Marvel: Little Genius - Chapter: 409 (Patreon)

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"No satellites, no spaceships, no armies, no ground defenses, just him on this planet. But it's beautiful up here with abundant resources, truly a perfect place for retirement," Captain Marvel led the way, relaying the message to the other Avengers.

Captain and the others exchanged glances and then responded firmly to Captain Marvel, "As long as he's alone, that's enough!"

The Avengers descended onto the planet where Thanos was hiding, and as Captain Marvel had said, it was indeed a perfect place for rest and relaxation after retirement.

The atmosphere was stable, ample sunlight, and the surface was picturesque with stunning scenery. However, the Avengers didn't focus on the breathtaking beauty of the place.

"Is this the place?" Captain pointed to a small cabin not far ahead and asked Captain Marvel.

"He's inside," Captain Marvel nodded, confirming his location.

With Captain Marvel's confirmation, Captain and the other Avengers locked their attention onto the small cabin in front of them.

"Execute the plan as discussed earlier, move!" Without much hesitation, Captain gave the order, signaling the official start of the reversal operation.

Following the order, Captain Marvel was the first to charge towards the target. She emitted a dazzling golden light and launched a high-energy beam attack at Thanos inside the wooden cabin.

Boom! The immense energy directly blew the roof of the rudimentary cabin away. Captain Marvel took advantage of the opening and rushed inside, applying a chokehold to deprive Thanos of control over his body balance.

Next, the fastest runner in the team dashed into the cabin. Seizing the opportunity, he managed to take hold of Thanos' left hand, the one wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. On the other side, Rhodes, a bit slower, but restricted the movement of Thanos' right hand.

In the next moment, Thor swung his Stormbreaker down from the heavens, delivering a blow that finally stained the Stormbreaker's edge with blood while simultaneously severing Thanos' left arm with the Infinity Gauntlet.

Rocket, quick on his feet, rushed up to try and remove the Infinity Gauntlet, but to his astonishment, he found the Infinity Gauntlet's slots, where the Infinity Stones should have been, completely empty. All six Infinity Stones were nowhere to be seen.

"This..." Rocket couldn't believe the result before his eyes, a hint of concern creeping into his heart. If they couldn't gather all six Infinity Stones to wield the snap that could reverse everything...

Rocket vigorously shook his head, not daring to dwell on that thought any longer. He raised his head, glaring fiercely at the subdued Thanos, and demanded, "Where are the Infinity Stones?"

"Answer his question!" Captain Marvel, who had Thanos in a chokehold, threatened him with a whisper in his ear. She then loosened her grip slightly, allowing Thanos to speak more easily.

However, despite Captain Marvel's threat, Thanos showed no fear of death. Instead, he wore a relieved smile on his face as he calmly replied, "The balance of the universe needed correction, and after that, the Infinity Stones had no purpose other than tempting the survivors of the universe and sparking new conflicts."

Boom! Upon hearing Thanos' words, Dr. Banner couldn't control his emotions any longer. He operated the Hulkbuster armor and delivered a powerful punch to Thanos' face, shouting, "You are a murderer of countless lives!"

This was the first time Dr. Banner had expressed his anger so passionately since the birth of the Hulk. However, even at this moment, the Hulk had no intention of making an appearance.

In fact, at this point, the Avengers had already formed a rough idea of where the Infinity Stones might have gone. They just didn't want to accept the heartbreaking truth.

Why did Thanos, who had defeated them in their previous encounters, now appear so weak and injured, with more severe wounds than after the snap on Titan? What was the reason for the second appearance of a cosmic-level energy center point on this planet? All these questions pointed to a despairing answer.

Cough... As a result of Dr. Banner's punch, Thanos was knocked to the ground, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. It was worth noting that, previously on Titan, they had only managed to cause him a minor injury, causing him to bleed slightly.

But now, a simple punch from the Hulkbuster had inflicted such damage. Clearly, Thanos' physical condition was extremely weakened.

He wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth, feeling no guilt or anger at Dr. Banner's accusations. Instead, he simply said, "You should thank me. I restored balance, ensuring the longevity of your civilization. As for the Infinity Stones, they no longer exist."

"Impossible! You used them not long ago. We detected the energy fluctuations caused by your second usage!" Dr. Banner, controlling the Hulkbuster, tightly gripped Thanos' collar and pulled him up from the ground, as if searching for evidence of his lie on his face.

However, Thanos remained composed. "That's right. Before you arrived here, I did use the Infinity Stones. I harnessed their powers to destroy them. Just like those lives that have passed away, the Infinity Stones have also turned to dust."

"Using the power of all six Infinity Stones for the second time nearly cost me my life. But it doesn't matter. My mission is complete. The outcome was predetermined because I am inevitable!"

"No! We can't just take Thanos' word for it. We need to keep looking. He might be lying!" Rhodey couldn't accept Thanos' answer because accepting it would mean giving up their last hope.

Nebula had a habit of speaking her mind without regard for others' feelings. She poured cold water on Rhodey's hopes by saying, "My father is many things but not a liar."

"Thank you, daughter. Maybe I've been too hard on you in the past..."

Splut! Before Thanos could finish his sentence, Thor swiftly swung his Stormbreaker and cleanly severed Thanos' head. This shocking action left the surrounding Avengers speechless. They hadn't expected Thor to suddenly take such drastic measures.

"Uh... Thor, why did you do that?" Rocket asked, puzzled.

"Since we have no way of obtaining the Infinity Stones anymore, there's no use keeping him alive. Now I want to see if he's truly inevitable or just a dead man!" Thor replied.

With that, Thor clenched his fist and turned away from Thanos' small wooden hut. Although he had avenged his people, there was no joy in his heart. Thor had lost too many loved ones and comrades due to his own weakness.

