Allen Meets a Fellow Earthling

"Purple Yam, don’t go."

In full view of everyone, Allen hugged Thanos’s leg and lay flat on the ground, letting himself be dragged along as he chattered shamelessly, "Please join the Guardians of the Galaxy. Let’s conquer the stars and the sea together."

And who was Thanos?

Naturally, he was the future Thanos.

At present, Thanos was still in his teenage years. He had likely been expelled from Titan and accidentally drifted to Knowhere.

Following Yondu’s suggestion, Allen had been recruiting idle bounty hunters near the tavern.

And Thanos had the misfortune of catching Allen’s eye.

"Find someone else. I’m not interested," Thanos said irritably.

"Oh, don’t be like that. Wouldn’t it be great if we played together happily?"

Allen pressed his face against Thanos’s boot and seduced him shamelessly. "Purple Yam, how about I take you to find the Infinity Gems? We can carry out population control together."

Thanos stopped walking, fury practically spilling from his eyes. "If you want to recruit me, you must defeat me first."

"Damn it, why the hell didn’t you say so earlier?"

Allen instantly dropped his shameless act, sprang to his feet, and assumed a fighting stance. He said solemnly, "Wing Chun, Ip Man."

"…"

Thanos raised his fist and slammed it toward him, shouting, "Get lost!"

Bang!

Allen countered with a punch.

Crack…

Aah!!!

Big fist met small fist. After a single exchange, Thanos clutched his hand in agony.

"Let me introduce myself. I’m the most flamboyant man in the entire galaxy, Allen, Captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Welcome aboard," Allen said with dancing brows.

The current Thanos had yet to become the middle-aged, thickset Thanos. He was still tall and lean, though there was nothing delicate about his features. The only thing particularly striking was his purple skin.

Of course, the Eternals settled on Titan had no other purple-skinned members. Clearly, he was a freak who had inherited Deviant genes.

Thus, having grown up amid rejection, Thanos had become withdrawn and preferred conducting research alone.

When he proposed that Titan’s resources were about to run dry and had to be distributed fairly to weather the coming crisis—

Thanos’s proposal had infringed upon the interests of those in power, resulting in his exile.

"I’ll join you, but don’t call me Purple Yam."

Thanos rose while clutching his right hand and said very seriously, "Please call me Thanos."

"Got it, Thanos."

"…"

At that moment, Yondu approached with a hulking man.

Thanos stood two meters tall, while this man was at least two meters thirty. Slightly gray skin wrapped around massive muscles.

"Boss, Uxas is looking for a team. I think he’s excellent, so I brought him over," Yondu said, introducing the giant beside him.

Allen’s eyes widened in shock, and even his nostrils flared.

Uxas—the future ruler of Apokolips, and the infamous supervillain Darkseid.

Allen had shamelessly pestered Thanos into joining because Hela had casually revealed a tiny bit of information.

But Darkseid had never even entered Allen’s consideration.

"Captain, I’m a bounty hunter from a remote star system. I hope to earn enough Energy Credits to buy a large water purification system for my hometown," Uxas said sincerely.

Uncle Darkseid, stop pretending.

The Parademons of Apokolips didn’t need water.

"Welcome aboard. Let me introduce you—this is Purple Yam Thanos, the teammate I just recruited."

Allen could not possibly expose him to his face. That would ruin all the fun.

As for why Darkseid had ended up here, there had to be some reason.

Most likely, it was some melodramatic plot where he had failed in a power struggle and been exiled into space.

Thanos and Darkseid looked at one another, as though mighty beings recognized kindred spirits.

For a moment, neither spoke. They communicated only through their eyes.

"Damn… I think I can see their Dharma Heaven Manifestations clashing across time and space."

In Allen’s eyes, it was as though Thanos, wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, and Darkseid, wielding the Omega Effect, had made peace with a handshake.

"Hello, Thanos."

"Hello, Uxas."

The two smiled at one another and officially joined Allen’s team.

Only now did Allen finally realize just how powerful the teammates Hela had mentioned were.

If Thanos and Darkseid at their peaks attacked Asgard together, how could All-Father Odin refuse to hand someone over?

Allen rolled up his sleeves, glanced at a watch that did not exist, and suggested, "Let’s all have a drink to celebrate the Guardians of the Galaxy being established for two hours."

Since it was the captain’s suggestion, everyone naturally agreed.

The moment they entered the tavern, the air reeked of alcohol and smoke. Numerous bounty hunters looked at the four of them and the Butcher Knife with unfriendly expressions.

However, seeing Norsus and Uxas’s height, they immediately looked away and stopped provoking them.

Knowhere valued rules. Private brawls were allowed, but weapons were forbidden, or one would violate the rules set by the Collector.

Allen’s gaze constantly swept across the room, as though he were looking for someone.

A Harley-Davidson motorcycle was parked outside the tavern entrance, which was quite thought-provoking.

More than six hundred years ago, Earth was still in ancient times. The First Industrial Revolution had not even begun, so how could a Harley-Davidson motorcycle possibly exist?

In the end, Allen’s gaze settled on a burly, bearded, unkempt man occupying a table by himself in the corner.

Frank!?

The burly man wore a black short-sleeved shirt with a white skull emblem printed on the chest. There was no doubt that he was the Punisher, a mortal who stood shoulder to shoulder with gods.

But how had the Punisher appeared here?

The timeline did not match.

Moreover, after thinking back, Allen was shocked to realize that there was no trace of Frank the Punisher in the future timeline.

"Mind if we share a table?"

"Suit yourself."

Facing Allen’s question, Frank slightly raised his head and gave him a glance. He drained the liquor in his cup, preparing to get up and leave.

"Frank Castle?" Allen asked tentatively.

The Punisher’s hand, which had been reaching for his coat, stopped. He shot Allen a wary, icy look and brushed him off. "I’m on vacation. I’m not taking bounty jobs."

"Fellow Earthling, I’m from Earth too."

Allen stated bluntly, "The skull on your chest is the Punisher’s symbol, and that Harley-Davidson motorcycle outside has to be yours."

Frank shook his head faintly. "I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My nickname is Cosmic Ghost Rider."

"…"

This time, Allen was utterly dumbfounded.

Come to think of it, the Punisher really did not ride a motorcycle.

That meant the Punisher and Ghost Rider’s roles had overlapped.

Thinking carefully about the original timeline, Ghost Rider did not seem to exist either.

"Did you come from the multiverse?" Allen asked tentatively.

In an instant, killing intent flashed through Frank’s eyes.

Allen had guessed correctly. He truly came from another universe. When his universe was on the verge of destruction, he had narrowly escaped into this one and had lived as an interstellar drifter ever since.

"Don’t be nervous. This world doesn’t just have the multiverse; it also has multidimensional realms. It’s nothing worth showing off," Allen said nonchalantly.

After all, Allen had seen far greater things. He did not care where Frank came from; all he wanted was to recruit him.