Chapter 30: Scaring Ronan Away!

"Gamora, given what you have done, I could kill you right now and Thanos would have no complaints!"

After knocking Gamora away, Ronan grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up, his eyes staring into hers without a shred of mercy. Behind them, Star-Lord, distraught at seeing Gamora captured, blurted out the location of the Orb without a second thought.

"Ronan, let Gamora go! The Orb is in their hands!"

Ronan turned his head and shifted his gaze toward Hao Yun.

Hao Yun smiled and tossed the Orb in his hand. "What, you want it?"

"Hand it over, and I can spare your lives."

"Is that so? Then I thank you for your mercy. However, I’d like to see if you even have the qualifications to take it."

Ever since he reached the Father-level, Hao Yun had been looking for a master to test his strength against. Now, he had finally found his chance. He stepped forward, clenched his right fist, channeled his energy throughout his body, drew strength from the ground, and swung with all his might.

Ronan did not treat him as casually as he had Gamora. He flung her aside and met the blow head-on with his hammer held in both hands.

"Boom!"

As fist and hammer collided, both were blasted backward. A massive shockwave rippled through the air, sending everyone flying. Aside from Caelia, who was shielded behind Hao Yun, even the parked spaceship was forced back several meters by the tremor.

"A powerhouse!"

Ronan stared at Hao Yun with a stern expression. He took a deep breath to calm the agitation within him and asked slowly, "Which planet are you from?"

"Why? Do you want to wipe out my planet too? Do you have the ability to do so?" Hao Yun shook his hand, acting nonchalant and cocky.

Ronan shook his head; instead of being angered by Hao Yun's attitude, his tone became quite respectful. "A planet that possesses a powerhouse like you is not one that can be destroyed so easily. Even Thanos would show respect."

Hao Yun finally understood. The universe was truly a place where the strong preyed on the weak—the law of the dark forest. If you are strong, you are right; no one dares to provoke your planet. If you are weak, it goes without saying: you are conquered and become a vassal.

The reason Thanos dared to target Earth in the third Avengers conflict was likely because Carol Danvers, who constantly maintained cosmic peace, was not around. Otherwise, would he dare to run wild on Earth? Had he not seen that before the Ancient One died, Thanos didn't even dare to approach Earth, only sending the Chitauri to test the waters?

What status did the Chitauri have under Thanos? They were nothing more than disposable cannon fodder. You can't expect much from space pirates who don't even have defensive shields.

"As for the planet I'm from, you should be very familiar with it," Hao Yun smiled strangely. "Do you still remember Earth from over a decade ago?"

"You are an Earthling?!"

Ronan’s expression shifted instantly. Hao Yun clearly saw his grip on the hammer tighten, his knuckles turning white.

"That's right. It's a pleasure to meet you, invader from a decade ago, Ronan!"

The sarcastic words pierced straight into Ronan's heart. The Kree warriors beside him wanted to speak up in his defense, but Ronan quickly held them back. What if—what if this Earthling also had the ability to glow? His own warship could not withstand such a blow.

"For the sake of Carol, hand over the Orb, and I can let bygones be bygones and let you leave," Ronan said, staring at the orb in Hao Yun's hand. At the same time, the cannons of the fleet behind him glowed red; they were charging up, ready to fire at any moment.

"And if I say no?" Hao Yun took a step forward, his brow furrowed, his aura not losing the slightest bit of ground.

"I believe in your strength, but I don't know if your friends can withstand the bombardment." Ronan gestured vaguely toward Gamora, Star-Lord, Rocket, and the others, lingering his finger on Caelia to observe Hao Yun's reaction.

Hao Yun's face flickered between pale and flushed, looking extremely unwilling. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, friend," Ronan’s mind settled, and a smile actually appeared on his rigid face. "This is friendship. This is a gift."

Hao Yun gritted his teeth and glared at Ronan for a long time before throwing the Orb into Ronan's hands with force. "Hmph, I'll remember this!"

"Thank you."

Ronan did not push his luck. He gave a nod, waved his hand, and led Nebula and the others onto the warship, departing immediately.

Once Ronan was gone, Caelia let out a long sigh of relief and rushed to Hao Yun's side, checking him over, terrified he might have suffered internal injuries. "Wuwu, Hao Yun, are you okay? It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming out to catch people, you wouldn't have..."

"There, there, I'm fine." Seeing Caelia about to cry, Hao Yun hurriedly rubbed her hair. *Damn, don't cry! I really can't handle that!*

"Why did you give them the Orb? Don't you know what kind of danger you're bringing to the universe by giving it to Ronan?"

Gamora stood up with Star-Lord's help, and as soon as she recovered, she pointed at Hao Yun and began to berate him. Caelia’s eyes widened, and just as she was about to retort, Hao Yun pulled her behind him.

Gamora was no saint. Although she leaned toward chaotic justice, the number of lives on her hands was no fewer than those of the so-called pirates. If he let Caelia argue back, what if Gamora lost her temper and attacked?

"You ask why?" Hao Yun replied coolly. "I may not fear Ronan, but can you handle his fleet?"

"I don't fear death!" Gamora insisted, her neck stiff. "For the sake of cosmic peace, I don't care about my life!"

"But they do!" Hao Yun glared at her and pointed at the others. "Your teammates are afraid! Star-Lord is afraid, Rocket is afraid, and I am afraid!" He didn't say it explicitly, but Caelia gripped his arm tightly.

Gamora turned to look at Star-Lord and the others. She could see that her teammates all had eyes full of hesitation, not daring to meet her gaze. They truly did not want to die.

"But..." No matter how unreasonable Gamora was, she knew she couldn't disregard her teammates' lives. But she couldn't accept giving the Orb to Ronan just like that.

"There are no 'buts'." Hao Yun interrupted her protests. "Once Ronan gets the Orb, he will surely become arrogant; he might even turn against Thanos. A struggle between two powerhouses might not be a bad thing."

"No, Ronan will attack Xandar!" Gamora shattered Hao Yun's fantasy. "Ronan won't face Thanos directly; he will prioritize attacking Xandar! In Ronan's eyes, the peace treaty between the Kree and Xandar is the true source of his humiliation!"

"What? Ronan is going to attack Xandar? Hao Yun, let's go! We have to notify Nova Prime!" Caelia's face changed drastically; she completely forgot why she was there and pulled Hao Yun toward the ship.

Gamora, Star-Lord, and the others exchanged glances. Star-Lord gestured toward the direction Hao Yun was leaving. The meaning was clear: are we going?

Gamora thought for a minute. With Hao Yun there, they might actually be able to stand against Ronan. "Go! This time, if we can secure the help of the Nova Corps, we can turn Ronan's fleet into dust!"