Return

Alex reined in the immense Black Hole gravity within him, flexed his body slightly, and carefully sensed his surroundings for a moment before vanishing from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already back on Xandar. Alex did not deliberately conceal his aura; he even intentionally let some of it leak out. Thus, the moment he appeared on Xandar, he immediately drew the attention of many people.

"Is that… Alex?" Two voices rang out simultaneously within Nova Corps headquarters. They belonged to Adora and Warlord. Their appearances and bearing were completely different, yet the expressions on their faces were nearly identical at that moment, filled with confusion and shock.

With the United Cosmic Council doing nothing, the Shi’ar Empire, Nova Empire, and others located in regions where Thanos had been active were the first to join forces. They had also begun secretly preparing for a campaign against Thanos. To that end, Danger Bird had specifically sent Warlord, Captain of the Imperial Guard, along with more than half of the Imperial Guard.

Warlord and Adora unconsciously exchanged glances upon hearing each other’s voices, their expressions turning somewhat strange.

Just as the two were lost in different thoughts, a man suddenly emerged out of thin air in the silent room. He stood tall and handsome, with a faint smile in his eyes. It was none other than Alex!

Alex smiled as he swept his gaze across the room, then took the initiative to greet Warlord and Adora. "Everyone, I’m back!" Alex’s Psionic Power was no longer what it had once been. With a single thought, he could envelop the entirety of Xandar in his Psionic Power. Finding Warlord, Adora, and the others was effortless.

Warlord and Adora looked at each other, both deeply shaken. The aura Alex displayed was simply unbelievable. Warlord in particular, who knew Alex’s background so well, had never expected that Alex would improve so drastically in just one year.

As Alex looked at the stunned pair and prepared to tease them, a figure suddenly rushed out from the corner and threw herself straight into his arms, interrupting the words that had yet to leave his mouth.

Before Alex could react, a woman’s tearful voice sounded from his embrace. "Alex, you’re alive?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Alex immediately knew who it was: Sawa, princess of the Nova Empire. Looking down, he saw Sawa gazing pitifully at him through a face streaked with tears, like a rain-soaked kitten that inspired tenderness.

Alex gently wiped the tears from Sawa’s face and softly comforted her for a few moments. Then he gently released her and turned to Warlord and Adora, asking solemnly, "Do you know where Adam is now?"

In his previous life, Alex had not even had a girlfriend. Yet in this life, perhaps due to the romantic fortune he had accumulated over several lifetimes, women kept appearing around him. It made Alex feel enormous pressure; his romantic luck was practically becoming a romantic calamity. With Emma and the other women, Alex already felt content and did not wish to provoke any more romantic entanglements. He was grateful to Sawa, but that was all. He could only apologize.

Sawa, however, had no idea what Alex was thinking. Seeing him attend to serious matters as soon as he returned, a trace of indignation flashed through her misty eyes before swiftly transforming into a beautiful smile. As expected of the man Sawa chose. His sense of responsibility is so strong!

Naturally, Alex did not know what Sawa was thinking. After hearing Adora’s answer, he cupped his hands in thanks, then vanished from the spot with a flicker of his body.

Warlord and Adora exchanged another glance. Their eyes flashed, but neither pursued the matter of Alex any further. They continued gathering the others to discuss Thanos. Secretly, however, both closely monitored Alex’s movements.

Alex fled Nova headquarters as though escaping, appearing directly where Adam lay unconscious.

Ever since Alex had snatched Adam away from Thanos, Adam had remained unconscious. His condition could not be determined, so to be safe, Adora had specifically arranged for Adam to be kept in a heavily guarded top-secret location. This was partly to prevent Thanos from finding him and partly to prevent Adam from harming anyone should he awaken.

Avoiding the many guards, Alex easily infiltrated the place where Adam lay unconscious.

Alex examined Adam from head to toe for a long while, his brow tightening more and more. After some time, he stared deeply at Adam’s still-closed eyes. His expression turned bitter, with a trace of helplessness. After a moment of silence, it finally became a long, sorrowful sigh.

Adam’s condition far exceeded Alex’s expectations. Even with Alex’s current Psionic Power, he could not awaken Adam. That was because Adam’s body lacked something—Adam’s soul. Without a soul, even Psionic Power that reached the heavens would be useless.

"Looks like I can only find Thanos!" Alex looked back at Adam one last time, already forming a plan in his heart.

With that thought, Alex flashed away and returned to Nova headquarters once more.

The anxious Warlord and Adora immediately abandoned the others and surrounded Alex the moment they saw him appear. "Alex, how is it?"

"It’s troublesome." Alex frowned at their question, knowing what they meant. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head with a bitter expression and explained, "Only by defeating Thanos can Adam possibly awaken." He did not elaborate on the specifics, merely gave them a brief explanation of the consequences.

Before Warlord and Adora could speak again, Alex took the initiative to ask, "By the way, how have your discussions gone?" Defeating Thanos was absolutely impossible with Alex’s strength alone, so he had to gather as many helpers as possible. Of course, those helpers could not be too weak.

Hearing Alex’s question, Warlord and Adora exchanged glances again, their expressions becoming slightly awkward. Even after setting aside the United Cosmic Council and making the situation simpler and clearer, the alliance led by the Nova Empire still could not devise a perfect solution. Every empire had its own calculations and did not want to expend too much of its own strength.

Alex swept his gaze over Warlord and Adora, already understanding everything. He snorted coldly and warned them, "You all know Thanos’s strength. If you keep arguing like this, not one of you will escape!" Thanos’s might was beyond doubt. Now that he had also obtained an Infinity Stone capable of controlling souls, he would only become even more terrifying!

As he spoke, Alex released all of his aura. The immense force pressed down on everyone present until they could barely breathe, and each of them looked at Alex in terror.

Alex remained unmoved, gradually increasing his aura while continuing, "Thanos is millions of times stronger than I am now!"