Klin Prison.
The prison break plan planned by Star-Lord was proceeding smoothly and had even reached the final stage, that is, successfully breaking through the prison's defenses and escaping with everyone.
As a relatively well-known prison in the universe, Klin Prison's defenses were quite impeccable. A defense network comprised of various technologies and armed robots, along with a central defense tower constructed of sturdy materials capable of sending out calls for assistance and warnings at any time, meant that under normal circumstances, no one could successfully break through these defenses and escape successfully.
But Star-Lord and his companions couldn't be ordinary people. Rocket Raccoon's technology crippled the prison's intelligence systems, temporarily disabling most of its defenses. Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and their combined might, along with weapons Rocket Raccoon crafted using his own technology and stolen energy, helped them withstand the repression of the armed machines.
They even managed to break into the central defense tower and activate a small armed transport ship inside the prison.
The jailbreak is progressing smoothly.
After Star-Lord and his crew escaped and finally suppressed the chaotic criminals inside, Klin Prison came under fierce attack from the outside. Because the intelligent system had not yet been restored and the defense measures had been shut down, Klin Prison was unable to put up any decent resistance and was quickly captured by the invaders.
"Star-Lord and the others are not here, and my sister's signal has been cut off." Nebula investigated the log records of Klin Prison and found that less than two days before them, Star-Lord and the others had successfully escaped from prison and left.
"Aren't the Mechanicians here yet?" Standing at the railing of the central defense platform, the accuser Ronan looked down at the criminals below who were being checked one by one by the Kree soldiers who were pointing their weapons at them.
"We didn't find any trace of them in the surveillance. However, there were signs of violent intrusion into the system, and the technology used was somewhat similar to the intrusion technology used by the Divine Mechanists. But I can't be sure." Xingyun was a little unsure.
"Damn it!" Ronan hammered the railing, and the solid unknown alloy metal bent down under his angry punch. "Let's go, they can't get far!"
"What should we do with them?" Nebula followed Ronan who turned around and left, returning to the Kree Necromancer mothership.
"We must not let anyone know we've been here," Ronan replied coldly. Following his command, the Kree soldiers drew their weapons. When the Xandar civilization's Nova Corps, alerted and scrambled to the scene, they found only a dilapidated prison and a floor littered with corpses.
…
The polar regions of the universe.
A huge, almost hollow sphere like an asteroid floats in the empty space.
With a flash of light, a flying ship emerged from the space jump state. After pausing for a moment to identify the coordinate direction, it ejected a long tail flame and flew towards the sphere.
"The barren land is the territory of the collector Tanariel Typhon. His origins are very mysterious, and I don't know much about him. But where there are rich resources, there he is. He is the big man behind the cosmic black market." Gamora looked at the metal sphere that was getting closer and closer, and slowly told everyone what she knew.
"This metal sphere is the head of an ancient god. Typhon found it, developed it, and transformed it. He established a mining factory here."
"What kind of ancient god's head do you think this thing is? Are there any monsters in the universe with such an outrageous size?" Star-Lord looked in surprise at the huge metal sphere that slowly drove into the airport and entered the interior. He couldn't believe that a monster with such a big head, how powerful was it when it was alive?
"There are many secrets in the universe. We've arrived at the port, let's go." Gamora parked the spaceship and led everyone to the core central area of the planet.
Before entering the port, they had already contacted Typhon's personnel. If nothing unexpected happened, as the behind-the-scenes buyer of the Cosmic Spirit Orb, collector Typhon would soon send people to find them and trade with them.
This was indeed the case. After they had been wandering around the entertainment venues in the core area for a while, a woman who claimed to be the Collector's servant found them and took them to see her master, Typhon.
…
In the empty and barren land, a huge black mothership broke free from the space jump and floated quietly in the space.
"Is the signal correct?"
Inside the mothership, the Accuser Ronan sat in his control seat, tightly gripping his [Universal Hammer] and turning his head to look at Nebula who was controlling the direction.
"That's right, the signal is right here." Xingyun answered with certainty.
"Very good, it seems that there is a split among them." Ronan stood up from his seat, put on his armor and gave the order to enter the barren land with his men.
"Aren't we waiting for the Chitauri and the Black Order?" Nebula moved to catch up with Ronan, and asked with her head tilted beside him.
"There's no need to wait for them. What I need is to get the Cosmic Spirit Orb myself, rather than letting Obsidian Five take those people to the Cosmic Spirit Orb. In addition, I hope this is the last time you leak information to them without permission." Ronan glanced coldly at Nebula beside him and quickened his pace.
Xingyun's expression changed unpredictably for a moment before he followed again.
…
"What is it? That's a good question." Typhon had clearly been preparing for this moment for a long time, possessing a profound understanding of the Cosmic Orb. He deftly used an instrument to separate the Orb, revealing a fingernail-sized object within, shimmering with a brilliant purple halo, like a diamond-like gem.
Typhon, controlling the instruments, seemed elated by the gem's possession, eagerly satisfying Star-Lord and the others' curiosity. He continued, "According to legend, it's one of the six cosmic stones that appeared in the earliest days of the universe. They possess incredible power and are held in the hands of a powerful group of gods."
…
Hmm? Another visitor? Do you know Ronan the Accuser?
Collector Ti Feng suddenly stopped his popular science lecture, frowned and was silent for a while, then looked at Star-Lord and the others.
"Looks like you know him. Is he here to see you?" Seeing the sudden change in Star-Lord's expression, Collector Typhon offered his answer without waiting for a response. "Looks like you're in trouble. He's a radical, troublesome figure. The Kree Empire has been acting strangely in recent years. Their Supreme Intelligence has been experiencing some issues, periodically falling into a dormant state. Consequently, certain factions within the Kree Empire have been vying for control over the remaining computing power while the Supreme Intelligence is dormant. Currently, the pacifist faction holds sway. They believe expansion and aggression should be suspended, and the limited computing power of the Supreme Intelligence should be utilized within the Kree. Expansion can only resume once the Supreme Intelligence has fully evolved. However, the radical and militant factions oppose this. Ronan the Accuser represents the war faction."
