บท 259: Chapter: 259
This time, even the most powerful in terms of analytical abilities, Baymax, fell silent.
No matter how detailed and meticulous their plans were before taking action, various unforeseeable situations would always arise during the actual process.
The current situation was such that even Baymax himself had not anticipated the predicament they ultimately faced and it could not find a good solution to the immediate problem.
Baymax was a robot, constructed with the best materials in all aspects, but even it couldn't guarantee survival after such a high fall, let alone the flesh and blood beings like Star-Lord and the others.
As everyone was at a loss, Groot, who had been silently standing behind them all along, hesitated for a moment and then made a decision.
Groot opened his arms to surround everyone, and then his entire body began to grow new slender branches.
As these branches continued to grow and were consciously controlled by Groot, they gradually interwoven and formed a sphere, protecting everyone within it.
At the same time, some branches extended outward from the surface of the sphere, creating a cushioning structure that could effectively absorb external impacts.
"Groot, don't do this! You will die if you do this. Why would you go to such lengths for us losers?" Rocket, who had spent the most time with Groot, immediately understood Groot's intentions after seeing his actions.
Groot wanted to use his abilities to create a safe space for his companions to face the impending impact of the Dark Aster's fall.
But such a move couldn't come without a cost. Just like how Baymax needed to use its advanced computational and analytical abilities, it required harnessing all its hardware and chips and couldn't be done without energy support.
Groot, on the other hand, generating a large number of branches in such a short time, consumed the life energy he had stored in his body. Once this energy was depleted, Groot's life would come to an end.
Rocket, Groot's earliest companion in their interstellar adventures, saw Groot not only as his bodyguard and comrade but also as his most important family.
Now that Groot had decided to sacrifice himself, Rocket couldn't suppress the sadness in his heart, and tears flowed involuntarily.
Groot looked at Rocket, with whom he had spent so much time, and gently wiped away his tears with one of his branches.
Then he answered Rocket's earlier question, "We are Groot!"
This was the first time Groot used "we" instead of "I" when speaking, and in this environment, even Star-Lord, Baymax, Gamora, and Drax, who usually couldn't fully understand Groot's intentions, knew very well what Groot was trying to convey.
It said they are now a unified whole, and Groot, being the only one capable of saving everyone and changing the situation at this moment, is willing to sacrifice his life to give them a fighting chance.
With little time left before the spaceship crashes, Groot ignores Rocket's objections and uses his spreading branches to tightly bind him and the other companions, preventing them from being thrown out when the impact comes.
In the next moment, boom! Pulled by the gravity of Xandar, the Dark Aster finally crashes onto the surface of the capital of the Nova Empire.
The terrifying impact causes this spaceship, a culmination of various cutting-edge Kree Empire technologies, to disintegrate into a pile of wreckage.
"Cough... cough..."
Clearing away the debris and spaceship remnants from his body, Star-Lord looks around. Except for Groot, who sacrificed himself to protect everyone, the other companions have suffered minor injuries but are otherwise unharmed.
However, seeing the broken branches around and Rocket, who is holding onto them with a sorrowful expression, Star-Lord can't help but feel grief.
But now is not the time to relax. If they managed to survive this crisis, it means even more for Ronan, who possesses the Infinity Stones.
They must stop him before he makes contact with the surface of Xandar with the Infinity Stones. Otherwise, not only the inhabitants of the Nova Empire but even themselves, whom Groot sacrificed his life to save, would perish because of it.
Crackle...
Just as Star-Lord was about to call on his companions to rally, there was a sudden movement in the wreckage of the spaceship behind them, and the sound grew louder.
Hearing this, without Star-Lord needing to remind them, the group immediately grew tense, quickly getting up from the ground to look towards the source of the sound.
With the appearance of a purple light, Star-Lord and the others knew that the worst-case scenario they had anticipated had indeed happened.
Ronan, who possessed the Infinity Stones, not only remained unscathed from the Dark Aster's crash but also successfully landed on the surface of Xandar.
All he needed now was to let the Infinity Stones make contact with the planet's surface to accomplish his ambition of eradicating the Nova Corps.
