Tony Stark had already made plans to expand his army of robots. Whether it was to deal with a future Chitauri invasion, Thanos's attack, or even a zombie outbreak like this, he needed a sufficiently powerful robotic force.
He was even willing to slightly relax restrictions so that governments around the world could maintain their own robot armies to counter a horde of zombies.
Night after night, his dreams were filled with horrors: the Chitauri invasion, Dormammu's attack, Asgardian invasions, Hydra uprisings, Skrull attacks, Thanos's invasion—he had nightmares about them all.
And now, there was one more: a zombie-infested world.
Little did he know, his own army of robots would also become part of a massive disaster.
Captain Steve Rogers shivered as he watched the scene unfold. He had never imagined having to deal with zombies before—especially tiny Ant-Man zombies—and he realized how close he had come to dying.
From now on, he had to be more careful and never underestimate anything.
The scene then shifted to Peter Parker, the young Spider-Man, appearing on video. Despite the world ending around him, he seemed completely unfazed.
"New York. The metropolis, the Lexler Building, and even the beauties from 'Sex and the City'… now it's a zombie paradise!"
"If you can survive here, you can survive anywhere!"
"But first… don't get eaten!"
At this moment, another figure appeared on-screen in a T-shirt—it was none other than Tony Stark's bodyguard, Happy.
When everyone read the text on his shirt, they couldn't help laughing out loud.
The shirt read: "Taken. Thor is mine!"
Ever since Tony Stark revealed he was Iron Man in 2008, superheroes and villains had sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
Their popularity soared, rivaling the world's top celebrities, with countless fans.
Among them, Lin Feng from the homeland, Tony Stark himself, Spider-Woman, Wonder Woman, and many others were fan favorites, spawning countless merchandise.
Lin Feng often grumbled that these people profited from his merchandise without paying a single cent in royalties—a truly annoying situation.
In Asgard, Thor couldn't help but laugh heartily, feeling proud.
Gradually, more humans appeared on the screen, confirming that some people had survived. Among them was General Okoye from Wakanda, leader of the Dora Milaje.
"Oh, I was just showing Dr. Banner a promotional video!" Peter Parker hurriedly explained.
General Okoye stepped forward and shook hands.
"I am General Okoye of the Dora Milaje, the Royal Guard of Wakanda!"
"You certainly picked a good time to show up, General!" Bruce Banner said.
"I swear by my word, Dr. Banner!" Okoye said seriously. "Our king and the Avengers disappeared weeks ago. Since the outbreak, we've been waiting for a glimmer of hope. We received a transmission from a survivor camp claiming progress in developing a cure!"
"What? Amazing! Global crisis solved! We should high-five!" Peter Parker said excitedly.
"Don't celebrate too soon!" Bucky, the Winter Soldier, poured cold water on the enthusiasm. "The transmission is encrypted. We don't know where it came from!"
"It's encoded in a non-linear six-digit code!" Banner quickly deduced from the projection screen.
"Agent Carter, do you recognize the location?" Bucky asked.
Of course, he was speaking to Steve Rogers' second girlfriend, Sharon Carter.
"It's the Lehigh Camp in New Jersey, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first base. They may have the equipment needed to synthesize the cure!" Sharon replied.
"Then we leave at sunset!" Okoye declared.
"A glimmer of hope after darkness!" Happy said excitedly. "Let's go to New Jersey!"
Soon, everyone agreed to head to New Jersey. A sense of hope swept through the group.
Seeing Bucky, Steve Rogers was thrilled—this meant his friend had broken free from Hydra's control.
This sudden news gave both the Avengers on-screen and off-screen a glimmer of hope to save the world.
However, this hope soon faced obstacles.
To reach New Jersey, they had to take a train, but it was broken. Repairs were necessary.
During this process, zombies attacked. The first casualty was none other than a recently turned zombie, Happy.
The attacker? None other than Hawkeye, Barton.
Off-screen, the real Hawkeye Barton watched helplessly, realizing he too was doomed to become a zombie.
Soon, the zombified Happy emerged again, joined by zombie Falcon, Sam, attacking the group relentlessly.
After a fierce battle, they finally defeated the zombies, repaired the train, and set off for New Jersey.
But just when everyone thought the ordeal was over, another figure leapt out—it was zombified Captain Steve Rogers.
Even true love couldn't stop Zombie Cap from attacking Bucky.
In the end, Bucky split Captain America in half with his shield.
"Farewell, brother!"
Off-screen Steve Rogers watched, a mix of emotions in his heart. He knew it was no longer himself, just a monster. If Bucky had become a monster like that, he would act too—but it still hurt.
Next, the group saw Hope van Dyne, the second Wasp, being captured and attacked by zombified Sharon Carter. Everyone understood the grim implication.
"You and I both know what must be done!" Hope said, breaking the tense silence.
"No! We must hold on to the last moment!"
General Okoye strongly opposed.
"Is this risk really necessary?" Hope asked.
"It's not a risk, it's refusing to give up hope!" Peter Parker encouraged. "Anyone who's seen zombie movies knows that's the secret to survival! Besides, this is your hope—it must mean something!"
"Child, how did you manage this?" Hope asked Spider-Man, her curiosity evident.
*"Watching a lot of movies… joining the film club…" Peter explained.
"No," Hope interrupted, "I mean, how do you stay… so optimistic… even now?"
Peter finally revealed his buried reason:
"Life has always tested me. My parents, Uncle Ben, Mr. Stark, Happy… I've lost so much. But Aunt May always says that if I can't keep smiling, it's not truly living. And… they want me to keep moving forward!"
No Spider-Man could avoid the pain of separation—but this world's Spider-Man suffered that pain many times over.
He had lost every single loved one and friend: parents, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, his godfather Tony Stark, friends, his love MJ, and Happy. There was nothing left he could lose.
Meanwhile, the train ran out of fuel, forcing a stop—still far from the survivor camp.
Taking a deep breath, Hope made a decision, leading everyone forward.
"Listen, everyone. My time is short. If I must die, I want my death to fix the chaos I've caused." Hope declared.
This zombie crisis had, in essence, been triggered by her family's desperate attempt to find their long-lost mother.
"It's not your fault, Hope!" Banner comforted.
"I was too obsessed with bringing my mother back, not thinking of the consequences!" Hope said painfully. She hadn't found her mother and had dragged the world into hell. "I caused this, and you must end it!"
She grew in size to carry everyone forward but was ultimately overwhelmed by the zombies.
"Peter, smile for me, okay?"
No sooner had she spoken than she was pulled down and swarmed by zombies.
"But guys… why don't they climb the fences?"
Bucky noticed the zombies hesitated near the fences, as if restrained by some unseen force.
Then, unexpectedly, Vision appeared—the same Vision who had appeared during the Avengers Civil War.
Seeing him, Banner rushed forward, hugging him.
"You can't imagine my relief—not from seeing those half-eaten disgusting faces, but seeing this familiar face!"