Thanos was dead, killed by Thor with the Stormbreaker specially crafted to defeat him. The other Avengers had no complaints about this, but neither did they derive any pleasure from their revenge. As Tony had said, why hadn't they become preventers instead of Avengers?

Only Nebula, who was once Thanos' adopted daughter, mourned him in solitude. She buried his body on the beautiful planet where he had planned to retire.

In the days that followed, not only Earth but the entire universe enjoyed a period of peace that had been unimaginable before. Due to the significant reduction in the population, whether it was primitive or advanced civilizations, peacemakers or warmongers, they all needed time to adapt and recuperate.

In this era of peace, except for the Kamar-Taj, which continued to fulfill its duty guarding against threats like Dormammu from other dimensions, the Avengers were effectively disbanded indefinitely.

There were no more ambitious supervillains, and there were no alien forces eyeing Earth. After returning to Earth, the Avengers went their separate ways, essentially disbanding on the spot.

Tony and Captain America, as the core of the team, silently agreed with this outcome. After the series of events they had experienced, everyone needed time to adjust, and some had loved ones to return to. Temporary separation was a reasonable choice.

And right after Tony returned to Earth, Pepper gave him the long-awaited good news: she was pregnant, carrying Tony's child.

Tony needed to adjust his emotions, take care of Pepper, who was now the most important person in his life, and prepare to welcome the new life soon to enter this cruel world. In his heart, he silently made a decision: this time, he would never let the same regrets that happened with Mark happen again; he was determined to be a worthy father.

Captain America and Natasha remained at the Avengers base. For the two who no longer had any attachments, this place was the closest thing to home.

Hawkeye and Rhodey decided to continue their mission of maintaining order on Earth, dealing with the small factions attempting to exploit chaos. Nebula and Rocket, with no other arrangements, joined their team, using their skills while continuing their journey on Earth.

Ant-Man needed to go back and take care of his daughter, Cassie. The poor girl now only had Scott as her sole surviving family member. Helping her overcome grief and grow up healthy would be a significant challenge for Scott.

Thor went to Norway, where he obtained approval from the temporary government. Valkyrie led the remaining Asgardian refugees to establish a new home. This would be the new Asgard.

Captain Marvel continued her intergalactic travels, saving alien refugees in dire straits. However, due to the recent events, she would frequently return to Earth to check on the situation there.

Only Dr. Banner seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth after leaving the others. There was no news from him, and no one could contact him.

Five years passed swiftly, and under the leadership of the Mark Research Center and Stark Industries, the two major technological giants, Earth's productivity quickly recovered. In fact, due to the reduced population, society evolved into a utopian society, which had previously been considered impossible.

With advanced social productivity and scientific and technological levels, people's scientific and cultural literacy, ideological awareness, and moral standards greatly improved. Everyone's reasonable needs for life were fully satisfied.

Now, the entire society was managed based on the artificial intelligence decision system developed by J.A.R.V.I.S., ensuring absolute fairness and precise big data analysis, turning the impossible into possible.

After basic physiological needs were met, the survivors gradually emerged from the shadow of the event. To commemorate their lost fellow citizens, monuments were erected in the squares and parks of various cities, listing the names of those who perished during the event in each city.

As time passed, the Avengers began their new lives.

Captain America established a psychological counseling center at the New York Yankees' baseball stadium, helping citizens who were struggling to adapt to the changes brought about by the new era. When it came to accepting the new age, there was no one more experienced and qualified to speak than him.

Natasha assisted Hawkeye and their team at the base in continuing their efforts to maintain stability and uphold justice. Everything was going smoothly, but occasionally, in the quiet of the night, when she remembered the comrades they used to joke and fight alongside, Natasha couldn't help but shed tears.

The good news was that Scott was about to return to their team and resume his missions. He had successfully raised his daughter Cassie, and he couldn't stand being lonely, so he decided to embrace the role of Ant-Man once again.

After disappearing for eighteen months following their parting, Doctor Banner finally reappeared in everyone's sight. However, his transformation was more significant than when Captain America initially received the super-soldier serum, it was real and profound.

During his eighteen months of absence, he had kept himself secluded in a gamma radiation laboratory, researching the possibility of merging himself with the Hulk. For years, he had seen the Hulk as a disease within his own body, and the result was that when he needed the Hulk's help the most, the Hulk didn't respond.

After the events with Thanos, Dr. Banner went through extended periods of contemplation and inner reconciliation. He finally unraveled the knots that had plagued him for years and found a way to merge with the Hulk, achieving a state where his wisdom and strength were unified.

While maintaining the appearance of the Hulk, he could now think with the mind of Bruce Banner. If you didn't consider the outer appearance, Dr. Banner had become a more perfect being.

Among the group, it seemed that only Thor had become more fallen than before. He indulged daily in alcohol, becoming an obese man who had entirely lost the heroic appearance of the mighty Thor.

Tony and Pepper's child had also been born and grown up healthily during these five years, becoming a lively and kind little girl. Tony named her Morgan, Morgan Stark, as a tribute to Pepper's uncle, also named Morgan.

Tony spent a significant amount of time every day playing with Morgan, teaching her interesting mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge, and telling her stories about Mark before bedtime. It seemed that Tony wanted to make up for everything he owed Mark by devoting himself to Morgan. During this process, Tony's smile appeared more and more frequently.

However, as the person closest to Tony, who understood him the best, Pepper knew that Tony had never really moved on from the events of five years ago. Whether it was the robot Baymax, created by Mark and now in permanent shutdown, or the capsule Mark had left for Tony in his final moments, Tony had kept them sealed in the basement warehouse, never opening them.

But today, the time had finally come for Baymax, who had undergone integration and life-level upgrades, to meet a curious and mischievous girl. At the same time, after a delay of five years, the endgame was about to begin...