"How is it possible there are no other lifeforms on this planet?"
Gamora asked. Ever since they had arrived, this lush, green world had not shown a single animal anywhere. It completely defied the laws of nature.
Ego had said earlier that he had existed for millions of years. That also meant this planet had developed over millions of years. The atmosphere, water, sunlight, and the thriving greenery before them all indicated perfect conditions for life to evolve.
And yet the reality was the exact opposite.
Aside from Mantis, not a single animal existed here. There weren't even fish in the water.
Carbon-based life could not exist without water. Earth itself was proof of that—every living creature had originally evolved from the oceans. Water was called the source of life for a reason.
But on this planet, there was nothing.
The water was so clean that aside from stones, there was absolutely nothing in it. Not even a strand of aquatic grass.
It was undeniably strange.
Mantis did not hide anything. To her, these questions were not among the things Ego had forbidden her from speaking about.
"This planet is Ego. Just like a dog wouldn't allow fleas to live on its body, he believes those so-called animals are no different from parasites."
"You're not a parasite. You're a living person."
Skye immediately refuted her, a trace of disgust toward Ego appearing in her expression.
"I'm only a useful parasite. I help him sleep."
Mantis did not share Skye's anger. To her, Ego was the ruler of this world. Whatever he said or did was simply natural.
"That's not true. You're an independent individual, not someone's accessory. Ego's a bastard!"
Skye angrily punched outward. A powerful shockwave erupted instantly, shattering a massive boulder in the distance.
"Would you like me to help calm you down?"
Mantis did not understand why Skye had suddenly become angry, but instinctively she still wanted to soothe her emotions. After all, that was what she had always done before.
The moment she touched Skye, Skye's emotions flooded directly into Mantis's mind.
And then she understood why Skye had become angry.
She saw Skye's past—from the moment she became an orphan, all the way until she met Karl.
That stretch of life had been the darkest period Skye had ever experienced. From a frail orphan girl to a world-famous underground hacker, all the pain and loneliness had remained buried deep in her heart.
Tears began streaming down Mantis's face.
She did not understand what was happening to her. She had never experienced feelings like these before.
Yet somehow… she longed for them.
"Skye, I need to tell you something…"
Before Mantis could continue, Ego's voice suddenly interrupted her.
"So this is where you all are. I came to show you where you'll be staying tonight."
Ego approached with a smile on his face. Quill followed beside him, looking noticeably happier as well. Apparently the earlier argument between father and son had already been resolved, and their relationship had even improved.
Everyone looked toward Ego, then instinctively glanced back at Mantis.
Even Drax, usually slow on the uptake, noticed it.
Ego's timing had been far too convenient.
There was definitely some hidden secret here.
---
Meanwhile, aboard Yondu's ship, Tony and Rocket were still repairing Quill's ship in the lower hangar bay.
Numerous small spacecraft were parked around them. Some belonged to Yondu's crew, while many others had clearly been stolen, which conveniently provided plenty of spare parts.
"I already upgraded that idiot's engine. When Quill sees it, his jaw's gonna hit the floor."
Tony finished soldering a circuit board and began rewriting the ship's system software.
Rocket had already helped JARVIS import every known language in the galaxy, making Tony's work far easier.
Nearby, Nebula and Groot sat silently.
Groot was naturally relaxed and carefree.
As for Nebula… nobody knew what she was thinking.
Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared throughout the ship.
BOOM!
The entire vessel shook violently, instantly throwing the interior into chaos.
"What the hell happened?"
Rocket had already repaired the ship itself. Only Tony's final software installation remained.
Then Yondu's communication came through.
"We had traitors among the crew. One of them detonated a bomb and blew out one of the engines. The ship's gonna explode soon. Get yourselves a ship and wait for me."
Yondu's eyes were ice cold.
Standing beside him was Kraglin, his loyal subordinate—the same skinny Ravager who would later inherit Yondu's fin controller.
"Come on. We're finding the traitors."
Yondu showed no panic whatsoever despite the ship falling apart around them. He immediately led Kraglin outside.
And Yondu had guessed correctly.
There wasn't just one traitor.
There were many.
At this moment, explosions rocked the ship while firefights erupted everywhere between opposing factions. Bodies littered the corridors.
A sharp whistle rang out.
A glowing red arrow shot from Yondu's belt and instantly pierced through a traitor's chest before darting off toward the next target.
Throughout the ship, a crimson line appeared as if threading through every rebel's heart.
In barely ten seconds, dozens had already fallen.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sections of the ship exploded violently.
Yondu's Yaka Arrow streaked through corridor after corridor. Anywhere Yondu could see, the arrow could reach.
Kraglin wielded an energy rifle, firing constantly in every direction. His sole task was protecting Yondu.
Meanwhile, the Ravagers still loyal to Yondu gradually regrouped around him.
After wave after wave of casualties, only around a dozen loyal men remained.
Once commanding hundreds, Yondu was now left with barely this handful.
After killing the final rebel, Yondu did not hesitate for even a moment and headed straight for the lower hangar deck.
The explosions were becoming more and more violent.
And once the ship's energy core was hit, the entire vessel would be blown to pieces instantly.
They had to escape immediately.
"Tony! You done yet?!"
Rocket and Nebula both held rifles, firing nonstop at the approaching crowd.
These people were the mutineers. Realizing the ship was doomed, they planned to escape aboard the smaller crafts.
Unfortunately for them, the lower hangar had also been affected by the explosions.
Many ships had either been crushed by debris from upper-deck blasts or damaged by the shockwaves.
Only Quill's ship had somehow escaped unharmed.
So naturally, everyone rushed toward it, intending to steal it for themselves.
Rocket and Nebula immediately refused.
They had only just finished repairing the thing. If it got stolen now, where would they put their pride?
The two instantly grabbed their weapons and opened fire.
At the same time, Groot charged directly into the enemy crowd. Branches burst wildly from his body like spears, impaling every person in his path.
Meanwhile, Tony was drenched in sweat.
He had to constantly compare alien text against translations while simultaneously rewriting the system software.
The workload was practically double what it normally would have been.
Under the circumstances, his current speed was already impressive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~