Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Six Great Singularities

[Main World Main Quest: The Six Cosmic Singularities]

1. Complete the Source of Space—Seize the Space Stone.
2. Complete the Source of Mind—Seize the Mind Stone.
3. Complete the Source of Power...
4. The Time Stone...
5. The Reality Stone...
6. The Soul Stone...

Note: Each time you complete a cosmic origin, the Chaos Body ascends to a higher level, enhanced according to the unique properties of the Infinity Stones.

Hiss—

Zhong Shenxiu couldn’t help but gasp as he read this. He wasn’t entirely sure what it meant to “complete the six cosmic origins,” but he knew full well about the Infinity Stones—objects considered the mightiest in existence. They practically embodied the fundamental laws of the universe, fragments of primal energy split at creation’s dawn.

In his previous life’s movies, the Mad Titan had relied on these six stones and the Infinity Gauntlet to, with a single snap, wipe out half the life in the universe. And that was the watered-down film version; in the comics, possessing all six stones meant utterly overwhelming every godlike being.

So, as soon as his fate became entwined with these stones, Zhong Shenxiu realized instantly just how extraordinary his Chaos Body was.

“System, is there a required order for acquiring these stones?” Zhong Shenxiu asked silently.

[No requirements. Seizing any stone will allow the host’s Chaos Body to ascend, and each stone grants a unique enhancement.]

Each stone could elevate the Chaos Body, meaning his fundamental attributes would all be improved, but the special abilities granted would vary by stone.

“For example?” Zhong Shenxiu pondered for a moment and asked again.

[...]

[Unable to retrieve specific information...]

Trust you, System. Always so noncommittal.

He grumbled inwardly, then after a moment shamelessly pressed on, “Then how does one seize a stone? And will the Infinity Stones disappear after I’m done with them?”

If the stones simply vanished because of him, he’d single-handedly rewrite a massive chunk of plot. After all, nearly a decade’s worth of Marvel stories revolved around those stones. If his actions caused drastic changes, his knowledge of the plotlines would become useless.

[...]

[Unable to retrieve specific information...]

As if recalling his earlier complaint, the system added, [The host is advised to adapt flexibly to the circumstances.]

Fine! So, everything’s uncertain, huh?

Zhong Shenxiu mused.

Never mind! What’s plot compared to absolute strength? As long as he became powerful enough, what did it matter if the story fell apart?

Feeling the surge of power he’d gained in just a month and a half, a fresh wave of confidence welled up within his chest. Without a moment’s hesitation, he set his sights on the six Infinity Stones as his next string of objectives.

To seize these stones, he’d need to get his hands on them first. And before that, he had to know where they were.

Choosing a spot to sit, Zhong Shenxiu began recalling the events from his past life’s stories, focusing on the locations of the stones.

Beside him, Wanda blinked her large eyes and squatted down next to him, silent and curious.

Let’s start with the Space Stone, the so-called Tesseract, which has always been on Earth. During World War II, Red Skull used the Space Stone’s energy to create devastating weapons and arm his forces, aiming to conquer the world. He was eventually defeated by Captain America, who had taken the super-soldier serum.

The Space Stone ended up lost in the sea...

But now... where was it?

After a brief reflection, Zhong Shenxiu remembered. Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s father, later recovered the Space Stone from the ocean. Since then, it had been held in a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility!

That was the current whereabouts of the Space Stone.

But, truth be told, knowing its whereabouts was hardly better than not knowing at all. The Earth was vast, every organization loved digging secret bases, and S.H.I.E.L.D. could have hidden the stone in any number of underground vaults. If he tried to hunt them down one by one, by the time he found it, the Mad Titan’s snap would have already happened, maybe even Iron Man’s, and Captain America would be returning the stones to the other universes.

That would be far too slow.

He needed a shortcut.

But what shortcut?

Zhong Shenxiu immediately thought of the upcoming Battle of New York. Before that, Loki would steal the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D., at which point its location would be fully exposed. Could he intercept it then?

He could, but that would be too late and far more dangerous. By then, the Space Stone would be a target for all, the Avengers would be assembled, and making a move would be far riskier.

He needed to act sooner.

But how?

Zhong Shenxiu scratched his head, deep in thought. He didn’t have Tony Stark’s genius—he couldn’t just whip up a Tesseract-tracking device...

Wait!

He clapped his hands together in realization.

He might not have the skills, but that didn’t mean others didn’t! Marvel’s world was brimming with scientific talent. Why not trick—cough, hire—one to help him?

He’d get someone to build him a Tesseract signal-tracker. Even if it wasn’t as fast as Stark’s, as long as it could pinpoint the Tesseract’s exact location, and considering S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t take it as seriously yet and lacked high-level combatants, stealing the Tesseract would be much easier now than during the tense days before the Battle of New York.

That was called seizing the initiative.

With this, everything suddenly became clear.

His next goal was to find a scientist—maybe not on Tony Stark’s level, but at least competent enough. The exact candidate could be decided later.

Next, the locations of the other stones.

The Soul Stone was the hardest—he had no clue where to begin. The Power Stone was somewhere out in the cosmos, only to surface after the Guardians of the Galaxy timeline. The Mind Stone was likely still with Thanos and would only come to Earth after Loki’s arrival during the New York battle. The Time Stone was in the Ancient One’s possession—not someone to mess with. The Reality Stone was sealed deep in Asgard’s vault, and with Odin still alive, that was another figure not to provoke for now.

Well then...

He might as well focus on the Space Stone first. All things considered, it was the one most within reach.