Somewhere in the galaxy, everything was reduced to rubble. Amid the ruins, there remained only a small patch of land.
"I can't wait any longer!"
A massive being that looked like a purple potato muttered to the stars. On his right hand, he wore a golden gauntlet inlaid with a purple gem.
Loki's original plan had been to take the Mind Stone to Earth and reclaim the Space Stone—but the plan failed.
Later, he stole the Reality Stone from the Collector, Taneleer Tivan, and handed it over to Korath, who nearly died at the hands of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In the end, the Reality Stone was lost as well. That meant losing his "lady" and a shattered army. Now, among the Infinity Stones, the only one left in his possession was the Power Stone he had obtained not long ago.
Now he could only speed up his search for the remaining stones. As for the stones on Earth, he would have to wait until he acquired the Soul Stone and the Space Stone before making a move.
"Call a joint session. This time, Superman caused heavy casualties—he killed a hundred of our finest soldiers, and we lost fifty fighter jets. Losses worth hundreds of billions must be accounted for, and Superman must be held responsible."
At a White House meeting, several senators and military officials voiced their opinions.
They simply could not tolerate Superman wiping out all their forces—it was a direct challenge to their authority.
"What about S.H.I.E.L.D.? This matter should be handed over to them. Let the Avengers deal with that monster."
"Fury won't agree."
"He has to agree. Otherwise, S.H.I.E.L.D. has no reason to exist. There's already a monster threatening the United States—if they won't handle it, what's the point of keeping them?"
At that moment, someone burst into the conference room. Before anyone could question him, he stammered nervously:
"Superman… Superman… he's above us."
He had run so fast and was so terrified that he could barely speak clearly.
The officials present, however, had no time to focus on that—they were already growing tense and uneasy.
No matter how powerful you are, when your life is threatened, fear is inevitable.
More importantly—what was Superman doing here? He certainly wasn't here for fun.
"Evacuate everyone. Don't let him enter the White House."
The order was given. Personnel sprang into action—layer upon layer of elite agents and soldiers formed defenses.
Carl descended from the sky, ignoring the guns pointed at him, and walked straight into the White House as if it were his own home.
"Fire!"
Without hesitation, they opened fire.
"Clang, clang…"
The bullets struck Carl, producing metallic sounds and sparks.
Carl didn't attack them. His real target was the members of Congress present today.
With the sound of bullets ringing out, he moved forward, leaving behind a trail of stunned guards and soldiers until he reached the conference room.
"Bang!"
Carl kicked the door open.
The people inside were already restless. When they saw Carl walk in, their throats tightened, as if even swallowing had become difficult.
Without saying a word, Carl walked in, grabbed a middle-aged white man with thick hair and a gentle demeanor, then lifted another slightly overweight congressman with his other hand, and turned to leave.
The two congressmen didn't dare say a word, carried out like chickens.
He brought them out of the White House and flew into the sky.
When they landed, they found themselves in a barren wasteland. Disheveled and stripped of all dignity, they looked around awkwardly.
The scene made them nervous. This was a military base, filled with newly developed weapons—an extremely important location.
Carl tossed them onto the ground and walked about two hundred meters forward. Then he turned back and looked at them with a bright smile.
The sun wasn't even shining—but for the two congressmen, that smile sent chills down their spines.
They watched as Carl raised his fist and slammed it into the ground.
"Boom!!"
The earth cracked and collapsed. A violent shockwave swept outward, blasting the two men back seven or eight meters.
After that punch, Carl left.
Now, only the two congressmen remained… along with a massive crater over three hundred meters deep.
Carl hadn't killed them. He had used his actions to send a message: if this continued, the consequences would be far worse than losing a single base.
Back at Kamar-Taj, everything had returned to calm.
Carl and Diwan resumed their peaceful lives—the kind they longed for most.
"You're saying there's a giant spaceship in the sky?"
As soon as Carl returned, he told Diwan everything that had happened that day.
She found it strange. She had never seen a spaceship before, so she grabbed Carl's hand and said playfully, "Take me to see it—I want to look!"
"I don't know if it's damaged. Can you even survive in space right now?" Carl asked.
Carl himself couldn't survive in space. He could take her there, but it would put her at great risk.
There were countless types of free-floating energy in the universe. Not all of them were harmless—some could cause irreversible damage with the slightest contact.
Carl couldn't protect her with energy forever. There would always be a moment of carelessness—and if she encountered something dangerous at that time, the damage could be irreversible.
Diwan widened her eyes and nodded eagerly. "I can. I've already tried."
Carl frowned. "Tried? When?"
She smiled. "That day I didn't let you sleep with me… anyway, just take me there! If the ship can still fly, let's take it into deep space."
As she spoke, she began packing.
It was still unclear whether the spacecraft could even operate—and even if it could, who would pilot it?
Diwan kept packing Carl's things—his clothes, glasses, hat…
"Oh right, and the quilted pillow…"
She even went to buy blankets and pillows.
Carl nearly rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just move the entire house?!"
She froze, thinking seriously. Then her eyes lit up. "Oh! There are dolls here—bring my dolls too! And the watch I gave you…"
She clearly hadn't listened and continued packing.
"Space is boring. Can you really handle that?" Carl asked.
He picked her up from where she was crouching.
She turned her head and said, "Then let's buy fun stuff to bring along!"
Carl's expression darkened, but she continued:
"We can get claw machines, game consoles, and other entertainment. Use the rest of the money to buy food…"
She nodded to herself. "Yes, that's perfect. Money won't matter anyway—we'll be living in space."
Carl tossed her onto the bed. "What kind of fantasy are you in now? If you can last a month, I'll listen to you."
Lying on the bed, she pouted. "You're looking down on me?!"
She sat up, leaning against the wall, sitting in an odd posture with her feet pressed together.
Pointing at Carl, she said, "Let me tell you—I'm quieter than anyone. Do you think—hey, what are you doing?!"
As she spoke, Carl walked over, pulled her closer, and lifted her nightdress slightly.
"What kind of sitting posture was that? Wearing a skirt like that—aren't you worried people might see?"
She snorted. "Who's even here to see?"
Carl pointed at her legs. "Can you act like a proper lady? I don't care about anything else, but you need to fix how you sit. I'd be worried if you sat like that outside!"
"Are you crazy? When have I ever been without someone around? I may be proud, but I'm not stupid, okay?"
Diwan looked at him blankly, got off the bed, and went back to packing.
Carl didn't press further. She was often out and about, but her boldness still made him uneasy.
"Don't say I didn't warn you—space travel is far more boring than you think."
He reminded her again.
Thinking back to the time he drifted in the dark void, if he had possessed normal emotions back then, he might have gone mad from loneliness.
Diwan waved her hand impatiently. "Got it. Why are you starting to sound like my mom? So naggy. And boring. It's not like I can't come back to Earth—do you think my portal is fake?"
Carl spread his hands.
A meaningless journey through space… truly had no soul.
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