Avengers Assemble

"What's the difference between Thanos in 2012 and Thanos in 2014?" Jian Shaoxin complained from the side, Russell's description was giving her a headache.

"Of course! Thanos from 2014 had even more wrinkles!"

"..."

"Just kidding. Thanos in 2014 was unarmed, with only a Double-edged Broadsword made of Uru Metal. Thanos in 2012 might be a different story..."

The Avengers surrounded Nebula, interrogating her about their comrade's whereabouts. Russell glanced at them and whispered, "I was lying to them when I said the Infinity Stones were taken by the Reincarnator. The Reality Stone might have been taken by the Reincarnator, but the Soul Stone definitely wasn't. The plot is too convoluted. No fool would give up their beloved for a plot mission."

Duan Xinlan added, "Therefore, the Soul Stone is in Thanos's hands."

"That's right, there must be Reincarnator who chose the Black Order's side. To show their sincerity and to increase their chances of winning, they will tell Thanos about the Soul Stone." After Russell finished speaking, he lamented that Gamora really unlucky, sacrificing herself prematurely and losing 6 years of her life.

"Sorry, if I hadn't insisted on getting involved in the Battle of New York, fighting the BOSS would have been much easier." Supergirl smiled sheepishly, having roughly understood the reason after Russell's explanation.

"It's good that you know."

Russell shamelessly said that she knew very well that all of this had nothing to do with Supergirl.

Even if the four of them choose to follow the storyline and not go to retrieve the three gems in New York, but instead secretly contact the future Stark and form an alliance using the Power Stone as bait, the Reincarnator will still be able to detect the Avengers Avengers: Endgame universe setting.

Steve's "Hail Hydra," Loki's disappearance with the Space Stone, Thor's use of his hammer to generate electricity against Stark —these are all plot points from Avengers: Endgame. The Reincarnator could easily detect them with a little investigation.

That's why Russell decided to take the three Infinity Stones; he felt more at ease having such powerful items on his own.

Meanwhile, the Avengers finished their interrogation and prepared to travel to 14 years later to rescue Nebula, who had been captured. Five years ago, they lost many comrades; now, they would not abandon any of them.

"If I were you, I definitely wouldn't act so impulsively!"

Russell intervened, drawing the ire of the Avengers. Steve frowned and said, "This isn't an impulsive act. The Avengers are a team, and we won't abandon her."

"No, I'm not asking you to abandon Nebula, but to deal with Thanos in 2012 first, and then go to save her in 2014." Russell shrugged, his mind still a little foggy from what he was hearing.

Thanos from 2012, Thanos from 2014, now when I close my eyes I can see Thanos grinning at me, and there are several of them, it's like a nightmare I can't bear to look at.

"But we don't know when Thanos will arrive, so we just wait..."

"Waiting is better than going back in 2014. Believe me, if you go back in 2014, you're very likely to invite two Thanos to descend. You don't want that, do you?"

Steve frowned and said, "How could there be two Thanos? If the Thanos from 2012 really came, then the Thanos from 2014 should be..."

"No, no, no, Captain, you need to understand something. The past you traveled through is your future, not someone else's past. In every point in the past, there was a Thanos living." Russell shook his head slightly, then turned his gaze to Stark and Dr. Banner.

The two men looked grave and nodded to Steve. Russell was right; they should deal with Thanos in 2012 first, and then find a way to rescue Nebula in 2014.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became much more oppressive at the thought of having to fight two Thanos in a row. The shadow Thanos left on the Avengers five years ago still haunted them.

Russell decided to do something, clapping his hands to draw everyone's attention. "Everyone, there's no need to be down. On the bright side, we still have plenty of time, which we can definitely make use of. How about we prepare a big gift and give it to Thanos when he comes Thanos?"

"What wonderful gift?"

Stark's smile gradually matured, "I love surprising people the most. Do you remember, before selling energy, I sold arms and even won the Nobel Peace Prize!"

"Hehehe..." xN

Stark's words instantly warmed up the atmosphere in the hall, and the Avengers had been holding back their resentment for five years, began to speak enthusiastically, placing one arms order after another.

