The zombies had gone mad for a chance to absorb even a whiff of the Mind Stone's emanations. While the energy was indeed beneficial, Bai Qi was not to be trifled with. Could he allow these mindless zombies to disrupt his grand plans?
As the tide of zombies surged towards Bai Qi's location from all directions, the moment they stepped within half a kilometer, the pre-set restrictions activated, tearing them to shreds like a meat grinder.
Even so, seeing their companions mangled, the zombies behind them, driven by instinct, continued their suicidal charge.
Initially, Bai Qi expected his actions to attract the covetous eyes of many dimensional beings. However, this time, Bai Qi had miscalculated.
Though it was part of the Marvel universe, this world differed from the main one. While it possessed world barriers, it had no edge worlds, nor did it have dimensional beings.
Did you think this was a good thing?
You were gravely mistaken.
Although dimensional beings constantly schemed to invade the main world, that was an internal matter. When creatures from the void sought to invade the main world, the edge worlds and dimensional beings served as the first line of defense against them. Without employing special means, more than ninety percent of void creatures, after painstakingly breaching the world barrier, would face the harsh environments of the edge worlds and the numerous dimensional beings.
Alas, this world had no edge worlds. While internally safe, it lacked an external defensive barrier.
As time elapsed, Bai Qi absorbed the last vestige of the gem's energy into his body.
Feeling the surging power within him and his further enhanced mental strength, Bai Qi’s lips curled into a smile that reached his ears.
With the boost from the energy of two Mind Stones, Bai Qi could finally extend his mental power across the entire Earth.
Without further ado, Bai Qi continued to sit where he was, commencing the deployment of his mental power, inch by inch, searching for the whereabouts of the other five Infinity Stones on Earth.
Incidentally, as Bai Qi completed absorbing the gem's energy, the frenzied, suicidal zombies ceased their charge and returned to a state of calm. What surprised Bai Qi somewhat was that the zombie horde had managed to push over two hundred meters into his restrictions before stopping. It was a close call; had Bai Qi not absorbed the energy so quickly, these restrictions might not have held them back.
While Bai Qi continued to search for the Infinity Stones on Earth with his mental power, he found it perplexing that after exploring the entirety of the Americas, Europe, and Asia, he had not found a single Infinity Stone.
Even Vision had appeared by now. Even if Thanos hadn’t personally delivered the remaining stones, surely there should still be one Space Stone on Earth.
As Bai Qi conducted his search of Africa, the last remaining continent, with a sliver of hope, fate played a cruel trick on him.
In Wakanda, Africa, Bai Qi detected the fluctuations of four Infinity Stones.
There was no time to waste.
With excitement, Bai Qi wasted no time and, using magic, arrived in Wakanda, Africa, the next moment.
However, the scene before him startled Bai Qi.
Bai Qi, maintaining some semblance of rationality, did not leap directly to the four Infinity Stones. Instead, he set his destination in the sky, two kilometers away.
Floating in the sky, Bai Qi observed that the Kingdom of Wakanda had erected a massive protective shield. Outside this shield, hordes of zombies surged like an endless tide.
If it were just this, Bai Qi would not have been so shocked. After all, the Quantum Virus was sweeping the globe, turning everything into zombies. While Africa’s population was not as dense as other continents, it was certainly not small. What shocked Bai Qi was that over ninety percent of these zombies were not Earthlings, but rather bizarre alien creatures – grotesque, ape-like aliens, and massive, Licker-like alien beasts. However, without exception, they had all been infected by the Quantum Virus, becoming zombies and relentlessly pounding Wakanda’s shield.
In addition to these alien zombies, numerous burning spaceships were scattered amongst them. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to have fallen from the sky not long ago.
As Bai Qi was searching for the location of the four Infinity Stones, the sky suddenly darkened.
Bai Qi instinctively looked up and saw a colossal spaceship pass overhead, trailing thick black smoke before crashing to the ground.
If Bai Qi was not mistaken, this massive spaceship should be Thanos's ride.
As Bai Qi suspected, it was indeed the case.
After crashing to the ground and enduring several violent explosions, the steel plates on the ship's upper deck were violently ripped open. A purple-headed being clad in golden armor emerged from the wreckage.
The creature wore a golden gauntlet embedded with four Infinity Stones on one hand, and wielded a double-bladed Tyrant’s Cleaver in the other. With his burning black spaceship serving as a backdrop, he truly cut a figure of an apocalyptic harbinger.
However, Bai Qi knew this purple-headed being was none other than the population control director of this universe, the tyrant who aspired to be a farmer eradicating half of all life in the universe – Thanos.
But something seemed amiss with his current state.
What the hell, why had this guy also been infected by the Quantum Virus and turned into a zombie? Yet, his current state clearly indicated he had awakened his intelligence.
Bai Qi didn't know whether to praise the Quantum Virus for its potency in infecting even Thanos, or to commend Thanos for being the brightest spark, instantly awakening his intelligence even after being turned into a zombie.
None of that mattered. What was crucial were the four Infinity Stones held by the zombie Thanos: Space, Power, Reality, and Time.
It was strange, though. By all accounts, Thanos should have possessed five stones by this point. Where was the Soul Stone?
Bai Qi’s confusion was soon answered.
After the zombie Thanos emerged from his ship, which was on the verge of exploding at any moment, he did not immediately depart. Instead, he reached into the wreckage and pulled someone out.
This person was Gamora, but Gamora too had now become a zombie.
It appeared that this world's Thanos differed somewhat from the one Bai Qi knew. He had not chosen to sacrifice his beloved to obtain the Soul Stone. Instead, he had opted to come to Earth first to acquire the other two stones. Once he had all five Infinity Stones, he would then pursue the Soul Stone, which possessed a will of its own.
In light of this, Bai Qi had to make careful plans.
Given that the zombie Thanos had awakened his intelligence, he was far more troublesome than a mindless zombie like Scarlet Witch. Moreover, he wielded four Infinity Stones. Bai Qi had to proceed with extreme caution, otherwise, even he might find himself in a precarious situation.