"Yongdu, your time is running out."
Superman looked coldly at Yongdu's team, who sat on the ground with their hands and feet restrained. His voice was calm, yet carried a faint murderous intent.
"If Peter Quill doesn't show up, your lives are forfeit."
Beside him, Carol Danvers and Nick Fury remained silent, fully aligned with Superman's stance.
None of the three were particularly sentimental. In their eyes, Peter was at fault—but Yongdu and his crew were far from innocent.
If Yongdu and the others hadn't guided Peter from a young age, would he now be someone who haggles over every job and abandons his employers without hesitation?
Let's not forget—Peter stayed with the Ravagers largely because Yongdu refused to hand him over to Ego, his biological father. Still, the predator team had a bad habit: taking money and doing nothing.
It had already been a week since Yongdu was captured.
During that time, Carol and Nick Fury had kept a constant watch over Yongdu and his crew. Anton had been deemed too costly for Superman to monitor 24/7, so he only dropped in occasionally.
But from beginning to end, Peter hadn't shown up—not even once. It was starting to look like he had no intention of rescuing them.
Carol and the others were growing suspicious.
Had Yongdu used some sort of code when contacting Peter?
Yongdu and his crew naturally denied it. After all, who wouldn't want to live a few more days? Maybe—just maybe—an opportunity would arise.
"We did contact Peter," Yongdu said helplessly, trying to explain. "But we don't know if he plans to come for us."
"In any case," Superman replied flatly, "my patience is wearing thin.
No matter where he is, he could at least send a message. But from beginning to end, there's been nothing.
Looks like your 'son' doesn't care about your life after all."
Yongdu opened his mouth to speak—
Boom!
Superman's eyes flared red. A beam of searing heat vision shot out, piercing straight through one of Yongdu's men.
Whoosh!
The beam left a gaping hole in the man's chest, his blood evaporating instantly. He didn't even have time to scream. He died with his eyes wide open, his face frozen in disbelief.
"You—!!"
Yongdu was stunned.
"I've been more than kind to you," Superman said coldly, cutting him off.
Nearby, Carol and Fury exchanged uneasy glances.
Superman hadn't warned them about the sudden move, and neither of them was sure what he was planning.
Still—they didn't object.
Killing was normal in this part of the galaxy.
Here, in this lawless zone filled with alien wanderers, death was a daily occurrence. Fights, robberies, revenge killings—they'd seen it all.
And truthfully, Yongdu's crew were far from allies. At best, they were rivals. At worst, enemies.
"What do you want?" Yongdu growled, clenching his fists.
If Superman hadn't broken the control on his flying arrow and bound his limbs, he would've attacked right then and there.
Watching a longtime crewmate die like that—
No matter how many deaths you've seen, some things still hit hard.
Yongdu's crew looked tense, not daring to move or speak.
No one wanted to be next.
"From now on, every other day, I will kill someone."
Superman's expression was indifferent—cold, like a villain with blood still fresh on his hands.
"If I kill all of you and Star-Lord still doesn't show up, then I'll find another way to get to him."
As he spoke, he picked up Yongdu's communicator, snapped a photo, and sent it to Peter.
The words had barely fallen when silence blanketed the area.
Everyone watched Superman's movements, and a chill settled in their hearts.
They understood clearly now—every passing day meant fewer chances of survival.
Yongdu clenched his teeth.
He wasn't afraid of death, but facing it directly was another matter—it was hard to remain truly calm.
Ding!
Peter Quill received a message from Yongdu's communicator. His fists tightened, and his jaw clenched as he read Superman's warning.
Time was running out.
Fortunately, everything he had planned was already in motion.
Very soon, he would arrive at Knowhere to make a deal with Superman.
The Orb—the cosmic spiritual ball—was still in his possession.
That was his bargaining chip to exchange for Yongdu and the others.
At the same time, two major forces had tracked him down: Ronan's Kree forces, and a woman of the Zehoberi tribe with a hardened vendetta.
They were all closing in on Knowhere.
In the chaos of the upcoming three-way battle, Peter hoped he could create enough confusion to escape—with his people.
Whoosh!
As thoughts swirled in his head, his spacecraft tore through the starry void.
