The spaceship in front of the group had a chilling simplicity about it, and the presence of weapons was clearly visible in several locations. Compared with Thor's ship, it was essentially a warship. And this spaceship blocked the way of Thor and the others, definitely not for a simple inspection.
In the Administration.
"It's bad." The Director sighed deeply.
A few seconds ago, people were still speculating. After the people of Asgard settled on Earth, would it bring huge changes to the planet? But in the blink of an eye, an accident happened.
Hawking's eyes twinkled. "Could it be space pirates? Specializing in hunting down isolated factions in the universe?"
Hawking's idea was very sci-fi.
Tonio twitched the corners of his mouth and said with a smile, "Mr. Hawking's imagination is really impressive. But the appearance of this spacecraft is surely not a good thing."
Everyone agreed on this.
Odom looked at the screen and murmured, "Whose spaceship is this? So if they negotiate, they shouldn't be in life-threatening danger, right?"
But the next moment, the screen suddenly shook violently.
At the same time, the activity had been stagnant for a long time, but skyrocketed again. And the speed of this surge was insane. The previous activity level had already reached an unbelievably high number; now, the soaring speed was almost comparable to the speed of light.
The entire Terra Federation at this moment fell into a dead silence as billions of eyes stared at the activity counter in shock. Seconds later, 1.4 billion activity. But it did not stop and was still rising. A bit later, 1.5 billion activity. This surge in activity was several times faster than before, almost in an instant.
The Director was soaked with sweat. "Every time the activity spikes it means a more terrifying presence has appeared. Then this time, who is it?! Who is it?!"
The citizens of the Terra Federation echoed the same words in their hearts. Who is it?! What part of the history of the Earth Era caused such terrifying fluctuations in activity?! The past life of the reincarnator, the man who created the greatest suit, what did he do this time?!
Everyone held their breath as the second hand ticked onward. The rate of increase remained stable. 1.6 billion...
"It still won't stop!"
"No, why is it happening again?!"
"I can't take it anymore; my psyche is collapsing."
"It's about to break me. This time there won't be something that can affect us like before, right?"
"It's definitely not a good thing anyway!"
"Huh? What's that sound?"
"It's a siren!"
"All citizens, alert!"
"Quick! Take out the things you prepared earlier!"
In the entire Terra, when the activity soared to 2 billion, high-pitched sirens rang everywhere. The activation of this alarm was directly authorized by the High Council. Only when the situation was extremely serious and when it might cause widespread damage to everyone in the Terra Federation would it be used. It had never been used before.
Fortunately, every citizen had received the relevant training. Following the procedures taught, they quickly took a series of self-protection measures. This was no joke.
And the activity was still increasing.
2.1 billion.
2.2 billion.
2.5 billion.
Everyone looked at the jumping activity number, as if it were a deadly monster that could leap out of the screen at any moment and devour them. The constantly flickering screen made everyone feel terrified.
2.6 billion.
2.7 billion.
Boom! The sky became abnormal. The daylight had not yet faded, but different colors suddenly appeared. The endless sky seemed to be divided into different areas, and alarming fluctuations emanated from each area.
Some people resisted the uneasiness and fear in their hearts and went to the window to look at the sky. However, the moment anyone looked at it, they froze on the spot as if a paralyzing spell had been cast on them. No matter how people called to them, there was no reaction.
In the sky, the colored areas were eerily clouded. As the activity continued to skyrocket, the colors became darker and darker until they hit the 3 billion mark.
Boom! The entire sky boomed. After the eruption, a smoky substance floated downward, yet it vanished in midair. Those who had frozen returned to normal, and they hurried back away in fear but could not remember what had happened. The sky returned to normal, and Terra returned to normal.
On the Network, the activity of the Hundred Reincarnations froze at: 3,197,354,281.
The Administration, the Training Ground, Aisen Group, Norland, eyc, people everywhere stared at the screen in awe.
In the Apollo Research Center.
The founder whispered, "The activity level has stabilized, and a new scene is about to appear..."
He was staring at the progress of Apollo's connection to the Network while also paying attention to the live broadcast and the outside world. The influence of the strange phenomenon just now was even more obvious to him; it had almost interrupted the linking process.
"It seems that the phenomenon just now is related to..." The founder's eyes flickered. After thinking for a moment, he chose not to report it. "It's still too early to expose the connection to the Network."
Taking a deep breath, he stared at the broadcast screen. He had already prepared protective measures so there would be no surprises.
Across the entire internet, the phenomenon has now become the center of discussion.
"Damn! The sky just split into pieces!"
"Six colors. Could it be the Six Infinity Stones?"
"I don't know, but wasn't there a seventh color too?"
"You must be colorblind!"
"A phenomenon... I have a very bad feeling."
"The Immortal Warrior is about to defy fate."
"The Earth Era is too outrageous."
"Super-advanced technology... Magic... Asgard... Hulk... Too many things!"
