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*****
"Bang! Bang!"
Erik was jolted awake by a sound that was less knocking and more like someone trying to smash the door down. Helplessly climbing from his bed, Erik quickly threw on his clothes and yanked the door open.
"Whoosh!"
A fist the size of a sandbag came smashing down.
Erik dodged in a hurry. He looked at the fresh fist print in the doorframe, then squinted his eyes at Drax. "If you ever dare to knock on my door like that again," Erik threatened, "I will use the most solid metal available to construct a piece of underwear and permanently buckle it onto your body."
Underwear!
Drax instinctively covered his chest, shaking his head frantically. "I won't dare again! I won't!"
His chest was the most sensitive part of his body; he couldn't stand it even being touched. Ever since this weakness had been discovered by the others on the ship, they constantly used it as a threat against him. Drax sighed in lament; Drax the mighty man shed a single tear.
Erik stifled a laugh and asked, "What's wrong? Why were you in such a rush to get me? Did something happen?"
"Star-Lord says he's found a big score."
"A big score?" Erik's eyes lit up immediately. After all the jobs they had pulled, for Star-Lord to still label something a "big score," it meant this one must be exceptionally lucrative!
"Let's go! Let's go check it out!" Erik rushed out ahead.
"What's this big score?" Erik asked hurriedly as soon as he saw Star-Lord.
Star-Lord gave a sly grin. "I've got a tip. There are several Ravager crews making a trade near a hidden planet. Word is, one of the crews got their hands on some special weapons."
A trade... that meant a large amount of money would be present.
"Several Ravager crews? Won't that be too many of them?" Gamora asked cautiously.
"As far as I know, those crews are all small to medium-sized outfits. All of them put together wouldn't even match one large Ravager crew."
With that said, Star-Lord looked around at the others, his expression asking the question. "So, how about it? Are we in, or are we out?"
"If that's the situation, then let's do it!" Erik's eyes flashed as he made the decision.
Over this period, he had already sent a massive quantity of resources to Kent Star. During his last communication with Charles, Charles had informed him that Kent Star was mostly self-sufficient and no longer required his supply runs. Any remaining materials they needed could be purchased directly from Earth or mined on Kent Star itself.
But when it came to resources, who would ever complain about having too much?
A few more scores before I head back! Erik said to himself.
"What's the decision from the rest of you?" Star-Lord looked at the others. After seeing them all nod in agreement, he announced excitedly, "Then let's move out!"
...
In the blackness of space, a dark and desolate planet rotated in silence. A fog so thick it seemed impossible to disperse shrouded the entire globe, lending the planet an incredibly mysterious appearance.
Staring at the planet from their hiding spot in the shadows, the crew of the Milano looked at the ominous sphere, and for some unknown reason, they all suddenly shivered.
It was desolate and chilling, a feeling so cold it seemed as if one's very soul could be frozen, lost forever within that dense fog.
"Are you absolutely sure this is the right place?" Gamora asked, eyeing Star-Lord with suspicion.
But Star-Lord nodded with complete certainty. "This person wouldn't lie to me."
"Then we'll wait and see," Rocket grumbled, checking over his weapons. He let out a sinister chuckle. "If Quill dares to lie to us, I'll just blow his head clean off!"
"I am Groot!"
Star-Lord's face instantly darkened.
"Look! Ships are jumping in!" Mantis, who had been keeping watch outside, called out in a low voice.
The crew quickly turned their attention.
Sure enough, several ships emerged from a space jump, appearing not far from the mysterious planet.
"They're here!" Star-Lord's spirits lifted as he recognized the insignia on the hulls.
"Why would they choose such a remote location?" Nebula asked, puzzled.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized everyone else was staring at her speechlessly, as if she were a complete idiot.
"What does that look mean? Are you trying to die?" Nebula's face darkened as she spoke in a cold, threatening tone.
"They come to such a remote place, obviously, because they're afraid of being robbed... for example, by us."
Star-Lord chuckled. "You have no idea how famous we are right now!"
Robbing Ravagers while also helping Kent Star, it was just perfect.
"Famous? You mean infamous," Gamora retorted dryly.
"Alright, cut the chatter. Those ships are flying down to the planet," Rocket barked.
The crew quickly looked and saw that the ships, after hovering for a short while as if reaching an agreement, all descended together toward the mysterious and bizarre planet.
"Quick! They're in! Let's start our operation!" Star-Lord yelled excitedly.
"Wait a moment," Erik and Rocket shouted in unison.
If they went in now, the trade probably wouldn't have even started.
They needed to wait until the Ravagers were halfway through the transaction, unable to retreat in time, before they made their move.
After waiting several more minutes, the Milano finally stirred, gliding silently toward the strange planet.
