Raise Rocket & Groot
Feeling the fresh breeze brushing through his fur, Rocket squinted with enjoyment. In the next moment, he gave in to his primal urge and began to howl.
"Woo, aaahhh... 々~..."
At that moment, Rocket felt like he could see himself breaking out of this birdcage, continuing his carefree adventures with Groot throughout the galaxy.
Little did he know, his triumphant moment was being observed by Zane.
At that moment, Zane was sitting in a fancy restaurant on Xandar, enjoying the unique cuisine of the planet with Lorna.
Though the taste was a bit strange, overall it was decent.
Meanwhile, Rocket and Groot's escape journey was being live-streamed for Zane to watch.
As for where Zane got the money, well, it definitely wasn't enough to afford this upscale place just by robbing some ugly dude.
When Zane left the landing pad, the authorities of Xandar saw everything that Zane did.
Unlike regular folks who saw Zane's brutality, the Xandarian authorities recognized Zane's formidable strength.
And most importantly, Zane seemed to have no malice towards Xandar.
You don't see someone causing trouble, broke, and then robbing others to pay for landing fees.
Hmm, that does sound like causing trouble...
But let's not dwell on the details. The important thing is that Xandar realized Zane had no ill intentions, just a lack of Credits.
Immediately, Xandar sent someone over to give Zane a card, informing Zane that with this card, all expenses on Xandar were covered.
Of course, Zane gladly accepted Xandar's generous offer and took Lorna and the others to enjoy themselves with the card.
Finally, while having dinner and sipping on specialty drinks, Zane got bored and had the Skynet open up a video feed to see what those two fools were up to.
And so, Zane saw the entire process of Rocket, the little cutie, trying to escape.
Just as Rocket and Groot were about to crash headfirst into the boundary of the ecopark while riding the elephant, Zane, with an amused smile, said to the Skynet standing by:
"Skynet, let these two interesting little fellows out safely. I want to see what they'll do next."
"Sure thing, boss."
As soon as the Skynet spoke, a fleeting green data stream flowed from its eyes, and the frenzied elephant hit the boundary of the ecopark.
The wall, originally made of vibranium nanoparticles, seemed to collapse like a water curtain upon being struck by the elephant.
While offsetting the force of the elephant's charge, it didn't harm the animal.
Otherwise, the best outcome for the elephant would have been a severe concussion.
Unfortunately, Rocket and Groot weren't as lucky. Although the elephant stopped, the enormous inertia flung them away.
Then, the seemingly indestructible wall, like air, allowed them to pass through effortlessly.
Rocket had closed his eyes, preparing for the impending pain, but he felt nothing.
When the two flew out of the ecopark unprepared, they skidded across the smooth ground, using their faces as brakes.
After Rocket, with a few broken branches, was helped up by Groot, he was stunned by what he saw...
The magnetic robots that had effortlessly captured him and Groot before were now orderly moving various instruments, traversing the vast Ark.
What was most shocking to Rocket was the sheer number of magnetic robots. They were either flying in the air or carrying cargo boxes as large as trucks, passing by him frozen in place.
Strangely, there was no sound, no voices, no footsteps, not even breathing.
Apart from the occasional sound of spacecraft cutting through the air, there was silence.
Describing it as quiet as a pin drop wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The entire scene felt grand and eerie...
So eerie that Rocket instinctively held his breath and huddled with Groot in a corner.
He feared being discovered by the magnetic robots and then being dismembered alive with Groot.
Rocket felt like a roasted duck, landing in a pack of wolves.
In an instant, Rocket was so nervous he couldn't even feel the pain on his face.
Mechanically, Rocket turned his head to look at the semicircular ecopark behind him. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming desire to go back.
Compared to the outside world, it was like a paradise in there.
"I am Groot," Groot said, slightly trembling with fear.
Upon hearing Groot's words, Rocket's fur stood on end. He climbed onto Groot at lightning speed and covered Groot's mouth tightly, gesturing frantically for silence.
But in the silent space, Groot's not-so-loud voice seemed to be amplified countless times over.
Instantly, all the magnetic robots working stopped and turned their heads in unison towards where Rocket and Groot were hiding.
Being stared at by tens of thousands of magnetic robots with their cold eyes felt like having your soul dragged into hell.
Anyone with a low tolerance for fear would likely be scared unconscious and left with a lifelong psychological scar.
Rocket's fur, which had stood on end, instantly flattened, and his ears, which had been erect, drooped on his head.
But he still stood in front of the bewildered Groot, shouting loudly at the myriad of magnetic robots:
"Come on, you big dummies, let me show you how tough I am!"
"Come on, you big dummies, let me show you how tough I am!"
"Come on, you big dummies, let me show you how tough I am!"
...
In the vast space, Rocket's tremulous words echoed incessantly!
In another private room of the restaurant, Zane and the others watched the video feed of Rocket's fierce stance, unable to stop laughing.
"Hahaha..."
Bastis even laughed so hard that he spewed out the Xandarian grilled fish from his mouth.
"Honey, let's take these two interesting guys in and raise them. They're so cute!"
Lorna shook Zane's arm, acting coquettishly.
"Sure, I don't want to kill them either."
Facing Lorna's rare coquettishness, Zane naturally agreed.
After receiving a satisfactory response, Lorna rewarded Zane with a kiss on the cheek.
Then, she continued to watch the projection screen with great interest, where the fierce Rocket and the silly Groot were.
Actually, from the beginning, Zane never intended to kill Rocket and Groot. They could even be said to be Zane's favorite two people in the Marvel universe.
Of course, compared to Groot's innocence and silliness, Zane preferred Rocket, the tragic product of genetic synthesis.
Not for any other reason, just because he was so much like the previous Zane.
From his background to his personality, they were very similar.
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