Two hours later, he arrived at one of the interstellar ports on Knowhere.
Behind him, another ship followed closely—his pursuers weren't far behind.
"Hmm?"
Superman's brows furrowed.
His senses extended across much of the surrounding space, and he instantly noticed something off.
From deep space, a large armed force was approaching.
"Kree?"
He looked up, his gaze landing on the figures inside the incoming spacecraft.
After spending so much time with Carol, he had gotten better at recognizing the Kree.
But that wasn't all—
He also saw someone else.
Peter Quill. Star-Lord.
"So you finally came," Superman murmured, eyes narrowing as he looked past Peter's ship to the Kree vessel chasing close behind.
Then, realization dawned.
"Ah… this was your plan?"
He sneered. "How naïve."
"What are you looking at?"
Carol's voice rang out beside him. She was curious—Superman had been staring at the sky for a while.
With her understanding of him, this could only mean one thing—he'd sensed something serious.
"Peter's here," Superman said calmly, turning to her. "But he's not alone."
"He brought reinforcements?" Carol frowned, then glanced at Yongdu and his crew. Her expression turned sharp.
"Should we… deal with them?"
"Not yet," Superman replied, shaking his head.
"He didn't bring reinforcements—he's being chased."
"What do you mean?" Carol blinked, momentarily confused.
"Don't forget, we're not the only ones who want the Orb," Superman reminded her.
"I told you that from the start."
"Wait... don't tell me—"
Carol's expression darkened as realization struck.
"That sneaky bastard!"
"Let's go," Superman said, standing up from his chair.
"Now that he's here, it's time to move."
"What's the plan?" Carol asked, eyeing Yongdu.
"Since Star-Lord has shown up, they're no longer useful, are they?"
At her words, Yongdu and his crew went pale. They could already picture themselves dying like their fallen comrade.
"No. Don't kill them—yet," Superman said.
"If we want Peter to hand over the Orb willingly, we'll need them for leverage. As long as they're alive, he won't try anything stupid."
"Fine."
Carol nodded in agreement.
Yongdu and the others exhaled shakily, relieved to be spared—at least for now.
The Land of Nothingness.
In the sky above—
A spaceship streaked across the void like it was fleeing for its life.
Behind it, larger and more menacing spacecraft gave relentless chase, like predators hunting prey.
Boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom—
A barrage of energy shells exploded behind the smaller ship in rapid, thunderous succession.
The little ship dodged with incredible precision, weaving through the onslaught by the slimmest of margins.
Each missed shot crashed into structures floating in the void, sending shockwaves through the ramshackle architecture and sparking panic among the residents below.
Screams echoed in the distance. Chaos erupted.
At the same time, someone down below, filled with frustration, considered firing back in defense.
But upon closer inspection—
They saw the markings on the attacking vessels.
Kree ships.
Their expression instantly changed. The spark of rebellion died.
No one in the Void dared challenge the Kree—the dominant military force of the galaxy.
And this place, this black-market haven of alien wanderers, knew its place.
Even the legendary Collector, Taneleer Tivan, the most powerful presence on Knowhere, wouldn't dare openly oppose the Kree.
So what could the rest of them do?
They could only cower, hiding in shelters or behind reinforced walls, watching through surveillance screens as the chaos unfolded.
The cannonfire lit up the sky.
Panic spread.
But thankfully, Knowhere had been built with emergencies like this in mind.
Bunkers. Safe houses. Escape routes.
Crowds of aliens packed into these shelters, eyes glued to the monitors, waiting—hoping—the danger would pass.
It was obvious—the pilot of the fleeing ship was Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord.
And the Kree vessels chasing him? Just one of the forces out for his blood.
Others had joined the hunt. Some were hiding among the Kree ranks.
Others were openly allied with them.
Peter had started to suspect this.
But it didn't matter.
All he needed was for these factions to clash—with each other and with whoever had taken Yongdu and his crew.
As long as he still held the Cosmic Orb, he had leverage.
If he could just rescue his people, it would be worth it—even if he had to risk everything.
WHOOOM!
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of his ship—like lightning.
A deafening sonic boom roared through the cockpit.
CRACK!
The cockpit glass shattered.