"I summoned him," Drax the Destroyer said in a muffled voice. He wasn't hiding anything at this moment, or perhaps he had never intended to. His only goal was to meet Ronan and exact revenge.
"Then this is your business. I'm sorry that I can't receive you anymore. If you need my protection and the use of a safe passage to let you leave safely, that's not impossible. As long as you leave this tree man as collateral, I will help you stop that Ronan. What do you think?" Collector Typhon walked to the tree man, reached out and touched its trunk with greedy eyes, then turned to look at Star-Lord and others.
As someone whose collecting habit is ingrained in him, he always can't resist the urge to collect rare items in the universe. And Groot's tree people are obviously worth collecting in his eyes.
"Don't even think about it, Groot is my partner." Rocket Raccoon jumped up and picked up the muzzle of his gun without waiting for Star-Lord to speak. The gun, which was bigger than his body, was held in his hand as if it had no weight, and the black muzzle was pointed at the Collector Typhon.
"It seems the negotiations have failed. I can only wait until you are dealt with by Ronan and then pay him for your bodies." Collector Tiphon's face was full of regret. "The value of a dead tree person is reduced, but it's not unacceptable."
"When did you notify Ronan?" Gamora ignored the clash between The Collector and Rocket. Like Star-Lord, she stared at the muscular Drakas in shock. They had always assumed he was a muscle-bound hunk, even a muscle-brained one. But they hadn't expected him to have his own agenda, even collaborating with the enemy right under their noses!
"When I gained access to the outside world," Drax took out the two daggers Rocket Raccoon had made for him and said as he walked out, "You are free to leave. This is the feud between Ronan and me, and I will resolve it here myself."
Gamora and Star-Lord exchanged a glance, their minds stirring. But then they realized that the outside world was likely already surrounded by the Kree. Any attempt to leave would inevitably lead to conflict with the Kree. Unless the Kree were willing to let them leave without any hindrance, which seemed impossible.
"If we tell them that we have sold the Orb, will Ronan stop bothering us and let us go?" Star-Lord asked Gamora whimsically.
"Perhaps." Gamora looked back at the brilliant purple Cosmic Stone, her face hesitant. She didn't want Thanos to obtain it, but now that Ronan and the others knew its location, Thanos knew it too. Could the Collector protect the Cosmic Stone and keep it out of Ronan and Thanos' hands?
Gamora wasn't sure.
Perhaps selling the Cosmic Stone to a collector isn't the right approach? Perhaps handing it over to a powerful force capable of stopping Thanos is the best solution?
…
Drax ran head-on into Ronan as he walked into the core area.
Ronan was somewhat surprised to see a muscular man rushing towards him, brandishing a long dagger. He gently extended half of his [Universal Hammer] forward, and a solid energy barrier blocked his way.
As the single-soldier weapon that represents the highest achievement of Kree technology, the Universal Hammer's functionality is comparable to that of some divine artifacts. It integrates various powerful functions and even possesses some cosmic-level technologies.
His own genes are the result of many adjustments and optimizations by Kree technology. They have transcended the mundane and can perfectly control the universal hammer and unleash its destructive power and effect.
Drax's dagger cut the energy barrier dozens of times in one breath. The blade seemed to cut into some solid hard object. The energy fragments splashed lightly, but the barrier remained stable.
Ronan twisted the hammer slightly, and the barrier turned into a surging shock wave that spread out in a fan shape forward, blowing Drax's sturdy body and the surrounding buildings away.
Drax fell heavily to the ground from mid-air, with two daggers scattered on both sides. He supported his body with his arms in anger and looked at Ronan who ignored him and continued to move forward in the distance.
A voice sounded in his heart.
"Don't you want revenge? The enemy is right in front of you."
"You need strength, no matter what kind of strength!"
"Think about your loved ones who died tragically, think about your underage children. You need the power of revenge! Even if it comes from hell and the devil."
It had been a long time since this voice had appeared so clearly in his heart. After he got the Mask back, the connection with it, which had once weakened, suddenly increased dramatically. He felt that his emotions were becoming more and more in tune with the Mask, especially after gaining his freedom and seeing Ronan.
Drax took out the [Mask] that the devil had traded with him from his body. He struggled for a moment before pressing it on his face without hesitation.
He once again felt the surge of power within him, and once again lost his composure, completely immersing himself in a destructive rage and hatred. Even the rising anger and hatred transformed into blood-red energy, entwining and burning his body like flames. His already sturdy frame swelled two or three times under the overwhelming energy, and his height increased by half a body height. His eyes were red as he stared at Ronan, who looked at him in shock.
roar!
Drax let out an unconscious roar, and the sound wave set off a transparent and diffuse sound wave. He exerted force with his toes, leaving two clear concave footprints on the hard ground. Then he disappeared from the spot in an instant and appeared in front of Ronan in a flash. The blood-red energy wrapped around his fist like a glove, accompanied by Drax's roar and fist, landed heavily on Ronan's lower abdomen.
Ronan was caught off guard and his body hunched like a shrimp. He was knocked flying while holding his war hammer and hit the wall in front of him, which was deeply dented.
"die!"
Drax's fist turned into a sky full of blood-red afterimages, and punched Ronan, who was embedded in the wall, like rain. Punch after punch, he punched a human-shaped hole in the unknown alloy metal wall that was at least one meter thick. Ronan was even beaten into the wall from the outside.