"So you can care about others. I thought you only loved yourself!!!..."
Just as Gamora confirmed that Peter still had a heartbeat and let out a sigh of relief, a sarcastic, mocking voice suddenly rang out beside her ear.
And the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"Gamora, why is it you?" When Gamora unexpectedly saw her sister looking down at her with a mocking expression, Gamora's temper immediately flared up.
However, when her peripheral vision caught sight of Mike standing nearby with a smiling expression, her pupils instantly contracted into pinpricks.
That person was someone Thanos feared; Gamora knew she couldn't afford to provoke him.
In an instant, her imposing aura weakened by a third.
"What, is that strange?" Nebula didn't care about Gamora's mood. Seeing her sister cornered was a rare treat, making her even more energized. She continued to mock, "Or are you saying you didn't want me to see you and your little lover being intimate. But honestly, your taste is really terrible—"
Determined to disgust Gamora, Nebula went all out, even dragging the unconscious Peter on the ground into the fray.
Peter, unkempt, scruffy, and slightly puffy, really didn't look like much.
Especially when compared to Mike, such a handsome stud, standing right next to him.
The contrast was devastating.
"Don't talk nonsense! He and I are just temporary partners..." Gamora, who clearly wasn't impressed by the sloppy Peter at this stage, immediately explained.
However, given that Peter had just risked his life to save her, Gamora couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh.
Combining all these factors, Gamora's imposing aura weakened by another third.
"Don't deny it! If we hadn't arrived in time, you and your little lover would have become a pair of doomed lovers." Nebula, having rarely gained such an upper hand in their sisterly war, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Her lips curled up wildly, showing how delighted she was.
After overcoming her initial discomfort, the previously suppressed Gamora cleverly noticed that Mike, the "person in charge," had been watching the whole spectacle from beginning to end.
She sensed he held no malice towards her.
And the stunningly beautiful girl with the hot figure beside Mike had been clinging to the man like a timid bird.
She also hadn't shown any malice yet.
"Don't talk about me, talk about yourself. After leaving Thanos, why do you still look like a little lackey?" Gamora, believing she had analyzed the situation, immediately launched a counterattack against her sister.
And she seemed to be regaining the upper hand.
"A lackey?" Nebula was stunned for a moment, then smiled again and said, "So what if I'm a lackey? I'm happy to be one. You want to be one, but nobody wants you."
There was even a hint of tsundere pride in her tone.
This situation was completely different from what Gamora had expected.
Based on past experience, if she said this to Nebula, the other party would definitely fight back fiercely, perhaps even becoming furious.
She never expected this kind of reaction.
Nebula seemed quite satisfied with her status as a "lackey."
This undoubtedly caught Gamora off guard.
"What, speechless? Don't tell me I was right and you became a lonely soul after leaving Thanos?" Nebula, having never experienced such a wonderful moment—silencing her sister—felt her entire being uplifted.
This was the taste of victory, worth cheering for.
"I know you've always resented me, but now is not the time to argue. My companion is still in danger. When he recovers, if you want to settle the score, I'll be ready anytime." Gamora, still concerned about Peter's safety, finally chose to temporarily concede to her sister.
The two sisters could be described as loving and killing each other.
Nebula was only angry that Gamora always tried to be first in everything and never yielded to her. Seeing her sister show weakness now, the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipated somewhat.
Furthermore, she was clearly doing better than Gamora now.
Thus, Nebula didn't continue to make trouble and decided to let her go for the time being.
As for the score between the two sisters, there would be plenty of opportunities to settle it later.
In any case, she had Mike backing her up, and Gamora, having lost Thanos's protection, would definitely not be able to cause any trouble.
Thinking of this, Nebula's mood brightened even more.
At the same time, she inwardly lamented that her decision to join Mike was indeed wise.
"Mr. Mike, I know you're powerful. Please save Peter. As long as you're willing to help him, we are willing to pay any price." Gamora, having escaped her sister's entanglement, turned her gaze toward Mike, who was watching the show.
Earlier, when she checked Peter's condition, his heartbeat, though present, was very weak.
Analyzing the situation normally, he clearly hadn't passed the danger period.
Since Gamora lacked healing abilities, she could only turn to Mike for help.
"Save him? I probably won't need to intervene..." Mike shook his head, looked at the "playing dead" Peter, and said, "Are you planning to keep pretending?"
