Dominic walked slowly from the center of the battlefield, the wreckage on the ground seeming to automatically clear a path for him. His aura was imposing, as if everything that had just happened was merely his routine morning exercise. Quill and the others watched him approach step by step, a chill running down their spines.
"He's coming for us, isn't he?" Quill muttered softly, his gaze instinctively flickering towards his backpack, his voice rising an octave in tension.
"What else do you have that's worth him coming for?" Rocket Raccoon rolled his eyes, clutching his small Gatling gun, his face full of distrust. "Not that broken Orb, is it?"
"Don't joke!" Quill said in a panic, quickly digging out his backpack and grabbing the Orb from inside. "Maybe he just wants to talk about life! Or - ugh, this is what he wants!"
Gamora glared at him, saying coldly, "Don't be impulsive, Quill. Ronan was desperate for this thing just now. If we hand it over..."
"No 'ifs'!" Quill said, stuffing the Orb directly into Rocket's hand. "You're the smartest, you decide!"
Rocket held the Orb, his whole body jolting as if electrocuted. The next second, he threw the Orb forcefully towards Groot like a hot potato: "I am Groot! Catch!"
Groot extended his hands and caught the Orb, but it was clear he didn't want to get involved in this trouble at all. He glanced at Dominic, who was approaching step by step, and muttered, "I am Groot." Then, with a wave of his hand, he threw the Orb directly to Drax.
Drax took the Orb with his large hand and immediately assumed a fighting stance: "This thing is a trophy, it should belong to a warrior!"
"Warrior my ass!" Rocket almost jumped up, pointing in Dominic's direction and shouting, "Didn't you see the look he gave us? He might split you in half in a moment!"
"If he dares to come, I'll let him experience the pain of being impaled by dual blades!" Drax said with a serious face. Before he could finish speaking, he felt the Orb in his hand tingling hot. He looked at the Orb, then at Dominic, and his expression suddenly became subtle: "Or... this trophy can be temporarily entrusted to someone else for safekeeping."
Saying this, Drax threw the Orb back into Quill's hand.
"What? Me again?" Quill almost dropped the Orb, fumbling to catch it, glaring at everyone exasperatedly. "You can't do this to me! I'm the Captain! The Captain!"
"Then be a good Captain!" Rocket retorted with a look of disdain, gritting his teeth. "Lead your team to face the terror!"
The Orb in Quill's hand was like a ticking time bomb. He looked despairingly at Dominic, who was approaching him, and suddenly his mind raced. He turned and forced a strained smile at Gamora: "Hey, Gamora, this thing might be related to Thanos! Aren't you best at handling these high-risk items?"
"Leave me out of it." Gamora unceremoniously pushed away the Orb Quill was extending. "I'd rather face Thanos than deal with this kind of arrogant guy." She gave Dominic a cold glance and added, "He doesn't look like the type to reason with."
Quill's head was spinning fast. Suddenly his eyes lit up, and he threw the Orb back to Rocket: "Rocket, don't you like making money? This thing can sell for a lot!"
Rocket reflexively caught the Orb, his mouth twisting in anger: "I don't earn money by risking my life!" As soon as he finished speaking, he shoved the Orb into Groot's branch arm. "You are Groot, you handle it!"
"I am Groot." Groot was silent for a moment, seemingly very confused by the farce. He held the Orb for a few seconds, then carefully handed it towards Dominic like presenting a gift.
Dominic stopped, looked down at the faintly glowing Orb, then looked up and scanned the extremely panicked Guardians of the Galaxy in front of him. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he scoffed, "Am I that scary?"
Quill pointed at him, almost jumping up: "Of course you're scary! You almost split Ronan in half just now!"
Dominic shrugged, a playful glint flashing in his eyes. He looked down at Groot and said lightly, "You keep this thing. I'm not interested in it."
"I am Groot?" Groot asked blankly, slowly retracting his branch arm.
