nothing.
After all, being targeted by Thanos' fleet and Asgard's huge fleet at the same time is probably a unique treatment in the entire universe.
"Quil! Don't move! Slowly move your hands away from the console! Don't touch any buttons or operating interfaces by mistake."
Rocket Raccoon reminded Star-Lord, the only person in the team who could compete with him for control of the spacecraft, in a slightly trembling voice.
As a scientific research genius, he had used his super brain to calculate in a very short time that once the opponent opened fire, this small broken energy shield would not last even a millisecond and would collapse instantly.
What followed was that the entire spacecraft and the people inside evaporated instantly, without even a trace of residue left.
Because this level of firepower is enough to cause devastating damage to a planet, or even burn through the earth's crust.
"Damn it! I know that without you telling me! Instead of reminding me, you should pay more attention to Drax. He is the one who is most likely to get into trouble at a time like this."
Star-Lord glared at the raccoon unhappily.
Even though he was almost scared to death, he still suppressed his fear and pretended to be very manly in front of his beloved woman, Gamora.
There is no way around it, this is the result of hundreds of millions of years of life evolution on Earth.
In order to attract females to mate and reproduce with them, males always have to find ways to show themselves off.
For example, male birds are always more beautiful than female birds and have more colorful feathers, while mammals must defeat other competitors to prove that their genes are better.
And Star-Lord's reaction at this moment is a typical mammalian courtship trait.
It’s a pity that in Gamora’s eyes, his forced appearance was a bit ridiculous.
After all, the daughter of Thanos has earned herself the title of the most dangerous woman in the universe through a series of actions, and has killed countless people.
"Me? What's wrong with me?"
Drax the Destroyer blinked innocently, feeling very dissatisfied with himself for being the one being blamed.
But no one paid any attention to his protests now.
As the fire control radars on both sides began to illuminate each other, both Asgard's fleet and Thanos' fleet began to regard each other's reactions as a precursor to opening fire.
Just one second later, terrifying firepower began to be fired in this space.
The dazzling light instantly illuminated the dark universe.
"Dodge! Dodge quickly! Turn the shield power to maximum!"
Rocket Raccoon immediately started yelling like crazy and controlled the spaceship at an extremely fast speed.
Although the fleet did not target them as the first target, the aftermath alone made this small spaceship likely to sink at any time like a small boat drifting in a storm.
After all, the power of a battleship's main guns is no joke.
Often the energy consumed in one launch can last them for several months or even a year or two.
In desperation, Star-Lord could only cooperate with Rocket Raccoon, constantly shuttling through the dense firepower network, brushing shoulders with death again and again.
As for fighting back...
Please!
They were just a small spaceship that could barely be considered equipped with self-defense weapons, and there was no way they could defeat a fully armed professional warship.
This is like asking a small dinghy to challenge a battleship.
What's more, the fleets of both sides have not yet regarded it as an enemy. If they fight back, they will immediately enter the enemy identification stage, and the intensity of firepower they will face at that time will be completely incomparable to what they are facing now.
So Star-Lord made up his mind to flee madly on the battlefield, trying to find a safe place to hide first.
But just when they reached the edge of the battlefield, they suddenly noticed abnormal gravitational fluctuations ahead.
The next second...
Another fully armed fleet emerged from the wormhole.
Although the number may not be as exaggerated as that of Asgard and Thanos' fleets, the densely packed black muzzles on both sides of the battleships and the exaggerated size of the main guns are enough to make people's scalp numb just by looking at them.
"Oh my God! Aren't we so unlucky?"
Rocket Raccoon's mouth twitched and a look of despair appeared on his face.
Because at this moment the spaceship is right in front of the main gun.
As long as the other party chooses to open fire at this time, there is no chance of them escaping.
Fortunately, the thing that Star-Lord and his crew were most worried about did not happen.
Just the opposite!
After a few seconds, they heard a formulaic voice announcement coming from the public channel.
"This is the Earthling Union's fleet! We demand that you get out of the way immediately, otherwise it will be considered a hostile act. I repeat, this is the Earthling Union's fleet, we demand that you get out of the way immediately, otherwise it will be considered a hostile act..."
Since these words had been automatically translated by the translator into a language that everyone could understand, Star-Lord was the first to react. He quickly pulled up the joystick and tilted it to the side, clearing the way to the battlefield in less than a minute.
The Human Union's fleet obviously did not take this small predator-style spaceship seriously. When they saw the other party make way for them, they immediately deployed a battle formation, and then activated energy shields one after another, obviously intending to seize the opportunity to join the battlefield that would decide the fate of the entire universe.
