Various data flashed across the screen, and densely packed, strange words reflected in Richard's glasses. His expression was serious.
Carol had already left. Her time was very precious. Suffering was happening all over the universe every moment, and those humble people were constantly begging for the arrival of gods.
Carol only wanted to solve the problems on those planets. After all, not every planet had Avengers.
Richard manipulated the instruments and equipment in front of him. It was very difficult to operate on Renzo and remove the Mind Stone. Even people from the Empire would have to spend a certain amount of time solving such a precise operation.
As an out-and-out Earthling, Richard had left Earth more than ten years ago, inherited Rhomann Dey's legacy, and shouldered the honor of Nova in order to fight to protect Xandar and maintain order in the universe.
During this period of guarding Xandar, Richard had spent the most fulfilling time of his life. Dazzling technology, all kinds of strange humanoids, vicious space pirates... Every battle had been a struggle for life, filled with bravery.
Later, he had been fortunate enough to meet Captain Marvel, a woman named Carol. The two recognized each other's strength, and Richard was invited to join an organization united by the strongest people in the universe—the Ultimates.
Together, they would keep the universe safe.
"Richard." Irani opened the door and came in. This was one of the few well-preserved Nova Corps bases. Previously, Supergiant had ordered the warship to indiscriminately bomb the planet's surface, causing a large number of buildings to collapse and be destroyed. Many Xandar residents and alien immigrants had also been seriously injured.
When they saw Thanos's army invading Xandar, many residents fled the planet in panic. The name of the Mad Titan was known throughout the universe. That legendary madman killed wherever he went. If he had targeted Xandar, then this planet would definitely not escape the fate of being slaughtered.
They did not have the courage, nor did they want to bet on that possibility. Their own survival was more important than anything else. As for Xandar... haha, whether it died or not had nothing to do with them.
"They're spreading the news everywhere that Xandar defeated the Black Order. It has already reached several nearby galaxies. They asked me if it was true..." Irani sneered, then lowered her head and stared at the floor in loneliness. Her eyes were mixed with light and darkness, and she smiled mockingly. "When Xandar was being rebuilt, they acted like an independent world and turned a deaf ear to our calls for help. But now, they actually dare to ask."
"Because of fear," Richard said, taking off his gloves, removing the glasses hanging from his ears, and placing them on the test stand. He rubbed his hands carelessly. "Humans are always afraid of the unknown. They're afraid it's true, and they're afraid it isn't true. But sometimes, the truth isn't important. They will only believe what they want to believe."
The "they" the two of them mentioned were several inhabited planets close to Xandar. They had been protected by Xandar, yet when their master was in trouble, they chose to stand by. Now that they heard their master had defeated the legendary Black Order, they were like cats smelling something fishy, twisting their bodies and clinging delicately to their master's hand, rubbing against it gently and meowing incessantly.
Richard knew very well that those guys were rushing to find out the information so they could quickly leave Xandar and have nothing to do with this place. Because no matter whether Xandar had defeated an army of Thanos, what awaited it would be even crazier revenge. Staying far away from this vortex was the smart move.
Irani stayed aside sadly. This usually dignified beauty also seemed extremely anxious at this time. In just a few days, several wrinkles had appeared on her face, and she looked much older.
"How is Rhomann? His injury looked serious."
"It will only take a few days for him to recover. Xandar's medical equipment is still being rebuilt. Rhomann can only lie in the Corps' sanatorium now, with dozens of people lying together." Irani thought of the fat man lying on the hospital bed and making a fuss, and the screaming scene made her laugh out loud.
"It's just a minor injury. It only looked serious." Richard also breathed a sigh of relief at this time. He had not had time for research during this period. That unreliable senior of his was the guiding beacon in his life, accompanying him through the most difficult and confusing time.
"This intruder..." Irani turned her attention to Renzo in the experimental chamber. His whole body was connected to rubber tubes of various thicknesses, absorbing data from his body structure and displaying his various indicators before her eyes.
