"Are you sure this will work?"
Artoria stared with dead-fish eyes at Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. As for Star-Lord and Drax, Gamora had been so disgusted by the former that she didn't want him with her group, so she stayed on the hyperion. Drax was only excluded because his behavior was too foolish; both Rocket and Gamora found him annoying, as did Star-Lord. However, since they had two ships now, Star-Lord and Drax were assigned to one group, while Artoria and Gamora's group formed the other. Artoria currently had doubts about Rocket's plan; wasn't this just a suicide mission?
"Pretty lady, even if you are good-looking, you can't question a professional. Don't worry! My idea definitely has no problems."
Rocket looked curiously at the facilities inside the hyperion, but was very dissatisfied with Artoria's words. How dare she question its plan? Even if she was beautiful, that was no reason to doubt it. This wave of invisible praise from Rocket was surprisingly pleasant; at least the flattery made Artoria feel good. Gamora just raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
"I say, big guy, it's just the two of us left."
On his own ship, Star-Lord looked at Drax, who was eating the nutritional paste he had bought—eating it bag after bag! But that wasn't what hurt his heart the most. The most painful thing was not being able to flirt with the pretty girl. He actually had to operate with this guy who was as black and round as a ball; it was tragic to the extreme.
"Even you are ignoring me, what a jerk."
To Star-Lord's surprise, after Drax gave him a look of disdain, he found a room and went inside to rest, having no intention of paying attention to Star-Lord at all. Watching Drax leave, Star-Lord felt his heart take ten thousand critical hits. It was one thing for the beauty to ignore him, but even you, a rough man, are ignoring me? Is there no justice left in this world?
"What's with this guy in front? Flying so flashy."
Artoria, who was studying how to reclaim the Cosmic Orb with Gamora, spoke curiously to her as she saw the ship flying in zigzags on the screen. After all, they weren't in an asteroid belt, so why move so flashily? Aren't you afraid of hitting my precious hyperion? That bastard, if my hyperion suffers even a bit of damage, I'll put this Star-Lord pig on a grill to render his fat.
"Who knows what that idiot is thinking?"
Gamora spread her hands, indicating she didn't quite understand the guy. It made sense; they had met less than a week ago, so how could Gamora be interested in a clown like Star-Lord? Their bond wasn't deep. Even now, Gamora felt Star-Lord was a big idiot; after all, not many people would give up their freedom for a Walkman.
"Nebula, daughter of Thanos, why did you infiltrate my ship? Speak!"
At this moment, Nebula was being held by the throat by Ronan, lifted off the ground. Nebula could already feel her neck making ominous sounds. Ronan seemed truly intent on killing her, but she was the type who was immune to both threats and persuasion. Even if Ronan killed her, she wouldn't tell him a single word.
"Thanos raised a good daughter. Take her down and interrogate her thoroughly. We must find out Thanos's next plan; it will help with our future arrangements."
In the end, logic won out. By keeping Nebula alive, there was still a way to find out Thanos's plans. Once she died, they wouldn't be able to get anything. Even if she didn't talk, having a hostage was better than nothing. This was Ronan's reasoning.
"How much longer until we reach Xandar?"
"Ten minutes until arrival, Director."
Sitting in the main seat, Ronan quietly watched his subordinates busy themselves. After so many years, he was finally going to complete their vengeance. The cleansing of Xandar finally had a glimmer of hope. Ronan held the Cosmic Orb in his right hand and gently opened it. The mysterious and seductive purple light made Ronan's eyes ache slightly, but he didn't close them. Instead, he widened them to carefully admire the radiance emitted by the Power Stone.
Ronan's ship soon reached its destination. Looking at the yellow Planet growing closer on the screen, a smile finally appeared on Ronan's cold face. He had waited for this moment for too long—so long that he didn't even know how to face the joy of victory. Should he perform a victory dance? Hmm! That could work. After he ground Xandar into cosmic dust, he would dance a victory dance upon the ruins.
"Oh my god! It's a Kree ship. That symbol belongs to Ronan the Accuser. That executioner is coming!"
As a technologically advanced Planet, the Nova Corps quickly discovered the Kree's arrival using their technology. Specifically, they saw the symbol on the flagship: it was Ronan the Accuser's fleet. They were famous throughout the Universe—wherever they went, Planets perished. With such a notorious guy arriving at Xandar, how could they not know what he was here for? No one would be foolish enough to think he was just here for supplies.
"Notify the leader; we have a hard battle ahead."
The leading Captain was the same guy who had tried to ask Artoria out. At this moment, he was no longer a guy who lost his head over women, but was seriously and solemnly commanding his teammates. The leader of the Nova Corps needed to know this bad news immediately to prepare for a hard fight or negotiations.
"I hope that pretty girl has already left this place."
His mind was still stuck on Artoria's beautiful face. He had to admit he had fallen into this damned thing called love. But now, he hoped she could leave this dangerous place. Honestly, the Kree's ill repute wasn't a rumor; it was a reputation earned through the destruction of countless civilizations and Planets. He was currently very unsure about his own side. If not for the protection of their powerful energy shield, they would have been wiped out by the Kree long ago. Coming back today, the Kree were certainly prepared. If that was the case, then this Planet was in danger.
"I still don't know what that pretty girl's name is. Really..."
Shaking his head, the Captain began to focus on the approaching ship. This pitch-black vessel was simply too large and looked like a headache to deal with. He hoped they could pull through this time as well!
"Father, Ronan has betrayed us. Should I kill him?"
Nebula, who was supposed to be in the interrogation room, was currently using the communicator on her mechanical arm to report the situation to Thanos. Several Kree corpses lay around her. It seemed Nebula wasn't just for show; Thanos's training hadn't produced an incompetent assassin. Seizing an opening to kill the guards, Nebula had escaped Kree control. She knew she probably couldn't beat Ronan in a fight, so she had no intention of a direct confrontation; assassination was her forte.
"It doesn't matter, my daughter. I want to see the measure of this boy's capacity. His betrayal was within my expectations. Ignore him; just get the Infinity Stone if you have the chance."
"Yes, Father."
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