Yes, Peter, who possesses Celestial bloodline, had actually woken up long ago.
Others might not have noticed, but this guy had just been squinting his eyes, eavesdropping on the gossip between Gamora and her sister.
"He's awake?" Looking at Peter's tightly shut eyes, Gamora showed a look of surprise.
But then she realized that a powerhouse like Mike had no need to lie to her.
Feeling tricked, Gamora's expression gradually turned hostile.
"Oh, my head is spinning... What just happened..." Peter, feeling two sharp gazes on his face, reluctantly opened his eyes.
He then innocently rubbed his nose and head, pretending to have just woken up.
He had to admit, he put on a good act.
Clearly, however, he hadn't fooled anyone.
"Uh, did you save us? Thank you very much. My name is Peter. If you ever need me for anything, just holler..." After avoiding Gamora's murderous gaze, Peter bowed and scraped his way over to Mike.
He looked as subservient as possible.
He truly lived up to his reputation as a super veteran who grew up scrambling in the cosmos, adapting to the environment incredibly quickly.
"Don't mention it, it was just convenient," Mike, who understood Peter's goofy personality, didn't expect any repayment from him.
Although this guy was amusing, he actually carried a bit of a disaster magnet constitution, making him a true "Father" avenger.
There was no benefit in getting involved with him for no reason.
"Um, actually, I have another matter I need your help with. It concerns half the life in the universe..." Although Peter wasn't sure why Mike's attitude toward him was so "cold," sensing that Mike wasn't a bad person, he took the opportunity to reveal the other worry on his mind.
Something concerning half the life in the universe was hard to ignore.
And whether it was male intuition or not, Peter felt that the impossibly handsome man in front of him could definitely help.
"Yes, we cannot let Thanos get the Power Stone..." Gamora's anger had mostly subsided, and she immediately began helping Peter explain.
She explained how Ronan stole the Power Stone and the relationship between Ronan and Thanos.
Everything was laid out by Gamora, making her much more reliable than Peter, who only knew how to beg.
"Yes, that's exactly the situation." Once the verbal proxy finished speaking, Peter nodded vigorously in agreement.
At the same time, he gave Gamora a look that said, "We have great chemistry."
"I already know Thanos's plan, and retrieving the Power Stone is not a problem. However, the most important thing we need to consider now is how to chase Ronan." Since the Power Stone was ownerless, Mike didn't mind getting involved.
Moreover, his trip to outer space this time, besides helping find Thor, was also intended to establish his reputation throughout the universe.
This was to collect Power of Faith from various cosmic races.
These goals did not conflict with seizing the Power Stone; in fact, they could be said to complement each other.
The problem now was that Mike's small, dilapidated spaceship was already severely damaged, and after stopping briefly, it had completely broken down in space.
"Ah, what should we do?" Peter, who grew up in space and was proficient with various vehicles, clearly noticed the issue with Mike's spaceship.
He was already secretly celebrating that he had smartly sent a distress signal to his adoptive father, Yondu, earlier.
He would definitely be scolded or even beaten when Yondu arrived, but regardless, it was better than being stranded and dying in outer space.
"Two options. First, we work together to fix this spaceship. Second, I go to Knowhere and find a new spaceship." Mike offered the solutions.
"You have a way to get to Knowhere?" Peter immediately became interested in the second suggestion.
As for repairing the spaceship.
Peter had already used his extensive knowledge of cosmic survival to analyze that Mike's small spaceship was ready for the scrap heap.
Parts were aging, the engine had failed—only the frame was still usable.
Repairing this level of damage would be no easier than building a new spaceship from scratch.
Setting aside the issue of parts, no one had ever built a spaceship in outer space before.
Compared to Peter's confusion, Nebula and the others, who knew Mike's capabilities, were much calmer.
It was just crossing the void with his body; that certainly wouldn't stump Mike.
It just depended on whether he was willing to endure the hardship.
"Hmm, it seems you prefer the second option..." Mike stood up and walked toward the hatch.
Before leaving, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and said to Wanda, "Keep a close eye on Nebula until I return."
"Don't worry." Wanda smiled and nodded.
She immediately understood Mike's intention.
Nebula and her sister clearly weren't the type to get along well. Who knew what chaos might erupt once Mike left and there was no one to suppress them.
Compared to the "stranger" Gamora, Nebula was definitely "one of them."
Mike asking Wanda to watch Nebula was a warning to ensure their own person didn't suffer a loss.