"I'm cutting off the Mind Stone on his head." Richard waved his hand and called up a blue gem on the screen. It was basically the same size and shape as the Mind Stone. "This is a micro-reactor. It usually absorbs cosmic energy to maintain normal bodily function. Using this instead of the gem on his head as an energy source won't have any impact on his body."
Irani looked at the complicated structural plan and raised her head. "Forget it. I can't understand this kind of thing." Then the woman stared at Richard with a serious face. "I received a message. The Black Order already knows what happened on Xandar, and they disappeared from the star map six hours ago. It is very likely that they are making a spatial jump and attacking Xandar's location."
"That is to say..." Irani swallowed hard and said unwillingly, "In three days at most, they will appear above Xandar. By then, we will..."
Irani sadly stated this fact. Thanos arriving in person meant that a bloody massacre was about to begin. She now had no ability to protect her planet. What a sad fact. She knew the date of her death, but there was no way to change it. Like a summer cicada, proving its existence with its chirping for a season, then quietly ending like an actor leaving the stage.
"Don't worry about this kind of thing." Richard took a gulp of water. No matter which planet it was, water looked the same. When Richard had first arrived on Xandar, he had thought their water would be some yellow, disgusting nutrient solution, or a black, murky substance that could not be seen clearly. That was how it was in movies.
"I explained the situation to Carol, and she'll bring my comrades." Richard winked at Irani. Asking his comrades to save his comrades—one had to know that he had been away from Xandar for a long time, but his friendship with those old comrades had not weakened at all.
"Thanos is nothing to worry about. With Carol here, if he dares to attack Xandar, his head must stay here!"
At that moment, Richard's domineering words shocked Irani like never before, and she looked at the boy in front of her in disbelief.
When had he come to Xandar? He had probably been sixteen or seventeen years old. In Irani's impression, Richard had still been a thin, sickly man at that time. He had had a fever for seven days and almost died because he had not adapted to the environment here. Rhomann Dey had still been very handsome at the time, not as big as he was now, and he had held great expectations for the successor he had personally recognized, as if he were looking after his own child.
Later, Richard had become more and more outstanding, and his vision was no longer limited to the small place of Xandar. Finally, he left, taking Rhomann's suit with him, and joined an unknown organization to protect the peace of the universe.
Irani had not said anything. In fact, she had always been paying attention to this child. Whenever there was first-hand news, she would urge Rhomann to come and see it. Then the two of them would look at each other and smile, as if relieved to see that their child had a promising future.
"Ha..." Irani finally placed Richard on equal footing with herself.
The atmosphere between the two became quiet for a while. After a moment, Irani left first. She had to take charge of the overall situation and stabilize the beating hearts of Xandar's residents. She was responsible for all the dirty work. Perhaps this was the unknown side of being a leader.
"How long are you going to pretend to sleep?" Richard suddenly said. The Nova suit beneath his white coat was exuding cosmic energy like flowing colors, and his eyes were fixed on the body in the experimental chamber.
Boom!
Renzo broke through the glass covering his body with only a little force. He did not like the feeling of lying inside something small. First, he had been lying in an experimental chamber when he transmigrated. In addition... it made him feel as if he were inside a coffin.
After moving his body, the stiffness was relieved a lot, and the strange energy had disappeared without a trace. At this time, he turned his eyes to the man in front of him. It seemed that Richard had cured him.
"This feeling is really unpleasant," Renzo said softly. The golden cloak behind him also transformed again, and the Mind Stone was still embedded in his forehead. Richard's experiment had not yet been carried out. "These disgusting tubes... inserted into my body..." Renzo pulled off all the tubes on his body with disgust on his face.
This made him feel less like a human being and more like a toy, a puppet on strings that could be destroyed at will.
This was the only nail embedded in his heart.