"Brothers and sisters, I made a clip. Please support it when you have time."
"What did you capture this time?"
"Have we finally reached the end?"
The internet flared, and the comments were even more chaotic. At this moment, the entire Terra was in turmoil. Fortunately, the alarm was lifted, and no one suffered any physical injuries. But the phenomenon just now was deeply imprinted in everyone's minds.
Suddenly, the flickering image began to stabilize.
In the dim cosmic space, the stars in the distance shone brightly.
A weak voice sounded, "This is the Asgardian refugee vessel. We are under assault. I repeat, we are under assault. The engines are dead, life support failing. Requesting aid from any vessel within range. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard. Our crew is made up of Asgardian families. We have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft."
After the activity stabilized, the image gradually brightened. The moment everyone saw the screen, they felt as though they had been struck in the head. That conspicuous ship was filled with the refugees of Asgard, but at this moment, it was being attacked by the vessel that intercepted them. Waves of attacks roared across space.
Thor's ship had no weapons system at all, so it could only endure the merciless bombardment. The enemy spacecraft was simply too large; even a collision would be enough to completely crush Thor's vessel. After multiple attacks, Thor and the others' spaceship had almost become a pile of scrap metal, and the people of Asgard aboard it suffered heavy casualties.
Thinking of the transmission they had just heard, everyone on Terra immediately understood what was happening.
"The people of Asgard are being exterminated!"
"This must be the true Ragnarok."
"I understand now! Odin said he couldn't stop Ragnarok. It wasn't Hela, it's this spaceship interception!"
"This is Ragnarok!"
"Damn, that actually makes sense!"
"It wasn't Hela that caused Ragnarok, but this catastrophe!"
"Terrifying!"
No one knew who first posted the new Ragnarok theory, but it immediately attracted massive attention. Odin had once been the king of Asgard, so his strength was beyond question. If even he said Ragnarok could not be stopped, then it was probably impossible to stop. Wasn't the scene before them proof of that? As for Hela and Surtur, perhaps they were only preludes.
Before the real Ragnarok arrived, not only the audience, but also the Director and the others were shocked by this interpretation. However, the next scene made everyone's expressions change dramatically.
Amid the flames, Heimdall lay on a pile of corpses. The corpses belonged to the people of Asgard. His abdomen had been severely wounded, and blood flowed continuously.
Then, a tall and thin man with pale skin and white hair covered in wrinkles walked forward elegantly. "Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan."
A hoarse and slow voice echoed through the ship. The strange man walked among the corpses, expressionless. "You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation."
The strange man clasped his hands together as though delivering a sacred sermon. "Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."
In a corner, a massive monster stood carrying a huge axe. Beside him stood another tall, thin figure holding a spear, occasionally striking the corpses to ensure no one was pretending to be dead.
The entire scene was horrifying, and some people even covered their eyes, unable to continue watching.
Loki stood among them, looking forward.
Under the starlight, a towering figure stood there. Golden armor covered his body. His purple skin resembled weathered wood. His body seemed to contain limitless energy. On his left hand, a gigantic golden gauntlet shone brightly with several gems embedded within it.
Thanos turned around and looked at Loki.
"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless." Thanos bent down and grabbed someone on the ground. The blood-covered Thor was lifted like a log, and then Thanos walked toward Loki. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it... Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say... I am."
Thanos' hand clenched into a fist, and the golden gauntlet radiated immense power. On the back of the gauntlet, a purple gem emitted a strange glow.
The moment the gauntlet and gem appeared, the viewers watching once again felt a sharp pain pierce their souls. But this time, it was much weaker, only a slight sting. Still, everyone understood.
That is the so-called titan before them, the purple titan who had appeared in the memories, had truly destroyed Asgard. He had once ordered Loki to go to Earth and conquer it for him. Although he failed, his plans had clearly never changed.
In the hearts of the citizens of the Terra Federation, a heavy sadness appeared. Thor was like a toy in Thanos's hands, being moved at will. If even Thor was helpless, what about humanity in the Earth Era? Perhaps a single attack from Thanos would be enough to wipe out countless people.
"Thanos is scary and hateful!"
"His subordinates don't look ordinary either."
"Judging by Thor's condition, he must have fought and lost."
"Doesn't that mean Thanos is stronger than Hela?"
"What exactly is that golden gauntlet? Every time it appears, my body and mind tingles."
"Back in the Asgard treasury, Hela knocked over a replica glove."
"What is he trying to do?"
"And what's that purple gem?"
Everyone was filled with questions.
Thanos easily grabbed Thor by the head, and the gem on his left hand glowed even brighter, "The Tesseract. Or your brother's head."
As the gem approached, Thor let out a painful scream, and the veins on his face bulged. Thanos's subordinates pointed their weapons at Loki, ready to kill at any moment.
Thanos smiled. "I assume you have a preference."
Loki, covered in wounds and tattered clothing, stared at Thanos and replied calmly:
"Oh, I do. Kill away."