"It was you who killed Groot!!" Seeing Ronan arrogantly appear before him, Rocket, who was devastated by Groot's death, charged directly at him alone.
Bang! Ronan didn't even spare a glance at Rocket; he directly activated the power of the Infinity Stone on his war hammer, sending Rocket flying.
"You ants consider yourselves the guardians of the galaxy. But look now, despite all you've done to try and stop me, what use has it been?"
"I have successfully landed on the surface of Xandar, and my father and grandfather's great feud will finally be avenged!
People of Xandar, despair! Abandon your useless faith in deities because now your fate and life are in the hands of the Accuser Ronan."
As Ronan declared his victory, Star-Lord suddenly started humming a song next to him, dancing in a disco-like manner.
Not only did Ronan feel puzzled by this performance, but even Gamora and the Nova corps residents who hadn't had time to evacuate looked at him with confusion, their eyes gradually filled with pity and sympathy as if they were dealing with a mentally challenged young man.
"What are you doing?" Eventually succumbing to curiosity, Ronan asked Star-Lord loudly.
"I'm having a dance-off, buddy! You and me, a showdown," Star-Lord replied, continuing his self-amusing dance moves with a radiant smile on his face.
"What are you doing?!" Seeing Star-Lord acting so carefree, Ronan felt his intelligence being insulted and asked again.
"I'm distracting you, you brainless guy!" Star-Lord kept dancing and said with an even brighter smile.
"Hmm!" Hearing Star-Lord's answer, Ronan was first stunned, then he sensed a sense of crisis coming from behind and quickly turned around.
But it was too late. Since Star-Lord had the confidence to speak the truth, he must have been well prepared. As soon as Ronan turned around, Drax and Rocket, who had aimed precisely, activated their blasters and fired ammunition.
Instinctively, Ronan moved his war hammer to defend himself, but he didn't have time to activate the power of the Infinity Stone, and the hammer was shattered by the attack.
With the carrier shattered, the Infinity Stone came loose and was about to fall to the ground. Once it landed, the energy it emitted would undoubtedly turn the entire surface of Xandar into a wasteland, wiping out all life on the planet.
Seeing this, Star-Lord didn't have time to think much. After a few quick strides, he leaped forward and caught the Infinity Stone just before Ronan, temporarily saving Xandar from disaster.
"No... Quill!" Witnessing Star-Lord making direct contact with the Infinity Stone, not only images of his own experience on Knowhere but also the fate of Karina, the Collector's slave girl, flashed through his minds. As a human like Star-Lord, he would not be able to withstand the pressure from the Infinity Stone.
However, at this moment, Star-Lord had no other choice. If he let go, all life on the planet, including Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baymax, would be destroyed by the energy surge of the Infinity Stone. So, he could only endure with all his strength, as a mere mortal, bearing this immense power.
Suddenly, Gamora seemed to remember something. When the Collector introduced them to the Infinity Stones on Knowhere, he mentioned that there were several ancient beings who once endured the pressure of using the Infinity Stones by sharing it among themselves.
Although in the end, they couldn't withstand the backlash and all perished, for Gamora, this was the only way she could help Star-Lord at the moment, and it was worth a try.
Thus, just as Star-Lord had sacrificed himself to save her when they were exposed to cosmic space, Gamora didn't hesitate either. She directly rushed into the raging energy tide next to Star-Lord and said, "Quill, hold my hand! I promised to face life and death together with you!"
In intense pain, Star-Lord subconsciously reached out his hand, and Gamora didn't miss this opportunity. She firmly grasped Star-Lord's right hand, which held the Infinity Stone.
In an instant, intense pain and a tearing sensation filled her body, while Star-Lord's pain lessened a bit. His body, which was about to collapse, surprisingly became somewhat solid again.
Seeing that this method seemed to be working, Rocket, Baymax, and Drax beside them were also willing to sacrifice themselves. They also rushed into the energy tide, trying to share the pressure for Star-Lord.
When the five of them united, holding hands tightly together, the originally unbearable power seemed to become stable. Star-Lord even felt like he could control the power within the Infinity Stone.
