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"What? What is this guy doing?"
Just as Star-Lord and the others were utterly confused, the Celestial Group member suddenly slammed the scepter in his hand heavily onto the ground.
The next second, a terrifying scene that sent shivers down Star-Lord and the others' spines appeared.
In the image, as the scepter struck the ground, an unstoppable purple energy wave swept out like a flood, instantly turning everything in its path—whether humans or buildings—into dust.
But what was truly chilling was that the purple energy seemed inexhaustible. Not only did it destroy the alien civilization on that Planet in a very short time, but it also annihilated all the plants and animals on the surface.
A once vibrant Planet was directly turned into a lifeless 'dead star' with a gentle smash of the scepter in the Celestial Group member's hand!
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing? Why is it more powerful than the strongest weapon I've ever researched?"
Rocket Raccoon, startled and his fur bristling, muttered softly to the side, completely losing his arrogant demeanor from earlier.
Star-Lord, meanwhile, said dumbfounded, "This thing is too dangerous, isn't it? I feel like I'm about to pee my pants…"
Taneleer Tivan was very satisfied with the shock and fear displayed by Star-Lord and the others.
The reason he went to the trouble of explaining was precisely for this scene.
This was one of his favorite sources of happiness!
However, when Taneleer Tivan subconsciously looked at Karl, who was sitting alone and drinking on the opposite side, he found that Karl's face still maintained that calm and collected expression, as if he hadn't been affected in the slightest.
Eh? That's not right, he has no reason to be so calm.
Was the angle of the image not ideal just now, and he didn't see the scene of the Planet being destroyed?
Unable to elicit the expected 'emotions' from Karl, Taneleer Tivan secretly adjusted the angle of the 3D projection to ensure that Karl could see the subsequent images clearly, and then continued:
"There was once a time when a mysterious organization in the Universe tried to collectively control the energy of one of the Infinity Gems through some kind of link, but as expected… they soon paid the price for their foolish idea, and were all ultimately destroyed by the energy of that Infinity Gem!"
As Taneleer Tivan explained, the image shifted, revealing several mysterious figures. They were connected to each other through some high-tech transmission device, and then one of them gripped a purple gem, shimmering with dangerous light, with his bare hands.
The attempt by those You-Know-Who initially seemed to go smoothly, but within a few seconds, surging purple energy directly incinerated all their bodies.
The image stopped there!
Star-Lord, Gamora, and the others' faces had already changed drastically from the previous image.
There was no way around it; whether it was that 'golden armored giant' or the mysterious organization that appeared later, they all seemed like extremely formidable characters.
But even such people were still unable to control the Infinity Gems.
The group couldn't help but secretly congratulate themselves in their hearts on how correct their decision was to bring the Cosmic Orb to The Collector instead of keeping it for themselves!
However, before Star-Lord and the others could ask, the Cosmic Orb on the instrument had already been successfully opened, and a purple light suddenly appeared.
"Wow, it's simply beautiful!!"
Upon seeing the Power Stone suspended in the center of the two halves of the Cosmic Orb, Taneleer Tivan was instantly overjoyed and wanted to reach out and touch it, but he was also afraid that he would explode, so he could only clench his fists with excitement and struggle.
"Oh my God, isn't that the purple stone that destroyed the Planet?"
Star-Lord trembled at the sight; the impression the Power Stone had left on him was simply too profound.
"Alright, White, nobody wants to watch you continue to perform here."
Rocket Raccoon stepped back warily, urging impatiently, "Since you want this thing, we've already brought it to you, so… hurry up and pay us!!"
"Of course, no problem."
Taneleer Tivan had always been very trustworthy. He immediately walked to the safe on the other side. "How would you like me to pay… cash or equivalent?"
"That goes without saying, cash settlement, of course."
Rocket Raccoon immediately put on the air of a seasoned veteran, "There are too many fakes these days. Besides cash, I don't trust anything else!"
While everyone's attention was drawn to Taneleer Tivan, only Karl's attention was focused on another person.
That was Carina, the red-skinned maid who had been standing behind Taneleer Tivan.
At this moment, she did not follow her Master to the safe on the other side to get the money. Instead, while no one was paying attention, she approached the Power Stone, which was suspended in mid-air, step by step, as if possessed, her gaze firm.
She seemed to have found hope of escaping her 'unscrupulous employer' in that dangerous purple light!
"Tsk tsk, even after witnessing the Power Stone's power with her own eyes, she still wants to make a last stand… the power of hatred truly drives people mad!"
Karl gently shook the wine glass in his hand. Deep within his dark and bright eyes, a crimson energy flickered, and a powerful force had silently enveloped the entire exhibition hall. "Next, the performance officially begins!"
"Carina!!"
At this moment, Taneleer Tivan, who was taking cash from the safe, suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly looked towards the Power Stone, just in time to see his maid approaching. His heart immediately tensed, and he loudly reprimanded:
"Damn it, you useless fool, don't go near that Power Stone!!"
However, this time, the normally timid and obedient little red-skinned maid seemed like a different person. She mustered her courage and angrily retorted with a face full of defiance:
"No, I don't want to be your slave anymore. Today… I'm going to die with you!!"
As her words fell, Carina resolutely gripped the Power Stone suspended in mid-air with her hand.
Even though she had just witnessed the terrifying consequences of 'mortals' directly touching the Infinity Gems in those 3D projections, her actions showed no hesitation whatsoever.
Boom boom boom—
Streams of violent purple energy turbulence flew from Carina's palm, which was tightly gripping the Power Stone, like missiles gone astray, indiscriminately bombarding every inch of the surrounding land.
