"Alright, you told me your plan was perfect, so why has it turned into this?"
Quickly lowering his head to dodge a deadly laser, Star-Lord shouted at Rocket while avoiding the attacks. In truth, this matter couldn't really be blamed on Rocket. No matter how god-like an opponent was, they were no match for a sabotaging teammate. Rocket had been completely sabotaged, and the one who sabotaged him kept innocently saying, 'I am Groot.' You tell me, isn't that infuriating? I ask you, isn't it frustrating? But when you met those innocent eyes, there was nothing you could do. Even getting angry was useless; you just had to escape!
"Enough, you fatty. Now is not the time to complain. We need to find a spaceship and escape."
Having been snapped at by Star-Lord, Rocket couldn't help but snap back. Looking at his gasping appearance while running, along with his jiggling 'pectoral muscles' and full double chin, Rocket retorted. This infuriated Star-Lord; if they weren't running for their lives, he would have dueled this dead rat right then and there. You could call him ugly, but you absolutely could not call him fat. He was muscular, not fat, and certainly not chubby. Besides, they were being chased until they were exhausted like dogs; what was wrong with him complaining a little? How could he resort to personal attacks? He was a mean-spirited 'monkey.'
"Alright, stop arguing and hurry up and find an escape ship."
Gamora rolled her eyes helplessly. A bunch of sabotaging idiots. If she were alone, she would have escaped long ago. If it weren't for the Cosmic Orb, who would be with this group of single-minded people? They were arguing while running for their lives; were they tired of living?
"I am Groot."
Groot, who was the tallest among them, clearly became a target. Fortunately, he was a Treant, and the laser weapons only left a few visible holes in his body, which were quickly filled in by wood, failing to cause him even the slightest bit of damage.
"Alright, you big dummy, listen to me carefully. If we die here today because of you, or if we can't escape, I will show you what it means to be truly cruel."
After hearing the Treant's words, Star-Lord directed his anger at Groot. He had his own plan for escaping, and now he had been dragged down by these two guys. If he could, he really wanted to strangle Groot. That big stature was a waste, and inside that big wooden head, there was actually no brain; it was truly terrifying, but that didn't stop Star-Lord from venting his anger.
"You want to threaten him, fatty? I advise you to give up that stupid idea. Not to mention whether you can beat him, he isn't the type to just take abuse. Besides, he probably doesn't understand what you're saying. You need to keep it simple, like, 'Groot, knock them down for me.'"
Without hesitation, Rocket mocked Star-Lord, feeling it was time, and ordered Groot to attack. Upon hearing Rocket's words, Groot didn't say anything; he obediently turned around. The branches on his body began to grow wildly, and the rapidly expanding wood engulfed all the prison guards behind them, while also blocking the passage behind.
"Watch and learn, fatty. One day you'll understand what it means to be truly cruel. Heh-heh!"
Stopping to look at the dumbfounded Star-Lord, Rocket felt as refreshed as if he had eaten a popsicle on a hot summer day. Patting Star-Lord's thigh and walking with a swagger, Rocket continued forward with a smile. This made Star-Lord's expression look like he had eaten feces, especially since Rocket had been mocking him for being fat just moments ago.
"I am Groot."
"Fine! I know you are Groot, let's go! They have ways to clear these trees."
Facing the approaching Groot, and adhering to the principle of 'following one's heart,' Star-Lord said somewhat dejectedly and followed Rocket's pace. Groot's pure eyes were filled with confusion; what was wrong with this guy? He was puzzled, but Groot obediently followed the group. After this incident, Gamora breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't care about the lives of this group behind her, but now that they were tied together, she had no choice. After getting the Cosmic Orb, she would quickly separate from these idiots; that was the main thing. This was what Gamora was thinking right now.
"Clang!"
Walking to a corner, Gamora suddenly sensed danger. She quickly crouched down, and a sharp knife slashed through the space where her head had just been. If she hadn't lowered her head, the consequences would be unimaginable. This crisis made Gamora very angry. She immediately retaliated, kicking the attacker. The opponent's sturdy body was actually kicked away by her. When the opponent slammed heavily onto the ground, everyone looked at the attacker.
"Drax, you still haven't given up on killing Gamora."
Star-Lord recognized at a glance that this guy was the leader in the prison, Drax the Destroyer. From his actions, one could tell that this big guy had an unspeakable hatred for Gamora. He couldn't quite believe it; how did this guy get here and even ambush them? Did he have the ability to foresee the future?
"Seeing so many prison guards dispersing, we have all started to break out of prison. As for you, woman, let me see with my own eyes if it's true. The ship port is ahead, and I am more familiar with it than you, but you must take me with you."
