A passionate, soul-stirring speech set the hundreds of thousands of spectators below on fire. Jason's words effectively resolved their greatest lingering fears. They were gladiators, braves, and warriors—they didn't fear shedding blood or making the ultimate sacrifice; they only feared that their sacrifice would be meaningless, and that after they were gone, their wives and children would be humiliated and bullied.
Now, with Jason as their safety net, the soldiers about to embark on an unknown journey finally felt completely at peace. In their hearts, they truly accepted this new monarch. Jason hated wasting words. Once he made himself clear, a grand farewell banquet began. He threw a massive feast in the palace, inviting all 1,500 soldiers from the Commodore to join. There were no class distinctions or rigid protocols; everyone ate, drank, and made merry, releasing the pent-up tension of their imminent departure.
Simultaneously, a banquet for ten thousand was prepared in the Arena. Square tables were laid out, piled high with fine wines and delicacies rarely tasted by commoners. The 100,000 residents in the stands entered in an orderly fashion to take their seats. Everyone drank heartily to celebrate the new king's ascension and to pray for the upcoming journey. This grand feast, involving the entire population, lasted until the early hours of the next morning.
After the banquet, all soldiers were given six hours of rest. During this time, they needed to settle their minds and say their goodbyes to their families. At dawn, the soldiers returned to the barracks, donned their combat suits, collected their gear, and boarded the Commodore.
At 10:00 AM, the spaceship—carrying its 1,500 passengers—sailed out of the hangar. Pushed by six massive engines, it slowly ascended, leaving Sakaar behind. Hundreds of millions of people on the ground waved their arms, sending them off with cheers and blessings.
The ship left Sakaar and entered the unknown cosmos. Jason stood in the flight control room, staring through the glass at the vast sea of stars. Bizarre planets loomed close, and meteor fragments zipped past the hull. Witnessing this, Jason felt his blood accelerate and his heart swell with emotion. Since their dawn, humans have been filled with curiosity about the universe, and Jason was no different. The last time he came to Sakaar, he had fallen straight onto the surface; he hadn't seen a thing. But this time, he witnessed the sheer vastness and majesty of the galaxy with his own eyes.
Jason stood there for a long time; the scene was truly mesmerizing. Just then, Valkyrie, wearing her Valkyrie combat gear, walked up to him.
"How is it? Does the magnificence of the universe open your eyes? Feeling your heart race?" She saw right through Jason's current mood.
Jason chuckled. "The way you say that makes it sound like you're mocking me. Alright, I admit, seeing the cosmos like this for the first time is a bit exciting."
Valkyrie gave a relaxed smile and shook her head. "Don't. I wouldn't dare. I only say that because when I first left Asgard to go to war, I had the same stupid, dazed expression on my face."
Jason glanced at her. "And you say that's not a mockery?"
Valkyrie shrugged. "Think what you want. But I still have to warn you: interstellar travel is dangerous. Once the ship starts moving at full speed, it puts a massive strain on the body." She pulled a bottle from her pocket and handed it over.
"What is this? Viagra? Are you fucking kidding me?" Seeing the small blue pills in the glass bottle, Jason's mind immediately went into the gutter.
"What's Viagra? This is anti-nausea medicine. Essential for space travel."
"Oh, so that's it." Jason snorted and threw the medicine back to her. "You really are looking down on me. I don't need it."
Valkyrie frowned, feeling like they were on different wavelengths. She tossed the bottle in her hand. "Suit yourself, tough guy. Don't regret it later."
As they were bantering, the fleet commander walked over. "Master! All ship systems are normal. We are about to engage the hyperdrive. Estimated arrival at Morag is 45 days."
That long! Jason was about to complain but swallowed his words. He almost forgot—this was the universe, not a local village. 45 days was actually quite fast. "Understood. Proceed."
The commander went to the flight console and gave the orders.
Rumble!
With a violent tremor, the six hyperdrive engines began to roar. The ship accelerated rapidly. When the engines reached 100% capacity, the magnificent galaxy in the viewport transformed into blurry streaks of light. Jason refused to buckle his seatbelt, relying on his energy to steady himself, but his eyes felt a slight pressure. He closed them for a moment until the sensation eased.
Once he adapted to the slight discomfort of FTL travel, he turned around and said casually, "Space travel is just so-so. You actually felt the need to bring anti-nausea meds."
Valkyrie ignored the jab, popped a pill into her mouth, and muttered, "Don't be so smug. The real test hasn't even started."
"Hasn't started?" Jason asked.
Suddenly, the commander shouted: "Approaching the jump point! Everyone, brace yourselves!"
A jump point? What the hell is that?
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
As the countdown ended, the ship plunged straight into a pitch-black void. Jason's vision went dark, his head spun, and he felt like his whole world was being upended. An instant later, the ship emerged from the tunnel, and his vision returned to normal.
But Jason felt his skin tingling, a strange, indescribable malaise washing over him, and his stomach began to churn. Shit! Jason cursed inwardly, furrowing his brows and covering his mouth with his hand. The urge to vomit grew stronger and stronger.
I got careless! Spent all day acting like a badass only to get wrecked by a jump...
Valkyrie, having taken her medicine, was perfectly fine. She said smugly, "I told you to take the medicine and you didn't. Regret it now?"
Jason doubled over, reaching out his other hand for the bottle. He'd admit defeat; it was better than puking in public. To his surprise, Valkyrie shook her head. "This medicine only works if taken in advance. Once you feel like puking, it's useless."
What? Jason instinctively tried to run for the restroom.
"Hey! You're up!" Valkyrie waved, and a timid girl stepped out of the crowd. She patted the girl's shoulder and introduced her: "This is a treasure I dug up from a friend. I pulled her out of the combat unit specifically to take care of you."