And her body was rapidly disintegrating with each release of these energy pulses!
Taneleer Tivan was the first to be hit, struck by an oncoming stream of purple energy turbulence. However, in the moment of crisis, he used the fur coat he was wearing, which possessed super strong defensive capabilities, to block this fatal blow.
However, even so, the immense impact still nearly knocked him unconscious. He could only helplessly curl up into a ball on the ground, then use the fur coat to cover his entire body, thereby avoiding the disaster caused by the energy surge!
"Oh, damn it, Groot, quickly get me out of this hellhole."
Treant Groot, braving the surrounding explosions, grabbed Rocket Raccoon, who was lying on the ground with his head in his hands, not daring to get up. He used his body to shield Rocket from the surrounding flames and various fragments splashed by the explosions, and rushed out with big strides.
Star-Lord immediately pulled Gamora and scrambled behind a sturdy metal rock formation to hide.
Drax, who was positioned furthest back, ironically became the unluckiest of the group. Being slow to react, he didn't even understand what had happened until he was blasted away.
Fortunately, he was tough enough not to be instantly killed by the explosion!
Rumble—!!!
It was unclear if it was a few seconds or a few minutes, but with Carina's final agonizing scream before she was annihilated, a huge explosion instantly engulfed the entire exhibition hall.
The entire building shook violently with it.
Treant Groot and Rocket Raccoon, who had just escaped the building, were flung far away by the aftershock of the explosion, just like Drax.
"Oh my goodness, this place looks like it's been hit by a Planet destroyer…"
Once everything had calmed down, Star-Lord, who was almost scared to pee his pants, cautiously poked half his head out from behind the cover.
Looking at the chaotic wreckage in front of him, he swallowed with difficulty and complained to Gamora, who was equally stunned next to him:
"I really can't believe we were carrying such a dangerous thing across half the Universe before?"
Even the battle-hardened Gamora was somewhat shaken by the scene just now.
However, just as she was searching for the whereabouts of the Power Stone and wanted Star-Lord, who was buzzing like a fly, to shut up, her pupils suddenly contracted as if she had seen something.
About five meters from the center of the explosion, a handsome man in a gray plaid suit was leisurely sipping wine from his glass.
And within a two-meter radius centered on that man, there was no trace of the terrifying explosion, not even the floor had changed from its original state!
"This… how is this possible?"
Gamora was immediately stunned by this scene.
Even an elder of the Universe like Taneleer Tivan couldn't escape being affected and ended up in a sorry state, so how could that human, being so close to the center of the explosion, have survived unscathed?
Wait a minute, who did Tivan say he was again?
Just as Gamora was feeling bewildered, she saw the elegant man in the distance gently wave his hand towards a certain spot. Immediately, the Power Stone, emitting a purple light, and the two halves of the Cosmic Orb that had been separated earlier, slowly flew from the ruins to his front.
"Power Stone, don't worry, you'll soon be back in my hands…"
Feeling the 'familiar' energy pulse, undetectable by ordinary people, emanating from the Power Stone, Karl simply smiled. Then, he used a pair of invisible hands, materialized by his Psionic Energy, to seal the Power Stone back within the Cosmic Orb.
His bet with Taneleer Tivan was not over yet; the story had to continue.
So he once again used his Psionic Energy to send the re-locked Cosmic Orb to Gamora's front. "My beautiful lady, I believe you are looking for this, aren't you?"
"Ah?"
Gamora was stunned on the spot. Just now, when Karl found the Power Stone in the ruins, she had even prepared herself to fight him to reclaim it.
But who would have thought that he would simply return the Power Stone directly?
Damn it, this man, who has both good looks and morals, is a bit too charming, isn't he?!
"Thank… thank you, Mister!"
Gamora nodded to Karl somewhat sheepishly, then grabbed the Cosmic Orb suspended in mid-air, kicked Star-Lord, who was still completely bewildered and didn't know what was happening, and rushed out without looking back.
"Gamora, what just happened?"
Star-Lord asked with a face full of questions as he ran, "How did that Orb suddenly return to your hand when I was distracted for a moment?"
"Please, don't bother with those useless details, okay?"
Gamora didn't want to answer such a foolish question. Instead, she said with some self-reproach, "Damn it, God knows why I chose to trust that Tivan guy back then, thinking he had the ability to control the thing inside the Cosmic Orb."
"Ahhh…"
At this moment, a strange cry suddenly echoed from outside the door. Rocket Raccoon covered his face and shouted with an exaggerated expression:
"Gamora, why are you still holding that damn thing? Aren't you afraid it'll just blow us all to smithereens?"
"What else can we do?"
Star-Lord suddenly stepped forward, asking with a rather masculine air, "Are we supposed to abandon this treasure worth 4 billion in the ruins and ignore it?"
"Quill, you're a brainless idiot."
Rocket Raccoon took a step back, looking at Star-Lord with the gaze one would give an idiot, "Don't you understand what it means to earn money but not live to spend it?"
"I can't believe you put such a terrifying thing in your little satchel back then?"
"And you didn't tell us how dangerous this thing was beforehand… I really want to shoot you, you idiot!!"
"Enough," Gamora quickly stopped the two troublemakers who wanted to have a 1v1 'battle'. She scanned the figures gathering around them, and said quickly:
"Right now, we only have one option, which is to immediately hand over the Cosmic Orb to the Nova Corps for handling. I think… they might know how to control the Power Stone?!"