Tony informed the others.
When it became known that Limbo had changed its master, the threat to Earth was no longer serious. State forces gradually gave up on plans for invasion.
Of course, the reason they so decisively abandoned it was simple: they were not at all ready to fight.
Their intention to launch an invasion did not come from confidence, but from sheer helplessness, while every initiative for attack had only been an attempt at self-preservation.
The last war had already proven what kind of power demons possessed. Conventional weapons inflicted almost no damage on them.
At first, people still believed in their hidden card, nuclear weapons. But during the Ultron crisis, after the emergence of the wave of super-AI systems of Skynet, humanity's nuclear arsenal was almost completely neutralized. All that remained was a pale shadow of its former strength.
Therefore, when nations learned that a single human being had become the lord of Limbo, it was already too late for rejoicing. To defeat him? Difficult. But there are always those who do not give up, those who desperately cling to the last straw of hope. One of them was General Ross.
...
Far from the beaten paths, in the Gobi Desert, a military camp was raised. Vast areas of sand and dust had been turned into a training ground full of barracks and improvised airstrips.
Transport planes were constantly flying over, landing, unloading equipment, and immediately taking off again. Soon the entire area turned into a hastily built city, all in smoke and dust.
General Ross stood on an improvised watchtower. His gaze was sharp like an eagle's as he watched the preparations.
Around him stretched masses of soldiers. From Navy SEALs, through the 101st Airborne Division, to elite Rangers, they were all there. The best of the best of the U.S. military.
Including additional forces from lower divisions, Ross now had nearly 150,000 soldiers ready for battle. 150,000 people gathered with one goal, to clash with demons.
"And what about them?" Ross muttered, while his face radiated confidence. He was convinced that he was the one who held the advantage.
But it wasn't only soldiers who were there. The equipment prepared for this battle was terrifying. More than a hundred M1A2 main battle tanks, various armored vehicles, and self-propelled guns had already taken positions. The Air Force had been raised to its feet, F-15, F-16, F-22 and their latest models were waiting for the signal to take off.
In the hangars stood the bombers, B-52, B-1B and B-2, the famous trio of the American arsenal, all ready for combat missions. The sky was already swarming with Apache attack helicopters and A-10 Warthog attack aircraft. And that was only the beginning.
Thousands of combat aircraft, of various models and types, were at their disposal. Enough power to start a devastating war anywhere in the world. And now all of it was gathered here, in the Gobi Desert, ready to face the demons of Limbo.
At least that's what General Ross thought.
"I have an army of 150,000 men! Countless armored vehicles! Full logistics! Fire support!"
"And the demon on the other side doesn't even have long-range attack means!"
"It's all hand-to-hand combat!"
"This battle!"
"The advantage is mine!"
As General Ross roared in excitement, his heart pounded violently with exhilaration.
At that moment, a soldier ran up.
"General, the Pentagon is calling!"
"They said to cancel the battle plan!"
As soon as he heard the news, Ross's expression suddenly changed.
"The army is already assembled!"
"And now they order me to retreat?"
His face clearly showed dark dissatisfaction. In his eyes gleamed anger and unwillingness.
The messenger who delivered the message did not dare even to breathe.
"Who else knows about this news?" Ross suddenly asked.
"No one! I'm the only one, I came immediately to report it."
His voice gradually weakened, but it was too late.
Ross stretched out his hand and forcefully grabbed the soldier's throat.
"No!"
Terror widened in the soldier's eyes. At that moment he realized that General Ross's skin had turned red, and his body began to grow, similar to the transformation of the Hulk, except this one was red.
"Red Hulk…" was the soldier's last thought.
The next instant, Ross's massive hand ended his life. Then Ross's complexion returned to normal.
"I am Thunderbolt Ross."
"Pass on my order!"
"Let Dr. Selvig open the teleportation channel! The army moves immediately!"
Ross took the communicator and gave the command.
The Dr. Selvig he spoke of was Erik Selvig, mentor to Jane Foster, the scientist whom Loki had once forced to open the portal for the Chitauri invasion. And now he was once again in the hands of the military.
In this unfortunate situation, Selvig was again forced into the same task.
"I'm already insane!" he shouted, as soldiers, half-naked and exhausted, lifted him from the floor.
"And why are you arresting me again?"
"I really am insane! Don't lie to me!"
Seemingly in complete delirium, but deep down Erik was crystal clear. He deliberately pretended to have lost his mind, hoping to avoid responsibility and refuse obedience to General Ross.
Boom!
The door opened, and Ross entered.
"Erik Selvig."
"You are summoned in wartime. If you refuse again, you will be considered a traitor."
Ross pointed a gun at him.
"I…"
Selvig had nothing left to say. His scientific pride nevertheless forced him to try to explain:
"Allow me to emphasize once again!"
"The path to hell is already open."
"These channels are unstable, and what I can do is stabilize them."
"All I do is stabilize, I am not the one who opens them, understand?"
"In the future, you must not blame me for this."
Erik's words kept flowing, but the essence of it all lay in the last sentence.
Once, Loki had controlled him and forced him to open the portal, which ultimately led to the Chitauri invasion. After that, he was a step away from being declared the main culprit by the government.
"Enough, Dr. Selvig."
"This is a war we must win. No one will blame you."
Ross's words were like a cold command, but within them was enough force to press Selvig into obedience.
This battle must be won.
"All right… I'll open the passage." Selvig quietly replied, resigning himself to fate.
Soon he activated the instruments, adjusted the parameters, and began stabilizing the dimensional passages that were forming from the collision of two dimensions in the interspace.
Without a doubt, as a genius scientist recognized by both Earthlings and Asgardians, Erik possessed knowledge that few had.
Under his hands the instruments came alive.
Soon…
A dimensional passage the size of a legion, like the one that once opened during Belath's invasion of Earth, appeared once more, but this time, several times larger.
In the very heart of the Gobi Desert, before the eyes of hundreds of thousands of America's elite soldiers, a huge, ghostly gate opened.
It looked like a door into the abyss itself.
"Pass on the order!" Ross's voice resounded.
"Forward!"
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