The Black Order and their leading alien army had been completely wiped out in the aftermath of the final explosion. However, the crisis was far from over. This could only be considered the vanguard force, and Thanos himself had not made an appearance yet. They couldn't let their guard down just because of this victory.
Colonel Rhodes looked around the chaotic, green battlefield and said quietly, "You're right, but before that, I hope I can take a shower. I feel terrible..."
Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, and others nodded in agreement. Colonel Rhodes at least had his combat suit to protect him, but these ordinary Avengers were feeling even worse.
They all felt unsteady on their feet, uncomfortable all over.
Natasha Romanoff couldn't help but comment, "Really, Tony, you've made me suffer this time. I think I'll feel nauseous every time I see something green for the next while!"
After player Tony Stark brought out the MkX, the Avengers couldn't get close to the battlefield anymore. Aside from the nauseating green substance, even the green mist it emitted could poison them and make them uncomfortable.
Player Tony Stark shrugged, "I didn't want it to be this way. The armour still needs some improvements."
He was reasonably satisfied with the results of this experiment, but he admitted that his new toy still had many flaws and needed further refinement.
While the superheroes chatted after the battle, official aircraft and military forces finally arrived. This time, it wasn't their deliberate delay. The intensity of the battle just now was so high that regular military forces had no business getting involved. Even approaching the battlefield was dangerous.
In any case, this time the authorities didn't resort to nuclear bombing directly, showing progress compared to the Battle of New York.
Their mission now was mostly cleanup, and the Avengers needed some rest. However, not everyone could rest. Bruce Wayne, Superman, and the Guardians of the Galaxy had to remain vigilant and prepared for Thanos to appear at any moment.
Falcon brought up another point, "Hey, do you guys think that since Thanos lost this war so thoroughly, he might back off? Give up invading us, even if it's just temporarily?"
"Impossible!" Player Captain America shook his head firmly. "If he backs off, he's not Thanos anymore. And you have to understand, Thanos' power doesn't solely rely on his henchmen and alien army. He's a one-man army himself! Moreover, the current Thanos still has two Infinity Stones in his possession. Regardless, he won't give up on invading Earth and seizing the Infinity Stones."
After watching videos related to Thanos' future, the players had a deep understanding of this madman. Without a doubt, he was a fanatic with an unyielding character. He wouldn't rest until he achieved his goal of collecting the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of the universe's life with a snap of his fingers.
Besides, Thanos had no way out at this point. The vastness of the universe meant there were likely even more powerful entities, such as the Celestials, who weren't concerned about the energy of the Infinity Stones. They might not care, but some of them might find Thanos' actions objectionable and attempt to thwart him.
So, in the normal timeline, once Thanos started his plan, he managed to collect the Infinity Stones in just a day. Clearly, he understood the importance of acting quickly. Even if he knew Earth's strength was greater than he expected, and it was a tough nut to crack, he still needed to gather the Infinity Stones and act as soon as possible.
The players were confident about this, but some of the Avengers still held onto a glimmer of hope, considering the recent decisive victory. It was normal for people to let their guard down after such a battle.
Fortunately, in the next day or two, everything on Earth remained normal, and Thanos didn't appear.
During this time, the Avengers found a new headquarters and began preparing for Thanos' arrival.
In the main conference room, the Avengers and players gathered to discuss their plans. In addition to them, there were government officials or special envoys who occasionally asked somewhat comical questions, such as whether they could negotiate with Thanos or if he had a civilized society they could contact.
Before the arrival of the Black Order, the authorities didn't take the threat of Aliens too seriously. This was their usual approach—always a step behind in recognizing danger, always emerging to clean up after the crisis had been resolved.
Their proactive attempts at getting involved had never been reliable, and their attempts to bring the Avengers under official supervision had only led to a civil war and division within the Avengers.
Politicians and members of Congress always considered their interests, whether it was world peace, extraterrestrial threats, or universal destruction. They don't care. There would always be superheroes to step up and save the world, and they would follow suit.
However, this time was a bit different. The Black Order were a formidable force, displaying technology and combat abilities far beyond Earth's. Although the authorities didn't directly intervene or couldn't, they still monitored the changes on the battlefield from start to finish.
The strength displayed by Thanos' extraterrestrial army had naturally shocked and frightened them.
So, the authorities finally sent a special envoy. Surprisingly, their attitude was to negotiate with Thanos. Player Captain America was quite speechless, "Didn't you all watch the future videos? Thanos doesn't want cooperation; he wants universal balance! He wants to use a snap of his fingers to wipe out half of all life in the universe, Earth included. Think about it; if Earth lost half its population, but they and their loved ones survived, wouldn't that be a great thing for them?"
The special envoy left dejectedly.
Hawkeye couldn't help but quip, "I dare say if Thanos promised them they wouldn't be 'balanced,' they might actually surrender."
Black Widow said in a solemn tone, "No doubt. If Thanos makes a promise, they will definitely choose to compromise. Just think, if half of the people on Earth suddenly disappeared while they and their loved ones survived, it would obviously be a great thing for them."
Everyone contemplated this silently and couldn't help but feel shocked. In some ways, Thanos' idea of balance could indeed bring material benefits to the surviving half of the population.
As long as they accepted the sudden disappearance of their friends and family.