Gamora's kick didn't cause him any harm. He stood up from the ground, pointed his knife at Gamora, and spoke. He needed to get out now to avenge his wife and daughter. His first enemy was Ronan the Accuser, and his arch-enemy was Thanos. This was a good opportunity, and he couldn't give it up.
After hearing Drax's statement, everyone fell silent. Rocket and Star-Lord looked at Gamora. Groot didn't understand what was going on, and the atmosphere was very heavy. Finally, Gamora nodded and agreed to let Drax join them.
"Is this the Knowhere? It looks a bit like a horror movie."
At this moment, Artoria, aboard the hyperion, could not feel the historic ritualistic significance of the Guardians of the Galaxy gathering together for the first time. Artoria stared closely at the giant floating head in the distance, which was about the size of a small Planet. However, most of the exposed skin on it had already been covered by buildings. The eyeballs were nowhere to be found, leaving only empty eye sockets, which were a bit scary in the darkness, looking somewhat like a scene from a horror movie.
"master, three ships are in stealth mode, approaching us, with unknown intentions."
As expected of a lawless zone; immediately, some people looking to make a quick buck came to cause trouble. Did they think the hyperion was easy to bully? Treating Father's ship as a toy? This was a super warship synthesized from Earth and Kree technology, combined with the Honkai dimension—a trinity. How dare they underestimate her hyperion like this.
"Saturday, destroy them."
"Yes, master."
The gun ports hidden within the hull opened. Guided by Saturday's targeting, three energy cannons fired. Brilliant fireworks bloomed in the distance from the hyperion. They were approaching under stealth, clearly wanting to get close to the hyperion, then blast a hole in it, enter, eliminate or capture everyone on board, sell the people as slaves on the black market, and sell the ship for money. This was the kind of thing ugly space pirates did, so Artoria had no intention of holding back at all.
If you are too weak, others will bully you to death. This was Artoria Stark's show of force to the blind group of people on the Knowhere. Do they really take her for a pushover? Believe it or not, I will go all out and let you feel the power of the Spear of the Anchor Star.
Afterward, this group of guys really calmed down a lot. It seems they realized that the person on this ship was not to be trifled with. Artoria Stark successfully landed on the head of the Celestial member.
The Collector:
"As expected, whoever has the biggest fist is the boss!"
After landing on the Knowhere, Artoria Stark had Saturday activate the automatic defense system. If anyone approached, they were to be immediately expelled. She began to wander around, looking at the sights on the Knowhere. All kinds of strange automatic mining machines were visible everywhere on the road. There was also the substance that should be called brain matter being mined out. The whole process was very eerie; it looked like bacteria in nature decomposing organic matter.
"Look, is that an Asgardian? Why would the noble Asgardian Gods come to such a place?"
"Keep it down, kid. Don't let her hear you. I heard Asgardians have very violent tempers. If you annoy them, getting beaten to death is a small matter. I heard the eldest prince of Asgard loves to smash people with his big hammer."
Even though these guys were whispering, Artoria Stark heard them clearly. Interesting, they actually mistook her for an Asgardian. That's true; in terms of appearance, Asgardians look exactly like Earthlings. It's no wonder the aliens have such a misconception. After all, very few Earthlings come to the Universe. Having no interest in arguing with these guys about where she was from, Artoria Stark walked toward the largest building on this head.
"Excuse me, miss, do you have an appointment? You need an appointment to see the Master."
Moving quickly, Artoria Stark didn't take much effort to find the entrance. Standing at the door was an alien girl smiling like a mannequin, with pink skin all over her body and a pair of antennae on her forehead. Seeing Artoria Stark about to walk in, she skillfully blocked Artoria Stark's path and asked if she had an appointment.
"Please tell Mr. Taneleer Tivan that someone from Midgard would like to pay Mr. Tivan a visit."
Perhaps it was Artoria Stark's temperament that made it impossible for her to refuse Artoria Stark's request as she had done with the others before. She looked at Artoria Stark's holy green eyes, finally nodded to indicate she understood, and then she turned and went inside to report to The Collector. Artoria Stark stood at the door and waited quietly.
Artoria Stark didn't have to wait too long. The pink-skinned girl walked out slowly from inside, looking very surprised. It seemed she hadn't expected that the Master, who was usually so reclusive, would make such a decision today. It was truly surprising.
"Hello, miss. The Master has agreed to see you. Please follow me."
Her face still wore that fake smile, but there was a hint of curiosity in her eyes. Who exactly was this person claiming to come from Midgard that made the Master, who usually didn't see anyone, choose to meet her? This was something never seen on ordinary days. She was very curious now about what kind of place Midgard was.
