"Collector?"
The man looked at Nolan, especially at his casual grip on him, and immediately frowned in displeasure.
"You think someone like you can meet the Collector?"
He sneered and swung a hand straight at Nolan.
But to Nolan, this kind of attack meant nothing.
Even without his armor, his superhuman strength was not something an ordinary thug could handle.
And this man, despite his fierce appearance, was only slightly stronger than a normal human.
So when he felt Nolan's iron grip tighten, cold sweat instantly broke out on his face.
However, he showed no intention of backing down.
With his free hand, he drew a pistol from his waist and fired.
Nolan did not hesitate.
He snapped the man's arm and, in the same motion, put a bullet through his head.
"Too bad. Wrong answer."
He was not surprised. He had expected this.
In a place like this, there were only two ways to get information.
Money or force.
He did not want to spend money, so force it was.
When he grabbed the second passerby, the man was shaking uncontrollably.
The person Nolan had just killed was no small fry. He was a known enforcer in the area.
But even someone like that had been killed so easily. That was real power.
"Tell me where the Collector is. You know, don't you?"
The man swallowed hard.
"I… I'm sorry, I don't know where the Collector is. But I know who does."
Seeing such cooperation, Nolan calmly dragged him off to find the next target.
Meanwhile, inside the Collector's palace…
The famous Collector had already received the news.
This was his planet.
Every corner was under his surveillance.
"Someone is looking for me, and they are quite ruthless…"
The Collector smiled as he toyed with a small box in his hand.
Inside it was the Space Stone.
He played with the box containing the stone with clear satisfaction.
To him, the power inside was not what mattered.
The stone itself was the treasure.
After a moment, he spoke slowly.
"I don't like dangerous people. You know what to do."
"Of course."
His subordinate nodded and quietly left.
If the Collector did not like someone, then that person would simply disappear.
On this planet, he dealt with matters like this every day.
At that moment, Nolan had arrived at a luxurious casino.
The moment he stepped inside, he noticed something strange.
It was supposed to be lively, but instead, the place was eerily quiet.
Before he could say anything, a group of armed men surrounded him.
Weapons raised, locking onto him.
A bald alien stepped forward, a cigar hanging from his mouth, looking arrogant.
"So you're the one looking for the Collector?"
"Yes."
Nolan nodded.
He appreciated directness.
The bald man spat out his cigar and sneered.
"The Collector already knows about you. Unfortunately, you are not qualified to meet him."
"And what would it take to become qualified?" Nolan asked calmly.
The man laughed.
"If you're not qualified, then you die here. That's all there is to it."
The surrounding thugs also sneered.
Nolan simply nodded.
"I see. Then I suppose I'll have to change my original plan."
The bald man's expression darkened.
"Kill him."
At his command, over a dozen gunmen opened fire.
But Nolan had already vanished.
The next second, the lights went out.
Everything fell into darkness.
"What happened?" the bald man shouted in alarm.
This casino was fully under his control. Power failure was impossible.
A voice echoed from the surveillance system.
"Very simple. You are surrounded."
"Damn it! Find him and kill him!"
Gunfire erupted in the darkness, followed by screams.
When the lights came back on, the entire room was empty of life.
Only the bald man remained standing.
Then, several Terminator units appeared around him.
These were machines Nolan had brought from Earth and stored aboard his ship.
When the battle began, he had used magic to teleport them in.
Seeing them, the bald man's expression twisted.
He was not some weakling who had risen by luck. He had fought his way to this position.
"I don't care who you are! This is Collector's planet!
Even Thanos has to show respect here!
Break the rules here, and you die!"
His body suddenly began to swell and mutate.
Nolan watched calmly.
A brute-force enhancement, similar in concept to the Hulk, but far weaker.
The man charged at a Terminator.
The machine did not move.
It simply caught his fist effortlessly.
As if asking, "Is that all?"
The man roared and struck again.
This time, his fist landed directly on the machine's face.
But the result made him freeze in fear.
It felt like hitting steel.
Impossible.
Before he could react, he was sent flying.
"You are not strong enough to kill me," Nolan said flatly as he reappeared.
He was not just dodging attacks earlier.
He had also been scanning for the Collector's location.
This casino was connected to the Collector's network.
And Nolan's ability had found the link.
Target located.
He opened a portal without hesitation.
A Thor-style armor unit stepped forward.
In space, this armor was widely recognized.
Dozens of Terminators followed behind him.
They advanced toward the Collector's palace without resistance.
No one dared stop them.
Even the guards cleared the way.
Eventually, they reached the palace entrance.
A servant stepped forward.
"Mr. Nolan Locke, your units are not allowed inside."
A Terminator raised its weapon instantly and aimed at him.
Nolan walked in without hesitation.
Rules were for the weak.
To speak to someone like the Collector, you needed strength, not permission.
Inside the palace, the Collector sat on his throne.
"You do not follow rules," he said.
"Those are your rules, not mine," Nolan replied calmly.
The Collector narrowed his eyes.
Then he laughed.
"You are right. Not everyone needs to follow rules. But only if they have the strength not to."
He stood up and slowly walked toward Nolan.
"But I don't think Locke Technology qualifies."
Around them, armed guards emerged, surrounding Nolan and the Terminators.
The atmosphere turned deadly.
Neither side backed down.
However, neither of them knew that at this very moment, another fleet had already entered orbit around the Collector's planet.
A massive warship opened its doors.
A terrifying figure stepped out.
Behind him stood a robed figure, bowing respectfully.
"Let's go," Thanos said calmly.
"It's time to take the Space Stone."
"Yes, Lord Thanos," Ebony Maw replied.
Thanos descended slowly toward the planet.
On his gauntlet, one Infinity Stone shimmered with cold light.
Inside the palace, the Collector suddenly received urgent news.
"Thanos has arrived."
His expression changed.
He could ignore Nolan Locke.
But he could not ignore Thanos.
Even he only claimed not to fear Thanos.
The truth was far less confident.
"Thanos?"
Nolan smiled when he heard the name.
"So the real guest has finally arrived."
He stepped back slightly.
"I'm not in a hurry. You might want to handle your customer first."
The Collector glanced at him.
This was not the time to deal with Nolan Locke.
Still, he said coldly:
"No one takes anything from me."
"No one."