Mindless

Amid the boundless sea of stars, a gigantic cocoon drifted slowly along with the omnipresent cosmic storms, emitting a faint golden glow. As time passed, the golden light on the cocoon grew ever brighter, dazzling as the sun.

At the center of the cocoon, dozens of Centurions surrounded the unconscious Alex. The energy constantly leaking from Alex’s body battered their increasingly exhausted forms.

Seeing no sign of improvement in Alex, someone could not help but shout hoarsely, "At this rate, we won’t be able to hold on!"

"Keep holding!" Alex’s sudden rampage had exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even the well-informed Director was somewhat flustered. If the super life computer, Worldmind, had not insisted on it, he would likely have chosen to give up without hesitation.

Though he rebuked them aloud, the Director secretly contacted Worldmind again. His emotions grew more anxious, and his tone became increasingly irritable. "What’s going on? Will this work or not?!"

"The energy in his body is beyond imagination." As though it had not heard the Director’s complaints, Worldmind remained silent for a long while before speaking in amazement. "Better to channel it than block it. Such vast energy must be released somehow, or it will explode sooner or later!"

Hearing Worldmind mutter, the Director could not help rolling his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again, nearly roaring, "What do we do? Just say it!"

"Battle. Battle is the best way to release energy!" This time, Worldmind answered quickly. The moment the Director finished speaking, its voice rang out, sounding even more anxious than his.

The Director froze briefly, then his eyes lit up and his expression brightened. "That’s easy!"

Without waiting for Worldmind’s response, the Director cut off contact with it and instead linked to the entire Nova Corps, issuing his orders.

Within minutes, the gigantic cocoon drifting in the wind began to move. Like a rolling ball of ants, it advanced through the brilliant starry river with a clear destination.

Even huddled together, the Nova Corps moved extremely quickly. After crossing two small star systems in succession, the Nova Corps finally slowed to a stop.

"Where is this?" Looking at the unfamiliar starry sky around them, every Nova showed a hint of confusion, save for a few who knew the truth.

This was a vast expanse of space, dotted with more than a dozen planets of varying sizes. Yet without exception, they were all like a Dead Zone, devoid of even the faintest trace of life, with a subtle air of gloom lingering over them.

The Director was naturally among those who knew. Clearing his throat, he shifted the formation and moved Alex out from the center of the sphere as he explained what had happened. This region of space lay on the fringes of the Nova Empire. It was not particularly prosperous, and was even somewhat desolate. Still, quite a few "people" had stubbornly lived here, not wealthy, but peaceful. Not long ago, however, all of those "people" had been killed. This region of space had become a Dead Zone, and it was even continuing to spread outward.

The Nova Corps had sent more than a dozen teams to investigate, but every one of them had vanished without a trace. Only a few scattered images had been transmitted back to Xandar. Within those fragmented images, one particular figure had shocked—even terrified—the Nova Corps leadership.

It was precisely because of that figure that the entire Nova Corps had mobilized!

The Director’s gaze swept over the Centurions around him. His expression was exceptionally grave. After hesitating for a while, he slowly said, "…That person is called Adam. Warlock Adam!"

"Adam?" Most of them had never heard that name before and looked at one another in astonishment.

While most wore utterly confused expressions, five or six people’s faces twisted in horror, their widened eyes filled with terror. "Adam?! How could it be him?!" Anyone who knew Adam’s name knew what he had done in the past. How could he possibly commit such a heinous act?

The Director naturally heard their shock. With a bitter smile, he shook his head and explained, "From what I’ve observed, Adam should be under someone’s control!" When they first discovered that the "murderer" was Adam, few people had believed it either. Yet the images clearly told everyone that Adam was the one harming people.

"Could it be Thanos?!" Hearing the Director’s words, someone immediately cried out. The battle between Thanos and Adam back then had had an enormous impact and was still remembered by many. The names Adam and Thanos had always been intertwined. Thinking of Adam immediately brought Thanos to mind, and thinking of Thanos made people think first of Adam.

The Director’s expression darkened further. He nodded almost imperceptibly. "That’s possible." Taking a slow breath, he changed the subject and continued, "Forget Thanos for now. Stop Adam first!" Adam had never ceased his actions, and the shadow of death was constantly expanding. They had to contain it as soon as possible.

As he spoke, the Director deliberately glanced at Alex, his eyes full of concern and faint expectation. Even if the entire Nova Corps joined the battle against Adam, the Director had no confidence at all. But at this moment, Alex was a wild card in his eyes—a wild card that might change the course of the battle.

Just as he was thinking that, the Director suddenly shuddered and immediately warned, "Watch out…"

Before the Director could finish his sentence, the once-tranquil universe abruptly began to churn. Like boiling water, countless bubbles emerged from the dark void, suddenly appearing amid the Nova Corps.

Caught off guard, many Novas were swallowed directly by the bubbles. Before they could even let out a scream, they vanished completely.

"Th-this…" The sudden scene stunned everyone. They stared wide-eyed at their surroundings while desperately dodging bubbles that could emerge anywhere at any time.

When the bubbles dispersed and the pitch-black universe returned to calm, the enormous Nova Corps had lost its initial momentum, and fewer than half its original number remained!

Faced with such devastating casualties, no one could remain calm. Even the Director showed signs of losing control, ready to seek out Adam and fight him to the death.

"Don’t worry. They aren’t dead. They should have been teleported somewhere special!" Worldmind’s voice came through just in time, stopping the Director. "Adam should have a way to bring them back!"

Hearing Worldmind’s words, the enraged Director immediately calmed down. Turning to look at Alex, who had become ever more violent after losing his "protection," he sneered and immediately ordered the entire Nova Corps to retreat far back, leaving the battlefield to the two mindless men.

As the Nova Corps fully retreated, Alex, having completely lost control, began to pour out the energy within his body wildly. The universe, which had only just calmed down, began to churn again, even stirring up a massive cosmic storm.

Amid the ceaseless ravaging of the cosmic storm, a figure slowly emerged. It was none other than Warlock Adam. What was surprising, however, was that Warlock Adam’s eyes were vacant, as though he truly were being controlled.

Here’s the first update. I’ll keep working on the second!

P.S. It’s been so long since I last wrote that my typing speed has dropped sharply!