One snap of the fingers could erase half the population of the entire universe?
Howard felt his trigeminal nerve throbbing wildly, while the worldview he had built over decades shattered to pieces.
"Is today April Fools' Day? What kind of tasteless joke is this?" Several cross-shaped veins bulged on his forehead, his eyelids twitching furiously, and even his voice carried a hint of anger. "With just one snap of the fingers, he can wipe out half the population of the entire universe? What is he, god?"
"A... purple sweet potato?"
Alvin suddenly thought of that and could not help laughing. "Hahaha, all right, I'm joking. Although there really are beings in the universe similar to god, he definitely isn't one. He belongs to an ancient cosmic race. And the reason he can wipe out half of all life isn't because of his own abilities, but because of six gems that have existed since the birth of the universe. Once all six gems are gathered, any wish can be fulfilled—including wiping out half the life in the universe."
"...Uh, why would he do that?"
Howard caught the key point. "To rule the entire universe? Or does he have racial purity obsessions like the Nazis?"
"Neither. His race went extinct long ago." Alvin shook his head. "According to him, he once witnessed his home planet perish because overpopulation depleted its resources. So he believes that only by randomly and indiscriminately eliminating half of all life can the balance between resources and population be permanently maintained, thereby saving civilization throughout the universe."
"?"
After hearing that reasoning, Howard suddenly felt the Nazis were not quite so detestable after all.
"What kind of alien lunatic is this? Has he ever even gone to school? Does he know what the Malthusian trap theory is?"
Thanos's