Hearing Sif's teasing, Rhomann Dey and the others merely smiled.
However, Star-Lord and Destroyer instantly broke their composure.
They laughed uncontrollably!
"That's good, I'm writing that down in my notebook~"
Seeing the two of them laughing so happily, Groot also started giggling foolishly along with them.
That sight left Rhomann Dey and the other Nova Corps members completely bewildered.
Uh, aren't you guys all together?
Is it really okay to mock your teammates like that?
Rocket also lost his cool; he didn't even bother targeting Sif anymore, jumping up to scratch Star-Lord's knees:
"Idiot! I shouldn't have agreed to that crappy deal you mentioned earlier!"
Gamora looked at the four goofballs, helplessly rubbed her forehead, and subconsciously stepped aside, wearing an expression that said, "I don't know them."
"Enough!"
After some laughter, Peter looked at Star-Lord and said:
"Let's make a deal. Leave the Cosmic Orb behind, and I'll let you go."
Gamora's expression changed instantly.
Rocket bristled immediately: "What did you say? That's worth four hundred million..."
"Shh."
Star-Lord immediately covered the bristling raccoon and smiled at Peter:
"Deal!"
...
Not long after, Peter, fiddling with the "Cosmic Orb," walked out of the Kyln prison with Sif.
"That's it? That was too easy."
Sif couldn't help but furrow her brows, subconsciously recalling a Chinese proverb she had seen while on Earth—when things seem abnormal, there must be something sinister afoot!
Crack~!
As soon as she finished speaking, Peter crushed the Cosmic Orb in his hand.
As expected, it was completely empty inside!
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy to get what we want."
Speaking of which, he couldn't help but add a thought in his mind:
If he were so easily willing to obediently hand over the Cosmic Orb, then he wouldn't be Star-Lord, right?
"Fake?!"
Sif was startled, then involuntarily narrowed her eyes, a cold murderous intent appearing in them:
"They actually dared to play you for a fool?"
"I'm going to catch them and hang them all from the bow of the 'the destiny'!"
"Hey~" Peter casually pulled Sif into his arms, gently stroking her back as he said:
"Don't be so hot-headed. Think about it, who is your man? How could I possibly be deceived by them?"
Hearing this, Sif couldn't help but pause, then belatedly realized:
"You let them go on purpose?!"
"What else?" Peter gently flicked Sif's nose, a playful smile appearing on his face:
"Letting them run away makes the game even more fun."
"What do you mean?" Sif was confused.
"Sometimes, one has to learn to create some fun for oneself."
As he spoke, Peter took Sif's hand and said:
"Let's go, let's see what's different about this Xandar compared to Earth or Asgard!"
Sif looked at the confident Peter, decisively took his hand, and felt a surge of love welling up in her heart.
Isn't this confidence and power of having "everything under control" exactly the reason she was so addicted to him, unable to extricate herself?
...
Sure enough, Peter had only spent the afternoon strolling through the streets with Sif.
That night, Rhomann Dey contacted Peter in a rush:
"Mr. Parker! Something big has happened!"
"What's wrong?" Peter was still his usual unhurried self.
Rhomann Dey's voice was trembling continuously:
"Just received news that Ronan the Accuser has attacked those scammers' ship, and the Cosmic Orb... is now in Ronan's hands!"
Not long after, in the Nova Corps operations room.
When Peter walked into the operations room, the atmosphere was heavy.
He saw Star-Lord, Gamora, Destroyer, Groot, and Rocket kneeling on the judgment platform below, looking disheveled.
"Sorry, we messed everything up!" Star-Lord sat on the floor, looking dejected.
"It's all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on going to that Knowhere to sell that crappy orb!" Rocket couldn't help but point at Star-Lord's nose and curse.
"What's the use of saying that now!" Gamora's expression was extremely grave.
"After Ronan gets the Power Stone, he will definitely come to destroy Xandar first! We must stop him!"
Several centurions looked at the culprits, trembling with rage, and subconsciously drew their energy guns, wanting to execute them on the spot.
"Stop him? With what? Because of you idiots, the entire Xandar faces total annihilation! I am now sentencing you to death in the name of the Nova Corps!"
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Just then, a mocking whistle came from the doorway.
A blue-skinned alien wearing a deep red trench coat with a metal fin on his head walked in swaggeringly, accompanied by a large group of space pirates dressed in the same manner.
It was Star-Lord's adoptive father, Yondu.
"Hey, kid, looks like the trouble you've gotten yourself into is even bigger than I imagined."
Yondu whistled and pointed at Quill with his telepathically controlled arrow. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be paying back the money you owe me?"
For a moment, the Nova Corps, the nascent Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Space Raiders were all crowded into this small room, the scene as chaotic as a pot of boiling porridge.
Everyone was arguing, shifting blame, and calculating their own interests.
"Enough."
A calm voice rang out; it wasn't loud, but it clearly cut through everyone's noise.
It was Peter.
The room instantly went quiet, and everyone's eyes focused on him.
Whether it was the angry Rhomann Dey or the arrogant Yondu, they subconsciously felt a chill when they made contact with Peter's calm, waveless gaze.
"Ronan has arrived."
Hearing this, Rhomann Dey was startled and hurriedly ran to the technical console to operate it.
Immediately after, a space projection appeared before everyone.
In space, a massive, pitch-black warship shaped like a cross, exuding an aura of death and destruction, was slowly sailing toward Xandar.
It was the Dark Aster—Ronan's flagship!
Seeing the appearance of the Dark Aster, everyone present uncontrollably descended into chaos once again.
"Run!" The space pirates were the first to lose their composure!
"It's over! Ronan has gained immense power after getting the Power Stone; our defense system can't stop him at all." The Nova Corps members couldn't help but hold their heads in despair.
Star-Lord subconsciously wanted to speak up and encourage everyone, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to say them.
It was he who caused all of this; what right did he have to ask everyone to unite?
Just as everyone was unconsciously falling into a chaotic mess of scattered sand in the face of the crisis,
A lazy and casual voice rang out:
"What is everyone panicking about! It's just a mere Ronan."
Who else could it be but Peter?
Hearing this, everyone subconsciously widened their eyes, looking at Peter as if they were looking at a madman.
Dude, are you sick?
That's Ronan!
What do you mean by "mere Ronan"?
And "just"?
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