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*****
One month later, the name "Guardians of the Galaxy" echoed across the entire universe.
And this time, it wasn't for taking down Ronan—but for wiping out space pirates.
In just one short month, the Guardians didn't just eliminate—no, to be precise, rob—more than a dozen pirate crews, half of which were large-scale!
All of a sudden, every space pirate who heard their name reacted with a mixture of hatred and sheer terror.
They were professionals who made their living robbing others—yet they were the ones getting robbed. Completely unacceptable.
Money was their lifeblood.
But when lifeblood goes up against actual life, even pirates choose to live.
During this period, the Guardians and Eric made an absolute fortune.
Turns out pirates were even richer than expected.
Sure, after scoring loot they usually spent big right away, but they still upheld the noble tradition of burying hidden treasure.
A tradition that ended up benefiting Eric and his crew immensely.
After every haul, Eric immediately bought resources and used a portal to send them back to Planet Kent, contributing to its construction.
In just a month, the city had already transformed.
At this pace, six months would be enough to complete the basic layout, and another three to five months would finish the city according to Jor-El's designs.
Eric was very satisfied—he sincerely thanked the space pirates for their "generosity," and in recent days even felt an urge to expand operations (specifically, to pick fights with the Ravagers).
Former Ravager member Star-Lord raised all five limbs in support of this idea, earning the collective disdain of everyone else.
"What? Don't look at me like that! Ravagers are scum! Robbing them is serving the people! Taking from the rich to help the poor! For universal peace! For the great Planet Kent!"
Star-Lord declared with righteous passion.
Gamora shot him a sideways look. "You're shameless."
Mantis's antennae lit up slightly. She quickly pulled her hand away from Gamora's arm and said in a soft voice, "But your emotions tell me… you like his shamelessness."
"...!"
Everyone froze.
All: (Д)ノ
Gamora stared expressionlessly at Mantis.
With a whoosh, Mantis ducked behind Eric, peeking out and adding, "And you like it very much."
Shing!
Gamora's blade slid from its sheath. A suspicious flush crept over her green cheeks as she glared furiously at Mantis.
"I'm going to kill you! No one stop me!"
Everyone immediately got out of the way.
Gamora stood frozen mid-swing.
…No one's stopping her?
So what now?
Swing? Or… swing?
"Die!"
Gamora shouted and hacked down with a speed even a ninety-year-old granny could dodge.
The room instantly devolved into chaos.
Just then, the sound of an incoming transmission interrupted the madness.
Star-Lord casually accepted the call, and a haughty—borderline arrogant—voice came through.
"Is this Star-Lord of the Guardians of the Galaxy?"
"And you are?"
"I am the high priest's assistant of the Sovereign. We have a mission for you."
Even while asking for help, their tone was sky-high.
"Let's hear it."
Star-Lord replied lazily.
"There is a creature that feeds on energy provoking us. We want you to eliminate them."
"And what does that have to do with us?"
"Watch your tone, Star-Lord!"
"What did you call me?"
"Star-Lord!"
"Hey! That sounds great!"
Star-Lord said self-admiringly.
"My voice is great."
The Sovereign assistant responded, as if it were the most natural fact on earth.
Star-Lord rolled his eyes. The others barely held back their laughter.
"Of course, we won't have you work for nothing."
The Sovereign continued proudly, "We could deal with it ourselves, but every one of our people is a perfectly engineered being, and cannot suffer even a single scratch. That is why we ask for your help. You should feel honored."
"Ha. Thanks so much."
Star-Lord's heart remained untouched.
A month ago, before Eric joined them, maybe he'd have been tempted by a mission reward. But now?
scoff.
Could it compare to what they made in just one raid?
He scoffed internally.
"This is your payment."
A figure projection popped up.
"Nebula!?"
Gamora gasped, immediately looking at Star-Lord.
Star-Lord paused briefly, then said, "Alright. We'll take the mission."
"Arrive on Sovereign as soon as possible."
The transmission ended.
"Nebula? She got caught? Serves her right!"
Rocket said with malicious delight, only to get a sharp look from Star-Lord. His eyes flicked around, and he purposely spoke louder:
"What? Why're you giving me that look?"
"I didn't! Stop imagining things!"
