Restart

"Or... don't hold back."

Kamala answered first, her voice muffled by half a hamburger, indistinct but firm.

Kate shook her head in response, Yelena hummed in agreement, Red Guardian, with a chicken leg stuffed in his mouth, muttered something in Russian that roughly meant, "Who wants to remember being gnawed on?" The Blade Knight nodded expressionlessly.

America took a sip of her cola and slammed the bottom of the glass down.

"But... if you restart the timeline, where will I appear?"

Thor didn't let her finish speaking. He grabbed the last packet of ketchup, tore it open, and squeezed it onto the fries. "I'll handle the causality at the quantum entanglement level. You'll return to the universe you were in before you were being hunted."

America fingers along the inside of the cola cup twice.

"Can you really lead me to them?"

"Able."

America pursed her lips, wanting to ask something else, but then hesitated and didn't speak.

Thor and Valkyrie from the Zombie Universe exchanged a glance and both chose to return directly to the point in time before the virus outbreak, to obtain a new, clean life line like everyone else.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Thor stood up.

With a surge of mental energy, the Law of Space were activated simultaneously beneath everyone's feet, and everyone, along with the rubble beneath their feet, vanished.

Wakanda, a small Africa country.

The Vibranium dome was mostly destroyed, and the outer perimeter of the royal city had been gnawed away by the zombie horde, leaving only a framework. The air was filled with a dull, acrid smell of rotting biomass scorched by high temperatures.

But no one's attention was on the environment.

Because there was something squatting in the center of the main hall.

The 2.7-meter-tall mutilated body had alternating gray and green skin, its left arm was completely charred from the elbow down, and the muscle tissue on the right side of its face had collapsed into a dry, fibrous structure.

Its entire body was completely covered by six colors of light, and it was crouching down. Invisible energy fluctuations swept outwards in layers.

Infinity Hulk.

Kamala took a half step back, a sudden, inexplicable pang of fear bursting from her chest.

Kate's hand instinctively touched the bowstring, Yelena, the Red Guardian, the Blade Knight, America —almost simultaneously, everyone's body reacted with an instinctive rejection.

This is the cosmic pressure emanating from the simultaneous presence of the energies of the Six Infinity Stones in one vessel.

That kind of palpitation has nothing to do with combat power; it's purely a stress response at the cellular level when a low-dimensional being faces a high-dimensional energy field.

Wanda's pupils contracted slightly, and crimson energy unconsciously condensed at her fingertips for a moment before being suppressed.

Thor and Valkyrie the Zombie Universe didn't react much, after all, their physical abilities were undeniable.

Thor stepped forward, crouched down, and looked at Infinity Hulk at eye level.

Those cloudy eyes rolled and met his gaze.

There was no intention to attack, no zombie hunger instinct, and nothing that could be considered a "living being."

It means squatting.

The energies of the Six Infinity Stones circulate simultaneously within the body. Time, space, power, Mind Stone, Soul Stone, and reality—the six laws pull at and cancel each other out, forming an extremely fragile dynamic balance.

Maintaining this balance has exhausted all of Hulk's vitality and willpower.

But beneath that chaotic sea of consciousness, there is a glimmer of clarity.

An extremely thin, extremely weak thread that was on the verge of breaking but never did.

A lingering trace of Bruce Banner's Soul Stone.

Hulk used a self-destructive method to crush his own personality, laying the foundation for Banner's final breath within the rampaging energy field of the six Infinity Stones.

A large, green man, using the most basic and foolish method, risked his life to buy Banner a chance at survival.

Thor extended his right hand and placed his palm on the Infinity Hulk's forehead.

The Law of Analysis are activated.

The operational structure of the six laws was revealed in detail under the mental scan— Banner's Soul Stone fragments were entangled between the Law of Soul and the Law of Mind, while Hulk's remaining will acted as a glue, barely holding the entire system together.

The Law of Reality was the first to break free, being pulled out from the embedding point on his right shoulder. The dark red light suddenly shone brightly the moment it left his body, transforming into a crystal-clear gem, which Thor caught with his left hand.

Space, power, Mind Stone, time.