"Quail, is this the fleet from your hometown? They don't look like they are lagging behind at all."
Rocket Raccoon stared with wide eyes at these main battleships that were in no way inferior to those of the three great empires.
These included six Queen of Glory-class battleships purchased with soul currency, three hive motherships used to carry small drone swarms, eighteen heavy cruisers, forty light cruisers, and a full two hundred frigates.
In short, in order to save their own lives, the powerful and wealthy basically gave out about half of their wealth in one go.
“Man, I was a kid when I left Earth.
God knows what happened over there after so many years.
After all, when I was a child, there was no such organization on earth.
There are just a lot of countries, including the United States, and a loose United Nations.”
Star-Lord explained helplessly.
As an interstellar wanderer, he has visited countless planets and civilizations, and he knows very well that it is impossible for the Earth to achieve a technological explosion in such a short period of time.
Even if technology explodes, it is impossible for industrial production capacity and supporting facilities to catch up overnight.
But the reality is that not only did the people on Earth break out of the Earth and enter the universe in just a few years, they also started a frenzied conquest and colonization.
Nowadays, when many businessmen and plunderers mention the Earth Human Alliance, they immediately start to curse and accuse this civilization of being so inhumane.
Whether it is the brutal slaughter of colonized planets or the technology of castrating vassals and turning them into captive pigs, it has obviously greatly lowered the average moral level of this universe.
You have to know that Thanos is already regarded as a recognized madman and psychopath just because he indiscriminately killed half of the population of the occupied planet.
But what about the Earthling Union?
There were more than a dozen civilizations that were completely destroyed in their massacre, and nearly a hundred were in a state where they could be killed at any time.
Especially when intelligent creatures that have established an advanced civilization are cooked or canned and served on the table, even the brutal slavery empire like the Kree were shocked and unbelievable, and issued strong condemnations more than once.
After all, they are already considered the "big villains" in this universe.
But now a new civilization that is more terrifying, brutal, and even like a natural disaster has suddenly emerged.
And behind him stood the Asgard lord and a terrifying dimensional demon.
It's a pity that it's completely useless.
You have to know that in the final analysis, the universe still has to speak with fists.
As long as your fist is big enough and hard enough, no one will dare to stop you no matter what you do.
In this regard, Thanos, who has been carrying out indiscriminate killings, is a living example.
While the Guardians of the Galaxy were discussing why the Human Alliance fleet was here, in the command room of one of the Glorious Queen-class battleships, Iron Man Tony Stark was standing next to the fleet commander and asked in an uncertain tone: "When do you plan to join the battle? Judging from the situation, the Asgard fleet and Thanos' fleet have already started exchanging fire."
"No rush, let's see what happens first. After all, we are the ones who hold the initiative now."
Grant Ward, wearing a power mecha decorated in ancient Roman style, pursed his lips and revealed a playful smile.
Yes, this young Hydra leader who is currently in the limelight on Earth has once again been elected as the fleet commander of the expeditionary force.
After all, he is the first "hero" in human history to win a decisive battle of space fleets and successfully open up a colonized planet.
Moreover, with the media hype and the triumphal ceremony held in Rome, he has already secured the title of Caesar of the new era.
At this critical moment, the death-fearing top leaders of the Human League would of course send out the fleet commander they considered to be the most powerful.
Almost no one doubts that in just a few years this young, handsome man with great military and political power will ascend to the throne of the Supreme Chairman of the People's Union, or even be crowned the head of the earth or a lifelong dictator.
After all, with the help of Ultron, the super artificial intelligence, Grant Ward not only successfully controlled public opinion, but also promoted a series of laws and reforms, allowing the society that was originally in chaos due to the technological explosion and industrial revolution to gradually restore order and vitality.
On the contrary, those major countries that once held power have seen their original political and interest groups gradually disintegrate due to internal or external problems.
Coupled with Hydra's terrifying infiltration capabilities, the Human Alliance is basically their world now.
As a large number of colonies and vassal civilizations continuously transported various resources and products back to the earth, human life became unprecedentedly affluent. Even if one did not work and just lived on government relief, one could still live a comfortable life.
All they need to do is have children or contribute their genetic code to enrich and expand the entire human gene pool.
Therefore, not only did the major capital consortiums that gained huge benefits from colonial expansion crazily support Grant Ward, but the people were also full of gratitude and love for this leader who dared to speak and act, used iron-fisted methods to strengthen central power, and constantly distributed benefits to themselves.
After all, the citizen subsidies, free medical care, free education, free public transportation and free food they receive are all real.
Especially in those backward areas of the third world, there is a fanatical worship of the leader of Hydra.