The closer they drew to the planet, the more that wisp of coldness, quietly lurking at the bottom of their hearts, intensified. It felt as if it were seeping into their very souls, giving them the sensation that their thoughts were beginning to freeze.
Yet, as they breached the planet's atmosphere, they were startled to discover that the "fog" enveloping the globe was, in reality, a blizzard of swirling wind and snow.
The ship descended slowly, and the blizzard grew more violent. But just as they neared the ground, the wind and snow suddenly became gentle.
It was like fine grains of sand, dancing lightly on the wind, fluttering down endlessly.
"What kind of haunted place is this?" Rocket muttered, while the rest of the crew stared wide-eyed at the scene outside.
Visibility was extremely low, but as they descended closer and closer to the ground, conditions finally improved slightly.
"Be careful, don't let them spot us," Gamora quietly reminded Star-Lord, who was at the controls.
While they weren't exactly afraid of being discovered, they would all be happier to avoid a direct fight if possible.
A moment later, the Milano drifted into position near the landed Ravager ships.
The ships were parked on the ground, their outlines appearing and disappearing within the gently falling snow.
Erik's eyes lit up. "Get ready!"
As he spoke, Erik extended his hand toward the target ship in the distance and made a sharp, tearing motion through the air.
Instantly, a gaping hole was ripped open in the side of the Ravager vessel's hull. The Milano, engines roaring at full power, dashed inside at its top speed. Then, with another wave of Erik's hand, the metal gap on the ship sealed itself shut just as quickly.
The entire maneuver was as smooth as flowing water.
The next step, of course, was to take control of the Ravagers and relieve them of their hard-earned cash.
They had done this sort of thing so many times, the whole process was familiar to the point of being mundane.
But this time, as they burst through the Milano's ramp, the crew's expressions froze.
There were no Ravagers. Not a single one.
"Did they all go to the trade?" Rocket asked, puzzled. He then chuckled, "I'm actually not used to not getting their warm welcome."
"Something's wrong!" Erik's expression turned serious. "This is a trap! Let's go! Quickly!"
Even if they were trading, they wouldn't all go. And after the commotion they had just made, no matter how slow the Ravagers were, they should have been swarming them by now.
But there wasn't a single Ravager in sight. This was absolutely not normal!
The realization hit the whole team at once. Without even stepping off the Milano, they scrambled to leave.
But the instant they moved, a relentless barrage of energy blasts slammed into the Ravager ship they were hiding inside.
Boom! Boom!
The continuous bombardment echoed deafeningly. The hijacked ship was quickly blasted with massive holes, turning it into little more than a shattered metal sieve.
Through the massive new gap torn open in front of them, the crew stared outside, and their faces turned pale.
An entire fleet of ships, which had appeared from nowhere, had them completely surrounded. They were packed in so tightly, not a single escape route was left.
The ships were of all shapes and sizes. Judging by the different insignia on their hulls, they were not all from the same faction.
So, this trap... it had been set by a massive coalition of Ravagers, specifically for them?
The dense, overwhelming volley of attacks blotted out the sky, seeming to drive away the falling snow itself. It left them with absolutely no room to dodge.
Even if they tried to make a break for it in the Milano, they would be instantly vaporized by that terrifying crossfire and turned into scrap metal.
These ships they had entered... they weren't targets, they were a graveyard prepared for them by the enemy!
"Damn it! That bastard... he actually dared to lie to me!" Star-Lord cursed in fury, his eyes filled with total disbelief.
He truly couldn't believe that his contact had betrayed him, and in such a way—luring him into a completely inescapable death trap.
"Yondu!"
At that very same moment, on Stakar Vaughn's flagship, the assembled Ravager leaders watched the scene unfold. As they observed the ship rapidly disintegrating under the relentless torrent of weapon fire, their faces were filled with undisguised pleasure.
Finally! They were finally going to eliminate those bastards!
How dare they rob them, the Ravagers! Did they really think they were just a bunch of pushovers?
"Damn you! You all promised me! You promised you would only go after that Magneto, and that you wouldn't hurt Quill!"
Yondu roared in absolute fury. He was being physically restrained by a group of other Ravagers, his eyes blazing with rage.
He felt completely and utterly betrayed.
"Hah, Yondu, since when did you become so incredibly naive?" Edison sneered. "Quill... he was the one from your ship, wasn't he?"
"Compared to Magneto, he is the one we hate the most!"
"A Ravager, turning around and leading outsiders to rob other Ravagers! A person like that... did you really think we would just let him go?"
Yondu thrashed violently, completely ignoring Edison. Instead, he stared furiously at Stakar Vaughn and bellowed, "Stakar! Stakar! You promised me! You promised!"