"Impossible, you are all just mere mortals, how could this be..." Ronan couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Even someone as powerful as him couldn't withstand the power of the Infinity Stone with his physical body alone; he needed to use his weapon, the war hammer, as a medium.
But now, these people he considered as ants had achieved something he couldn't. It was something that proud Ronan couldn't believe or accept.
"You said it yourself just now; we are the Guardians of the Galaxy!" Star-Lord said, then following his instincts, he manipulated the Infinity Stone in his hand and launched an attack against Ronan.
This time, without the protection of the Infinity Stone, Ronan couldn't resist Star-Lord's attack and turned into ashes within the energy.
Seeing Ronan's defeat, Baymax quickly took out a containment device for the Infinity Stone and stored it, putting an end to the energy reaction they had formed with the Infinity Stone.
"Hahaha, what a touching hero drama. Now, let's talk about the business we agreed on before!" With Ronan taken down by Star-Lord and the crisis caused by the Infinity Stone resolved, Yondu and his men, who had dealt with the remaining enemies, fully armed themselves and appeared in front of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The message was clear – if Star-Lord and his team dared to back out of their deal, the mercenaries would use other means to force them into compliance.
"Captain, this matter is for you to decide. I trust your judgment." Baymax handed the container containing the Infinity Stone to Star-Lord, allowing him to make the final decision.
Gamora looked anxiously at Star-Lord and warned, "Quill, you must not give it to them."
Star-Lord nodded at Gamora, indicating that he understood. He then tried to persuade Yondu, "You better think it over, Yondu. Although I don't know who you intend to sell it to, the only way to ensure the safety of the universe is to hand the Infinity Stone over to the Nova Corps for safekeeping."
Yondu appeared indifferent to Star-Lord's persuasion, with a smile that contained a hint of helplessness.
He and his crew had fought and risked their lives in a battle that had nothing to do with them. If he handed the Infinity Stone over to the Nova Corps, he would have a hard time explaining it to his men.
"Although I may have a saint-like face, I don't have a saint-like heart." As he spoke, Yondu opened his coat, revealing the arrow at his waist.
"Now that the battle is over, there's no need to sacrifice our lives to show off as heroes. Hand it over to me, kid!" Yondu extended his hand to Star-Lord, and he implied that if Star-Lord dared to resist or refuse, his arrow would change Star-Lord's unrealistic thoughts.
Star-Lord hesitated for a moment but ultimately complied with Yondu's demand. He took out the container hidden behind him and handed it to him.
"Yondu, never open this container. You know the power of the Infinity Stone, right? You saw its destructive force earlier. Please be careful." Star-Lord reminded Yondu with concern.
Yondu nodded without responding, excitedly left with his mercenaries. After hearing Star-Lord's reminder, Yondu was already sure that the hot potato hadn't truly fallen into his hands. He wouldn't easily open the container and expose Star-Lord's trick.
On the other hand, Yondu's subordinate approached, showing great excitement. "Boss, we're going to strike it rich this time! Maybe it was the right decision not to hand him over to his old man back then."
"Yeah, his old man is a real scumbag," Yondu agreed.
Watching Yondu and his crew board their ship and leave Xandar, Star-Lord finally relaxed. He took out another identical container from behind and raised an eyebrow at Gamora. "When he realizes I switched the container, I bet he'll be furious."
"But Baymax thinks that Yondu already knows about your little trick; he just didn't expose you," Baymax disagreed.
"Why?" Rocket asked Baymax curiously.
"Yondu personally participated in this battle, and how can he not know that the Cosmic Orb is a hot potato.
The reason he came to demand it himself is because, as a leader, he had to make a statement.
After Captain swapped the containers, he probably figured it out, but to give himself an excuse to leave smoothly, he pretended not to know and accepted the fake Infinity Stone container," Baymax explained.
After hearing Baymax's explanation, the others found it hard to believe. In their minds, Yondu was not a good person, so how could he give up such a huge opportunity?
Star-Lord, however, pondered with a hint of doubt. Considering how well Yondu knew him, perhaps he had truly figured out his plan...
Regardless, the current outcome was a win-win for everyone. The truth would eventually reveal itself with time.
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