The Watcher

"We’ve finally reached the temple!" Alex’s face twisted as he looked at the enormous Floating Island before him, more than ten times larger than the one beneath his feet. "Let’s see which god it is that wants to capture us!" Alex had never forgotten that the temple had issued a Divine Decree to capture them.

Looking at the magnificent giant island before them, Emma could not help asking worriedly, "Could there really be gods here?" Such a vast island and such grand buildings seemed like they could only have been built by the gods of legend.

"God, my ass!" To Alex, so-called gods were merely powerful aliens with special abilities, like Thor and Loki. "Whoever it is, I’m beating him up today!"

Though he said that, Alex was secretly praying, Just don’t let it be some super expert like Thor. He might have blown apart a Pterodactyl-man’s head with one punch, but Alex knew his own strength well. He could bully savages, sure, but if he truly encountered an expert on Thor’s level, he would be finished in an instant.

They easily boarded the giant island. Seeing the buildings around them, unlike anything from any era on Earth, Alex became certain of his guess: the Floating Temple was actually an alien base, and the entire continent was very likely an alien experimental facility as well.

By convention, the more important something was, the closer it would be to the center. Alex did not linger and strode toward the heart of the giant island.

When Alex and Emma stepped onto the Floating Giant Island, a bald man who had once appeared in the Floating Temple suddenly stood up in a majestic palace on the moon, his face filled with astonishment. "They’re still alive?"

After standing there blankly for a long while, the bald man sighed and vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already inside the Floating Temple.

Not long after the bald man appeared, Alex and Emma arrived at the center of the giant island. A towering, magnificent structure stood before them. This was the true Floating Temple.

Just as they approached the Floating Temple, a short bald man suddenly appeared before them, deep helplessness written across his rough face.

The bald man suddenly sighed and made one final attempt. In a low voice, he said, "You cannot leave this place."

Alex was startled. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the bald man with full vigilance. "Who are you?"

"I am The Watcher Otu." Otu’s expression did not change as he repeated, "You cannot leave this place."

Although the short bald man before him did not seem threatening, Alex did not let down his guard and kept his distance. "You’re the god they were talking about? You issued the Divine Decree to capture us?"

Otu did not answer. He merely repeated tirelessly, "You cannot leave this place!"

"You idiot!" Alex cursed under his breath, then suddenly rushed forward and punched at Otu’s shiny bald head. To Alex’s surprise, Otu neither dodged nor blocked, as though he intended to take the punch head-on.

Alex snorted and put even more strength into his fist. He had no intention of holding back.

With a bang, his fist struck Otu’s head. There was no skull shattering beneath his punch, nor was there any splattering brain matter. In reality, Otu’s head did not even move.

Alex stared at his fist in astonishment. The sensation had been completely real, without the slightest illusion, and he had used enough force. The only explanation was that this so-called Watcher Otu’s strength had utterly surpassed Alex’s imagination.

Thinking of this, Alex quickly withdrew his fist and retreated several steps, taking the chance to shield Emma behind him. He looked at Otu in fear. "Who exactly are you? What do you want?"

"I am The Watcher Otu. I exist solely to record major events in the universe, especially the occurrence of great events. Earth is my primary responsibility." Otu neither attacked nor grew angry, continuing expressionlessly, "I simply do not wish for you to leave this place."

"Why?" Alex looked at Otu strangely. He felt there was something wrong with this bald man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Otu looked at Alex, remained silent for a long while, then said, "You do not belong to this world. Your appearance will cause unpredictable changes on Earth, so you must remain here forever."

Alex’s heart shook violently. He stared at Otu in terror. This was his greatest secret; even Steve and Bucky did not know it. How had this bald man found out?

As if he had seen Alex’s confusion, Otu explained, "I have been observing you ever since you appeared. Your appearance has made the entire universe chaotic and unpredictable. Because of this, I visited many Elders of the Universe, yet no one knew what kind of being you were. Your entire existence is shrouded in chaos and uncertainty. To the whole universe, you are a tremendous threat."

"To preserve the peace of the universe, I even violated the laws of the Watchers and intervened, sending you here, to the Savage Land." Otu’s expression finally changed, carrying both helplessness and bewilderment. "But you found a way out, so I had no choice but to issue the Divine Decree and try to stop you through the savages."

"So we escaped, and even found that little island!" Alex instantly understood. He glared at Otu. "To stop us, you actually altered the island’s gravity and tried to kill us!"

"Yes, I betrayed the laws of the Watchers." Otu sighed, his expression somewhat despondent. "Yet even so, you survived and absorbed fragments of the Tree of Life Stone."

Alex’s gaze toward Otu grew increasingly displeased. Hearing that, he sneered and said smugly, "That’s right. Disaster turned into a blessing for us, and we even gained extraordinary power."

"I have already betrayed the laws of the Watchers. I cannot betray them again, so I cannot take action against you anymore." Otu looked bitter. After staring at Alex for a long time, he said earnestly, "But I hope you can remain here forever, for the peace of the universe."

"Why should I?" Alex arrogantly raised his head and looked down at Otu. "My appearance may indeed have affected the universe, but imprisoning me cannot change the universe’s chaos, because the universe itself is chaos!"

Without waiting for Otu to speak, Alex continued, "The universe is chaotic, and I am chaotic too. But I have consciousness. I cannot change the universe’s chaotic state, but I can guide it toward positive development." Alex felt somewhat fortunate. Although his Teleportation ability had disappeared, his powerful memory remained. The theories he had merely glanced over in his previous life could still be used to bluff someone now.

Unfortunately, Otu was not so easy to fool.

"What you say may make sense, but just in case, I hope…"

"You’re just too damn stubborn!" Seeing that his attempt at bluffing had failed, Alex impatiently interrupted Otu. "What if we insist on leaving?"

Otu looked at Alex with a troubled expression and tried to persuade him again. "For the peace of the universe, I hope you can…"

"Enough nonsense!" Alex interrupted Otu again, grabbed Emma’s hand, and walked straight past him toward the inside of the temple without hesitation. "If you want to fight, then do it now!"

Even after Alex entered the temple, Otu did not make a move.

Once he realized he was still completely unharmed, Alex could not help patting his chest and letting out a long breath. Good thing he’s so damn stubborn!