Stark put Jarvis in charge of recording things; Jarvis was a program he copied from 2012, and he threw away Friday the Foolish Couple.

After collecting the orders, Stark was very pleased with his comrades' vengeful nature. He sent the documents back to the company and waited for the weapons to be delivered.

"Oh, by the way, do the four beauties have any gifts they would like to give to Thanos?" Stark suddenly realized that he had almost forgotten about Russell and the other three. Everyone should receive a gift for Thanos; no one should be left out.

Russell's eyes lit up. "I remember you invented the Jericho Missile. I'd like to order two to give to Thanos."

"Beautiful lady, you have good taste."

"Cough cough!"

Dr. Banner coughed twice and corrected him, "Stark, you misspoke. He's a man."

"Impossible, I've seen her face, she's beautiful! Of course, my favorite will always be Pepper!"

"I have seen his face, and it is indeed very beautiful, but the Sorcerer Supreme said that the face is fake and that his gender is male."

Russell: "..."

Suddenly, Russell sensed something was wrong. He scanned his surroundings and detected an attacker behind him. He quickly raised the Infinity Gauntlet and used the Space Stone to freeze the space around him. He turned around, his face flushed with embarrassment, to see Duan Xinlan preparing to attack his vitals.

What do you want to do?

Duan Xinlan's eyes gleamed, like a hungry wolf ready to devour its prey. She said slyly, "Sorcerer Supreme is mistaken. We are sisters and want to help you confirm your true gender."

Russell gasped, catching Supergirl's gossipy gaze out of the corner of his eye. He cursed inwardly, thinking that no matter the gender of the sorcerer named Ancient One, they were incompatible with him.

"Jason, are you a man?" Jian Shaoxin was extremely surprised. She had manually confirmed before that he was indeed a woman!

"The Sorcerer Supreme also said that Jason is not his real name..."

Dr. Banner continued arguing relentlessly with Stark, the two engaging in a heated debate about whether Russell was male or female, completely disregarding the opinions of the parties involved. Dr. Banner's voice was rather loud, Duan Xinlan's smile twisted upon hearing it as she struggled desperately against the constraints of the Space Stone.

This is a matter of lifelong commitment; she will not give up!

"Hehehe, Jason, I'm doing this for your own good! Captain, Shaoxin, help me hold his hands and feet down. This black robe is a magical artifact; once it's off, we'll know if he's a man or a woman."

Jian Shaoxin was excited, while the Supergirl curled her lip, thinking it was too boring. What did it matter to her whether someone was male or female?

Even so, she still secretly observed out of the corner of her eye; no one can resist the urge to gossip.

Russell's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "Stop messing around! Thanos is here! Get out of here quickly!"

Duan Xinlan rushed to Russell's side. "Stop lying! There's no way it's such a coincidence. If Thanos comes, I'm nothing!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—

The sound of missiles whistling grew louder as they approached. The Avengers had just placed their orders for gifts when Thanos's grand gift arrived first.

Flames soared into the sky, and a dense hail of bullets blasted the Avengers Compound into pieces, leveling an area with a diameter of five kilometers in the blink of an eye.

Smoke filled the ruins, the ballistic bombardment caused the nearby reservoir to overflow, flames rose with white steam, and thick black smoke lingered for a long time.

In the sky, a massive black warship hovered, blotting out the sun and casting vast shadows. The black warship glowed with an intense red light, signifying death and slaughter; for a moment, a chilling atmosphere filled the air.

Sanctuary II, or Temple II, was Thanos's personal vehicle and his flagship in the Black Order.

Buzzing!

Amidst the ruins, a spatial portal opened, and Russell, gripping the Infinity Gauntlet, stepped out, followed closely by the Avengers. The base was destroyed, and the Quantum Realm portal was gone. Fortunately, the group had just finished their time travel and hadn't yet removed their weapons and equipment; otherwise, after that barrage of missiles, they wouldn't have had a chance to retaliate.

Steve looked at the tall figure walking towards them, his expression solemn, and took a deep breath.

"The Avengers ..."

"Gather!"