Prologue: A Snap of the Fingers
Is it an illusion?
Reflected in his own eyes, two armies were locked in a life-or-death struggle upon a verdant meadow. The thunderous cries of battle seemed to be muffled behind a shimmering blue energy barrier. Yet, the instant he tried to draw closer to see and hear more clearly, a deafening wave of sound crashed over him like a tide, battering the eardrums and soul of a young man named Meimu.
A terrifying horde of monsters swept across half the land—countless alien creatures, each with six powerful arms and a strange, eight-limbed crawl. Their numbers were in the thousands, tens of thousands, and more poured forth without end. Across such a vast expanse, their front stretched for kilometers. They hurled themselves madly against the blue energy shield, crowding together until no space remained, and even when those at the forefront were scorched and slain by the energy barrier, they continued to surge forward in relentless waves, striving to tear through the shield and slaughter the humans arrayed behind it—their enemies.
At first, Meimu did not recognize them. Only when he narrowed his eyes in confusion at the chaotic banners, at the figures dressed like African elders who, with their vibrant robes raised, conjured intricate blue energy shields, did Meimu, startled, realize who they were.
In that instant, his expression changed.
They were the Wakandan legions from the Marvel world—a nation rooted in the most ancient African traditions, yet, by virtue of their mysterious metal vibranium, possessed technology far surpassing Earth's average.
In Meimu's sight, familiar superheroes were turning to ashes—
The master of cold and hot weaponry, one of the Marvel universe’s most formidable assassins and spies—the Winter Soldier…
The Black Panther—impervious to blades and bullets, endowed with superhuman senses, endurance, agility, strength, and formidable close-combat prowess…
The learned cosmic engineer, blessed with high intellect and monstrous strength, able to command plants in battle and heal or empower himself through trees—Groot…
The Scarlet Witch, her chaos magic intermingled with a mutant ability to alter probability, even to the point of rewriting reality itself…
The Falcon, wearing a jet-powered glider, one of the top aerial combat experts in the Marvel universe…
Any one among them could reduce a city to ashes. Many had once belonged to a mighty extraordinary organization—the Avengers.
Perhaps, to Meimu, it had always been just a superhero film. Yet, the Avengers, in their battles against the evil forces invading Earth, had made indelible contributions. The once-mighty Chitauri army had tasted bitter defeat at their hands.
As countless fans revered them, the Avengers were a band of unwavering will, heroes of extraordinary power who stood as Earth's defenders.
But now, this superhuman legion was almost annihilated.
All because of a single snap from the supervillain Thanos…
Snap!
With a casual motion of his Infinity Gauntlet-clad left hand, half the life in the universe vanished.
It made no difference whether one was a mighty superhero or a frail, ordinary soul. Moments ago, they were alive and well; moments later, their bodies seemed to turn to clay, cracking and crumbling away within seconds, then… scattering on the wind.
Thus they died, disappeared—their history, their renown, every memory of their past, erased from the world.
In the higher-dimensional void, several indistinct, colossal figures gathered. If their forms were solid, each would have towered ten thousand meters high, surpassing even Mount Everest.
Behind them stretched the nebulous universe, and suspended in the void were countless three-dimensional images, large and small.
"Destroyed again, I see."
"Yes, the fourteenth million, thirty-six thousand, eight hundred and seventy-third time."
"Restart, then."
"No objections."
"However, shouldn't we introduce a bit of uncertainty?"
"They are already the best."
"No, sometimes the best isn't necessarily the most suitable. We may be able to restart the world endlessly, but infinite cycles do not guarantee new possibilities or hope."
"Very well, you may have a one-in-ten-thousand chance of change. The specifics are yours to handle."
"Understood."
The void fell silent once more…