Realizing he could have his mind read by Mantis at any given moment, Peter felt a mix of helplessness and quiet amusement.
It wasn't that he had any dark, unspeakable secrets buried in his head. But having your every fleeting thought yanked into the open by someone else... was definitely a weird feeling!
Maybe I should just coat myself in a thin layer of Armament Haki from now on to block her empathic link?
Nah, way too much hassle, and completely unnecessary.
While Peter was lost in his own head, Mantis silently closed the distance between them by half a step. She tilted her face up toward his, bringing them so close that if Peter leaned down just a fraction of an inch, their lips would touch.
"So... does that mean I can come live on Earth with you?"
She held his hand, her deep emerald-green eyes shining like an affectionate puppy looking up at him with pure anticipation:
"Pretty please I'm begging you"
Her voice drifted upward with a playful lilt at the end, sounding impossibly sweet and affectionate.
She didn't fully grasp the exact cultural weight of her actions. All she knew was that Peter's emotional feedback told her acting like this made him feel happy. And whenever she sensed his happiness, she felt that same joy echoing back into her own heart.
Sharp intake of breath! Peter drew in a cold breath.
Who could possibly hold the line against something like this?!
Especially noticing her eager, bold expression—clearly preparing to act on his inner thoughts and pull off something even more daring—Peter didn't hesitate for another second. He immediately took a step back, breaking all physical contact with her.
It wasn't that he wanted to reject the advance, but pure survival instinct reminded him that Sif was literally standing three steps away.
What kind of maniac engages in a fresh taming play right in front of his official girlfriend?! That's practically begging to be chopped into pieces on the spot!
"Ahem..."
Shaking off the wild thoughts, Peter looked straight into Mantis's eyes and spoke with absolute seriousness:
"I can take you to Earth."
Mantis's eyes lit up instantly.
"But I have one condition."
The light in her eyes dimmed by half.
"I need you to experience human emotions and our way of life first. I want you to figure out what true affection is, what love means, and what is just simple gratitude or emotional dependency," Peter kept his pace steady, making his words as simple and easy to digest as possible.
"You stayed by Ego's side for far too long."
"That place had no love—only blind obedience. So when you experience warmth and care for the very first time, it's easy to get swept up in the emotion and make rash choices."
"The truth is, you barely know me. Right now, your curiosity toward me isn't necessarily love... it's just the natural instinct of someone stepping out of total darkness to chase after the very first ray of light."
Mantis listened quietly, not interrupting him once.
"So, I think you should try living independently on Earth for a while."
To prove he wasn't just stringing her along, Peter took her hand once more and added earnestly:
"Once you've met more people and experienced different kinds of connections, think about whether you still want to stay by my side. If your answer then is the same as it is right now... well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"And if at any point you want to go back to your brother, just say the word. I'll personally make sure you two reunite."
Hearing this, Sif offered a proud, satisfied smile from the side.
Even though these words sounded strangely familiar, it only proved that Peter was never the kind of scoundrel who took advantage of people's vulnerabilities. She had never been wrong about him. The man she chose was, without a doubt, the most exceptional and clear-headed person in the entire cosmos!
On the other side, Mantis remained quiet for a few seconds, carefully soaking in Peter's genuine emotional feedback.
A moment later, she looked up and gave him a firm, emphatic nod:
"Okay."
With the decision finalized to bring Mantis along, the Destiny officially initiated its return journey.
Under the control of the Wheel of Fate, the ship engaged in a series of rapid spatial jumps.
Meanwhile, Peter turned his thoughts back to Earth.
He wondered if the Avengers had run into any major issues during his absence.
And... whether those Skrulls had actually stayed put and behaved themselves according to the rules he had set down.
At the thought, Peter rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache coming on.
Only now did he realize that, just like that old eye-patch-wearing director, he had technically broken his promise too.
His original plan had been to defeat Ego and use the Living Planet itself as a brand-new home world for the Skrull refugees. A whole planet had plenty of territory, abundant resources, and was far removed from galactic conflicts—a truly ideal sanctuary.
Bu plans rarely keep up with reality.
Who would have thought that old bastard Ego would refuse to cooperate so thoroughly, opting for a suicidal self-destruction sequence instead?
That forced Peter to drain him bone-dry, causing the entire planet to crumble into cosmic dust.
Naturally, settling the Skrulls on Ego's planet had turned into a complete fantasy.
Man, what a pain!
If only these Skrulls were as restless and troublesome as their comic and movie counterparts... then I could just use their backstabbing as an excuse to punish them and brush off my broken promise!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the mechanical prompt of the Wheel of Fate echoed in his ear:
"Spatial jump complete. Re-entered the Solar System. Synchronizing with Earth's communication network."
Hearing this, Peter perked up, immediately opening the accumulated intelligence reports—which he had specifically requested Hill to keep updated before he left.
The first section contained nothing out of the ordinary: standard daily mission logs, personnel transfer records, resource procurement lists—all routine administrative affairs.
Scrolling down further.
Still nothing special.
Scrolling down a bit more...
Peter's finger suddenly froze over the interface.
A massive influx of reports regarding the United Nations opposing the Avengers and pushing back against the "privatization of superheroes" flooded the screen.
Looking at the sudden wave of coordinated negative press, anyone else might have been baffled—but Peter knew exactly what was going on.
Leaning back into his pilot seat, a cold, sharp smirk tugged at the corner of his lips:
"Skrulls... you guys really did great, didn't you?"
"Here I was, working my butt off trying to find you a new homeworld, and you turn around and do this. You actually couldn't keep your hands clean and decided to pull your usual tricks on my turf!"
His voice wasn't loud, but both Sif and Mantis caught every word.
Sif walked over, glanced at the glowing communication screen, and raised an eyebrow: "Trouble back on Earth?"
"Trouble doesn't even cover it."
Peter slid the display panel toward Sif so she could see for herself.
Sif scanned the text, her expression shifting from relaxed amusement to sharp interest.
"These moves... they're clearly the work of those Skrulls you mentioned earlier, aren't they? They've certainly got some nerve."
"More than just nerve," Peter stood up, walking over to the viewport and staring out at the blue marble floating in the distance:
"They probably banked on me dying out in deep space and never making it back to deal with them!"
"Since they went through all that trouble... I guess I'll just have to deliver a massive welcome-back gift straight to their doorstep!"