"Want a fight? I'll—" Before Richard could finish speaking, his body was blasted away by a laser, smashing through the hard wall of the laboratory, then through the corridor, and flying into the sunny, warm air outside.
Renzo followed closely. "Give me back my Stone!" The Space Stone he had originally hidden on his body had disappeared. During the time he had been studied, his consciousness had been completely separated from the outside world, and the Mind Stone had repaired Renzo's consciousness on its own, not releasing him until the repair was complete.
The man roared angrily, punched Richard just as he had stood up, and once again smashed him through the newly repaired high bridge. Blue cosmic energy enveloped Richard, protecting his body from harm.
After flying about twenty or thirty meters, Richard easily stopped himself and hovered in midair. There was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Apart from Carol and that madman, he had not seen such a strong guy in a long time. He had been cleaning up miscellaneous soldiers for too long, and his own understanding of strength had become unclear.
The red cross-star on Richard's head flashed violently. He clasped his fists together, and a burst of cosmic energy shot toward Renzo.
"Bah..." Renzo smiled disdainfully. He did not even dodge. His body directly turned intangible, allowing the energy to pass through him, strike the laboratory he had just broken out of, and directly destroy the equipment inside.
"This!"
This was the first time Richard had encountered this situation, and he looked surprised. "What's the principle? Is it the power the Mind Stone gave him?"
He wanted to figure it out, but he was overwhelmed by the approaching figure. Enemies who could pass through objects were really troublesome!
Richard tried several attacks, but found that they had no effect at all. In the end, he had no choice but to distance himself from Renzo and try not to let him get close, which would also be beneficial to him.
Boom!
The laser penetrated the stone pillar beside Richard. Richard kept dodging Renzo's attacks, while sending cosmic energy back at him. Beams of light shot out from his hands one after another, but none of them hit.
A true master of outlining the human body!
Finally, the two stopped attacking each other and hovered high in the air, their eyes meeting.
"Aren't you going to fight?" Richard asked.
Renzo did not speak, but looked at the messy scene on the ground. Those buildings that had just been repaired would probably need to be renovated again.
Richard also understood what Renzo meant. After all, if he were lying on a test bench and being studied by others, his self-esteem would probably be severely trampled and destroyed. That was tantamount to saying in front of a woman that he was no good.
Appropriate venting was also correct. Although some damage had been caused, fortunately, no one had been injured.
Renzo also lost his temper and stood side by side with Richard on the broken high bridge. The newly painted railing still had a strange smell.
The two of them simply looked into the distance in silence. Xandar's sun was about to set, and the red sunlight gradually dimmed. Only then did Renzo realize that there were no clouds on this planet. If the setting sun shone on large, soft white clouds, then in this endless, clear blue sky, the fiery clouds would surely be spectacular.
"Give me back my Stone." Renzo's crimson face reflected little specks of golden light, appearing on its surface like glass. "I'll leave Xandar immediately. I don't need the Power Stone anymore."
"Ha... that won't work!" Of course Richard knew what Renzo was planning. He wanted to escape without facing Thanos head-on. Come on, how could there be such a good thing?
"I'll keep the Space Stone for the time being. Of course, if you can find it, it will be yours." Richard raised his head like a proud rooster. "You have to stay and join us as a member of Xandar to resist Thanos's attack. You're powerful enough to deal with his Obsidian generals."
This was also within Renzo's expectations. He naturally knew it was impossible to get the Stone back with a few sarcastic words. That was as impossible as Thor getting into Harvard.
"I can't agree to your request," Renzo said. He had his own plan. Once he was promoted as a member of Xandar, he would inevitably be recruited as free labor in the future. He wanted to retire after defeating Thanos, so he was not in the mood to care about the life and death of a planet that had nothing to do with him.
"Then just wait. I might give it to you when I'm in a better mood." Richard chuckled and flew away. He did not care whether Renzo would launch a sneak attack. In fact, that possibility was not that great. At most, it would just be death.
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