Star-Lord retorted quickly, then explained to Eric, "Nebula and Gamora are both Thanos's adopted daughters—they're sisters."
Eric nodded. "Then we should go."
"Go for what? That sister of hers led a fleet to kill us before! She tried to blow Quill's butthole off with an energy cannon!"
Rocket grumbled, clearly no fan of Nebula.
"Hey! Watch it, there are kids here."
"I am Groot."
"If this Nebula wants to kill you all, saving her now will make her suffer more, won't it? You can mock her all you want afterward."
Eric said with a grin, instantly enlightening Rocket.
Rocket's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Move out, assholes!"
Immediately, everyone voiced their dissatisfaction.
But no matter what, their opinions had at least aligned—they were heading out.
...
Earth.
The Kent Home.
Over the past weeks, Gwen's new identity had fully blended into her school life.
Aside from some changes in her appearance, everything was just like before.
After classes, Gwen and Mary sat at the edge of the school field, cheering loudly for Luke as he ran across the soccer pitch.
Peter and Harry hadn't joined the game—their builds couldn't compare with Luke's, so they were playing other games in the classroom.
Just then, Luke made a powerful kick, sending the ball straight into the net.
"Yeah! Awesome!"
"Luke, you're the best!"
They shouted excitedly.
"Hey! You two keep it down! Haven't you ever seen a goal before?"
A few girls sitting nearby gave them dirty looks, faces full of annoyance.
"You guys were yelling louder than us just now."
Gwen looked at them in confusion and fired back, "Your guy scores and you can cheer, but when our friend scores, we can't?"
"That's right—you can't!"
The girl snapped, glaring at Gwen.
The girls around her all stood up, eyes full of hostility, ready to jump them if needed.
Mary tugged Gwen's sleeve and whispered, "That's Berry. Her group is called the Sisters. They appeared while you were gone. They're really united, and a lot of girls who don't listen to them have been bullied. There was even one girl who got disfigured."
"No one did anything?"
Gwen frowned.
"Of course people did! The police even came!" Mary sighed. "But after that girl's parents met with the police, they said their daughter's injuries had nothing to do with Berry."
She paused, and added quietly, "I heard Berry's father is in the mafia. He threatened that girl's parents, so…"
Gwen raised her eyebrows. "Mafia, huh?"
Instead of fear, a spark of anticipation flashed across her eyes.
Seeing Gwen's expression, Mary froze—but then, remembering who Gwen really was, she pitied Berry's group instead.
"What are you two whispering about? Looking to get beat up?"
Berry swaggered up to Gwen. Seeing Gwen's doll-like face, a stab of jealousy flared in her eyes.
"Beat up?"
Gwen blinked, then said mockingly, "You? And these… weaklings?"
"You bitch! You're begging for it!"
Berry cursed, posturing like she was ready to pounce.
Gwen looked the four girls over without a care, feeling her fists itch.
Just because she changed her face, now any stray cat or dog thought they could step on her?
She snorted in annoyance.
Right before Berry could offer her face to Gwen's fist, Luke rushed over and stepped between them, glaring at Berry.
Berry's cocky demeanor faltered. She shot a glare at Gwen and spat, "You got lucky!"
Luke's reputation had become legendary among the students—most people didn't dare mess with him.
"Berry."
A boy ran over, panting, and shot Luke a look.
He'd been Luke's opponent in the game just now.
"You okay, babe?"
He asked Berry with concern—it was obvious the two were dating.
Berry nodded, heart warming—until she noticed his eyes drifting toward Gwen. Stunned, she slapped him across the face.
"Wanna die?"
The boy was stunned, glared at his girlfriend, then stormed off angrily.
Berry glanced at his back.
"F**k!"
She cursed, glared hard at Gwen, flipped her off, and left.
"Luke, why did you stop me?"
Gwen watched Berry go. "They're no match for me."
"I know, but if you fight, it raises the risk of your identity being exposed."
Luke whispered, and Mary nodded in agreement.
Gwen stuck out her tongue. Staring at the girls leaving, she licked her lips like a cat.
Looks like that girl won't let this go easily.
A mafia dad, huh?
Heh.
Sounds fun. Should she pay them a visit tonight?
Gwen thought silently, a new idea already forming in her mind.
(End of this chapter)