After the five laws detached and reverted to gems, the Infinity Hulk's body convulsed violently, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on his gray-green skin.

The last one, the Soul Stone.

This is the one most deeply bound to Banner's lingering soul.

Thor's mental energy enveloped the edge of the gem and began to peel it away layer by layer.

Banner's fragments of consciousness are released, gathered, and reassembled piece by piece in this process, like a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece fitting into a precise position.

Thirty seconds later, the Soul Stone detached.

The six gems floated above Thor's palm, each regaining its original luster—Space Blue, Reality Red, Power Purple, Mind Stone Yellow, Time Green, and Soul Stone Orange.

The enormous body in front of them was shrinking.

From 2.7 meters to 2 meters, and from 2 meters to 1.8 meters.

As the grayish-green hue receded, normal skin color was revealed. Tissue regenerated from the charred left arm, and the muscles of the right cheek repaired themselves layer by layer.

Bruce Banner slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at everyone blankly, with a sense of bewilderment, as if asking, "Who am I? Where am I?"

Thor from the Zombie Universe strode over, grabbed Banner by the shoulder, and lifted him off the ground.

" Banner, you're alright, I'm so glad!"

Banner blinked a few times, and finally recognized the one-eyed face in front of him. His lips trembled, and the sound he managed to squeeze out was so dry it was almost cracking.

"... Thor?"

"Ah."

"How long... have I been like this?"

"Two years." Thor from the Zombie Universe spoke softly, but his fingers tightened around the other's shoulder. "You held on for two years."

Banner looked down at his hands, ten complete, human fingers.

The joints were bent normally, without any grayish-green color or burn marks from the gemstone's energy. He examined them several times, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He didn't say anything.

Thor gave them three minutes.

Then he put away the six gems, turned around, and glanced at the entire room.

Are you ready?

Kamala rubbed her hands together, Kate crossed her arms and nodded, Yelena made a "go ahead" gesture with a blank expression, and America took the last sip of her cola and put the cup on the ground.

Banner looked up at Thor in the Zombie Universe, then at the "other Thor " in front of him, who was waiting for his answer.

"... Please."

Thor raised his hand.

The Law of Time poured forth from the palm of his hand, galaxies reversed, civilizations were reconstructed, and every node in the chain of cause and effect was restored one by one.

From Wakanda New York to San Francisco, from zombie hordes to the origin of the virus to the Quantum Realm —everything has come full circle.

The screen shattered, and a blinding white light instantly engulfed everyone.

San Francisco, sunny.

Hank Pym's laboratory is located three floors below ground, so quiet that you can hear the hum of the air conditioner unit.

The timeline has rewound to before everything happened.

At this moment, Hank Pym is upstairs discussing the parameter calibration of a Quantum Tunnel with Hope, with about forty-eight hours remaining before the deadly Quantum Realm detection.

Thor leaned against the corridor wall, hands in his pockets, with Wanda standing beside him. The collar of her black coat was slightly turned up, still bearing a trace of dust from the Mirror Dimension.

"They said they came here for tourism." Thor turned to look at her. " Wanda, have you decided where to go? Or is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Wanda paused for a moment.

Where to go for fun? What do you want to eat?

These two questions are so mundane that they seem absurd after a trans-cosmic zombie apocalypse has just ended.

But Thor asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world, with an expression as if he had just come out of the supermarket and was discussing what to have for dinner.

Wanda thought for a moment.

"... It's been so long since I've had pasta."

I thought about it again.

"And Hungarian beef stew."

"OK."

In an instant, a sense of connection spread through my Mind Stone, and the thoughts of six billion people flashed through my mind.

The restaurant owner's pride, the diners' satisfaction, the chef's focus—the data was filtered out in an instant.

There are three local locations in San Francisco, two in New York, one in Budapest, and one in Rome.

That little shop in Budapest is the most interesting. It's been open for 47 years, and the owner is a 72-year-old Hungarian lady. The recipe for stewed beef was passed down from her grandmother, and she only makes 20 servings a day, not a single one more.