Stakar Vaughn looked at Yondu. This was the first time he had ever seen him like this—so completely undone with rage that he had lost all shred of his usual composure.
Even back when Stakar had been forced to exile Yondu from his own team, he had never seen such a raw expression on Yondu's face.
So, that human from Earth named Peter Quill... he really was that important to him.
Stakar Vaughn fell silent for a moment, then gave a new order. "Open a communication link to Peter Quill. Tell him... as long as the rest of them take down Magneto and bring him out, we will temporarily let them go."
Upon hearing this, the assembled Ravager leaders were extremely displeased.
In their opinion, it didn't matter if it was Magneto or the Guardians of the Galaxy—they were all enemies that needed to be eliminated. Under this kind of overwhelming firepower, there was only one possible outcome: death.
Only death would make things clean and simple.
But, the order had come from Stakar Vaughn. Even if they were dissatisfied, they still had to respect his decision.
Yondu let out a shaky breath of relief, his gaze fixed on Stakar Vaughn with gratitude.
"Hehe." A cold, dismissive laugh cut through the room. Gray-tongue looked at the assembled Ravagers with open mockery. "You all don't possibly believe that this is enough to defeat, or even kill, Magneto, do you?"
"If you genuinely think that, then you are all truly naive... idiots!"
The Ravagers glared at Gray-tongue angrily, but he remained completely unfazed. He simply pointed to the ship outside, which was being relentlessly bombarded and had already been reduced to little more than scrap metal. "I suggest you make your attacks a bit more ferocious. This assault is far too soft and weak. And Magneto... he hasn't even begun to display his true abilities."
Hearing this, Stakar Vaughn's brow furrowed deeply. He glanced at Gray-tongue, and then back at the desperate Yondu.
If he was going to give Peter Quill a chance to survive, he would have to order a ceasefire now. But...
If Magneto was truly as powerful as Gray-tongue claimed, then ceasing the attack, even for a moment, might give him the very opening he needed to escape.
Just as he was hesitating, the dilapidated vessel before them—which seemed to be nothing more than a skeletal frame—underwent an astonishing transformation.
All the fragmented pieces of the ship that had been blasted apart and scattered... they began to float slowly into the air. Then, pulled by an invisible force, they began to condense and fuse. In the span of a single breath, a massive, swirling protective shield formed entirely of metal debris materialized in front of them, completely blocking the unending barrage of attacks.
Boom! Boom!
The attacks continued to rain down. But as they struck the metal shield, even as they left dents, tore gashes, and shattered pieces, those very same marks were repairing themselves at an exaggerated, impossible speed.
Watching this scene unfold, the Ravagers were all completely stunned and dumbfounded, as if they couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing.
"Heh." Gray-tongue sneered. The scene unfolding before them was proving his words correct.
Magneto...
Perhaps, of everyone present, he was the one who understood Magneto the best.
According to the data he had personally collected from Earth, Magneto was far stronger than what he was displaying even now.
Even he, the one who had orchestrated this entire trap, wasn't certain if it would be enough to contain his target.
But then... that wasn't his true objective.
Thinking of this, the face concealed beneath Gray-tongue's hood twisted into a sinister smile.
"It seems what you said wasn't false." Stakar Vaughn stated flatly. He shot Yondu a look of apology, then issued a new, grim command.
"Continue the attack! Open up with full firepower!"
Following his order, the ships in the fleet, like giant beasts, bared their ferocious fangs. One after another, massive, menacing cannon muzzles emerged from their hulls.
Meanwhile, back inside the Milano, the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.
They had no idea how long Erik's makeshift defense could possibly hold. But even in this dire, life-threatening situation, they didn't forget to argue.
"Quill! You're a complete idiot! How could you actually believe Yondu!" Rocket was hopping mad, his rage palpable as he anxiously fiddled with the weapon in his hands.
"Damn it!" Star-Lord was just as furious about the betrayal, and consumed with guilt for leading them into this. But seeing Rocket's agitated movements, the corner of his mouth twitched. "Rocket, calm down!"
"I am calm! If I wasn't calm, I would've already blown a hole in your head!" Rocket shrieked.
"Now is not the time to be arguing!" Gamora pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples and gestured to the outside. "We need to find a way to deal with those guys out there, now!"
"I've got no ideas!"
"Me neither!"
The others all shook their heads helplessly.
"You guys are all useless! I... okay, I don't have a plan either."
With that, everyone turned to look at Erik, who had remained silent throughout the argument, his expression perfectly composed.
Erik blinked, then smiled faintly. "Well... for them to all gather together in one place like this... isn't that a good thing?"
(End of this chapter)