Because Grant Ward directly improved their lives from a desperate state where they could not even guarantee food, clothing and clean drinking water to a level that was unimaginable even in the most developed areas before.
Although these places are still somewhat chaotic, with various black industries and gangs rampant, one can die if one is not careful.
But at least basic living security is there.
"Are you planning to wait until they both suffer losses before you take advantage of them?"
Tony Stark raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He originally thought that the other party would choose to launch an attack immediately and cooperate with the Asgard fleet to severely damage Thanos' fleet first.
After all, the latter is the real threat, while the former is at least a nominal ally.
Grant Ward rested his chin on one hand and nodded with interest: “Yes, you guessed it right.
Instead, it was Hela, the goddess of death and the eldest daughter who was sealed by Odin, who came to power.
Judging from her series of actions, she is obviously an ambitious person, and it is not certain whether she is an enemy or a friend.
So my judgment is to weaken Asgard as much as possible through this war.
In this way, even if we continue to form an alliance in the future, we can obtain a relatively equal position, and even gradually reverse the situation and seize the initiative.
Don't forget, we originally had another plan, which was to help Thor regain the throne."
"So your plan is to weaken the goddess of death Hela while also causing severe damage to the entire Asgard?"
Iron Man finally understood what this cruel and ruthless man wanted to do. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that he was really an expert in politics. He was afraid that he would never be able to learn how to scheme against his allies.
After all, when he was developing the huge piece of land allocated to Stark Industries, he already felt that his methods were quite greedy and evil.
But now compared with the other party, he is simply a great good man.
No wonder when publishing the financial statements of listed companies, Stark Industries' development costs are almost the highest among all large capital and conglomerates.
The rest of the colleagues were really squeezing the marrow out of people, and at most they gave a sip of soup to the people below.
As for wanting to eat meat, just dream on.
Thanks to the large number and size of colonized planets, the lower class can live quite well even if they just drink some soup.
"Hahahaha! Isn't this obvious? I represent the interests of the earth and mankind, so naturally I have to analyze and judge from our perspective.
Moreover, the great Lord Soth has taught me more than once that if you want a race and civilization to rise quickly, you must strengthen yourself by devouring the flesh and blood of others.
So in my eyes, everything in this universe except ourselves is an enemy or a potential enemy, even Asgard is no exception.
Don't forget, they call themselves gods in front of us.
Do you think gods treat mortals as equals? No! They don't.
If you think about the arrogant attitude of even Thor, the friendliest god to us, you will understand that Asgard always looks down on the Earth from a high position. "
"But he is our ally after all, and he has helped us resolve crises several times."
Tony Stark couldn't help but say something fair for Thor.
But Grant Ward sneered and asked, “Help, are you sure?
I remember it clearly, whether it was the falling of the hammer or the subsequent invasion of the Chitauri, they were all done by Loki, the prince of Asgard.
In other words, he is not helping us, but cleaning up the mess he made.
The reason why we did not ask for compensation from Asgard was simply because we were too weak at the time and had no such qualifications.
But times are different now.
After a period of development, the earth is no longer the puppy that can only pick up leftovers under the table, but a person who is qualified to sit at the table.
We must seize this opportunity to win the respect of all civilizations, including the three great empires."
Faced with this speech that stood on the side of humanity and the Earth, the only thing Iron Man could do was sigh helplessly.
Because he knew what the other person said was right.
From a human perspective, this is the only way to ensure that our own interests are maximized.
However, the appearance of the Human United Fleet still aroused the vigilance of both warring parties.
After all, although the former's fleet is not large in scale, its firepower is very powerful as can be seen at a glance.
Some warships began to leave the battlefield and cruise on the periphery to maintain alert.
Not only that!
Various contact signals frequently appear on public channels.
Both Thanos and Asgard want to figure out what this fleet of unknown origin is trying to do.
But Grant Ward was very smart and ordered to remain silent. No matter how the other party asked questions, they should not respond. They just arranged the battle formation and remained motionless.
As the situation became increasingly complicated, the goddess of death Hela suddenly suggested, "How about we stop fighting first? You can see the current situation. If we continue fighting, it will only benefit the other party."
"No! Either you hand over the Space Stone or you keep fighting until the winner is decided. There is no third choice."
Thanos chose to refuse without hesitation.
armistice?
What a joke! From the moment he launched this war, his ideals and aspirations were exposed to the entire universe.
If he can't get the Space Gem and quickly collect all the Infinity Gems, he will be in endless trouble.
Whether it is the three major empires or the gods, they will all jump out to obstruct.
"Asshole! Don't you care about the lives of your men?"
Hela was undoubtedly enraged.
