Chapter 40: Sakaar

Jack sat on a floating iceberg in the cold Arctic Ocean, watching the massive Valkyrie plane fly farther and farther away.

In fact, according to the case, he should have made the same choice as Steve. But he had an unfinished mission, and he couldn't stop there.

He didn't want to be frozen for 70 years. He had a life to enjoy.

Now, his priority was to find a way to leave this place. Jack took out the Hydra's Fieser Dorsch from the salvage pool. This little thing would come in handy.

...

Two months later, after drifting at sea for over two months, Jack landed in Russia.

As for what he came to do, do you even need to ask? Of course, he came to collect debts.

Few people knew what had happened, but Howard in America had a vague idea.

Although Stark Tower was not as towering and magnificent as it would be in the future, it was still a beautiful sight in New York City. In the top-floor office, Howard looked at the photo in his hand with a hesitant expression and a hint of excitement.

"Jack, it really was you, after all!"

Howard let go of the photo, watching it flutter away in the wind. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back into the room.

...

One month later, the Hydra incident was resolved, and after multiple investigations, the Strategic Science Corps finally proved that it was the work of Hydra.

World War II officially ended that same year, and many Hydra scientists were absorbed into the Strategic Science Corps. The old Hydra passed, and a new Hydra began to develop secretly.

After the Hydra incident was over, he disappeared without a trace. Even though Howard secretly sent many people to look for him, there was still no news.

The time goes back to a month ago.

After finishing everything related to Russia, he had fulfilled the regret of his past life that he had always wanted to do but couldn't.

Jack originally wanted to return to his home country, but unfortunately, an accident happened.

His restored Cosmic cube energy suddenly erupted and began uncontrollably flooding around his body, spreading.

This phenomenon confused Jack, and he didn't understand what was happening. He could only vaguely feel that the Cosmic cube energy within his body was leading him somewhere.

He wanted to seek help, but who could help him with this problem? There was one person if that person was willing to see him.

So Jack traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, once again in search of the legendary mystic sanctuary, Kamar-Taj, hoping to find the Supreme Sorcerer, the Ancient One, who might have a way to stabilize the energy.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find anyone, not even Kamar-Taj, after wandering around Kathmandu for three days. The war had also reached there, and many people had fled.

Disappointed, Jack had to find a place to hide. But on the second day, the energy radiating from his body suddenly increased, eventually forming a deep black hole that sucked him in.

When Jack disappeared, a teleportation gate made of sparks appeared on the scene, and a bald woman with a necklace walked out of the gate.

It was the Supreme Sorcerer, the Ancient One

Looking around, the Ancient One sighed sadly, "I hope my decision was right."

After speaking, the Ancient One looked around and returned to the portal.

...

When Jack regained consciousness, he found himself lying face down on a smooth floor. It was chilly, and he could feel the wind blowing past his ears. He overheard someone calling for scavenger number 142 to prepare some unusual goods. Jack wondered what was happening and where he was.

While still in a daze, Jack slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh my god!"

The scene before him instantly snapped Jack's dizzy mind back to reality. He struggled to push his weak and sore body backward without a second thought.

"Hey, lie down!"

The voice from above made Jack pause. He looked around and realized that he wasn't lying on the ground as he thought but on a windshield of a small spacecraft.

Outside was an endless dump, with dozens of circular holes in the sky from which trash occasionally fell.

No wonder he had such a big reaction just now. Anyone would be frightened upon waking up and seeing this scene.

"I said, lie down!"

The voice above him seemed annoyed, and before Jack could lift his head to see who was so bold as to tell him to lie down, his neck felt like it was struck by lightning. His brain paused for a moment, and then he completely lost consciousness.

"Where did he come from"? Grandmaster said

"I don't know. We found him in the garbage dump." Valkyrie replied

"Does he have any special qualities? Hmm... he looks good, and the Lizardmen might like him." Grandmaster said

"...He looks like a Skrull, but that's not the point. Look at this." Topaz said

"Wow, he's extraordinary. I like him! I need him for my competition!" Grandmaster said, sparkling his eyes

"Okay, how much are you willing to pay?" Valkyrie seriously said

"2 million units" Grandmaster offered

"....."

"Fine, 5 million units, deal!" Grandmaster said

In a daze, Jack was awakened by the sound of the conversation, his head still a little fuzzy as he opened his eyes.

The scene in front of him once again left him dumbfounded.

Jack had seen the person in front of him many times. There were three people in front of him. To his left was a short, chubby middle-aged woman with an expressionless face as if everyone owed her five million.

To his right was a young woman with a slender figure, wheat-colored skin, and her hair styled in a ponytail. She wore a leather combat suit with white paint on her face. Her body exuded a strong alcohol smell, and while she looked heroic.

The two women were talking to finish the transaction. While the shabby old man was dressed in odd clothing, eagerly eyeing Jack as if he were a rare treasure.

If Jack didn't know who he was, he would probably think he was gay.

That shabby old man was Grandmaster.

He was one of the Elder Universe, They are some of the oldest living beings in the universe after the Big Bang, and the brother of the Collector from the Knowhere, bored with living so long and keen on different games and competitions.

As for the young woman, she should be a Valkyrie survivor from Asgard.

So this must be the planet Sakaar. His random teleportation has gone a bit too far.

Looking at the situation, Jack knew exactly what his situation was. He was probably teleported here and caught by the Valkyrie in his coma, then sold to Grandmaster.

'Wait, sold?'

Suddenly, Jack woke up and realized that he had been sold. Instinctively, he tried to struggle but found himself tied to a chair and unable to move.

