"No, Tony."
He spoke calmly, his voice sounding exceptionally clear on the empty mountaintop.
"We are neither children, nor are we making multiple-choice decisions."
He cast his gaze toward the black-robed figure above the altar, his voice filled with determination.
"Because, I want it all. Not only will we crush Thanos, but I am also determined to get the Soul Stone. Tony, Steve, you know it—I must collect all six Infinity Stones!"
"Tell us your plan." The two nodded without hesitation.
He looked at them and stated the first simple and crude plan.
"Plan A."
"All of us, right now on Vormir, find a place to hide. With the Space Stone and the Reality Stone, it's impossible for Thanos to discover us."
His gaze swept across everyone, finally landing on Quill and Rocket, his tone as flat as if he were stating the weather.
"We don't need to do anything; we just wait quietly. With Thanos's ambition, he will come here with Gamora sooner or later."
"And what we need to do is give him a surprise the moment he succeeds in the sacrifice and obtains the Soul Stone."
"Then we snatch the Stone. But there's a huge risk; after all, once he gets the Soul Stone, his combat power will definitely increase."
However, just as Lin Huai finished speaking, Rocket Raccoon burst into a sharp, ear-piercing laugh.
"Ha! Robbing Thanos? Are you kidding me, kid?"
It crossed its arms, hopping around on the spot as if it had heard the funniest joke of the century.
"You have no idea how terrifying that Purple Sweet Potato is! He just wiped out all of Xandar!"
Peter Quill also started mocking, his expression extremely exaggerated.
"And, a successful sacrifice? Thanos? Don't make me laugh!"
He spread his hands as if performing for the red Nebula in the sky.
"That Lunatic who only cares about balance and Carnage—does he know what love is? Does he really love Gamora? Who would he shed a single tear for? For Gamora? Give me a break! He just treats Gamora as a handy tool!"
Quill laughed so hard he doubled over, tears almost coming out.
But as he laughed, he noticed something was wrong.
It was too quiet around him.
Aside from his and Rocket's laughter and the wail of the cold wind, there was no other sound.
Steve, Tony, and Banner were all looking at them with strange expressions.
Even the usually taciturn Loki cast a complex look mixed with pity.
The laughter of the two stopped abruptly, and the atmosphere fell back into an eerie awkwardness.
"Why... are you looking at us like that?"
Quill asked, feeling a bit guilty, the smile on his face freezing.
Lin Huai didn't answer directly; he just calmly stated a fact.
"You may not believe it, but Thanos truly regards Gamora as his beloved daughter."
These words made Quill feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"So,"
Lin Huai's voice cut through his final fantasy.
"If Thanos uses Gamora as a sacrifice, he will definitely succeed."
"No..."
Quill's face turned pale instantly. He stumbled back a step, his lips trembling, unable to say a complete sentence.
"No! Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"
Fear and despair instantly swallowed his reason.
"We can't use this plan! Absolutely not! There must be other ways! You... why do you want to get the Infinity Stones? You definitely aren't anything good either!"
Under his madness, Quill's logic became completely chaotic, directing all his fear and anger toward the person who brought the news of despair.
He suddenly pulled out the Element Gun at his waist and frantically pulled the trigger at Lin Huai!
"I'll kill you!"
Red energy beams shot out, but just as the beams were about to hit Lin Huai, a blue hole appeared in front of him.
The lethal energy beams passed through the hole and then vanished.
"You..."
Lin Huai didn't even give him a glance.
He just slowly raised his left hand.
On the dark gold Infinity Gauntlet, the crimson Reality Stone flashed.
"I said, we aren't here to make multiple-choice decisions."
As soon as he spoke, Quill, Rocket, and Drax instantly froze in place, motionless.
A layer of invisible crimson film enveloped them, even freezing their terrified expressions like grotesque statues.
Lin Huai ignored these frozen troublemakers, turned to Tony and the others, and continued.
"Alright, now no one will disturb us."
He spoke calmly, as if merely brushing away dust.
"Let's talk about Plan B."
"We still have two of Thanos's subordinates in our hands."
Lin Huai's voice was as cool as if he were explaining a precise surgical operation.
"Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight. A couple deeply in love with each other. Ever since I captured them last time, I've kept them in a deep sleep."
Hearing this, Dr. Banner suddenly had an ominous premonition.
"Now, the rule for the Soul Stone is to sacrifice a loved one."
Lin Huai smiled, but that smile made Tony and Steve feel a chill down their spines.