He truly was a good boss—
After Mike gave himself a mental thumbs-up, he jumped directly out of the spaceship without any protective gear, under Peter's astonished gaze.
"That's not scientific." Watching Mike move freely in outer space, like a fish entering the sea, Peter finally broke.
This was completely different from the space environment he knew.
There was no frostbite, no high pressure, and even without resistance, Mike's movements looked exceptionally swift.
"Hick, you know nothing about the boss's abilities." Nebula glared contemptuously at Peter, then shot the same look at Gamora.
Although she didn't speak again, Gamora surprisingly understood the meaning in her eyes.
It was probably something like: Look at the partner you found; he clearly has no taste, just like you.
Yes, Nebula already knew her sister and Peter had formed a temporary team, so her gaze toward Peter was largely scrutinizing.
It carried a hint of hating the house and its crow... "Who are you?"
As Mike crossed the void and landed on Knowhere, he happened to run into Drax and Groot, who were preparing to steal a spaceship.
Drax, having just been severely taught a lesson by his enemy Ronan, was currently in a sensitive state and saw everyone as suspicious.
Even Mike's handsome appearance and gentle demeanor didn't help.
In contrast, the tall Groot quietly pulled Drax and then cautiously hid behind him.
His eyes showed a hint of wariness.
Strictly speaking, Ent belong to the plant kingdom, and their senses are sharper than other creatures.
Although Mike didn't intentionally display his strength, Groot still sensed a "threat."
It was like a lamb encountering a lion.
Even if the lion made no further moves, it was enough to make the lamb tremble in fear.
"Drax, Groot, Peter is on my spaceship, and I hold no malice toward you." Mike, recognizing their identities, did not make things difficult for them.
After all, the Guardians of the Galaxy members, to some extent, belonged to the good alignment.
Good people were rare in the chaotic universe, which was also why Mike hadn't made things difficult for Peter earlier.
"Peter and the others are fine?" Drax showed a look of surprise, then tightened his expression and asked, "How do you prove you're not lying?"
"Proof?" Mike suddenly chuckled as he looked at the wary Drax, then instantly conjured two long magical whips in his hands.
Before Drax could react, Mike had him bound tightly.
"I could kill you at any moment, but I haven't. Is that enough proof?" Good people shouldn't be pointed at with a gun, but this depended on the situation.
Mike had already proactively mentioned Peter earlier to avoid complications, showing sufficient sincerity.
Since Drax didn't appreciate that, Mike naturally didn't mind speaking to him with a different attitude.
"You, release me! If you have the guts, let's fight fairly..." Drax, having been repeatedly humiliated, seemed a bit muddled in the head.
That stubbornness was somewhat similar to Thor's.
"Groot—"
Fortunately, besides Drax, there was also a Ent who knew how to size up the situation.
Groot calmed Drax down, then respectfully bowed toward Mike.
His tall stature and clumsy posture made him look surprisingly "cute."
"Fine, for Groot's sake, I'll let you off this time. I will take you to see Peter later, and then you will naturally understand that I am not lying." Mike retracted the magical whips and continued walking deeper into Knowhere.
Because the Power Stone's energy had been triggered, a large area of buildings on Knowhere had collapsed. The residents living there and helping Collector mine were currently engaged in disaster relief, making the area look chaotic.
Mike's goal was to find Collector among these people and have him show Mike his precious collection.
Of course, it was purely just to take a look.
With Mike's ability to absorb attribute traits, he didn't need to possess the treasures, so Collector wouldn't suffer any substantial loss.
As for the messy accounts between Collector and the Grandmaster, Mike had no intention of getting involved.
Overall, he intended to adhere to the principle of arriving quietly, leaving quietly, and not taking away a single cloud.
"Are you really going to take us to see Peter? And the spaceships on Knowhere are over there; you're going the wrong way..." Drax, muscular but simple-minded, was not entirely ungrateful.
After Mike showed sufficient "sincerity," he easily believed him.
Groot's attitude also helped greatly.
Although Drax couldn't understand the Ent language, he could tell from Groot's almost fawning behavior that Mike's strength was greater than what he displayed.
If you couldn't provoke him, you naturally learned to "comply."
Facing Drax's question, Mike offered no further explanation, his gaze already fixed on the only perfectly preserved building in the center of the ruins.
Drax, trailing behind, mumbled several times before finally joining the Ent in chasing after Mike.