Countermeasures

Although he had fortunately fused with the Black Hole and his strength had surged once again, Alex knew full well that he was still far from being Thanos’s match. What was more, Thanos had the Soul Stone in his possession. If they truly fought, Alex’s chances of winning were minuscule.

In the enormous conference room, everyone stared at Alex in shock. Warlord and Sawa’s expressions were especially striking. Sawa had never seen Alex so powerful before, while Warlord was truly stunned by the Thanos Alex described as "millions of times stronger than me."

Everyone present knew that Thanos was powerful—terrifyingly so—but almost no one had actually witnessed his strength. With Alex’s words, coupled with the aura he was currently giving off, everyone finally gained a comprehensive understanding of just how powerful Thanos was. For a moment, they all fell silent, worry growing in their hearts.

Adora’s sharp gaze swept across the room. She was pleased to see everyone’s change in attitude. After coughing lightly to draw their attention, she slowly said, "We absolutely cannot take Thanos’s threat lightly. What are your thoughts?"

Before this, the same words would only have earned evasive nonsense from the crowd. But now, everyone looked solemn as they began discussing the matter seriously, not daring to be even slightly perfunctory.

Alex glanced around without saying anything. Ignoring everyone else, he walked straight to a chair in the corner and sat down.

Adora glanced at Alex but paid it no mind, continuing the discussion with the others. After hesitating for a while, Warlord gave a few instructions to someone beside him, then turned and walked over to Alex.

Given the strength Alex had displayed, Warlord was no longer worried about what consequences Alex’s exposed identity might bring. He openly walked over and sat beside him.

"What happened over these years?" Warlord sensed several gazes falling on him, but he did not care. He glanced at Alex and took the initiative to ask, a trace of confusion and curiosity on his rugged face.

The corners of Alex’s mouth lifted slightly. He drew in a breath, then smiled and briefly recounted everything that had happened over the past year. After spending several years together, Alex trusted Warlord deeply.

After hearing Alex out, Warlord nodded with a sigh. Then, looking frustrated, he explained, "Ever since that battle, Thanos has become elusive, like he’s waging guerrilla warfare, constantly causing destruction in nearby star systems. All these years, we haven’t been able to do anything about him."

Alex nodded repeatedly as he listened, his eyes constantly shifting as though he were thinking about something. But when he heard Warlord’s final sentence, he froze, staring at him in shock, disbelief and fear in his eyes. "All these years?"

"By Earth’s reckoning, nearly twenty years have passed since the last battle between the Nova Corps and Thanos." Seeing Alex’s alarmed expression, Warlord immediately understood what he was thinking. He gave a bitter smile and did not deliberately conceal it.

"Twenty years?!" Alex shot up from his chair, unconsciously repeating the words. Then, as though his body had lost all support, he collapsed weakly back into the chair, his face full of anguish. "Why? Why did this happen?!"

Alex immediately thought of the period when he had been swallowed by the Black Hole and fused with it. To Alex, it had seemed like only a brief moment, but on the full timeline, even one second passing for a year was entirely possible!

The more he thought about it, the more agonized Alex became. Amid that pain, his hatred for Thanos surged to an unprecedented height. Alex placed all the blame on Thanos. If not for Thanos, he believed he would have returned to Earth long ago!

As Alex’s boundless hatred for Thanos grew, the aura around him continued to rise as well. An overwhelming pressure unconsciously burst forth, making it difficult for everyone present to breathe. Even Warlord could only struggle to hold on.

"Alex, wake up!" Noticing Alex’s abnormal state, Warlord hurriedly shouted. He truly feared that if Alex continued erupting like this, someone present would be unable to endure it and simply drop dead. That would be troublesome.

Warlord’s shout came just in time. Alex instantly snapped awake. Noticing the changes around him, he quickly withdrew his aura, as though nothing had happened.

Ignoring everyone’s horrified stares, Alex swept his cold gaze across the room before finally fixing it on Adora. He asked in an icy voice, "How is your discussion going?" His voice was calm, but the urgency within it was obvious.

With Alex’s current strength, it was still impossible for him to return directly to Earth. He had to rely on the various empires’ Stargates or seek Adam’s help. But Adam’s soul was now in Thanos’s hands, and given the current circumstances and needs of the empires, they likely would not agree to let Alex leave. Therefore, Alex could only resolve Thanos’s threat as quickly as possible.

Everyone was stunned by his words and turned to look at Adora.

Adora hesitated for a moment, answering a question with another question. "Alex, what do you have in mind?" In truth, before Alex appeared, the alliance’s only plan had been to drive Thanos out of their own star systems as much as possible. After all, even if the empires joined forces, they could not threaten Thanos.

Alex spoke bluntly. "Put all of the Nova Force under my command. I’ll deal with Thanos!" To eliminate Thanos’s threat as quickly as possible, Alex decided to take a desperate gamble. After learning that he had inexplicably lost more than twenty years, Alex could no longer worry about anything else. He only wanted to return to Earth as soon as possible.

The Nova Corps’ immense influence today rested entirely on the Nova Force. As a former member of the Nova Corps who had even risen to become a Three-Star Centurion, Alex knew just how powerful the Nova Force was. If he could receive the support of all the Nova Force, he was seventy percent confident he could defeat Thanos.

However, Alex would have to take an enormous risk. The Nova Force was simply too vast. If it were all concentrated in one person, whether he could control it was secondary—the key question was whether Alex’s body could withstand it. If things went badly, Alex might end up like when he became a Three-Star Centurion, nearly exploding to death.

After hearing Alex’s words, everyone in the room froze. Then they turned to Adora, their faces filled with eagerness. To them, if Alex’s plan succeeded, everyone would be happy. Even if it failed, they would suffer no losses. They were more than willing to support Alex.

But Adora hesitated. The Nova Corps was the key to Xandar’s dominance in the universe. Without the Nova Force, the Nova Corps might be weaker than even space pirates. Thus, Adora had no choice but to be cautious.

Seeing that Adora had not responded for a long time, Alex grew anxious. After thinking for a moment, he changed his approach. "How about this? Worldmind will remain under your control, and you can allocate all the Nova Force to me." As Xandar’s queen, Adora held supreme authority over the entire Nova Corps and absolute control over Worldmind, the super-living computer.

"Alright!" Hearing Alex put it that way, Adora no longer hesitated and immediately nodded in agreement.

A new start in September. Scorpion has resumed updates and will work hard to earn full attendance!