"So, what if we exploit a little bug?"
"Perhaps I can turn one of them—for instance, Corvus Glaive—into my Marionette."
"Then, we'll put on a play. A meticulously designed, deeply moving farewell drama."
"Let that Lady Proxima see with her own eyes her beloved husband fighting the enemy to the death just so she can jump off the cliff and survive or to protect her, dying willingly and tragically. Then, with just a little suggestion, she won't want to live alone and will jump from here."
"Tell me, when she believes her lover sacrificed himself to protect her and is convinced of it, if she chooses to follow her lover, wouldn't that count as her willing sacrifice?"
Plan B was narrated by Lin Huai in the flattest tone possible.
Tony Stark subconsciously took half a step back. He looked at Lin Huai, feeling as if he were staring directly at a Demon from hell.
Goosebumps instantly broke out all over him, and a chill ran down the back of his neck.
Exploiting love, manipulating hearts, turning a bloody sacrifice into a self-directed, fraud-filled drama.
Steve's face also became exceptionally ugly.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
As a Warrior who adhered to the morals of the old era, he could not accept such a cold-blooded plan.
Dr. Banner's face was pale; he held his glasses and began to retch.
"However,"
Lin Huai changed the subject.
"This Plan B requires time to prepare."
"So, we need to drive Thanos away first, or... go directly to his ship and rescue Gamora."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, releasing the restraint on Quill and the others.
He looked at those few who had just recovered from their petrified state and were still gasping for air.
"Then, we'll need you to take Gamora and wander around the Universe."
"Act as bait to draw Thanos's attention."
"As long as you can buy us enough time to finish this play, it'll be fine."
Quill, Rocket, and Drax looked at each other.
After hearing this Plan B, which was even more evil than Plan A, they didn't feel fear; instead, it was as if they had caught a life-saving straw.
"Damn! Let's do it!"
Star-Lord was the first to jump up, his eyes shining.
"As long as we can save Gamora, forget acting—I'll even die!"
"I agree too!"
Rocket also nodded frantically.
"This plan is great! This plan is brilliant! I agree!"
They chose this plan—which seemed insane to Tony and the others—without any hesitation.
And at that moment, a figure who had been silent all along slowly stepped forward.
It was Loki.
The god of mischief's eyes were startlingly bright.
There was no fear or discomfort in them; instead, they were filled with the fanaticism and excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.
He walked to Lin Huai's side.
"Brilliant... truly brilliant to the extreme!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"Mentor, your wisdom is as deep as the Universe! But..."
Loki changed his tone, his face showing the pickiness of a professional.
"Your script is still too crude."
"It's just a framework, lacking a soul."
He began to analyze with animated gestures.
"Simply letting that Marionette jump off won't make the other one willing. You see, the rule here is 'beloved'; the key lies in a voluntary sacrifice."
"So, the point isn't to let the female Warrior watch her husband die, but to make her firmly believe her husband died for her, and then guide her through other methods to jump off willingly herself!"
Loki's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He leaned into Lin Huai's ear, his voice full of seduction.
"Option One: We can design it like this: the Corvus Glaive Marionette is heavily wounded in a pursuit and is on the verge of death. He calls Proxima Midnight to the edge of the cliff and tells her, 'I'll go hold off the enemy, you must find a way to live.' But the surroundings are all blocked, and only by jumping off can there be a chance to survive. So she watches her lover being torn to pieces, then wipes away her tears and jumps from here."
"Option Two: Both are heavily injured in the pursuit and are chased all the way here, finding no way out. Corvus Glaive tells his wife that the happiest thing in this life was facing death with her, and the saddest thing is also facing death with her. Looking at the cliff, he says they'll be husband and wife again in the next life. However, Corvus Glaive was already just a Marionette and was already dead. Thus, the ritual is established."
"Think about it,"
Loki opened his arms, his expression passionate and intoxicated.
"One is a dying, great, beloved husband; the other is a female Warrior who sees love and glory as everything. What a wonderful deception."
"She will cry, she will smile, and she will jump off with pride and determination! She will feel her death is the sublimation of love, a supreme glory!"
"This is what you call drama! This is what you call the art of deception!"
Listening to Loki's supplement that struck directly at the weaknesses of human nature, Tony and Steve both felt a chill down their backs.
Finally, Lin Huai clapped his hands and said, "Since everyone thinks Plan B is good, the first step for now is to rescue Gamora from Thanos. OK, everyone get ready."