Chapter 117
Just as everyone was about to say something, Rocket spoke first.
"Whoa! Quill, check your two-o'clock!"
He pointed his claw at Thor and Loki with an exaggerated expression.
"Which retro theme park did these actors escape from?"
Star-Lord was wringing seawater out of his clothes. Hearing that, he looked up.
"What's this? Red cape and a hammer? Buddy, that outfit is seriously old-school!"
He walked forward and circled around Thor once.
"Seriously though, that hammer is a prop, right? Mind if I borrow it for a bit?"
Thor frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Mortal. This is Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor—not a toy!"
"God of Thunder?" Rocket burst out laughing while holding his stomach.
"Hahaha! You mean the one Quill mentioned from those old myths?"
He jumped onto Star-Lord's shoulder and gestured with his claws.
"I'll bet ten galaxy credits that hammer can't even drive a nail!"
Loki elegantly adjusted his sleeve, a playful smile on his lips.
He had to admit—he quite liked this raccoon. Seeing Thor embarrassed brought him immense satisfaction.
"Brother, it seems your fame in Midgard is even lower than that of a third-rate cosplayer."
"I am Groot."
Groot shook his head helplessly.
Gamora rolled her eyes.
"Can you all be serious for once?"
Drax suddenly stepped close to Thor, his muscles bulging.
"So you're really a god? Can you fight?"
Thor's eyes lit up immediately, and he puffed out his chest proudly.
"I am the strongest warrior of Asgard!"
"Then prove it."
"Prove it?" Thor blinked.
Drax grinned widely and suddenly threw a punch straight at Thor's face.
BAM!
Thor easily caught the punch. At the same time, Mjolnir summoned lightning, electrocuting Drax and making his hair stand on end.
"Whoa!"
Star-Lord quickly stepped back, his expression full of shock.
He glanced at Yang Jian.
This man stood expressionless. He was extremely handsome, tall, muscular, and at least a head taller than him. The pressure he gave off was overwhelming.
Moreover, Yang Jian occasionally glanced at the beach they had accidentally crashed into, as if he might swallow them whole.
Star-Lord then looked at Loki.
That guy definitely didn't look like a good person.
Finally, his gaze returned to Thor.
Thor's presence felt even more intimidating.
The guy looked nearly two meters tall, and he had just summoned lightning.
Star-Lord took a deep breath.
"So… we're actually doing this for real?"
Rocket immediately pulled out a laser gun and aimed it at Thor.
"Hey! Big guy! Don't bully my big idiot!"
At that moment—
Loki suddenly appeared behind Rocket and grabbed him, pressing a dagger against his throat.
"Little creature. I suggest you don't move."
"I'm not an animal!"
Rocket roared, the fur on his tail standing on end.
Wanda and the other two women couldn't help but laugh.
Mikaela whispered to Helen Zhao.
"They look like a circus."
The atmosphere on the beach instantly became lively.
Loki eventually released Rocket. The little creature posed no real threat.
Rocket immediately retreated, narrowing his eyes as he looked Thor and Loki up and down before letting out a mocking laugh.
Still irritated, he began mocking them again.
"Wow, who are these two idiots? What era is this? Tight suits? Retro fashion?"
Thor frowned and tightened his grip on Mjolnir.
"Damn raccoon! Who are you calling an idiot?!"
Rocket's fur instantly puffed up.
"I'm NOT a raccoon! You're the raccoon! Your whole family are raccoons!"
He jumped and pointed at Thor.
"And what's with that hammer? Renovating something? If you don't start showing me some respect, I swear I'll smash your head with this thing!"
Thor laughed in anger.
"I am the Prince of Asgard—Thor Odinson! Mortal, watch your words!"
Rocket rolled his eyes.
"Oh, a prince? My apologies. I thought you were a member of some medieval cosplay club."
Star-Lord burst out laughing beside them.
"Hahaha! Thor Odinson? So do you also have a brother named Loki Odinson?"
Loki raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
He calmly adjusted his sleeve.
"As a matter of fact, yes."
Star-Lord's laughter instantly stopped.
"Wait… you're serious?"
Gamora pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Quill. Shut up."
Wanda, Mikaela, and Helen Zhao watched the farce and couldn't help laughing.
Wanda even covered her mouth as her shoulders trembled.
Yang Jian stood with his arms folded, watching the scene with interest, showing no intention of stopping it.
Rocket refused to back down and continued his verbal attack.
"So, are all Asgardians this retro?"
He pointed at Thor's cape and Loki's robe.
"Don't you even have holographic communicators?"
Loki smiled slightly. A green magical light suddenly appeared on his wrist.
The light condensed instantly into a miniature holographic projection displaying the star map of Asgard.
"You mean this?"
Rocket: "..."
Star-Lord's eyes widened.
"Whoa. A magic hologram?"
Loki smugly dismissed the magic.
"Far more convenient than your technology."
Rocket snorted.
"Show-off tricks."
Thor no longer bothered arguing with Rocket. He turned toward Yang Jian, his expression becoming serious again.
"Yang, the Annihilation Swarm is extremely powerful. They've already devoured several star systems. Wherever they pass, nothing remains."
Yang Jian nodded calmly.
"I know how dangerous they are."
Loki paused, narrowing his eyes.
"You seem to know a great deal about them."
Yang Jian glanced at him and smiled faintly.
"A little more than you might imagine… God of Stories."
Nearby, Rocket couldn't help interrupting.
"Hey! Can you guys stop talking in riddles? What exactly is going on here?"
Gamora finally lost her patience.
"That's enough!"
She glared at Rocket and Star-Lord.
"Please, this isn't the time to argue!"
Drax crossed his arms with a serious expression.
"So… we're going to fight bugs?"
"I am Groot!"
(That sounds right!)
The three women behind Yang Jian also looked curious.
Wanda asked,
"Yang, what exactly is the Annihilation Swarm?"
Yang Jian pondered for a moment before explaining.
"A cosmic-level threat capable of devouring all matter and energy. They have no individual consciousness—only a collective will: devour, evolve… then devour again."
Indeed, this race possessed tremendous combat power. It sounded almost impossible to defeat, but in reality it had little effect against truly high-level beings.
During the Infinity Event, they were released by the Galactic Alliance to fight the Builders—an ancient race attempting to destroy and reshape the universe.
However, the Annihilation Swarm was instantly wiped out shortly after appearing. They didn't even last a minute.
Helen Zhao thought for a moment and voiced her opinion.
"It sounds like some kind of biological weapon."
Loki sneered.
"Worse than that. They're the locusts of the universe."
Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, eager to act immediately.
"We must stop them before they approach Earth."
Rocket whistled, suddenly interested.
"Now we're finally getting to the point! So what's the plan?"
Everyone's gaze turned toward Yang Jian.
Yang Jian smiled slightly.
"The plan is simple."
He looked up at the sky, his eyes faintly glowing red.
"Make sure they never return."
High above them, a massive spatial rift was slowly opening.
Rocket whistled again and scratched his head.
"The plan sounds cool, but…"
He suddenly jumped onto Yang Jian's shoulder and gestured with his tiny claws.
"Buddy, how exactly are you going to deal with those disgusting bugs? They can chew through entire planets!"
Star-Lord nodded immediately.
"Exactly! Last time we ran into a small swarm, they nearly turned the Milano into scrap metal!"
Gamora crossed her arms, frowning.
"Their shells can absorb energy weapons, and they evolve extremely fast."
Drax nodded seriously.
"And there are as many of them as stars in the universe."
"I am Groot!"
(They're really hard to fight!)
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