In the office of the Interstellar Security Committee, Thanos lifted his head from the towering pile of documents, removed his glasses and sighed after rubbing his eyes. But his secretary pushed through the door, bringing even more files.
Most of the documents regarding interstellar security were stored in special storage devices, each capable of holding vast amounts of information. The devices piled in front of Thanos were mountainous, illustrating the recent overload in his work.
In fact, Thanos had been working overtime for a week straight and looking at the situation, he would likely have to work longer. Physical and mental fatigue was irrelevant to the Titan Giants, but Thanos only wanted to figure out one thing: where in the world did all these cases come from?
Thanos casually flipped through the device next to him, and one holographic projection after another popped up. The text was disorganized, the images headache-inducing, but Thanos knew he couldn't expect more. Even if all the officials in the security bureau had four legs each, three of them would be worn out at this point.
The seven cases that popped out of the files were mostly local wars. The Interstellar Security Committee mediated war, but it mainly dealt with larger-scale conflicts. Minor conflicts in specific regions were overlooked and unmanageable.
However, regrettably, these conflict areas were not remote and impoverished, but rather the borders of established civilizations around the Star Area. Although they were borders, they were equally prosperous civilization star zones, not like the barren Dark galaxies that frequently dispute sovereignty.
In theory, after tens of thousands of years of development, the situation here should be relatively stable and free of border disputes.
But these few cases were either about the assassination of important figures, disputes between close relatives, or the losing side in a struggle for power fleeing. These were all cases that touched on core interests and failed to yield results through negotiation. As a result, the border areas naturally began to stir.
Ever since Thanos became a leader in the interstellar political system, he has been particularly concerned about these interstellar affairs. He had been paying attention to the prelude of these cases as the Star Area is ultimately the center.
Previously, his assessment of these events was that although there were unstable factors, they would not erupt in the short term. For now, all they needed was supervision and direct intervention was not required due to their limited ability to do so.
It's a fact that any so-called united political body is actually controlled by the more powerful entities within the group. Whether it's the Interstellar Alliance Department or the security department, they are completely under the control of the Three Great Empires, and even the coalition of established civilizations has a hand in it. The control is always limited, making it difficult to function effectively.
But who could have known that there were so many time bombs in this area which all exploded within just over ten days? Thanos wanted more to know who was capable enough to stir up trouble under the noses of the Three Great Empires.
Thanos took the new file from his secretary. The secretary specifically mentioned, "The special duty department has marked several key figures, you can take a look."
Thanos nodded and began to search through the device. Surely enough, he found some photos taken by the special inspection department.
The Security Committee is not an intelligence department and most of the time they just mediate openly stated conflicts. However, this series of events was too complex, and Thanos had no choice but to arrange personnel to investigate the causes personally. The investigators from the special duty department infiltrated many banquets under the guise of mediation, and have identified a few suspects.
Thanos swiped through the photos, noting the faces of these key individuals in his mind. Suddenly, his finger froze, because he recognized a face in one of the photos.
Hastily, he hit the power-off button, lifting his head he looked around blankly for a moment, then quickly piled the device in his hand and a few others just delivered, to the farthest corner, took off his glasses and stood up from his chair.
Thanos called out to his secretary a few times. Hearing him, the secretary walked in and Thanos extended a hand and asked, "How much vacation time do I have left?"
"Why suddenly ask about this? Um, ok, you have two months' vacation left. If you add the upcoming diplomatic invitations, you could probably get three months in total..."
"Prepare a spaceship, I need to go on vacation!"
Astonished, the secretary watched him. Thanos also had wide-eyed looked at his secretary. After a few seconds of staring, the secretary, still confused, asked, "You want to go on a vacation now? But… but what about the Star Area..."
Thanos was already making his way around the desk, saying as he moved, "Remember the principles of interstellar security work? Maintain interstellar stability, respect the destiny of civilization, now it's time to practice the second part."
"But where are you going for this vacation?"
Thanos paused buttoning his coat to think, then asked, "What's the most remote vacation spot that the other committee members often go to? I need somewhere isolated."
"That... that's probably Earth."
"Pick another one!"
"How about Centaurus? The gambling industry is thriving there, and in general, it's prosperous. There are many public reception venues and entertainment centers. Many committee members go there to have fun when their vacation time is not enough..."
"Isn't there a place farther from the Solar System?!"
The secretary said somewhat awkwardly: "Currently, the most remote place within our official travel range is the Milky Way. The civilizations in the Laniakea supercluster have always been underdeveloped. If it weren't for the natural scenery around Earth, no one would go..."
Thanos sighed; he felt that since Shiller chose to cause troubles in the Star Area, his target this time was not Earth. The most dangerous place could be the safest, the proverb held true. Hiding on Earth at this time might indeed be a smart tactic?
Thanos knew he had no better option. After all, it was said by Five-Star General MacArthur, once Shiller leaves Earth, there is no absolutely safe place in the cosmos.
After pondering for a while, Thanos reasoned that Earth was Shiller's home after all. It should, therefore, be sufficiently safe, and most importantly, any further hesitations might result in his inability to escape.