She didn't want to involve her army of the dead in a meaningless war of attrition.
Thanos chuckled and responded, “Why should I care?
From the moment they followed me, they knew that sooner or later they would have to sacrifice themselves to save the universe.
They were fearless and died a worthy death.
On the contrary, you, as the goddess of death, are actually afraid of death, which is really laughable."
“I just want to reduce the losses. Do you really think I’m afraid of you?” Hela roared in anger.
"snort!
If this girl hadn't suddenly appeared, how long do you think you could have lasted? Since you want to take the initiative to negotiate, then take the initiative to meet my conditions.
Otherwise peace will never come.”
Thanos expressed his attitude of fighting to the death and destroying everything in the most direct and straightforward way.
Because from the moment he made the decision, there was no way out.
"Annie, can we defeat him together?"
The eyes of the goddess of death Hela revealed terrifying murderous intent, and she asked the girl who was fiddling with the hammer in the distance without turning her head.
Little Annie shook her head quickly. "I'm afraid not. He has the protection of the Power Stone. It's hard for us to penetrate that solid defense."
Looking at the guilty reaction of lowering his head, you can tell that this little thing is not telling the truth at all, but lying.
After all, she knew that her father was still waiting for Thanos to get the Soul Stone for him.
No one can stop him from moving forward until this arduous task is accomplished.
So in the previous battles, the girl had been swinging the hammer in hand-to-hand combat and had hardly used her magical powers at all.
Otherwise, Thanos would have been bombarded by endless spells until not even ashes were left.
“Damn it!”
Just as Hela cursed and racked her brains to get out of this embarrassing situation of being able to neither lose nor win, a wormhole suddenly opened in the sky above the Asgard, followed by a large number of warships of all shapes and sizes rushing in.
Since Asgard's fleet is currently engaged in a fierce firefight with Thanos' fleet in outer space, the rear is basically empty.
After passing through a dense anti-aircraft fire network, a large number of gladiators led by Thor and Loki forced a landing and rushed out of the hatch shouting slogans of liberation.
"Kill! For Asgard! For the glory of the warriors!"
"People of the Divine Realm! Your true heir to the throne has returned!"
"Come on! Take up arms! Join me in overthrowing the tyranny of Hela, the goddess of death!"
"The great people of Asgard will never surrender!"
Thor held high the new Thor's hammer given by little Annie, made a declaration in an impassioned voice, and gathered amazing divine power to knock the giant wolf Fenrir, who rushed up to try to bite him, to the ground with one blow.
The storm and lightning that were familiar to countless people instantly made the Asgardians who were either hiding or succumbing to the tyranny of Hela realize who had returned, and they flocked to the streets and cheered with tears in their eyes.
Before long, an uprising that was enough to shake Hela's rule began in full swing.
Although the puppet troops and undead soldiers who were left here to maintain order tried their best to suppress the rebellion, none of them could stop the combination of Thor and Loki, and they were completely defeated soon.
The puppet troops even transformed themselves and joined the ranks of the rebel army.
After all, compared to Hela, who doesn't treat them as human beings at all, Thor, the legitimate crown prince, is more worthy of following.
"NO!!!! How dare they?"
Realizing that the two people she regarded as waste not only came back, but also brought an army to overthrow her rule, Hela immediately became anxious.
After all, all her power comes from Asgard.
Once the throne is lost, the strength will drop drastically.
"It seems like you have more pressing matters to attend to, don't you?"
Thanos grinned with a gloating smile.
From the moment this scene appeared, he knew that he had won the war.
No matter what the Goddess of Death thought before, she must now compromise with herself and hand over the Space Gem in exchange for peace.
"Annie, give him the Cosmic Cube!"
After saying this, Hela no longer cared about anything else and went straight back to Asgard to quell the rebellion.
When her figure completely disappeared, Thanos relaxed his guard a little, stretched out one of his big hands and said, "Come on, give me the Cosmic Cube quickly."
“Yes!”
Little Annie threw the blue transparent block she had been playing with without any hesitation.
"Thank you very much."
Thanos obviously didn't expect that the other party would hand over the Space Stone so easily. He was stunned for a moment and then thanked him politely.
Without any hesitation, he crushed the Rubik's Cube and took out the gem hidden inside, his eyes shining with excitement.
The second one! The second Infinity Stone is finally in hand!
Now he can go anywhere in the universe as he pleases without worrying about being stopped by others.
With power and space, Thanos felt that he was only one step away from realizing his great ideal and destiny.
As for the third goal, it is naturally the real gem hidden in the ether particles.
He had long known that the Infinity Stone was in the hands of the Cosmic Collector.