Chapter 244
Every inmate entering the Kyln Prison must undergo disinfection and cleaning before donning the standard yellow prison uniform.
However, the individual who followed behind the others was neither wearing the yellow jumpsuit nor had undergone any disinfection. He simply strolled right into the Kyln Prison in his own attire.
This…?
If it was just the lack of protocol, the prisoners might assume he had some powerful connections and would feel a sense of fear. But the manner in which he entered raised even more questions.
He didn't walk; he floated in!
What was happening?
"Who is this guy?"
"How did he end up in this prison?"
The prisoners were shocked, left with growing uncertainty.
Initially, they had plans to give Ronan's associate a proper "welcome," but now they hesitated, unsure of their next move.
The entire prison fell into a momentary silence.
It wasn't until Syd glanced around at his surroundings and floated into his own private cell that the prisoners snapped out of their daze.
Soon after Syd departed, leaving Star-Lord and the others behind, the remaining group fell victim to the prisoners' aggression.
With a thud, something smashed against Star-Lord's head.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Prisoners hurled objects continuously at Gamora, and even Star-Lord, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon weren't spared from the barrage.
"Kill her!"
"Kill the murderer!"
"Get out, murderer!"
"You're dead!"
The inmates shouted, enraged.
Rocket looked at Gamora and muttered, "See? This one's got quite the reputation. Plenty of prisoners here lost family members to Ronan and his thugs. She won't last more than a day."
Star-Lord, shaken, asked hesitantly, "But won't the guards protect her?"
"The guards only care about keeping us from breaking out. They don't give a damn about what happens inside," Rocket responded, rolling his eyes.
Star-Lord was left dumbfounded.
Gamora then spoke up, "You all probably think this is a nightmare, but compared to my past, this feels more like a dream."
As she spoke, Gamora's mind wandered to memories of her past.
When she was a child, she belonged to the Zehoberei race. Then, one day, Thanos invaded her planet, forcing her people to line up in two groups, only to wipe out half of them. This, he believed, would leave enough resources for the survivors.
Over time, as she grew under Thanos' tutelage, the horrific events she witnessed made her more and more opposed to his ideals. Recently, when she learned of Thanos' plans to collaborate with Ronan and destroy yet another planet—Xandar—she could no longer bear it and chose to betray them.
Just then, a hulking blue-skinned inmate approached, looking Star-Lord up and down with a leering grin.
"Look at this fresh meat. I'm going to slather you in Glarnak jelly and have a feast."
He caressed Star-Lord's face, making him visibly uncomfortable.
Groot, who couldn't stand by and watch, extended a branch into the blue-skinned inmate's nostril, causing him to scream in pain.
The prisoners, who had been shouting moments before, gradually quieted down.
Rocket, seizing the moment, pointed at Star-Lord and shouted, "I'll say this now—this guy is ours! If any of you think you can take him from us, you better think twice!"
"Or better yet, why don't you try us and see how that goes?"
With that, Rocket and Groot walked toward the cells, followed closely by Star-Lord, who, while hurrying after them, shouted, "I'm with them!"
As he walked, he added, "And by the way, I'm also friends with him!" He pointed toward the mysterious figure in white, floating a short distance away.
Hearing this, the prisoners, who had either been watching for entertainment or plotting something sinister, immediately faltered. Many of them cast apprehensive glances toward the still-floating white-clad figure, eyes shut and seemingly indifferent to everything around him.
If it were only Rocket's warning, the prisoners might have brushed it off. But if this mysterious figure was involved, they suddenly felt a need to be cautious.
In an instant, most of the prisoners' gazes shifted from Star-Lord, suddenly unsure of causing any more trouble.
Star-Lord, surprised by their reaction, couldn't help but mutter, "Wow, this guy's connections really pay off."
Still bewildered, he hurried past the fallen blue-skinned inmate and into the safety of his cell.
After the group moved on, Gamora, walking alone behind them, was met with a barrage of threats and curses from some of the prisoners.
"Your cell won't protect you!"
"You're as good as dead!"
"I'll kill you. You're done!"
It wasn't until Gamora stepped into her cell and the door shut behind her that the barrage of insults finally subsided.
Because they had all entered together, their cells were located fairly close to one another.
At that moment, Syd was sitting inside his cell, casually fiddling with the silver orb that held the Power Stone.
He was pondering how to open it.
Seeing this, Star-Lord couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "What exactly is that thing?"
"What makes it so valuable that everyone's after it?"
Rocket and the others perked up their ears at the question, turning their attention toward Syd.
It wasn't just them. Even some of the nearby prisoners, who could overhear the conversation, strained to listen in.
They couldn't understand how this mysterious man in white had managed to bring something like that into the prison. They were also curious to know what this strange object really was.
Syd glanced at them briefly, then continued to toy with the silver orb as he answered nonchalantly, "Before the dawn of creation, there were six singularities. After the Big Bang, the universe was formed, and these singularities were forged into concentrated particles."
"This orb holds one of those particles. You can call it an Infinity Stone."
"Whoever holds one of these stones has the power to wipe out entire civilizations in an instant," Syd explained calmly.
Since they would find out sooner or later, Syd decided there was no point in hiding the truth and casually shared the origin of the Infinity Stones, or at least one version of it.
Indeed, this was the origin of the Infinity Stones in the current universe.
However, there was another version—the one from the comic universe—where the Infinity Stones originated from the Vengeful Goddess Nemesis.
According to that version, Nemesis, growing weary of the loneliness of the universe, chose to shatter herself into seven gems: the six Infinity Stones and an additional Ego Gem. Collecting all seven would resurrect the Vengeful Goddess.
And when she re-emerged, her return would spell the end of all things.
Of course, that story had nothing to do with the Infinity Stone Syd currently held. The origins of the two sets of stones were entirely different. In the reality he was in, the Infinity Stones were indeed formed from primordial singularities.
(End of Chapter)
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