Rocket came over, full of surprise, and whispered, "He actually doesn't want it? Did he hit his head so hard he became stupid?"
Dominic turned and left, leaving behind a sentence: "Remember, this Universe is bigger than you think, and much more dangerous. Don't die too quickly."
In The Collector's hall, the Orb finally landed steadily in The Collector's hand. Quill and the others stood to the side, their faces showing "finally got rid of this hot potato." The Collector held the Orb, his eyes gleaming with extreme greed, like a five-year-old staring at a Christmas present.
"Perfect!" The Collector took a deep breath, as if smelling some incredible fragrance. His tone carried a morbid excitement, "The core of power, a miracle of the Universe. You did well, very well."
Rocket looked impatient, rolled his eyes, and said, "Alright, where's the money? Finish the transaction, I have a pile of things to do."
"All you care about is money, money, money," Gamora glanced at him, crossing her arms, looking disdainful. "Can't you care about the danger that this thing might destroy the entire Universe?"
"Destroy the Universe?" Rocket scoffed, "The Universe is so big, things are trying to destroy it every day. Who can manage all of that?"
Groot stood to the side, holding his branch arm, and said in a low voice, "I am Groot."
"Yes, Groot is right." Rocket immediately chimed in, even though no one understood what Groot said. "We can't manage that much, anyway, this Orb isn't mine anymore."
The Collector snorted and casually handed the Orb to his assistant: "Don't worry, this item is much safer in my hands than in any of yours." His gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Quill. "Your money, my assistant will handle."
Quill's face immediately lit up when he heard this. He clapped his hands and turned to everyone, saying, "Alright, guys, let's get the money and go. I have a pile of good wine waiting for me to open."
"Don't dream," Gamora interrupted him mercilessly. "We have to leave here immediately, Ronan is still hunting us."
"Don't be a buzzkill." Quill waved his hand, looking relaxed. "We all survived, isn't this a victory worth celebrating?"
The others were too tired to bother with him and walked towards the ship with weary steps. Just as the ship came into view, everyone froze.
Dominic leaned against the ship's hatch, arms crossed, in a relaxed posture. His eyes held a hint of playfulness as he looked at the group, as if watching a group of toddlers learning to walk.
"How is he here?" Rocket almost jumped up. "Who let him near our ship?"
Quill swallowed, trying to force a friendly smile: "Uh, Dominic, brother, are you here to see us off?"
Dominic slowly raised his head, a smile playing on his lips: "No, I'm here to board."
"What?" Gamora frowned, her expression quickly switching to alert mode. "You want to join us?"
"Join?" Dominic smiled, his tone carrying a hint of casual teasing. "No, I just find you guys interesting and plan to follow along. Maybe I can help you not die from your own stupidity."
Rocket immediately jumped up in protest: "No! Absolutely not! This guy is clearly unreliable! He'll lead us into bigger trouble!"
"I am Groot." Groot said calmly, apparently not opposing Dominic's addition.
"Shut up, Groot!" Rocket glared angrily. "You have no idea what kind of trouble we'll get into!"
Quill tried to ease the tension with his signature smile: "Hey, calm down, Rocket, maybe Dominic is a good teammate? You know, he's really good at fighting."
"Good at fighting?" Rocket stomped his foot in anger. "What if he's good at fighting? Do you want him to blow us to smithereens if he gets upset?"
Dominic just stood there, as if enjoying a farce. His gaze swept over everyone, finally stopping on Gamora: "What do you think?"
Gamora glared back at him coldly: "I don't trust anyone, especially a mysterious and dangerous guy like you. But if you don't get in our way, go ahead."
Quill seized the opportunity and immediately declared: "Alright! Since Gamora agrees, I, as the Captain, have no problem either!"
"Captain?" Gamora scoffed, "When did we elect a Captain?"
Rocket held his head, looking despairing: "We're finished, completely finished now."
Dominic shrugged and stepped onto the ship. He looked back at the arguing crew, a playful smile on his lips: "This will be an interesting journey."