"Ah, our sleeping beauty has awoken," said Grandmaster, seeming pleased to see Jack awake. He continued, "I'm so glad you're still alive. People always try to sell me some nearly dead, but of course, I'm not talking about you, number 142."

"By the way," he added, "I'm really curious. How did you do it?"

When he finished speaking, a video appeared in front of Jack, showing a group of strange creatures gathered together, apparently watching something. Suddenly, a burst of blue light exploded from the crowd, engulfing the entire screen!

After the light dissipated, there was not a single person left, only a large hole in the ground, and he was lying at the bottom.

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. It seemed that the energy of the cosmic cube in his body had erupted again.

He was about to make up some excuse when the following words from Grandmaster left him speechless.

"How were you able to absorb the infinity stone's energy and be unharmed?"

Jack was at a loss for words. The excuse he had prepared had been thrown in the trash. He had foolishly attempted to lie in front of a person who had lived for an unknown number of years. Although this person was a bit odd.

The best solution was not to say anything at all.

"Um, I'm not sure about that. Maybe it's because I can absorb all kinds of energy." Involuntarily speak out

"Hmm? How did that slip out?" Jack was surprised when he heard himself yell out his biggest secret, despite having decided not to speak. It was as if his mouth had a will of its own.

He looked at Grandmaster in disbelief, amazed by the old monster's abilities after having lived for who knows how many years.

"Absorbing energy? Wow, what a great superpower!" exclaimed Grandmaster, excitedly clapping his hands as if he had forgotten his previous question. "So, will you participate in my championship tournament? I believe you can become the champion!"

"Competition?"

Jack thought of Thor's exile on Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok and didn't want to go through that.

Right now, the most important thing is to find a spaceship to return to Earth. If he remembered correctly, Grandmaster's hangar should have plenty of spaceships. He could have stolen one.

"I'm not interested in the competition! Sorry, I have to leave!"

As Jack spoke, he exerted his limbs and quickly broke free from his restraints. He headed towards the large floor-to-ceiling window and jumped out, determined to escape from this place no matter what.

He had considered kidnapping Grandmaster, but given the latter's identity and strange powers, he decided against it. There was a reason why he had lived for so long.

As Jack saw the window getting closer and closer, he felt a sense of excitement. With one leap, he concentrated his power in his fist and intended to break through the window and leave.

However, at that moment...

Zap~!!!

A strong electric current hit his neck again, and Jack instantly quivered, his concentrated power dissipating. He crashed into the thick window and bounced back heavily to the ground.

The scene was awkward for a moment.

"He's not very obedient, but it's okay. We can make him obedient here," said the Grandmaster. He then turned to the Valkyrie and asked, "By the way, what's his name?"

"I don't know, but he has this," the Valkyrie said, reaching into her combat suit and pulling out a tag belonging to Jack.

"Jack...Quinn?" Grandmaster glanced at it, then waved to his subordinates and said, "Take Mr. Quinn to the prison to rest and let him participate in tonight's championship fight. I can't wait to see his performance."

Two guards walked over, one on each side, and lifted Jack. He had no strength to resist and could only be taken away.

"It's... It's... Wayne! You... old hag!"

Mustering his last bit of strength, Jack flipped off with his middle finger, even though the latter may not have understood the gesture.

After an unknown amount of time, Jack is awoken by a bad smell. He opens his eyes and is almost startled by the sight of partially rotted bodies with two heads each, crawling with worms that make his stomach throw up.

He quickly gets up and moves away from the bodies, taking in his surroundings. He recognizes the location as the future place where Thor would be imprisoned.

There were several strange extraterrestrial creatures sitting in the cell, including those with two heads, ones that looked like stones, and even ones that looked like praying mantises. He is in a cell with a few aliens, each with a unique appearance.

The only person who made Jack feel threatened was a burly man sitting in the corner, wearing a garment of animal skin and a helmet of an unknown beast's head. His body is covered in scars.

Even just sitting there, the man made Jack feel threatened. The threat he posed was even more serious than the one he had felt from the Red Skull.

It seemed the burly man felt Jack's gaze and suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at him. Although He had also been through many battles and bloodshed, the man's gaze still sent shivers down his spine.

This was a dangerous person.

Realizing this, Jack tensed up, ready to defend against any sudden attack. However, the burly man, although looking like he wanted to charge and fight him, ultimately did nothing but glare at him maliciously and then lowered his head to pretend to be deep in thought.

Seeing this, Jack shrugged his shoulders. He had forgotten that this was the territory of Grandmaster, and few dared to cause trouble here. He relaxed and paid no further attention to the big man, finding a clean spot to sit down and think about his current situation.

First, he touched the small device on his neck. It was strange because it could not only stun with electricity... no, it was like his Energy absorption couldn't even absorb the electric currents from this small thing.

Moreover, he tried to remove it, but it seemed impossible. It was like it was attached to his skin.

With Jack's abilities, there shouldn't be a problem with escaping if he could remove it.

So how do I remove it?

"Right!"

Jack's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up, thinking of a way.

If he remembered correctly, only the champion did not have this device, the gladiators under Grandmaster's command. So as long as he could win all the contestants and become the champion, Grandmaster should remove this thing.

Moreover, the champion seemed to live well, except for the lack of freedom. Everything was better than 99% of the people in Sakaar.

Anyway, it's better than staying in this cell; he could train his powers.

....

Note: He is being injected by a neurotoxin as is noted by his veins bulging and being discolored, something electricity would not do.

please give me some stones ;)