Chapter 257: Allen Wants to Save the Purple Potato Freak
The Cosmic Ghost Rider, Frank, agreed to join the team.
Upon entering this universe, he had already made a brief visit to the human world. Discovering it was still in a feudal era, he didn't linger long before setting off again on his interstellar adventures.
Perhaps he'd been alone too long, with no one to talk to, so he mysteriously ended up accepting Allen's invitation.
"Cheers!"
After introducing themselves, they'd gotten acquainted.
Allen downed the beer-like drink in one gulp, his face instantly flushing red.
"I want to take a mission."
Eyes bleary and his mind overtaken by drunkenness, Allen stumbled up to the bar to inquire about bounty missions.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
The bartender produced an electronic mission scroll.
Thanks to the universal translator, Allen could easily understand the information displayed.
Yondu leaned in and offered, "Boss, which mission are you picking? Let me help you choose."
"We're the Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, we're taking the most difficult one! How else are we supposed to show off our strength?"
Allen had no interest in petty errands or trivial tasks.
He went all in from the start, maxing out the difficulty level—a way to give the two cosmic overlords a proper workout.
"That's way too dangerous. Why not start with something easier?" Yondu said, worried.
"As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. The rougher the seas, the more valuable the fish."
Allen, with a sagely air, declared, "Yondu, you can't live your life in comfort. If you don't push yourself, you'll never know how badass you really are."
"…"
Yondu immediately pulled up the list of top-difficulty missions.
It was clear Allen had made up his mind. He wasn't going to be persuaded otherwise. If things got dicey, he'd try talking him down then.
—"Investigate the Disappearance of the Gods on Planet Kamuir"
—"Destroy the Outpost of the Oblivion Swarm on the Genü Constellation"
—"Track the Predator Civilization and Locate the Trial Planet"
—"Investigate the Kryptonian House of El's Sixth Exploration Team"
—"…"
"Krypton, House of El... That's Superman's ancestors, isn't it?"
Allen tapped on the mission details.
The sixth exploration team had gone missing while collecting samples on a certain planet. There were 63 members aboard an exploratory vessel with no military-grade weaponry.
"Boss, don't pick that one," Yondu warned. "Three teams have already taken it. None of them ever came back."
"That just makes it more exciting."
Allen flashed a wicked grin. "I live for danger. Hehehe…"
Without hesitation, he pressed "Confirm" on the electronic scroll.
The bartender asked again, just to be sure: "Sir, are you certain you want to take this mission?"
"Yes. Confirmed."
The following process was simple. Allen presented his ship's access card, and all mission data was transmitted to the ship's main control system.
However, a deposit of 5,000 energy credits was required.
This was to prevent teams from abandoning missions halfway. If they exceeded the time limit, the mission would be considered a failure.
They stocked up on supplies.
The next day, the crew departed for the designated planet.
Naturally, piloting the ship fell to Nosus.
On Titan, universal education included mandatory spacecraft piloting courses.
Besides, unless a species had a drastically different physiology, the controls for most ships were generally similar.
Yondu was in charge of inspecting and maintaining the engine boiler.
Though, since the ship was brand new, maintenance likely wouldn't be needed.
Normally, bounty hunters would rent aging ships to save on costs and had to bring along a mechanic—so Yondu, without hesitation, took up the role of their million-credit maintenance man.
A thousand energy credits were spent on daily supplies, enough to feed them for a whole year.
Another thousand went to fully fueling the ship's energy core, allowing for a maximum range of 1,000 light-years.
The universe was vast beyond comprehension. A thousand light-years of range wasn't nearly enough to travel between two star systems. They'd have to rely on the interstellar empires' spatial jump gates.
However, crossing those gates came with tolls—20 energy credits per jump.
Of course, the various empires helpfully offered annual passes and bundle discounts to rake in profits from frequent raiders and other traveling civilizations.
They stored another 2,000 credits just in case, and Allen decisively spent the remaining 1,000 on redecorating the ship.
He sold off all the unused equipment and swapped it out for lifestyle and entertainment facilities—focusing on creating a cozy, homey vibe.
With the ship on autopilot, the crew gathered around a round table to drink and chat.
Currently, Allen, Thanos, Uxas, Frank, Yondu, and Illusion made up the six-man team.
Fast forward 600 years, and each one of them would be a legendary figure in their own right.
No doubt, that "Illusion" was probably the symbiote that once bonded with Captain America, though Allen wasn't quite sure how that pairing happened.
Frank, in comparison, was more mysterious—being a fusion of the Punisher and Ghost Rider. Most likely, he came from a universe where such hybrid characters existed.
The multiverse was unimaginably vast. It was only natural that strange and bizarre worlds would exist.
Allen, slightly tipsy, gazed at Thanos with a deep, emotional look.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned… ambiguous.
The rest of the crew tensed up. Something felt off.
Shocking. The captain's sexual orientation is in question.
Allen crossed his legs, draped his left arm on the couch, and leaned in with a mischievous grin. Seated one spot away from Thanos, he said, "I know your secret."
Oh no. He's going to use blackmail to force submission?!
Is this what kind of captain you are?!
"Secret?" Thanos looked puzzled. They'd only known each other for two days—how could he possibly know anything?
Allen gave a "you made me say it" kind of look and said, "I know you've always had Lady Death at your side. Hasn't she been constantly tempting you?"
At those words, Thanos clenched his fists tightly.
That was indeed a secret he'd buried deep.
As a child, he'd told his parents, only to be scolded. When he told his peers, they laughed at him. So he kept it all hidden, speaking only when alone with the girl named Death—never running out of things to say to her.
"As your captain, I can't let you fall further into depravity. So I'll make a noble sacrifice."
Bro, what are you planning now?!
Thanos panicked, eager to explain that he was perfectly normal.
The rest of the crew gave Allen looks of pure disdain, ready to pounce and restrain him if he went off the rails.
But Allen stepped forward boldly and declared, "I'm going to woo Death."
Then, he took action.
He began fondling the air, speaking in an unbearably sleazy tone: "Lady Death~ I'm Allen, a transmigrator with a system. This is my fifth timeline. I'm super amazing… Don't be shy… Come give me a kiss… French swirl style… hehehe…"
Thanos watched Allen flirt with empty space, his expression scrunched like a head of purple cabbage.
In the corner of his eye, he spotted the empty seat to his left—occupied by Lady Death, invisible to the rest.
She had the exact same stunned expression.
Thud!
The ship shook as though it had hit something.
"Boss, someone just slammed into the central cockpit window," Yondu called out.
"Who the hell has the nerve to pull this crap while I'm flirting? Turn on the wipers and get rid of them!" Allen snapped.
Yondu replied, "It's a woman."
Allen: (〃'▽'〃)