Thor thought about it and decided to go with this place. He couldn't let Wanda down. She was busy driving away invading dimensional creatures every day, and she finally had some time to come out. He had to make her happy.

An hour later, a crack appeared at the end of the corridor at the port of the Quantum Tunnel.

Two figures burst out of the portal— Hank Pym, or rather, something that was once Hank Pym, with half of his face rotting and his left eyeball dangling from its socket.

Following closely behind is the Original Wasp, Janet Van Dane, who also exhibits zombified features, with congealed black scabs covering her mouth and jawline.

The two zombies lunged forward at the only two living creatures in the corridor.

Thor slapped the zombie Hank across the face with his right hand, slamming him into the wall and shattering a piece of the plasterboard.

With his left hand, he grabbed the zombie Janet by the neck, lifted her gently, and took her feet off the ground.

The Law of Hunger is activated.

The Hunger Virus within the body has absolute power to suppress this low-end version of the zombie virus.

Just like using a fire extinguisher to spray a lighter—the moment a virus cell comes into contact with the Law of Hunger, its structure is directly overwritten, decomposed, and eliminated.

The two of them quickly returned to normal.

Hank slumped against the wall, rubbing his flattened nose, looking completely bewildered.

Janet was put down, her knees buckled, and she squatted on the ground, breathing heavily.

Thor clapped his hands and muttered under his breath, "That old geezer really knows how to cause trouble."

Wanda stood still the entire time, not even having time to gather her crimson energy; it was so fast that she didn't even need to make a move.

Thor turned around and looked at Wanda.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Wanda did not answer immediately.

She lowered her head, staring at the grout lines in the hallway floor for several seconds, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hem of her coat. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence.

"I have no idea."

The voice was very soft, and the tone was full of confusion.

"Ever since my parents died, I've wanted revenge on Stark. After learning the truth, you took me to Kamar-Taj to find the Ancient One. These past few months have been nothing but training and fighting..."

"To be honest, I don't know what I want, or where I want to go."

"Perhaps Pietro would enjoy traveling the world. But I..."

The conversation eventually ended.

Thor looked at her.

A young woman in her early twenties, burdened with the title of Sorcerer Supreme, the fate of a host of Chaos Magic, the hatred of losing her parents, and the combat power of Avengers entire Avengers, has never treated herself well or thought about herself properly.

Not surprising at all, given Wanda's past experiences.

He stepped forward and placed his hands on Wanda's shoulders.

Wanda looked up, her eerie green eyes fixed on Thor.

" Wanda, I won't advise you to let go of your hatred."

"I won't spout any of that 'let go of the past and look forward' nonsense to you."

"If you ever feel like giving Tony a good beating, call me, and I'll help you hold him down."

Wanda's lips moved slightly.

"And—" Thor removed his hand from her shoulder, took a half step back, looked her up and down, and his tone suddenly became serious.

" Wanda, you are young now, at the height of your beauty, you deserve all the best things in the world."

Wanda's ears felt hot, as if someone was blowing warm air on them. She instinctively avoided Thor's gaze, feeling a warm, comforting sensation spreading through her heart.

Having lived for over twenty years, this was the first time someone had seriously told her that she deserved all the best things in life.

Thor flipped his right hand, and the Law of Reality converged between his fingers, conjuring up an instant camera out of thin air.

He bounced it twice and waved it at Wanda.

Let's go to some fun places and take lots of photos to bring back.

How about I'm so envious of Pietro?

Wanda was stunned for a long time.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Good."

She paused.

"But Pietro will definitely pester you to bring him out too once he sees the photos."

"Let him stay out of the way."

Thor shoved the Polaroid into her hand and turned to walk towards the exit of the corridor.

"Let's go. Let's get some Hungarian beef stew first."

"There's a surprise waiting for you when you get back."

Wanda followed, clutching the camera in her hand. She glanced down at the camera and saw her own face reflected in its silver-gray body.

What surprise?

Thor had already pushed open the security door to the lab, and the afternoon sun of San Francisco blazed in, gilding his entire silhouette with a golden edge.

He turned around and put a finger to his lips, pointing at Wanda.

You'll find out then.