Having made up his mind, Thanos directly ordered his secretary, "Prepare the spaceship, I plan to take a three-month trip to Earth. Remember, no one should contact me until the trip ends. As for the work in the Star Area, hand it over to Euelo. I am aware that the eight-armed creature has been eyeing my position..."
With the urgency typical of a rat fleeing a burning attic, Thanos hastily boarded his spaceship. It was only after the ship had taken off that he realized he needed to warn the Earth's locals of his impending arrival, given that there would be no one to welcome him.
The realization that an Iron Demon lived on Earth gave Thanos a headache. For such a small place, Earth produced an unbelievably high number of mythical figures. How could the human race churn out so many unusual characters?
After mulling over it, Thanos decided to make a call to Asgard first. After exchanging pleasantries with Heimdall, the call receiver, he explained, "I've applied for a vacation to the Nine Major Kingdoms through the Security Committee. Our official ship has already taken off, and though we are intruding abruptly..."
Heimdall quickly inquired about the reason. Thanos feigned a bitter smile and said, "There's a situation in the Star Area. However, for security reasons, I can't reveal much. May I ask if His Majesty the God King could approve my entry permit...?"
Heimdall immediately relayed the message, and a reply from Fairy Palace promptly arrived, expressing a warm welcome. By the time Thanos' official ship landed at Asgard's port, Loki had personally come to welcome him.
"What breeze has blown such a busy man over?" After hugging Thanos, Loki jested, "Last time I invited you to a spa under the World Tree, you were too busy. How have you been recently?"
Rolling his eyes, Thanos joked in response, "Could I be this busy without you? Forget about it, I need to hurry and find your brother. There's something off in the Star Area. You guys should prepare ahead."
Loki had been expecting a link between Thanos and Thor. Asgard's return to Intergalactic Society required a catalyst. Thanos, a lonely Titan without a backer, needed the support of a powerful force. With Loki well-equipped to help Thanos consolidate his power, the alliance between the two had already solidified.
They walked into the Fairy Palace, engrossed in their conversation. The sight of the imperious Thanos had all the Lokis working in the palace reacting as though they'd seen a ghost. Loki gave sharp looks all around, scaring away the curious crowd.
"I have no interest in hearing about all the good deeds I did in other universes." Thanos interjected Loki, saying, "I would be inclined to award medals to those other-universe versions of me who killed you. We could write 'Guardian of the Universe Safety' on them. How about that?"
"You'd need to find a good furnace for that," Loki replied with a sarcastic laugh, "In most universes, you are the one killing me."
"The medals from the other half should say 'Remover of Public Hazards.'
Walking into Thor's palace, it was clear that Thor had hastily changed his clothes before coming out, without even putting on his crown. He furrowed his brows to ask Thanos, "What's going on? Is there a significant issue emerging in the Star Area that's worth your trip here?"
"I should be asking you," Thanos retorted. "Your Majesty, what plans do the Nine Major Kingdoms have for the Star Area? Why was I not informed in advance of any planned activities?"
Thor and Loki exchanged glances. Loki lightly shook his head at Thor. Thor thought about it and looked back at Loki again, who, after considering it for a moment, shook his head once more.
"You don't know either?" Thanos asked tentatively.
After both of them looked towards Thanos, he cleared his throat to succinctly reveal, "…I saw Shiller in the Star Area!"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!" Loki almost choked on his own saliva.
As Thor patted Loki's back, he asked Thanos, "What did Shiller go there to do? Have the humans shown any new movements recently?"
"Currently, I don't know," Thanos shrugged. "I only know that he is instigating things all over the Star Area, turning it into a potential battlefield."
"I'm worried that he might have another deadly grand scheme in progress," Thanos confessed. "I hurriedly requested a leave and tossed that godawful hot potato over to my competitors."
Loki gave Thanos a thumbs up on the sly, while Thor shook his head, inviting Thanos to sit and said, "Whether you're here on official business or personal trip, Asgard will not neglect a guest. Just as well Loki has free time recently. He can show you around the Nine Major Kingdoms, and then you could rest for a few days on Earth. The environment there is conducive for recuperation."
While briskly leaving the Fairy Palace, Thanos and Loki were still discussing the forthcoming itinerary. Loki planned to have a few days of fun in Asgard first, then make visits to the Dwarf Kingdom, Frost Kingdom, and the Netherworld, take a dip in the hot springs beneath the World Tree, and finally head to Earth.
The Lokis lurking nearby got excited when they found out that the Loki of this universe planned to bring Thanos to Earth. They thought, why not catch him on the spot?
Meanwhile, Thanos kept muttering to himself, "I have a bad feeling about this. I sense it's no coincidence. No sooner had I made a competitor at the Security Committee than Shiller began his show. I'm wondering if he has some unique understanding of the interstellar security situation…"
"Well, I think it might be related to Asgard." Loki nodded and said, "I hope I'm merely worrying over nothing."
Unbeknownst to them, in all the circles that had heard of Shiller's glorious deeds, the syndrome of feeling like "the first target" was spreading like never before.
For a while, everyone in the universe was in a state of self-threat, except for the real first target.