Nova Empire

"Have you made up your mind?" Seeing Alex and Lilandra arrive together, Danger Bird rose to her feet. A faint smile played across her lovely face, as though she had known all along that Alex would come.

Alex had nothing but contempt for Danger Bird’s baseless confidence. Rolling his eyes, he asked, "What do you want me to do?" Taking on two major space empires alone was nothing more than a fool’s dream. At least, Alex knew he did not yet possess that kind of strength. Therefore, he was certain that Danger Bird had another plan, and that he was merely a crucial chess piece she intended to play.

"Have you made your decision?" Danger Bird did not answer Alex. Instead, she repeated her earlier question, her expression turning grave. "Once you decide, there will be no turning back!"

Alex chuckled and nodded. "Seeing how confident you are, I have no reason to refuse." Indeed, Alex had neither reason nor the means to refuse.

"The universe is vast and boundless. It has nurtured countless forms of life and given rise to many powerful empires." Danger Bird slowly walked toward the balcony in the corner of the hall. Alex and Lilandra exchanged a glance before following her.

The towering balcony overlooked the entire land. Countless buildings dotted the vast plains, while the dense crowds below resembled swarms of ants. Alex’s eyesight was exceptional, allowing him to clearly see every person’s face. These people looked much like Lilandra. They were all Shi’ar natives, with few possessing wings like Danger Bird.

"The Skrull Empire was born in the Andromeda Galaxy, while the Kree Empire lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud." Danger Bird glanced at Alex as he looked around, the corners of her lips lifting in a light smile. "But in the region of Andromeda closest to the Milky Way, another space empire was born as well: the Nova Empire!"

Alex shuddered as Guardians of the Galaxy suddenly came to mind, and he blurted out, "The Nova Corps?!" The most famous part of the film had been the Guardians of the Galaxy led by Star-Lord, but the scene at the end, where the Nova Corps used their ships to hold back Kingo Ronan’s vessel, had been just as iconic.

Back then, Alex had specifically looked into them. Otherwise, he truly would not have known.

Thinking of Guardians of the Galaxy, Alex suddenly realized that the universe he was currently in seemed to have some connection to that film. That Kingo Ronan from the movie appeared to belong to the Kree Empire, exactly as Lilandra had described.

I wonder where Star-Lord is now. And Rocket Raccoon and Groot? Alex suddenly smiled as he thought of them. That goofy trio had left quite an impression.

Seeing Alex suddenly smile, both Danger Bird and Lilandra looked baffled and spoke at the same time.

"You know about the Nova Corps?" That was Danger Bird’s question. According to what Alex had said before, he knew nothing of the world beyond Earth. He should not have known about the Nova Corps.

"What are you smiling about, Alex?" Compared to the serious Danger Bird, Lilandra was much more casual, and so was her question.

Alex knew he might have given himself away. Pointing at Lilandra, he said, "Lilandra told me." After answering Danger Bird’s question, he secretly winked at Lilandra and sent her a Mind Telepathy message, I’ll tell you later!

Danger Bird gave Lilandra a surprised glance but did not dwell on the matter. She continued, "The war between the Kree and the Skrull will inevitably affect the Nova Empire. That is why we secretly contacted the Nova Empire from the very beginning."

"Did something go wrong?" Alex immediately picked up on the issue. If the Nova Empire was involved, whether they had one more Alex or one less Alex should not have made much difference.

Danger Bird gave Alex an approving look and nodded. "The Nova Empire has changed its mind. They have chosen to stay out of it and no longer wish to intervene." Anger flashed across her face as she cursed indignantly, "What a bunch of idiots!"

"So you want me to…" Alex vaguely understood Danger Bird’s intentions. He stared at her in disbelief.

"Yes. I want you to persuade the Nova Empire." As though she had not seen the anger in Alex’s eyes, Danger Bird turned around and looked into the distance as she spoke calmly. "Not everyone in the Nova Empire is an idiot. The Nova Corps has always advocated stopping the war, but they need a powerful leader. You are the most suitable candidate."

Alex looked at Danger Bird with disdain and said resentfully, "I’ve realized that you really are insidious. Why should they be the ones to do something like this?" Alex was no saint; he simply felt that what Danger Bird was doing was utterly unfair.

"The war between the Kree and the Skrull will have a major impact on the Shi’ar, but it will affect the Nova Empire even more." Danger Bird shrugged, unconcerned by Alex’s sarcasm. "We can ignore it. At worst, we will suffer serious losses, but we can recover with time. They cannot. One careless misstep could bring about the destruction of their entire race!"

Alex had initially found that hard to accept, but then he thought of the Nova Empire’s location. It lay between Andromeda and the Milky Way, and also directly between the Large Magellanic Cloud and Andromeda. Once the war began, it would inevitably spread there. They would have nowhere to hide!

"Fine, you’re right!" Alex raised a hand and helplessly acknowledged Danger Bird’s reasoning before asking, "But how is an Earthling like me supposed to become the leader of the Nova Corps? That position can’t be easy to take, can it?"

"I will send you to Xandar, where the Nova Corps is stationed. As for what happens next, that will be up to you!"

Alex stared at Danger Bird’s utterly matter-of-fact expression in stunned disbelief. "What did you say? It’s up to me?!"

"The Nova Corps is controlled by the living computer Worldmind. We cannot influence its decisions, so you will have to find a way yourself to earn its approval and become the leader of the Nova Corps." Danger Bird turned away, refusing to look at Alex as she continued speaking. "Fortunately, there are still several years before the war begins. If you make good use of the time, that will be enough."

"Several years?!"

"Perhaps even longer. More than ten years!"

Alex immediately threw in the towel, glaring viciously at Danger Bird. "I’m not doing it!" Alex had thought the war would begin soon, but he had never expected to wait several years. How could that possibly work?!

"Then prepare to stay here forever!" Danger Bird turned around unhurriedly, looking Alex up and down with a faint smile. "Even if I let you leave, you can forget about returning to Earth for the rest of your life!"

Thinking of that unimaginable distance—millions of light-years—Alex’s face went completely pale. Without intergalactic teleportation technology, he would never return to Earth in this lifetime!

"Fine, I’ll do it!"

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