Fragments exploded inward as a fist slammed into the hull.
The ship jolted violently. One of the wings bent with a sickening crunch.
An engine burst into flames—
And the craft plummeted like a wounded bird, spiraling toward the surface.
Peter panicked.
He didn't even know what hit him.
Only that the ship had been struck. Hard.
By what? A missile? A weapon?
A fist?
Did someone just punch his ship out of the sky?
But as shocked as Peter was, the ones watching from below were even more stunned.
From the bunkers of Knowhere, the residents saw everything.
On their screens, they witnessed a man clad in a battle suit, a crimson cape trailing behind him, streak through the sky like a comet.
He flew directly into the ship's path—
And collided head-on.
BOOM!
Just before the impact, the man cocked his fist and struck.
CRUNCH!
The entire front of Peter's ship caved in from the blow.
Then—he just floated there.
Unmoving. Unshaken.
A lone figure, suspended in midair, like a mountain in the sky.
The sheer presence he exuded made even the most hardened criminals watching tremble.
Subsequently, the burst of air from the tail of the spacecraft caused it to spiral out of control.
The eyes of the man in the battle suit glowed red—
Twin beams of searing energy shot forth, tearing through the sky and striking the spacecraft's engine with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom!
The engine exploded.
The small ship came to a complete halt—then began to fall.
It plummeted like a meteor, trailing smoke and fire as it descended.
On the ground, not far from Superman—
Carol and the others stood motionless, watching everything unfold in the sky.
Especially Yongdu and his crew.
When they realized that Peter Quill had arrived—bringing a fleet of pursuers behind him—they immediately understood what he was doing.
And, for a moment, they even admired Peter's bold move.
But that admiration turned to despair in an instant.
When Superman rose into the air like a streak of light and crashed into the small spacecraft with such raw, inhuman power, they were stunned into silence.
Their so-called clever plan was crushed by a single act.
In the face of absolute strength, strategy meant nothing.
You could plot, deceive, negotiate—but none of it mattered when your enemy could end it all with just a punch.
In that moment, Superman proved this point.
With his fist alone, he shattered the last hopes of Yongdu and his crew.
"I'm sorry..."
Yongdu murmured, watching the ship fall, his voice hoarse and low.
His heart sank.
"Peter..."
At the same time, aboard the Kree command ship that had been pursuing Quill—
The crew sat in stunned silence.
They quickly opened comms across the fleet, unsure who this caped figure was or where he had come from.
Whoever he was, his strength was terrifying.
If he chose to turn his power against them, even with their superior numbers and firepower, the Kree would suffer massive losses.
Although the man had taken down Quill's ship, there was no clear sign of hostility toward the Kree.
But to the seasoned warriors aboard the Kree vessel, that meant little.
Power like that never comes without danger.
"Sir, we have no intention of becoming your enemy,"
came the voice of the Kree commander over the ship-wide channel.
"Our target is the pilot of the ship you just brought down—Star-Lord, Peter Quill."
"Whatever your reasons or your quarrel with him, we ask that you hand him over to the Kree Empire. In return, we offer our gratitude—along with generous rewards."
Suddenly, a small escape pod ejected from the wreckage, drifting into view.
Inside it—Peter Quill.
Superman's eyes tracked him instantly.
Of course Peter wasn't dead.
Superman knew he wouldn't go down that easily.
The escape pod crashed into the rooftop of a tall building in Knowhere.
As it cracked open, Peter scrambled to his feet, battered but breathing.
From inside his coat, he pulled out a metallic orb—the Cosmic Orb.
Raising it above his head, he shouted for all to hear:
"This what you want?"
He gritted his teeth.
"Fine! Take it! I don't want it anymore!"
With a furious toss, he hurled the orb into the air.
Whoosh!
The Cosmic Orb spun upward, catching the light of distant stars.
In an instant, Superman lifted off from the ground.
The Kree ships shifted formation, reacting in kind.
Every pair of eyes—Kree, Earthling, wanderer—locked onto the gleaming orb arcing through the void.
It was now clear to the Kree:
This man wasn't neutral.
He wanted the orb too.
They were not allies.
They were rivals.
"Engage!"
The Kree general barked the order.
And all hell broke loose.
…
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