Artoria Stark didn't care about her scrutinizing gaze. After whispering a thank you, she followed in her footsteps. Under her guidance, Artoria Stark walked through a long corridor. The decorations on the shelves one after another made one's hair stand on end. Soon, she led Artoria Stark to stand on a circular platform. After Artoria Stark stepped onto it, the platform began to float slowly upward, acting like an elevator.
"Welcome, lady from Earth."
After about five minutes, Artoria Stark met this mysterious Collector. With a head of pale hair and a face full of wrinkles, he looked like a monster. However, Artoria Stark did not lower her guard in the slightest. This was one of the Elders of the Universe, and also the brother of the Grandmaster, a monster whose strength was simply unfathomable. Ever since she entered this building, Artoria Stark's intuition had been sounding alarms. The terrifying-looking guy in front of her was not just as old as he appeared.
"Hello, Mr. Collector Tivan."
She politely greeted The Collector. The pink alien girl behind her tactfully walked away, leaving The Collector and Artoria Stark alone to discuss matters. Artoria Stark, who was bold, had no reason to be timid. She walked to the front of The Collector and sat down naturally on the chair prepared by the other party.
"To be honest, lady from Earth, this is my first time seeing an Earthling. You give me a feeling of being more radiant than the Asgardian Gods, like the light and heat emitted by a star. May I know your name?"
The Collector examined Artoria Stark carefully, making Artoria Stark feel a bit scalp-tingling. Fortunately, he had no malicious intent; otherwise, Artoria Stark would have already run away. Facing a big shot in the Universe, Artoria Stark's pressure was more obvious. After all, no matter what, the Ancient One looked much more decent than this bunch of guys.
"Of course, Mr. Tivan. My name is Artoria Stark, from beautiful Earth."
Listening to The Collector's words, Artoria Stark breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, the other party's attitude was very friendly. This was a good start, which meant that for now, the other party had no intention of locking her into a glass container filled with green transparent liquid to be exhibited as a collectible. Of course, this was only temporary, and she didn't know what would happen in the future.
"Earth is indeed beautiful, but I am curious, Ms. Artoria, about your purpose in coming to this place."
Perhaps because he had lived for too long, The Collector had a desire to be curious about everything. He was curious about why Artoria Stark knew him and why Artoria Stark came to this place. Regarding The Collector's curious gaze, Artoria Stark did not reveal that the purpose of her coming this time was actually just to wait for a group of people. She was also very curious about The Collector. In the movie, this guy was really too weak and was actually wiped out directly by Thanos. But if it were in the comics, as one of the Elders of the Universe, although his strength could not defeat Thanos, escaping from Thanos's hands would be no problem at all. However, from his words, it seemed like he had been to Earth before.
"Mr. Tivan, what do you think I want to do by coming here?"
Not replying to Tivan's words, Artoria Stark instead asked the other party what he thought her purpose was. Artoria Stark was changing the subject. While chatting with The Collector, Artoria Stark observed The Collector's collection. She had heard from some movie buffs in her previous life that one could see the collected 'Beta Ray Bill' in the clips of Thor: The Dark World, but she didn't know if it was true or false. Artoria Stark was just looking around with a try-it-and-see attitude.
"You Earthlings are really interesting when you speak. Alright then! Let me guess, did you come for this?"
It seemed Artoria Stark's words touched a nerve. He looked at Artoria Stark carefully, and a happy smile appeared on his face, but this wrinkled face looked a bit scary. As he spoke, he took a box out of a cabinet behind him. He patted the box and said mysteriously to Artoria Stark. This left Artoria Stark confused. She wasn't here to look at things; she was here to wait for people. However, looking at The Collector's collection was also a nice visual feast. She hoped there wouldn't be any SCP-series mental contamination.
"This is a good thing we dug up from the deepest part of here. Many people don't know about it. It's a pity that such a treasure can only be guarded by me."
Saying it was a pity, The Collector's expression was actually very fortunate. He should be fortunate that such a good thing fell into his hands. While speaking, he opened the box. Being an immortal person was very hard, especially after his beloved wife passed away. He could only focus his attention on collecting strange and exotic things. But if these things were kept here all the time without anyone looking at them, it wouldn't give him the satisfaction of everyone's amazement. He decided to let this little girl from Earth be properly surprised.
The box was slowly opened, and a golden, glittering object illuminated the dark room. This scene piqued Artoria Stark's curiosity. After the blinding light faded, a palm-sized golden crystal lay quietly in the box. Inside the crystal, there seemed to be some kind of liquid flowing slowly, emitting a gentle luster, breathtakingly beautiful.
"This is?"
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