Winds of Change

"Alex, what are you thinking about?!" Sawa pouted angrily, glaring at Alex across from her. She had been holding up her wineglass for ages, yet Alex had not reacted at all.

Alex snapped out of his memories, looked up at Sawa, and gave an awkward laugh. He hurriedly raised his glass and clinked it against hers before tilting his head back and draining it. Only then did he explain, "Nothing. I just thought of something from before."

Sawa froze for a moment, then cried out in surprise, "Alex, you remembered your past?" Her delighted voice was filled with surprise, but also faint worry and reluctance.

She had known Alex for barely half a year, and he had been unconscious for the first three months. Yet Sawa had already fallen deeply for him, without any reason she could understand herself. That was precisely why she did not want Alex to remember his past. If he did, then she would merely be one-sixtieth of his more than thirty years of life.

Alex could clearly sense the worry in Sawa’s eyes. He chuckled, shook his head, and said, "I told you already, my amnesia can’t be cured." As he spoke, Alex could not help laughing again. After a long while, he finally explained, "The only extra thing I remembered was from two months ago."

Sawa patted her chest and glared at Alex unhappily. "You just love scaring me!"

While Alex and Sawa laughed and chatted, at the Imperial Capital on Throne Star of the Shi’ar Empire, the Shi’ar Empress Danger Bird sat grimly upon her throne. Warlord stood bent respectfully below her, his expression equally unpleasant.

Danger Bird took several deep breaths and forcibly suppressed the rage threatening to erupt. Then she slowly asked, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Half a year has passed, and there has been no news from Alex…" Thinking of the Alex who had vanished without a trace, Warlord’s emotions stirred as well, and even his voice became agitated. "I secretly contacted Kyln Prison and discovered that Alex was thrown into the core detention zone after an escape attempt…"

"The core detention zone?" Danger Bird frowned, and the crest of feathers atop her head trembled violently. Others might not know much about the core detention zone, but as Empress of the Shi’ar Empire, Danger Bird knew something about it. Once someone entered that place, they could basically forget about ever getting out!

At the side, Lilandra finally recovered from the news of Alex’s disappearance. Hearing Warlord’s words, she asked in confusion, "It was only an escape attempt. There was no need to throw him into the core detention zone, was there?" She paused slightly, then added, "And why did Alex try to escape?"

"It is not clear yet why Alex tried to escape. As for why he was thrown into the core detention zone…" Warlord turned to glance at Lilandra, a trace of awkwardness flashing across his face. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Princess Sawa of the Nova Empire was at Kyln Prison at the time. Alex took Princess Sawa hostage during his escape attempt…"

Listening to Warlord, Danger Bird panted heavily through her nose, then growled in fury, "Alex… what exactly is he trying to do?!" Her carefully laid plans were on the verge of collapse because of Alex. No matter how good her temper was, she could not endure it any longer.

Warlord glanced at the furious Danger Bird and gave a light cough. Ignoring her glare, he continued, "After learning that Alex had been locked in the core detention zone, I sent additional men to rescue him…"

"Rescue him for what? Let him die in there!" Danger Bird’s hatred for Alex now surged like a flood. The moment she heard Warlord’s words, she could not help snapping at him.

Warlord gave Danger Bird an awkward look, composed himself, and said mysteriously, "But Alex is no longer in the core detention zone."

"What did you say?!" Danger Bird leaped up from her throne, her gaze fixed on Warlord in utter disbelief. Anyone who truly understood the core detention zone of Kyln Prison knew that once someone was locked inside, they would never get out for the rest of their life. Alex’s abilities might be outstanding, but escaping from the core detention zone was clearly impossible!

Her thoughts raced, and Danger Bird immediately considered another possibility. She slowly sat back down, her expression turning calm. "You mean Alex died in there?" Alex could not possibly have escaped the core detention zone, so there was only one other possibility: he was dead. There was no management in the core detention zone, and deaths there were perfectly normal.

"Although the core detention zone lacks management, the prisoners inside still have tracking records." Yet to Danger Bird’s surprise, Warlord shook his head, his expression extremely grave. "There is no death record for Alex. It is as though he truly vanished. And not long after Alex disappeared, another person vanished from the core detention zone as well."

"Someone else vanished?" Danger Bird could no longer remain calm. Since when had the core detention zone become a place people could enter and leave as they pleased?

Warlord nodded, his expression becoming somewhat strange. "That person is named Adam, codenamed Warlock. His records show that he is also from Earth!"

"What?!" Danger Bird sprang from her throne again, even more shocked than before, with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Did you just say Warlock Adam?!"

Warlord had no idea why she reacted that way. He nodded oddly. "Yes, Warlock Adam, from Earth."

"How could it be him? How could it be him?" After confirming the name Warlord had spoken, Danger Bird muttered to herself several times. Then she sank back onto the throne despondently, waved a hand, and said weakly, "Forget it. Do not concern yourselves with Alex anymore. Treat it as if he never appeared."

"Sister, why?" Hearing Danger Bird’s words, Lilandra looked utterly stunned. She even let their private form of address slip out.

Warlord also stared at Danger Bird in surprise. In his view, Alex had definitely escaped Kyln Prison. If that was the case, then they had to find Alex, no matter what.

By now, Danger Bird had more or less recovered. She turned toward Lilandra and gave a bitter smile, shaking her head. "Do you know who Warlock Adam is?"

Lilandra furrowed her brows slightly, thought for a long time, then shook her head. Yet an inexplicable thought rose in her heart. Could Alex’s disappearance be connected to this Warlock Adam?

"When Thanos was sweeping across the universe, it was Warlock Adam who appeared and stopped him." Danger Bird did not elaborate. With just one sentence, she completely stunned Lilandra and Warlord.

Lilandra stood dumbfounded for a long while before finally coming back to her senses, her face filled with disbelief.

"I think Alex has probably returned to Earth by now." Danger Bird looked deeply at Lilandra, sighed, and said slowly as if it were merely an offhand remark, "With Warlock Adam’s abilities, that would be easy!"