She gave the girl a look. The girl nodded timidly, approached Jason, and placed her hand on his shoulder. A soothing wave of energy flowed from his shoulder through his entire body. That wretched feeling of space-sickness vanished instantly.
Jason let go of his mouth and asked in surprise, "Is this a superpower?" The energy felt a bit like Christine's healing power, but Christine could only heal physical injuries.
The girl shook her head and whispered, "It's not a superpower. It's magic."
Magic! Jason suddenly remembered the magician he had killed when he first arrived on Sakaar three years ago. Was this energy some kind of buff? "What can your magic do?"
The girl seemed to have low self-esteem—perhaps she was naturally timid. She lowered her head. "It can only soothe mental stress. I can't fight at all."
So that was it. No wonder she was insecure. Damn Grandmaster! Jason's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Have some confidence! Your magic is great, even miraculous. From now on, you stay by my side."
The girl looked up, her eyes filled with surprise. God, this happiness came so suddenly. But before she could enjoy it for three seconds, she faltered. "But I can't fight."
Jason replied, "Fighting isn't everything. I have plenty of warriors, but someone who knows magic and can heal... there's only you."
Encouraged by Jason, the girl became visibly excited and nodded repeatedly. Valkyrie stood by, watching with a knew it expression. Having settled the girl's position, Jason remembered his failed attempt at acting tough. His face felt a bit hot, and not wanting to deal with Valkyrie, he retreated to his private quarters.
[Ding! System update complete. Please click to view!]
As soon as he closed the door, the system that had been missing for three days was back online. Jason calculated the time—it was exactly 72 hours. This damn system was punctual. Come on, let's see what new ways you've found to torment me.
He lay back in a comfortable chair and opened the update log. After three days of work, there were only a few lines of text. But after reading them, Jason practically sprang out of his chair. Perhaps seeing how pathetic his life was stranded in deep space, this update didn't increase the difficulty; it gave him a massive convenience.
[Requirement for Host to personally subdue villain has been removed.]
From now on, as long as Jason recruited a villain, memories would be automatically implanted, making them loyal subordinates instantly. This was a godsend. Jason had been worried about this—he was in outer space now; if he recruited a villain who appeared in some remote corner of the galaxy, it might take him ten years just to find them. This was a huge gift.
Jason reopened the interface and upgraded all his villains' superpowers to Level 8. After looting the corrupt officials, his pockets were overflowing with wealth, and he spent points without a hint of hesitation. He was so rich now that even after upgrading over a dozen villains, his remaining points were higher than before the coup.
A three-year stint as a corrupt official yields a hundred thousand silver coins. Those vampires had sucked the blood of Sakaar for thousands of years; their wealth was astronomical. Too bad Jason had cleaned them out.
After the upgrades, it was time for the part he loved—recruiting new villains. Over the past few days, Jason had killed the Grandmaster, issued the Decree for the Wise, and initiated drastic reforms. These actions had successfully won over the hearts of billions on Sakaar. The accumulated prestige had finally passed the threshold for the next recruitment.
[Ding! Use Villain Recruitment reward now?]
Jason rubbed his hands together, made a silent wish, and clicked confirm.
[Ding! Villain recruited successfully! Memories implanted!]
Seeing the name that appeared on the translucent screen, Jason's eyes lit up. Holy shit, it's him! After the shock, his heart finally settled. With a villain of this caliber and the newly upgraded powers, as long as Harley and the others didn't pick a fight with the Ancient One, they could truly walk across Earth with their heads held high.
Jason's cosmic journey still had 45 days left, but a trillion light-years away on Earth, a major event was unfolding.
*
Vienna, Austria.
It was high noon, and the streets along the Danube were empty—not a car or a pedestrian in sight. Today was the day for a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Office at Vienna. Due to the sensitive nature of the agenda, security was exceptionally tight. Several main roads near the building were cordoned off.
Riot control armored vehicles lined the streets, and attack helicopters circled the perimeter. Elite soldiers drawn from across the country, armed with rifles and body armor, occupied intersections and vantage points, highly alert. Outside, international media waited in the press area. No reporters were allowed inside; they had to wait for the results to be announced.
In the vast conference hall, representatives from various nations were gathered. The topic today was the Joker organization, requiring strict confidentiality. At exactly 12:00 PM, the meeting began. One of the initiators, the representative from the United States, stood up to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"I believe none of you will forget the Battle of New York three years ago. It was a brutal conflict destined for the history books."
"Prince Loki of Asgard, allied with the Chitauri, invaded Earth, causing untold damage and casualties in New York. Meanwhile, the despicable Joker organization took advantage of the chaos to seek profit."
"God bless America! Through the joint efforts of our military and SHIELD, we not only repelled the Chitauri army but also dealt a heavy blow to the Joker organization. Their leader, Jason Walter, was defeated and seriously injured, his whereabouts currently unknown. Their members suffered heavy casualties. This was a victory for America and for all of humanity."
Clap, clap, clap...
The representatives from other countries clapped perfunctorily with expressionless faces. They were likely impressed by the representative's sheer audacity. Everyone knew exactly how that battle was won.
The US representative smiled and continued, "Following the Battle of New York, governments signed the Anti-Joker Organization Declaration, agreeing to unite and purge the remnants of the group. Over the past three years, our collaboration has successfully cleared this cancer; my country alone has arrested over 150,000 criminals."
"However, the core members—Jason's closest associates—have yet to be captured. As long as they remain free, our governments and people will not know peace. But fortunately... recently, a secret SHIELD investigation has made a new discovery."
"Through various means, they have tracked the Joker organization to the African continent."
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
500 power stones.
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