Entering the base with Vision, everyone remained cautious, thanks to Roger's warning.

Unlike in the original storyline, they were not oblivious to the situation until Zombie Wanda appeared.

However, the Black Panther, T'Challa, who had been imprisoned by Vision, was still found because Roger had seen him with his X-ray vision. Vision didn't try to hide his existence and revealed T'Challa's location, leading the group to Vision's laboratory.

Here, they also encountered what was left of Ant-Man, just his head.

"Oh... no, Scott..." Hope covered her mouth in shock upon seeing Scott reduced to a mere head.

Scott, however, remained optimistic, saying, "Hey, everyone, don't look so grim. Sure, I'm just a head now, but I'm still alive, right? And hey, think of it as a weight-loss program... uh... okay, maybe not the best joke."

Scott Lang, Ant-Man, was naturally as optimistic as Peter Parker, Spider-Man.

Roger couldn't imagine being in Scott's shoes and remaining so positive. He wasn't that kind of person by nature.

Vision then explained, "You've seen it outside, those zombies don't cross the boundaries of the camp. That's because of the frequency emitted by the Mind Stone in my forehead, which repels them. I wondered if adjusting the Mind Stone's frequency to release energy in a targeted manner might restore them to normal."

As Vision spoke, he placed his hand on the glass container covering Scott's head and said, "He's one of my successes."

"So, you really do have a way to cure the zombie virus!?" Peter asked excitedly.

Banner thought for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "We'd need to connect to the satellite network and broadcast the Mind Stone's frequency worldwide... but... it's just a theory. With current human technology..."

"Unfortunately, it's impossible," Vision added.

And that's the crux of the issue. Although Vision had a way to cure humanity, current technology couldn't broadcast the frequency globally, except in one place.

"Wakanda."

Wakanda's Royal Guard Captain, Okoye, stepped forward, planting her spear firmly on the ground, and said to everyone, "Wakanda's technology can do this! And with Wakanda's force field protecting us from zombies, it could be humanity's last refuge!"

Peter looked at everyone and said, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's head there now!"

Knowing there was a way to save the world was the most exciting news. It seemed everyone was filled with hope, except Roger, who stood silently to the side, not speaking for a long time.

Sharon, who had been observing Roger, noticed his change in expression and immediately asked, "Roger, is something wrong?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Roger looked at everyone, noticing their eyes were all on him. He opened his mouth, unsure of how to begin, but eventually asked Okoye, "Are you certain Wakanda is safe?"

"What do you mean?" Okoye asked, frowning.

Roger's questioning of Wakanda's defenses was tantamount to doubting Wakanda's strength, something Okoye, who had spent her life in Wakanda, could not accept.

But it was clear that wasn't Roger's intention. He said to Okoye, "You have a way to contact Wakanda, right? How about trying to reach them now?"

Roger's words made Okoye and T'Challa exchange glances. T'Challa nodded to Okoye, who then raised her wrist, revealing a vibranium tech communication device.

A holographic image floated above Okoye's wrist, like a wave searching for a signal.

After a few seconds of silence, Okoye's expression changed. She immediately looked up at Roger and demanded, "What do you know? What's happened to Wakanda?"

It was clear from Okoye's reaction that Wakanda had lost contact. Once again, everyone's eyes focused on Roger.

Vision suddenly asked, "You said you're from a parallel world. Can I know what kind of parallel world it is?"

He suspected that Roger's knowledge came from events that had already occurred in a parallel world.

Roger closed his eyes, organizing his thoughts. He knew that now was the time to reveal everything. After carefully considering his words, he said, "Alright, let's start from the beginning. Dr. Banner, do you remember why you returned to Earth?"

Banner paused, then replied, "Thanos… Thanos is coming to Earth to collect the Infinity Stones…"

"Right. If events had unfolded in a world without zombies, Dr. Banner would have come to Earth to warn everyone about Thanos, and Doctor Strange would have informed Iron Man to discuss how to deal with him.

Then, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, the two who were bitten by Iron Man earlier, would have suddenly appeared before Doctor Strange, fought him, and taken him and the Time Stone away... Then Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive would have gone after Vision and Wanda to take the Mind Stone.

But Captain America and the others would have intervened in time, driving them away...

"Next, to safely remove the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead, everyone would have decided to head to Wakanda. But Thanos' army would follow closely behind…"

Roger stopped speaking at this point.

Banner swallowed hard and asked Roger, "So, Thanos could be in Wakanda right now? Wakanda has lost contact because Thanos has already... taken it over?"

Roger was about to respond when Vision suddenly interjected, "No, if what you say is true, Thanos would go to Wakanda because I and the Mind Stone were there. But now the Mind Stone is here, at the camp. Thanos has no reason to go to Wakanda."

"You're right; Thanos indeed has no reason to go to Wakanda. But with Wakanda out of contact and Thanos not coming here, where else could he be, according to the original timeline?"

Roger locked eyes with Vision and continued, "And if Thanos really is in Wakanda, then we can be sure that he already has all the other Infinity Stones except yours. Power, Reality, Space, Time, and Soul, Thanos with five Infinity Stones is someone we can't possibly defeat. We must not let him get the Mind Stone too!"

Although Vision's reasoning was sound, and Thanos shouldn't logically be in Wakanda, the "What If...?" series had plenty of bugs. The original story did feature Thanos in Wakanda.

And as for the Time Stone's origin, the original storyline offered no explanation. Although the Eye of Agamotto, which housed the Time Stone, was indeed around Zombie Strange's neck, he never used it from start to finish.

So Roger had reason to believe that Doctor Strange had hidden the Time Stone before becoming a zombie. But somehow, Thanos still got it and managed to conquer Wakanda and become a zombie in less than half a day.

It was illogical, but now that this virtual world had become reality, everyone had to accept it, no matter how absurd it seemed.

They had no choice but to accept it, these were the facts.

So, after Roger finished explaining, the hope that had filled everyone quickly turned into despair. And this time, it was absolute despair.