Fellow Planetman

"Don't rush to answer me, think about it tonight."

"Once you're on my ship, there's no turning back."

"From now on, the Ark, or rather this spaceship, will have no restrictions on you and Groot."

"You and Groot can leave anytime, and I guarantee that there will be no repercussions afterwards."

"The choice is yours, whether to stay or go, it's entirely up to you."

Zane stopped speaking and instead wore a relaxed smile as he watched the others playing with Groot in a bundle.

It wasn't until Groot picked up Rocket, who seemed lost, and greeted Zane and the others before following the guidance of the magnetic robot back to the bedroom.

Zane didn't hold much hope for Rocket's ability to find his way.

Lorna also noticed Rocket's unusual behavior after talking to Zane, so she looked at Zane curiously and asked, "Zane, what's wrong with him?"

"It's nothing, I just gave him the choice."

"Will Rocket and Groot leave?" Lorna asked with some concern.

Although they had only had a short time of interaction during dinner, she had really taken a liking to Rocket, the fierce little raccoon, and the naive and cute tree-being Groot.

"Who knows? Those who should leave will leave, and no matter how you try to keep them, they won't stay. Those who should come will come, even if you don't actively seek them out, they will become a family."

Zane watched as Groot's figure receded into the distance, a mysterious smile on his face.

But what he got in return was a bloodcurdling scream from Lorna.

"You crazy woman, why are you biting me?" Zane growled at Lorna, who was biting his arm.

"Hmph! You're acting deep again! What's the real story?" Lorna huffed.

"Uh, I don't know," Zane said awkwardly, rubbing his nose, his eyes wandering.

"So, everything you just said was nonsense!"

"Haha... Don't pay attention to those details."

Rocket didn't know how he got back, only that when he regained consciousness, he was already lying on the soft big bed in the bedroom.

Looking at Groot, who was worriedly looking at him, Rocket seemed to be speaking to him and himself:

"Groot, do we really want to stay here?"

"I am Groot."

Understanding Groot's meaning, Rocket fell silent. Yes, so far, the only ones who hadn't disliked them were Zane and his group.

But the last thing Zane said kept replaying in his mind.

He didn't doubt Zane's promise to him; such a powerful being wouldn't lie to him.

Now the only thing Rocket was struggling with was, could he do it?

That night, Rocket stayed up all night.

In the middle of the night, while Groot was sound asleep rooted in the flowerpot, Rocket quietly made his way to the Ark's airlock. The airlock detected Rocket's arrival and automatically opened.

The magnetic robot on duty didn't stop Rocket either.

Rocket stood at the brightly lit landing pad outside for the whole night.

His expression went from hesitation to struggle to determination and back again in a continuous cycle.

Once you give up trust in the world, it's hard to pick it up again.

The next morning, a sumptuous meal was already laid out on the table.

But after Zane and the others arrived, Rocket and Groot were still nowhere to be seen...

It wasn't until Zane heard the sound of Rocket's little paws approaching from afar that a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

"You tasteless guy, don't think too much, I just think the food here is not bad."

Under everyone's gaze, Rocket slowly walked to the chair specially prepared for him and sat down.

Throughout, he avoided eye contact with everyone.

Perhaps, maybe, it seemed like this fierce guy was shy!

But Groot was very straightforward, his happy appearance was truly self-evident.

"I am Groot."

Instantly, everyone's gaze once again focused on Rocket, who was shifting back and forth in his chair, waiting for his translation.

"This blockhead says, 'You guys are all good people.' Pff, naive guy!" 

At this moment, Zane's face lit up with a sunny smile. He clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let me introduce."

"This is my wife Lorna, this is Bastis, and this is Little Bone."

Rocket and Groot nodded, indicating they remembered.

Zane had no doubt that Rocket had already memorized everyone's names.

But Groot? Zane was more inclined to think that he was following Rocket's lead in nodding.

"Lorna, this fierce little raccoon is Rocket, and this is Groot."

Lorna also nodded happily and ran to Rocket's side to pat his furry head.

Although Rocket subconsciously resisted, he didn't refuse.

It's just that the expression on his face got even uglier...

In the days that followed, Rocket and Groot gradually got used to life here.

The initial estrangement disappeared with the passage of time.

And after entering Skynet's weapons development department, Rocket burst out with an enthusiasm beyond reason.

With his unique talent for weapons, he developed many powerful but unstable weapons.

Watching Rocket holding the newly developed energy cannon and blasting one target after another into pieces with an excited expression, Zane couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, as if he was watching a demolition expert in League of Legends.

Same short stature, same furry appearance, and the same innate enthusiasm for explosions.

It looked so similar!

And Groot, under the rich supply of nutrients, had regained his original size.

Even the leaves on his body became denser, showing that this naive tree-being had been living comfortably in the past few days.

When Zane felt a bit idle, scouts sent out by Skynet finally brought news that Star-Lord had arrived on Xandar.

As early as when Zane and his group arrived on Xandar, Skynet had sent dozens of magnetic robots to monitor various interstellar ports on Xandar.

As long as Star-Lord arrived on Xnadar, he would definitely be discovered.

Watching Star-Lord's proud appearance in the virtual projection, Zane's face also showed a smile.

"Rocket, stop playing, how about going out with me for a walk?" Zane shouted to Rocket.

The little raccoon, who was immersed in guns and cannons and had entered a state of extreme fanaticism, couldn't be awakened if not shouted at.

"What for?" Rocket handed the new energy cannon to a magnetic robot.

"To meet a fellow planetman."

"Okay, let's go!"

Rocket readily nodded, then agilely climbed onto Zane's shoulder, and before leaving, he made sure to carry an energy cannon on his back.

The next moment, Zane and Rocket disappeared from the Ark and appeared in front of a Broker on Xandar whose name was same as his profession Broker, where Star-Lord was reportedly trading with the Cosmic Orb.

*************************************

You can get access to early chapters on patr*on

If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.

My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170

Or you feel like tipping me for my hardwork you can do so on Ko*fi

ko-fi.com/lord_immortal_0170