Infinity War (2)

Knowhere was burning.

Chu Hang stepped out of a spatial rift. Molten metal glowed red beneath his feet, and the air was thick with a strange mix of scorched odors and ozone.

Everything around him was dead. The Collector's precious artifacts had all become heaps of unrecognizable trash.

A massive purple figure stood amid the ruins with his back to Chu Hang.

It was Thanos.

The Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand held the purple Power Stone, which emitted a steady glow. In his right hand, he held a writhing mass of red energy—the Reality Stone.

The Collector, Tivan's corpse lay twisted to one side, his face still frozen in extreme terror.

Thanos turned around. His deeply furrowed face was calm, and there was no surprise in his eyes, as though he had been waiting specifically for Chu Hang.

"You're here."

"I was a step too late. I didn't expect you to move so quickly. Looks like you've already been to Xandar."

Chu Hang's gaze fell on the Reality Stone. "That isn't yours."

"No." Thanos denied it. "It belongs to no one. It belongs to the fate of the universe. Just like this place, everything has become too bloated, too chaotic. It needs to be cleansed."

He raised his gauntleted left hand, and the Power Stone flickered faintly.

"The universe's resources are limited, yet life continues expanding without end. From the Titan where I was born to the Earth you came from, there are no exceptions. I am merely here to correct an error that was bound to happen."

"So your method is to randomly kill half the people?" Chu Hang asked.

Thanos did not answer directly. He raised the Reality Stone in his right hand and gave the surrounding ruins a light wave.

The burning flames instantly went out.